So starts my journey from my comfortable live games to the "virtual" unknown. So lets start with some background info.

Why am i moving to online play?
In about half a year or so, the tentative plan is that i will be moving to Germany for roughly one year. From asking around i have found that NLHE is a very scarce game near where i will be living (Hamburg). The unemployment rate in Germany is also extrememly high so finding work may be extremely difficult for me. I also presently speak no German beyond, Wunderbar and Der Weinerschnitzel.

My bankroll is currently at 20K+ and i have a decent savings but i by no means want to deplete either during my stay in Germany. So my only option it seems? Online poker

Experience
I have played live poker for 9 years. But basically i have been playing cards and games for money my whole life. I am currently 27 years old. The first 7 years of live play i played LHE. I started out at the 2-4 and was doing half decent until a rock at the table told me that with my discipline i needed to be playing 4-8. Coming from a grinder that i saw all the time i pulled up stakes and moved to the 3-6.

After about 5 sessions i moved to the 4-8 for a while. After playing that for about 6 months i moved to the 6-12 for about 3 sessions and killed it. Moved to the 8-16 and after about a week in a half moved right back down to the 6-12.

After about a month moved back to the 8-16 and never looked back. It took me about 2 years to get to 8-16 and i played that for about 3 years until i got the cojones to move to 15-30 which i played my final 2 years of LHE.

I took a break for about 8 months because i was burned out. At that point i had had 1 losing year and 1 break even year. The breakeven year came in my final year of LHE. My girlfriend hated all the time i spent on poker. Talking poker, reading about poker, playing poker. It really was too much and i really was obsessed. So i took a well needed break. Actually i thought i had permanently quit poker. I really wasn't enjoying poker that much anymore anyhow so after i made the decision it wasn't a big deal.

8 months later, one ex-girlfriend later, i got the itch to play again. I also missed the extra cash i had earned during this time. So i decided to get my feet wet at the 8-16 and boy... was i rusty. I got hammered in 3 straight sessions. I couldn't remember the last time i had lost 3 sessions in a row. At one point in my "poker" career i had won 17 sessions in a row and 26/27.

So here i am shaking my head wondering.... what the hell? Maybe i shouldn't play anymore. So i decided to go back at least a couple more times before contemplating seriously packing it in. Anyhow the board was disgustingly long for the 8-16 but i noticed the $100 NLHE was open . I had never played a NL cash game before and i was actually kind of scared. All this talk about, "you have to have balls to play", "it's a real man's game", and blah, blah, blah.

I really don't even know why i played it beyond me thinking, "what the hell, i can't get rocked worse than i have these past 3 sessions". Long story short, i killed the $100 that day and the 2 times after that. Not to sound arrogant but... it was just so easy.

I moved to the 2-5 right after that and i loved it. My style just seemed to fit in perfectly. My tight and disciplined pre flop play with decent post flop play and reads has been very profitable the past 2 years. I don't bluff and i really don't feel the need to bluff except on rare occasions. By going by the definitions described by one of the articles i very closely resemble a TAP. But i guess we shall see eh? Course everyone and their mother says they play tight aggressive.

I also play the 5-10 as well but i don't like that game as much. Alot more nuts seem to play that and i have to make alot more difficult decisions. The 5-10 guys are alot more observant or gutsy. The observant ones know i can be pushed off a hand so they try to exploit it and the gutsy ones get me to fold more often than i should. The variance is just alot higher for me in those games. Bigger wins but also bigger losses. I know i need to clean up a few holes in my game and i really only play it to get better.

My bread and butter though is the 2-5 or 3-5 though.

My greatest strengths are: discipline, low tilt factor, math
My greatest weaknesses are: heart, aggressiveness, take losses to heart, getting stuck in games.

Iceman5
Ice found me on the 2+2 board and invited me over. He's been extremely helpful to me and hopefully i can be a contributing poster to the board. The information on the site seems pretty good and the articles especially the PT ones have been very helpful.

Books
I've probably read about 15 books or more concerning poker (lots of 2+2 stuff) and have breathed the game for a long time.

Online
Honestly... i'm actually intimidated right now and don't have too much confidence. Iceman has allayed some of those fears with his pm's but i'm still slightly worried. I'll start at the .50/1 NL and move from there. I will be working on getting Neteller up and running, reading the forums, and picking a site to play on. Any advice would be appreciated.

WPT
I can't say enough about how much i love the WPT. Thank you WPT, thank you WPT, thank you WPT. For us slightly above average poker players you have made life so much better (live anyhow).

Conclusion
So here starts my journey and on whether i crash or burn. Course i won't be playing online poker for at least a couple weeks (Neteller setup and all) but i will post my B&M stuff. So heres a "howdy" to everyone at Bet the Pot and until later, adieu.

Well this is NOT how i wanted to start my journal but here we go.

My stats for this month so far.

Sessions: 2-1
Win/Loss: $1400

Played the 2-5 tonight (B&M) and for the first hour i played fairly well and had pushed my stack up to $550. The table was actually a dream come true. Seat 5 was the biggest fish i've ever seen. I actually felt bad for him.

He told me he had just been divorced after 20 years of marriage and he had nothing else to do so he was trying to learn how to play. I truly felt bad but i also thought he wasn't too bright trying to learn at the 2-5. I didn't feel so bad that i didn't try to milk him for every cent considering someone else would if i didn't.

Anyhow he donated $100 to me before he finally went broke (he lost about $800).

Seat 4 was an absolute maniac and he absolutely wrecked me. I had on the button in seat 9 and i limped . The Maniac was in seat 4 and had limped in UTG.

Flop came:
A-9-5 rainbow

The Maniac led out with a bet of $25 into a pot of $25. It was folded to me and i reraised to $75. The blinds folded and the Maniac called.

Turn came 5. He checked i bet $75 and he went over the top for $75 more. I went into the tank and tried to think what he might have. I called the $75 quickly after.

The River came a big fat blank and he lead out with a bet of $150. If he hadn't have been a freakin' maniac i might have been able to fold. But unfortunately i saw him bluff a few times and no hand really made sense to me.

Anyhow he turned over 53o. Hurray. $300 down the tubes.

Next hand right after i pick up in the CO. Its raised to $10 by an EP and i call along with 5 other people. So $55 in the pot after the rake.

Flop comes Q-8-5 with 2 hearts. Its checked to me and i bet $55. The maniac calls me and nobody else.

Turn comes J non-heart. He goes all in. I have about $140 left and wonder if he has a set. I take a bite of my food and say screw this i'm not folding.

River comes 7 and he turns over 9-6. Ouch. 2-outer and a 4-outer in two straight hands by the same person. It actually didn't bother me too much because the table was really good. I was just really really disappointed because tonight could have been a good night.

Unfortunately i made a few questionable limp in's later that cost me and was outplayed badly on one hand and called $60 away on a river to a good player who tricked me. Abbreviated version he flopped top full house and he lead out with a pot bet of $25 (2 hearts on the flop). I had the flush draw and 2 people called before me. Turn makes it a double flush draw, everyone checks around. River comes and gives me top pair, good kicker, with no flush out. He leads out and bets $60 into a $125 pot.

That damn lead out bet on the flop. Who leads out with a pot sized bet with the nuts? RATBASTARD! Unfortunately i've played with him before and knew that he was capable of completely bluffing there or caught a full on the turn and was value betting. Course i was wrong on both accounts.

My final hand of the night I had in the BB (what the heck is up with these spades?) and it's limped to me so i see a free flop.

Flop comes 7-6-2 with 2 hearts. Everyone checks around and the turn comes a black 6. The SB bets out $20, i reraise to $60 and he quickly goes all in. I have $122 left and contemplate jumping off a building. I call after thinking about it and realizing that no way was i behind at this juncture. Only hand that beats me is the full house and that wouldn't go all in.

River comes 10 of hearts and he turns over for the straight flush. Figures huh? I don't blame him for the move and i really wasn't that big of a favorite so i can't even call it a bad beat. Just unfortunate.

If i had to rate my performance i would rate it a 7 out of 10. I made a few donk moves and limps that i know i shouldn't have but for the most part i played okay.

This is what i have to get better at. Knowing when it's not my night. I should have just packed up early and not wasted my time. But the table was just SOOOOO good i couldn't tear myself away.

Anyhow my new stats for February!

Sessions: 2-2
Win/Loss: $500

Welcome aboard Arc. I think youre gonna like it here!

I'm still trying to figure out what to post in this journal....

do i post my bad beats? (bleh, that's original)
do i post my good plays? (far and few between)
do i just post my ultra boring play? (even i get bored thinking about it)
do i post my suck? (hmmmm... sounds like a good idea cuz there's a whole lot of it)

So today i will post my suck or hands that i got significantly abused on in the past.

Hand #1

2-5 NL
I'm in the CO with AA. UTG limps and when it comes to me i raise to $25. Everyone folds except UTG.

Flop: J-x-x no draw
I bet $60, UTG calls

Turn: gave a flush draw
I bet $120, UTG calls

River: J non flush
He leads and goes all in for $250 more.

Augh... I put him on a QJ or better to have called me down all the way with no raise or a monster. So i just say, "wow.... i don't believe i'm gonna lay this down.... if you're bluffing nice bluff" and than i muck.

He than asks me if i want to see his cards and i say sure. And than he asks me if i'm really sure i want to see them. I say yes and he flips over 8-5o which incidenty was an 8 high and he never had a draw. Geez.

If it was any card but the J i doubt i would have folded. I just couldn't imagine someone hanging around without having at least top pair. Ugh... Just the weirdest play i've ever seen.

Hand #2

5-10NL
I have 33 on the button into a limped pot.

Flop: 8-4-3 rainbow

Someone bets out and i just call

Turn: 4 and a flush draw comes out

Nice i have a full house and it's checked to me, and i make a 1/2 pot size bet.

River of Death: 8 for a board of 8-8-4-4-3

At this point its HE and the guy leads out with an all in of $170 or so. I can't fathom me winning since any 4 or 8 beats me so i fold but throw up my 3's face up stating, "what a crappy river card". The guy laughs and throws over his freakin' 10 high. Doooooooodddd.

5-10 NL (B&M)

Only had time to play a few hours today and once again couldn't really catch a decent hand for the world save 2 hands. I never was down much at all today $150 at the most before i doubled up with my KK vs. JJ.

The funny thing is the guy who doubled me up never seems to recognize me or something. I've played with him ohhhhhh maybe 20-25 times but yet everytime i reraise him and he has a pocket pair he thinks about it and always calls. And every time i have KK or AA. And this has happened about 5-6 times already. Dude, if you're reading this (actually i know you're not) if i reraise you, FOLD!

Than i made a play with pocket 10's. These guys were pretty loosey goosey on the verge of maniacs. I couldn't get into any pots without a raise of $40 flying around.

I limped UTG with my 10's not sure what i wanted to do yet. I got a raise of $65 from MP1 and a reraise to $150 from CO+1 and a call from the SB. As the SB was thinking i already made up my mind of my course of action.

The original raiser was my buddy who keeps paying off my reraises and for some reason he likes to raise to $65 with his non-pair hands (he raises to $50 with his PP's, weird huh?) and the guy who reraised had reraised 3 times with mediocre cards(QJs, K-10o, J-10s). So i either was A) going to fold or B) reraise all in for $560.

I chose A) because i thought i had the best hand. UTG was the perfect place to make this play also. And as i pushed my chips in i started fumbling my chips and making correct stacks to see how many chips i had and etc.... And the SB commented, "hey don't get too excited there". Hook, line, and sinker. I already knew with him i had sold AA.

Original raiser folded and CO+1 had $200 left and resigned himself to getting lucky so he called and SB folded stating, "show me your aces!".

Lol.... So the guy flipped his A-9o and i flipped my 10's so i was in great shape.

And than the flop came 10-8-5..... Aughhhhhhh.... and the guy in the SB told me he had pocket 5's. Well if i had known i was gonna flop a set.....

Anyhow in 3 hours i pulled in a decent $430. Actually i'm also kind of excited since i haven't really been getting any playable cards (save a few pocket pairs) in the last 4 sessions so i think i'm due.

And oh before i forget a quote i heard at the table.

Player on why he called a reraise: "Well what am i supposed to do with good cards like these? I keep getting K-10 and K-J. " Lol.... i love poker.

February
Sessions: 5-2
Win/Loss: $1385

I really don't know if this should count as poker winnings or not but eh..... let's add it.

Played some mighty .05/.10 NL at a friends tonight, 4 handed for half the night and 6 handed the rest of the way.

I actually love playing at these super low limits because i can just fly around like an insane maniac preflop. None of my friends are particulary good (actually they borderline suck) so i usually do pretty decently because my post flop play is much much better.

Anyhow we have 3 maniacs (including me) and 3 calling stations.

Critical Hand of the night.

Me Raise to .40
CS1: Fold
Maniac1: Reraise to .80
Maniac2: Call
CS2: Fold
CS3: Fold
Me: Reraise to $2.40
Maniac1: Reraise to $4.80
Maniac2: Fold
Me: Call

Flop:

Me: Check
Maniac1: Bet $3.00
Me: Raise to $9.00
Maniac1: Call

Turn:

Me: Bet $9.00
Maniac1: Raise all in $30
Me: ahhhhhh crap.... ah well he would do the same thing with the or a 10 with a worse kicker or it could have been a complete bluff also, so i called.

He shows -10 awwww... that sucks..

River: Q (Can we say major suckout?)

Yes it was played badly by me. I really don't know why i post this except that since i hardly ever suck out on anyone i just had to. God my 3 outer suckout felt great! Hee, hee.... And talk about tilt after that. I must of sucked away a good $30-$40 away from him the rest of the night from his bad play.

Anyhow i won 1280 BB's in 4 hours ($128 total). Man that's beautiful. AND i am still not getting any premium cards. I had 2 pocket pairs all night and both of em' were pocket 22's. 5th consecutive time playing cards and narry an AA in sight.

February
Sessions: 6-2
Win/Loss: $1513

Live poker is rigged. Two , one in your hand and one on the flop. Check that deck of cards.