Can Someone Teach Me How To Catch Cards On Stars?
Internet connection: Stable since last night
Poker: 2 sessions - 3.5 hours since last night
Results: Disgusting. Where as before I was able to break even while not catching cards, now I'm getting crushed.

Over 1K hands since last win of more htan 40BB.

Sets: 3 for 63

Looking at PoverEV and 3 things are happening right now:
1 - I miss, but opponent hits (Most often)
2 - I hit, but get drawn out on (2nd most often)
3 - I hit, but opponent hits harder (often enough)
Not happening very often at all:
4 - I hit and opponent bets or calls through with 2nd best hand

Biggest Hand Won: Have no idea what he was thinking
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (9 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

saw flop|saw showdown

MP3 ($25.60)
CO ($23.90)
Button ($21.95)
Hero ($28.20)
BB ($27.90)
UTG ($15.65)
UTG+1 ($21.85)
MP1 ($14.90)
MP2 ($9.25) 23/0/1.3 (VP$IP/PFR/AF)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 9, 8.
3 folds, MP2 calls $0.25, 3 folds, Hero completes, BB checks.

Flop: ($0.75) 3, 8, 9 (3 players)
Hero bets $0.75, BB folds, MP2 calls $0.75.

Turn: ($2.25) 6 (2 players)
Hero bets $1.5, MP2 raises to $8.25, Hero calls $6.75.

River: ($18.75) K (2 players)

Final Pot: $18.75

Results in white below:
Hero has 9d 8c (two pair, nines and eights).
MP2 has As Jh (high card, ace).
Outcome: Hero wins $18.75.

Best Flop And Biggest Lost: Might as well fold everything. Although what else could he really have there? Bigger Ace would have raised preflop. KQ spades?
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (9 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver Cards)

saw flop|saw showdown

UTG ($33.65)
UTG+1 ($34.35)
MP1 ($62.05)
MP2 ($27.20)
MP3 ($26) 20/7/3
CO ($6.65)
Button ($8.70)
Hero ($27.55)
BB ($37.50)

Preflop: Hero is SB with , .
2 folds, MP1 calls $0.25, 1 fold, MP3 calls $0.25, 1 fold, Button calls $0.25, Hero completes, BB checks.

Flop: ($1.25) , , (5 players)
Hero bets $1, BB folds, MP1 folds, MP3 raises to $3, Button folds, Hero raises to $11, MP3 raises to $25.75, Hero calls $14.75.

Turn: ($52.75) (2 players)

River: ($52.75) (2 players)

Final Pot: $52.75

Results in white below:
Hero has Jh Ad (two pair, aces and jacks).
MP3 has 2c 2s (three of a kind, twos).
Outcome: MP3 wins $52.75.

Pretty much missed just about every other flop or met a disasterous river card.

Running -19.8 BB/100 at Stars so far (still a small sample though). Haven't booked a win of more than $40 since 9/14, a month ago, when I final tabled an MTT.

Played 3 more mini-sessions tonight totalling 2.5 hours and crawled back to even for the day.

- Finally flopped a set vs a player with an overpair, but the board turned and rivered horrible and I couldn't capitalize on it. 2 clubs on the flop, clubs on turn and river killed my action. At least he didn't have one either though.

- Flopped a 2nd set, but board was pretty dangerous board [7c] on [Th][Jc] vs 2 so I had to play it fast. Bet 1/2 pot, got raised by PFRer, but he folded to my push. At least I wasn't set over setted.

- Finally played a hand correctly and won a decent, yet not great pot.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (8 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver Cards)

saw flop|saw showdown

UTG ($19.75)
UTG+1 ($22.25)
MP1 ($27.25) 88/2 normal aggression, but pretty bad as numbers suggest
MP2 ($15.25)
CO ($15)
Button ($12.50)
Hero ($25.95)
BB ($25)

Preflop: Hero is SB with , . CO posts a blind of $0.25.
2 folds, MP1 calls $0.25, MP2 calls $0.25, CO (poster) checks, 1 fold, Hero completes, BB checks.

Flop: ($1.25) , , (5 players)
Hero checks, BB bets $0.8, MP1 calls $0.80, MP2 calls $0.80, CO folds, Hero calls $0.80.

Turn: ($4.45) (4 players)
Hero checks, BB bets $2.5, MP1 calls $2.50, MP2 folds, Hero raises to $9, BB folds, MP1 calls $6.50.

River: ($24.95) (2 players)
Hero bets $15.9 (All-In), MP1 folds.

Final Pot: $9.05

Results in white below:
Hero has Jc 8c (straight, jack high).
Outcome: Hero wins $40.85.

- Not sure about this one. It worked out and I'm happy, but seems everytime I think I have 12 or more outs, I always have less. Opponents were pretty terribe though so I figured I'd get action from top pair with up to 15 outs.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (8 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver Cards)

saw flop|saw showdown

Button ($7)
Hero ($26.45)
BB ($19.20)
UTG ($51.65)
UTG+1 ($13.65) 44/19 36 WTSD
MP1 ($16.70)
MP2 ($18.25) 58/4 13 WTSD
CO ($25)

Preflop: Hero is SB with , . CO posts a blind of $0.25.
1 fold, UTG+1 calls $0.25, 1 fold, MP2 calls $0.25, CO (poster) checks, Button calls $0.25, Hero completes, 1 fold.

Flop: ($1.50) , , (5 players)
Hero bets $1, UTG+1 calls $1, MP2 raises to $4, CO folds, Button folds, Hero raises to $26.2, UTG+1 calls $12.40 (All-In), MP2 folds.

Turn: ($32.30) (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($32.30) (2 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: $32.30

Results in white below:
Hero has Ad 4d (flush, ace high).
UTG+1 has Kd 7d (flush, king high).
Outcome: Hero wins $45.10.

I actually had the best hand with A-hi. Finally hit a draw and I didn't even need it. Go figure. At least he didn't spike a 7 and win.

PS - I've now tried 2 different debit cards on Stars and neither worked. Guess I'm stuck at $25NL for a while until I can run the $700 (now $670) up to $1K. Which, if I don't keep getting PFR's called by A6o and getting out-flopped, shouldn't be too difficult. But close to 4 hours today for a $2.90 profit is a bit frustrating.

Imagine playing on High Stakes Poker and your pretty much catching 93o every other hand. You're running card dead, but the rare times you do pick up hands you raise and once in blue moon you try to steal with your very tight image. Yet every time you make a raise, there's Sammy Farha in there with you calling and even re-raising. You know he has junk and he's probably on tilt cause he's in there mixing it up every other hand. On TV, he plays horribly and goes broke just about every episode. But imagine against you, he's flopping the nuts with the trash he plays every single time while you do nothing but whiff.

Well, this is basically how my last month and a half has gone across 2 different sites now. I raise preflop and just about every time, I'm the one facing a bet for most of my chips. Usually I miss and I can throw it away after a PFR and c-bet (although these do add up to = stacks at some point), but sometimes I actually catch and don't believe you since you're doing it every single time and this is when I'm losing even more.

For instance, today I had a guy c/r me on the flop EVERY single time I raised. I looked him up twice and both times it was the nuts, calling PFR's w/ T6s UTG and the like.

Since I've moved to Stars, I'm running at 21/8/1.9 17 WTSD. You know, a real maniac, the kind of guy you just have to look up everytime. Yet, look at what happens everytime I PFR and c-bet today:

- I actually ran at 16/7 today and saw a flop 9x after a PFR
- # of times c-bet took the pot - ONCE - I had AA
- # of times I PFR, c-bet, and won pot 2x (22%) - other time I flopped top set of Queens

1 - I limp/re-raise w/ [Qd] and get [Kh] to call off on [Qh][3s][Ts][2c] WIN $18.85

2 - A HORRID shorty limps UTG (68/15) and calls my PFR in LP w/ QJo. He flops a straight w/ [6h]. C/r me all-in and having up to 10 outs, getting 3-1, since he's a maniac, I call. LOSE $7

3 - 1 limper, I PFR AA 5x BB from SB. BB calls. 558 flop (2 tone). C-bet takes it down WIN $1.60

4 - Open-PFR [Jd] 2 off Button. Same IDIOT from Hand 2 calls. Low rag rainbow flop. I c-bet, get min-raised. I call, turn OESD. OTB is all-in. LOSE $4

5 - Open-PFR JJ 2 off the Button. Same IDIOT from Hand 2 calls again from BB, again short stacked. [8c][4c]. He min-c/r, I call. He weak bets turn, he's all in for last $3 on river. He has [9d]. LOSE $9.45

6 - Open-PFR [Ts] OTB after folding like 20 straight hands at that table. BB calls, leads pot on [5c][7h] flop, I fold. LOSE $1

7 - Open-PFR [9s] CO. OTB (loose aggressive/non-maniac) calls. I miss, he calls c-bet on rag board. I decide to fire 2nd barrell. He calls. I check river, he adds insult by massively under-betting the pot perhaps knowing that I can't beat A-hi. LOSE $6

8 - This is the BEST! Just sums up what I mean. I'm not frequently getting stacked. I'm just dumping off stacks in portions like this all day long.
EP ($3.70 total) limps. He's 61/13.
SB (30/4 - $10 total) raises.
I re-raise [Kd] in BB.
EP calls all-in, SB calls. Board completely misses me. EP has AA, SB has AK too.

9 - 1 LAG limper. I raise [Kh] OTB. SB calls too. I completely whiff, LAG leads 1/4 pot, I call. He leads 1/2 pot turn, I fold. Yeah, I coulda raised, but I'd just given up by this point and decided to quit after this hand before doing something stupid. LOSE $2.75


Isn't a c-bet supposed to work more than 10% of the time? What's my other option? Check-fold every time I don't flop the nuts? For a month and a half now, everyone seems to know exactly when I miss and mostly when I hit, with the exception of a few idiots that apparently don't have the right software (joking.....I hope).

It's gotten really frustrating to run card dead, raise the few good hands you do catch, and get outflopped just about every time. I guess the only positive thing is I'm not going off and dumping whole stacks consistantly and keeping the losses to a minimum for the most part.

Slightly more proof:
The following is from Poker EV. This is a chart of every PFR where there has been a flop and I c-bet while having hit less than Top pair. I other words a miss. This is since the beginning of September. A losing proposition as you see. Basically, if I'm not hitting, I'm not winning. I don't have the patience for set mining, but is there really any other option?

Just had a funny moment when I tried to reply to a my own post in the NL forum. I got a message saying that I was banned from the forum. Hmm.....banned for running bad? But then everything worked again a few seconds later.

Just put in another hour. 2 more PFR's where I saw the flop and missed. Kicked in the balls again both times.

1 - OTB limps, I PFR ATo from BB, get called. K77 rainbow. C-bet called, check/fold turn.

2 - Open-raise [Jc] CO, BB calls. Flop [4s][Qc]. I get c/r'ed and call. Turn giving me 12 outs to nuts. BB checks, I take the free card. Miss, BB bets 1/2 pot river, I fold. This is a situation where I most would have played this more aggressively on flop or turn about a month ago and that really pisses me off. Although I'm pretty sure he had a pair that I was getting called down with a pair anyway.


So that's 10 out of 11 c-bets unsuccessful today.

Gonna go watch Borat on HBO now then probably come back for some more abuse later. Watched "The Wicker Man" on HBO last night. Not impressed.
SPOILER BELOW IN WHITE:
Thought a lot of it was stupid, as in "why the hell would he/they do that?", but I also figured it out about halfway through. Just had a feeling that he was the intended target.

Thinking about the Taj tomorrow. But then again, I was thinking about the Taj yesterday too and that didn't happen either.

Pure Fucking Rant Ahead!

Yes, things are broken.
No, I didn't take picture.
Luckily I'm throwing out an old chair and dresser this weekend. They served my rage nicely.

Hands from late session ONLY:
Bold for emphasis on EVERY hand......because I feel like it.

Opponent 61/13/3.2 so I finally decide to re-raise. AK < QQ
Played like a true genius too.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (7 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

saw flop|saw showdown

Hero ($23.90)
Button ($6.85)
SB ($6.95)
BB ($19.65)
UTG ($19.60)
MP1 ($15)
MP2 ($28.05)

Preflop: Hero is CO with A, K.
2 folds, MP2 raises to $1, Hero raises to $3, 3 folds, MP2 calls $2.

Flop: ($6.35) T, 7, T (2 players)
MP2 bets $1, Hero raises to $5, MP2 calls $4.

Turn: ($16.35) 8 (2 players)
MP2 bets $1, Hero calls $1.

River: ($18.35) 5 (2 players)
MP2 checks, Hero checks.

Final Pot: $18.35

Results in white below:
MP2 has Qh Qd (two pair, queens and tens).
Hero has As Kd (one pair, tens).
Outcome: MP2 wins $18.35.

-----------------------

Opponent 62/24
I open-raise [Ts] MP1, SB calls
[9d][2c] - I miss and c-bet 3/4 pot, called of course
- Get the fuck outta here - I fire a pot sized 2nd bullett. SB folds HOLY SHIT!

-----------------------

The Monster $1 pot I pulled in from the 1 set I flopped tonight in 15 tries on a very loose table
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (8 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver Cards)

saw flop|saw showdown

SB ($14.35)
BB ($25)
UTG ($12.45)
UTG+1 ($6.05)
MP1 ($21.75)
Hero ($21.90)
CO ($22.90)
Button ($54.70)

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

Flop: ($1.50) , , (6 players)
SB checks, BB checks, UTG checks, UTG+1 checks, Hero bets $1.25, CO folds, SB folds, BB folds, UTG folds, UTG+1 folds.

Final Pot: $1.50

Results in white below:
No showdown. Hero wins $1.50.

------------------------------

QQ < JJ for a stack all-in preflop
Always one of these fuckers when you're running bad
Limp [Qd] UTG, SB calls, BB raises to $1.25, I re-raise to $4, BB is all-in for $8.55 total, I call
[Ah][5h][7d][7h]
BB has [Jc]
Couldn't I just have the ???
That's like the worst flop ever because what the fuck could he ever push all-in over my limp-re-raise with and still be behind? JJ,AK,AQ all got there.

-------------------------------

Here's a PFR where I actually hit the flop hard
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (8 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver Cards)

saw flop|saw showdown

Hero ($24.20)
Button ($15.65)
SB ($22.75)
BB ($23.70)
UTG ($20.05)
UTG+1 ($30.95)
MP1 ($25.45)
MP2 ($14.30)

Preflop: Hero is CO with , .
1 fold, UTG+1 calls $0.25, 2 folds, Hero raises to $1.25, 1 fold, SB calls $1.15, 1 fold, UTG+1 folds.

Flop: ($3) , , (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $2, SB folds.

Final Pot: $3

Results in white below:
No showdown. Hero wins $3.

Sure, that's an auto-fold cause I actually hit. Gaurrantee you that if I miss, that's a c/r instead.

-----------------------

Opponent 36/14/2.5
I PFR [Qd], BB re-pops 4x my bet. He's been pretty LAGGY so I call. Flop [6h][Th]. Fold.

Same guy, when I'm in the BB. I just KNEW he was going to raise. FUCK ME on the TURN!
I didn't even think he had it. I thought the other guy might have it and woulda folded to a raise. But why not, I'm 2nd best eventually on every single hand, right?
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (9 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver Cards)

saw flop|saw showdown

Hero ($25.70)
UTG ($14.90)
UTG+1 ($21.50)
MP1 ($19.25)
MP2 ($23.10)
MP3 ($25.95)
CO ($30.20)
Button ($25.10)
SB ($13.80)

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

Flop: ($1.25) , , (5 players)
SB bets $0.5, Hero calls $0.50, UTG+1 folds, MP3 raises to $1.5, Button calls $1.50, SB folds, Hero raises to $5, MP3 calls $3.50, Button calls $3.50.

Turn: ($16.75) (3 players)
Hero checks, MP3 checks, Button checks.

River: ($16.75) (3 players)
Hero bets $5, MP3 calls $5, Button folds.

Final Pot: $26.75

Results in white below:
Hero has Ah 2d (straight, five high).
MP3 has 6d Kd (flush, king high).
Outcome: MP3 wins $26.75.

--------------------------

That's it for the next few days. Taking off till at least Tuesday, maybe longer.

For the first time in my life, I honestly think I might hate poker

Absolutely no joke. I know people kid around about it and I've probably said it myself in the past and not really meant it, but this time is different. Running horribly for over a month now. Took the last 2 days off, went out with friends, drank a little, watched movies, poker mostly out of the mind except for a little light reading. Came back tonight, feeling much better and ready to play my A game. 4 low buy-in MTT's to help get me back on track - crushed very quickly in all 4.

#1 - $10 3 table SNG
16th out of 27 - lasted 37 minutes (47 hands) - my best performance of the night.
These players SUCKED. I had perfect position on the worst 2 of the bunch too. Ready to play for their entire stack with A-hi until the river. A pair, even bottom pair, was a monster.
- In BB with 99. Idiot open-raises OTB - I over-push 99. He calls with T7o. I double up.
- AQs < KTs = I raise in EP, idiot #2 calls from BB. K on flop, he hits flush on river too and actually checks it.
- JJ UTG < Q8s BB very next hand - I make a large raise, idiots #2 and #3 are only callers from blinds. Flop Q5T on 2 tone board. He check/calls down and I double him up since he is short and could have been drawing.
- Open-push AQ, then KQo and pick up blinds. Still short, open-push A8s from hi-jack but SB has JJ. Board AJTQ5.

#2 - $20K Gaurranteed - $11 buy-in
1,960 out of 2,383 - lasted 32 minutes (32 hands)
Play was not as bad here, but certainly not good.
- Flopped NFD+pair early, no good vs T6s hitting T on the turn. Have no idea what he was doing in the pot that far w/ no pair no draw to begin with.
- AK steals the blinds 2x, 44 steals the pot vs PFR and check oop on K-hi board
- 99 in BB vs CO PFR - Flop TQA (3 overs) check/fold
- Flop 2nd NFD in mult-way pot. Hit flush on turn, everyone check/folds
- Flush over flushed for 2/3 my stack with 62s from BB
- AK < KQo Blinds 15/30 - 1 limp, 1 PFR to 120, I push for 900 w/ AK from CO, SB insta-calls. QTT95 board

#3 - $7.70 buyin PLHE
209 out of 216 - lasted 8 minutes (6 hands)
Didn't even get to see how awful play was here.
JJ into KK on 4th hand.
2 hands later - open-push QJs into AA in BB for rest of stack

#4 - $2.20 satellite
134 out of 146 - lasted 8 minutes (5 hands)
I've played several of these since joining Stars in an attempt to build up some easy T$. The play is some of the WORST I've ever seen. Nobody has any concept of the goal of a satellite. Big stacks will be all-in on the bubble regularly. Naturally I'm 0 for 7.
4th hands in - [Qd] SB
2 limpers, CO min-raises to 40, OTB calls, I re-raise to 200, both limpers call, CO re-raises to just 360 and I know I'm hitting a King and going out. OTB folds, 1 limper calls.
[Kh][8d] Pot 1340
WTF am I gonna do? I check just to give him a chance to bluff, he pushes for 1100 and I call. He shows me AA.

So basically, the way it works is I'm either running into a monster every time with few hands I decide to play.....OR......I'm 2nd best by the river anyway whenever we see a flop. Occasionally I'll hit a monster and everyone will fold too.

It's reached sickening heights (mentally, not financially) that I can't even touch the worst players anymore.

No end in site.

0 for 9 on the night now. 0 for last 16 to combine with the cash game slump. All $11 or less buy-ins with ZERO fold equity. I just never have the best hand. 0 for 10 now in those stupid $2.20 satellites where 1 out of every 5.5 cash. Spent $22 trying to earn $11 in T$. I feel like an idiot.

#5 $2.20 satellite
70th out of 162
Key hand: Who gives a shit?

#6 $2.20 satellite
100th out of 136
Obviously this bullshit had to happen. Only AA hand all night.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t50 (8 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver Cards)

saw flop|saw showdown

MP2 (t3100)
CO (t2705)
Hero (t1325)
SB (t1725)
BB (t1370)
UTG (t6125)
UTG+1 (t1115)
MP1 (t2495)

Preflop: Hero is Button with , .
2 folds, MP1 calls t50, 1 fold, CO raises to t250, Hero raises to t700, 2 folds, MP1 folds, CO raises to t1850, Hero calls t625 (All-In).

Flop: (t3300) , , (2 players, 1 all-in)

Turn: (t3300) (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: (t3300) (2 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: t2775

Results in white below:
CO has Kd Kh (full house, kings full of threes).
Hero has Ad As (two pair, aces and threes).
Outcome: CO wins t3300.

It trully SUCKS when you're running sooo bad that you KNOW you're not getting through this board without a King falling.

#7 $2.20 satellite
74th out of 162
Card dead - open-push A4s MP, BB has AT

#8 That stupid freeroll thing for the Bahamas to hang out with Kid Jerkoff with 10K entrants.
1316 out of 10K
1h43m for this bullshit. Who limps UTG then calls an all-in with 87? I'll tell ya who - EVERYBODY if I'm the one pushing. It's not like I could ever be pusing with a real hand, sitting here folding all night because I know I have no fold equity. BEAUTIFUL flop, totally expected.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t600 (10 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver Cards)

saw flop|saw showdown

UTG (t10404)
Hero (t3290)
UTG+2 (t4590)
MP1 (t7511)
MP2 (t2238)
MP3 (t4173)
CO (t30212)
Button (t17865)
SB (t1487)
BB (t8871)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with , .
UTG calls t600, Hero raises to t3230, 8 folds, UTG calls t2630.

Flop: (t7000) , , (2 players)

Turn: (t7000) (2 players)

River: (t7000) (2 players)

Final Pot: t7000

Results in white below:
UTG has 8c 7d (three of a kind, sevens).
Hero has Ac Qd (two pair, queens and sevens).
Outcome: UTG wins t7000.

#9 PLO8
56th out of 318
Just kept splitting with the blinds late until I open-raised KKJT double suit OTB. SB had AAxx, BB had KK23.


I may have figured this all out. I haven't actually deposited to Stars yet. I've only gotten a transfer. Maybe I have to actually deposit to get the doomswitch turned off. And even though it's driving me nuts being beaten down by horrible players right now, the positive is that even though I'm losing frequently, I'm not losing a lot. 2 good days in a row could turn the whole month around. There's a lot to be said for coming in here and venting instead of tilting off stacks at the table.

1st cash session since Saturday (4 days) - 273 hands over 1.5 hours

Adjustments: Tighten up considerably (16/6) - folded many hands I would have played including some LP marginal to weak raising hands vs very loose blinds. Back to ABC poker, cut out any fancy plays and stopped trying to set up opponents for later plays since most of them have no clue what they're even doing.

Results: Just as sickening. -1 stack.

Also finally set up an epass account and was going to deposit more $$$ and move up to $50NL again. But now, getting crushed at $25NL I'm really rethinking this and probably won't.

Sets: 1 out of 9 with a catch. It was pocket Aces w/ a short stacked opponent already 50% in preflop. 9 for 110 overall.

PFR's and c-bets: Still getting consistantly c/r'ed. All PFR's where there was a flop HU.
1 - [5h] OTB. PFR $1
BB (loose and tricky, but not nuts 31/10/1.2 21 WTSD) calls.
[4c][2h] Pot $2 - I bet $1.50, he c/r to $4. Thought there was a good chance I could re-raise and get him to fold a bluff, but didn't want to take that shot here with just 55. Was hoping I could catch him later. Never did of course.

2 - [Ts] OTB
MP2 (TAG) limps (full stack)
CO (1st hand) posts (19BB behind)
I raise to $1.25, CO only caller (15BB behind)
[3h][Kd] $3
I bet $2, c/r all-in for $1.75 more. I call just to see it.
CO has [6h]

Now 12 out of last 13 c-bets FAILED!

3 - [8d] CO - PFR to $1.25 after 1 MP poster, only BB calls
[3c][2s] - BB leads for pot, I fold. Don't even get in the c-bet this time.

4 - Open-raise [4d] 2 off the button. BB calls
[5d][5h] Pot $2
I bet $1.5, BB folds........wait....WHAT???........HOLY CRAP!!! The streak is over!!!

1 for 3 with c-bets tonight.

5 - [Qd] MP1
UTG limps, I raise to $1.25, only new BB (sat w/ $9) called.
[6h][7s] Pot $2.75
I try something new and check behind HU vs BB

BB bets $1, I raise to $4.50 and he folds. Wow!

Other key hands:
1 - Biggest win of the night. Yeah I re-raised 8x, that's right. I would have found a way to flip that table over if he had a junk Ace.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (8 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver Cards)

saw flop|saw showdown

UTG+1 ($13.90)
MP1 ($24.80)
MP2 ($25)
CO ($15.65)
Button ($22.90)
SB ($6.85)
Hero ($23.90)
UTG ($51.15)

Preflop: Hero is BB with , .
UTG raises to $1, 2 folds, MP2 calls $1, 1 fold, Button calls $1, SB calls $0.90, Hero raises to $8.5, UTG folds, MP2 folds, Button folds, SB calls $5.85 (All-In).

Flop: ($16.70) , , (2 players, 1 all-in)

Turn: ($16.70) (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($16.70) (2 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: $16.70

Results in white below:
SB has Th Ks (high card, ace).
Hero has Kc Kh (one pair, kings).
Outcome: Hero wins $18.35.

2 - AK < A8o on 8xA flop

3 - Only flop I hit decently all night: Awesome, just awesome. Never would suspect a QJo PFR UTG. Why not raise the flop? WTF for? I knew I was somehow fucked here.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (9 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver Cards)

saw flop|saw showdown

SB ($17.60)
BB ($33.85)
UTG ($39.85) 53/17/2.2 28 WTSD
UTG+1 ($28)
MP1 ($49.20)
Hero ($22.30)
MP3 ($10.15)
CO ($30.60)
Button ($24.65)

Preflop: Hero is MP2 with , .
UTG raises to $1, 2 folds, Hero calls $1, 5 folds.

Flop: ($2.35) , , (2 players)
UTG bets $1.75, Hero calls $1.75.

Turn: ($5.85) (2 players)
UTG bets $37.1 (All-In), Hero calls $19.55 (All-In).

River: ($44.95) (2 players, 2 all-in)

Final Pot: $44.95

Results in white below:
UTG has Qc Jh (straight, king high).
Hero has Ts 9s (two pair, tens and nines).
Outcome: UTG wins $62.50.

So sick because this was by far the best hand I had flopped all night (not including the set of Aces vs 20BB stack 1/2 in PF).

Text results appended to pokerstove.txt

60,390 games 0.359 secs 168,217 games/sec

Board: Tc Kd 9d
Dead:

equity win tie pots won pots tied
Hand 0: 49.566% 49.17% 00.40% 29693 240.00 { Ts9s }
Hand 1: 50.434% 50.04% 00.40% 30217 240.00 { KK+, AKs, KJs+, QJs, AKo, KJo+, QJo }

Poker State of Mind: Baffled. I believe I played just about perfectly tonight, more focused and better than any other session this month. I can only think of 2 questionable plays all night. But what can you do when you hit 1 flop all night and a maniac just happens to flop the nuts?
A) I called down a frequent min-raiser with a low suited Ace after he checked an A-hi flop then weak bet the turn, and 1/2 bet the River. He has me slightly out-kicked. Small loss overall.
B) Just calling the flop on that last disgusting hand, wanting to see a safe turn, could have been a bad move, but I'm getting stacked there either way, right?

Here is the shortest summary of the past day and a half while still trying to make it mildly entertaining. If it acomplishes anything, it must be to convince anyone who ever considers it to NEVER play live 2/4. If you're live bankroll isn't sufficient for a larger game, then WAIT until it is.

Trip to the Taj yesterday to hopefully change my luck. Very first hand should have told me how things were going to go. Pick up KK in the BB. Folded around to OTB (doesn't seem very like a 2/4 game) who raises, SB calls, I re-raise, both call. Flop is 268 rainbow. SB checks, I bet, OTB folds, SB calls. Turn is an 8. SB check/calls. River is T, SB c/r's, shows me T8o. Wonderful start. Only went downhill cardwise from there:

TT+/AK 13x in total over 7:20 of play. Lost 11 of those hands
AA 1x - Lose to J9o - 9 on flop, J on turn
KK 1x - above
QQ 4x
- lose to J8o in BB, 4 way flop after PFR, he flopped 2 pair
- won small pot
- lost small pot to AKo who 3 bet me (only legit loss)
BEST HAND:
UTG limps, I raise, rock cold-calls (strange since he knows I'm not an idiot), BB and UTG call
[6h][7d] - Checked to me, I bet, rock calls, UTG calls
- UTG leads, looks like an idiot with a J so I happily raise, rock folds, UTG calls
- UTG quickly leads again so I just call.
He turns over J4o. Anyone who can figure out WTF he was looking for preflop or on the flop, please jump in.
This was just after the AA hand and just after flopping sets on 2 hands in a row and losing both so you can imagine how I was feeling. I just told the waitress to bring me a beer everytime she came by.
JJ 3x
- lost 1st 2x when A hit the flop
- won vs maniac OTB when I hit J on river to crack his Aces in a pot that was HU all the way
TT 2x
- lost 1x to QQ HU who never re-raised out of SB. Got a cheap showdown though when I raised her flop lead and she just checked down from there.
- lost to all overcard flop

3 sets
- 44 flopped bottom set on [6c][Ad] flop in 4 way raised pot. HU to turn where I c/r PFRer when 3rd club hit and he called. Checked 4th club on river killing my action. He checked behind with 55 (no club)
- 88 flopped a set on a board with possible straight, by the end there were 4 cards to straight and I had to fold against heavy action
- 99 flopped a set very next hand. By end, 4 to straight but since it was HU I called to see the straight card

Considering that I was getting crushed at this point, it was still probably the most fun table from an atmospher standpoint that I'd ever been on.
- There was a 20/40 player to my right that had lost about $1500 the previous day and was just blowing off steam, playing like a maniac, raising A6 and Q5o type hands. He booked about a $200 win of course, but he was a nice guy.
- Then a guy who'd been playing there forever and was just sitting there wasting time waiting for a seat in a 40/80 game was on my left. We ended up showing each other our cards half the time and he saw both sets in a row that I had cracked. He ended up telling me a story about how he won a tournament at the Trop when he was 20 but couldn't collect. He also occasionally told me about a few tells he was catching on people and how to he was recognizing them. He was a little on the loud side but not a bad guy and the table was fun while he was there. He commented that he was impressed with my play and ability to avoid tilting off more in the face of all the hands i was getting cracked on the turn and river. That actually helped my state of mind a little bit.
- Also ended up talking to someone who'd been playing 2/4 in that room for 3 years and I was asking him about some of his swings. He's read pretty much all the books that I have, but plays a little too tightly even so I think, which would lead me to believe his swings would be less. Says he has no motivation to ever move up though. He was quoting numbers that really opend my eyes though. Said at one point when he started, he went on a $3K downswing before pulling back to a $1500 profit eventually, but is now on a 5-month long downswing (WOW!) where he's back down a little over $1K. Says his biggest loss turned win was down close to $300 and turned it into a $160 win over a 20 hour session. Biggest rush ever booked a $395 session win for him. Before my last few trips I never would have conceived of losing $200 in a 2/4 session.

2 Pair - 1
76 spades - Lost to turned flush w/ [5c] with OESFD

Straights - 1
- AJo in BB - 3 way flop
[Qc][Ts] - FLOPPED THE NUTS
Split the pot with A6o from the SB who said "let me just see one" on the flop. Hit the 3 outter for the split on the turn.

Flush Draws - SEVERAL
Flushes - ZERO

Anyway, here is the end-point of my night. Still running terribly. Over 7 hours I've won 6 pots (3 small, 2 medium, 1 semi-large with A9o where I caught 2 pair on the river - didn't even need it).

Dealer deals out the first card and then snatches the card out of my hand and flips it up on the table. "[Ac] exposed!" she says. WTF??? No it wasn't. She apologized and said she thought someone may have seen it, but she wasn't sure and just wouldn't feel right about taking that chance.

Sure so the way my night was going I told her I knew exactly what the next card was before even looking. Sure enough, . Replacement card was . There was a raise before me and as I mucked I told the dealer to just take a look at my cards.

Now not only to fuck me, but to double-fuck me on this night of horrors, can you guess what the flop was?
No, fuck it - don't guess, I'll tell you.
K73 rainbow - I would have gotten there with EITHER hand.

That was it, I got up and left. -$190 over a 7+ hour 2/4 session. This is just so sad and embarrassing.

One of my friends actually has a rare couple days off at the end of the month. We're gonna go down there for 2 days (30th-31st) in which I told him I'm going on a 2 day long poker binge (and maybe a drinking one too). If things aren't improved after that trip, it may likely be my last hurrah.

More
- Last week I set up the epass account. Confirmed the small deposits this week and attempted to make a small load. Site now says that my load (made Tuesday) will be available next Thursday. 2+ weeks total to set up in total. Why?
- Last night car was making some strange sounds and check engine light came on. Wonderful, more problems I don't need right now. Will probably be using poker money if this is any kind of expensive. My total remaining bankroll (live+online) will probably end up being close to $1K by the end of the month continuing at my current rate of bullshit.
- Internet has been acting up again.

I forgot the most entertaining thing. On the bus ride back, guy next to me tries to make conversation at 3AM. Talking about how he watched the Sands implosion and how he used to go there all the time, but got into a fight with them a few years back and stopped going.

I'm barely paying attention, but he's going on about markers and all this other crap. Finally says that he got into a little trouble with them and a few other casinos and regrets it but since he had always had good credit with them, they shouldn't have been such dicks about it.

I assumed he was probably talking about a couple of thousand dollars. He said that he was just having a little trouble paying them back, but thought he had a good relationship with them and whatever but right away they got lawyers involved and stuff. Then "I've been playing there for years. You would think they'd try and help me out and give me a little time with $750K".

There was more about how he blew shitloads (probably all) of his money and other shit that I can't imagine why he was telling a total stranger, but I don't think I could say anything to follow up that line.

Also, when they were showing the Sands implosion on TV, I got a laugh out of the table when I asked if they had enough dynamite left over to do the Taj next. It's good that they could keep such a great sense of humor while stacking my chips after sucking out with total trash every hand.

Finally had some better results tonight. Still didn't win any large pots, but hit a few flops and won a few medium ones.

It pretty much started off like every other session over the past month. First PFR, I missed and was c/r'ed by a very tight (13/0) BB, giving him the honor of being the 14th out the last 17 players to do so. Ran that streak up to 15 out of 18 later when another player refused to give up his hand to my raise and c-bet, but this time I actually caught something. He called off the rest of his stack with a red K9 on an all black QT3 flop. I can't explain that one at all. Called the PFR, flop, and turn bets.

Also flopped 2 sets in the early going. The 2nd time I took just the blinds, but the 1st one was much like the sets I flopped yesterday and the few I have been flopping all this month. With 55, the board read 578T6 by the end. Luckily, my opponent, not in the blinds, had only the might 72s.

Here is another hand against him though. Does anybody agree with the river check?
Villain is MP1 (76/18/3.8 33 WTSD) and raises to $0.75 after 1 limper.
I call with [Qs] CO and limper calls.
I have $29 and Villain has $70 (remember, 50+ VP$IP's are profitable these days)
[Jd][Qc] Pot $2.50
Villain bets $1, I raise to $3, caller folds, Villain calls
Pot $8+
Villain check/calls my $5 bet
Pot $18
I check behind here because I knew he was capable of c/r'ing and/or showing me 2 pair, but didn't know him enough to know if he'd call a 3rd bet with less than TPTK. Turns out he had [Jh] so we'll never know. I'm just glad I survived the 7 outter on the river for once

There was actually a guy at one of my tables who's stats were ZEROS across the board after 55 hands. What the hell was he wating for and who did he think was going to play then? The guy sitting to his right running 5/3 after 250 hands?

Also ended up at a table with 3 players over 40% and 2 more at 35%, but just couldn't catch many hands. MY VP$IP was only 10% on that table as I kept waiting for the big one. I did river a flush and caught a c/r from a player with TPTK..

I actually didn't win a pot for more than the blinds in the last 84 hands I played, but still, a profit of close to a stack is a much welcome change of events. Maybe it was also a sign of good things to come that my DSL didn't dump out on me until less than a minute after I played my last hand.

Stubborness rules! Looking to follow up and get this thing turned around this weekend.

Who the fuck do you have to blow at Stars to beat an idiot?
Dropped back a little more than 2x what I won last night.
5 out 7 c-bets shit on again today. 20 out of 25 total now.

KK < 77 all-in preflop (7 on river)
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (8 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

saw flop|saw showdown

UTG+1 ($6.40)
MP1 ($24.65)
MP2 ($6.95)
CO ($11.70)
Button ($38.65)
SB ($25.10)
BB ($16)
Hero ($25.45)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with K, K.
Hero calls $0.25, 1 fold, MP1 raises to $1, 1 fold, CO calls $1, 3 folds, Hero raises to $5.5, MP1 folds, CO raises to $11.7, Hero calls $6.20.

Flop: ($24.75) Q, 9, 3 (2 players)

Turn: ($24.75) 4 (2 players)

River: ($24.75) 7 (2 players)

Final Pot: $24.75

Results in red below:
Hero has Kc Ks (one pair, kings).
CO has 7h 7c (three of a kind, sevens).
Outcome: CO wins $24.75.

QQ = QQ - lose the rake

AK < A8 on A84 flop

AJ < KQ on AKT flop. He
He called a pot bet on flop, K on turn.

76s flops a SFD - no good
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (9 handed) from (Format: FlopTurnRiver Cards)

saw flop|saw showdown

Hero ($28.90)
UTG ($32.25)
UTG+1 ($25)
MP1 ($58.55)
MP2 ($19.95)
MP3 ($21.90)
CO ($18.45)
Button ($87.85)
SB ($4.65)

Preflop: Hero is BB with , .
UTG raises to $1, 7 folds, Hero calls $0.75.

Flop: ($2.10) , , (2 players)
Hero bets $2, UTG raises to $6, Hero raises to $27.9, UTG calls $21.90.

Turn: ($57.90) (2 players)

River: ($57.90) (2 players)

Final Pot: $57.90

Results in white below:
Hero has 6s 7s (high card, ace).
UTG has Ad Ac (three of a kind, aces).
Outcome: UTG wins $57.90.


7 PFR's that went to flop
1 - Open [7h] OTB - BB calls
[3d][8d] - c-bet works WIN

2 - Open [Tc] CO - BB calls
[9s][6h] - BB leads 1/2 pot, I raise, he re-raises LOSE

3 - Raise [Jh] after 1 EP limper
[7c][3c] - limpers leads 1/3 pot, I raise 3.5x his bet, he calls
- check/check
- he bets 1/10 pot, I raise to 3.5x his bet again hoping for flush draw, he calls [8d] LOSE

4 - UTG limp, I raise UTG+1 5xBB [Ks]
[8h][4h] - check/calls 2/3 pot
- UTG leads 1/2 pot, I call
- UTG leads 1/5 pot, I call, shows [8d] LOSE

5 - 4 limpers, raise AKo in BB 10xBB - 1 caller
99Q flop - 2/3 pot c-bet works WIN

6 - Open AKo UTG+2, loose CO calls
86T rainbow - c-bet called
Q - check/call 1/5 pot from CO
7 - check/fold to 1/3 pot from CO LOSE

7 - Open 5x BB [Ks] UTG+1, tight MP player calls
[7s][Kc] - c-bet 2/3 pot, called
- c-bet 3/5 pot called
- check/check, MP [Qd] - wonderful fucking board. He had about a million outs on the turn. WIN

Updated PFR - miss - c-bet graph since Sept:


Overall results (negative) for all PFR's that went to flop in cash games in Oct so far:


Maybe it's not just a Full Tilt thing. 11 out of 15 winners 50+VP$IP, 50+ hands so far on Stars: