Just Fucked Up!!

Started mid afternoon and lost my first few £60 6pak's taking a few beats along the way. I've been pretty well disciplined lately and really just stuck to £60 ones solidly. Not this time though, fuck it I moved up to a couple of £90 ones. No good either and I start entering the £120 ones. Despite the fact I use to always play the £120 6pak's a lot and sometimes the £300 ones, I know that this is definatley not within my bankroll anymore so these are big tournies for me now. Well within the space of about 3 minutes I go out of a 90 and two 120's. Losing 3 PF all ins in the process...

AK vs QK. Q on flop enough said.

AKs vs JQs (dunno how he called my re-raise all in, he raises to 300 I go all in for about 1900 he calls?)... flop gives me the king so I think I'm good but he runner runners the flush!

Finally AA vs 88 to round it off. Last card? :)

All 3 of them would have given me more than half the remaining chips, and AK vs JQ was a 4.5k pot. Well I shouldn't have been in these kinda stakes I guess as I was tilting, but still what can you do. After not cashing in 10 6pak's I finally win a £120 one, so that's £540 back. Relief! But then I come 3rd in two more £90 ones and decide enough is enough. The last 1 being AA vs Q5 ... he raises my BB which I just call, we see a 245 flop they all go in the middle and that's that. Right back to the 60 quid games. Lesson learnt.

Quick Update

MTD = +£2,466.66
YTD = +£25,239.96

Since last posting I've halted quite a bit on the 6pak front. I seem to be bloody good at achieving 3rd at the moment. Fortunately though I've now come into form in the Stt's, especially tonight having won my last four stt's on the trot! Starting to try and play a few more Mtt's at the moment, but I've not been able to play the 15k and 10k gt'd on crypto as much as I would like to, so I'm hoping I'll be able to a bit more when I go back to uni. I still play the Sunday35k most weeks, with very little success though barring the 3rd place a while back. Drew another blank this sunday and can't even remember how I went out so it can't have been that bad. I know I was up to 5k fairly early on. Then without much action for quite a while I remember getting pushed off a hand which I after wish I had moved with. This cost me half my stack and I never really recovered. There's always next week.....

Something Good To Report On...

MTD = +£1,907.72
YTD = +£24,681.02

Right looking back at this blog this past 6 weeks or so have mainly been a moan about how awful my run has been at the LHE Cash tables. Well now I've got something positive to write about as the Stt's and 6paks have been going really well this past couple of weeks. So far this month in 6paks I have cashed exactly 50% of the time, and won them 25% of the time. As for the stt's, I have cashed in them 43% of the time, winning 17% of them. This has meant I'm now having a decent month and I think as long as things carry on the way they are I'm going to stick to these sit and go tournements for a while and stay away from the cash tables. I feel there is less risk in these tournements and I'm not under such pressure to win big. More of a steady profit.

I will post a report of full results at the end of the month.

I'm Jealous....

Ok so the WCOOP is over now. But everyone is still talking about this kid Jordan Berkowitz. He's now 18, still not even legal to play poker but through his mums account and his friend's has managed to final table in consecutive WCOOP Main Events, winning this last one! He must be a pretty decent player to have achieved this and i've heard he makes quite a serious amount at the cash tables too. -It can't just be luck. When making a deal in the final 3, being the short stack he said he would take no less than evens because he rates his stack as a lot more against the other guys. Not exactly short of confidence, but comes accross pretty arrogant. I think you would be a bit too in his shoes though, being so young and taking this kind of cash.

Lucky fucker!

Lost my LHE Cash game?

MTD = +£987.48
YTD = +£23,760.78

At the moment I really can't win at the Limit Cash tables one bit. I'm not having a moan here .. just I'm starting to think why it is I can't. I haven't really played much of it this month yet I've still managed to blow £1.5k there. For the past few years I have constantly made money at the limit tables, but especially so this year. However, the last 2 months nothing I do seems to work and it's been where I've lost all my money. If it weren't for me winnings at omaha, stt's and 6pak's I would be down a lot more these past couple of months. This is just such a change from before when I felt pretty "invincible" at the limit tables and was on a constant winning streak. I know it was a hot streak but things have changed a little too much!

I feel I have been extremely unlucky on the limit tables the past couple of months but this can't be just it -considering its such a change! When I would go through bad patches before I would easily make it back quick enough. But this time it just gets progressively worse, every session is a losing one. I think my limit game must has changed a bit since I've started playing a lot more stt's and 6pak's. I think because when I play limit cash at the moment I always have stt's and 6pak's on the go at the same time. Of course in these tournements, especially in the latter stages where you need to loosen up a lot and even in the early stages you need to be seeing cheap flops with a lot of hands. Now I'm sure some of this style has been passed onto my limit game and that's not a good thing....

If I've got a limit cash game on the go at the same time as other tournies at the moment I've been noticing that without realling giving it much thought I've been calling things like 67o in the BB to a raise just to try and hit a good flop to hit the raiser hard with. Now the majority of the time I'm not going to hit the flop and when I do I'm not gonna get paid off greatly in limit anyway. I know I use to just muck these kinds of hands automatically before to a raise but just because I don't in tournies I've found myself automatically doing the same in LHE Cash. Of course it's ok to mix it up a bit with these kinds of cards now and again even in limit but I definately don't think it's profitable to be doing it all the time. So basically I know I need to stop this and tighten my Limit game back up a lot to back how it was a couple months back. I think the only way to do this would be to not have any tournies on the side for a bit while I play LHE Cash games so I can soley concentrate on playing to the style required for them.

As for other area's of poker for me, it's all going well at the moment and more than cancel's out my LHE losses for the month. So maybe I'd be more profitable sticking to these other area's for a while, especially 6pak's. It's just the fact that I'm pretty certain I'm quite a bit better than average player at the Limit the stakes I play that keeps taking me back there despite the fact I can't win at the moment. It's just the fact that I know I really can make quite a lot of money there. I mean it is where just about all of my profit has been made from playing poker. More concentration as to what I'm actually doing is a necessity tho. It's far too easy to start loosening up your game and hit that call button in the hope of hitting a monster, a trap it seems I've managed to fall into and need to get out of fast!

WCOOP not to be ....

The WCOOP Main Event is tonight and the prize pool is looking pretty mouth watering. With over a $3.7million prize pool, first place takes home just shy of $860k. Not bad for a nights work.

A while back I had said to myself I would definately do a few of the WCOOP events and certainly try quite a few qualifiers for the main event. Well all of a sudden they're over and I haven't got round to playing in any of them. I guess its partly because of the losing streak I'm currently on meaning I didn't really want to forking out money for any big tournies. A couple of months back I would have felt comfortable buying into a few of the events, but not so much now. Anyway I didn't realise until yesterday that the main event was already just round the corner and I was still yet to give any qualifier a go!

So lastnight I entered the double shootout satellite for around 30 bux. 81 entrants and I needed to win two 9-seaters to get the seat. Anyway all is going well, we're down to 5 or so and I'm chip leader with about 1/3 of the chips in play. I then proceed to lose KK all in vs 88 and 1010, followed shortly by QQ to AJ. This leaves me short and its not long till im out.

Right, so now onto a $30 rebuy event, a bit over 300 entrants. By the time rebuys are over I've won 1 small pot so I start after the break with just the starting amount plus an add-on. I managed to double up once, and from then on just stuck around on average stack through a lot of stealing. Turn's out 7 seats are up for grabs and we're soon down to the last 30 or so. I then get extremely lucky to double up when I find myself all in 99 vs QQ and spike the 9, so I move into around 5th. With blinds creeping up fast I manage to run into AA when trying to steal, which cripples me. After getting some back I run into aces again and thats me done in 13th. A little disappointed to have come so close when I look at what kind of prizes are at steak. Out of 1496 entrants, top 135 guarantee's a payout of almost $4k. Wouldn't mind getting my hands on any part of the prize pool.

Good luck to those taking part in the event but it means I have to settle for the Sunday35k and a payout of £10k tonight. Well, that was the plan anyway until my QQ ran into AJ with a lovely ace last card and that was that.

Also still trying to turn in a winning session at the LHE cash tables (the game I couldn't lose at a few months back), but I'm still struggling to do so at all this month. Looks like being another disappointing month at that game unless things turn around pretty sharpish!

BFWCOP

Last weekend I went to London in the end for the Betfair World Championship of Poker. I wasn't planning to go until a mate phoned me up telling me I had to be there. I wasn't disappointed and had a thoroughly enjoyable weekend. I arrived on the Friday evening and found a few Stt's and Cash games running. I decided to stick to the Stt's for the weekend where I can limit myself more to how much I'm prepared to lose. I don't trust myself so much in the Cash games. Managed to finish the night up and cover the costs for the days drink/food/travel etc.

Onto the Saturday and the £100 Main Event. Me and Ben had planned to get up fairly early and head off to the Gutshot with plenty of time to spare to register early and relax. Well it started at 2pm and due to the late night we had we didn't wake up till gone 1. Relaxed isn't exaclty a word I would use when describing the way we jumped out of bed and scurried off to the Gusthot. Luckily enough it was all running a bit late though and we made it with plenty of time to spare. It finally kicked off at 2:30pm. 10,000 starting chips with blinds of 25/50 and 91 entrants. It looked like this was going to be a slow structure with plenty of play available. Well I started off in the room at the back by itself downstairs, with a broken fan that wouldn't shut up. Great stuff. Everyone seemed pretty tight and cagey for the first few levels with little action taking place and I went into the first break having barely played a hand and on 8,000 chips.

Shortly after the break I managed to double up. A substantial raise before me and I look down to see QQ. I move in and get called by 55, board comes blank and im up to a pretty decent stack. Not much action after that and with a few steals I'm up to around 20k before the table breaks. Blinds are getting pretty big now so it's mainly become all in or pass. I'm not sure if I had the pair or the overcards but a short stack moved all in utg on my BB, I managed to win the 50/50 and was on around 30k when the table broke again and I was moved upstairs to the final 3 tables.

Blinds really are big now, I think they're at 3000/6000 with a running ante of 100 at this point. I wouldn't exactly say I was short stacked either, the blinds really had just jumped up and really were hitting everyone hard now. Folded round to me one from the button and I see 55. I really have to move all in. I get called by the SB with AK and luckily my 5's hold up to put me on around 60k. Soon enough the blinds have taken a few more casualties and we're down to the final 20 and I get moved to yet another table. Blinds are now at 4,500/9000 and after not long I see AQ in the SB. Utg goes all in for around 25k, next to act calls for 15k of it and then its folded round to me. I now have around 50k so its half my stack to call. I think utg would have gone all in with a large range of cards so I move over the top all in. After a long dwell the BB mucks A8, wish he called! Anyway 25k stack turns over A9 and 15k stack 46dd. Flop brings a 4, but still a 20k side pot and most of my chips back as long as no 9 comes, which it does on the turn and I'm down to 25k. A few hands later with the blinds creeping round to me I move in with Q10 and find the SB with AK. No help from the board and I'm out in 17th, same as in Notts! Turn's out the guy with A9, Reactive, went on to win the tourney. Great bloke though, he had every1 rooting for him at the end.

Overall a great weekend and I'm sure everyone that went, including myself, will be looking to go to the next one whenever it is!

Exact records....

MTD = +£298.24
YTD = +£23,071.54

Yesterday I managed to get Betfair to send me a statement of all my transaction histories since joining the site. From this I have been able to work out exactly how much profit I have made at the tables with them. When I made my previous estimate of being up around £27k when starting up this blog this was made purely by looking at my total deposits and withdrawals on Betfair and didn't take into account bonuses and rakeback received, which I now know accounted for almost £3k of my money. I never use to be able to get the "My Statement" tab to work on Betfair, so all my records were rough due to conversion rates but I now have this working so I can be exact with my records. At the moment my stats are only for Betfair as I don't have any figures at all for my play on other sites. I very rarely use other sites, and I if I do it will be just for large MTT's. I guess if I wanted to do I could withdraw all my money from other sites and then look back at my bank statements for deposits and withdrawals to see exactly how much I have won/lost. But for now I will just be showing my Betfair stats.

At the tables I have managed to keep away from the Limit Holdem this week. Despite it being the game where most of my profit has come from I really can't win at it at the moment and it has been costing me a lot so I'm staying away for a bit. I've been playing a lot of PL Omaha, stt's and 6pak's, which has been going pretty well.

A hand in Omaha that comes to mind is one that I think really just sums up how people over-value Aces in the game. In £0.50/1 PLO I was dealt 8d 9s Td Js utg and raised to £3. Four players then called before the button made it £22.50 to play. Both blinds fold and I call. One of the middle position guys them comes over the top and goes all in for a total of £91. The button calls his remaining £49, and I call too fancying my hand 3-way. I know for sure someone is gonna have aces, but to my delight they both turn them over. I'm up against Ah 6c Ad 7h and As Ac 7c 9d. I don't think I could ask for much better really, both aces with one of them having no suited cards and the other having just 1 suit. I'm not so great with my Omaha odd's but I'm sure I must be at least 50% to win here? I do win and take a £261 pot. I'm not too sure about the move made by the guy in middle position to come over the top all in? I'm still learning Omaha myself but I'm sure I wouldn't fancy a 3-way all in pf with aces, especially as he had no suits at all either.

As for the stt's and 6pak's I've been going pretty well there too. Although one 6pak in particular really did bug me. We were down to the final 3. I had about 2,900 chips, next had 2,200 and the short stack had around 900. Blinds were pretty large at 300/600 and THREE rounds of hands in a row, the SB went all in for 900 chips, just an extra 300 into a 1,200 pot and every time the guy in BB folded. I couldn't believe what I was seeing but I didn't want to say anything as I though it may be unfair on the shortstack. Although of course collusion did cross my mind. I really do hate it when I see players folding for stupidly small amounts like that when someone has gone all in. And to do it 3 times just took the piss. To rub it in even more, the guy that kept folding for 300 chips decides his Q3s is good enough to call all his chips for when I go all in on the button with QK. Of course 3 is last card and I end up exiting in 3rd. Not too pleased to say the least. I'm still not sure if it was collusion or just an awful player, but it really does bug me when I see this.

Anyway... I'm currently considering whether to go to London today or not. Betfair are holding a competition at the Gutshot this weekend and a mate of mine is already there. Not sure whether to join him or not. We'll see....

Quiet Week

The past week I've been pretty busy and barely played. I think I had 1 short session during the week which left me evens, and then I just played the Sunday35k lastnight on crypto. Was totally card dead so nothing to report on there. So just lost the £120 entry fee for that this week.

Overall I finished August down around £2,500. It doesn't sound too bad considering the amount I have won, but it really is too much for me to be losing at the moment and has left me pretty short. Considering after the first week of the month I was up £3,000 it was quite a swing to handle. Still waiting for my rakeback to come through for the month, which I think I have worked out to be around the £500 mark. This isn't too bad seeing as I wouldn't say I really played much poker last month.

I've decided I'm going to try and make the transition to pretty small stakes NL for a bit and see how things go. I've tried the £2/5 NLHE stakes a few times before as I've always thought there wasn't much to be made in the lower stakes. But I'm almost certainly out of my depth in these stakes which is why I never really stuck at it I guess. The past couple of weeks a mate of mine Ben, who also use to be purely a Limit player, has started playing really small stakes omaha, $25 buyin. He's managed to turn in a really good profit, making well over £500 in this time I think. I never really thought this would be possible in such small stakes, with just a $25 max buyin, but he's shown it is. So I think I'm going to give the 'small stakes' NLHE and PLO a go for a while and see how things go.

I also recently stumbled accross Iain Girdwood's blog. A great read and a good insight into how he has made his way up from small NLHE stakes to now turning in a serious profit on the higher stakes in the space of 18months.

It's Way Too Hot!

Ok so I went for a rare early night tonight. In bed by half 10 somehow! I went out for a meal for my girlfriend's sister's b-day tonight so when I got back slightly pissed I thought I would be able to sleep early for once. I can usually get into the land of nod very easily when intoxicated. Not tonight though. I think its a mixture of being extremely hot and the fact that poker is playing on my mind so much at the moment. So after a couple of hours of trying to sleep I've had to get back up and load up the computer in an attempt to take my mind off things and stop sweating so much! I know losses are hard not to think about, but over the last couple of days all I've been able to think about is the past few weeks of poker. Especially when trying to sleep. This is definately the worst time for thinking about things, you just can't get them out of your head! It's really playing on my mind and the only cure I can think for it would be to win some of it back. So I'm sat now on a couple of tables trying to do so, although I'm not quite sure this is the best idea. I just keep thinking that maybe I've blown my big chance now as I've managed to lose back a lot of my previous winnings and have found myself in not such a secure situation as I was before. Hopefully things turn themselves around pretty hastily!