Not much else to report, apart from playing quite a few sit n gos, managed to get up to the $380 mark, but have gone on a downswing since and have not cashed in 5 which is my worst run to date. Not to worry though, they've mostly been outdraws and I've been playing ok, so it's just a question of trying to hit the $400 before I actually have to start revising. Had another look at 5/10, pretty much even, maybe down 5 dollars or so but nothing drastic.
Sharkscope as follows
Games: 109
Avg profit. $3
Avg stake. $2
ROI. 52%
Total profit $281
Form- TILT!
Tony x
Monday, 31 March 2008
Thursday, 27 March 2008
Sit n gos FTW (apparently)
Been playing some more of those sit n gos....cashed in 3/4 today so far......but I never seem to win any! I know my heads up play is borderline depressing, but I feel it's just about adequate for these sit n gos. I'm by no means complaining at what I've achieved so far in these 18 man turbos, but I'm thinking about changing my strategy a touch...
At the moment I'm basically going on image when the cards don't come which is pretty normal I suppose. I'm playing super-uber-tight folding hands like AJ KJ QJs in early position at low blind levels to wait for the gamblers to shove (as I want to be confindent my chips are in ahead) which is sort of vaguely abiding by that Sit n go book I got off Matt Gamble. It tends to mean I'm just taking small pots only now and again, as I want to conserve the old image. And I can't be arsed playing small ball a) because it's a turbo and I find myself in shit a lot quicker being unable to push people off hands when I start pissing the chips away...and b) I'm not good enough to outplay every player at the table.
So as it progresses im usually on about 1.7-2.5k going on to the final table and it usually stays like that on about 10BB getting gradually less as I enter the money. Unfortunately, my sudden change to super aggressive play spikes (correct) calls from the huge stack anyway with hands like 109, 87 etc when he's got such good odds. This renders blind stealing about as useful as, well...fuck all. Play around the bubble is probably too passive though so I'll need to improve on that a lot! Any help appreciated.....
Tony x
At the moment I'm basically going on image when the cards don't come which is pretty normal I suppose. I'm playing super-uber-tight folding hands like AJ KJ QJs in early position at low blind levels to wait for the gamblers to shove (as I want to be confindent my chips are in ahead) which is sort of vaguely abiding by that Sit n go book I got off Matt Gamble. It tends to mean I'm just taking small pots only now and again, as I want to conserve the old image. And I can't be arsed playing small ball a) because it's a turbo and I find myself in shit a lot quicker being unable to push people off hands when I start pissing the chips away...and b) I'm not good enough to outplay every player at the table.
So as it progresses im usually on about 1.7-2.5k going on to the final table and it usually stays like that on about 10BB getting gradually less as I enter the money. Unfortunately, my sudden change to super aggressive play spikes (correct) calls from the huge stack anyway with hands like 109, 87 etc when he's got such good odds. This renders blind stealing about as useful as, well...fuck all. Play around the bubble is probably too passive though so I'll need to improve on that a lot! Any help appreciated.....
Tony x
Tuesday, 25 March 2008
A kick in the nads.
Soon after that tournament moving up to 5/10 seemed a good idea, as I now actually had a bankroll to support the variance (and to a degree my incompetence at times). Little did I realise that I would run insanely awful from the word go, flush over flush, straight over straight...blah blah blah.... and the variance turned into more of an avalanche, dropping 7 buyins- a pretty monstrous downswing. I wasn't particularly on tilt and I carried on playing the poker I had been doing, but at the end of the session I looked back over my hand history and realised I'd been playing scared- much like in the New Inn games. My confindence had taken a beating, which in turn meant I had no faith in any of my hands- however strong. I therefore missed out on so many value bets and found myself unable to extract any value whatsoever . (e.g.checking the river with hands like top two on a board with no flush or straight possibilities.) Thats when I knew something was wrong! Once I get some buyins back I'll have another crack at it and hopefully post some hands up.
So I thought sod it, lets concentrate on sit n gos, which is surprising as before two days ago I'd have rather played cash a million times over. Thus far, it has been a good choice! I've started killing the 3.40 18 man turbos, with the odd suckout here and there, but I've made 4 buy ins back in a few days, and I'm back on the 320 mark. I cashed in 6/9 yesterday (one was a $6 turbo I had a look at) ...and as I speak ive cashed in 3/3 today, with my money going in behind on no more than two occasions, which I feel is good. Having said this chances are it'll all fall apart again, but touch wood....I've found a nice little earner. For the first time I find myself looking at sharkscope regularly and not seeing a red -$40 dollars for Total profit, which is always nice.
Just for reference:
Av.profit $3
Av. stake $2
Av.ROI 47%
Total profit $232
Form: Shit hot......haha no im joking.
Hope y'all runnin good.
Tony x
So I thought sod it, lets concentrate on sit n gos, which is surprising as before two days ago I'd have rather played cash a million times over. Thus far, it has been a good choice! I've started killing the 3.40 18 man turbos, with the odd suckout here and there, but I've made 4 buy ins back in a few days, and I'm back on the 320 mark. I cashed in 6/9 yesterday (one was a $6 turbo I had a look at) ...and as I speak ive cashed in 3/3 today, with my money going in behind on no more than two occasions, which I feel is good. Having said this chances are it'll all fall apart again, but touch wood....I've found a nice little earner. For the first time I find myself looking at sharkscope regularly and not seeing a red -$40 dollars for Total profit, which is always nice.
Just for reference:
Av.profit $3
Av. stake $2
Av.ROI 47%
Total profit $232
Form: Shit hot......haha no im joking.
Hope y'all runnin good.
Tony x
Monday, 24 March 2008
A gift from Mr_Rahl.
So about 3 weeks ago, I decided to put 20 dollars back into my account, as I had 3 essays to do for that week and I really couldn't face it, so I opted for a 'relaxing' game of poker. Knowing I should really start on 2/5 or even 1/2, I ploughed straight into 5/10 anyway. After about an hour or so i was up to about 30, and then I got stacked when I was rivered by a gutshot for 15 dollars, which put me on tilt. Reloading for 10 dollars, I moved table and had some crazy guy to my right who bought in for two dollars and kept going all in and got himself up to 8 dollars with some brilliant rivers. A few hands later he shoved from the small blind (folded round), and I found myself in the BB with two sevens. Call. He turns over A4o. The flop comes 4 4 4. 'Nuff said.
So I started swearing a bit and marched over to Isaacs to tell him what had happened (in hindsight it was incredibly childish but what the hell). As I went to leave the room I said something like, "If you're a generous man, you'll lend me 20 dollars" (I had no money at the time and was waiting to go home to start work again.) It was half a joke and half serious, though I never expected the reply of "Tell you what, I'll stake you $40." It wasn't actually the case that I would now have $40 to play with that made me happy , it was the fact that Isaac said "I know you can play" which really made me determined to play good poker. The conditions were that I played 2/5 and no more than $5 sit n gos, with 50% of profit going to him. I went back immediately and hit the 2/5 tables.
Little did I realise that 4 days later I had surpassed the $120 mark, playing about 3-4 hours a night while watching episodes from QI and mock the week. Even now I don't fully understand why I got to $120 so quickly- I wasn't running amazingly well and I couldn't say I was playing superbly either. I found 2/5 to be an incredibly passive game...any non scary flop checked round to you was just a licence to bet, and sure enough, the Texas Fold'em would commence. The simple concept of checking top pair always induced bets heads up, and this is probably where I got most of my money from. I must say though playing with someone elses money really makes you concentrate, but I feel overall I wanted to prove a point to myself and the others because I hadn't demonstrated anything concrete at all in my play since I got to university.
A few days ago I entered a $4 180 man sit n go on PStars, just to see how I'd fare. It was a pretty low key affair and just played the usual hands you do in the early part of a Sit n go. I doubled up early on when a guy pushed all in on AJ and I called with AQs, and I stayed pretty much at 3-3.5k until the last 50. With the blinds starting to get bigger at this point I had to make the odd play here and there as the cards didn't seem to come. I then picked up two aces in the BB which was a bit tasty. At just over 6k in chips and the blinds at 300/600, the button pushed with 2.5k and showed AQ, and with a harmless flop that ensued I was getting ready to breathe a small sigh of relief. However, the two queens that followed the flop didn't particularly help the cause and I found myself in very serious trouble.
Bizzarely, as the next round of blinds came, I had a walk on the BB and pushed all in with 10 9o in the small blind to take a much needed pot. I was now back up to about 4.5k. We were now in the last 25. Waking up with two sevens, the chips went in and held up against Q10 which put me in a helthier position at about 10BB. Desperate bluffing got me to the final table where I doubled up twice to be on about 21k, with the chip leader being on about 60k. An hour passed and I eventually found myself heads up with this bloke from Australia. He had a 3/1 chip advantage so I decided to go mental and about 45 minutes later I was in the commanding position with about 190k in chips to his 80k. In the final hand I had Q 8 and flopped top pair and he called my all in with 55 and didnt hit. $216 dollars went into the account to take me up to 340- pretty chuffed at the increase in just under 3 weeks. And for the first time, sharkscope actually makes pleasurable viewing! Cheers
More tomorrow, Tony x
So I started swearing a bit and marched over to Isaacs to tell him what had happened (in hindsight it was incredibly childish but what the hell). As I went to leave the room I said something like, "If you're a generous man, you'll lend me 20 dollars" (I had no money at the time and was waiting to go home to start work again.) It was half a joke and half serious, though I never expected the reply of "Tell you what, I'll stake you $40." It wasn't actually the case that I would now have $40 to play with that made me happy , it was the fact that Isaac said "I know you can play" which really made me determined to play good poker. The conditions were that I played 2/5 and no more than $5 sit n gos, with 50% of profit going to him. I went back immediately and hit the 2/5 tables.
Little did I realise that 4 days later I had surpassed the $120 mark, playing about 3-4 hours a night while watching episodes from QI and mock the week. Even now I don't fully understand why I got to $120 so quickly- I wasn't running amazingly well and I couldn't say I was playing superbly either. I found 2/5 to be an incredibly passive game...any non scary flop checked round to you was just a licence to bet, and sure enough, the Texas Fold'em would commence. The simple concept of checking top pair always induced bets heads up, and this is probably where I got most of my money from. I must say though playing with someone elses money really makes you concentrate, but I feel overall I wanted to prove a point to myself and the others because I hadn't demonstrated anything concrete at all in my play since I got to university.
A few days ago I entered a $4 180 man sit n go on PStars, just to see how I'd fare. It was a pretty low key affair and just played the usual hands you do in the early part of a Sit n go. I doubled up early on when a guy pushed all in on AJ and I called with AQs, and I stayed pretty much at 3-3.5k until the last 50. With the blinds starting to get bigger at this point I had to make the odd play here and there as the cards didn't seem to come. I then picked up two aces in the BB which was a bit tasty. At just over 6k in chips and the blinds at 300/600, the button pushed with 2.5k and showed AQ, and with a harmless flop that ensued I was getting ready to breathe a small sigh of relief. However, the two queens that followed the flop didn't particularly help the cause and I found myself in very serious trouble.
Bizzarely, as the next round of blinds came, I had a walk on the BB and pushed all in with 10 9o in the small blind to take a much needed pot. I was now back up to about 4.5k. We were now in the last 25. Waking up with two sevens, the chips went in and held up against Q10 which put me in a helthier position at about 10BB. Desperate bluffing got me to the final table where I doubled up twice to be on about 21k, with the chip leader being on about 60k. An hour passed and I eventually found myself heads up with this bloke from Australia. He had a 3/1 chip advantage so I decided to go mental and about 45 minutes later I was in the commanding position with about 190k in chips to his 80k. In the final hand I had Q 8 and flopped top pair and he called my all in with 55 and didnt hit. $216 dollars went into the account to take me up to 340- pretty chuffed at the increase in just under 3 weeks. And for the first time, sharkscope actually makes pleasurable viewing! Cheers
More tomorrow, Tony x
Uni time!
Well, did I have a shock. There were a few £3 sit n gos in the first few weeks which I had a gander at. It was like a fish farm (is that even a word?). Needless to say I jumped on the bandwagon and did the same as there were no preflop raises and ended up cashing in one.
Then came the light at the end of the tunnel in the form of Matt Gamble and Isaac Blake. I didn't know what to make of them first but thought Matt was an arrogant bastard (I told him that when drunk! for the record we're very much in love now) but I knew they meant business. We set up a 1p/1p cash game, later increased to 1p/2p and played very frequently with Isaac who cleared up on almost every session. I'm about £20 up to date but play has been mediocre.
I then realised how much I needed to improve. Equity, implied odds, plus EV move....what the hell are they talking about? I turned into a loose aggressive player and eventually hit the society tournament, coming 2nd at the 2nd time of asking to Matt Gamble, playing pretty crazy like pushing A 10 into a flop of J94 with four people still in the pot. This led to the name 'Action Tony,' though I certainly didn't live up to the name when we finally got round to the house games a Keys' and the New Inn games. To be honest, I didn't play that badly in the first session of PL hold'em and got unlucky at times, such as when I raised 8 3 in middle position, told everyone I had 8 3, then wierdly the flop came 863. It ended up just Keys and me. He led out, I raised, he re-raised, and I eventually pushed thinking my hand was good. He turns over 8 6. That was that. I dropped two buy ins eventually but wasn't distraught at my play. Since then, I've been playing scared passive shit in those games which is particularly annoying. I'm probably down about £40-£50 in total.
Enter Pokerstars. I decided to put in 20 dollars mid way through the first term to see how I'd fare, and tried some sit n gos but my over developped agressiveness put a quick end to any chances of success. So I went (stupidly) to the 10/25 tables and shoved my entire bankroll on there, and managed to make it to 180 dollars through a combination of hideous rivers and a crazy image. I lost about 40 of it and then decided to withdraw, feeling a sense of accomplishment. Since then it has been mainly the 1p 2p cash games and a lot of reading/youtube and discussing that has set the ball rolling since these primitive days!. More on that in the next post.
Almost up to date...Tony x
Then came the light at the end of the tunnel in the form of Matt Gamble and Isaac Blake. I didn't know what to make of them first but thought Matt was an arrogant bastard (I told him that when drunk! for the record we're very much in love now) but I knew they meant business. We set up a 1p/1p cash game, later increased to 1p/2p and played very frequently with Isaac who cleared up on almost every session. I'm about £20 up to date but play has been mediocre.
I then realised how much I needed to improve. Equity, implied odds, plus EV move....what the hell are they talking about? I turned into a loose aggressive player and eventually hit the society tournament, coming 2nd at the 2nd time of asking to Matt Gamble, playing pretty crazy like pushing A 10 into a flop of J94 with four people still in the pot. This led to the name 'Action Tony,' though I certainly didn't live up to the name when we finally got round to the house games a Keys' and the New Inn games. To be honest, I didn't play that badly in the first session of PL hold'em and got unlucky at times, such as when I raised 8 3 in middle position, told everyone I had 8 3, then wierdly the flop came 863. It ended up just Keys and me. He led out, I raised, he re-raised, and I eventually pushed thinking my hand was good. He turns over 8 6. That was that. I dropped two buy ins eventually but wasn't distraught at my play. Since then, I've been playing scared passive shit in those games which is particularly annoying. I'm probably down about £40-£50 in total.
Enter Pokerstars. I decided to put in 20 dollars mid way through the first term to see how I'd fare, and tried some sit n gos but my over developped agressiveness put a quick end to any chances of success. So I went (stupidly) to the 10/25 tables and shoved my entire bankroll on there, and managed to make it to 180 dollars through a combination of hideous rivers and a crazy image. I lost about 40 of it and then decided to withdraw, feeling a sense of accomplishment. Since then it has been mainly the 1p 2p cash games and a lot of reading/youtube and discussing that has set the ball rolling since these primitive days!. More on that in the next post.
Almost up to date...Tony x
Background!
Hey all, my name is Antony Paul (or just Tony), and I've decided to start a poker blog so I can share my thoughts, hands and happenings to all who are interested. I'm studying French and Italian at Durham university while rowing and probably playing too much poker. I'll warn you now, there's nothing particularly fascinating poker-wise, but instead of just discussing stuff with isaac or matt gamble, I'd rather broaden the range!
I've only been playing poker for about a year and a half, but it's become something very prominent since coming to university. I started off playing for play money with some friends on full tilt which was a lot of fun (reloading every five minutes and then finding a table and pushing with K9o thinking it's a great hand.) Eventually I learned the hands, the rules and the basic terminology to start playing more frequently with a certain degree of confidence. At that time I never really understood how huge the poker scene was until I hit good old youtube and started searching and watching a few hands.
Up until then I'd never played for money so I deposited £2 (yes you did read that correctly)on Will Hill recommended by my best mate who is a very good sit n go player. I had a go at a few one-tablers, miraculously won my first one after having played epicly bad poker and preceded to lose the rest playing similiar poker for the others.
Because I really enjoyed playing, I decided to swot-up to a degree and last summer I put in another huge amount (a fiver) on Poker UTD (some room where pissed football supporters go and give you their money) and started playing 6 man $1 sit n gos which was an absolute goldmine, ended up cashing just under £50 (pounds) before the end of the holiday- which was pretty good for a still-awful player. And then came university.........
Comments welcome...that goes for the rest of my posts to come..
Tony x
I've only been playing poker for about a year and a half, but it's become something very prominent since coming to university. I started off playing for play money with some friends on full tilt which was a lot of fun (reloading every five minutes and then finding a table and pushing with K9o thinking it's a great hand.) Eventually I learned the hands, the rules and the basic terminology to start playing more frequently with a certain degree of confidence. At that time I never really understood how huge the poker scene was until I hit good old youtube and started searching and watching a few hands.
Up until then I'd never played for money so I deposited £2 (yes you did read that correctly)on Will Hill recommended by my best mate who is a very good sit n go player. I had a go at a few one-tablers, miraculously won my first one after having played epicly bad poker and preceded to lose the rest playing similiar poker for the others.
Because I really enjoyed playing, I decided to swot-up to a degree and last summer I put in another huge amount (a fiver) on Poker UTD (some room where pissed football supporters go and give you their money) and started playing 6 man $1 sit n gos which was an absolute goldmine, ended up cashing just under £50 (pounds) before the end of the holiday- which was pretty good for a still-awful player. And then came university.........
Comments welcome...that goes for the rest of my posts to come..
Tony x
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