Went back to UB today. Not the happiest of times. I got stacked twice through my own stupidity. Once over playing two pair and the other time KK vs AA. Both hands I just played took hard and too lumps. I did manage to grind out some small victories though so at this moment I am only $88 down but it bites. After the second stacking I decided to take a break as I am not playing well at the moment.

I think I am playing too eager and seeing the table badly. I will prob not bother playing tonight and put this one down to experiance. I think playing tonight, I shall be trying to make up the money I lost and it is a recipe for disaster.

Till later.

Rich

FECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can I get a break this month???

Good news, damage of this session if only $87 as I bailed but by right I should be about $200 to the good.

I was up $60 and cruising. I had all my two tables pretty well marked and I was stalking two bad players with special interest. New player joins the table how I have notes on and rating as a fish. Sweet.

Hand one:

MP. Call. Fish LP raises to $4.50 and I am the only caller.

Flop:

I chk, so does he.

Turn:

I chk, so does he.

River

I bet pot, $10.50. He raises to $42. Wank, I am only worried about the back door flush but I this doesn't seem an obvious fold. He might have been hyper slow playing a big PP, he was a nugget or put me on a bluff.

He turns over . Arse being he even bets a dollar anywhere till the river and I drop this hand like a hot coal, bollocks!

Well no biggie, it is just the profit for the session and I thought I did well to avoid the trigger finger and make this worse.

5 hands later...

I get on the button.

Folds to me and I limp as fish boy has already snapped my nose off stealing blinds so I show a little respect. Anyway I have a good multi-way hand and position though not a strong one so I can get away quick.

SB and BB (Fish) call and chk.

Flop:

Not happy about the paired board but no too worried since JJ or TT would have raised surely.

Chks to me and I bet $3 into a $3 pot. BB calls.

Turn:

I bet $7 into a $9 pot. It is possible he is drawing too so I am not giving away cheap cards. I suspect he might have a J, if so I am going to let him slow play himself to death here if I hit.

River:

Perfect, after all a higher flush is always a worry but the odds of king high are better than ace high.

He bets $23, bluff or finally trying to extract value for his J. Possible lower flush? I might be in trouble but I am going to play this hard, get my money back for the last hand.

All-in for $86. He calls.

He turns over

FECK.

I switftly close down all tables and I am now writing this with my hands still shaking. $150 lost to an idiot in 5 hands. I have no doubt my play has not been perfect, especially in the second hand. I guess I felt that he lucked me on the first and the second was divine retribution. Maybe I was blinded by the fish sign?

I think the first I am always going to lose big. Also to a degree the second one. I don't think I was wrong betting into my draw even if it wasn't the nuts. HU it was the aggressive move to make and I am not going to assume someone has a full house everytime the board pairs. I guess the brutal mistake was the river all-in, that lost me $60 that otherwise I might have kept. The fact he kept calling didn't worry me too much, he was calling down 35% but 32% winning at SD. Typical fish.

I am currently down now $86 for the month on table play. I have made up about $160 in bonus play but so far this month has been a disaster. It seems everytime the money goes in I get hammered.

Interesting stats of the month:

I have had flushes 3 times in 2838 hands. Won none of them.

KK has lost so far to AA twice for a stack each time, and once to 32o for $20. It is my second biggest loser this month.

JJ has been stacked once (my infamous all-in hand) and is $104 down overall, the biggest loser.

I am 39.47 at SD this month. VP$IP only 13.57 and PF raises 4.79. Went to SD only 15.8.

I am on the point of jacking it all in for the month. My BR has taken some hits this month, I am now about $1400 in cash. I am not overly worried about this though I would prefer to be nearer $2k, the aim for this month. I am getting about $25 a session from UB so it like a $100 a week.

I have played badly this month on occassion though I have recognised this and bailed. I think the difference looking at my session stats this month I am winning 53%, the hassle being I have had 4 sessions losing $100 plus and only 2 winning $100 plus. My avg losses are bigger than my avg wins. This is very frustrating. It seem rather than string a few winning sessions together all I seem to do is string losing sessions with the occassional big win.

I have put a lot of thought into my play and I think most things I have done wrong have been mental mistakes, like my all-in on the flush hand. I should have known I didn't even have the nut flush and called it if not folded. Stupid as I wasn't even down in the session.

I have to say writing here makes things seem a lot better. I am on a fume break so not talking to the missus. She was watching the table when this happened. I think a new rule will be to stop her watching me as I always seem to lose when she does! If only things were that easy.

I guess I shall call it a night tonight. I do actually feel better, and well enough to play some more. I am going to eat then we shall see. Things do feel a lot better when I put them in black and white here. I think the card gods were screwing me so I was always gonna lose on those hands, just how much was up to me. Hand 1 I think was fair game, hand 2 I needed to take my finger off the trigger (in the way I was pleased with myself in hand 1, irony?).

Well till later hope I am soaking up all the bad luck going around.

Rich

I have to say my current dislike about poker is that it can quickly ruin a previously nice Sunday.

Whitney

I decided to forget poker for tonight.

After taking opinion I feel both hands I played badly. For one thing I forgot the most important thing about fish, they are passive!!!!

I have decided that I am changing my icon to PT to a fish till I am playing better.

Rich

Weird session today.

Hands: $497
Amount Won: -$78.25
BB/100: -15.74

This seems like a disaster but to be honest it wasn't. It was the result of four well played hands and one misplayed hand though even with it played better I still would have been down about $20.

It can be summed up by this:

AA twice, win one for $84 (my very last hand actually!), lose one for $28.

KK four times. Won once, $3.50. Lost three times for $121. Once stacked by AA (I know but it wasn't obvious), folded once to an obvious AA and again to a set or something better. I was a little pissed about getting stacked but I thought it through and had my reasons for playing, bad luck.

So of my big PPs I only won 2 of 6, though one was a blind fold around.

Otherwise no sets, flushes, straights or full houses in 500 hands. With days like this I think damage limitation is the order of the day. I played a good long session and despite never being up once I felt good today.

Stacking someone with AA vs AK on my final hand felt like some kind of reward for my good play. I do think I played good. Maybe the KK vs AA hand could have been folded and saved some money but sometimes you have to play them, it was against a LAGish goon. Since I did make good laydowns on the other KK hands I am not going to beat myself up over this.

Well it seems my game and temperament are returning, just need some results...

Rich

Made a big decision today:

I am going to move back to $50NL.

I played a session today on UB and got stacked twice. Both times were nasty hands but I feel my play was at fault in both, even if it was just to minimise my losses. I am not currently happy with my play. I feel am playing weak tight and I don't like it. It is funny how Ice has been posting something similar, feeling the pain here. I don't feel I can attack hands, even when inside I am screaming offence. The sort of hands are thing like holding a middle PP to a raise, low ragged flop and bad guy bets. Normally I am good at picking up these bets as being call me or bluffing. Tonight about 3 times I felt bluffing bets but still folded . This is stupid.

I think part of my problem is BR. With todays loss I am now down to $1150 cash and I think this is showing in my play. I have loads of potential bonus money but it is slow coming though. Going back to $50 will allow me the freedom to play without even thinking about the cash and hopefully just get my game back.

I am not really worried about moving back, losing face etc. This is a good move for me and I am not going to go broke being stubborn. There are things I need to work on and I need the space to do it. The plan is still to play pro for three months next year and it up to me to work on my game whatever level.

The other thing I am doing is taking a holiday. I was going to do with anyway as the wife is coming next week but I have decided to quit till she goes in Oct. I want to get away from the grind for a bit and come back fresh. I am still going to target my winnings for next month but half the target to $400. Do this for two months then I am back at the $100s again.

I shall keep reading and posting, maybe writing a little here as I am that sad. Till then though wish me luck.

Rich

Decided to put in some words.

I have been true to my word and not played a hand since Tue. I have signed up to Bodog and will be playing there in two weeks. I think the lack of PT etc will actually help and make me play the game. I feel confident things will turn and I shall be back playing $100NL better than ever.

I have never been worried about making mistakes so long as I am willing to learn from them. I think this is what I need to do now. My big big mistake has been over playing my good hands. Maybe the instances of coming off second best has been overly harsh but I avoid getting stacked a few times and I am in the black this month.

I do feel my move down is a positive move. Had I kept on going I might have had the move foistered on me through a lack of BR. Instead I am going to attack the $50s with a renewed vigour. Maybe that is just me putting a good spin on it but I do feel good. I guess I am not worrying about clinging to a limit worried about one more bad session, instead I am nicely bankrolled and looking to make some. A new site should also help and Bodog looks sweet.

I shall prob pop up and post a few thoughts but till than, GL.

Rich

Figured I would put in a quick post. I am not dead, just doing other things so not really had the time/inclination to play poker at the moment. No doubt it will come back soon...

Rich