Day of mixed results at limit. I'm not sure I really enjoy this game anymore. Suckouts are a part of it; this I realize. They happen more than in no limit; this I realize. It seems, however, that I have been catching more than my fair share of them for about the last 5K hands, though, and that kind of sucks. I think maybe one more weekend and then I may be done, unless I'm playing for bonus and rakeback, which brings me to the next phase of my plan.

Yes indeed, I will be moving homebase to Cake, taking advantage of their nice bonus deal. The process will take some time and matters are complicated by Bodog's lack of withdrawal options, but probably sometime mid May, I will be over there.

Stats for the day:
50c/1 233 hands -$32.75
1/2 88 hands $12.75
2/4 123 hands $$58.25
3/6 148 hands -$127
5/10 63 hands -$59 ($25 of that TILT)

Okay week of poker I guess. Headed in the right direction on the no limit front at any rate.
Current Bankroll: $3881
April: -$19

Sunday not a good day. I usually do very well on Sundays, but I just got my clock cleaned today. A few misreads cost me some bucks, but I think those were correct plays for the situation. I played a little too aggressively, however, when I got the info that my read might be wrong. I put in a second barrel in those spots and I should have just closed up shop. Those second barrels added up. I can't remember any specific hands from earlier today, but here are two from the session I just played.

I have in the BB, 4 limpers to the button who makes it $2; SB calls and I call, since I'm pretty sure I'm getting at least a few calls behind me and unlikely that anyone of these players raises. 3 of them call, so $12 pot and 6 players to the flop.
Flop:
Checks to one of the callers who bets $4.50, BTN just calls, SB folds, I call, everyone else
folds. I'm reading BTN for AQ or AJ, maybe set.
Turn: ($25.50)
I push in, BTN calls with , and the riiver is the seven outer. I had BTN covered and lost around $35 or so.

Next hand, different table. I raise to $2 EP with , folds to BTN shortstack ($19.50) who miniraises. I call. Flop comes 9 high w/ two diamonds. I check; he bets $4 and I push over the top. I'm tilting a bit here and have talked myself into this wild play. He calls with his aces, and I hit running kings to drag the pot. Pretty damn sick. I haven't put a beat on anyone that bad in quite a long time. His short stack didn't put a big enough dent in the flush pot, so still lost money for that session.

Stats on the day:
560 hands -$87.67

Three up and three down today, so back down to 25NL tomorrow. I kind of hate my bankroll rule right now. Nevertheless, it has surely saved me some money recently.

I decided to set aside several hours this afternoon to play a longer session. I played for two and a half hours, logging 410 hands. Made $41.15 over that period, which is not bad. That sessions got off to a rip roaring start with the following hand.

I have 93o in the BB. One limper and the SB join and we see a flop of:
SB leads minimum 25c and I raise to $1, limper folds and SB miniraises to $1.75. I think a bit and call deciding to go for the turn raise.
Turn:
SB leads $2 and I make it $8. SB thinks for a long time and finally calls. I'm now thinking he also has two pair either 34 or 94.
River bricks and I decide to check behind as I think EV is a wash in the long run. He has Q9o. Nice three outer sir.

Got back on track with some medium pots and a full stack when I had KK and flopped a set. MP decided to just smooth call with AA preflop and on teh flop. PUshed over the top on the turn.

Tonight's session was much shorter; 154 hands for $26.95. I again got off to a real nice start with the following hand.
I have QQ in the BB. EP limps, MP mini raises, one caller to the BTN who makes it $2, SB calls, I raise to $7, folds to BTN who calls. SB now raises to $11 (leaving himself $1.05). I don't fear this, and given the call by the BTN I think I have the lead, so I push in. BTN thinks for a bit and calls, as does the SB. Hands are turned and I'm up against ATo (BTN) and KQo (SB). K on flop and on turn. I only lose $2.34 thanks to the BTN.

I'm probably steaming a bit from that one and pick up QQ on a different table. EP limps, folds to Hijack seat who raises to 70c, I make it $2.50 and the BTN cold calls. As I'm thinking, "What the hell kind of hand do you have to cold call 10bb?" the SB and BB both call. EP and HJ also call. AWESOME! Flop comes TT2 rainbow, so there's hope. SB checks, BB pushes in for $6.40 (pot about $12), EP calls, HJ folds, and I say screw it (pot is now $24) and push. All fold and I find myself up against 62o. Yep, 6-2 offsuit. But wait, there's more. He doesn't hit the two outer and I win the pot.

I quickly pick up QQ again at the previous table and tangle with the KQo SB. He raises to $1 and I make it $4. He calls. Flop comes: ($8.35)
He leads $4 and I push in. He calls with and I wince when the 2 hits the river. Looking back, I think I can just call this bet and get it in on the turn, but I was thinking if he had an overpair like TT he would definitely stack off. Oh well, it was basically a coinflip so I can't bitch. I stacked KK when I flopped a set a bit later and that basically gave me the positive win for the session.

I'm going to start trying to play longer sessions from now on. I really got into a groove this afternoon and just settled in, didn't force things, just let the game come to me. It felt pretty good.

Didn't get a chance to post yesterday, but it would just have been me bitching. I got slapped around for an hour and a half. The beats were just sick. I played 255 hands and lost $51. I made two bad decisions, one for $17 and the other for $7, so about half of my losses due to poor decisions. That's a bit embarrasing, since I kind of pride myself on my decision-making.

I then went off to my home game and lost a stack when I flopped a set of tens. My c-bet got raised on the flop and I didn't have much left, so I pushed in and got called with a combo draw, which actually only had the four outs to the gut shot. Gutter connects on the river. So basically, the cosmic doom switch was on yesterday and I did not outsmart it. I've been running like shit in that homegame for the last year now. Good thing its small stakes and fun to play with my friends.

Played one session this afternoon, and this may be the only session of the day (more on that below). Got off to a bad start, but finished up with a small win. How did I accomplish this win? I'm in the BB with AJo and it folds over to the SB who mini raises. SB was bad, but didn't seem like the type to mini raise his monsters. In addition, I'd been folding my blinds for the last hour to any raise. Finally, I was a little pissed with the way the cards were falling. So I raise his 50c bet to $2. He responds with a mini-reraise to $3.50 and I say fuck you and push in my stack. He thinks for about 3 seconds and calls with . Miraculously, my hand holds up and I win $20 something. Yes we both donkishly put in near full stacks with those hands. So that hand makes up for all the other horseshit in this session. ~400 hands ~$9.

So I've started a part time job with a shipping company, which involves mostly manual labor. I work in the wee hours of the morning until the sun comes up. This will be rather inconvenient until the semester is over, since I will need to go to bed pretty early, as in, I'll be going to sleep when my son does. Poker-wise this means I'll only be playing in the afternoons for the next week. Long term I plan to switch my sleep schedule to after work and just stay up till I leave for work. This will mean that I'll probably be playing poker from late evening until early morning. Given that I want to play longer sessions, I think that will work out pretty well, since there will be no distractions.

Long post coming, so don't bother reading if you like it short and sweet. I need to seriously vent and I'm just taking stock of my play and the situation I find myself in.

Let me begin with a run of hands from my first NL session today. Every one of these hands is me in the BB in an unraised pot.

#1. I have T9o in the first hand of the session. UTG limps along with the button (who has A9o) and the SB. Flop: 994r
I bet 50c, UTG and BTN call.
Turn: 5 (putting spade draw out) $2.50
I bet $1.50, UTG calls and BTN mini raises to $3. I think I may be outkicked here, but he's made it cheap, so I call. UTG folds.
River: 5
I check, he bets the pot for some reason (maybe he likes to pay more rake) and I call. So basically I start off the session with a cold deck, but get saved on the river. If this guy doesn't suck so bad, I fold to a bigger raise.

#2. Different table. I have KTo in BB and flop tp. I lead get one caller who calls me down also with KTo. No this one isn't that bad, it just sets the tone.

#3. Same table as #1. I have A2o in BB. BTN (same guy from before) limps, SB completes and I check. Flop: A29r
Checks around. I had played the previous big hand (which was just one orbit back) fast so decided I would slow it up here.
Turn: 9 (putting diamond draw out)
Bye bye two pair. Checks around. Hmm, maybe I still have the best hand.
River: brick
I put out a 40c bet, since the pot is only 75c. BTN puts in a raise to $3 or $4. SB and I fold. BTN shows AA. Good time for me to play it slow. Again, if that guy doesn't suck, he gets a lot of my money.

#4. Different table. I have A2o in the BB. Numerous limpers. Flop: 322r
I bet the pot, MP and SB call.
Turn: 6 (putting heart draw out) $5
I bet $4, MP pushes in, SB calls off his stack. I fold. MP has 54o and SB has 92o.

#5. I have KQ and flop is: K54. UTG had limped with 44. He decides to slow play and fortunately a flush card slows the action, so I don't lose too much.

So just one set up after another and no escape for me, since I'm the BB. This first session ran 223 hands for a loss of $23.50. Second session was standard. 197 hands, I won $15.10.

Then I play some 2/4 limit tonight. Tables were good. I won a big pot early with a FH. One guy had the triips and the other guy refused to lay his straight down. That hand cushioned the blow. I'll give the three worst. All of them are to the same fucking donkey.

#1 MP raises, Donkey calls, and I call in the BB with suited QJ. Flop comes J53r
I lead, MP calls, Donkey calls.
Turn: 8
I lead, MP folds, Donkey calls
River: A
I lead, Donkey raises because he just hit his three outer with A-T

#2 Numerous limpers, I limp on the button. Flop:
BB or EP limper bets, several callers, I raise, everyone calls to a late/MP player who now 3 bets, I call as do BB, EP, and Donkey.
Turn:
I check, Donkey bets (he has KQo), late/MP raises, I 3 bet, folds to Donkey who thinks for a bit and calls as does late/MP (who has QJ)
River: T
I bet, Donkey raises, late/MP calls, and I overcall, because the pot is now just over 23BBs.

#3 One limper, I raise with AKo, Donkey reraises, only I call. Flop comes K high. I check, Donkey bets, I raise, Donkey calls.
Turn: 5
I lead, Donkey raises, I call.
River: something
I check call. Donkey has 55.
Fuck Donkey, fuck him and fuck Bodog. There I feel better. 275 hands of 2/4 lost $36.75. I am indeed done with limit, as I fear the mouse or monitor or keyboard or cat is going to suffer should I play again in the near future.

On to more lamenations. This run of bad cards started in late March. The 23rd for limit hold'em. I then had two good days of NL 100 before the bad run at NL began on the 27th. Since that time I have played 6052 hands of limit poker. I've lost at every limit aside from 1/2. My win rates at these limits through this run are:
50c/1 -0.70 BB/100
1/2 1.33 BB/100
2/4 -2.84 BB/100
3/6 -9.81 BB/100
5/10 -1.32 BB/100
Through total hands I've kept track of for these limits, I'm a winner at all of them sans 3/6. Sample sizes at 3/6 and 5/10, however, are less than 1K. Perhaps if I keep playing I will end up a loser. Perhaps I do indeed suck at limit. I don't know. I have no confidence in my limit game at this point.

The no limit run has thus far consisted of 9055 hands. Since I'm starting it with the three consecutive losses at 200NL, I obviously have a large losing rate there. I lost money at 100NL as well, but am actually up slightly at 50NL and 25NL through this run. The problem for me now is that this is getting into AlexMR territory in its length. We're talking about over 15K hands. I'm starting to just not enjoy myself. I think I'm also playing a bit more recklessly. In general, I just expect to get sucked out on at this point. That's probably making me play incorrectly at times, though I try to monitor my bet sizes and such. This is just extremely frustrating, particularly on a day like today. Poker gets one more day from me. If tomorrow is not fun, then I'm taking the rest of the week off. I can lose money and still have fun, so it's not a matter of me winning; it's a matter of me enjoying this activity. I can take bad beats, but I can't have fun when I just get cold decked and sucked out on in huge strings like this. I can't laugh off this insanity any longer.

Current Bankroll: $3774
April: -$126

A little lax on my posting. Apologies loyal readers. I drank heavily Friday afternoon and was asleep shortly after 8pm; no poker was played. Saturday I only had time for one brief session, which I played at UB. My deposit went through, but no email or anything to let me know. I just logged in and there it was. Great customer service. I was rewarded with some horrendous stuff and lost $10. That included me folding a flopped set and a flopped fullhouse. Yes, seriously. I had 33 and the flop was 3QQ, turn a 6 river a 6 and the guy pushes in on the river.

Played two sessions today. The first went poorly card-wise, but damn I played some disciplined poker. Great folds, I'm tellin ya, great folds. Except for this one time, which actually worked out in my favor. UTG limps in, I raise with AKs and folds around to him. He now raises. I push in (don't really like this play; as I said I think I should have folded to the l/r). He has AA but I suck out the straight. 314 hands for $1.80. Second session, I again make some great folds, though overplayed a couple hands which cost me. I was playing at 50NL since I managed to put together three consecutive winners at 25NL. 305 hands for a small loss of $4.40. I'm liking my discipline. I feel at ease. Now if I can just get a nice little run of cards.

Just about to the middle of the month. I was hoping to be in position to move over to Cake right about now, but I'm still waiting on a deposit to my bank account, so that I can load epass. Meanwhile, Pokerstars has a reload bonus. I'm thinking I may take the UB money out and put it over there for as much bonus as I can get, since epass takes a week to load. I can play my short stack strategy and clear the bonus pretty quickly on auto pilot. Strongly considering that, but I'll sleep on it.

Current Bankroll: $3824
May: $101.37