Ok, only a few complaints tonight. I kicked the crap out of the $25NL Full Ring games tonight, as I should be doing, because most of the really bad (and even a lot of the tight) players down there are just weak and easily readable and exploitable. So I can't really bitch about too much, but.......since I am me.........

Complaint #1: Reminder why I stopped playing so many MTT's
Only the 2nd MTT I've played this month. 1st hand I play after 14 folds is AQ in MP. Flop top two and out I go to a 3 outter on the turn.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1468452

I kinda thought he had AK because I hit both the A & Q on the flop and I figured if they're not fucking me, then they must be fucking him. So I tried to make a weakish looking c-bet so he'd raise and we could get it all-in on the flop, but for some reason he just called. Then I realized they were fucking me on the turn, but what are ya gonna do, I mean I had the redraw to the nut flush too.

Complaint #2: My "Of Course" Full Tilt hand of the night
Pick up [Kc] MP at an 8-handed table w/ $34.05
UTG+1 raises to $0.75 ($23.35 behind)
I re-raise to $2.60
OTB (16/5 over 225 hands) calls ($30.35 behind)
BB (88 VP$IP so far) calls ($3.60 left)
UTG+1 calls ($21.50 left now)

So, 3 callers of a preflop re-raise. Please just put the Ace out on the flop so I can be done with it dealer.
[Td][Ah] Pot $10.50

LOL Thank you sir for making this easy
UTG+1 bets $2.50, I fold, everyone else folds - WTF? No real action on the Ace?

A close 2nd:
Same table, about 1 orbit later, [Kd] in MP AGAIN
UTG (still with the 88 VP$IP) limps ($17.25 behind).
I was going to make the normal raise, but since I knew UTG wasn't folding to anything, I figure I'd make it bigger and see how much he calls.
I raise to $2 (8x BB). Everyone folds and UTG calls the raise insantly.

on the flop..... ........but he folded to a the c-bet anyway

Complaint #3: Eh..this one's only really sort of a half complaint since I sucked out.....but still....
[6s] MP w/ full stack
UTG (62/20 25 WTSD w/ $50+) raises to $0.85, UTG+2 calls, I call, BB calls

[8d][Qs] Pot $3.50
BB checks, UTG bets $3.50, UTG+2 folds, I'm ALL-INNNNNNNN
BB folds, UTG INSTA-CALLS with [Qc]

Hmmm....looks like I didn't have as many outs as I thought I might against a 62/20 player. They never fail to have the damn nuts do they?

But, as is in most of my bigger pots this week, the worst hand wins on the river.

Still though, 62/20 or anyone over 50 VP$IP for that matter? Set all the time?

Even better, guy that took his seat.......55/14 good for close to +2 stacks over 90 hands.

In a rare occurance, I thought I saw a 43/29 player just break even tonight though.

Just thought this might be interesting. This is a query of all the players in my PT database at $25 and $50 FR that are over 50% VP$IP with 90+ hands since I'm always complaining about it. Somebody explain all the green. Looks pretty profitable to me.

Reminder why I stopped playing so many MTT's PART II

LOLOL I'm an ASSHOLE. I don't learn. Despite what I wrote yesterday, I played in another one today.

20 minutes in
[7d] in BB w/ 2625
Blinds 24/40
UTG limps (4K+), everyone else folds, I check
[Ah][Ac] P=100
Check check
P=100
check, check
P=100\
I bet 100, UTG raises to 600, I re-raise to 1600, he's all-in. I call
He has [5c].....AHAHAHAHAHAHA....YEAH RIGHT!!!!!!

Taking today off from poker.

The tentative agenda for the rest of the week:
Tomorrow (Thursday): Try to get in 3 hrs/300-500 hands FR
Friday: Trip to AC (Taj)
Saturday: See tomorrow (Thursday)
Sunday: Possible trip to AC again (Borgata). 1st day of the WPT ME. Trip depends if a friend can get out of working that day. His friend may be playing in the event.

2 hands that still stick in my mind from yesterday:

1 - [9d] CO ($30.35) - 8 handed
UTG limps, UTG+1 limps, MP1 limps, I limp, SB calls, BB checks

[9c][8d] Pot $1.50
Checked around, I bet $1.50
BB & UTG+1 call

BB = 19/9 15 WTSD after 80 hands. Normal aggression. I have some respect for this player. He has $45.20 left.
Mistake: The seat between SB and BB was open at the start of the hand, but has since been filled. Also, original UTG has left the table. I mistakenly thought BB was UTG by the turn.
UTG+1 = 28/12 20 WTSD after 50 hands. Seems a bit fishy. Not much respect for.


Pot $6
BB (who I think is UTG) leads for $3, UTG+1 calls, I just call
I would either make this play if I had a draw that I wanted to see cheaply OR if I had a big hand (88/98) that I wanted to get raised. I would NOT make this move, most likely, on a paired board with a draw though. So this bet, from a TAG threw me off. Upon further review, I could have still raised up to about $10-12 without being pot committed. If I was sure I could throw away to a push, maybe that was the play, but I couldn't be sure of that here yet.

Pot $15
BB checks (SHIT!), UTG+1 bets $5 ($9.35 left), I call, BB calls
BB - [Ts] If I had realized that he was BB and not UTG, I think I would have been more likely to raise since he could have 9 w/ any kicker or JTo or J7o or other strange holdings in an unraised pot.
UTG+1 - [7c] for the running flush, but a pair on the flop
Me - FUCKING idiot for not raising the turn. If the board was less drawy, I think the turn call might have been a better idea though.

2 - [Kc] UTG+1 ($26.85) - 8-handed
UTG limps, I raise to $1.10, MP1 calls, SB calls, UTG calls

[7s][3d] Pot $4.65
SB pots it, UTG folds

UTG has played 2 hands so far and has $19 left. I can't possibly have any read on him.
There is a possible straight out there, possible straight draw, possible set always, possible flush draw, possible over pair, or possible combinations of the preceding. So believe it or not, I actually consider this a dangerous board, because I can't just call here and allow him to bluff off with something like 99 or even junk here if that's what he wants because there are a lot of horrible turn cards here. I could be drawing dead already though or maybe even behind to a monster draw, or even to a big draw.

I raise to $12, MP1 folds, SB is all-in for $23.65.

$11.65 more into about a $40 pot. I know I have to go with it now, so I call and I'm SOOO happy to see [Js]

& miss the flush draw. Not played horribly by SB though, especially if I have a pair less than Kings and definitely if I have TT.

Sometimes you can only do what you can do and let the cards fall where they may.....but I can't help but feel as if I was being set up today.

MTT #1
Lasted 10 hands
[4h] in BB
4 limpers
[8c][4s]
I pot it, 1 limper raises, I push, he calls
He has [8h]
Get it in as a 70% fav - gone with on the river......5 outter

MTT #2
Actually made it to the money in this one. Just a bit past the bubble.
[3h] SB
Very tight EP player limps, everyone else folds, I call, tight/unimaginative BB checks
[3c][Js]
I bet 1/2 pot (which pretty much commits me, but I want EP player to hopefully have AK and raise, but...), BB folds, EP TAG calls

Well there goes my hand. Totally counterfeited, but just about 1/2 my stack is in so I tilt off the rest when he pushes with [Jc]............5 outter
WTF???? Very tight player in EP open-limps early with QJ with 500/1K blinds and only 12K????? Calls a 1/2 pot bet on the flop???? That seems strange

Cash game
2 very weak tight tables.....steal, steal, steal, steal.....stolen about 2/3 of a stack....
Get it all-in preflop blind vs blind [Qc] vs [Qh]........ on the flop....there goes all the hard work.

Limp [6d] in EP
A VERY, VERY tight weak player in MP makes a small raise to $0.75.
He's running 12/3 and LOVES to talk about how he folds big hands post-flop because everyone that bets into him or calls must have a set. He'll say stuff like "I layed down KK", "I layed down TPTK". So I already knew that if I flopped a flush draw I was pushing.

[8d][2c]
I bet 2/3 pot into him, he raises, I push, he insta-calls with.......[8h]
What weak tight player 12/3 is raising pocket 8's from early/middle position after a tight player limps? He couldn't have had KK there....which he most likely could have folded. 12/3 raising from early/middle
AND he flops a set while I flop the NFD........HA........Rake generated
And to think, I almost re-raised him preflop too which would have moved him off.


Last night, picked up 2 stacks in the first 30 hands........
Then raised and flopped 2 pair....river put a flush and 4-straight on the board -1/2 stack
Run KK into AA -1 stack
Funny thing about that is, I've run KK into AA 8x (losing all 8) and only AA into KK 2x (1x vs short stack and other time I lost a stack to a set of Kings)

Despite that, still running +11.22 BB/100 over 2K hands since I went back to FR this week.

I'm not even going to complain about this ridiculous hand...........
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1483545
(yes those cards are right - a preflop raise with 95o)

because of this.........



The exit hand:
Blinds 12K/24K 3K ante and I'm much the short stack at t255,608 (a double up would put me 4th with 6 left)
[Jd] MP
UTG folds, I push, CO folds, Button calls with [Kc]
[5d][Tc] - I did flop a 14 outter, but I missed

Feels pretty nice to increase your remaining online bankroll by about 40% in one night.

I've played 9 MTT's this week.
5x I've gone out in the first 20 minutes on ridiculous hands where I was way ahead except for the 1x I ran KK into AA
4x I've lasted at least 2 hours

I went out 193rd in Daily Double B too tonight, 13 away from cashing. If I would have cashed in that one, I woulda gotten like a $50 bonus for cashing in both and possibly even a couple $100 more for the highest average finish in both.

Oh, yeah........with this cash, I'm now slightly up for the month too.

I guess I should be happy because I finished +2/3 stack in 207 hands, but I'm actually pretty frustrated cause I ran pretty damn hot (till the end) and really shoulda finished up a couple of stacks, but I couldn't get paid except for one hand where I might brag that I set the table up pretty well to pay off my set.

2nd hand in SB w/ [6s] vs 5 LIMPERS
[As][6d] - 7 to the flop....NOBODY HAS AN ACE... ....profit = $4.20

few hands later [Td] LP - 1 limper + blinds
[6c][7d][8s][Qd] - NOBODY HAS ANYTHING.....profit = $1.40

[7c] in BB vs PFR + 2 callers, I call
[Kd][3h] - tight PFRer bets pot w/ 3 other players in pot - MUST be AA/AK/KK - I c/r all-in. He takes all his time, says he folded Aces profit = $11.95

Open-raise [Kd] CO, weak tight OTB just calls
[Jh][Jd] - Seems safe so I fire, OTB calls
- Try 1 more time to get him off his pocket pair, I fire, OTB calls
- I give up, OTB checks [Ad] behind....WTF?? -$14.00

So far I've run into AA 2x, they won't pay off my big hands, but sure will have Aces when I bluff.

Flopped an OESFD w/ [Js] at new table - c/r all-in - PFRer says nice bluff and agonizes over fold. I guess everyone has Aces.

Just a few hands later I have [Jd] in BB vs TAG CO PFRer - Flop [Jc][Ks] - Remembering what I had just done and the other player calling it a bluff, I c/r all-in again - get called by AK.

Brag; Setting up the table with the c/r all-in on the OESFD and then getting paid by playing the set the same way.

Beat: AK 4x - missed 1st 3 and lost when my opponent hit every time. Hit K 4th time, lost to 1/2 stack who hit a 2 outter for trips on the river after he got his stack in.

Hey man.

Congrats on the tourney score!!

AND FULL TILT CAN BLOW ME TOO!

My Verizon DSL has gone out a total of no less than 5x each night this week while playing poker. Tech support has been giving me the same useless crap for the past year and a half now. This stupid service along with the regular phone line in my house has been nothing but a HORROR story ever since switching. They send people out to the house constantly who can't find a damn thing wrong and if something is working currently while they are talking to you, then everything is fine. It doesn't matter if it goes out every fucking 1/2 hour.

Then when they can't fix the problem, they want to charge you over and over for new modems when they tell you that "might' be the problem. It is the WORST service ever. I don't know why I ever left cable for a few bucks less per month. If I ever do any good on this forum, I hope I'll talk someone out of buying anything except cell phone service from Verizon. Verizon DSL is a HORRIBLE and EXTREMELY UNRELIABLE service and as far as I know, it's unfixable.

Fucking idiots at tech support are geniuses too. I tell them I don't have a connection so they ask me to pull up a website to check something. I DON'T HAVE A CONNECTION YOU ASSHOLE!!!!

Onto Full Tilt. Dropped another 3 stacks today.
Here are the players I dropped them too. Only 3 players today with 50+ VP$IP and more than 20 hands.



#1 vs the 1st player on that list. JJ vs AK on a T45 rainbow flop. He bet and I raised. He called and with 1/2 my stack in, hit the K on the turn and c/r all-in.

#2 vs the 2nd player on that list. This is just fucking beautiful. 55/24 and this is how they flop when I flop a set. Nut straight + OESFD. How the fuck? Really?
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1500887
Flop a set and the maniac beats me not once, but TWICE by the river.

Compared to the players that I took stacks off of:









Yup, right, that space is blank because I don't stack maniacs. I don't even win hands against them. Somebody PUHLEASE teach me how to play 50/20 for a profit?


Now this is even sicker. This is my entire database at NL50 Full Ring from Full Tilt. Over 30K hands. I just did a query of EVERY player with 85+ hands and a VP$IP of AT LEAT 45%.
12 WINNERS - 8 LOSERS and the winners are MUCH BIGGER than the losers.


Now when we drop down to 40% VP$IP it's 26-21 (55%) WINNERS. Can someone please explain to me how this is possible that they run so well?

Finally dragged my ass to the Taj yetserday. Going to try to remember some highlights and details, but unfortunately, I can't really recall too many particular hands off the top of my head. This is kinda gonna be remember as I go along here:

- Bus was about 15 minutes late, but not so bad because it was only 1/2 full. Always good when you can get your own row.

- For some reason, when we get to Trump Plaza 1st, we have to wait about 20 minutes before they let the rest of the trash off. Then there is a backup jam of buses pulling into the Taj as well (construction). I would estimate that I was probably in AC for about 45 minutes before I ever actually got into the casino.

- For the 1st time I can remember, I actually had to wait for an open 2/4 seat. Took close to bout 1/2 hour. WTF?

- 2nd hand in the SB I get 2 pair (A4) on flop cracked by running flush, but she really didn't play it bad since she had the Ace on the flop as well with Jack kicker. She then cracked me again a couple of hands later when my [Td] is no good vs 44 on KT6 flop. 4 on the turn.

- Pocket Kings cracked. 89T rainbow flop, 3 callers. A on the turn.

- [Ks] for the 2nd time. Flop [Tc][Jc]. WTF?? I bet, 2 callers on the flop. Turn . Both check to me. Fuck it, I take another shot at it. First player folds, 2nd player folds [Qs] face up. First player said he had 87 but no club. So, ya both folded straights for fear of the club. Probably the biggest bluff I'll ever pull off a 2/4. Nice to know they both flopped straights on me though.

- After that I went on a bit of a hot streak. KK flopped a set again. JJ raised from BB holds up against many with A&K on board. AK multiple times, frequently hitting TPTK and being good.

- Controversial hand takes place. I have AK in the BB. 3 limpers and I raise, all limpers call, but just before the flop is dealt, UTG fishy/station says "Wait! I've got 3 cards." He didn't notice it when he looked because 2 of them were stuck together. Floor is called and we figure it is going to be a mis-deal, but after a conference they rule that UTG's hand is dead, his money stays in the pot, hand continues. I have no idea if this is correct or not, but UTG was a nice older man who definitely wasn't trying to angle anything here. Besides, why wouldn't he wait until after the flop? He didn't put up much of a fight, and since he was donating plenty to me, I wanted to keep him in the game, so when I hit TPTK and won a decent sized pot, I gave him back his $4. Stupid on my part? Or the right thing to do to keep the fishies happy?

- At this point, I'm up $120. I started with $120. I have about 2 1/2 hours of play left and I figure that I'd love to just maintain the rest of the way, but I'm certainly not going to change my play in order to make that happen. I also figure that I have good karma on my side because of the bet I just gave back to the player to my left. I couldn't have been more wrong as the fish paid me back by taking a big pot off me very soon afterward.

- This is probably 1 of only 2 questionable plays I made the entire night. Well, the other one was just plain bad, but it only cost me a couple of small bets preflop. This one just sucked.

[6c] SB. Most of the table limps, I call.
[7s][Qc] I bet and get about 3 callers. Shit! Since I was first to act, I didn't immediately realize that any T puts a higher straight on the board so perhaps a value bet here wasn' the right move?

Pot is fairly large now. This is my straight, but probably the worst card to make it. I bet and BB passive fishy raises, UTG even bigger passive fishy who can NEVER fold calls the raise. I figure there is a decent enough chance that BB has 2 pair or set + I want UTG fishy OUT so I 3-bet. BB fishy immediately caps.

Good News: UTG fishy folds
Bad News: I now know I'm drawing dead to KJ

Miraculously, BB checks behind on this card so I wasn't faced with the torture of having to call another BB, but he did have KJ.

So this is the way he pays me back for giving his bet back a few hands before.

- This is where I hit the wall. I raised a few hands later [Js]. Both fishies cold call. Flop KxK. One had [6h]. Other has K3o.

- Very next hand I raise with AA (only Aces all night). Both fishies along with another fishy call. Flop rags J-hi. All call. Turn T. All call. River rag - I decide to bet. First 2 fishies fold, last one calls. I almost want to say 2 pair wins, but I look at him and he looks like he's ready to muck so I flip over the Aces. He then quickly tables JTo and that's about the only time I almost went on tilt all night.

- Works out that I never won a hand after giving the fishy his money back in my last 1 1/2 hours on the table. I bled off mutliple bets by flopping gutshot + backdoor draws where I had to call because the pots were so big. I ended up turning even bigger draws almost every time and missing the river every single time. I get up to go to the bathroom, come back 2 minutes later, and the table is empty.

- They move me and the fishy next to me to another game. What a FUCKIN WHACKFEST this is. 73 year old white woman gets into shouting match with a 20-something black man. She also curses out an old drunk pain in the ass as well.

- Nothing changes at the new table. I go almost an hour without winning a hand. I only even think I entered about 2 or 3 pots in that time. The first time I bet, I get c/r'ed.

- I'm seated next to an old woman who is like a "super-regular" there. Ever single time I've been there, she has been there. She only plays 2/4, but if you didn't know any better you would think that she owned the place with the way she acts. I've actually played with her several times and she never remembers me. The first time she was
was nice to me. The 2nd time I was across from her and raised too much so she started running her mouth. She takes any kind of raise (whether she is involved in the hand or not) as a personal insult. Luckily I was card dead enough so as not to offend her again this time and she was actually quite nice to me. She kept going on about how her husband passsed away about a month ago and I kind of started feeling sorry for her and thinking that maybe that was the reason she acted this way. It did however seem strange that her husband passed away a month ago, yet I've been in that room about 7x since July and seen her there all day ever single time. Anyway.....

- I'm between her and a very drunk, old man who's just hollering and singing at the top of his lungs. He's even grabbing the floor woman's ass and she is putting up with him. He's slowing the game down, just staring blankly when it's his turn to act. He's yelling at the dealers. Just a general ass. Then the old woman starts cursing at him and he finally gets up to leave for a while. He comes back later though. I can't believe they put up with that shit from this guy though. This time, the old woman was actually right.

- Here's where it gets pretty messed. A young black man sits down when the old drunk leaves. He's kind of loud and obnoxious, but not towards anyone in particular though. The old woman decides that she doesn't like him and starts right in on him. The problem is that she starts right away with the personal insults and I couldn't believe what was coming out of this 73 year old woman's mouth.

He cracks her KK with a set of Jacks which includes a turn c/r when an Ace falls. She tells him to shove the Jacks up his ass and calls him a piece of garbage. Then she tells him to get up and leave and "Go jerk off in your car." Among other things. She just keeps on cursing at him and what not and finally he asks the waitress for a bottle of mouthwash to wash out the old woman's mouth. It gets even more heated until finally he starts shouting at the floor why they let her talk to him like this. The floor woman only hears him making a ruckus and tells him that if he doesn't shut up they will call over security. He flips out and starts screaming the race card, saying things like they want to kick him out because he's a young black man and she's an old white lady.

In fairness, he kind of had a point. It was about even and she was much more filthy and personal than he was, but she got the benefit of the doubt. I just kept my mouth shut and my head down the entire time. Finally, he got up and left on his own. I just couldn't believe the shit that was coming out of this old woman's mouth. Who's grandmother tells someone to go jerk off in their car and do other obscene things to their mother?

- At one point during this, I look up and on the news on the TV in front of me I see a large building up in flames. Then I see the word "Borgata". Hmm....2nd time this summer that I've been down there and a bulidng has gone up in flames. Later hear that the fire was in the morning though and the only thing damaged was the new wing. Supposedly something called the "Water Club" which they've been promoting heavily. They're gonna have to rebuild the whole thing I guess.

- At this point, I've lost ALL of my profits back and even a little bit more. Sucks though that I can only stay another 2 orbits. However, the old drunk guy comes back and I end up taking 2 smallish pots off of him and also flop my only flush of the night with [5d]. Unfortunately everyone folded the turn, but those 3 pots along with 1 more small one in the last 2 orbits ended up making me finish +$50 exactly for the night. After expenses +$31 which is most definitely not worth the trip. But on the positive side, I've come away with a profit in 6 out of 7 trips so far.

Positives:
I've started raising the flop and/or turn more with marginal holdings (Middle pair + Overcard) to knock out draws or at least them pay incorrect odds. After re-reading SSHE again, I've realized that I don't need to be ahead even half the time to do this. The results have been that I don't think I won any of those hands, BUT they did get me free rivers as the bettor checked the best hand + I did get the drawing hands out most times so it really didn't cost me any more money.

I'm now value betting more on the river where I may have just checked top pair type hands on the river in the past with many other players who would just call 2 pair type hands still in the pot. I don't really think it made a difference at all in this session as I was sometimes called by better hands, sometimes all folded, and I think once or twice I got an extra bet with the best hand. Still, I know it's the best thing to do.

Must remember to keep re-reading SSHE every couple of months or so. So much valuable info that I forget.