I'm getting old....54. At least from what I read, that's old compared with the rest of the posters on this board. I came to 'serious poker' late in life. For about the last year or so I've been playing LLHE with some occasional NLHE sessions and tournaments online and in B&M. I also dabble at LLO8. I hope to eventually make money at this, but I'm trying to look at the first year as OJT as well as realizing that most start-up businesses don't profit in the first year or two. It has been an adventure so far.

I'm a substitute teacher so I appreciate the opportunity to get metacognitive through this journal I haven't been writing to communicate very much in the past ten years or so. It will probably take me a while to hit some sort of stride. Some of what arrives here may be 'stream of consciousness' but hopefully there will be something for the occasional reader, even if it's only the realization that 'I'm glad I didn't do/think that'!

I've been playing 2/4 at Stars, thanks to a poster on this forum I left the 'Monster Jackpot' tables and the extra rake involved there. When I did that I was about ($80) and thought that the lower rake would push me into the black. Unfortunately, I've been enduring a 2 week downturn. I'm studying and think I've found some rather large leaks in my game that I'll address in detail as this continues.

First some stats, I'm 17.16/5.97/0.89 for 7623 hands at this limit. I play one table at a time. Sessions I win tend to be short while losing sessions tend to be much longer. I will detail a losing session (3.5 hours/202 hands) from today. It is reasonably typical.

I played a short session this morning and lost around 4BB in an hour. I came back to the table refreshed around 6 hours later, sat down, posted my blind and got this:
Party Poker 2/4 Hold'em (10 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with K, K. Hero posts a blind of $2. CO posts a blind of $3.
5 folds, Hero (poster) raises, 3 folds, BB calls.

Flop: (6 SB) 9, 8, J (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets, BB calls.

Turn: (4 BB) 9 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets, BB raises, Hero calls.

River: (8 BB) 3 (2 players)
BB bets, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 10 BB
Villiain had the 9.

This will not be a 'bad beat' blog. I know my problems go much deeper than just the bad beats that are part of the game's normal ebb and flow. What I'm most interested in today is any bets I might save (without turning completely passive) as well as input on what you may do when you are involved in the type of session I will be detailing here. I should add that if I had folded everytime I was raised this session and most of the others I've been involved in the past three days I'd have saved a lot of bets. This session however, every raiser either had the goods or drew to them.

I then went 7 hands (losing the blinds without seeing flops) and then won a pot where my ATo raised and won the blinds.
The next hand was:
Party Poker 2/4 Hold'em (9 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with T, A.
2 folds, MP1 calls, MP2 calls, Hero calls, CO raises, 3 folds, MP1 calls, MP2 calls, Hero calls.

Flop: (9.50 SB) 2, 6, 2 (4 players)
MP1 checks, MP2 checks, Hero checks, CO bets, MP1 calls, MP2 calls, Hero calls.

Turn: (6.75 BB) 4 (4 players)
MP1 checks, MP2 bets, Hero folds, CO folds, MP1 calls.

River: (8.75 BB) A (2 players)
MP1 checks, MP2 bets, MP1 raises, MP2 calls.

Final Pot: 12.75 BB
MP1 showed a K high flush, MP2 had ATo

Another six hands pass again both blinds are lost without seeing a flop before:

Party Poker 2/4 Hold'em (10 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

Preflop: Hero is CO with 7, 6.
1 fold, UTG+1 calls, 1 fold, MP1 calls, 2 folds, Hero calls, Button calls, SB raises, 1 fold, UTG+1 calls, MP1 calls, Hero calls, SB bets, UTG+1 folds, MP1 calls, Hero calls.

Flop: (13 SB) 2, 3, 4 (4 players)

Turn: (6.50 BB) 5 (4 players)
SB checks, MP1 checks, Hero bets, SB folds, MP1 folds.

River: (7.50 BB) K (2 players)

Final Pot: 7.50 BB Villiain folded to my bet.
Three hands later I badly misplay a middle pair after the flop:
Party Poker 2/4 Hold'em (8 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

Preflop: Hero is MP1 with 8, 8.
1 fold, UTG+1 calls, Hero calls, 2 folds, Button calls, SB completes, BB checks.

Flop: (5 SB) 6, 9, 2 (5 players)
SB bets, BB folds, UTG+1 calls, Hero calls, Button raises, SB calls, UTG+1 calls, Hero calls.

Turn: (6.50 BB) 5 (4 players)
SB checks, UTG+1 checks, Hero checks, Button bets, SB calls, UTG+1 calls, Hero calls.

River: (10.50 BB) 3 (4 players)
SB checks, UTG+1 bets, Hero folds, Button calls, SB folds.

Final Pot: 12.50 BB UTG+1 showed the nut flush.
8 hands later I limp in in late position with QJs and fold to on the flop. I have overcards but there is not enough in the pot to consider calling and only backdoor straight and flush draws. I continue in the next post.

Party Poker 2/4 Hold'em (9 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 9, A.
6 folds, Button calls, Hero completes, BB checks.

Flop: (3 SB) 5, 3, 2 (3 players)
Hero checks, BB bets, Button calls, Hero calls.

Turn: (3 BB) A (3 players)
Hero bets, BB folds, Button raises, Hero calls.

River: (7 BB) 6 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 9 BB

Results in white below:
Hero has 9h Ac (one pair, aces).
Button has 6d Ad (two pair, aces and sixes).
Outcome: Button wins 9 BB.

The very next hand was:
Party Poker 2/4 Hold'em (9 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

Preflop: Hero is Button with Q, A.
4 folds, MP3 raises, 1 fold, Hero 3-bets, 2 folds, MP3 calls.

Flop: (7.50 SB) A, 6, 9 (2 players)
MP3 checks, Hero bets, MP3 calls.

Turn: (4.75 BB) 5 (2 players)
MP3 checks, Hero bets, MP3 raises, Hero calls.

River: (8.75 BB) 2 (2 players)
MP3 bets, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 10.75 BB

Results in white below:
MP3 has 9h Ad (two pair, aces and nines).
Hero has Qc Ac (one pair, aces).
Outcome: MP3 wins 10.75 BB.

Six more hands before I misplay this from the BB:
Party Poker 2/4 Hold'em (9 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

Preflop: Hero is BB with Q, 2.
UTG raises, 2 folds, MP2 calls, 1 fold, CO calls, Button calls, 1 fold, Hero calls.

Flop: (10.50 SB) 4, 5, Q (5 players)
Hero bets, UTG raises, MP2 calls, CO folds, Button calls, Hero calls.

Turn: (9.25 BB) 3 (4 players)
Hero checks, UTG checks, MP2 bets, Button calls, Hero raises, UTG calls, MP2 calls, Button folds.

River: (16.25 BB) K (3 players)
Hero checks, UTG checks, MP2 checks.

Final Pot: 16.25 BB

Results in white below:
Hero has Qd 2d (one pair, queens).
UTG has Qh 7h (one pair, queens).
MP2 has Ac 4d (one pair, fours).
Outcome: UTG wins 16.25 BB.

I fold my small blind and 6 hands later raise ATo. Flop comes K67 rainbow and I fold to action. 4 hands later in the BB I call a raise (after 2 others call) with A8s and fold when the flop comes 256 with no spades. SB is folded preflop to EP raiser (Q9s). 6 hands later I get this:
Party Poker 2/4 Hold'em (8 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

Preflop: Hero is BB with J, T.
6 folds, SB completes, Hero checks.

Flop: (2 SB) K, J, 3 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, SB raises, Hero calls.

Turn: (3 BB) 7 (2 players)
SB bets, Hero raises, SB calls.

River: (7 BB) 9 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks.

Final Pot: 7 BB

Results in white below:
Hero has Jh Tc (one pair, jacks).
SB has Ks Th (one pair, kings).
Outcome: SB wins 7 BB.

Aggressive or FPS (tilt)?

I go another 10-12 hands losing my blinds only. The last hand is SB where I play Q5s and fold when flop comes 2J7 no diamonds. 7 hands later I limp with 55 and fold to AT2 flop with multiplayer action. And it just continues. As the hour gets later and the stack starts to shrink I continue to wait and believe the hands will turn around. Later I get KK cracked again by 23s when a second 3 hits on the turn and I don't fold to a raise (again). I win a couple of more hands but as the stack shrinks I get more and more desperate about those I choose to play, for example:
Party Poker 2/4 Hold'em (9 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 4, K.
7 folds, SB raises, Hero calls.

Flop: (4 SB) J, 3, 9 (2 players)
SB bets, Hero calls.

Turn: (3 BB) T (2 players)
SB bets, Hero folds.

Final Pot: 4 BB

Results in white below:
No showdown. SB wins 4 BB.
And this hand, the raiser is untrustworthy but I could probably folded to the one who reraised me pre-flop. I shouldn't complain much about this hand as I had proper odds to make all the post flop bets/calls:
Party Poker 2/4 Hold'em (9 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

Preflop: Hero is CO with K, Q.
4 folds, MP3 raises, Hero 3-bets, Button caps, 2 folds, MP3 calls, Hero calls.

Flop: (13.50 SB) J, 6, T (3 players)
MP3 bets, Hero raises, Button folds, MP3 3-bets, Hero calls.

Turn: (9.75 BB) 8 (2 players)
MP3 bets, Hero calls.

River: (11.75 BB) K (2 players)
MP3 bets, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 13.75 BB

Results in white below:
MP3 has Td Jd (two pair, jacks and tens).
Hero has Kd Qh (one pair, kings).
Outcome: MP3 wins 13.75 BB.

And that was enough time in the barrel for me. My average starting cards seemed like J4o or similar. I wasn't dealt many pairs but of the few I got most didn't see the light of day due to raises or being EP and 22-66. You saw the two KK hands. I also lost with QQ in a reraised pot to AK. Probably could have folded that once the AK fell and saved a bet (flop was CR after my continuation. I loosely called the raise and folded to turn bet. Winner showed down AK). I won with JJ and TT but otherwise my big A hands didn't connect or were outdrawn.

I thought I was in a good game. There were a couple of LAG's (40%+ vpip and above) but I never seemed to get a legitimate hand to play back at them most of the time. And when I would try to isolate them I was either out of position or there were too many callers.

I've been trying to play more straightforwardly. Less CR bluffs on the turn and less continuation bets into multiplayer pots (3+ where I was the preflop raiser and I don't connect. I also try to bluff catch too much. The only thing that bothers me about 'straightforward' play is it seems even more passive to me. Of course the same 'logic' that tells me that also is the 'logic' that has me incorrectly bluff/bluff catching so much.

Tomorrow is another day.....The rest should be shorter and more to the point.

Take a look at this hand:
Party Poker 2/4 Hold'em (10 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

Preflop: Hero is Button with A, K.
UTG raises, UTG+1 calls, UTG+2 calls, 3 folds, CO calls, Hero calls, 2 folds.

Flop: (11.50 SB) 6, 7, 5 (5 players)
UTG bets, UTG+1 calls, UTG+2 raises, CO folds, Hero folds, UTG calls, UTG+1 3-bets, UTG+2 caps, UTG folds, UTG+1 calls.

Turn: (10.75 BB) 7 (2 players)
UTG+1 bets, UTG+2 calls.

River: (12.75 BB) K (2 players)
UTG+1 bets, UTG+2 calls.

Final Pot: 14.75 BB

How bad a play is the flop call? Are we really folding all or even 2-3 opponents on flops we don't hit that are checked around to us if we bet out? We have position so we aren't 'forced' to make a continuation bet but let's say it's 3 rags rainbow and it gets checked two or three times and then bet to us, are we happy to chase overcards especially when we may get checkraised and then reraised? We will only hit the flop 1/3 of the time and we win how many of those? So we lose that 3 and maybe fourth bet a good 2/3+ of the times we play this hand. That doesn't make the 'raise' -EV. My question is, with this hand offsuit and at least 4 way on the flop is it a big losing play to call? I'll see what I can find out.