$100K Tourney--No Dice

Well, Lucky Chances had a $100K first place guarantee tourney so I decided to see if I could win a seat and strike lightning with a big win. 

They had a $330 buy-in tourney on Friday, I bought into that and ended up busting out in 90th place.  Typical set up, I had AT soooted and villain had QT.  It was a limp fest pot then someone dink raised to 2BB and we all call--6-way action.

Flop(12BB) T 4 2 rainbow. 
Villain bets 2BB, donk raises to 6BB, I shove all-in for 20BB, villain folds, donk calls.
Turn(56BB): 3
River(56BB): Q

I show AT, donk shows QT, and that was the end of that tourney.

So I go and play the cash game for a while and put my name up on the board for a single table satellite.  The structure was more like a hyper turbo.  We start out with 12BB, blinds start at 1/2BB and double every 15 miunutes 1/2...2/4...4/8...8/16

So really a 10 person Sit n Go (SNG)

UNfortunately, only 1st place won a seat, 2nd place got their money back.

I wasted most of my time over the weekend trying to win a stupid seat.  I'd play a cash game, get called for the satellite, burn an hour playing, bust out, then spend an hour waiting to get back into the cash game....

Uggg.  I lost three (bubbled twice) and then got 2nd place twice.  So overall, I burnt about $400 chasing a $1080 ticket :(

This threw off my rhythym for the cash games so I never was able to really focus and crush the game.  Friday and Saturday ended up being down days for me.  Sunday morning was the day of the $100K Tourney and I got their at 7am so I could play a satellite.

I got down to heads up then made a stooopid mistake.  We were even in chips and I decided to get cute and min raise with AJ which is a HUGE mistake, AJ is not strong enough heads up in these types of tournies to min raise.  Villain calls and flops a straight.  I turn a J and bet, villain shoves I call and lose :(

So, the big game just wasn't meant to be.  So, I resolved to sit down and grind the day away and crush the game which I did :)

I made some great plays, moves, and reads and was able to capitalize on over aggressive younger players who thought they were the shitz.  You know the type, all decked out in FT or PS gear, hoodie, sunglasses, ipod, etc.

The red chips are $5, black is $20, and white are $100.

I ended the day over $2.5K up.  Subtracting out all my expenses and tourney buy-ins, I ended the trip about $1K up, so overall, the trip was a success, though not as much as i'd hope (I wanted to win that tourney :(  

I also had a huge series of expenses come up, payments to the IRS (ouch don't squeeze my nuts so hard Uncle Sam) as well as a payment to my backer, and rent since i'll be gone for 2 weeks. 

I plan to spend a week and a half with the family and try to make up for lost time.  During the last year I haven't been the best son/brother/cousin/nephew and sorta isolated myself since I was depressed. 

So I will try to reconnect and be a better person and all that.

After that, I plan to do a week in Vegas and if it goes well maybe spend another week there.

My lease is coming to an end and it makes more sense to relocate somewhere that has more poker than the Bay Area.  So, possible places are:  Vegas, LA, Atlantic City

I will research them all but have a feeling it will end up being Vegas.

Here is my latest graph. 

In the mean time, I will be playing online and reading through Harrington's Cash Game and Mathematics of Poker.

$40K 1st place guarantee tourney.

Woke up this morning feeling pretty good. The drive to Lucky Chances is about 30 minutes from my apartment. Got on the road an hour early, made it there with plenty of time to buy-in (ouch, let go my arm $550 ) and eat breakfast


Started with around 135 players but slowly crept up to 189 players. This tourney allowed multiple reentries up until the first break so if you busted out, you could go to the cage and buy another ticket. ABout 30 of the 'players' were really reentries , Funny how a couple of people bought in 4 or 5 times I think overall it reached around 200ish people/reentries...

For this tourney, I resided myself to playing super boring ABC TAG poker and for the first 2 hours of the tourney I was more or less card dead. I was slightly below chip average but no worries, as long as you are about at chip average, you have a decent shot at winning the tourney so I didn't panic.
(I'm not in the pic, the empty seat is mine)

First key hand that came up, I was in the BB and noticed that the SB had been ruthless about stealing my blinds. He is a thinking player and plays internet tournies. I have a great read on him and I"m sure he reads me as being a nit since i've done nothing but fold-fold-fold for 2 hours. We both are around 25 BB at this point.

Action checks around, he raises 3 x BB, and I call. I decide to make a stand with Ts5s and cash in on my nit image. Plus, I have a great read on him and feel comfortable I can outplay him.

When I call, he immediately shifts in his seat and his body language is rigid sorta like "Holy shtt now what"

Flop (6BB) Js 6s 3h.
He checks, I bet 6BB. He tanks and calls

Turn(18BB): 4c
He checks, I push all-in for around 20BB. He tanks and then says, "You got an overpair huh? Maybe AJ?" and I think he's going to fold but after a minute he calls.

River(58BB): 9s
Villain shows 77, I win with the flush

Finally, got something going. Villain was stronger than I thought. He had been making a lot of moves but I was sure he would lay down. During his tank he kept telling himself that he was beat, that I was a nit and that he should fold.... but then he calls expecting that he was crushed (never understand why so many people do this)

So, now I have some chips, an hour goes by and we are down to 75 players. Re-entry period has been over for a couple of hours and I'm cruising right along, playing ABC poker. I'm staying just a 'hair' above chip average and then this key hand comes up.

I have 22BB and get AK UTG. I raise 3 x BB (which was standard at our table). Villain in CO goes all in for 12BB, I call.

Villain has AJ
Board: A J 9 2 J,  Villain wins

Yuck. So, now i'm down to around 10BB but no worries, i'm staying calm, cool and collected.

We get down to 60 players and i'm on life support and thankfully the gods give me QQ. I shove all-in for about 9BB and get called by JJ. My Ladies hold up (I Loves the Ladies )
Down to 46. I can't help but stare at the Payout structure every few minutes

First place would be so juicy. Even just making the final table would make my week.

Unfortunately, i start to get card dead, raise in a couple of spots but then get 3betted out. I fold in those spots and villains show down QQ+.

I get down to 6BB and activate my shovebot to stay alive. Luckily, i'm to the right of a nit and his blinds have been keeping me alive. I get Ah7h in SB, shove, and he snap calls me. YUCK!!!

He turns over QQ and i'm thankful I at least have one over and am suited. But no worries, I spike an Ace right off the bat and double up while he slams his fist into the table and curses the dealer. I'm up 14BB

An hour passes and I raise another pot with AJ but then two nits 3bet and 4bet each other and I fold. Again, it is clash of the Titans AK vs JJ but JJ holds up. Unfortunately, my raises have eaten into my stack and i'm down around 4BB with 30 people to go. Payout is at 20 people, so close, yet so far.

I get 7c5c in my BB, action checks around to a super wild player who has been raising 3-4 times per orbit and the table has been letting him get away with it. His range is huge so I figure I'll be 40/60 vs his two cards. Also, their are antes now and since 25% of my stack is in the blind its an easy call with ATC

I call. He turns over QQ

Board: As 4c 2h Jc 8c

BOOM!!!! I get the back door runner runner flush and triple up to 12BB (there was some dead money in the pot)

I steal a couple of more blinds and get up to 18BB when this key hand happens.
Super wild villain raises again, I'm on the BTN with AhKh. I shove all-in he calls.

We flip our cards over and he has KK

Board: 3c 5h Js 3h Jh

BOOM!!!! I runner runner back door flush this guy down the toilet two times in a row LOL. I'm not too proud to suckout. Given that my pocket aces ran into quads two times in five minutes a few days ago, I figured that i've built up some suckout currency with the poker gods and they were just returning the favor.

Now, I'm back in this TOURNEY. 25 people to go. I play solid ABC and make it into the money. Not only that, but i'm above the chip average and make it to the final two tables!!!! 20 people to go (ten handed)

There are 20 of us, and i'm about 8th in chips, so doing very well. I was surprised by the amount of donks and nits that made it this far. So many players just really don't understand tourney play. There was an all-in and this one nit actually folded JJ LOL. He busts out in 20th place eventually getting blinded out.

Another guy was way too wild and just shoving too much. He was 9th in chips which brings us to our next key hand.

We both have about 16BB and he shoves all-in.

I look down at KK and thank the poker gods and call him. Everyone else folds.

I show KcKs, he shows Jh8h. Unfortunately for me, not only are the poker gods fickle, but they have an incredible sense of humor. Not too long ago I sucked out on QQ and KK so, one good turn deserves another.

Board: 2h 9h 5c Kh 6s

BOOM!!!! I go from good to bad in one hand. I manage to hang around for a few more spots but ended up busting out between 14-16th place. I tried to steal the blinds with Qc5c (had 3BB) and both blinds woke up with AK and AJ.

The board flopped A K K and that was the end of my tourney.

So, made $1290. The tourney took forever, started at 9:30am and I busted out around 7pm.

I can't help but think what could have been. Had my Kings have held up no doubt I would have made it to the final table in GREAT SHAPE. Especially since there were only a couple of people at the table who understood tourney play. *sigh*

Woulda, coulda, shoulda. Uggggg... so close i could f-ing taste it.

here is my latest graph.

I'm back to cash games for a while. If I have a good week, then I might try to satellite into their $100K 1st place guarantee this Sunday ($1K buy-in which is definitely WAYYYY beyond my roll). In the mean time, i need to recouperate.

Day 12C, Getting Into the Rhythym

I've been running fairly well lately, but feel that i'm playing well also.  I'm a little fatigued grinding it out day in day out but it is worth it. 

I feel hopeful.  It is one thing to win one or two days in a row.  It is quite another to have several days worth of wins under your belt.  The wins haven't really been coming from luckboxing straights and flushes and flopping full houses.

The majority are coming from outplaying opponents and capitalizing from their mistakes.


A key hand that comes to mind was a straddle for a live $10. I'm in the CO with KTo. I had just won a decent pot with pocket pair and have been showing down strong hands, so my image is definitely on the nitty side. The straddler is an aggressive maniac type villain who loves to squeeze. Its 6 way action, gets to the maniac and he raises for $100. Everyone folds, I call. We both have about $800

Flop($260): 4h 9c 4d.

Maniac bets $100. I call.

Turn($460): Qs

Maniac bets $100, I raise to $300, Maniac folds.

I knew he was full of shit and I knew he respected my image. I knew he thought of me as a nit and I knew if I raised him he'd fold unless he luckboxed a 4 or had a decent Queen which was unlikely. I also knew he would fire two barrels regardless of what he had and that if I raised him on turn he's folding.

So, my wins have been a combination of playing good cards and using my image vs. the right opponents. I'm not winning because i'm flopping straights and flushes and full houses. The majority of my wins are coming from unglamourous pots--a little bit here, a little bit there. On occassion I cash in on my image (like a did above) by targeting the right villains and the right situations...

I do realize that any fish can have a good run. There is a chance that i'm not that good and i'm merely riding the wave of some great variance. It is my hope that time disproves that hypothesis and that when the dust settles, I will in fact be the winning player that deep down I know I am.

Day 10C: Finally Some Momentum

I titled this blog 10C, with the "C" denoting that this is my 3rd attempt at making this dream a reality.  The other two attempts ended up in me practically going busto (October post covers it along with my old graphs and commentary/explainations).  So instead of titling this Day 112, I choose to title it Day 10C, 10th day of my 3rd attempt.

It has been a very long and hard few months, and during this time my poker skills and emotional/spiritual maturity has grown significantly.

I realize there is a lot of the game that I have to learn, but for the time being I feel very good about where I sit in respect to my local competition. 

Today was an interesting day, started out with a few coolers.  Lost several hands in a row and quickly went down $400 in 1/2NL.

My first crucial mistake was that confused a player for another player.  There is this one super fish who is hyper aggressive and calls down with absolute air.  The pot started out as a limp fest, 5 handed.  I had AsKh on the  BTN and raised to $20.  The guy who I mistook for someone else calls.

effective stacks $200
Flop($50):  8d 3d 2c
Villain checks, I bet $40, villain calls.
Turn:($140): 3c,
Villain checks, I shove all-in, villain tanks and calls.
River: 7h

Villain turns over JJ and it is then that I realize that he isn't the person who I thought he was :(
We talked about it and it turns out people confuse him with that other guy all the time.  So, that was a $200 mistake on my part.

I reloaded, and ran into a set over set situation.  I flopped a set of 4s, got all against against villain's overpair, villain rivers overpair so meh, it happens that's poker.

After those losses I decided to take a break a reset, I have one $200 buy-in left (I only take 3 buy-ins to the casino).

As luck would have it, I run across a guy who I loaned money to a long time ago- $100.  So now I have $300 and I notice that the 2/5NL game is full of fish.  I recognize several players gambling it up on the table.

I know, I know, bankroll management is part of the reason i've been through so much pain and agony over the last few months.  But the game was just super juicy and it felt like I was getting a sign sooooo I sit down.


I play ABC TAG and quickly get up to $500.  Then I get into this key hand.
Effective stacks $500
I'm in the BB with 4d4h
An aggro LAG raises UTG to $25, six way action UTG+1, HJ, CO, BTN, SB call so I call.

Flop($150): Ad Td 3s
I check and it checks all the way around.
Turn($150): 4c

I check, UTG bets $100, UTG+1 folds, HJ calls, CO folds,  BTN calls,

I c/r all-in, everyone folds except BTN
River($1200 ish):3d
BTN shows KQdd flush
I win with full house :)

I managed to use my image fairly well and take down a few more pots for $100 here, $75 there, and over the course of the night I was able to get up around $1900 as shown in the chart.

Even though I had a good run at 2/5NL, i'm going to drop back down to 1/2NL tomorrow and focus on that game until I build my bankroll up to $10K.

Busting Out and Reflections

This journey and dream has been one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life.  I've grown significantly as a poker player over the last few months and have had plenty of time to access all my mistakes.  I realized at the start of this venture that it was a risk but I don't think I properly understood what I was attempting to do. 

There is a difference between having a job and playing poker on the side and winning vs. solely being a poker 'pro'. 

The other problem I had was thinking that I was better than I was.  From the technical/proefficiency side, I believe i'm better than the average live player.  What was killing me was the non-technical aspects of poker.  Emotional control is key and I think that I let the pressure of this venture get to me.  I have a mountain of debt, and so, my mindset has been on accumulating as much money as possible in the shortest amount of time.  So, I was playing underrolled, taking shots, and getting into high variance situations where even though I was ahead equity wise, from a Risk of Ruin Standpoint I could not tolerate the risk.

And so, I ended up going busto several times, losing an entire day's profit (up to 25% of my bankroll) in one hand, over and over and over again.  And there are only so many times you can do that before you bust out.

So, then I had no choice but to retreat to online poker and grind out the micros.  This was perhaps the hardest and most humbling thing.  Playing for pennies as if your life depends on it because mine did.

To further complicate matters, my computer was having severe problems with Poker Tracker.  For some wierd reason, Poker Tracker made my computer crash and I had to delete it.  So, not only do I have to grind online but i have to do it without a HUD.

So, I grinded it out, put together another live roll, although meager, and took another shot.

Things started out good and then I let the pressure get to me.  I had one day where I lost a couple of buy-ins and then thought that I can make it back on the blackjack table.  Dear god was that the worst decision I ever made.  There is enough variance in poker without having to add to it with a fucking table game.  What on earth was I thinking?

Well, truth was I wasn't.  I was desperate and when you are desperate you make mistakes.  So, between that, a little bit of runbad, and some variance, there went my second attempt at making a run at this.

Busted again, had to retreat back to online micros.

I also had to take a step back and do some serious soul searching. 

The truth is that I did not have what it took to be a poker pro.  The evidence was undeniable.  I was losing.  I was tilting, I was taking shots, I was gambling with fucking blackjack...

So I started over.  I completely deconstructed my game and built it back up from the ground floor.  Grabbed "Poker and the Art of Zen" as well as "Harrington's on Cash Games" and a host of articles on the web. 

During this time, I was grinding it out again on the micros.  And I can say unequivocally that playing cash games online is not for me.  There are plenty of people out there killing the game online, but for me, it is ardous.  The screen makes my eyes hurt, it is so boring, and it is hard for me to focus.  Even when my life hinges on every little decision I make, its soooo hard to focus. 

So, I decided to cash out and try again for a third time. 

I revamped my game.  Internally, I've also made changes.  I've hopefully gotten rid of some ego and overconfidence that was the problem.  I also do a lot of meditation during the day and before I go to bed.

Lastly, I've talked to my backer and we have decided to reset this whole venture starting November 1st.  She has been very supportive throughout this whole ordeal so hopefully I can do right by her and show her that her confidence wasn't misplaced.

Day 25: Resetting and Being Humbled

The past couple of weeks have been very dark and stress filled.  I've put myself in a position where I don't really have a backup plan so I simple must make this dream work.

I know the goals are very ambitious but they are based on what I managed to do last year.  The scariest part to all of this was/is the beginning.  I realized that I was on the hairy edge bankroll management wise, but felt confident that I could get over the initial hurtle without variance kicking me in the nuts.

I was mistaken.

The downward deathspiral you see was the result of some of the worst negative variance I've ever had the misfortune of experiencing.

I lost 4 consecutive $1000+ pots when I was 80% or better to win come river.

The one that will be burnt into my mind forever was a huge $3000 pot that happened on Day 13: 
The game  5-200 Spread limit, effective stacks, average around $800ish

I was in the BB with JJhc at a very aggressive donk filled table

UTG raised to $25, CO called, SB called, I called.

Flop(pot $100): Js 3d 4s

SB checks, I check, UTG cbets to $100, CO calls, SB calls, I call.

Turn(pot $500):  3s

SB checks, I check, UTG bets $200, CO raises to $400 (all-in), SB raises to $600 (all-in), I push all-in for $800, UTG calls (he has table covered), CO (all-in), SB (all-in)

River(pot $3000-ish): 2s

UTG: A5ss Straight flush
SB:  44 fullhouse
CO: KTss
Hero: JJ fullhouse

This beat was the last one in a serious of outrageous beats (I won't bore you with the other ones).  I remember leaving the casino in a daze, almost like a really bad dream.  So, at this point my bankroll is around $300.

During this period of soul crushing variance, I managed to keep my emotions under control.  I never tilted nor let the bad beats make me see goblins under the bed.  I kept telling myself, its just variance, it happens, that's poker, and eventually the math will even out (i.e. being ahead = winning).

So, when the last beat happened, I remember thinking that this whole venture was just cursed.  I was about to leave since so much of my bankroll (effectively 80%) was on the table and I mentally kept telling myself that my risk of ruin was really high.  But of course, desperate times call for desperate measures, I needed to win.  So, I mitigated my risk by being the world's tightest nit, passing up on several +EV situations simply because I wasn't dominate enough to risk my bankroll.  And then the above hand happened and it felt like I was standing in the light at the end of the tunnel.  This one pot was going to reset this horrid nightmare and get me back into the swing of things,

and then the river happened...

I left the casino and thought through my options and came to the conclusion that I have to load my online account and grind the micros, get my bankroll back, and give this a shot again.

I contacted my backer and explained everything to her and told her it will take me about 1 month to grind out $2500 online and then I would try this venture again.  So, in effect, I told her that we would be slipping one month to the right and she is okay with that. 

Since then, i've had to take a step back, and start over at 2NL and 2PLO and work my way up which I will discuss in the next post.

Sorry I haven't been as diligent as I should have been keeping this blog up but you can probably understand I wasn't in the best of moods.

Day 7: Sideways Sucks. -$200

I am just coming off of a couple of 24 hour sessions so I apologize if this post is not that coherent or good.

Even though I am down a little bit I feel okay about it.  Over the past 2-3 days I have weathered some extremely sick variance as well as sat patiently through periods of card deadness that would make a corpse ansy.  I really feel like i've gotten through the 'worst' of it not to mention that a lot of my play was against regs playing the graveyard shift. 

So what I mean to say is that I feel as though I was playing through a storm of bad variance and managed to make it through the other side more or less in tact.  So now, things should be returning more or less to normal and I will start moving up the curve again.

I know the graph is not looking good but I can and will turn it around over the next couple of days (part of the negative trending is paying my backer back ($250/wk) another reason for the negative trending is spending too much time in tournaments and either bubbling or breaking even. 
I'm going to get some sleep, get back to the tables, have a good couple of days, then come back with a much more in-depth analysis on the good and bad that has been happening to me over the last few days.

I'll update this blog this later this week.  Wish me luck

Day 5: Life Costs -$500

As the saying goes in Physics, there is no free lunch. 

I knew the beginning of this challenge/journey/shot is going to be very hard and this is the 'phase' that is a bit risky.  Ideally, you want to have a big enough bankroll where you can pay yourself and manage all your expenses with relatively little impact on your bankroll.

My reality is that i'm not there yet.  I had to dip into my bankroll to take care of life costs, namely, rent, utilities, food, and things of that sort.

The good news is that i'm paid through for the next month, so I won't have these expenses again for a while and by then, I will have a much better cushion built up (knock on wood)

The bad news is that I had to dip into my bankroll and it was unavoidable.  :(

No poker today.

Lastly, I added a new line to my graph, ROI Objective.  That line is essential where my bankroll needs to be in order to hit my objective of paying back my backer 300% ROI.

As long as my bankroll is above that line, I'm okay, if I fall below that line, I'm not okay.

In the beginning (like now) there is risk, i'm a lot closer to that line than I want to be. 
But with time, I should trend up and away from that line.

Lastly, I bought the book Zen and the Art of Poker.  by Larry Phillips.

I read the first 30 pages last night.  It seems decent although a little overwritten in some parts.

Day 4: Not a Bad Tourney +$620

So, I decided to try a change of pace and I entered a live $100-ish donkament.

For those of you used to internet tourneys, these live tourneys are more or less equivalent to $2 180 man tourneys on Poker Stars or Full tilt.

I would say that 1/4 of the field is dead money, 1/4 are more or less ABC weak tight, 1/4 are okay, and the remaining 1/4 are good tourney players.

My primary focus was to keep myself in a position to make the final table.  I was conscious of the chip average and made it a point to stay above it.  Of course, I picked off all the low hanging fruit with the occasional blind steal, but I managed to make it all the way to the final 20 people without being at risk (going all-in against someone that could bust me).

My bread and butter was targeting bullies that were raising preflop and shoving turns no matter what.  I targeted one such bully who i'd seen raise, cbet, and float with Ace rag.  For whatever reason, he was hyper aggressive with Ax and treated A3o as if it were AKs.

Key hand.  Hero BB ($14K chips), Villain ($10K chips) BTN
Blinds 200/400
Hero BB with A9hh

Action folds to Villian, Villain raises 1000 on the BTN, SB fold, Hero calls from BB.

Flop(pot 2200) Kc Ad 7h.  Hero checks, Villain bets 1400, Hero calls.

Turn(pot 5000) 2c.  Hero checks, Villain shoves all-in for 7600, Hero calls.

River:(pot 22000):  8s

Villain shows A6o
Hero wins with A9hh

I felt really good about this hand/showdown because villain had been hyper aggressive all day with A3, A6, A7, etc. etc and the table was letting him run over them.   I knew villain would shove with Ax and figured my 9 kicker was ahead of most of his range.  I knew he'd shove turn no matter what and he didn't disappoint.

Normally I show my donk hand of the day as well, but today I don't have one :).  I played very solid and felt good about all my reads and plays.

I finished 4th in the tourney and lost to an A9 vs KT all-in. I had the A9, villain had KT and spiked a T on the river.  By that point, the blinds were crazy high and me and villain were even in chips.  I win that hand, I probably win the tourney.  But you know how it goes, part of the game.

Day 3: Variance + KITN -$450

This was one of those days where I couldn't overcome the negative variance. 

My session started off on the right foot, I made some great reads and plays.

5-200 Spread Limit Hold em (like No limit holdem but with a $200 max bet), effective stacks $300, LP short stack with $60

Hero (me) was in the BB with 43hh, MP limps, LP limps, BTN limps, SB folds, I check the action.

Flop(pot $20): 6c Kd 3s rainbow.
Action checks around.

Turn(pot $20): 2c

MP checks, LP pushes all-in $60, everyone folds, Hero calls

River(pot $140): Jd

He turns over Ad Th, Hero wins with pair of threes.

It was completely obvious to me that he had nothing, not even a real draw.  He was very readable and just not playing decent short stack poker.  He kept buying in for $100, limp calling drawing and folding until he got around $50 then he'd spazz and shove like he did above.  Of course, the whole table is looking at me like "How could you call" but as always I never explain myself.

I take a few little dink hits that drop me around $50 when I run into this situation>

I've got $250-ish UTG with T9dd.  MP had been a bit of a donk and he raises preflop to $20.  BTN was also a bit donkish and he calls, I call.  Both players had been overbetting their hands however they had been snap folding whenever they missed.  Effective stacks $300

Flop:(pot $60) 8d 7d Kc

I bet out $40, MP max raises all-in for $240, BTN pushes all-in for $240, action gets to me and I have about $200 behind.  Both players had been fairly crazy with TPGK type hands and shoving with top pair like its a set, but obviously i'm behind here as the cards stand but i'm pretty sure I'm ahead equity wise.  Usually, OESFD (opened ended straight flush draws) have 50% equity or greater vs a pair or even over pair.  So, getting more than 2:1 on my money and having 50% or better equity on the flop this is an easy snap call.

Turn: 7c
River Qs

I miss my draws
MP had A8
BTN had KJ and wins $800 pot :(

So, that sucked but I shook it off, all you can do is make the correct play at the time.  I rebuy back in for $200 and about fifteen minutes later I get dealt KJhh in MP.  I raise to $40, everyone folds but SB calls, he has about $120 behind.

SB had been overvaluing his hands as well so I felt okay about going heads up.

Flop:  7s Jd 3s.

He checks, I bet $60, he check raises all-in, I snap call.

Turn 2h

River Tc

Hero(me) shows KJhh
SB shows JTo and wins with two pair

That hand sucked and I decided to take a quick walk to shake it off.  I also made a huge mistake at this point and switched tables.  Even though I got sucked out on, the table was a dream table and I should have stayed.

I buy back in for $200 (I'm stuck $400 at this point) and am dealt QQ on the BTN.  Now, the problem here is that i'm new to this table and I have no clue how anyone plays.  Normally, I like to get a feel for a table before I start shoving but when you are dealt QQ in a live game you have to play your hand.

UTG raises $15 (which is really light for 5-200 Spread limit holdem), UTG+1 calls as do two other players before it gets to me. Pot is $60 by the time it gets to me, I raise to $75 and am now looking at UTG and he folds.  Now this is where things get wierd.  UTG+1 folds and MP shoves all in for $200.

I have no idea what to make of this, because it makes no sense.  Why would you smooth call two players to your right on a dinky raise if you have a big hand?  So, I snap call.

Hero:  QQ
MP: AA

Board develops:  JT988 and I win with a straight

So, i'll take that suck out and now i'm getting back to break even when I run into the sickest run of good cards I have ever had.  Too bad the results weren't the same as the cards :(

Within the space of 8 hands, I was dealt QQ, TT, JJ, QQ, AK and I lost every single one of those hands.  I made the appropriate raise preflop and in each case a donk or two called me with Ace rag bullshit, and then on each flop an Ace hit the board and the donks would not fold so I didn't even bother trying a cbet.  In most cases, I got to witness them fight each other and show down hands like A6cc vs A9dd when the board was like: A K 3 8 7 board.

So, after that, I'm down about $450 and I'm starting to get a little upset, so I stop playing and call it a day since I NEVER play when i'm upset.

Overall, I was thrilled to be at the table.  Unlike most players, I WANT donks to call with inferior hands.  I just don't want them to hit ;)  But, on occassion they do and such is poker. 

Tomorrow is Friday, the juiciest day of the week.   I'm going to play a tourney in the morning then set up camp and grind all day.  It should go better tomorrow.

Wish me luck :)

Day 2: Getting Back into the Swing +$720

I started the day at a Rock Garden-- a table full of solid regs, TAGs, and 2 aggressive LAGs. 

First key hand was a decent semibluff against a LAG at 5-200 Spread limit holdem. 
I was dealt 52ss as the BB, she was in the SB.  4 players limped in preflop, I obviously check the action.

Flop (pot $25):  6s 5c Kd rainbow.  I bet out $20, everyone folds except the LAG in the small blind who calls. 
Turn (pot $65): 9s.  She bets out from the small blind, $50 which is her M.O.  She likes to call flop and bet out on turn.  So, I raise her $150, she tanks for a while and folds.

Then my next key hand was just a stupid mistake on my part.  The table was a little tight and I decided to make a move with a preflop raise from the BB with KQss into 5 limpers.  I raised $45 and UTG called.  UTG was a 'bored' reg reading a paper and he had been making moves all day.

Flop (pot $115):  Ac 5d 3h rainbow.  I bet $100 and he snap calls.
Turn (pot $315):  5c.  I max bet $200, he tanks then calls.
River (pot $715):  Kd.  I check, he checks.

He turns over 4d 2d for the flopped straight LOL. 

This pot was a huge mistake on my part trying to balance a little bit and take advantage of my image.  There just was no need to do this at this table, I should have been a little more patient.  So, now i'm stuck around $300 and decide to switch tables since I blew my table image with that play.

I take a break, walk around, and reset.  I vow to just play nit-TAG poker, no moves.  Just basic TAG.

I sit down with $250, am card dead for an hour but was able to capitalize on weak play and mistakes from the donks, so at this point I have $275 ish and then I hit this key hand against a bully Maniac who had been throwing his weight around.

He raised preflop $15 from MP, two players call.  I'm on the BTN with A8cc and decide to 3 bet him to $50, he calls everyone else folds.

Flop (pot $165): 8s 7d 6h rainbow.  He checks, I bet $75 he calls.
Turn (pot $315):  7h.  He checks, I max bet all in about $150, he calls.
River(pot $615):  2d

He turns over 96o. 
I win with A8cc

My stack is around $1,000 ($700 up) when I ran into a series of really tough folds bumping heads with the other big stack at the table on my immediate left.  Both of our play had been solid and we both had been showing down top hands.  I had QQ preflop twice, 3bet, and he 4bets, I fold and he shows KK both times.  Then a few hands later I had KK, 3bet pre to $150, he calls, flop: Ad 2d 3h and of course he has the ace, bets and I fold (he shows AK).

This was a horrid hour where I lost 5 big premium hands, but I lost the minimum and I was proud of myself for remaining tilt free and making the right laydowns. 

Then this key hand came up between us.  I'm SB, have $500ish and KTcc.  Preflop limpfest 5 players call, I decide not to raise and just check. 

Flop (pot $25): Jc 9c 5c.  I check, BB bets $30, everyone folds, I look at my cards as if i'm doing the club check and then I call (yes, some hollywooding here).

Turn is 9h:  I check and he overbets the pot, bets $125.  I check raise and make it $325, he tanks then puts me all in.
River: 4s

He had Ah9d
I win with King high flush.

Overall, I felt really good today and played a solid B+ game.  At this level I just have to keep telling myself that nit-TAG is the way to go.  The players are bad enough to where there is no need to 'loosen up' and play.  Just play the cards and let them give you their money.  Similarly, most of the players are very readable.

Had things gone a little different I could have easily been up over $1K, but that will come in time.  $720 for 6.5 hours of play isn't too bad :)

Hope to keep the momentum going tomorrow

First day of poker +$575

My first day of poker (as far as this blog is concerned) went okay.  I've been out of action for a couple of weeks and so had built up some rust that needed to be shaken off.  Unlike riding a bike, poker reflexes can become stale without frequent use.  Its hard to explain.  There is a rhythym and cadence to your game, thought processes, responses, etc.  (I apologize for no hand conversions, I'll figure out how to work them into the blog on future postings.)

I bought into 5-200 Spread limit Hold em (its like No Limit except that max bet is capped at $200) for $200 and quickly ran that up to $250 in the first ten minutes.  Then I hit my first cooler, was dealt KK UTG and raised to $30.  A donk on the BTN called and the SB called. 

Flop hit:  8d 7c 2h rainbow.

I bet $50, donk shoves all-in for $50 and SB shoved all-in for $100 I call.
Turn: Jh
River 6c

Donk had T9o
SB had A8o

I win side pot of $50 but lose main pot of $240 :(

Anyways, I recovered and got back up to $300 ish when the table underwent a dramatic shift.  3 of the fish busted out and were replaced by 1 maniac, 1 LAG, and 1 TAG. 

It was at this point where I started playing really really bad.  I started to get card dead and then decided to 'make some moves' which was just stupid. 

Part of the reason was due to being rusty and the other part was due to frustration.  The 3 players had turned the table into an action table:  overbetting the pot and overvaluing top pair and middle pair.

My first big mistake occurred when I was defending my BB with J8dd from a TAG raise on the BTN.

He made it $25 to go and I called.

Flop came Ad Qd 7c.

I check, he bets $40 and I call with my flush draw.

Turn is Qc.

I check he checks.

River is 6h. 

I bet out $65 he snap calls.

BTN had ATss
I lose with J8dd bullshit.

I played this hand about as bad as one could play it.  First off, I should have put the TAG on an Ace with the flop cbet.  Calling $40 on this flop is marginal but i needed to have a plan other than just "spike my flush".  Granted, had the flush hit he would have paid me off.

When the turn brought the Queen I should have bet out.  This would have given him pause as he'd start to put me on the queen.  It would also set me up for a river steal should I miss my hand.  But part of the problem was at this point I was starting to get a little short stacked and was at around $180.  So, my vagina started to flare up and turned me into a little bitch which is why I checked turn and 'hoped' to spike my flush.

When the river comes, my hand is pretty much face up.  I bet $60 into a $140 pot which screams 'busted flush draw'.  Ugg, so so bad :(

So, after those donations, I'm $300 in the red and decide to switch tables since my table image at this table is shot to hell.

I take a walk and review my dogshit play, relax, get back into a zen like state, and then go to my new table.

I decide to play strictly ABC TAG poker.  First thing I do is get a read on all the players and luckily this table has about 5 fish who have very little clue what they are doing. 

First key hand that came up.  I had 77 UTG+1 and just limp in for $5.  4 players call.
Flop: K 7 J rainbow. 
I check, MP fish bets $10, 2 players call, I call. 

Turn 5.

I check.  MP fish bets $25, 2 players call.  I check raise to $125, fold, fold, BTN fish calls.

River, 6.  I bet $125, BTN fish tanks for a minute then calls.  He had QQ!!!

So, BTN fish limps preflop on the BTN with QQ after 3 players to his right calls.  What an idiot.  And then he couldn't fold QQ on a K high board.

I managed to flop another set and milk a different donk for $400.  I hit a couple of coolers where a donk hit a gut shot against me but overall, I ended the session in the black for $575 after 6 hours of play.

Overall, i'm happy with my play.  The beginning was a little rocky as I settled back into the game and shook the rust off.  Once I got 'in the zone' my play was more or less flawless.  I recognized the horrible plays I was making earlier, took a break, and then switched back into ABC TAG mode and played a very solid tight game from that point on. 

Hopefully, tomorrow I'll pick up where I left off :)

Strategizing

The beginning of building ones bankroll is very similar to a rocket launch.  The most dangerous part is the very beginning.  If there is a problem with liftoff, the whole ship can crash and burn before things ever get off the ground.  I find that the mistake most players make is they don't develop a starting plan/strategy.  Below is mine.

My strategy has 3 main components:
#1)  Bankroll Management.  No matter what, I will stay within the confines of my bankroll at all times
#2)  Game Selection.  I will only stick to games which I have a proven track record of crushing
#3)  Cashing out while ahead.  I will employ a modified version of  the Chris Ferguson Method and leave whenever i've won 15% of my bankroll

Bankroll management is key.  Typically, you need 20 times the buy-in for whatever game you are playing to be considered adequately rolled.  In online games, you need 20-40 times the buy-in.  But I will be playing primarily live which has lower variance.  Regardless, I will maintain proper Bankroll discipline, though at the start of this venture I will be at 12 buy-ins for my game of choice, 5-200 Spread limit.

I'm not overly concerned, this is a game that I routinely crush and the worst downswing i've ever had was 6 buy-ins and that was a combination of me playing like shit, tilting, and being super tired from playing 18 hours straight.  My normal downswings are 2 buy-ins and my normal upswings are 4 buy ins, so I'm not worried. 

However, I will consider this a potential problem area and I will flag it as red in the bankroll chart I will be keeping.  Lastly, I will chart my bankroll with a start of $1,000 which is less than my actual bankroll/stake.  This gives me some cushion and a great incentive to get the curve moving up. 

#2)  Game Selection:  My bread and butter games are 1/2 No Limit (buy-in $150), 5-200 Spread Limit and 2/5 No Limit ($500 buy-in).  I've done fairly well with 5/10 NL ($1,000 buy-in) in the past but I am not adequately rolled for that game and will not be playing it until my bankroll is at $20,000.  All things considered, I will primarly be playing 5-200 Spread limit. That is the juiciest game in the Bay Area.  It is as fishy as 1/2NL but the players have more money.  Once my bankroll hits $12,000 then i'll move up to 2/5NL

#3)  Cashing out while ahead.  This is the hardest thing for us poker players to do, but I got good at it last year when i was building up my roll.  Chris Ferguson wrote a great article about when to leave and how much of your bankroll you should use to play in tournaments (SnGs and MTTs).  I've modified the rule somewhat because he is sorta a nit (in a good way), but his underlying logic is sound.  Whenever 15% of my bankroll is on the table (due to me winning) its time to leave. 

The X factor in my strategy will also involve Online play. Playing online is low risk but high reward.  The only problem is that online, competition is a LOT TOUGHER than live play.  I know, that is tough for you live players and grinders to hear, but the truth is the truth.  I've had some success online, I cashed out for $6K before that stupid anti-gambling legislation passed a couple of years ago.  I also cashed for $2K last year.  Conversely, i've lost about $7K online so overall i'm a breakeven player online (though in my defense majority of my loses where from taking shots and not so much bad play, just bad bankroll management)

After I generate some profit from live play, I plan to roll a few hundred into online play.  It will take a while for that to generate serious monies from online though.  I could get lucky, go on a super heater and win a donkament for big money, but most likely it will be a couple of months before I can cash for anything over $1K online.

Why?  Well, with online play, your bankroll requirements are HUGE.  In order to play 1/2NL live, you can get away with having a bankroll of $1,000.  But in order to play 1/2NL online, you need a bankroll of at least $4K just to be able to handle the variance.  So, in order to comfortably cashout from your online bankroll, you need at least 30 buy-ins, and that's if you don't plan to try to move up in limit.

Anyways, that is a problem for a later date and not too much of an issue now since my focus will be on live play for the time being.

T-Minus 1 Day: Deciding on a Backer

I've never been staked before and found the prospect of starting the staking process to be somewhat stressful. 

Finding a backer is so much more than finding someone willing to take a risk on you.  Finding a backer is about initiating a business relationship and it is important that you and the backer are a good fit. 

My prospects narrowed down to two choices:
1)  A CEO type-A jerk with deep pockets
2)  A caring business woman whom i've dealt with in the past

I had more potential options but was reluctant to approach various friends/fellow players whom I play against on a daily basis.  It would just feel strange going to the same casinos and sitting at the same tables with people who would be backing me. 

Ultimately, I decided to go with option #2 and I can tell that I made the right choice.  She is a geniunely good person which will be important support-wise as i'm grinding through the weeks and months.  The staking is lower than what option #1 was willing to bear, but it is adequate and that is all that matters.  

Staking deals vary depending on the level of risk the backer is willing to tolerate, the skill and track record of the player in question, and of course the amount of the stake.  With all this in mind, we came up with a deal that we both feel good about. 

My backer is willing to assume 100% of the risk and in return I will payback on a weekly/bi-monthly basis with the goal of hitting a ROI of 300% within six months.  In addition, regardless if the 300% ROI has been reached or not, I will be splitting 50% of all tournament winnings within this six month window with my backer. 

Based on my winrate and record over the last year and a half, i'm very confident i'll hit those numbers.  This is an area that gets many poker players in trouble.  Most players think they are better than they are and don't have proven track records... 

Well, I just finished typing up the contracts and sent them to my Backer who I'll refer to as Ms. J throughout this blog. 

She agrees, says everything looks good, and we will be starting this relationship tomorrow.

T-Minus 2 Days: Reflections and Goals

As with most things in life, becoming a poker pro is harder than it looks. The lay person will tell you that its all just luck, that there is no skill involved, and that it is gambling.

But that is not the case.

Poker is a game in which skill plays a part. And whenever skill is involved, it is possible to obtain a positive expected value, or edge, as its known in the poker world.

I've played recreationally for years and did fairly well. So when I lost my job last year, I decided to take a shot and give poker a try.

Over the course of the year, i've had ups and downs, been king of the world as well as a pauper.

Now I'm starting over. I've learned from my mistakes and have the proper perspective. I am ready. It's my time to shine.

My goals for the year are simple.

• Give my backer an ROI of 300% within six months
• Grow bankroll to $100K
• Play one major $10K tourney.

Let the games begin.
lifeasapokerpro