Alchemist's Journal

[AlexMR]

[Alchemist]

HHallo peeps.

I'm pretty much back to normal now, I think, playing slightly tighter, but the winning sessions are back. I've booked a couple of good wins and running at 6PTBB/100 this month over 4k hands so I'm well pleased with that. Good suggestion from Alex about moving sites again, which I tried at the end of last month to Ongame, but at the moment I'm back on the cryptos and they've been pretty good to me. At times the games have been really juicy.

Since last update sessions have gone +60, +45, -60, +150, +40. Heres a couple of big hands from recent sessions

Villain was a mega CS here, so of course, I keep betting

Cryptologic
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.50/$1
9 players


Stack sizes:
UTG: $92.50
UTG+1: $161.88
MP1: $96
MP2: $18
Hero: $151.62
CO: $110
Button: $139.25
SB: $108.05
BB: $66.88

Pre-flop: (9 players) Hero is MP3 with
2 folds, MP1 calls, MP2 calls, Hero raises to $5, 4 folds, MP1 calls, MP2 folds.

Flop: ($12.5, 2 players)
MP1 checks, Hero bets $10, MP1 calls.

Turn: ($32.5, 2 players)
MP1 checks, Hero bets $25, MP1 calls.

River: ($82.5, 2 players)
MP1 checks, Hero is all-in $111.62, MP1 calls all-in $56.
Uncalled bets: $55.62 returned to Hero.

Results:
Final pot: $194.5
Hero shows Qd Ac
MP1 shows Ah Ts


This one was interesting, it was 51:49 in my favour on the flop

Cryptologic
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.50/$1
9 players


Stack sizes:
UTG: $15
UTG+1: $101
MP1: $92.50
MP2: $100
MP3: $106
Hero: $99
Button: $99
SB: $81.75
BB: $62

Pre-flop: (9 players) Hero is CO with
5 folds, Hero raises to $4, Button folds, SB calls, BB folds.

Flop: ($9, 2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $6, SB raises all-in $77.75, Hero calls.

Turn: ($164.5, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: $164.5)


River: ($164.5, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: $164.5)


Results:
Final pot: $164.5
SB shows 9s As
Hero shows Qd Qs


Nice suckout donk!! Quite amusing after this hand, the guy to my right started saying how he wanted me to win cos I was a good player and how he didn't like donks winning. The two of them just started laying into each other for about 15 minutes while I just watched on....lol

Cryptologic
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.50/$1
9 players


Stack sizes:
UTG: $124.75
UTG+1: $24.62
MP1: $35.62
MP2: $65.50
MP3: $82.25
CO: $130.50
Button: $47
SB: $106.57
Hero: $106.25

Pre-flop: (9 players) Hero is BB with
UTG folds, UTG+1 calls, MP1 calls, 2 folds, CO calls, Button folds, SB calls, Hero raises to $6, UTG+1 calls, 3 folds.

Flop: ($15, 2 players)
Hero bets $19, UTG+1 calls all-in $18.62.
Uncalled bets: $0.38 returned to Hero.

Turn: ($52.24, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: $52.24)


River: ($52.24, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: $52.24)


Results:
Final pot: $52.24
He had Q9

Might not play until Sunday now, so the announcement will have to wait, nearly there though

Sep 14 BR $9819

[Alchemist]

Wow, loads to catch up on. I didn't intend to leave the journal to gather dust, I've just been far too lazy to update, truth is, I've not been playing all that much recently compared to July and August.....barely 6k last month and only just 4k so far into October.

September continued to be pretty good after the last update, but a loss of 2 buyins toward the end of the month pulled me back to just average and a gain of about $1k to the BR for the month of September which isn't too bad considering I only played about 6k hands and didn't get all the crypto bonii, missed out on 3 I think.

October has been really up and down, until this weekend, pretty much even save the usual bonus hunt. So far done Sun, Will Hill and currently halfway through the pokerplex $200. But.......I found a new bitch.......and its name is PLO25 !!!! I took a shot at this a couple months back and really enjoyed it, so with NLHE not being particularly kind to me, I thought I'd give it another shot. OMG the games are soooooo soft at this level on the cryptos. So far I'm 800 hands in (already bought PTO) and up 4 buyins and I wouldn't say that I was running particularly hot it's just that everyone else is soooooo bad, chasing ass end of straights, chasing any flush, stacks flying everywhere.

Today has been awesome. There has been a total lack of NL100 games recently so today, I took a shot at NL200 and NL£100 with a PLO25 table in the background.

This chick had been raising quite a lot in position, so I thought I'd test her



Two hands later and I'm playing back at her again, she probably thinks I'm FOS, but anyways I forced her into a mistake that cost her stack. The raise didn't really make any sense, no way she's calling a reraise with 22 or 55 and no way she's raising with KK, so I'm only worried about AA here and she would have 4 bet me PF, so bluff (mistake) it is.
I do believe this is the biggest pot I've dragged. Thank you please !!



This guy had been playing pretty tight. I put him on probably a set here but was suprised when he turned over his SC...didn't put that in his range. Money was going in even if he did raise the turn all in.



This one gave me the most satisfaction though, using my huge stack to bully. Not a play I usually make, but I put him on not very much, possibly a naked 7 like me or with maybe the 6 and I took it away with K high



Now a couple PLO hands. I've brought some strategies across from NLHE which seem to be working and although I'm beating the game (small sample size yada yadda yada but I actually think 20bb/100 is sustainable at this level) I need to read up and post some hands in the Omaha forum. I think this game could be way more profitable for me than NLHE.





All in all, a cool $500 day so far

On a side note, I've realised that I'm wayyyyy over bankrolled for what I'm playing so I've taken $5k out of the $11k and ratholed it. Xmas is going to be good..........

[Alchemist]

Just to round the day off, I won another $40 on the PLO25 tables, mainly thanks to this.

Total for the day. $528.10 - Best everrrr

[Alchemist]

Had a decent couple of sessions last night, up $27 in PLO25 and up $60 playing my usual NL100. Nothing to write about for the NL session, pretty much small pots, flopped a couple of sets but not much action, just a couple of limp re-raised AA and KKs and thats about it. Played pretty well though without any big hands.

One big pot in PLO25 doubled me up early



Then I won another few small pots with AA and was playing pretty good, but hitting cards as well, building my stack to $70 on one table. I lost some back when my AKK2 ran into AT83 on a board of A82 A 5.....ugly. I probably played it horribly, will post in the omaha section for analysis.

I've just played a PLO25 session tonight and ended down over a buyin. Varience pretty much hit as I got it in ahead a couple times but ended up losing.

Guy catches 2 pair here. I had him at 71:29 PF

Cryptologic
Pot Limit Omaha Ring game
Blinds: $0.15/$0.25
8 players


Pre-flop: (8 players) Hero is BB with
UTG calls, UTG+1 folds, MP1 calls, MP2 folds, CO raises to $0.75, Button calls, SB calls, Hero raises to $4.25, 2 folds, CO raises all-in $6.2, 2 folds, Hero calls.

Flop: ($14.4, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: $14.4)


Turn: ($14.4, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: $14.4)


River: ($14.4, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: $14.4)


Results:
Final pot: $14.4
CO shows 9h Jc 7s Ad
Hero shows Ks As Qh Ac

Backdoor flush beats me here after the money goes in on the flop. Here I'm 77:20:3 on the flop

Cryptologic
Pot Limit Omaha Ring game
Blinds: $0.15/$0.25
10 players


Pre-flop: (10 players) Hero is MP1 with
UTG folds, UTG+1 calls, UTG+2 calls, Hero calls, MP2 calls, MP3 (poster) checks, CO folds, Button calls, SB calls, BB (poster) checks.

Flop: ($2, 8 players)
SB checks, BB checks, UTG+1 checks, UTG+2 bets $2, Hero calls, 4 folds, BB raises to $10, UTG+1 folds, UTG+2 calls all-in $7.15, Hero raises all-in $24.35, BB calls.

Turn: ($59.85, 1 player + 2 all-in - Main pot: $29.45, Sidepot 1: $30.4)


River: ($59.85, 1 player + 2 all-in - Main pot: $29.45, Sidepot 1: $30.4)


Results:
Final pot: $59.85
Hero shows 9h As Ah 5d
BB shows Jh 8d Jd 2s
UTG+2 shows 4d Ac 5h Jc

Off to play a little NL now, try and make the $37 loss back

[Alchemist]

[Alchemist]

So I'm sitting in the big blind, on my very first hand of Friday nights session when I look down at AA. My table just popped up when it got to my turn, I hadn't even been watching the action as I'd just been getting everything else set up, waiting lists, PT, GT+ yada yada. Anyways imagine theres already been a raise UTG, 2 callers, a re-raise out of the SB and now, I've got these 2 lovely aces and just loving it. So I push. UTG calls, the 2 other callers fold and the SB calls as well. AA v KK v QQ and I'm big favourite to win a 300 euro pot. The board bricks and I take it down. Insane. Amusingly, the screename of the guy UTG with QQ was cnut, you'd think he'd have realised, the cnut.


This 100 euro table was just insane, couldn't believe how juicy it was (at one stage 1700 euros on the table 9 handed with 3 uber donks), however, the only other hand I won was when I had 33 on a 5425A board and ultra maniac overpushes the river with 2 to act behind. I'm pretty sure I've got the pot so I flat call and hope to bring the 3rd player in. He folds I pick up a 120 euro pot when jerkwad flips over Q8. OOPS.


Only other hand to talk about was a blind v blind battle on a NL200 table, when I cleverly trapped BB with my A9s (yeah whatever!!!!!!)


So it was a great session which netted me $340 in about 100 minutes. I can live with that. It also looks like I'm going to be spreading my game a bit now as well with the NL100 FR tables at the cryptos being pretty sporadic but that doesn't bother me. I've been pretty comfortable with the little NL200 and NL£100 I've been playing so it's all good.

Strangely enough, if it wasn't for playing these other stakes, I'd be dead even for the month. NL100 has been pretty terrible so far being dead even over 4.5k hands. The other 850 hands at the higher stakes ($200, £100 and 100 euro) have netted me just over $1k giving me an overall average of 6 PTBB/100 so thanks to that it's been a good month so far. Still a few days left and I need another $200-$300 to make it my best ever despite not putting the hands in.

[Alchemist]

My journal has once again descended into the abyss having not updated for nearly 3 weeks, but I've not actually been playing that much recently. Up to now, 15 days into November I've played barely 3k hands having had a lot on with other things in my life.

October ended pretty bizaarely down on the NL100 over 5k hands, but the other 1.2k hands at £100, 100 euro and $200 levels I ran at 30PTBB/100 giving me an overall winrate of 4.5PTBB for the month, coupled with a few hundred bucks of bonus and about 2k hands of PLO at 12bb/100 made it a pretty good month.

Back to this month and yesterday, I quit my job after pondering for the last few months and pondering more seriously the last couple weeks. Don't worry though, I've not quit to play poker, not good enough to do that, more for professional reasons. Those of you who read my intro will know I'm a pharmacist by profession, hence the screename, and I've been working for the same company for the last 10 years and now pretty much had enough. My employment is due to finish at the end of january 07, I'm taking a month off then I'm setting up as a self employed pharmacist contracting out to anyone who needs me basically. What this means for me is less stress of managing a pharmacy and strangely more money and although stability of work is a minor concern, it'll be +EV in the long term.

Anywho back to poker and this month has pretty much sucked breaking even and pulling about $250 in bonus so far. Tonight played for the first time in a week (apart from donking it up on the 1c/2c tables at UB playing every hand - and winning) and netted around $100, $80 at PLO25 and $20 at NL100. Now about 60% through the PokerPlex $200 bonus.

BR has just broken through 7k again, making 12k that I've made from poker in total.

[adamh]

good luck with your business

[NorthView]

[Alchemist]

Thanks guys.

Yes, I'm still at the cryptos though not for much longer, just going to finish the bonus off for the month then I'm outta there I think.

I've been mixing up my games the last week or so. Been donking it up on UB on the 1c/2c tables of NL FR and PLO 6-max and over on the cryptos been playing the NL100 when I can find a game, PLO25 and the last couple of days some 6-max NL25.
I feel this is going to be a transition period in my poker playing now. NL FR is really drying up, although I think other rooms still have plenty of games, but 6-max is like everywhere. Anyway, heres a suckout for ya.

Cryptologic
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.15/$0.25
4 players


Stack sizes:
UTG: $23.66
Button: $13.45
Hero: $39.37
BB: $50.20

Pre-flop: (4 players) Hero is SB with
UTG raises to $0.5, Button calls, Hero calls, BB folds.

Flop: ($1.75, 3 players)
Hero bets $1, UTG calls, Button raises to $3, Hero raises to $11, UTG folds, Button raises all-in $12.95, Hero calls.

Turn: ($28.65, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: $28.65)


River: ($28.65, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: $28.65)


Results:
Final pot: $28.65
Button shows Qc Kh
Hero shows Ac Qh

[Alchemist]

I'm fecked off with 6-max already, played 2k hands now at NL25 and NL50 and running dead even. Sick of being outdrawn, not getting paid off, running into better hands when they've been awfully played, and of being sucked out on by short stacks.
Made a really good laydown with QQ today preflop against AT and KK only to flop quads.....aaaarrghhhhhhh[/rant]

Having said that everyone I've played against has been a donk so it's gotta turn round........right? don't it?

[Alchemist]

Ah well, this makes up for it

Cryptologic
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.50/$1
10 players


Stack sizes:
UTG: $95.50
UTG+1: $71.61
UTG+2: $80.44
MP1: $77.98
Hero: $116.75
MP3: $87.75
CO: $5.75
Button: $101.75
SB: $68.34
BB: $106.75

Pre-flop: (10 players) Hero is MP2 with
UTG folds, UTG+1 raises to $3, UTG+2 calls, MP1 folds, Hero calls, 3 folds, SB calls, BB calls.

Flop: ($15, 5 players)
SB checks, BB checks, UTG+1 checks, UTG+2 checks, Hero checks.

Turn: ($15, 5 players)
SB checks, BB checks, UTG+1 checks, UTG+2 bets $9, Hero calls, 3 folds.

River: ($33, 2 players)
UTG+2 bets $15, Hero raises all-in $104.75, UTG+2 calls all-in $53.44.
Uncalled bets: $36.31 returned to Hero.

Results:
Final pot: $169.88
Hero shows Js Jc
UTG+2 shows Qs Ks

[Alchemist]

[Alchemist]

The Eurodonx bonus is now complete after about 3.5k hands. Finished down about $100 but profitted thanks to the $250 bonus and I'll get some rb as well. That network seem tighter than the cryptos for FR, I couldn't get paid off for anything, I've never had as many AAs just pick up the blinds or AK whiffing the flop, unbelievable.
Anyway, I'm outta there now and onto the Eurobet room for another $250 bonus. What a difference. Loads more donks knocking around and I've been runninitup over my first 1k hands at 18PTBB/100. Think I'll make this network my new home for a while.

Poker Room skin
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.50/$1
10 players


Pre-flop: (10 players) Hero is Button with
3 folds, MP1 calls, 3 folds, Hero raises to $5, SB calls, BB calls, MP1 calls.

Flop: ($20, 4 players)
SB checks, BB is all-in $20.1, MP1 folds, Hero calls, SB calls.

Turn: ($80.3, 2 players + 1 all-in - Main pot: $80.3)
SB checks, Hero is all-in $67.9, SB calls all-in $43.9.
Uncalled bets: $24 returned to Hero.

River: ($168.1, 0 player + 3 all-in - Main pot: $80.3, Sidepot 1: $87.8)


Results:
Final pot: $168.1
Hero shows AD KD
SB shows 9S 3S
BB shows JH JD

Poker Room skin
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.50/$1
9 players


Stack sizes:
UTG: $82.90
UTG+1: $68.00
MP1: $58.20
MP2: $92.45
Hero: $137.50
CO: $17.75
Button: $115.60
SB: $98.00
BB: $114.50

Pre-flop: (9 players) Hero is MP3 with
UTG folds, UTG+1 calls, 2 folds, Hero raises to $5, CO raises all-in $17.75, Button calls, 2 folds, UTG+1 calls, Hero raises all-in $132.5, Button folds, UTG+1 calls all-in $50.25.
Uncalled bets: $64.5 returned to Hero.

Flop: ($-96, 0 player + 3 all-in - Main pot: $72.5, Sidepot 1: $66.5)


Turn: ($-96, 0 player + 3 all-in - Main pot: $72.5, Sidepot 1: $66.5)


River: ($-96, 0 player + 3 all-in - Main pot: $72.5, Sidepot 1: $66.5)


Results:
Final pot: $-96
Hero shows AD AS
CO shows 10D10C
UTG+1 shows 9C 7C

Poker Room skin
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.50/$1
7 players


Pre-flop: (7 players) Hero is MP1 with
UTG raises to $4.5, UTG+1 folds, Hero calls, 4 folds.

Flop: ($10.5, 2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $6, UTG raises all-in $53.7, Hero calls.

Turn: ($117.9, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: $117.9)


River: ($117.9, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: $117.9)


Results:
Final pot: $117.9
UTG shows 9D AC
Hero shows AS KS