Quite a Finish. A Better Start.

Last month was a rollercoaster of epic proportions. They say a picture is worth a thousand words:



I can't beleive I managed a win after all that. (albeit a very small one.) That 16k swing to start the month had me doubting my ability to play poker.

"Did I lucksack my way to this position?" was a common question to myself. Even with all the thousands upon thousands of hands I've played, emotion is still unavoidable.

If it wasn't for Shobute, Ghaus, Bri, and Iceman the chances of me going broke were much higher. Having people to relate with on these issues helped me get over the hump. I thank you guys for that. (Hauser, I hope this means you'll win again someday too lol.)

My play had actually been sliding down from bad to worse as the month progressed. I didn't realize it until I had an ephipany on sesssion #40.

I had become so lax and so unconfident with my play, that opponents were putting decisons to me, instead of me putting decisons to them. This is not a good sign for a poker player.

So my last few sessions (including one big one in the new month) I have changed my strategy. Instead of playing completetly standard poker; I'm going to pound opponents on every street. Hopefully inducing them to make wrong decisons at the wrong time. I want them to fear me. I need them to be making the tough choices. I will force the action on them.

So far it's going well as I ended the month on a winning streak and Nov has started off great. I'm more confident if nothing else.
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Here's some hands from last few sessions (My new aggressive approach):

Prima Poker skin
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $5/$10
6 players


Stack sizes:
UTG: $1363.75
Hero: $1358.00
CO: $1262.00
Button: $291.01
SB: $2380.51
BB: $1137.00

Pre-flop: (6 players) Hero is UTG+1 with
UTG calls, Hero raises to $40, 2 folds, SB calls, BB folds, UTG calls.

Flop: ($130, 3 players)
SB checks, UTG checks, Hero bets $90, SB folds, UTG calls.

Turn: ($310, 2 players)
UTG bets $225, Hero raises to $600, UTG folds.
Uncalled bets: $375 returned to Hero.

Results:
Final pot: $760
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Prima Poker skin
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $5/$10
6 players


Stack sizes:
UTG: $490.00
UTG+1: $2219.00
CO: $908.00
Button: $1702.85
Hero: $4351.99
BB: $1295.00

Pre-flop: (6 players) Hero is SB with
UTG (poster) checks, UTG+1 raises to $40, CO folds, Button calls, Hero calls, 2 folds.

Flop: ($140, 3 players)
Hero checks, UTG+1 bets $112, Button folds, Hero raises to $300, UTG+1 calls.

Turn: ($740, 2 players)
Hero bets $500, UTG+1 calls.

River: ($1740, 2 players)
Hero bets $750, UTG+1 calls.

Results:
Final pot: $3240
Hero shows Qh Kh


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Prima Poker skin
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $5/$10
6 players


Stack sizes:
UTG: $1068.00
UTG+1: $1324.75
Hero: $3332.24
Button: $1014.75
SB: $691.25
BB: $2248.00

Pre-flop: (6 players) Hero is CO with
2 folds, Hero raises to $35, Button calls, SB calls, BB calls.

Flop: ($140, 4 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $100, Button calls, 2 folds.

Turn: ($340, 2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $180, Hero raises all-in $3197.24, Button calls all-in $699.75.
Uncalled bets: $2317.49 returned to Hero.

River: ($2099.5, 0 player + 2 all-in - Main pot: $2099.5)


Results:
Final pot: $2099.5
Button shows 6c 6d
Hero shows 7s 7h


----------------------------------------------------------------
Prima Poker skin
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $5/$10
6 players


Stack sizes:
UTG: $2710.65
UTG+1: $869.00
CO: $712.75
Button: $1042.00
Hero: $1263.50
BB: $497.77

Pre-flop: (6 players) Hero is SB with
2 folds, CO calls, Button raises to $50, Hero calls, 2 folds.

Flop: ($120, 2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $87.8, Hero raises to $220, Button calls.

Turn: ($560, 2 players)
Hero bets $300, Button raises all-in $772, Hero calls.

River: ($2104, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: $2104)


Results:
Final pot: $2104
Button shows 10c Ac


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Patented Kennyg read. He's back!

Prima Poker skin
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $5/$10
6 players


Stack sizes:
UTG: $2364.00
Hero: $2019.49
CO: $1476.00
Button: $1224.69
SB: $998.00
BB: $848.00

Pre-flop: (6 players) Hero is UTG+1 with
UTG folds, Hero raises to $35, CO folds, Button calls, SB folds, BB calls.

Flop: ($110, 3 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $75, Button calls, BB folds.

Turn: ($260, 2 players)
Hero bets $200, Button calls.

River: ($660, 2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $560, Hero calls.

Results:
Final pot: $1780
Button shows Qc Ks
Hero shows 7c 9c

WOW Kenny. Between session and twelve you lost..what? 13K USD?? Are you playing 2000NL?

Monday, November 13, 2006 3:40am

This is poker; not solitare.


When I started as a professional poker player I had no idea how stressful it could be. I didn't fully comprehend variance. I didn't think about the emotional toll from day to day. I'm not sure how I do it.

Yesterday, I played a 3 hour session of my best poker play of the year. I was aggressive, check-raising, raising in position, making awesome calls, luring my opponents to bluff etc etc. I won 2.2 buyins.

Some hours later, I sit down on a few good tables and try to continue where I left off. I lost 3.4 buyins in 20 minutes. I still played well and can't find flaws in the hands I played.

The only reason I left after 20 minutes is because I've intiaited a 3 buyin stop-loss. I've gotten tired of losing 5 or 6 buyins a session and figured I wouldn't be playing my best on those days anyway.

I don't understand why it is so hard to win and so easy to lose. Lately, my average win rates have been losers in winning (albeit slighty) months. What that means is I lose much faster than I make, even if I win overall.

I want to blame my decisons. I go back and look over my hands constantly now. Sometimes they're marginal but to me and a few others I share them with, they are almost always correct.

So all I can do now is blame cold and thoughtless variance. It doesn't seem to be enough. I try to be detached but it's been affecting me day to day. I've been having doubts as to whether I can keep doing this for a living. Not because I think I will lose in the long run, but because the stress and swings are so brutal. I still sleep easily (unlike some others I know) but it can ruin my entire day.

I don't have many other choices though. There is no job I could get right now that would come close to the hourly wage and the freedom. I have no college education except for a few classes at the community college. I think I'm a smart, educated guy but without a degree....

I'll just keep trying to better myself for now. I'm reading classic books, learning Spanish, exercising, and dieting. At the moment I'm doing anything that will expand my knowledge; Except go to college of course. Though, I'm keeping my options open.

Speaking of expanding knowledge, I just finished watching A Bridge to Far. My poker stress seems more trivial at the moment.

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I played in 4 of the big tournaments this Sunday. Went fairly deep in all, but busted in all 4. I went 2/10 in coinflips. 2/10! The last tourney I just called off my stack after I raised with AK. Calling was the correct play EV wise, but in this tournament folding was the better move (I had many chips and time.) But I was tilting after busting in the first 3 and just wanted to win a "damn coinflip." He showed QQ and I didn't improve.

Currently watching :
A Bridge Too Far