Win Streak?

My last session of 2007 (at least I think it will be) was a pretty profitable one: +$150 playing $.25-$.50.

But, unlike last session, where I needed to hit lucky to come out on top, I had a real, real solid session, almost to the point of flawless. I played close to the vest and whenever there was a big pot, I made sure I was putting my money in with the best of it. My reads were on point and my deductive reasoning was dead-on.

There were three big hands:

PokerStars Game #14206837580: Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50) - 2007/12/30 - 15:56:12 (ET)Table 'Bishop III' 9-max Seat #7 is the buttonSeat 1: jarrad007 ($48.30 in chips) Seat 2: reda0010 ($10 in chips) Seat 3: SD-native24 ($60.40 in chips) Seat 4: canalla18 ($61.10 in chips) Seat 5: Caillette07 ($3.45 in chips) Seat 6: diablo4824 ($30.10 in chips) Seat 7: CaptainPL ($27.75 in chips) Seat 8: nickianthony ($56.25 in chips) Seat 9: Tripset30 ($47.50 in chips) nickianthony: posts small blind $0.25Tripset30: posts big blind $0.50
*** HOLE CARDS ***Dealt to Tripset30 [Ks Ah]
jarrad007: calls $0.50reda0010: folds SD-native24: calls $0.50canalla18: folds Caillette07: raises $2.95 to $3.45 and is all-indiablo4824: folds CaptainPL: folds nickianthony: folds Tripset30: calls $2.95jarrad007: calls $2.95SD-native24: calls $2.95
*** FLOP *** [Jh As 5s]Tripset30: checks jarrad007: checks SD-native24: bets $2.50Tripset30: raises $4.50 to $7jarrad007: folds SD-native24: calls $4.50
*** TURN *** [Jh As 5s] [Ts]Tripset30: checks SD-native24: bets $10Tripset30: raises $27.05 to $37.05 and is all-inSD-native24: calls $27.05
*** RIVER *** [Jh As 5s Ts] [4s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***Tripset30: shows [Ks Ah] (a flush, Ace high)SD-native24: shows [Th Js] (a flush, Ace high - lower cards)Tripset30 collected $85.80 from side potCaillette07: mucks hand Tripset30 collected $13.35 from main potSD-native24 said, "you are so lucky boy :-)"*** SUMMARY ***Total pot $102.15 Main pot $13.35. Side pot $85.80. Rake $3 Board [Jh As 5s Ts 4s]Seat 1: jarrad007 folded on the FlopSeat 2: reda0010 folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 3: SD-native24 showed [Th Js] and lost with a flush, Ace highSeat 4: canalla18 folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 5: Caillette07 mucked [Kh Ad]Seat 6: diablo4824 folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 7: CaptainPL (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 8: nickianthony (small blind) folded before FlopSeat 9: Tripset30 (big blind) showed [Ks Ah] and won ($99.15) with a flush, Ace high

Okay, let me first address SD-native's comment. Maybe I was lucky to hit my flush on the river, but with top pair and the nut flush draw, I don't think I'm going anywhere. Plus, what the hell is he doing calling a check-raise on the flop with middle pair, especially when I'd played maybe 15% of my hands prior to the flop? Come on, now.


PokerStars Game #14207065056: Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50) - 2007/12/30 - 16:05:41 (ET)Table 'Bishop III' 9-max Seat #7 is the buttonSeat 1: jarrad007 ($43.60 in chips) Seat 2: reda0010 ($9.25 in chips) Seat 3: SD-native24 ($14.75 in chips) Seat 4: canalla18 ($62.55 in chips) Seat 5: ehans21 ($49.25 in chips) Seat 6: diablo4824 ($27.85 in chips) Seat 7: CaptainPL ($28.20 in chips) Seat 8: nickianthony ($58.05 in chips) Seat 9: Tripset30 ($97.85 in chips) nickianthony: posts small blind $0.25Tripset30: posts big blind $0.50
*** HOLE CARDS ***Dealt to Tripset30 [6s 5s]jarrad007: folds reda0010: folds SD-native24: folds canalla18: folds ehans21: folds diablo4824: raises $1.50 to $2CaptainPL: folds nickianthony: folds Tripset30: calls $1.50
*** FLOP *** [3s 4s 5d]Tripset30: checks diablo4824: bets $2Tripset30: raises $4 to $6diablo4824: calls $4
*** TURN *** [3s 4s 5d] [7d]Tripset30: bets $11diablo4824: calls $11
*** RIVER *** [3s 4s 5d 7d] [Qc]Tripset30: bets $9diablo4824: calls $8.85 and is all-in
*** SHOW DOWN ***Tripset30: shows [6s 5s] (a straight, Three to Seven)diablo4824: mucks hand Tripset30 collected $53.25 from potdiablo4824 leaves the table*** SUMMARY ***Total pot $55.95 Rake $2.70 Board [3s 4s 5d 7d Qc]Seat 1: jarrad007 folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 2: reda0010 folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 3: SD-native24 folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 4: canalla18 folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 5: ehans21 folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 6: diablo4824 mucked [9c 9s]Seat 7: CaptainPL (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 8: nickianthony (small blind) folded before FlopSeat 9: Tripset30 (big blind) showed [6s 5s] and won ($53.25) with a straight, Three to Seven

Diablo had been playing fairly tight, and I felt like I could outplay him after the flop. In a lot of cases I'm getting about 2-1 on my money, and even though that didn't end up being the case I figured it was worth a shot.

I couldn't have asked for a better flop. 3-4-5, giving me top pair, an open-ended straight flush draw and, obviously, an open-ended straight possibility. I checked, and he bet. I figured he'd fire in some sort of continuation bet, and he did. After he called my check-raise, I definitely put him on an over-pair but no better than 10s. I would have heard about it.

Then of course, the seven comes on the turn. A lot of people check there, but knowing that he had an overpair I figured it better that I bet because if I check he's just checking behind me. Plus, if I check it's almost screaming out that I have a straight and I'm gonna make a value bet on the river. By betting it almost looks like I'm trying to scare him off the hand.

And then, well, pot odds probably forced him to call on the river. At that point there was like $44 in the pot and he merely had to call an additional nine. Funny, some dude after the hand was like, "Are you kidding me?" To paraphrase what Doyle Brunson said, you're supposed to hit your draws sometimes.

PokerStars Game #14207617909: Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50) - 2007/12/30 - 16:28:30 (ET)Table 'Bishop III' 9-max Seat #9 is the buttonSeat 2: reda0010 ($9.50 in chips) Seat 3: poker.fr ($49.50 in chips) Seat 4: canalla18 ($62.65 in chips) Seat 5: ehans21 ($55.20 in chips) Seat 6: Monarch44 ($50.50 in chips) Seat 8: nickianthony ($57.30 in chips) Seat 9: Tripset30 ($125.15 in chips) julienlebcbg will be allowed to play after the buttonreda0010: posts small blind $0.25poker.fr: posts big blind $0.50
*** HOLE CARDS ***Dealt to Tripset30 [Kd Kh]canalla18: raises $2 to $2.50ehans21: folds Monarch44: folds nickianthony: folds Tripset30: raises $4.50 to $7reda0010: folds poker.fr: calls $6.50canalla18: calls $4.50
*** FLOP *** [9d 4c 6d]poker.fr: checks canalla18: checks Tripset30: bets $12poker.fr: folds ehans21 is disconnected canalla18: raises $43.65 to $55.65 and is all-inTripset30 said, "jesus"Tripset30: calls $43.65
*** TURN *** [9d 4c 6d] [7h]
*** RIVER *** [9d 4c 6d 7h] [9c]*** SHOW DOWN ***canalla18: shows [Qs Qc] (two pair, Queens and Nines)Tripset30: shows [Kd Kh] (two pair, Kings and Nines)Tripset30 collected $129.55 from pot*** SUMMARY ***Total pot $132.55 Rake $3 Board [9d 4c 6d 7h 9c]Seat 2: reda0010 (small blind) folded before FlopSeat 3: poker.fr (big blind) folded on the FlopSeat 4: canalla18 showed [Qs Qc] and lost with two pair, Queens and NinesSeat 5: ehans21 folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 6: Monarch44 folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 8: nickianthony folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 9: Tripset30 (button) showed [Kd Kh] and won ($129.55) with two pair, Kings and Nines

Obviously this was a huge hand. I had a feeling it would be when Canalla raised to $2.50 pre-flop, a huge raise anywhere except in some of the home games I frequent. I have no idea why poker.fr cold-called, but I guess it doesn't really matter. What does matter is that Canalla just smooth-called.

The flop wasn't really scary, but I admit I was really shook when Canalla made it $55.65 to go. For a moment I thought, "Damn, isn't this some karma? I sucked out on aces last night with kings, and now he's hit his set on my kings." However, I quickly determined that that couldn't be the case.

$2.50 UTG with nines, sixes, or fours? That's suicidal, and that's not the type of player I'd determined Canalla to be in the two hours or so I sat with him.

Obviously, the only other hand that scared me would be aces. While $2.50 UTG could fulfill that criteria, smooth calling against me with position and with establishing a tight image just wasn't feasible. I put him on queens or jacks and called. Thankfully, I was right.

This is a hell of a way to end 2007. Now, let me go get some money out from ePassporte.

Finally.

Luck Starting to Turn (Flop or River)?

I really shouldn't jinx myself, especially when technically I'm still playing. Hold up, let me leave the table so that this becomes official.

Wow, I just got felted...




Just kidding, but honestly with the kind of year I'm having, would you have questioned it?

Weird session tonight. I thought I played real solid, probably one of my better overall showings of the year in terms of how I played. And yet, I should have been felted. Twice.

PokerStars Game #14195964704: Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50) - 2007/12/30 - 04:30:42 (ET)Table 'Ilioneus III' 9-max Seat #8 is the buttonSeat 1: viva el rio ($8.50 in chips) Seat 3: n2itiv4real ($19.15 in chips) Seat 4: Claedeus ($11 in chips) Seat 5: rain6804 ($52.50 in chips) Seat 6: HelenofPoker ($56 in chips) Seat 7: Tripset30 ($56.50 in chips) Seat 8: mayhem29 ($90.45 in chips) Seat 9: lordvolk ($50.25 in chips) lordvolk: posts small blind $0.25viva el rio: posts big blind $0.50rieke07: sits out
*** HOLE CARDS ***Dealt to Tripset30 [Kh Kc]n2itiv4real: folds Claedeus: folds rain6804: folds HelenofPoker: raises $1.50 to $2Tripset30: raises $4 to $6mayhem29: folds lordvolk: folds viva el rio: folds HelenofPoker: raises $14.50 to $20.50Tripset30: raises $36 to $56.50 and is all-inHelenofPoker: calls $35.50 and is all-in
*** FLOP *** [8s Ks 6s]
*** TURN *** [8s Ks 6s] [4h]
*** RIVER *** [8s Ks 6s 4h] [7h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***HelenofPoker: shows [Ad As] (a pair of Aces)Tripset30: shows [Kh Kc] (three of a kind, Kings)Tripset30 collected $109.75 from pot*** SUMMARY ***Total pot $112.75 Rake $3 Board [8s Ks 6s 4h 7h]Seat 1: viva el rio (big blind) folded before FlopSeat 3: n2itiv4real folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 4: Claedeus folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 5: rain6804 folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 6: HelenofPoker showed [Ad As] and lost with a pair of AcesSeat 7: Tripset30 showed [Kh Kc] and won ($109.75) with three of a kind, KingsSeat 8: mayhem29 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 9: lordvolk (small blind) folded before Flop

Pretty lucky. HelenofPoker criticized me for re-raising all-in pre-flop, but honestly I put him/her on queens through tens not because I'm an optimist, but because he/she had been playing erratically and I had re-popped him/her pre-flop before and I thought he/she was trying to send a message. Of course, the whole third raise thing should have let me know what was up, but whatever... won't be the last time I suck out, I thought.

Then...

PokerStars Game #14196140302: Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50) - 2007/12/30 - 04:50:23 (ET)Table 'Ilioneus III' 9-max Seat #1 is the buttonSeat 1: KMERCURIO ($46.45 in chips) Seat 2: rieke07 ($10.95 in chips) Seat 3: n2itiv4real ($46.35 in chips) Seat 4: Claedeus ($12.55 in chips) Seat 5: rain6804 ($59.95 in chips) Seat 6: HelenofPoker ($20.85 in chips) Seat 7: Tripset30 ($105.40 in chips) Seat 8: neveragain18 ($49.25 in chips) Seat 9: lordvolk ($39.25 in chips) rieke07: posts small blind $0.25n2itiv4real: posts big blind $0.50*** HOLE CARDS ***Dealt to Tripset30 [Kh Kd]
Claedeus: folds rain6804: folds HelenofPoker: folds Tripset30: raises $1 to $1.50neveragain18: folds lordvolk: folds KMERCURIO: raises $3.50 to $5rieke07: folds n2itiv4real: folds Tripset30: calls $3.50
*** FLOP *** [9s Th 8d]Tripset30: checks KMERCURIO: bets $2.50Tripset30: raises $4.50 to $7KMERCURIO: raises $34.45 to $41.45 and is all-inTripset30: calls $34.45
*** TURN *** [9s Th 8d] [7c]
*** RIVER *** [9s Th 8d 7c] [Kc]
*** SHOW DOWN ***Tripset30: shows [Kh Kd] (three of a kind, Kings)KMERCURIO: mucks hand Tripset30 collected $90.65 from pot*** SUMMARY ***Total pot $93.65 Rake $3 Board [9s Th 8d 7c Kc]Seat 1: KMERCURIO (button) mucked [Ac As]Seat 2: rieke07 (small blind) folded before FlopSeat 3: n2itiv4real (big blind) folded before FlopSeat 4: Claedeus folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 5: rain6804 folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 6: HelenofPoker folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 7: Tripset30 showed [Kh Kd] and won ($90.65) with three of a kind, KingsSeat 8: neveragain18 folded before Flop (didn't bet)Seat 9: lordvolk folded before Flop (didn't bet)

This time I'm a little more careful with my kings pre-flop, only calling the re-pop, not wanting to balloon the pot too much before the flop. I check the 8-9-10 flop seeing if he showed any weakness, and in my opinion a bet of $2.50 after a re-pop to $3.50 was weak, totally post-oakish and that he had A-K. Of course, when he came back over top of me I saw that he read Super/System II, too. Why I called, I have no idea. I forget completely what I was thinking at the time, if anything. Actually my "guess" at the time was that he had either jacks or a set from the board, and I went with jacks, praying that a 7 or Q didn't fall. I didn't think I'd need the king on the river to win.

Goddamn, I got so lucky. Twice.

But, the way this year has been, maybe I was due for a miracle suck-out. Maybe this is the kind of thing that can jumpstart my 2008, for it has been a porous 2007 poker-wise and legally.

Anywho, some poker resolutions for the year 2008.

• Limit my play of marginal hands: I'm trying more or less to get back to a tight-aggressive style in an effort to limit the constant teeter-totter nature of my results. I know every now and then I need to mix it up, but playing 8-5 suited everytime? Nopes.
• Shore up my play on the turn and river: I can really change that to all facets of hold 'em, but I need the most work on the turn and river, because that's where I'm losing most of my money. I get way too involved with just medium strong holdings at those points.
• Pay more attention: A big reason for my poor 2007 was my inability to read opponents or capitalize on tendencies, which used to be a pretty decent facet of my game. For one reason or another I've had trouble focusing at the poker table. I've become too tunnel-visioned in my own holdings.
• Stay positive: I mean both in net and in attitude. I've been so down on my play that I'm almost shell-shocked every time I sit down. I need to start trusting my instincts and just make the right play for the given situation.

Yeah, team Tripset had a down year, but then again so did 50 Cent. While I don't have near his bankroll, I can take a lesson from him in maintaining swagger.

2008: Get Rich or Stop Playing

Slump Broken?

Really, you say?

Is it possible that Justin "Tripset30" Cherot actually had a good session?

That produced profit?

Yes, it is. By no means am I claiming to be world-beater (especially after blowing a sizeable 3-1 chip lead in my last sit-n-go), but I think tonight I had my most solid session in about six months. I only played two low limit sit n go's tonight, but I saw some really encouraging signs that my slump is, if not done, about to be a memory.

Sit-n-go poker is definitely different than cash game poker, but I can take principles learned from playing tonight and apply them to my next cash game. One thing I did tonight that maybe I hadn't done in a long time is really focus, and I think I can attribute that to the fact that making a profit at such small limits wasn't as important to me as working on my game and making the correct decisions at the table. Or, if not always making the right decision, at least not the costly one.

I made some good laydowns and some hands where I called with the thinness, once for all my chips. My recall was sharp and my deductive reasoning was on point. I felt like tonight was a real good night...

But, perfectionist that I am, the last hand I played tonight really bugs me.

My dumbass didn't save the hand history, so I shall re-construct it in pure Justin Cherot form.
Lemme set the table:

Five or six hands into heads-up with the blinds at 100-200 (quick tourney). The villain, a loose-aggressive but solid player, had me by about 1500 chips, like 7500-6000 or something like that. I came in with the chip lead but he was the aggressor, raising every button and check-raising two flops when I led out.

The hand before I felt like I had had the best hand with a pair of fours on a K-K-4-6-A board, but I folded, not wanting to risk my tourney life on a pair of fours. The next hand, I guess I try to send a message by raising on the button with K-3 off, a message that I'm not easily bullied or detered by attempts at bullying. I wasn't surprised when he called. After all, heads-up is a different ball game.

The flop came 4-6-3, two spades. He checked to me, and I fired $400. I wanted it to look like a continuation bet, because I thought that at that point I was winning. I wanted him to check-raise, and he did exactly that, a min. raise, same shit with the K-K-4 flop the hand before.

I really thought I had him, and I just smooth-called. Yes, I was slow-playing bottom pair because I thought I had him.

The turn was a K. Money card, especially in heads-up! I checked to him, this time hoping I could get a check-raise in. He bet $1200. I thought for a minute and really thought he was trying to run me over. Then, I back-tracked. Maybe he really did have a set, or 5-7. But, I came back to my senses. Why wouldn't he just let me hang myself, why wouldn't he just check-call? I re-popped all-in, and when he paused initially I thought I had caught him, maybe even scared him away from the hand.

Turned out his Internet connection was weak. He had 7-5 of hearts. I prayed futilely for the miracle K or 3, but, well, even online poker shouldn't reward such a miscue.

You can make the case that, especially in heads-up, once I hit the turn as hard as I did there was no turning back. But, honestly, I got outplayed. Hey, it happens. More often than it honestly should, but it happens.

That doesn't change the fact that for the most part I felt really good about tonight. I'm hoping I can ride the momentum.

"We just might be okay... after all."

Seriously...

Try this exercise.

Find the last time I reported profit in this blog (and no, that's not including the sarcastic $3 post)I made. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Okay, I think I found it, but the funny part is I wasn't really reporting a "profit". It was more an amusing anecdote about how "well" I played A-K. The only thing that really tipped me off to that being a "profit" post is because I went into the whole Prahlad Friedman rap in the end (if you really haven't seen it by now, click his name). I was happy, giddy like a little school girl in church.

I'm not saying that poker ever used to be easy. Quite the contrary. I remember nights getting my ass handed to me in the beginning when I first started playing. Shit, I even remember sometimes playing against Langan (a freqeunt commenter on this blog) and asking if I could check or not. Mis-read boards, out of position bets, the whole nine. I would give people money.

I guess what I'm saying is that I really shouldn't be struggling the way I am. My poker growth chart would go something like this, and I guess I've been playing consistently for, what, almost five years now:

My first year I played with Monopoly pieces while still learning the rules.

Between my first and second year I went from worst to maybe second best at my now disbanded home game (the best player in that game I don't think really plays anymore).

Between my second and third year I was inconsistent but every once in awhile I would show flashes of brilliance that would really make me think I can turn this into more than just a typical hobby. Coincidentally this is also when I started playing online for money.

And, then there's this year, the equivalent of my senior year at poker university, the year where I should have put together all of the inconsistency and maybe--just maybe--worked my bankroll into something substantial, not like six figure substantial but decent.

But, let's be real.

I have developed so many holes in my game over the course of the past year that I feel I'm beyond repair. If this isn't rock bottom, I do not want to know what that feels like. I've read all these books and watched all these movies and yet, I have no concept at all of what it really means to have and maintain a bankroll. I'll do something dumb like play $1-$2 knowing that I only have like $1200 in my real account. I've played all of these hands and yet, I still call with two pair with a straight or flush possibility on the board when it's OBVIOUS that I have to make that laydown. I read and read and read about not being too loose, or at least not loose passive, and here I go, limping from early position with 5-4 off-suit trying to hit God knows what on the flop. I bet when I should check, check when I should bet, get run over by bullies, etc., etc.

Dog. I fucking suck.

Unlike in previous years, I do not feel myself getting any better or growing as a poker player. I keep making the same dumbass mistakes that most reasonable people learn within minutes of learning how to play hold 'em. And, here's the kicker.

I've found a somewhat consistent home game, and with all honesty you know what? I am by far the worst player in that game. It's not even that tough a game! But, I am by far the absolute worst player in that game.

I can't even name a player I'm better than right now. I really can't.

I've got to stop kidding myself into thinking I can do anything with this game.

Mike Caro's Threshold of Misery

It's no secret: for the past six months I have played some of the most awful poker known to man. The support from my poker playing friends has been everything from "Hang in there" to "Take a hiatus". I'm more leaning towards the latter, but I've always been an optimist. Sooner or later the numbers will catch up, I'll start playing better and I'll have a WSOP bracelet.

Just making sure you were paying attention.

But, after one particular session a couple of weeks ago where I played horrendous, I went back to the drawing board for a minute and picked up Doyle Brunson's Super System 2, a title that Jim McManus, author of Positively Fifth Street, says makes no sense at all. Well, the title I don't neccesarily get, but when players drop as many jewels as they do in that book, it could be Doyle Brunson: Limping Made Gangsta for all I care. For anybody reading this blog, you're not really any kind of poker player until you've read the book.

I mention Super System because as I was glancing back over some chapters on trying to piece back together my fundamentals, I stumbled over Mike Caro's chapter. Now, I know he has his own book and everything with a lot of the same information, but there was one section in particular that got my attention, and it sums up a lot of not only what's been going on at the poker table, but my life as well.

I shall give you the most important snippet from his "Threshold of Misery" section:

"Few concepts have resonated with students more than Caro's Threshold of Misery. I continually receive letters, e-mails, and face to face thanks from both poker players and people in the "real world", telling me how much this simple truth has meant to them.

"Here's how it goes: suppose you're a small to medium limit player, and you can envision yourself comfortably losing a maximum of $1,500 today. I'm not suggesting that you'll be happy about losing that much, just that you can comfortably handle it and that anything more will begin to feel uncomfortable.

"Okay, now you find yourself down $500, then $1,100, then--before it registers, you've zoomed past $1,500 and are losing $1,800. You've entered dangerous territory. And it gets worse. And worse. Hours later, you find yourself losing $4,530. Now, your mind is numb. I believe that most people at this point can't mentally comprehend added losses. It all feels the same. You've crossed into Caro's Threshold of Misery, which is the point where mental and emotional pain is maximized and anything further won't register.

"You must be aware when you cross that threshold, because beyond it decisions don't seem to matter. This is true in real life, too. When romances unravel or businesses fail, you might cross the Threshold of Misery and stop caring about making critical decisions. That's because the pain is already maximized and anything else that goes wrong can't add to the agony... at these times, in poker and in life, the secret is to keep performing like you care."

And, I can say that on the poker table and in some other portions of my life, this theory rings so true. I can almost feel myself get that way in live cash games, when I get a big hand cracked and the next hand raise with 5-4 off because deep down I know that if I lose that pot it's not going to make me feel any worse.

On a grander scale of poker, from game to game I mean, it's like losing $40 isn't going to be that awful. Why? Because I've dropped a couple thousand this year, and what's another $40? That's the wrong way to approach poker.

That's the wrong way to approach life.

Even though shit really isn't panning out the way I thought it would, with poker, school--shit, my relationships, I have to get out of this mindset that, "Oh, who cares what I do? Everything's fucked up anyway."

Like Caro says, no matter what the results are, I have to keep performing as though I care, as though there is something at stake. That's the only way I'm going to bust out of this slump. No small ball gimics. No drastic changes in strategy (for the most part). I just have to perform the absolute best I can.

In all facets of life.

I used to give a fuck, now I can give a fuck less?
Fuck that, I done been under enough stress.

Opposite Eminem

"I used to give a fuck, now I can give a fuck-less."


What do I think of success, wait it's the wrong subject,
I think my set is good, until the third club hits,
Then my success turns into over my budget,
After awhile I have to suspect my game has no substance,
Used to make smart plays, now I succumb to dumbness,
At the table I suffer from numbness,
I get comfortable, so much so I get undressed,
They bend me over, penetrate me with the hard deck,
I'm a Target, I paint my own bullseye, dead center,
Of my heart, it gets cut with diamonds,
'Till I bleed like hymens, 'cept my cherry's been popped,
I ain't runnin', I been got, like Cam'ron I been shot,
Now I'm runnin' in the red, shit, when will this stop?
I used to give a fuckless, now I give a fuck,
And that's the only reason I'm losin', let's flip-flop,
Then maybe I'll get back in shape, tip-top.

Sickest Thing I've Ever Seen...

Sorry I haven't blogged lately. In all honesty, I just haven't played much lately due to legal issues up the ass.

But... I do have to show you something absolutely sick...

These hand histories are not altered in anyway.


Hand #47422571-1031 at Ola (No Limit Hold'em)Started at 11/Nov/07 23:34:37

handbanana21 is at seat 0 with $58.15. party5100 is at seat 1 with $49.75. Tripset 30 is at seat 2 with $47.25. sambra80 is at seat 3 with $54.90. Booger888 is at seat 4 with $30.80. RubbaBandMan9 is at seat 5 with $58.30. The button is at seat 3. Booger888 posts the small blind of $.25. RubbaBandMan9 posts the big blind of $.50.
handbanana21: -- -- party5100: -- -- Tripset 30: 4d 3d sambra80: -- -- Booger888: -- -- RubbaBandMan9: -- --
Pre-flop: handbanana21 raises to $1.75. party5100 folds. Tripset 30 folds. sambra80 folds. Booger888 calls. RubbaBandMan9 calls.
Flop (board: Ks Ac 5d): Booger888 checks. RubbaBandMan9 checks. handbanana21 checks.
Turn (board: Ks Ac 5d Ad): Booger888 checks. RubbaBandMan9 checks. handbanana21 checks.
River (board: Ks Ac 5d Ad Ah): Booger888 checks. RubbaBandMan9 checks. handbanana21 checks.

Showdown: Booger888 shows As Qh. Booger888 has As Ks Ac Ad Ah: four aces. RubbaBandMan9 mucks cards. (RubbaBandMan9 has 9s 8h.) handbanana21 mucks cards. (handbanana21 has Td Ts.)
Hand #47422571-1031 Summary: $.25 is raked from a pot of $5.25. $.50 jackpot contribution is raked. Booger888 wins $4.50 with four aces.




Hand #47422571-1032 at Ola (No Limit Hold'em)Started at 11/Nov/07 23:35:25

handbanana21 is at seat 0 with $56.40. Tripset 30 is at seat 2 with $47.25. sambra80 is at seat 3 with $54.90. Booger888 is at seat 4 with $33.55. RubbaBandMan9 is at seat 5 with $56.55. The button is at seat 4. RubbaBandMan9 posts the small blind of $.25. handbanana21 posts the big blind of $.50.
handbanana21: -- -- Tripset 30: 2s Ac sambra80: -- -- Booger888: -- -- RubbaBandMan9: -- --
Pre-flop: Tripset 30 raises to $1.50. sambra80 folds. Booger888 calls. RubbaBandMan9 calls. handbanana21 folds.
Flop (board: Th Td Jc): RubbaBandMan9 checks. Tripset 30 bets $2.50. Booger888 calls. RubbaBandMan9 folds.
Turn (board: Th Td Jc Tc): Tripset 30 checks. Booger888 checks.
River (board: Th Td Jc Tc Kh): Tripset 30 checks. Booger888 bets $5. Tripset 30 folds. Booger888 is returned $5 (uncalled).
Booger888 opts to show Qc Ts. Booger888 has Ts Th Td Tc Kh: four tens.
Hand #47422571-1032 Summary: $.50 is raked from a pot of $10. $.50 jackpot contribution is raked. Booger888 wins $9.

Not a misprint: Booger888 had quads twice in less than one minute. That is probably the most insane thing I've seen at a poker table, live or online.

Close second is when, merely a half an hour before that, I got knocked out of a tourney where I put a dude all-in for almost the rest of my chips with Qs on a board of 10-9-6 (two spades but hardly the point) and I get called by A-2 off. Yes, I lost this hand.

Leave your sickest poker stories under comments.

PROFIT!!!

And, I'm not kidding when I say this, I'm ecstatic. I played my ass off tonight. Good to break out of the slump!!!!


Now, I just have to find out how to spend my $3.

...

I have no fucking clue what's wrong with me.

I am currently going through the absolute sickest run in my poker "career". Usually when I say sick, it's some sort of crazy slang that kids use, like, "Did you see that sick Nate Robinson dunk?" or such. No.

I mean sick as in I have the urge to vomit without caring if I get anything in the toilet.

And, basically that's where my game is: in the toilet. I like, can't do anything right at the poker table, online or live. The funny thing is that I cannot blame it on a bad run of cards. I am playing really fucking bad right now. My poker swagger is completely gone. It's gotten to the point where I feel really lucky if I win a pot. As a matter of fact, I feel like I have to get lucky to win a pot. My middle pair has to hit again on the turn or the river, or I have to hit my inside straight draw or my flush draw against the odds to win a pot.

It's not like I'm playing against Phil Hellmuth, either. I'm struggling against average poker players, everyday run of the mill poker players (note to some people who read this more regularly than others: this doesn't include you). Seriously, something's got to change.

I'm smarter poker-wise than I was last year, but it doesn't translate to the actual game, and for whatever reason I'm making ten times as many mistakes. It's fuckin' depressing as hell.

I feel like a basketball team who shoots 20% from the floor against a team that shoots in the mid 60's: like everything that could possibly go wrong is going wrong and there's nothing I can do about it.

I've tried literally everything, and it seems like the harder I try, the worse I play. I just need to TASTE a positive session. That's all; all I want is to be $1 in the black.

$1. Is that too much to ask?

4-2!?

Sometimes I just don't know.

Like, I truly believe poker is a game of skill, a test of wits, psychological warfare carried out on the felt (or virtual felt). It's a game where you not only calculate odds, but tendencies. When played correctly, it transcends art.

But, then again, there are days--like today--where I feel like all of that can get thrown out the window and ladyluck gives some poor sap a blowjob under the table.

Let me set the table for this one: I've got like $45 in a $.25-$.50 game on Ultimatebet. At one point I had like 80 something, but little mistakes here and there cost me, and, well, I was back down to earth (not that 80 is rushing or anything, but...). I've got A-7 off in the small blind. Folded to the button, an erratic player, who called. I call. Big blind, who had just gotten to the table but hadn't made much noise sitting with around $35, checked.

Flop comes 4-2-7, two diamonds. I'm feelin' the check-raise vibe because I don't want to see a turn with this hand, so I complete part I of the master plan. Big blind thinks for a minute and bets $1.25 into a $1.50 pot. Button calls (he literally can have anything at this point). Back to me, and I raise to $3.50. BB thinks for a minute and calls. At that point I put him on two pair or a decent 7, maybe even A-7. Button folds.

Turn is a ten of hearts, making the board double-suited. I bet $8 into about a $10 pot. He calls.
Now I'm DEFINTELY putting him on two pair.

The river is a queen of hearts, possible flush showing. In full blown Mike Matusow mode, I put him all-in. He thinks real hard, and of course he calls with 4-2 suited. Two piece.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "Justin, why the hell are you blogging about this hand? You dug your own grave by being over-aggressive like you usually get after an hour or so. You knew he had a big hand, and that it would take much better story-telling to get him to lay that down. I've lost all respect for you as a player, if I ever had any."

Believe it or not, that's not the hand. After he made that not too overly difficult call against me, I gave him credit as a solid player. Oh boy.

Two hands later I'm dealt JJ Redick. With $13 left, I have enough to not overly panic and push with 26 BBs left, so I raise to $2 with the artist formerly known as the erratic bubble boy behind me. Well, artist formerly known as BB called, as did the actual BB (who at one point had like $212 but had fallen back to reality) and dude in front of me. Great, they think I'm tilting.

Flop comes 10-8-4, two clubs I think. Everybody checks to me.

"Fuck it," I said. "No one has shown any real strength, but for some reason I feel like if I push now I'll get at least one caller."

Push by me. I get two callers: my nemesis' from the previous discussion. I put both of them on tens, until they both check the turn, a 5 of diamonds. I'm thinking to myself, "No ten, no eight, no four."

The river is a four. Okay, not the best card in the world, but, come on... how can you still be in this pot with a...

Dude right behind me bet $10 into what was now a $40 pot. Are you serious?

I knew it before the cards were turned over, that my man had a 4. Maybe A-4 suited.

No. He had 4-2 suited.

...

Okay, so let's break this hand down from his perspective. Believe it or not, I don't have a huge problem with him calling before the flop. It's not the best play in the world, but let's assume that he knew the limper would also call. 4-2 is pretty weak, but he is getting almost 3-1, plus it's suited. I've made such calls, and sometimes I do flop big hands, and playing those connectors can be pretty deceptive if the flop is good. Not in love with the call, but hey, these Internet kids are crazy, so I'll give the call a B- (I'll give him the benefit of the doubt).

On the flop, I like the check. Some people bet out to see where they're at, but checking is right. A+.

But, here is where it goes all wrong. When I go all-in, I may be tilting. I mean, I could have had A-K, A-Q, or A-J, but here's the thing... with two other people behind you, how can you try to make a hero call like that? Oh, and in terms of relative hand strength, you hit the board, but you have the absolute worst kicker in the world. I mean, let's say I'm just making a continuation bet. I raised for a reason; pocket fives would have him crushed. F---(take that as either "F" triple minus or something else).

Ugh. I'm gonna be dreaming about 4-2 all night, because it literally cost me close to a buy-in tonight.

Poker is the most excruciating game in the world. Why do I put myself through so much abuse?

Then again... when I hit quads with 4-2 next time, it'll be the new 8-5.

Harrington On Hold 'Em

Cash games haven't been too good to me lately. I've actually gone through about a two month period of playing like absolute dog shit in cash games. I haven't been properly executing small ball, in essence doing what Daniel Negreanu says most players end up doing when adopting small ball--over-extending my hand range.

However, I don't think it's any coincidence that I've been playing better in tournaments. Know why? It's because I limit my hand range to much stricter requirements, a strategy I should start implementing more in my cash games. I'm playing on Ultimatebet.com right now, and I've been doing nothing but playing large 300 + tourneys. Finished seventh in one (where I really should have won as the chip leader for almost half the tournament but...) and I've cashed in two others. 42% success rate in big tournaments isn't bad at all.

Still, in those tournaments, everytime I got knocked out it wasn't because I got unlucky. I made some legitimate bone-headed ass plays to kick me to the rail. For example, 29 BB left near the bubble, and I come over the top of two raisers with pocket tens (guy who called had JJ Redick). Or, how about this one: 50 times the BB after grinding to get that many chips, only to come over the top of a guy who had me covered with only A-Q off. Big mistake on my part, taking a coin flip knowing that he was an aggressive player who hadn't shown that he was capable of laying down a hand (he had 6-6).

Mistakes aside, I think working out of Dan Harrington's Harrington on Hold 'Em: Volume III has helped my tournament game a lot. It gives you good insight for playing after the flop and playing the bubble, two things I have improved but still need work on.

I bring up the Harrington book because it has a scoring system to help evaluate your play. I felt like I made a ton of mistakes in the book, but out of 591 possible points, I scored 457, much better than I thought I would have. In the description in the back of the book, Harrington interprets the score as, "A very good player who should show solid profit in big tournaments."

So, theoretically I should be dominating the field. I should have had a six figure cash by now, a Porsche to compensate for inadequate manhood, and a butler who tells me how good I am. But, the truth is I'm not.

The financial results say that I'm just another fish (literally) in the sea. I eat other fish sometimes, but for the most part I'm the main course. Per the results, I'm certainly no shark.

But, what I learned from this book was that my lack of success doesn't have to do with lack of knowledge. I'm not going to say I know poker inside and out, because I don't, but I know enough to do much better than I have been. No, my lack of success comes with my over-reliance on my heart instead of my head in the heat of the moment.

When I'm talking poker, I'm quick to say, "Oh yeah, what is he doing pushing with A-Q off?"

"Pocket tens in the face of two raisers? Save your chips."

"You flopped a small flush, but what did you think when he raised you? I would have laid it down."

Throughout my career, in the face of anxiety, I have been a losing player. I can bet a set on the flop for value and check the turn, check-raise on river with nothing successfully, or steal the blinds under the gun with 5-2 off (true story), but I can't fold aces at any point in the hand, drop the second nut flush, or fold a boat.

It's mental. It's all mental. And, until I figure out how to get out of my own way, 457 score or not, I will be a losing player.

I've been dry from real money poker for the last three and a half weeks, but poker is still a presence in my life that I can hardly escape, nor do I really want to.

I've been playing Poker Academy 2.0 a couple times a week not only working on my game but also my money management. I simulated what I want to do when I actually do accumulate some scratch, and that is I started myself with a $1,000 bankroll and I try to play within my limits. I've mostly been hitting up $.25-$.50, $.50-$1 and a couple $50 buy-in tournaments. You may laugh and ask, "How can a computer program possibly be as realistic as online and live poker?"

Like online and live poker, each player in the program has a completely different style, and the better ones adapt to your game at a faster rate. To be honest, I feel like the computer has put me in just as many marginal situations as real poker. I feel my game improving, and I guess that's the purpose.

But enough about me and more about the World Series of Poker. Up until the granddaddy of them all, I'd been following the series casually. I know that Phil Hellmuth and Allen Cunningham both notched bracelets (Hellmuth's record setting 11th) and that Tom Schneider, the WSOP player of the year, is having a hell of a tournament with three final tables and a bracelet. However, maybe it's ESPN's fault, but I feel it's all about what happens in the main event.

Play started two days ago, and I can already tell that this year's field will be much smaller than last year's. It'll probably be around the size of the 2005 main event when more than 5,500 sat.

There are storylines buzzing all around, but for me it comes down to this: recognizeable veteran, Internet whizkid, or average Joe off the street who decided to give the WSOP a try?

It'd be cool to see one of the first two come away with the title this year, but the beauty of the series is the fact that anyone can win.

With that in mind, here are some of the players I'm rooting for:

Daniel Negreanu
He's probably one of the top five poker players in the world in my estimation, and he's proven that with 26 cashes and three bracelets, but in order to be the best, he's got to conquer the massive main event field. I don't know if his crafty style of play translates very well to this huge field of amateurs, but no one has better instincts than this man.

Phil Ivey
You can probably cut and paste a lot of what I said about Negreanu and transfer it down to Ivey. He's got five bracelets (amazingly none in Hold 'Em) and 26 cashes, and if you ask people who the best player in the world is, Ivey is definitely on that short-list. If he doesn't get too bored I think he'll at least cash, but if he gets hungry, I really do think he's got a shot.

Paul Wasicka
He finished 2nd last year, which is cool and all but I wanted to see what he did after the WSOP. Well, he's actually one of the hottest players of the past 12 months, having amassed a sick run of finishes which included the National Heads-Up Championship this year and a 4th place finish at the LA Classic. His tight-aggressive game is geared perfectly for this tournament, and it seems like he's always making the right decision. Plus, his backstory of how he got started kind of reminds me of me.

Joe Hachem
He followed up his win in 2005 with an impressive 2006, and while he's been fairly quiet this year, I think a victory in the Main Event would go a long way in solidifying his status as a legitimate player in the poker world. He's already out of Day 1, which is cool because that means he's made it out of Day 1 three years in a row. He must be doing something right.

Irv Gotti
I can't believe big man made it out of Day 1... anything's possible.

Well...

Before I went into complete hibernation for awhile, I admit it: I played poker last night.

Shortest retirement ever.

But, honestly, I wanted to play one last time for two reasons. 1) Pending the outcome of my court case, I probably won't have a car for awhile. 2) I wanted to experiment a little bit with my new style to give my play a comparison for when I do return.

First off, I have to say, "Wow." What a thought provoking four hours of poker! I've NEVER in any one game played or saw so many flops. The results weren't great (down $30), but it gave me a starting point.

I might as well let the cat out of the bag and admit that I've been researching "small ball", the style of play that Daniel Negreanu uses so effectively. Earlier, when I first started watching him and analyzing him, I basically thought that his play was creative with a "go big or go home" attitude. I tried that, and lemme tell you... in the long run you'll get crushed.

After a little bit more research, I learned that I was foolishly mistaken. "Small ball" is a style predicated on the image of a faux maniac. I think out of everyone I've played with over the years, Matt L. (cool comment, I actually might chess it up) is one the only person I've seen attain consistent success with it (all six times we played, lol). And, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, Matt, but in a nutshell this is small ball:

Small ball is being aggressive without your pots getting out of control. Instead of raising a million times the big blind, I've started raising 3 X the big blind EVERY time I have something. I already consistently do this online, but part two of small ball is what I've basically failed to do correctly my entire poker career.

I like continuation betting, as does Negreneau, but instead of betting the pot right out and taking multiple shots at it, betting a fraction of the pot does pretty much the same trick. If I get called and have nothing, or if I get check-raised (which I anticipate will surely happen) I would just acknowledge that my opponent has something and quit. No more firing multiple blanks into a pot just to fulfill a pre-flop raise.

What I like about small ball is that it maximizes the importance of post flop play and being able gain a better understanding of the motivations behind your fellow players' actions. And, more than likely since people will try to make plays on me more often, it involves more effective thinking on my part. That, and, instead of check-raising to trap, my bets will look like traps. "Does he have it?" "DID YOU MISS!?"

There are a couple more quirks to small ball, but c'mon: I can't give up everything. I'd have to start charging you.

Break

If you haven't read my AIM profile by now, it's official: I'm taking a break from poker.

There are several reasons why I'm doing this. Financially, even though I'm playing okay (not great but OK), I can't afford it. I'm in pretty good debt with my credit card (non-poker related I swear); a lawyer that I'm trying to pay off; a semester of college that I need to somehow generate the money for this summer; a debt to Ryan F. (wired through e-passporte, lol), and I haven't even gotten to Cadence yet. So poker, as of right now, is not good look for me financially, especially with how I like to fully immerse myself into the game.

However...

This is by no means a retirement. I'm using the time off to my advantage from a poker standpoint, too. Think of it as a reflection period. My play is good enough to succeed against lesser players that I won't mention, but when I get to better games, I'm finding that my inability to adapt has been hurting me.

Here's the thing: it's been my belief since I started taking poker seriously that the most consistent players are the ones who are tight-aggressive. I can be tight-aggressive, but it seems like at the table I'm struggling for an identity. Ryan said something the other day that really raised my eyebrows. He said that I remind him of Mike Matusow: I can play solid for hours and then I go on a five minute donk fest, leaving me with nothing.

In short, I'm switching things up a little bit.

I'll catch you when I get back.

Pretty Cool Hand

Any book or poker pundit will tell you that one of the keys to Hold 'Em is position. Here's an instance where I had to play a pretty good hand out of position.

I was playing $.50-$1 on Full Tilt and received A-K off in the small blind. A creative player in middle position made it $3.50 to go, and with the action folded around to me I had a decision to make. Here's the thing: I could re-raise him, make it, say, $12 to go. If he calls that and I miss my flop, I'd basically be betting at air (one of the worst things you can do in Hold 'Em is check after raising without intending to check-raise). So, instead of going all-out and maybe or maybe not taking the pot down then and there, I smooth called.

Gin on the flop: K of diamonds, 4 of diamonds, K of hearts. Now I have to act first, and I could check, giving him an opportunity to bet at the flop and then raise him, but if he doesn't have a king (which is highly probable), it'll kill my action. So, I go ahead and bet $4 into a $7 pot. He quickly calls. I could put him on a flush draw here, but pocket pair is running through my head.

The turn is a 7 of clubs. Now, here's the seller: I check. By checking it's almost like I'm telling him that I missed the flop. Why would I check after betting? What worries me is that he also checks. He might have boated there, but I'm not crazily worried.

The river is also kind of a downer: a 9 of spades. No flush draw possible, but again, that could be a boat if he has pocket nines. I bet $13, almost like I'm trying to steal it with a pot-sized bet. Of course, he raises to $26, which sets off all kinds of alarms in my head. Could he possibly have hit a set? The only cards that scared me were the 7 and the 9, simply because I doubted that player would raise with 4s in middle position. However, I came to the conclusion that the only reason he raised me on the river was because he felt that I had missed the flop and that I could have no better than 4-5 or A-4, something sloppy, maybe even pocket 5s or 6s.

I could have raised and might have had all of his chips, but I just called. He had pocket eights.

Poker is fun, for everyone... except my opponents, who should've practiced avoidance.

$18,000 Guarantee

Last night while I was looking for a multi-table tourney to hop into, I considered my many options. There was the $20+ 2 90 person sit n go, but that was taking forever to fill up. A 45 person tourney for the same buy-in was nearly full, but I thought to myself, I'm free-rolling off of a $70 win, and I want to challenge myself a little bit.

So, while I sat impatiently in a $.25-.$50 cash game, I saw a pink flash in the comment box: "$18,000 Guarantee ($69 +6) starts in five minutes." I inquired and, what do you know, there was a celebrity sighting in the tournament. The two biggest players of a note were "highplaya", who won a Full Tilt Online Poker Series event and thus got his own avatar, and, more importantly, Aaron Bartley, a player who from time to time I see on television, most recently at the 2006 WSOP, where he finished 137. The fact that they were playing combined with close to $5,000 for the winner heavily influenced my decision.

Throughout the tourney I employed my new T.J. Cloutier strategy for playing these things: chip up and stay out of trouble. The second part was easy; I saw only 15% of the flops during my stay. However, even though I was staying out of trouble, I went completely card dead for almost 20 hands. The good news is I watched several players fall victim to overaggression. The bad news was as we approached the bubble I was running extremely low on chips. In fact, during the time I went card dead, I went from nearly $8,000 to $2,400... without even playing a hand.

With 40 people left in the tourney, I started getting really nervous and found myself constantly checking the tourney info. I was pretty much hovering around 36 and 37. Did I mention that 36 players cash?

I have 5s in the BB with 37 players left. Bartley made it $1,800 to go. I had $2,400 left. I hated the decision but I had to push. Much to my surprise he turned over the Doyle offsuit. "No ten, no ten, no ten."

Ten.

I played for three hours and outlasted 277 players. I needed to outlast 278.

What a waste, but I learned a valuable lesson. Don't be afraid to die. That, and to be honest, if I was going to be busted by anyone, I guess I'm glad it was Bartley.

I just wish he knocked me out with a better hand.

Interpreting Poker Academy 2.0 Data

I should probably use the software more often, but after looking at my statistics on Poker Academy 2.0, I understand partially why I've been as inconsistent as I have been. Even though you can't play for money on Poker Academy's software, I try to play the exact same way I would play in a live cash game or multi-table tournament, so the results are very believeable. By the way, these stats are based on about 400 hands or so.

My pre-flop percentage, in my opinion, is probably the most solid part of my game right now. Sure, sometimes I can switch gears and become maniacal, but I'm proud that I'm only seeing 22% flops (this is probably tournament data, and I'd say add 10% in a cash game). Every time I sit down against new players I immediately have a solid image. Until I see a flop.

While my pre-flop percentage is great, my post-flop aggression is insane! On a 4.0 scale, I scored an 8.7 in aggression. Some poker pundits would applaud that and repeat the old adage, "The hand doesn't begin until the flop." As I've probably mentioned before, aggressive post flop play can be your savior or your ride to the ATM. I've been guilty many times of trying to be too creative and pick-up pots. Maybe it's because I don't play nearly as many flops as I used to and I'm trying to over-compensate and takedown every pot I enter. I don't know.

Also, my won showdown percentage is pretty inconsistent at 57%. Ideally I'd like that number to be at least 65-70% (of course, ideally 100% is cool, too). I can think of two reasons why this number isn't higher than it is. First, and this is something I'm still trying to master, often I get into situations where if I bet and I'm called I'm beat. This happened to me twice when I was in Atlantic City this past week. Once I held queens and the board was 10-9-8-7-X. Dude bet $40 and I moved all-in for about $130. The reason I did it was because I strongly felt like he didn't have a jack and that I could push him off the hand. It took him awhile, but he called with pocket sixes. Strong call.

The second incident happened pretty much as a result of the first incident. I limp with A-6 of clubs (a mistake in itself) and nobody raised behind me. Flop comes 4-3-2, two spades. Small blind bets $15 and all five of us called (I guess I called with a gutshot and a backdoor flush draw with the intention of bluffing on the turn). Turn is a 10 of spades. Small blind bets $30, and after one caller, I make it $90. Ryan, sitting to my left, agonizes and folds (he later told me he folded the wheel). Small blind thinks for a minute and calls. Dude in front of me folded.

The river is a complete blank. Small blind checks. How do you follow a $90 bet? "All-in," I say as I lean back in my chair feigning strength. It takes him a long time, but he made the call with 6-5 of spades. Afterwards, he says to me, "If I hadn't seen you make the play with those queens I would have folded."

Reason number two is that I committ another poker sin far too often: calling knowing I'm losing but paying for re-assurance that I was right. That's gotta stop.

About to go hit up a multi-table tourney. Wish me luck.

Breaking Through the Wall

More so than ever, this year my poker play has been REALLY up and down. There are times when I think I'm truly not meant to play this game for any reason other than for fun. That may be true; some people have it, some people don't. However, just when I'm thinking that, I do something spectacular, like a great read, a good lay-down, or in a grander scheme, beating a high level game or winning a couple tourneys in a row.

I've got the skill set. There is no one poker situation out there that I haven't seen thanks to thousands upon thousands of hands player both online and live. And yet, I'm struggling to show progress. I know I'm better than I was at this point last year. It's not even close. I find myself constantly thinking about the game and ways I can improve.

What really opened my eyes to the fact that I can potentially be a very good player is the fact that I placed 73rd out of nearly 1500 players in Full Tilt's nightly "Midnight Madness", and while I don't want to over-analyze it (it was, after all, only one tournament), I played just about as well as I can play. I got very unlucky in three instances (including my knockout where Cowboys lost to Big Slick), and felt that I made all the plays I needed to make to win.

I'm finding that the key to surviving one of these large tournaments is to basically stay out of trouble, play as many small pots as possible, and in big pot situations get my chips in with the best of it. The main thing that would encompass all of those above qualities would be staying disciplined.

And, honestly that's probably my biggest problem regarding poker, whether it's bankroll management or deciding whether or not to play suited connectors. I've got to pick my spots better.

I'm planning on playing a couple of tourneys in Atlantic City this summer to see where my game is at. I'll keep you all informed.

Inspiration

Inspired by some of my online sessions today, I am going to define what exactly a bad beat is using my own words and a couple of audio/visual examples.

Here is my definition of a bad beat (some people's definitions differ a little bit): a bad beat is when, statistically, your hand, under normal conditions, would beat your opponent's hand, at the very least, three times out of four. In other words, when your hand is a 75% or 3-1 favorite. before the flop.

In sticking with the criteria, I consider this a bad beat statistically. To his credit, Gus Hansen played it beautifully, and Daniel Negreanu (in my opinion the best player in the world, period) remarkably almost mucked it, but Hansen had a 4% of catching the case five to take down the pot.


Now, a ton of people misuse the terminology "bad beat". For example, in Rounders (great movie) where Matt Damon turned the under full against KGB's big full, that's not neccesarily in bad beat in my mind. Pre-flop KGB is a HUGE favorite over A-9 of clubs with his aces. Now, if Damon won this hand, that would be a pretty bad beat. This hand is what's known as a "cooler", being beat by the only other hand that can possibly beat you.

I've had my share of both and I've also been on the other side. If you play any amount of poker I'm sure you'll experience them, too. But, the important thing to remember is to remain level-headed no matter what.

Bankroll Troubles

I'm pretty much back to ground zero after a sizzling start to the 2007 campaign. Wow, that went quick. As I mentioned a couple posts back, I really have no one to blame for my poorous play except my self. The question is, how do I start over?

Part of it is having a better understanding of my bankroll. I have got to stick to strict guidelines when evaluating what kind of limits I should play at. I agree with the article in the fact that 300 BBs at a specific limit is kind of pushing it, but at .25-.50 normal limits, I would have to figure that $150 is a safe amount.

At least for now.

Bluffing

I wanted to link to an article in the Feb. 2007 edition of Bluff Magazine, but unfortunately for whatever reason it isn't on the web site. Looks like they're behind. However, I may have found a better article that plays to my point even more.

In short, the article written by an author whose name I can't remember (I have the print version of the mag and of course I don't have it right in front of me) talked about bluffing a form of advertising, setting people up for later success and when and when not to use it and who to use it against and who to not use it against. Niman Kenkre's article actually compliments that article because it adds one more dimension: bluffing when you smell weakness.

This was a well-played hand by Kenkre. He knew exactly what the other guy had and exploited him for it. It takes a couple of things below the belt to make a play like that with absolutely nothing. In fact, you can only do that when you put the other person on absolutely nothing. Bluffs are overused in today's game (I'm guilty of that sometimes), but knowing when to do it and when not to do it are critical for long-term success.

Tonight (Hibachi)

Glad that I got the graded post out the way. Seriously though, check out Poker After Dark.
It's definitely worth a look if you want to learn more about the game or if you want to see REAL poker.

So... here's the post I've been putting off for almost two weeks. Here goes nothing:

I made the common mistake of not only newbie (which I'm not) poker players but gamblers as well. I played over my limit. Skill wise, .50-$1 and $1-$2 aren't over my limits. I feel like whenever I sit down I can play with anybody at any limit. However, I was having so much success both online and live at the $.25-.$.50 level that I felt invincible. Then, it happened.

With roughly $180 sitting in my Full Tilt account one day in the library, I donked every last penny of that in about 20 minutes sitting at $.50-$1 on Full Tilt (they should be paying me for as often as I'm linking to this damn site). It's tough to recall exactly what happened because I pretty much blacked it out, but I think my first bust-out I got sucked out on, and on my re-buy I bluffed it off into someone holding close to the nuts. Luckily, I had $200 waiting in my Click2Pay account from a previous cash out, so I put that in.

Sat down with that and actually ended $50 up for the day. I was proud of myself.

Then, the next night I went to Ryan's house and lost $60 playing $.25-$.50. I didn't play bad, just didn't really catch any cards, and if I remember correctly that was the first time I'd ever seen Jen, this girl who's pretty much just learning poker and is the least-skilled person sitting no matter what table she occupies, finish with a huge night. Most of her chips were at the expense of catching miraculous cards, but to her credit she siphoned chips out of everyone, which ultimately is the name of the game.

Fast forward a couple days later, and this is where the hero has his tragic fall from grace. Through some great play, I somehow have $450 in Full Tilt. Determined to increase my bankroll, I sat down and played 1-2. Somehow my tight online image disappeared. I reverted back into a drunken Daniel Negreneau and saw flops with trash, trying to outplay the other person. Wasn't happening. I admittedly got my ass handed to me. Twice, for two buy-ins at the max allowed at a 1-2 table.

Then, I sat with my last bit of chunk change, hoping for a miracle. No.

I have no more money left in my Full Tilt account.

I think for the year that puts me around +$250.

Don-key.

But, you know what? At least I'm up. And, it's not like I'm oblivious to what I've been doing. I can't lie and say I've been getting unlucky. I've been so self-destructive in my play over the past two weeks. I have to buckle down. I'm seeing way too many flops. During this streak I think I'm seeing flops at a ridiculous 40% rate. Some people can get away with that, but that's not my style.

I can switch gears. I can be hyper-aggressive, and a lot of times that will end up netting me some serious dough. But, poker isn't a sprint. It's a marathon. It's about getting consistent results over time and more often than not making the right play. I haven't been doing that. So, until further notice it's back to grinding. Tight-aggressive play. Realistic limits. Asking myself, "Is this really the right play at this point in the hand against this person?"

In other words, back to Tripset. Tonight.

Poker After Dark

Given my current struggles, I've been going back to the drawing board. I've been reading more than playing lately, and I've also been watching.

Mostly I've been watching Poker After Dark, and I have to tell you: by far it's the best poker show on television. I almost hate watching anything else.

The World Series of Poker pretty much gave birth to the televised poker era, and it's a good reference point, especially for people just starting to get into the game. However, by now most of you know that the Series is so cut and edited that, for the most part you don't get a chance to watch anyone play poker. You get vignettes and snippets for how people play, but they only show the big hands most of the time. You don't usually see the blind stealing raises or the hands that people fold on the regular, like 6-5 off suit or A-7 off suit. You see the amazing bluffs, calls, or coolers, the equivalent of Sportscenter showing Kobe Bryant throw it down in traffic without showing you his other 40 points.

Poker After Dark, however, is great because the editing is minimal. You see everything: the cards that people play, how they bet, how they react to certain hands (I swear I've got a million tells on Jamie Gold). Actually one of the better parts of it is that the commentators don't over-talk. The players are the ones who dictate the conversation, talking about everything from who won which bracelet to how Jerry Buss, owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, did an excellent job of setting the Lakers up for success.

It's good stuff, and if you're interested in becoming a serious player or just want to see what real poker is like, you can tune in at two o'clock in the morning. And, if you aren't a night owl like me, just click the link and you can watch it in the library, kind of like I'm doing now.

Swings of Online Poker

I lie to you not. I was actually going to post an entry that would have told you that I was up $1034 for the year, and I was going to talk about how much I was rushing, how I was making incredible decisions and how I was the best player in the world. I guess this would have been maybe five days ago. I actually still have the draft saved.

But, I am now down almost $300 since then. To be exact, for the year I'm at $766. Still a good $200 up from when I last wrote but disconcerting nonetheless.

For the most part all of these losses have been online. In fact, come to think of it they have been. To anyone unfamiliar with poker, it's a huge difference. Twice as many hands, no physical tells to rely on, and the variable of distraction forever compounding things. I've found that when I've been playing well online, it's because I've limited my hand selections. When I go through swings like this, it's usually because I try to get too creative and see flops with marginal holdings. Simple enough, right? I just have to tighten my ship.

I'm not overly worried. I know the money's coming back. I'm really looking forward to getting back to live play tonight.


After watching "Poker After Dark" the last couple of days on NBC, I've come to really respect Gus Hansen's game. For the most part, people can play what's known as "ABC" or by-the-book poker and do a fine job, even make a living off of it. But, the reason why I think Hansen is one of the best is that he deviates from cut and dry poker. Granted, if you want to play like him at a high level I think you need a massive roll and maybe a few shots of Smirnoff, but check out his escapades under the "Poker Superstars III" posting. Even if you know he's full of bulldog manure, he ultimately does put you to a decision, most of the time for a large sum or all of your chips. As you'll see in the post, sometimes he doesn't even look at his hole cards. Gambler? Yes. But, most of the best players in the world are.

Instinct (Hibachi)

I get a ton of flack about playing poker. I get it everywhere--my parents, my girlfriend, my friends. They all tell me that poker is nothing more than just playing cards, occasionally getting lucky, but more often than not it's a losing proposition. Maybe they're right. Maybe it is all about luck. I saw a kid tonight put $20 in the pot prior to the flop with pocket 3s against pocket queens and win, defying his 4-1 underdog status. Sure, I'm not denying that luck makes up a big part of this game. Just look at poker on television sometimes. There's a hand I love (couldn't find it on the web) where professional poker player Sammy Farha loses with nines over sixes to an amateur's quad sixes. Luck. Good TV.

To me, however, the measure of a good player has nothing to do with the cards that he or she is dealt. The measure of a good player is how they perform in marginal situations.

This is my hand of the week:

I'm dealt 10-6 off suit in first position, and, feeling frisky, I raise to 3. Much to my dismay, I get four callers.

The flop comes 8 of spades, 8 of clubs, 6 of clubs. The two blinds check to me. I bet $4.50. The player to my left folds. Then, out of nowhere Brad, a solid but tricky player at times, raises, making it ten more to go.

One thing to know about Brad before I go any further is that he sees a ton of flops. He could literally have anything. If he has an eight, I'm crushed obviously. He could also have a higher pair to the board, which I could definitely see him smooth calling with on the flop with two callers in front of him. Straight and flush draws are also possibilities because he likes to play suited connectors. In short, he's beating me with almost anything.

However, I felt like he was drawing, so I called.

The next card is a five of spades. Now not only is there a possible straight exposed, but now I'm contending with TWO flush draws WITHOUT even ruling out an over pair OR an 8. I didn't even mention that he could also have a six with a better kicker.

He says the dreaded two words. "All-in."

He has me covered. He has now forced me to make a decision for the rest of my chips, in this case $20. I have to fold, because realistically what can I beat?

Except... a draw.

"I call."

The goal in poker is to put your chips in with the best of it. I didn't figure that I had the best of it; I knew. What I didn't know was that he had A-7 of clubs, meaning he had almost half the deck to beat me with, but win or lose I wanted to call to prove that I was ahead.

Of course I won the pot. In the long run the person who makes the most correct decisions at the table wins the most of them.

For the year: 10 sessions, +503.75

Back to the Drawing Board

Judging by the title of this post, how do you think I played last night?

The crazy thing is that I probably should have dumped a ton more money. I've played in a million sessions over the course of three and a half years, and I think last night was the worst six hours of poker I have ever played. I can't name one good thing I did last night.

Let me count the ways. First and foremost, I played far too fast. At least when playing online, a good hand percentage for me is seeing about 30% of the flops, and out of those 30% I want to be raising 75% of the time. I think it was more like 75%/90%. Also, I made some absolutely horrendous calls for a large sum of chips, and at times I even made the wrong laydowns. Nothing went right for me.

So, after the game I went home, tilted out of my mind. I felt like wounded prey, literally limping into my bedroom. I go to lay down, and suddenly I see a copy of the November issue Bluff Magazine. For whatever reason I decided to cycle through it, even though I thought I'd read everything. It appears as though I hadn't.

I thought Angel Largay gave great perspective on, well, putting your losses into perspective. However, for me nothing rang more true than the final paragraph:

"Poker is a people game. There is one person sitting in each game, though, that is the most dangerous to you; one person who can decimate your bankroll faster than anyone else – and he’s sitting in your seat. Get to know that player first."

Lord knows I'm trying.

For the year: +428.75

Before/After (Hibachi)

Adhering to the criteria of this class is going to be impossible on certain posts. Therefore, I'm going to leave a code for Prof. Eshkenazi every time I would like to decline having a post graded. Let me think of a code... how about... Hibachi, in honor of local pro basketball hero Gilbert Arenas? Yeah, I think Hibachi is cool. If not, let me know if that's uncool.

Anyway, tonight is Wednesday, and for different people that means different things. In sports, you have the big North Carolina/Duke game, for which ESPN is devoting full coverage. Of course, for me it means two things. First, I'm going to be up on this campus until 9:30, which means I will undoubtedly update my basketball blog as well. Secondly, and most importantly... tonight is poker night.

You'll be seeing a ton of these entries as the semester goes on, and if you happen to see me Thursday mornings, well, you'll know why I look like utter crap. To catch you up on how I'm doing this year, check out my live journal, which before this class was my one and only venting outlet in terms of poker.

If you choose not to click on the link, I'll do a quick synopsis of my play so far this young year. Money wise I'm looking good, up $478.25 in 7 sessions. Anytime you're in the black it's a good thing. My first few sessions were quite masterful, a seminar in perfect tight-aggressive play. My last two, however, have been anything but.

Last Friday I netted $130, but honestly my game felt a little off. More or less I was getting lucky, hitting miracle flops, turns and rivers with marginal holdings (I plan on creating a vocabulary list just so that what I'm spitting isn't complete jargon). And then, this past Saturday I totally collapsed.

Players call it being "tilted", and if you're new to the game I'll show you what being on tilt means. In short, it's when extraneous variables (bad beats, annoying players) cause a player to do irrational things at the table. In this particular situation, Shawn Sheikhan's antics got the best of Phil Hellmuth, one of the best players on the planet (and if you don't believe him he'll surely tell you). No one is immune to tilt, and as good as he is, Hellmuth is no different.

With me, I ended up getting into a pissing contest with my boy Matt Baker. He had been jabbing at me all night, but I'll tell you about the play that ruined everything. Baker was on the button and he made it $4 to go, which meant $3.50 more for me in the big blind. In most games the standard raise is three times the big blind, but at this game there is no "standard raise" per se. I looked down and saw K-10 of clubs. I thought he might be trying to steal my blind, so I called.

The flop came A-7-2, two clubs, and since the ace was a club I had the nut flush draw. I could have bet, but I checked it to him. He bet five. I'm drawing at 11 outs twice, giving me about a 30% chance to catch, with $17 in the pot and only $5 more to call. I could have raised to see where he was at, but I called.

The turn was a blank for me, I think it was something like a four of hearts. I check, and he bets again. At this point I'm putting him on an ace, so I'm beat, but I still have one pull of the deck with my 11 outs and I only have to call $5 into a $23 pot. I call.

The river is a king of spades. I catch my king, but like I said I put him on an ace. I checked, and he fired a bet of $13. While it may sound like a decent amount of money, $13 into a pot of $36 is a value bet, AKA Baker silently screaming, "Please call me!". In effect he was pricing me into calling.

But, the ace. He was representing a good ace, and I thought I was beat. I folded.

He flipped over Q-2 of clubs! ACE HIGH!

From then on Baker outplayed me like crazy. I was calling him when I should have folded, folding when I should have called. It didn't help that he was a complete chatterbox, even going as far as telling me what he had before the flop. He REALLY got under my skin, and admittedly I don't tilt often. That [synonym for female dog] really pissed me off.

But, with poker it's all about moving on to the next hand, or in this case the next session. I plan on doing a better job of that tonight.

Glad I got that out of my system.

Why Poker?

First of all, I should formally say welcome to my poker blog. Anyone who's ever read one of my blogs/journals knows that, even though this is for a class, I'm a thorough guy when it comes to writing. Feel free to look at my basketball blog for further proof.

But, to answer the question associated with the title of the blog, I love cards first and foremost. Ever since raking in my first pot about three and a half years ago playing old man stud, I've been enamored with the game. It's gotten to the point where I'd rather sit down and play cards for eight hours than play basketball at the gym. Five years ago I never thought I'd say that.

However, the main reason I'm doing this is to better myself as a poker player. Along with the required posts linking to news and video and what not, I'll also analyze every single session I play in. Recollection is the quickest way to pot collection.

But, if you haven't fallen asleep by now, get back at this blog tomorrow. I have a feeling I'll be writing about some cards tomorrow.