Well I've had a few good sessions in a row. After failing to make my new strategy succeed and busting out in 20th out of 21 places at my tournament with AT vs A9 after getting all in on an A77 board, I've been running ok.
On March 11th I went down to Foxwoods and did well. Ray picked me up around 9:45 and after a stop at the bank we made it down there around 11:30. We put our names on the $1/$2 list and within 10 minutes they had opened two tables and we were both on the same one. Within 15 minutes it was clear that this table was fantastic. And by fantastic I mean the players mostly sucked. There were 9 other people there and 7 of them were calling stations. Also, at least 4 of them mentioned how bad everyone else at the table was. I seriously had to put my hat in front of my face to prevent people from seeing my big ass grin. So my plan was to play loose/passive preflop and tight/aggressive postflop. It worked very well. I quickly lost about $150 when the player on my left raised to $8 and there were 4 callers so I called from the button with A2s. Flop ($48) was A2x and the raiser leads out for $30. I figure he probaby has an ace and I'm ahead and if that is the case he will certainly commit his chips. So I raise to $80 and he shoves for $60 more or so which I call. He doesn't show right away but when a king falls on the turn I say "ahh that probably helped you" and he says "not really" and flips over pocket aces. whoops.
A little while later I make my first preflop raise of the day (I had a couple pairs but just limped in knowing I'd get paid if I setted but I didnt') to $10 and got 2 callers. I had AQ and hit an Ace. I made a CB and got 1 caller. He folded to my turn bet. The very next hand I'm UTG with KK and raise to $15, one player calls in MP and folds to SB who makes it $45. He is new to our table and easily the oldest player there at around 55. I got the impression that he was one of those "these young aggressive kids aren't going to bully me" guys and he had been re-raising a bit. However, no one had 3-bet him yet and I wanted to see how he would react. Also, since the last 4 times it was my action I bet, I figured his calling range would loosen up. I figured TT+ AQ+ and maybe even worse. And since people had been slowplaying Aces all over the place, I had the feeling he would have just called with them and then check/raised me on the flop. So I shove for $140 more and he thinks for a second and calls. The board was J high and I flip my hand. He gets all mad and flips QQ. SHIP IT!
I saw a lot of flops with hands that had a chance to make something. Any suited A or K, any suited connector or 1 gapper. Any unsuited connector, stuff like that. I was folding AJ and worse unsuited and any unsuited king other than AK or KQ (and I would only limp with that in late position, never call a raise unless there was a ton in the pot aleady.) I hit a couple of these for medium sized pots that pretty much covered what I lost when I called $12 preflop and whiffed. Then I made a score:
I called a raise to $10 in LP with
[Ks]. 6 of us to the flop ($61). the flop was
[8s][Ts]
It checks to the raiser who bets $30, I smooth call with 4 other players still to act. I figure I can give one free card here. Then the BB goes nuts and makes it $115 to go (and I try to contain my giddiness). It folds to me and I tank. There is like $235 in the pot and I have to put in $85 to call. Villian has about $200 left and I cover. I think about what he would call the $8 more preflop with from the BB. He was a guy who would play any two face cards and any pair. So I figured he might have J9, and I PRAY he has
[Js] but I think he most likely has a set. So I ponder the call. If I call and the board pairs I vomit and have a tough decision to make. But if a 6,9,J or spade falls, he may get scared and be done with it. If he has 88 the best chance I have to get him to commit his chips is a shove right here. So I shove. He thinks for 2 minutes, says "I guess I have to believe you" and mucks. He said he had 8T. Not sure I believe that but I'll take the pot, it's significant to my bankroll. I won a couple other decent pots and finished the day with $935 for a $635 profit. Not bad for 4 hours work. However, I only got to keep $435 of that because Ray lost some money and I had to re-emburse him according to the terms of our variance reducing deal. Such is life when you are under-rolled for the lowest limit they offer.
Overall I think played ok. I was pretty sure I would get paid off on made hands and be unsucessful bluffing at that table. And so I didn't bluff more than once or twice and waited for hands. Those hands did get paid so since my strategy worked I guess you could say I played well. I was talking to the people near me and really encouraging their mistakes. We were discussing how to play certain situations and I played dumb and agreed with whatever crap they were spewing. Whenever I won I'd say thanks or "sometimes you get lucky". I don' t think anyone thought I was that good which was perfect. As a nice little bonus, once I got home I watched CW anally violate BK to the tune of a $40 profit for me from a prop bet. Cha freaking CHING!
On Monday night I failed my goal of avoiding online cash games and played in some NL10. It was fairly easy and I did ok. I still dislike online cash games but I think it will improve my play and I'll try not to lose my buy in again.
I also played my weekly homegame tonight. We upped it to $10 per buy in and I made $14. I played ok and won like half of it when someone tried to bluff me on a board of AK972 with 3 hearts and I had AK. I called the $4 all in on the river. I forget what he had but it was not better than 3rd pair, maybe Q7 with the Q of hearts.
I haven't been playing with anyone much better than me and I think my game is suffering because of it. I'm crushing loose/passive tables but if you can't do that you pretty much suck at poker and should quit playing. I'm not sure how I would fair at a more aggressive table. I'm hoping to learn some tricks for that in the coaching chain (of which I am the bottom link) that will hopfully start up soon.
Goals:
1. Get to Foxwoods or another larger game at least 6 times:
1 down, 5 to go.
2. Re-read ToP and Largay's book:
Nearly done with Largay's book
3. Read the poker books I got for Christmas:
Have not started
4. Continue to avoid anything but low buy in SnG online:
Failed
5. Play tighter preflop and more aggressive post-flop:
Absolutely failed as the games I have been in have not called for this strategy. I guess this is incomplete for now
6. CB when I miss OOP more often:
See above
7. Don't get impatient when card dead and no good stealing oppertunities arise:
I have been ok at this. I haven't found myself REALLY card dead for more than an hour or so but I've been patient during the dry runs that I've had.
Current Bankroll: $1,601 ($601 profit)
"No, 'The stripper's bouncer beat the shit out of me' is not an acceptable answer"