In yet another effort to get myself in the correct state of mind, I am quitting online poker for at least a week (which includes the BTP tourney). I need the money but I've determined that only playing now will cost me money, not earn me any. Therefore, there will be no updates to this journal. I have lost in practically every session of poker this month and the only games I'm up so far this month is PLO 25 on Party and SNG's after 3 and those are small amounts. I'm down significant amounts in all other games I play and its just depressing looking at it so I'm not going to.

I'm hoping this is just a temporary thing, but if this continues after I come back, this could easily become permanent. I felt I was good enough to work out a meager profit every month but it looks like I've overestimated myself so I have to look into other options.

I didn't see any hands you played badly! Some bad luck after bad luck after bad luck. And the other guys kinda sucked sometimes -- the one guy only check-calling when he had JJ that hit a set against your AK hitting TPTK saved you some $$.

Take a break, sure, but DO come back & play some more. If you need to drop down a level and start winning to feel better, do that.

The worst thing isn't to go on a losing streak for a few days -- the worst thing is to let that streak break your spirit so you never make another penny playing poker again. What a waste that would be!

if it was a few days, I would be fine. I have played practically every day for about 3 weeks and I have had probably about 30 different sessions of various poker. Only about 4 of them are positive results while ALL the other ones are negatives. Losing that consistently for that long while you feel you are playing well just breaks your spirit.

Know that feeling!

I am taking a 10 day break at the moment. I feel I am actually making money in not playing right now and that tells me my mind is def not on the game.

I figure we are both due some massive winning streaks soon, look forward to bragging with you about them...

Rich

Looks like I've started a trend. Too bad things have gone so bad Brian. Bad streaks suck, I know exactly how you feel.

Just a quick update, I'm back but taking it slow. I wanted to take advantage of the Stars bonus so I'll be working on that but I plan on keeping it at low levels and bonus whoring for a little bit. After stars, I was gonna work on party skins and interpoker and then back to gaming club.

So my updates won't be too excited but it really felt good to get away. The first day, it was definitely like withdrawal (I assume ) because I really wanted to play, like to get my fix. It seemed hard to find something to do to occupy my time. However, as the days past, I was able to relax and by yesterday, I wasn't even thinking about playing so it was good.

I did cheat somewhat. I didn't give up poker as I played 2 live games at my house but I was only quitting ONLINE poker, so I created a big loophole for myself. I finished up a meager 13 bucks both times. The second time I should have been up more than $50 as I lost a $40 Omaha pot when my AQJT failed to hold up on the river agaisnt a T245 on a 62AQ2 board. He was goofing around raising my 50 cent blind to 2.50 and I went all in preflop (NL omaha) knowing he calls with anything, which he proved. He was down to 6 outs on the river (2 2's and 4 3's) and spiked trips on the river to beat me. I clawed back but thats still a kick to the nuts.

Its good to be back although I didn't really leave. I was lurking, just not being very active about it.

I decided to put some time in on the Stars 1/2 limit HE tables to work off my bonus. It seems like by the time I get the bonus, I will need it to cover my losses. In 500 + hands, I was down 65 bucks. I just can't seem to get anything going and none of my hands seem to hit and when half of them do, people suck out or hit harder.

I'm glad there is no time limit on this bonus so I can stop if I feel like it. This has got to stop at some point.

Back to the grindstone. Played a nice 1.5 hour session on Stars to work on the bonus yet again. Just played a little more 1/2 and was down as much as 40 in about 45 minutes but worked my way back as my hands kept holding and I made a few suck outs of my own to be $8 up. Its sad that it feel like such a huge victory to be up. I really only hoped to play even poker during the bonus whoring period on stars and that seems to be a lofty goal. Part of me wants to quit the bonus, another part knows I need to finish it. If I quit now, i'm down almost $50, so completely the bonus is the only way to go.

A few highlights of the night

AA in lp, folded to me and I raise. Only SB calls. Flop comes 553 and he has 52s. That looks like a piers blind defense.

PokerStars 1/2 Hold'em (10 handed)

Preflop: Hero is CO with , .
6 folds, Hero raises, 1 fold, SB calls, 1 fold.

Flop: (5 SB) , , (2 players)
SB bets, Hero calls.

Turn: (3.50 BB) (2 players)
SB bets, Hero raises, SB calls.

River: (7.50 BB) (2 players)
SB bets, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 9.50 BB

Results in white below:
SB has 2s 5s (three of a kind, fives).
Hero has Ah Ad (two pair, aces and fives).
Outcome: SB wins 9.50 BB.

A suck out for me.

PokerStars 1/2 Hold'em (10 handed)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+2 with , .
2 folds, Hero raises, 2 folds, MP3 calls, 3 folds, BB calls.

Flop: (6.50 SB) , , (3 players)
BB checks, Hero bets, MP3 raises, BB folds, Hero 3-bets, MP3 caps, Hero calls.

Turn: (7.25 BB) (2 players)
Hero checks, MP3 bets, Hero calls.

River: (9.25 BB) (2 players)
Hero checks, MP3 bets, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 11.25 BB

Results in white below:
Hero has Kc Ac (two pair, kings and jacks).
MP3 has Td Kd (two pair, kings and jacks).
Outcome: Hero wins 11.25 BB.

Maybe I overplayed this one because I really felt I was beat but I had the gutshot, then the flush draw and then I would just hope he had KQ or KT on the river. Finally, suck outs come my way.

This hand practically plays itself although the turn really sucked but I only had it.

PokerStars 1/2 Hold'em (9 handed)

Preflop: Hero is BB with , .
UTG calls, UTG+1 calls, 1 fold, MP2 calls, 3 folds, SB completes, Hero checks.

Flop: (5 SB) , , (5 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, UTG bets, UTG+1 folds, MP2 calls, SB calls, Hero calls.

Turn: (4.50 BB) (4 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, UTG bets, MP2 folds, SB raises, Hero 3-bets, UTG calls, SB folds.

River: (12.50 BB) (2 players)
Hero bets, UTG calls.

Final Pot: 14.50 BB

Results in white below:
Hero has 4h 3c (full house, fours full of threes).
UTG has 5c 5d (two pair, fives and fours).
Outcome: Hero wins 14.50 BB.

Here's a pure blind steal gone right.

PokerStars 1/2 Hold'em (7 handed)

Preflop: Hero is SB with , .
5 folds, Hero raises, BB 3-bets, Hero caps, BB calls.

Flop: (8 SB) , , (2 players)
Hero bets, BB calls.

Turn: (5 BB) (2 players)
Hero bets, BB calls.

River: (7 BB) (2 players)
Hero bets, BB calls.

Final Pot: 9 BB

Results in white below:
Hero has 3s 9c (one pair, nines).
BB has Ah Kc (high card, ace).
Outcome: Hero wins 9 BB.

I've been trying not to play my blind steals so hard but there was reasoning behind this. I had been folding my blinds to this guy because I've had crap and didn't want to risk it. He then showed me 36o the last time I didn't after not trying 5 times in a row. Therefore, I decided to do it this time and when he 3 bet me, I thought he was just playing back at me. Some of that "he knows that I know that he knows..." BS. After I showed that hand, I just typed "I guess I can't do that for a while" and just continued on my normal tight game.

Last thing, I noticed that NONE of my draws were hitting. If I had a OE straight draw, a flush draw, a flush draw with live overs or any sort of draw, i missed but pots were large enough to chase so one of these pots = $20 more to me. Also, I only hit 1 set and that was after I folded preflop since it was 22 and no one was in the pot to give me odds to hit.

I was looking over my PT stats at 1/2 since the beginning of Feb and found a strange trend. All my suited aces AKs-A9s all show losses while all AKo-A9o show gains. Is this a trend that I've been playing them too hard? Have an above average amount of my flush draws missed? I often fold A9-AT and AJ sometimes, suited or unsuited so I didn't think I was overplaying them. I do run into a lot of bigger aces that limp and people hit hands on me a lot lately so who knows but its something I got to watch.

Working on the Party bonus on the PLO $25 tables. It was a real rollercoaster day as I was down almost $90 at one point during the 3.5 hour session but made a run back as my hands started to hold. The losing hands are in the Omaha section and I'll share the winning ones here.

Party Poker Pot-Limit Omaha High, $0.25 BB (7 handed)

UTG ($25)
Hero ($55.04)
MP2 ($94.59)
CO ($18)
Button ($24.25)
SB ($19.75)
BB ($13.2)

Preflop: Hero is MP1 with , , , . CO posts a blind of $0.25.
UTG calls $0.25, Hero calls $0.25, MP2 calls $0.25, CO (poster) raises to $1.6, Button calls $1.60, 2 folds, UTG calls $1.35, Hero calls $1.35, MP2 calls $1.35.

Flop: ($8.35) , , (5 players)
UTG checks, Hero checks, MP2 checks, CO bets $7.95, Button folds, UTG folds, Hero raises to $31.8, MP2 folds, CO calls $8.45 (All-In).

Turn: ($56.55) (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($56.55) (2 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: $56.55

Results in white below:
He had [ 2c 9s 6d As ] which he raised preflop and got the worst flop for him.

Outcome: Hero wins $56.55.

This guy literally sat down 2 hands eariler and this was the first hand he played.

This next hand has a special place in my memory since it was against a fellow BTPer.

Party Poker Pot-Limit Omaha High, $0.25 BB (10 handed)

MP1 ($40.43)
Hero ($24.65)
MP3 ($46.49)
CO ($32.4)
Button ($31.29)
SB ($7.99)
BB ($6.75)
UTG ($9.15)
UTG+1 ($20.9)
UTG+2 ($20.75)

Preflop: Hero is MP2 with , , , .
2 folds, UTG+2 calls $0.25, 1 fold, Hero calls $0.25, MP3 calls $0.25, CO calls $0.25, Button calls $0.25, SB completes, BB checks.

Flop: ($1.75) , , (7 players)
SB bets $1.75, BB folds, UTG+2 folds, Hero calls $1.75, MP3 folds, CO folds, Button folds.

Turn: ($5.25) (2 players)
SB bets $5, Hero calls $5.

River: ($15.25) (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $1, SB calls $0.99 (All-In).

Final Pot: $17.24

Results in white below:
SB has 9d Tc 9c Ts (two pair, tens and eights).
I had quads of course
Outcome: Hero wins $17.24.

I actually thought I only had the low boat when I first looked at the board. It took me a second to realize I flopped quads. Too bad this BTPer didn't have more money He was betting too hard as he chased out all the other fish but I had almost all the good cards in the deck so they it might not have mattered.

I finished only down $11 but that's pretty much a vicory after being down $90 in 2 hours. Good news is that about 80% of the hands I play on these tables get raked so I'm pretty close to completing the full bonus.

On the other note, I thought I had my room reserved for the next year if I needed it but I've now recently been told that if this group of people want the house, their aren't enough rooms for me and them so I will be tossed out to make room just because he wants to get the house rented and feels he might not. They haven't made a decision yet but I find out soon. If they say no, they I get to stay another year. If they say yes, I'm allowed to stay until August instead of end of may when my lease runs out since they won't move in until september. That gives me more time but I thought this guy was my friend and he was supposed to tell me when I HAD to let him know but apparently he decided to just dick me over. How about that? Since I found that out on friday, I've beenin a piss poor mood but I got to play on Party or lose the bonus. I just want this to be over. I'm sorry if I am grumpy or inactive during this time so we'll see how this works out.