Very good session of NL50 last night. I've been limping a lot early with AK lately and except for 1 instance, it's been working well. I finally ran into an idiot last night that wanted to give me his stack with A6.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?744388

Finished up $69.35 after only 64 hands. I've been trying to develop a strategy for big hands in EP. I'm hating playing great starting hands OOP. It seems like I'm flopping TPTK with AK or an overpair and always getting called till the River and then sometimes raised. Or I just win the blinds. I've been limping with AA/KK for a while now, but just started trying it with AK and QQ once in a while too. I'm starting to wonder how EV a limp/push strategy will be. If I only do it with AA or KK I can't see it being that profitable. If I do with with AK and QQ as well, only better hands will call and I'll only be in a dominant position when I have AA or KK most times. But what if I started adding 56s and 67s in there. I'd be pushing a more often, so I may seem like a maniac and get a few more calls. If I'm getting called by AK, then 56s/67s aren't really in that bad shape. I'd also be getting more calls with my monster hands and my AK/QQ hands will be in better shape when I do get called. Or is this just crazy? Any thoughts?

Midnight Madness sucked balls again. This time I got it in as a dog though. Blinds 60/120 and I'm UTG [Jc] with 1725. I raise to 480 (Big hands UTG again) and it's folded around to SB who raises to 1560. I'd already seen him go nuts exactly like this with 88 and suck out on QQ with an 8 on the river, but then BB calls 1560. I already have about 1/3 of my stack in there and my M would be about 5 after the blinds passed so I made the crying push.
Flop was 753 (two spades) and SB pushed BB out and showed the Kings exactly my suit so I didn't even have the backdoor FD.

I'm also starting to wonder about the EV of the new DD $10+2 MTT's at Full Tilt. I may play in them tonight. Is the extra $1 worth it over the long run?
http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/promotions ... inners.php

The evening session (NL50) worked out rather well. Good start, frustrating middle, 1 awesome rush, and then 1 semi-ugly hand at the end. +$42.80 plus $20 bonus cleared. I think I'm going to play the Daily Double MTT's tonight.

I flopped trips early on and then turned quads on a 7Q77 board from the SB vs and UTG limper. I took his stack, but he only had $10. That's what you get for playing Q2o from any position. Shame he didn't have more.

Then after about an hour of missing flop after flop with suited connectors after suited connectors and pocket pair after pocket pair and then wondering why the hell I even bother, I start to get frustrated and then finally get the 1 hand that makes it all worth it.

HAND OF THE DAY
http://www.pokerhand.org/?744755

And the best part about it is having him get it in on the Turn completely dead. No fear of the drawout. I figured he put me on a draw on the flop, but a higher draw or a flush draw and had a good feeling my Turn push would get paid if he had something. I thought he might have a set of 10's, but since he raised I knew my bottom end straight was good.

And here's my 2nd favorite hand of the day.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?744766

Think it strange that I would post a losing hand as one of my favorite? It's just that my read was spot on here and I didn't give him a chance to c/r on the River. I knew he had the flush even after he checked.

Painful Hand Of The Day
This hand took place just a few orbits before I stopped.....
http://www.pokerhand.org/?744775

Villain had posted from MP and this was his 1st hand. This hand bothered me for a little while, but after I saw that Villain only was 5/0/0 after 22 hands, I'm more confident that I made the right fold.

All of these hand took place on the same table. I didn't have much luck on the other table, but did do a little push testing. I didn't reload and let my stack slip into the mid-$30's and then pushed with AK 2x vs an aggressive PFRer twice after he had raised and there were 2 or 3 callers. Everyone folded both times. The 3rd time, I actually had AA when he raised and nobody called. I pushed again thinking he may actually call this time. He took almost all of his alotted time on this hand before folding.

Winning session = what a surprise - No QQ's.

EDIT:
This MTT thing is just getting brutal. I don't know how many times I can keep getting my money in good and busting without going nuts.
Daily Double A:
I get pocket Kings at the same exact time in both tournaments. I win one and I go bust in the other one vs the best hand possible on Full Tilt. Pocket 4's.
Daily Double B:
Blinds 100/200 and I am shortstacked (1465) in the BB. CO open pushes 2300 and I make a good call with A9. He shows 46. Board 493....6.....K.

My [8d] vs [Ks] on a [5h][8h] Flop in a preflop raised pot. So who wins?
Naturally the guy in MP that limped in, raised the flop and called a 3-bet with [6h].

I took about an hour and a half out of being disgusted about the the whole neteller situation to play some poker tonight. Found some particularly fishy 1/2 Limit tables, which is very rare for a Wed night. I ended up only +$10, but I don't even know how I did that when I got 2 of my 3 sets cracked. The one above and another where the river card was so ugly I even folded the river vs 2 opponents. My big pairs were generally met with four monotone cards by the river of which I never had the same suit.

The difference was....this hand where I made a semi-loose turn call in a multi-way pot with a GSSD where I where only 3 of my outs were to the nuts. So much for the guy slowplaying his flopped set. Although that only would have made the pot bigger in the end anyway.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?747901

I'm gonna go torture myself again in the Midnight Madness now. EFFIN US GUSTAPO!

EDIT: At least it was quick tonight. HU I turned a flush, board paired on the river. He had the boat. Wonderful run.
PS - Record low for the MM tonight. Only 915 in an MTT that is always over 1100. Neteller reprecussions starting already?

I have so much I could talk about today and so many hands that I could post, but I played a LOT today and I have so much other crap going on right now that I am fried.

Key points:
-The ladies redeemed themselves and won me a big pot when I limped in with them and hit a nice board so I probably have to change the title of this journal again.

- I played the Daily Double at Full Tilt again tonight and was knocket out of MTT A very quickly after being 3-bet the only 4x I raised preflop. That made 1 cash in my last 15 MTT's. I haven't even been lasting an hour in most of them. I felt that I was playing almost flawlessly all along and that the cards just weren't hitting. Then I started to doubt myself when this hand showed up in MTT B and I resucked out on the river and ended up cashing. Not a big cash at all, but 63rd out of 819 and just enough to keep my sanity a while longer. I went out in BB with AK. SB had KK. What can you do?
http://www.pokerhand.org/?750706

- I got in 281 hands of NL50, many of them very intersting, and played well. Finished up $42.65.

- It may just be my imagination, but has the panic started to set in already. The MTT's at Full Tilt seemed about 10% light the last 2 days and at one point I saw only a few 1/2 limit talbes running and none with a Table Plr/Flp over 30%. I had a bit of a wait getting a NL50 table too and found many of them TAGer than usual.

- I made a couple of calls today and it seemed like I'm going to have a heck of a time getting a few bucks out of my sports accounts next week. Extremely aggrivating. Bodog won't send checks anymore. I can't imagine why and my other accounts want to charge me up to 10% and a month's wait for my money which I could have gotten in just a couple of days and for nothing before the whole Neteller fiasco. Must look into Click2Pay tomorrow and pray we still have options for the next few months.

- This may seem corny to a bunch of guys, but my cat has been at the vet's since Tuesday for what we thought was a simple problem. The vet called tonight and we thought we were going to pick him up in the morning, but she wants to run tests now because she's worried about a 3-4 pound drop in weight. He's 14 years old. Some of you may understand that pets can become a part of the family.

- I've started checking bus schedules for AC just in case the whole thing goes boom. I'm not even sure I have enough of a bankroll to play and show a profit while offsetting expenses in that case. I have $1500 currently in FT and can probably scrounge up close to another $1000, but that would be it. The bus schedule sucks anyway. One trip there in the morning at around 10am and one trip home at 5pm. 5pm??? That SUCKS. It's basically a waste of a day. I was hoping for something leaving morning and night. AC is about an hour twenty minute drive and I'd probably need a new car to start making regular trips.

- I'm fried. I'm hopefully going to sleep well tonight.

I'm having a miserable day today. See post above. Probably the worst day I've had since my father passed about 4 and half years ago. As if the cat thing wasn't enough, the fucking US government needs to make life more difficult everyday. I'm glad these assholes have their priorities straight.

I did play a bit of poker ot try and get my mind off things. The good news is that even though there seems to be less players, there is no shortage of idiots.
134 hands of 50NL - My best session of NL50 yet.

I started off on tilt. Just decided I was going to LAG it up due to my mood although I don't think this was a terribly bad play. Guy with 2pair wasn't terribly happy, but fuck him. That's just my attitude today.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?753011

Jerkoff had the balls to 3-bet me preflop. Sorry, not today, not on that flop.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?753014

Same genius next 2
Thought he had the Ace at least
http://www.pokerhand.org/?753018
Knew he was an idiot
http://www.pokerhand.org/?753021

Two MTT's
$25K Guarranteed
1114 out of 1282 - lasted 14 minutes
Best hand with bottom pair on flop vs BDFD vs bottom end of GSSD. I finish 3rd.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?753026

Then just 88% to win on this flop
http://www.pokerhand.org/?753030

Midnight Madness
785 out of 1001 - lasted 21 minutes

Only 90% on this flop.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?753032

Tight guy raised from early with a shortish stack. I better call with my Q8. No shortage of idiots.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?753038


FVCK Bill Frist and friends
FVCK the DOJ
FVCK the banks
FVCK Neteller
FVCK Click2Pay
FVCK George Bush
FVCK the US Government
FVCK the religious right
FVCK the NFL
FVCK Harrah's (who recently sold all their properties by the way)

I miss my cat.

This asshole doesn't want to learn his lesson in MTT's. Midnight Madness tonight, which for the first time since I've been playing failed to reach 800 players, 1st hand. I raise AQo from the Button. Asshole calls me with J9o in MP. Flop QTx. He calls a pot sized bet. Turn 8 and I lose 2/3 my stack. Only other hand I play, I push ATo from MP. I get called in 2 places. JJ and AKs behind me. Lasted 12 minutes.

Tried opening up my NL cash game today and playing a little more LAGgy. It actually would have worked really well, but the only 2 elaborate bluffs I pulled both ended up raising the rivered nuts. Still, for an entire session without 1 set, 1 straight, or 1 flush, a $5 loss isn't bad. The game was much tighter and I was able to steal a lot of pots. If just one of those 2 bluffs had worked, I would have finished with a profit. I figured at worst I was setting them up for when I did hit a big hand, but it never came.

I've changed my journal back to its former title in honor of the horrendous suckout I suffered today. My horrible MTT run has now spilled over to my NL game. It should seem totally natural that the biggest pot I've been involved in 4000 hands of NL50 now would result in my getting it all in preflop with Aces vs AKs as an 87% favorite, improve to 94% on the flop and then lose $56.75 to the runner-runner flush.

I lost 3 stacks today in 25 hands. I picked one back up however when I pushed a nut flush draw vs a pair and a flush draw. We both had hearts. I didn't have as many outs as I wanted, but what the hell. Being ahead really isn't working for me today. Flopped a pair and a flush draw twice and lost both of those. Got aggressive with one of them from the BB. Who knew that the rock UTG had raised preflop with QJo and flopped 2 pair?

Here's the hand which I also posted in my NL section thread. Probably doesn't belong there, but who cares.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?762382

So my limp/push theory isn't working:
AA: 1 push - 1 call = (-$56.75)
65s: 1 push - 0 calls = +$2.50

Strange that I have started this experiment because I wanted to get my Aces called.

My new LAG style isn't working either as I lost a bunch with AK vs AA in the SB on a JTx flop. Thought I had more than 4 outs. Then as I was stealing every hand uncontested, I actually raised AQo and was re-raised OTB and called. Board came QKxxQ. Naturally he wasn't just sick of me and playing back, he had KK and checked it until I made a big river bet. The only elaborate turn/river bluff that I tried to pull was also into the nuts again for the 3rd time in a row.

So....
the limp/push theory = failure so far
the new LAG me = failure so far
the river bluff experiment on scary boards = failure so far

Looking at my monthly stats, I'm finding something very streaky....
Won 7 out of 9 days
Lost 4 straight days
Won 5 straight days
Lost 4 straight days

I'm looking at yesterday's post soon after disaster hit and I finished my session -$111. Then I played 2 MTT's which also did not go well. That post is in the MTT forum. I got right back on the horse late last night and now am proud to say that in just 2 sessions (1 short, 1 normal) I won back everything I lost yesterday. It's suck a confidence builder when you can come back and play well and get back on track quickly.

Last night's session: (112 hands +$54.50)
It was all really 1 hand. First set I'd flopped since 2006 it felt like.
OTB w/ [6h] ($54.95)
MP1 = $56.25 (Crazy. Could have any 2 and will bluff his whole stack with air)
CO = $87.40 (No read. Seemed ok.)

MP1 limps, CO raises to $3, I call, MP1 calls
[8h][6d] Pot $9.75
MP1 checks, CO bets $9. I'm thinking he either has an overpair or was stealing and hit this flop hard, but more likely he started with a big hand. I decided just to call and see what MP1 would do. He was very capable of check-raising here with nothing or he could possibly have hit this flop hard too. Honestly I did not know what I was going to do if he made a move or called, but he folded.
Pot $27.75
CO bets $20. I did not mind this card at all because if he had T9 he was already there. I pushed and he had the Aces.
on the River and I'm damn glad I didn't wait any longer. +$55.70

Evening session tonight: (217 hands +$57.65)
This was really about 4 hands. Aces holding up against short stacks 2x, a flopped set on a scary board, and a dumb river play on my part.
1 - Just 1 orbit in I pick up [Ac] in the BB
UTG ($23) limps, and SB limps. I raise to $3 and UTG calls.
[4c][4d] Pot $6.50
I bet $5 because I didn't think this was any flop that would hit him limping UTG, but he just called.
Pot $16.50
I decided that wasn't his draw and put him in and he called for $15.55. He had [Tc] and hit the river. +$21.70

2 - [Jd] UTG+1. I limped. This was a loose passive table. Not many PFR's and most were min-raises anyway. It was folded around and only the blinds played.
[3d][Ah] Pot $1.50
Checked around
Pot $1.50
BB bet $1 and I called, SB called
Pot $4.50
SB checked, BB bet $3 and I did 2 REALLY STUPID things.
BB was a rock (19/3). He never got aggressive unless he had something big. He now bet the turn which is ok, but then bets out on the river again showing no fear of that diamond on the end. It could be trip Aces, but I should have been smart enough to realize he's not betting into a flush and paired board with just an Ace.
So idiot raises to $9. Then when BB re-raises to $21, idiot ends up convincing himself that he just has an Ace or a smaller flush and calls. He had [3c]. -$22.50

3 - [9h] UTG+1. I open-limp. MP1 limps, Button (Weak - loose. VP$IP was 25, but all other numbers were very low) raises to $2, SB (unknown) min-raises to $4. They both have full stacks and I have them covered. I call and Button calls.
[Qc][9c] Pot $13
I love flopping a set, but this flop scared the crap out of me. Pocket Q's was a very possible hand here I thought and this board was draw heavy as well. I found SB's check odd, so I checked behind with the intention of check-raising Button and not knowing how I'd react to a push, but Button checked
Pot $13
SB checks again and I'm pretty sure I'm ahead of him now so I bet $5.50. Both players call.
Pot $29.50
SB checks, QQ is still in the back of my mind, but I loved this card. I bet $15 and Button folded immediately. SB took his whole time and folded. Later told me he had AQ by asking if I could beat a pair of Queens. I guess I got all I was going to get out of that hand anyway, but I was unhappy that I didn't get more. At least I didn't lose. +$18.55

4 - AA OTB - shortie limps, CO limps. I raise to $3 and both call. Flop 898 and shortie pushes for $10. CO folds and I instacall knowing he wouldn't do that with an 8. He had K9 so even the King did him no good. +$15.40

http://www.pokerhand.org/?767892


http://www.pokerhand.org/?767894

Ya know, when your playing 6 tables at a time you can handle the variance more easily because your playing a lot more hands. But when you only play 2 tables at a time and get in 150 to 250 hands per session

More BULLSHIT later

Limp/push experiment:
3 pushed - 2 calls = (-$96.95)
AA: 1 push - 1 call = (-$56.75)
http://www.pokerhand.org/?762382 (AKs)
QQ: 1 push - 1 call = (-$41.70)
http://www.pokerhand.org/?767894 (AKo)
65s: 1 push - 0 calls = +$2.50

Limp in EP with AA/KK/AK/QQ/56s/67s - push to any substantial raise.
(Don't push vs min-raise unless half the table is in. Evaluate individual cases against different opponents - ie TAG, LAG, Maniac)

I continue to hemorage (sp?) money with the best hand and monster draws. I'm quickly losing my sanity.

FTOPS Satellite to Event #1
- I make a dumb move and push 99 on 782 flop. Opponent has 22 and I'm crippled.
- I get lucky and pick up AA in the blind. Problem is I'm against KK and QQ. 3-way AI preflop. Q on the flop. A on the river.
- I open-push Q9s LP short stacked. SB has 99. Queen on the river.
- I get it all-in AK vs AT. T on the flop. K on the river. Now I'm a big stack.
- Final table. EP shortie pushes. I repush AK. SB pushes QQ. I have both covered. JxJ flop. Now I'm short stacked again.
- Open-push AQo. Very loose SB calls me with KJs for most his stack. 9QQ flop. YES. Ten on the turn. Finish 8th. Top 6 paid.

Full Tilt Daily Double A
- [5s] on [9c][6s] SB overpushes. I'm tilting already from knockout of FTOPS satellite just before. I call with 11 outs to his J9o. now 18 outs. River. Gone in 16 minutes.

Full Tilt Daily Double B
- 10th hand. My best friend [Kh] again in EP. I raise 5x BB. Button calls. [9h][6c] board. Got cute and tried to make some money. J on the river gives Button his 2 out set.
- I have flopped TP with a good to best kicker 3x and been raised every time I've bet.

I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing anymore. Can they see the cards before they come out? I'm not even tilting anymore. I'm numb. I'm sick of the whole table saying "Holy S**t and WOW on the turn or river everytime I'm in a hand." (Rhetorical question) How do I stop those comments?

And this is how I finished up in the Daily Double B:

http://www.pokerhand.org/?768405

http://www.pokerhand.org/?768407

In 36 MTT's this month my ROI is -65.55%. Most decisions, no matter how +/-EV when made, have ended with negative results. There is no tournament hand on no flop that I feel confident playing right now as long as my opponent has a possible out. I don't feel in as if I'm in the right mental state to continue playing right now, due as much to circumstances away from poker this month as circumstances concerning poker. (I'm actually still +$ for the month) I'm trying to convince myself to take a breat, but there are 2 factors against it:
1 - My Full Tilt bonus expires 3/8 and I still have $220 left to go.
2 - I'm not sure online poker will still be here when I get back.

What the Fvck is the matter with me??? I just started playing my RP's at AP figuring I can't really lose any money that way. Lasted 25 minutes in this one. Donk was calling every single bet at the table. Last 10 hands he'd shown down [Tc[[6c] from EP hit a flush, called my raise from UTG+1 with [Th], called an all-in with [Tc] and hit a runner-runner flush, called an all-in with [Tc] and beat [Kc].

So of course when I flop [4h][Jh] with [Jc] I want to get him all-in when he limps from the UTG+1. He's got a garbage Ace or a flush draw. I do and he has [Js]. One of my friends is here watching me now and he supplied the Holy Sh*t!!! for me today. I'm sick sick sick SICK SICK of "Holy Sh*t I Can't Believe That. That's SICK!" I've had 3 people tell me, the past two days, after looking at my tournament hand history for the month that it's impossible for these sites to be legitamite. One who plays live says that I've been cold decked more in a month than he has in his life. Another one has a theory about action flops. They want to get you out of the tourny into new ones or generate as much rake as quickly as possible now because they feel their time is limitied. Who the fuck knows?

http://www.pokerhand.org/?770191