I haven't done the math yet, but it was not a pretty week. I must have cut my +$1500.00 run down by a third this week. I will check and post the damage but there is something interesting to go over first (ugh as I type this I had another guy (a total fish) hit a set to my over pair... I hate those kicks in the gut!).... sigh
Anyway, as I said I certainly ran bad this week, lots of hands I just could not get away from. Over sets, two pair to my top top, over flushed, coolered you name it, I hit it this week. But there is more to it than that. This was also a week that I Added a new element to my ....
HOLD ON I have the fish heads up... ok made a few more bucks before the table filled up again.
As I was saying this is also a week that I added a new element to my game. Through discussion with poker partner Slurpee Dude on some reading he was doing recently we decided that the biggest difference between ourselves and the players that have the ROI trajectory that we are trying to get to is money left on the table in the hands that are somewhat marginal wins. This may sound like some pretty basic stuff but knowing it is one thing, put it into practice is entirely another.
The change I was trying to implement was to call less and be the last bet into the pot more often. For example it was a while ago that I realized that AK should be a raising hand not a call when the pot is already opened kind of hand... but that is the easiest one to do.
So I took the advice to raise more, or fold, not call and tried to work it into my game (Keep in mind that last set of changes I made made a huge impact on my profitability giving me the best stats and profit run I have experienced). But how to implement it...
If AK is a hand I want to be the last raise in pre flop with more often, does that apply to AQ? If not why not. While it did not feel good, I was trying to move out of my comfort zone so I pushed myself to do it, more because I could not see why not really. So imagine the leak in your game when someone opens the pot with AK and you go to the flop as the final raiser with AQ.
The other part of the changes I wanted to implement was to sharpen my reads to be able to value bet more, and allow my opponent to make drawing calls with slightly bad pot odds, but not always bet them out of the pot.
Two problems with these changes this week.... 1) They were hitting their draws every time, and 2) I was getting frustrated with the hitting and lost the ability to fold when I needed to. Next since the poker Gods seemed content to let every opponent hit a set on me, the very week I was increasing my aggression or value betting hands like large over pairs more... this also created a leak or gaping hole in my game. Obviously if you allowing your opponents to draw more often to add some to your pot 3/4 times, then you need to know a) what they are drawing to and b) be able to freakin fold when they hit and over bet their hit!!
One hand comes to mind where this hurt, I have KK against 55, an overaggressive player at 2$ hits his set on me in a rag flop, he bets into me and I raise. Then his bet on river pretty much commits me, and boom another big loss.
So all in all I don't think that it is the wrong thing to add more value to the hands I am going to win, but overall it is a mistake to go into a session adding in two more aggressive layers into your game at the same time, and thinking, ok I am going to increase the aggression to max out my profit... nothing wrong with the sentiment but if the table texture and action requires a less aggressive position you are leaving yourself very exposed... So a bad time to run bad for sure
Here is a hand where I did max out the value on:
I am Phase II with (9h9c)
Texas Hold'em $0.50-$0.50 NL (Real Money), #528,069,099
Table Mogadischu, 30 Jun 2007 12:20 PM ET
Seat 1: Phase II ($88.70 in chips)
Seat 4: Seraph235 ($96.80 in chips)
Seat 5: flundra10 ($12.45 in chips)
Seat 6: CMETAHA ($56.10 in chips)
Seat 10: DonLC14 ($53.80 in chips)
ANTES/BLINDSSeraph235 posts blind ($0.25), flundra10 posts blind ($0.50).
PRE-FLOP:
CMETAHA folds, DonLC14 folds,
Phase II bets $1.50, (9h9c)
Seraph235 calls $1.25,
flundra10 calls $1.
FLOP:
[board cards 6H,2H,8C ]
Seraph235 bets $3
flundra10 calls $3,
Phase II bets $10,
Seraph235 calls $7,
flundra10 calls $7.
TURN:
[board cards 6H,2H,8C,5S ]
Seraph235 checks, flundra10 checks, Phase II checks.
RIVER:
[board cards 6H,2H,8C,5S,9D ]
Seraph235 checks,
flundra10 checks,
Phase II bets $5,
- I thought about this bet for a long time. The had to be coming with something, and it would only take a 7 to beat me... I normally would check here, but decided from the actions of my opponents that I was a likely to get a call and that no one was open ended on the turn. I did not think I was leading the whole way I will admit.
Seraph235 calls $5,
flundra10 calls $0.95 and is all-in.
SHOWDOWN:
Phase II shows [ 9H,9C ]
Seraph235 mucks cards [ KH,8H ]
flundra10 mucks cards [ AS,6S ]
Phase II wins $8.10, Phase II wins $35.85.
So the idea is this is the extra few bucks I need to be taking down when I am far from the nuts, but likely in the lead. This big fat middle area is where I believe the profit to be that will make the difference for me.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
New, New High
Things continue to go well. I am keeping myself out of trouble for the most part, and overall I am comfortable with my play. Of course I have been here before so I need to stay alert to any developing leaks in bank roll management, or play.
This is an nice place to be right now. I am not terribly worried about my cash flow which is great. It is nice to play at the limit that I can afford and have it also be a game that I can beat.
there is no question that I have been hitting and last nights session actually had some sick beats in it. For example twice I flopped top two to my opponent flopping a set, and a few other hands that are a little sticky to get away from. But I made it back and finished the session positive anyway. Believe it or not I am actually thankful for that session as I was starting to worry about the lack of sicker hands that I have been experiencing lately. I have lived through or gone broke through weeks of running bad, and it can happen again (look forward in time through my blog for the next "Man, NOTHING will hold up" post).
Anyway where I am at now:
Cash and tourney since May 2nd 2007: +1440.00
I am feeling the itch to buy myself a cheap laptop, and or pay off a little of my credit card with some of this cash, but will hold off as long as I can.
This is an nice place to be right now. I am not terribly worried about my cash flow which is great. It is nice to play at the limit that I can afford and have it also be a game that I can beat.
there is no question that I have been hitting and last nights session actually had some sick beats in it. For example twice I flopped top two to my opponent flopping a set, and a few other hands that are a little sticky to get away from. But I made it back and finished the session positive anyway. Believe it or not I am actually thankful for that session as I was starting to worry about the lack of sicker hands that I have been experiencing lately. I have lived through or gone broke through weeks of running bad, and it can happen again (look forward in time through my blog for the next "Man, NOTHING will hold up" post).
Anyway where I am at now:
Cash and tourney since May 2nd 2007: +1440.00
I am feeling the itch to buy myself a cheap laptop, and or pay off a little of my credit card with some of this cash, but will hold off as long as I can.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
So close in a tourney
Finished 9th today in a 5K tourney for $150.00
While I should be happy as this is my best tourney cash for a very long time, I am disappointed with the final hand. Once we hit the final table, every person out would guarantee me anther 50 then 100 then more pretty quickly. So I wanted to tighten up as every position I move up the cash has value to me. There really was no room for play though, the blinds were up pretty high so for 70% of the table it was all in or nothing. I got AK and pushed. I was isolated by the chip leader (who had his money in bad several times and took guys out yuck) turns over AQ. I couldn't be happier than to have him pinned to a three outer. Flop 9 9 Q. Lights out.
Yes yes, it happens, but I played well and wanted a big cash badly so I am pretty pissed. Can't shake it so I gotta shut down my session for now, I wont be any good for cash. Knowing I am not in the mindset to play cash well does make me feel a little better (at the good decision).
Anyway moving on...
So the good news is this means I am sitting at +1200.00 since my last bust out (will need to check the date for future posts).
So I Will steal a page from GroovyT's blog and start to post my wins tracking:
Wins since May 2007: +1200.00
While I should be happy as this is my best tourney cash for a very long time, I am disappointed with the final hand. Once we hit the final table, every person out would guarantee me anther 50 then 100 then more pretty quickly. So I wanted to tighten up as every position I move up the cash has value to me. There really was no room for play though, the blinds were up pretty high so for 70% of the table it was all in or nothing. I got AK and pushed. I was isolated by the chip leader (who had his money in bad several times and took guys out yuck) turns over AQ. I couldn't be happier than to have him pinned to a three outer. Flop 9 9 Q. Lights out.
Yes yes, it happens, but I played well and wanted a big cash badly so I am pretty pissed. Can't shake it so I gotta shut down my session for now, I wont be any good for cash. Knowing I am not in the mindset to play cash well does make me feel a little better (at the good decision).
Anyway moving on...
So the good news is this means I am sitting at +1200.00 since my last bust out (will need to check the date for future posts).
So I Will steal a page from GroovyT's blog and start to post my wins tracking:
Wins since May 2007: +1200.00
Thursday, June 14, 2007
New High
Closed my bankroll at a new high (for this newest run since I think early 07 - would have to read my blog to be sure of the start date, but who the hell reads these things anyway)
I have $645.00 in play, but have also given my wife $90 since my restarts and of course the $250 back to Slurpee Dude. So all in all I have ran nothing but a free tourney entry into $988.00 over the past couple of months at 25 cent to 2$.
I will stop mentioning the paid outs now and just focus to the actual cash I have going forward. So as it stands right now:
$153 in click 2 pay
$83 @ Full Tilt
$412 @ Hollywood
This puts me over a quarter of the way to my 2K goal by the end of August.
What has happened over the past week. Well, I had a two day fantastic run here this week, starting last night in a 50 cent short handed NL HE game with a $5 or $10 straddle on. No word of a lie, I am in a session and this guy (bless you sir) sits down and starts to bet 5.50 or 10.50 every hand. So he takes down about 15 blinds in a row before the table starts to react to him and push back. Then all hell broke loose.
The average pot at this 50 cent table was $173.00 and not much below that for about an hour. This guy is all in preflop with anything and everything and or betting people off of the turn and the river with an all in. Soon he is up to over $700.00 (remember this is a $50.00 max buy in) and I am down about $180 (the hands don't matter playing this guy). My favorite hand that this maniac won was a re-raise all in against a guy with KK for a $180.00 pot... with 10 7 diamonds... and he hits his diamond, J high, straigh flush, very lovely.
It was neat to have to adapt my game to how he was betting, as did a couple of other better players. for example, blinds 25 and 50 cent... he makes it $10.50 I have AK o, I raise to $35, he calls, I hit I check, he bets $30 then folds to my $48 check raise. So we can say the action was sick. But I refused to play a call and pray type of game, and I think I was right.
I called up Slurpee Dude and he cashed in for a triple up before leaving. The hardest part was when I started to catch, soon I have $220 (and only up about $35) at this table, and now tangling with this guy is getting really risky. He is all in for his $600, on a hair trigger.
Thankfully he was not a good enough player to recognize that the table had adapted and he was now giving back heavily to three of us. He would bet $10.50 and he would call a big raise with his rags... sometimes catching something sick and cleaning out yet another poor sap. Anyway I kept my head and used him as I should and after he left the table I had $300 and was up about $110. Don't get me wrong it was easy , I had to fold for $130 more into a $220 pot with AQ, A high board, no straight, no flush, on river he pushed at me, and I KNOW it was a good fold against sumb crumby two pair. So I really had to keep my head. (how did I know, well I did pick up on enough betting patterns (thanks PCH boys!) to make my decision based on his betting pattern... the cards DID, NOT, MATTER, he told me what he had by how he bet.
btw he left at just under $400.00 for and there was at least three of us at the table with $200 in play at this point. Very impressive really, I applaud this guy I really do. If he was a hair saner there would be a really good chance that he could have left us all negative hundreds and savagely on tilt.
Anyway so I stayed at the table and took over his roll as the big stack. Not exactly the same far more TAG than he was playing but it was confusing for the players to call my $35 flop or turn bet, and I was taking down some nice pots. So I closed the table up about $150 with over $350.. phew....
Today I took $40 of my winnings and gambled (no other word for it) with a short stack buy in at a $2 table, using the short stack gaem that I am building for myseld (I have a draft post saved with about a page of things I do and don't do, and it is working). But the table was full of short stacks so it was a game I could beat. I soon showed a couple bluffs put a guy on tilt and left after 20 minutes and $140 up.
This weekend I should hit my next $100 bonus, as I am getting close now.
So all is running well, and even better I feel more and more weathered for when it doesn't. We will see, but I know my learning has moved farther in the past three months than in the past year.
I have $645.00 in play, but have also given my wife $90 since my restarts and of course the $250 back to Slurpee Dude. So all in all I have ran nothing but a free tourney entry into $988.00 over the past couple of months at 25 cent to 2$.
I will stop mentioning the paid outs now and just focus to the actual cash I have going forward. So as it stands right now:
$153 in click 2 pay
$83 @ Full Tilt
$412 @ Hollywood
This puts me over a quarter of the way to my 2K goal by the end of August.
What has happened over the past week. Well, I had a two day fantastic run here this week, starting last night in a 50 cent short handed NL HE game with a $5 or $10 straddle on. No word of a lie, I am in a session and this guy (bless you sir) sits down and starts to bet 5.50 or 10.50 every hand. So he takes down about 15 blinds in a row before the table starts to react to him and push back. Then all hell broke loose.
The average pot at this 50 cent table was $173.00 and not much below that for about an hour. This guy is all in preflop with anything and everything and or betting people off of the turn and the river with an all in. Soon he is up to over $700.00 (remember this is a $50.00 max buy in) and I am down about $180 (the hands don't matter playing this guy). My favorite hand that this maniac won was a re-raise all in against a guy with KK for a $180.00 pot... with 10 7 diamonds... and he hits his diamond, J high, straigh flush, very lovely.
It was neat to have to adapt my game to how he was betting, as did a couple of other better players. for example, blinds 25 and 50 cent... he makes it $10.50 I have AK o, I raise to $35, he calls, I hit I check, he bets $30 then folds to my $48 check raise. So we can say the action was sick. But I refused to play a call and pray type of game, and I think I was right.
I called up Slurpee Dude and he cashed in for a triple up before leaving. The hardest part was when I started to catch, soon I have $220 (and only up about $35) at this table, and now tangling with this guy is getting really risky. He is all in for his $600, on a hair trigger.
Thankfully he was not a good enough player to recognize that the table had adapted and he was now giving back heavily to three of us. He would bet $10.50 and he would call a big raise with his rags... sometimes catching something sick and cleaning out yet another poor sap. Anyway I kept my head and used him as I should and after he left the table I had $300 and was up about $110. Don't get me wrong it was easy , I had to fold for $130 more into a $220 pot with AQ, A high board, no straight, no flush, on river he pushed at me, and I KNOW it was a good fold against sumb crumby two pair. So I really had to keep my head. (how did I know, well I did pick up on enough betting patterns (thanks PCH boys!) to make my decision based on his betting pattern... the cards DID, NOT, MATTER, he told me what he had by how he bet.
btw he left at just under $400.00 for and there was at least three of us at the table with $200 in play at this point. Very impressive really, I applaud this guy I really do. If he was a hair saner there would be a really good chance that he could have left us all negative hundreds and savagely on tilt.
Anyway so I stayed at the table and took over his roll as the big stack. Not exactly the same far more TAG than he was playing but it was confusing for the players to call my $35 flop or turn bet, and I was taking down some nice pots. So I closed the table up about $150 with over $350.. phew....
Today I took $40 of my winnings and gambled (no other word for it) with a short stack buy in at a $2 table, using the short stack gaem that I am building for myseld (I have a draft post saved with about a page of things I do and don't do, and it is working). But the table was full of short stacks so it was a game I could beat. I soon showed a couple bluffs put a guy on tilt and left after 20 minutes and $140 up.
This weekend I should hit my next $100 bonus, as I am getting close now.
So all is running well, and even better I feel more and more weathered for when it doesn't. We will see, but I know my learning has moved farther in the past three months than in the past year.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
The Nordberg
I just want to post to say that Nordberg is a force to be reckoned with. I was but chaff in the wind to his might. I tried to take notes but it was too complicated to even write down.
(all in fun)
--Felter
(all in fun)
--Felter
Saturday, June 9, 2007
When nothing holds up
Bad day, nothing held up (appropriate title eh?). The hands don't matter as there is no learning in any of them, but once all in I was 6 outed, 2 outed, runner runner flushed, oh and my favorite my nut flush vs his bluff K 5 miss... runner runner fives, with a paired board on the flop.
There is often learning but I am not so sure this time, other than this is an opportunity for me to work on not being angry for the rest of my night. Poker is a hard hobby for this reason, the feeling when these things happen is kind of hard to know if you don't play poker.
An attempt at explaining it might be a feeling of your gut has this weird empty feeling and you heart is sliding down into the empty space where your guts once were (ignore the graphic reference, I am going for a feeling here). Kind of a winded punched in the gut feeling.
Anyway so as I was saying the challenge is not to snap at your kids, or want to go sit alone in a room somewhere... and likely play more poker. I don't profess to be an expert at anything related to poker and this is another example of where I have a lot to learn.
I have not snapped at my kids and my lovely wife has nothing to fear, but I did need to sequester myself to a private place to blog for a few minutes. This is the only thing that I know of to cool me off.
Anyone have any ideas out there on what to do to cool off?
Wow as I type this... my AK for the rest of my stack all in vs a call from QJ for his whole stack (I have him covered by three bucks).... Flop 10 5 A, Turn K, river who cares... lol no biggie par for the course today
There is often learning but I am not so sure this time, other than this is an opportunity for me to work on not being angry for the rest of my night. Poker is a hard hobby for this reason, the feeling when these things happen is kind of hard to know if you don't play poker.
An attempt at explaining it might be a feeling of your gut has this weird empty feeling and you heart is sliding down into the empty space where your guts once were (ignore the graphic reference, I am going for a feeling here). Kind of a winded punched in the gut feeling.
Anyway so as I was saying the challenge is not to snap at your kids, or want to go sit alone in a room somewhere... and likely play more poker. I don't profess to be an expert at anything related to poker and this is another example of where I have a lot to learn.
I have not snapped at my kids and my lovely wife has nothing to fear, but I did need to sequester myself to a private place to blog for a few minutes. This is the only thing that I know of to cool me off.
Anyone have any ideas out there on what to do to cool off?
Wow as I type this... my AK for the rest of my stack all in vs a call from QJ for his whole stack (I have him covered by three bucks).... Flop 10 5 A, Turn K, river who cares... lol no biggie par for the course today
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Back to poker
Well after a very distressing week in the Winnipeg poker community, it is time to return back to poker. Make sure you are checking out pegcityhustling.com for all that has happened in our little poker community. But it's time to move on, unless there is some support needed like the social they are talking about holding. If we do anything like that count Felter in.
I have returned to solid play, but it has not been very profitable. I think I may have found a leak in my game where I can have sessions that are way under aggressive. Almost as if there are two Felter's. But I have had a couple of sessions where I have noticed it mid session and changed it up. If I can notice it when it is happening it will be solved. I am beginning to understand how Phil Laak uses brainwave monitoring equipment and can see certain patterns in the images when he is playing well. When I am too laid back I bet it would be identifiable (as insane as this sounds, he really does it apparently).
I have had some swingy session and took my $209, down to $75 back to $205 a couple of times in a couple of sessions, but without tilting the solid play will keep you coming around. As I said before unless I run bad, and I just can't worry about that, I don't have the bankroll for it. So if it happens it happens.
Anyway I have about $212 right now and will continue to plug away. The next bonus is coming soon ($100) so that will help inject a little life back into my game.
Nothing else to report other than my thoughts are with the players who were charged in the raids. I hope nothing untoward happens as a result.
--Felter
I have returned to solid play, but it has not been very profitable. I think I may have found a leak in my game where I can have sessions that are way under aggressive. Almost as if there are two Felter's. But I have had a couple of sessions where I have noticed it mid session and changed it up. If I can notice it when it is happening it will be solved. I am beginning to understand how Phil Laak uses brainwave monitoring equipment and can see certain patterns in the images when he is playing well. When I am too laid back I bet it would be identifiable (as insane as this sounds, he really does it apparently).
I have had some swingy session and took my $209, down to $75 back to $205 a couple of times in a couple of sessions, but without tilting the solid play will keep you coming around. As I said before unless I run bad, and I just can't worry about that, I don't have the bankroll for it. So if it happens it happens.
Anyway I have about $212 right now and will continue to plug away. The next bonus is coming soon ($100) so that will help inject a little life back into my game.
Nothing else to report other than my thoughts are with the players who were charged in the raids. I hope nothing untoward happens as a result.
--Felter
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