Hi and welcome to my (pathetic) attempt of a journal.

It's about time, I can't remember when I joined BTP (but its almost 1 year anniversary I think).

About me:

32 year old, living with wife and daughter (14 months) in Oslo (that's in Norway for you Americans . Small country in Scandinavia with lots of oil and blond women.

I work at Opera () putting the web in mobile phones.

Poker summary:

I started playing NL 1,5 years ago, total newbie, played 50 NL for a few hours and won big (ofcourse) immediately moved up with my 2 buying BR to 100 NL and lost it all. No wonder.

After that experience I decided to do it the right way and started reading up. Although II think BTP has helped me more than any book has.

Here I want to share my thoughts and findings in my poker "career", short as it may be. I'll promise though I'll keep it to be one of the most frequently updated ones. At least I will give it a shot. So bear with me here we go.

I'm currently mutlitabling PP 50 NL, I find 4 tables to be acceptable in combination with PT I can get decent reads.

I moved up from NL 25 as I hit the 1000 $ mark so:

Current BR:
$1435

By the way a great tip
If you have a mobile phone and want to read Bet the pot forums when you're on the run try Opera mini on your phone. It works great and I use it all the time when my Poker fever hits and I want to check the Bet the pot forum.

It's a free downlad and the network cost of using it is minimal, I only average about 10$ per month I think.

Played 3 hours of Party poker in the weekend.

Not easy to get time of when you have a 14months old daughter, poker playing parents out there ? How do you get time to play ? I can't play when she's awake because that makes me feel like an awful parent neglecting their child for poker. So I have to wait until she's asleep but then my wife wants to cuddle cause that's the only time we have alone..

Just wait until I retire in 30 years and I will put in 4 hours of poker a day.

Another Party poker rockish weekend !

Most tables this weekend were around 15-20% VPIP, for a weekend at PP that's pretty damn bad.

Can anyone make these bonuses stop so I finally can find a table with a VPIP over 25% again ? Preflop is so tight is ridiculous, AA and KK does not make me money anymore, only hitting sets does.

Fortunately the players are still as bad postflop so once you get a good hand you can stil get paid off.


My biggest leak is definately loosing with my big PP's to setminers. happened again a few times this weekend and it's the same pattern each time ! I raise PF with KK 1 caller OOP, he checks post flop, I bet, he minraises, I call, he leads both turn and river with 2 bets and I donk of half a stack.

Promise to myself:
From now on each time a PF caller minraises postflop when I raised preflop with a big pair I'm just going to fold it, I might fold the best hand a few times but I find 90% of the time, it's a set...

I made $100 in under an hour this morning !

4 tabling 50 NL really paid of today, I kept hitting more sets than I've seen in a while and got paid of on some. Moment of the session was a donk who limped with KK with a full stack, 6 handed flop, slowplayed his KK all the way to the river where he pushed all in and lost it all against my nut str8. easiest $60 I've made in a while.

Only cloud on the session was a bad river call after hitting my set on the flop against a PF raiser, he turned flush on turn, (chec/check), I boated on river (he blockbets), but I was too scared to push it t in in the board was 5KQ8K (I had 55), he flips AK and I take it down, I could easily have taken his stack but was afraid of a higher set ?!?!? That's what happens to you after 2 weeks of bad beats... I'm an idiot and if I had reevaluated the hand again instead of just calling it was quite obvious he ddn't have a set. I could have made another 25-30$ on that hand, crap.

Not a single big laydown this morning either which tells me I got the best of it luckwise, I have a feeling I got some help from variance today.

Also mixed in a 100 NL table just for the fun of it, it was actually the loosest table I found this weekend, didn't hit much, a few pairs and made 30$ in 1 hour. No big laydowns.

It's amazing how fast ju adjust to the amounts on higher limits, first it's really exciting because suddenly a PF 5 BB raise is $5 ! After 10 minutes though it just becomes points that you throw around the table.

Current BR:
$1639

($361 to go to 100 NL)

2 hours of Partypoker yesterday evening

4 tabled 50 NL, found it a lot easier to make laydowns than I normally do. Probably because I was running quite good before and was up for the session. That always makes laydowns easier for me.

There was a guy at the table who practically gave away all his money, (VPIP 90%, aggr 0.4), he called everything !He called me down all the way to the river with a missed A8 when I had raised PF with AK and hit my K on the flop !?!?

A couple of hands later I got AA and he called me down all the way again with a bottom pair on a rag flop. (he had 89).

In 2 hands I made 70$ from him It didn't even feel good !

I had to fold my AA (button) on a QJ6 flop three handed, SB reraised my flop bet from $5 to $15, MP called I folded, SB had JJ, MP QQ... Big hand but I got out real cheap. (-8$)

Also folded AK after being minraised OOP on a K84 flop, I think it was a correct fold.

Came out of the session +60$ after 2 hours 4 tabling which is satisfactory.


1 hour rockfest this morning.

Another PP rock session 4 tables, all with 20% VPIP's

Is it possible to be near card dead for 1 hour on 4 tables ? 280 hands played and basically 1 win. AA which I finally got paid of on (25$) was the only excitement. Except for that the only wins where a few blinds.

No flushes, no str8, no set, a 2 pair and a few TPTK which all with no callers

Ended up -5$ for an hour of 4 tabling, lost my inspiration totally.


Current BR:
$1700

300 to go to 100 NL

Not easy to get time of when you have a 14months old daughter, poker playing parents out there ? How do you get time to play ? I can't play when she's awake because that makes me feel like an awful parent neglecting their child for poker. So I have to wait until she's asleep but then my wife wants to cuddle cause that's the only time we have alone..

I'm there brother - only with a 2 year old and 6 month old and full time lawyering job - sometimes to be honest you just get too tired to grind effectively.

The frustrating thing is how much betterwe could be if we were a 23 yr old college students and could really devote time to the game, but all we can do is steal an hour or two when the wife has gone to bed and maybe look to get into double figures in hours played for the week. That said 10 hrs/ week for 3 years is the same as 30 hrs/week for 1 year I guess - so eventually your roll will grow..

6 Max craziness this weekend

Played some 50 NL 6 max for a change which was really fun. It's funny how you always find a superaggressive LAG at the table with a 5x buyin stack.

This guy was a typical sponge and he would really overbet the river each time.
One hand:

Me A2o in BB.
He reraises (he has 50% PFR), for some reason I call.
Flop

A89

I check call his $3 bet. I'm pretty sure he's on another bluff.

Turn 5

I check call his 3$ bet.

River J

I check, he bets $50 into a $13 pot... I can't call and fold.

Mostly hands like these, a few hands later though I catch my str8 on the turn, slowplays it heads up with him until he does the same thing again, i call and double up. (He's on a complete bluff).

A few hands later same scenario happens again, I call his big river bet with TPTK (AK) and double up again.

After this he tightens up and I decided that I've won enough for a session.


Also played a few 50 NL tables (and 2 100$NL tables). Hit a LOT of sets quite a few in raised pots as well, but had a hard time stacking anyone, they'd always fold the turn / river.

I hit a set against one good TAG who raised 6 BB UTG, His PFR is %3 so I'm 99% he's on a big PP in that spot. I have position on him with my 66.

Flop:
469 (2 diamonds)

He bets $5

I minraise $10, he calls.

Turn:
T
Pot (26$).

He checks to me, I bet $20, he thinks and folds. chat:"Set ?".

I think you can exploit this behviour with most good players by playing your hand as if you hit a set when they raised PF. Like the hand I did above, if you succeed more than %50 it would be EV+, but you have to pick the good TAG's and make sure you have a conservative image.

Current BR:
$1860

140 togo to $100 NL !

Yuck !

Was up to 1910$ before I wasted away 3 buyins

Started by hitting a set in a raised pot, outdrawn by CS who hit str8 on river, I called his all in.
-1 stack.

Later hand was outdrawn by flushchaser when 3d flush card hit river in a raised pot, he checked to me and I checked behind. Idiot. He paid of half his stack when chasing and didn't make an extra cent when he hit.
-1/2 stack.

Folded a big PP in a raised pot, he reraised my turn pot bet to an all in, must have been a set. Wish I had checked behind, but there was a flush draw so I felt I couldn't
-1/2 stack

Missed just about every draw I had (Usually bet my draws, not call them) and was clearly not playing well, lost some there too.

Had a few other KK's and an AA but didn't get paid off.

-150$ for an hour session.

BR:
1760 $

-240 to go to 100 NL.

Comeback !

I worked my way from 570$ up to $800 in only 3 hours on 50 NL tables. Found plenty of donks who paid me off, hopefully there are enough of those at the 100 NL tables as well.

I have been running quite hot so far in June, not many hands but currently I'm at 25PT
BB/100, of course it's going to drop but if it evens out at 10 PTBB when June is over I'm more than happy.

I tested a 100 NL table a bit this morning and left after an hour $50 richer. 2 big wins, no significant losses.

Also some rakeback from PP increased my BR a bit.

BR:
1920 $

-80 to go to 100 NL.

100 NL here we go !

Decided to make the jump (a bit premature) with $1920 BR. I like weekends on PP and always seem to make a good win so I decided this was as good time as any to give it a shot, I'm going to do $100 NL, if I drop to $1600 it's back to the 50's again.

It's been a bumpy ride this weekend. Deposited for PP June reload (100$) and started clearing itt 4 tabling 100 NL for the first time ! Awesome ! So much more fun than the 50's.

There are still donks around

I even got into raising war PF with one with AA. We got in $40 PF, flop is rags,he check,I bet the pot, he pushed and showed AK wtf?!?.

+$100 for a 1/2 hour session

Being card dead is expensive !
Next day:
1 hour hitting nothing on 4 tables cost me 1/2 stack. Finally hitting a set in a raised pot, MP oversetted me, luckily he only had 60BB stack..

-130$ in an hour session

Feels a lot worse than the 50's. I comfort myself that
I'm bankrolled for it and it's only 1 buyin.


Finally a comeback this morning
Woke up having doubts about this moveup and thought about trying the 50's a bit more. Fired up 4 100NL tables anyway (luckily !)

First card dead for 20 minutes, blinded out about 25$.

Then things start to happen (sorry no history):

Get AA in BB, fodled to SB who raises to 3 BB (he's done that a LOT to me), I decide to mainraise to $5 (wouldn't normally but it's headsup and I want him to think I'm testing my waters and trying to make a stand against his steal), he makes it $12, I bump it to $20, he calls.

Flop: (pot 40)
AJ8
He checks, I bet $20, he moves all-in, it's 50$ for me and I call. He shows JJ and MHIG.

Made $50 more with another AA ($40 pot PF) (I think he had KK/QQ) but flopped an A and he obviously got scared.

Also hit a str8 and quads which made me another $100.

+220$ in 1 hour session

Despite PP bonus period I think the 100NL seems less rockish than the 50's, VPIP
s ranged from 22-35 % though I sat for a while on a 15% table before I decided to leave.

Current BR:
$2120
(+100$ PP bonus pending)

(1880$ to go to NL200$ )

$100 NL rollercoaster

Yesterday I cleared my $100 PP bonus, also winning +80$ in the process when I hit a set in a limped pot. Donk had trips (Flop was 2TT, I had 22), cost him his stack

1 hour of poker: +180$

Unfortunately I had quite a bad session this morning, cold carded, decided to test LAG for a while which cost me 1/2 stack to a slowplayed set.

5 mins later I get QQ in MP, raise to $5, gets reraised to $10 by button, I call hoping for set. Flop is rags T high, I check, he bets $10, I call, turn brick, I check, he bets $25, I want to puke but calls instead, river brick, I check, he checks (thankfully), he has KK and it costs me 60$.

This morning session: -120$.

Thanks to the PP bonus its still positive this week.

Current BR:
$2160

(1840$ to go to NL200$ )

Bad run

Man I've been running bad on PP. For 2 sessions now I've played 4 tables for about an hour. On 50% on my tables my VPIP has ended up around 10% and the times I see the flop I never seem to hit anything.

On 4 tables I played for almost an hour w/o winning a hand ! I hit notthing, tried a few steals when acting last but getting called and gave it up. It's depressing playing 2 tables for an hourr, blinding away and only seeing K3o, 94o etc.

I played 4 tables for an hour and didn't get AK a single time... I actually got one KK hand and 1 QQ hand, The KK I raised and was folded to.

The QQ hand I raised, 2 callers, flop rags, I pot it, 1st caller raise me, 2nd push all in. I fold, 2nd caller has KK, 3d pusher has set.

That was it, 200 hands and 2 raises pf. I hit 1 2 pair from BB which I won a small pot, except for that, nothing at all. Depressing...

My VPIP's been around 5-10% and I'm normally around 20%.

Frustrating watching the table with idiots loosing their stacks with top pairs to set's etc when you can't even join the fun.


On the upside !

Something completely different...

I won a ticket to the Soccer World Cup now on Tuesday, Sweden-England !!! All costs covered.

I'm flying down on Monday with 3 other friends from work. This match will be HUGE not to speak of all the partying which will be going on there down in Köln. Guaranteed insanity !

BR $2120

Vacation

I took a much needed poker vaction of 10 days. Went to Germany to watch some WC soccer and having some cheap beer in the sun.

I returned to PP yesterday only to find some loose 100 NL tables, fired up 5 tables and after 1 hour I was approx. up 150$. Got paid of by some donks.

It seems Party is looser now than before, maybe more donks are playing during vacations or something.

If this streak continues I should be well withing my comfort BR at 100 NL soon, still it feels a bit risky at 100 NL.

BR $2360