MVPSPORTS: Thanks, friend...I appreciate the leniency. And I'll be checking you out...Your name is not unbeknownst to me.

SebQtaneous: No, I was trying to pay KennyG...Some respect...I should have realized the way I did it; however, was likely to be misconstrued through electronic communication...I just meant to be funny. Thanks for hanging in there, SebQ. You're a big dog here, too, aren't you?

KennyG: I have nothing to say to KennyG; KennyG speaks to me, and I listen.

HitmanXL (Humbled BTP Supplicant)

lol... yeah, the pic was weird.

that being said, the odes/poems are excellent. please don't stop those.


you can give him props without kissing his ass.

How come I'm the only jackball here who DIDN'T see this friggin pic... Can you please post it in my journal... And, maybe in return, I'll post the one of your "idol" stickin dollar bills into the g-string of a 50 year old, 200+ pound "dancer"...

Mic checka...mic checka...
I'm the Hitman,
And I bring the big pecka...
Drop your panties, please,
'Cuz I'm the inspecta...
Bring your Mom and Sis
So I can trifecta...
Get down on your knees
For the proper trajecta...

All right, you guys get the idea: I'm a vulgar jackass, AND I suck at poker! Anyway, I just put in a session (2 hours) at Paradise...It was my third losing session in a row. I just sat there watching hands go by; my attitude was not right for poker as I didn't go in with a killing mindset. At one point, I'm just sitting there saying to myself: "Just leave the table...just leave it, and go get the duct tape...Strap your package up between your ass cheeks and pull on one your girlfiend's thongs...Yeah, one of the nice lacey ones...Because you're a bi**h, Hitman!" I'm pissed off and discouraged. Obviously, the money lost at this level is not that significant, but the losing, at whatever level, is significant to me. This session was just a weak-tight nightmare, but, in general, I'm learning a lot of new things (which is good), and I'm trying a lot of new things (I don't know how good this is)...Right now, I just don't know who I am when I sit down at the table...I'm in such a state of flux from all the stuff I've been reading that I don't feel I have solid ground to stand on. I feel like not playing for a while and just studying instead, but then I wonder if I will be less receptive to what I'm reading because I don't have the experiential component going at the same time. F*ck! I don't know...All I know is that I've gotta get this sh*t right.

Here's my PT stats for this session (I didn't run it real-time with GT+--I just imported the hand history after the session):

89 Hands
VP$IP-14.61%
VP$IP SB-20%
Fold SB to Steal-0
Fold BB to Steal-0
W$ WSF-12.5
Amount Won-(2.60)
BB/100-(-14.61)
Went to SD-18.75
W$ at SD-33.33
PF Raise-5.62

Anyway, as always, comments are welcome.

Sh*tmanXL

yikes... with a W$WSF stat that low, you must have been flop dead. it's hard to win when the cards don't cooperate, and the best you can do is limit the damage.

anyway, 89 hands (in two hours?) is not that many, so i wouldn't sweat it. i don't even think about "running bad" unless i've played at least 2000 hands. even then i can usually chalk up the slump to the suckouts not matching probability and/or definite bad play on my part.

fwiw, the study/play cycle is not a bad one to do. i just took an involuntary month off from poker, but it's done tremendous things for my game (imho). a month is probably too much (got rusty), but a few days or a week is not bad. there are psychological studies that suggest that time off like this does wonders for letting the brain naturally assimilate new information.

also, the odes are squarely in the "funny" category rather than the "stalker" category, so i hope you don't stop them.

Kuso:

Thanks for hangin', and thanks for the encouraging words. Yeah, I tend to globalize everything when I'm losing. I need to learn how to use PT better; one of the many subjects I don't know enough about. The more I learn about poker, the more I realize there is to learn...I think it's a steep learning curve to becoming a consistently winning player. Maybe it's just me.

I think I may take a little respite from playing and concentrate on studying, or, at least, do my daily studying before I play because, if I lose, I have a harder time getting to the books. Thanks for the suggestions.

Yeah, unfortunately, the KennyG odes have been discontinued until further notice...I think I've already garnered some haters here, and my skin is not as thick as MVP's yet(I'm diggin' your journal MVP). If the master puts in a personal request for an ode, maybe after a hard day at Bodog, I'll break one down like a fraction for you, but, until then, I'm gonna try to stay off the KennyG radar. It will be hard...

Thank you, dear readers...

Your humble penman, HitmanXL

Okay...the decision has been made: I'm not going to play poker for a week. I was just on the business end of a bone down at Paradise. I'm gonna take it as a signpost to crack the books, instead of just offering my crack to the opposition. I just got back from a little session at the $10 buy-in NLH tables...I sit down, watch a few hands while I'm waiting for the big blind, get dealt Kd As in the BB.

3 limpers, including the SB.
I raise from the BB to 5 x BB pre-flop.
1 limper scurries away...I'm grateful even though I'm strong (does this indicate weakness on my part? I never really feel comfortable at the poker table, no matter what I'm holding). 1 other limper and the SB call.
Flop: Ac 2c 5c
Checked to me...I bet the pot with TPTK, though I'm worried about flush and / or straight (or both!) possibilities.
1 limper retreats; SB calls...I'm thinking he has a flush draw or an Ace / 10 or lower (you guys already know what's coming, don't you?).
Turn: Ad
SB checks to me...I pot it again with my 3 Aces, feeling a little better that a club didn't fall and an ace did...I even sat back in my chair, waiting to pull the pot down.
SB raises all-in.

Suddenly, I hear my nuts rattling around in my bag...I'm having difficulty controlling my bowels...hot stomach acid begins to ascend my esophagus. What the f*ck! I'm already out of my seat, struggling to contain rank human fluids from spraying out of every orifice.

I called for the rest of my stack. I was so sick; I didn't know what to do...I couldn't imagine remaining at this table after this hand with a neutered stack...And I had to see this guy's cards (these are only two of my shortcomings as a poker player).

River: blank

SB turns over A 5 for Aces full of fives...he was playing two pair on the flop...he didn't have a club.

Now, I realize he had me beat from the flop on...I just thought I had the lead...but would y'all have called 5 x BB pre-flop from the SB with A 5 off?

Anyway, this was just moments ago, directly on the heels of my response to Kuso, where I tell him I'm gonna study before I play and maybe take a brief break from playing. Well, now I'm committed to that.

HitmanXL

a lot of bad luck on that hand.... it would have been a lot easier to get away from had that second ace not hit.

yes... study first.

bad luck on the hand... he's a long time loser calling that.

consider raising more to get it HU (although A5 still may call). 3xbb is propaganda, and 5xbb isn't far behind at the lower limits, imo.

don't sweat three-flushes so much, and don't expect your opponents to do so. play some HU LHE like i suggested, and you'll see how rare the flush is. of course, the odds are a bit more in a FR game, but still... take a deck of cards and deal out 10 hands face up -- over and over -- and you'll see how rare flushes are (yes, i did this... i was bored when i had no internet connection and no cable).

try not to be so results oriented. venting when A5 beats your AK is fine... but you MUST know that that guy and people like him are losers. know it in your heart, make some notes, and move on. you probably stack him even if he doesn't have 2pr on the flop.

review your HHs during this break... really. be your harshest critic. also, see what kinds of plays won, and see if you can add some of that to your game (specifically, look at aggression).


anyway, enjoy your studies.