anomaly16

April/May Review and Vegas

2011-05-28T18:08:00.002+01:00

April and May have been pretty bad months for me, especially at the cash tables, but boosted by a few donkament cashes to make results bearable. Doing 8 weeks of contracting definitely knocked me off my A-game and I've struggled since to get back on track. I was planning to get some coaching but for various reasons I've postponed it.

I fly to Vegas in a few days, staying for 2 months this time in a nicer house (with a pool!! :)) with a few of the same guys as last year. I can't wait and I'm looking forward to some live cash as well as playing 3 WSOP events and a couple of events in the Venetian Deepstack series. I have sold 60% of my action which sold out in a pretty incredible 40 minutes based on my tracked results from last year. I hope I'll also be able to fix some of the nasty tilt and leaks I've developed these last 2 months.

"Black Friday" has been only a minor inconvenience for me in the end.. most of my bankroll is safe so I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. I'm sure its a tough time for my american friends, but I think in the end it will be better for everyone. There is simply too much demand for, and money to be made by the poker sites for it to simply die out and fade away. I look forward to the times when recreational players can easily and safely deposit and play again.

March review

2011-03-31T23:59:00.002+01:00

It hasn't been an awesome month for poker, but with contracting all of Feb and most of March I wasn't expecting anything great.

My game has definitely suffered, or at least my perception of it, during my time away from the tables so I'm focussed on getting back to where I was. I am planning to get coaching, but I want that to take my game forward and not use it fix leaks I've developed over the last 2 months so it will be a couple of weeks before I book any lessons probably.

Only 2 months to vegas now, so getting super-excited! I'll be playing 3 WSOP events and 2 events in the Venetian Deepstack series this time (total buyin $4200). I advertised 60% of my action for sale on 2+2 a few days ago and sold out in 40 minutes, even getting an offer to buy 1% of my main event action if I was playing! I think the ME isn't a wise investment for me at this stage but I would love to play it some day. I'll have 1% of Gary's attempt, so that will have to do for this year.

February review

2011-02-28T23:59:00.000Z

It has been a disappointing poker month but it was always going to be when I'm also doing the contracting job. The first week was great.. did my days of contracting and then had a great weekend of poker, but as time has gone on I've been more tired and my decisions have been getting worse as I haven't been as immersed in poker as I normally would be.

Playing enough hands to maintain iron man and black card has compelled me to play when I'm not at my best and also playing at some of the worst times of day doesn't help.

I expect it will be much the same for most of this month until I finish contracting on 24th March. I'm going to try and make the most of the situation though and be as aware as possible of my mental state and the kind of mistakes I am making under this scenario. It can only equip me to handle bad sessions better in the future.

I can't wait to get back to poker full-time and have some sessions with my new coach.

Low volume month

2011-02-20T22:00:00.003Z

With contracting I'm not getting much time to play poker at the moment, but I put in a winning 3.3k hands today to get my monthly volume up to 18.7k. Results have been ok, but I've made some silly mistakes when playing a bit too tired in the evenings and not being 100% focussed on poker. I have one week more to go in my job contract but I suspect it may go on a bit longer.

Got my vegas flight booked today (way more expensive than last year unforunately). It has one less stop and I'll be travelling with one of the other guys in the house for the London->Vegas leg so it should be better than last time.

I've also finally found myself a new coach. He crushes midstakes so I hope he will able to help me get better at 100 and perhaps start taking some shots at 200. However, I'm not going to start with him until the contract is finished so that I can make the most of the lessons and applying what I learn.

Go Packers!

2011-02-06T14:58:00.002Z

Green Bay Packers are one of a few american football teams I like (for no real other reason than I like their logo and have a T-shirt). I like the game but really don't have a clue who any of the players are but I'm looking forward to the Superbowl tonight anyway.

Its been a tiring week getting used to the 9-5 grind again, but its been a very good week financially with the contracting and some really solid winning sessions at the tables when I have been able to play.

I was at the casino last night to play the monthly £33+£20 addon/topup which had one of the biggest fields for a long time .. 90+ I think with top prize of £1500. It went pretty well, but when I made a shove with a flush draw the villain had flopped top set and had an easy call. The turn brought my flush but also brought him a FH :( I was crippled but made it to the last 2 tables but didn't last too much longer calling a 3way allin blind, and my above average A7o

January Review

2011-01-31T22:13:00.008Z

Cash has been disappointing this month - a lot of runbad and some bad play by me (in some part induced by the runbad) kept my winrate down. My volume was a little higher than the last couple (41k) but not as much as I'd hoped.

I've just noticed now that I've put in the least hours in a month since June, so the plan to increase number of tables has gone ok, but I think the runbad and some other stuff has kept the volume down. I don't feel I can attribute any of my bad play to the number of tables I was playing so I'll continue to try and play more hands/hr.

Results were boosted by FT's end of year bonus clearing and some tournament winnings as well as a small cash heater these last 2 days so it tuned out ok in the end, although not quite as good as the record last 4 months of last year.

I'm disappointed that I've done no studying, hh review sessions or villain analysis. I've given one coaching session but have yet to make any steps forward in finding a coach for myself.

We're close to getting a house sorted in Vegas for June and July so I'm getting really excited about that and will be booking flights soon :)

In other news I started a job today for a few weeks.. I was offered a contract out of the blue by the company I worked for before Vegas last year. As before I have mixed feelings about doing it but am working Mon-Thu only this time which leaves me Fri-Sun to get some hands in and make the most of the softer weekend games. There are a few good reasons for me taking the job, but the most obvious of which is having guaranteed money so that I know I can cover the cost of flights and rent for Vegas now as well as some money to save to cover bills at home while I'm away.

This will definitely affect my volume target for this year, so I think a wiser goal is for me to aim to increase my hands/hr which I should be able to achieve no matter what else might be going on. For the last 6 months hands/hour have been

253
203
230
188
200
178

so my goal for next month is to get > 270/hr. Getting the next tier of black card is also out of the window for now I think as my average is much the same as at the beginning of the month - 843ftp/day and a long way off the required 1500ftp/day. If I can get my hands/hr up then it should follow in due course.

Good day

2011-01-10T04:38:00.007Z

After the disappointing start to cash this month (b/e results, horrible non-showdown winnings) I approached my session today differently after reflecting on some of the possible short-term leaks I'd developed:

playing a bit too loose for my post-flop skills
not paying enough attention to 3bet ranges esp when opponents are quite deep
playing for value that can be too thin and against a very specific portion of villain's range
playing too many speculative hands in late position
ignoring reads
autopiloting too much
not finding fold button enough
taking too many opportunities to isolate
not always taking time to use hud information available
not believing and ignoring hud information when I do look
overestimating implied odds
taking weak lines and folding when I do have odds because of how I'm running
cbetting too much (esp multiway and oop) and taking thin opportunities to barrel
not questioning myself on reasons for betting
not bet sizing correctly given action, ranges and villain reads
making mistakes becuase I feel like I deserve to win after some runbad and stacking off incorrectly compounding the issue
trying too hard to win every hand

I went to the casino last night to play a live donkament for some fun and to get away from the virtual felt. Live action can be pretty slow but it gave me the opportunity to think about the above list and try and get my thought process back on track in the live hands. I played well but was shortstack by the time we made the final table of 9. I finished 7th in the end and mincashed but it payed for the event, some food and a little petrol for the car but I think the time to reflect and take a break was much more of a win.

I thought my session stats today would end up reflecting a more nitty approach but I was a lot more aggressive and also called a lot less so my VPIP/PFR gap was much lower than it has been recently. Its a small sample and I did run better than I have been with some great river cards to contrast the recent terrible ones so that stats might not mean that much, but it was my decision making process that I was most pleased with today and selection of spots to play. I could be blinded by a good day of results so I need to make sure I am as focused in my future sessions and to come back here and read this If I feel like I've let things slip.

I think getting the list of things above right and consistently is what can separate the winners from the b/e players who might appear at a glance to be very similar in nature. I saw a reg today squeeze 35o at a 5-handed table from the BB vs a minraise with two very fishy players who were very likely to be calling and how he thought his hand would play well against them oop and multiway I've no idea. He obviously flopped the nut straight and stacked one of them, but he is clearly not a thinking player despite having very TAG-like stats. He does seem to be a small winner but the sample size is fairly small so I'm not sure it will last.

Anyway, here is my brag graph for the day -

With today's session and the MTT cash the other day the month is definitely back on track :)

Here is a trivial hand today from a $2 Omaha Hi/Lo Rush Rebuy (I had a small cash in the end finishing 29th / 683), but always nice to beat a pro in a pot :)

Volume target : 750k+ Current: 15.4k Projected : 620k
BC rolling avg target : 1500 Current : 869.26

Week 1

2011-01-07T19:27:00.005Z

Its not been a great start to the year at the cash tables.. I'm below EV and some non-EV coolers, but I think there is a degree of me not being on my A-game too. In contrast to December I'm running bad at the higher stakes I play and better at the lower stakes which also doesn't lead to good results.

My volume is a bit higher than usual as I try to play a few more tables to reach my volume target for the year. I don't think it is the cause of my bad start but I'll definitely keep an eye on it.

On a more positive note I had my best MTT cash for a while last night... an epic 9.5 hrs but worth it in the end and finally managed to win some money for Gary as he had 25% of me.

Volume target : 750k+ Current: 12.4k Projected : 647k
BC rolling avg target : 1500 Current : 873.02

December review

2010-12-31T11:51:00.004Z

The month started out really well with a couple of awesome days but soon I felt like I was having to pay back for my early good fortune and I ran below EV and breakeven for a few thousand hands. Volume and motivation dropped a bit as they usually do for me during periods like this, but I managed to get back on track and make the most of the soft games over the holidays to finish strong.

It's not quite a record month, but a very solid one matching November. The last four months of the year have been my 4 biggest months of all time.. all within $500 of each other, so it has been a great way to finish up the year.

I've now updated the final results for the year.

Year 1 as a Pro - The Future

2010-12-31T10:42:00.005Z

I hope everyone that has been reading my blog this month have found it useful and/or interesting - thanks for all the comments. However, the primary reason for me doing it was as a way to review my own year and think about what I want from the next.

Hence my goals for 2011 are:

Volume

I think this has to be my primary goal for next year. 470k hands feels like a lot to me still, but I know lots of people who are doing 70k-100k/month regularly. I'm not going to find more hours in a day for poker, so the only way I am going to get the extra volume is through playing more tables. Where I'm playing 2-6 tables now I need to be aiming for 6-10 I think. I started playing a few tables so that I could fix leaks and get better and I think I have achieved that this year, so I should be able to cope and I've put some 10-tabling sessions in recently without any problems.

As for a number, 1 million hands could be a little ambitious but I'll be pleased with 750k+. I'll need to work on playing with fewer distractions as well as all the other aspects to achieve it. It is expected that Full Tilt will add another tier to the Black Card programme in the next few days requiring 1500 ftp/day for an extra multiplier of full tilt points. As of today my average is 817.27 so quite a way to go to average 1500, but I think my hand target and reaching the new black card level will be closely linked so that is some extra motivation to achieve both.

Results

I'm not going to set any specific results goals. Playing extra volume and continuing to work hard should lead to good results. I'd obviously like to do better than this last year, and it would be a nice milestone to achieve a $10k month at some point.

Coaching

Its been over 12 months since I last had coaching so I think it is definitely time to find a coach to help take my game forward. I hope to get something organised by March if not sooner.

Within the first few months of this year I'd also like to get to the stage where my student feels he is able to go solo without regular sessions and be winning at a decent rate. I'll take time to review with him how it went so I can evaluate my own coaching skills and think about taking on more students.

Tournaments

I feel like I've been due for a decent torunament score for a while but it hasn't quite happened yet. I've been close a few times this year... coming 49th of 28,000 people in one of the miniftops events recently was a bit frustrating after playing well for several hours, going out JJ v KK aipf. I'll continue to keep trying as well as do some work on my MTT game.

Live Play

I'm going to try to approach live play with a bit more dilligence than I have so far. This will involve trying to build a proper live bankroll, keeping better records and accounting for it along with my online play. Vegas 2011 will account for a large part of my live play this next year but I'll also look to play a few larger live events than I have this year in the UK. With my online record I feel I should be better placed to sell some action so I hope this will create some more opportunities.

Study

I'd like to up the amount of time time I spend studying this year:

at least 1 training video per week
continue regular hh reviews with Gary & Darren
continue to do more villain analysis
spend more time with pokerstove and understanding odds and equity and general theory
do more sweats and talk to other players

Travel

I'll definitely be heading to Vegas for all of June & July but I'd also like to go somewhere else new this year and stay in a house with other poker players. Thailand, Australia or somewhere else in the US are all possibilities. If Gary will have me, I'd love to be able to go see the Redskins play in Dallas.

Other goals

Other goals I have are a bit harder to put specific targets on but I'd like to

continue to work on my mental game
try and live more healthily
achieve a better life balance

So, thats it for 2010. Just a few hours more of grinding and then I'll post my December review and update the year's results.

Best of luck to you all for 2011 :)

Year 1 as a Pro - Results

2010-12-29T14:09:00.007Z

As I've been making the posts this month I've been thinking about this one and wondering if I wanted to post an actual $ amount for how I've done this year. In a "real job" I certainly wouldn't tell people my salary and they wouldn't ask, but when it comes to poker I've been asked a lot, even by people I didn't know well. I guess the perception of it is different even though it isn't really.

However, the fact is that a lot of this information is in the public domain if you know where and what to look for. So, in the end I've decided to post the info for this year at least. I'm only going to cover $ won at the tables, so exactly how much I've made from rakeback, bonuses, tournaments, live play, coaching/staking, the contracting work I did in April/May and the overall total can remain a mystery making me feel a bit more comfortable with sharing.

I'm obviously really pleased with the results given the stakes I play and volume I put in (it helps to run above EV too!). I think it has exceeded my conservative expectations that I had at the beginning of the year and is exactly what I needed to prove to myself I can make it work as a pro and gives me a lot of encouragement for what I can achieve next year.

Year 1 as a Pro - Hands of the year

2010-12-29T01:27:00.000Z

Finding hands to pull out from almost 1/2 million is pretty tough, so I've only got a couple to share.

Hand 1

This isn't an amazing hand by any means and the cards fell really well for me. However, it sticks in my mind because by the time we got to the river I knew he had AK, and I knew he was confident I had AQ which allowed me to get max value. I guess it was one of the first times I felt really in control of a hand against a decent 100 TAG reg on all 3 streets and good hand reading made it possible to raise river with complete confidence to win a stack without have the stone cold nuts.

$0.5/$1 (9 handed)

Known players:

MP2 (Hero) = ($157.65)

MP3 = ($24.85)

CO = ($40.50)

BU = ($109.85)

SB = ($201.20)

BB = ($43.50)

UTG1 = ($162.30)

UTG2 = ($136.65)

MP1 = ($152.65)

Preflop: Hero is MP2 with 9, 9.

UTG1 folds, UTG2 raises to $3.00, MP1 folds, Hero calls $3.00, 4 folds, BB calls $2.00.

Flop: ($9.5) Q, 9, 6 (3 players)

BB checks, UTG2 bets $7.00, Hero calls $7.00, BB folds.

Turn: ($23.5) A (2 players)

UTG2 checks, Hero bets $14.00, UTG2 calls $14.00.

River: ($51.5) K (2 players)

UTG2 bets $22.00, Hero raises to $117.50, UTG2 calls $90.65(All-In).

Final Pot: $281.65.

Results follow:

UTG2 shows two pairs, aces and kings(K A).

Hero shows three of a kind, nines(9 9).

Hero wins with three of a kind, nines(9 9).

Hand 2

This hand was the biggest pot of the year .. a whopping 780BB vs one deep fish. We'd both been dominating the table (me more skillfully than him obv!). We were both very deep with 388BB effective stacks vs each other and he was playing 59/24/3 with 17% 3bet, 8% fold to 3bet, 4bet range 5.5% over 200 hands. I was aware I'd been in situations before being deep against volatile fish and hadn't felt comfortable.. mistakes can be a lot more costly and there is always the danger they just get lucky on the river and cause a lot of pain. It is hard not get attached to a large stack and losing it hurts a lot more than a 100BB stack. I was thinking if I'd got AA vs his pfr I obviously keep reraising this deep, but there would be a good chance that he would flat at some point and not put it all in preflop which could put me in a nasty spot. I thought jokingly to myself that it would be nice and easy if I could only flop quads.. 5 minutes later this happens.

$0.5/$1 (8 handed)

Known players:

MP1 = ($100.00)

MP2 = ($100.50)

MP3 = ($388.30)

CO = ($100.00)

BU (Hero) = ($534.05)

SB = ($86.30)

BB = ($147.10)

UTG2 = ($141.90)

Preflop: Hero is BU with A, A.

UTG2 calls $1.00, 2 folds, MP3 raises to $4.00, CO folds, Hero raises to $14.50, 3 folds, MP3 raises to $25.00, Hero raises to $77.50, MP3 calls $52.50.

Flop: ($157.5) T, A, A (2 players)

MP3 checks, Hero bets $35.00, MP3 calls $35.00.

Turn: ($227.5) 6 (2 players)

MP3 checks, Hero bets $107.00, MP3 calls $107.00.

River: ($441.5) 6 (2 players)

MP3 checks, Hero bets $169.00, MP3 calls $168.80.

Final Pot: $779.3.

Results follow:

Hero shows four of a kind, aces(A A).

MP3 shows two pairs, aces and kings(K K).

Hero wins with four of a kind, aces(A A).

Year 1 as a Pro - Drawbacks

2010-12-28T20:26:00.009Z

Again, not the most exciting topic to have picked in hindsight. Drawbacks:

Can feel a bit socially isolated playing long hours on your own
No protection if you are ill (forunately I haven't been)
No ability to get any credit (loan/mortgage etc) as your income won't be recognised
Potential for more mental pressure if results don't go well

Year 1 as a Pro - Benefits

2010-12-27T20:25:00.004Z

Not the most exiting topic as I guess the benefits are pretty obvious

You can work the hours you choose and when you feel at your best, and not have working hours imposed on you
You can work anywhere in the world as long as you have a laptop and internet connection
When you work hard and do well you get full receipt of the benefits and don't have others or a company take the credit
No boss to answer to (except yourself!)
Limitless potential to earn more
Tax-free in the UK
Freedom to do other things

Year 1 as a Pro - Goals

2010-12-26T22:05:00.004Z

Goals are an important way to push yourself to fulfilling your potential. I think the tricky part though is understanding which goals to set and how ambitious to make them. It comes down to knowing your own self : what motivates you, what demotivates you, how success and failure affect you.

In poker there are certianly plenty of goal choices available - results, volume, learning targets etc.. and you can set them to be daily or even over a year or more as well as making them firm "I must.." and weaker "I'd like to..." targets . Setting short term results goals is inherently wrong due to variance and the fact we play for the long term. However, if you play for a living, bills need to be paid and the long term won't help with that.

When I started the year my primary goal was to work hard enough on my game and prove to myself that I could win enough at poker to make a living from it and I'm proud to say that I have achieved this goal.

Monthly I always wanted to do a decent amount of volume, but have never set myself a hard target but always enough to achieve the max iron man level at FT. Results-wise I always hoped to do better than previous months, and I've had 5 "best month ever"s this year.

Starting at 50 I hoped to move up and as the end of the year approaches I now feel established at 100, taking occasional shots at 200 but still playing 50 if the games are good.

Making the trip to Vegas was a goal I wasn't sure I'd manage in my first year, but it came together at the last minute.

I have had some failures as well that I have already mentioned such as improvements towards a healthier lifestyle and playing with less distractions.

With a year as a pro under my belt now, I can set some more specific targets for 2011 which I'll cover in the final topic - "The Future".

Year 1 as a Pro - Table etiquette

2010-12-25T23:04:00.003Z

With regard to live play I think the best approach is pretty simple.. keep it friendly. I know there are some great players who have an ability to manipulate others and make them tilt, but its just not my style.

Online I think the same rule applies in general... don't tap the tank! I wrote about table chat a few months ago and still stick by what I said then.

The most contentious etiquette issues tend to revolve around how regs perceive each others' actions at the table. Most of the regs are very aware that it is going to be +EV to play at a table when there are bad players and also when you have positon on those bad players. Hence, decisions around seating choices and when to sit in/out can be the cause of some really bad feelings between regs.

At the end of the day we're all playing to make money and to make or avoid decisions so that other regs feel good isn't part of that. To do the best you can at the tables you need to pretty ruthless in your table and seat selection decisions so I won't shy away from making a choice that might annoy another reg. Some are very blatant in their choices and I'm probably considered by some to be one of those although probably not the worst, while others are pretty passive in their decisions and will be losing out as a result.

Its quite understandably frustrating when you have been trying to start a table for some time, finally get what looks to be a bad player sitting down with you, and another reg magically appears and takes the best possible seat. However I'm sure I've seen pretty much every reg that seems to have a bigger problem with this do the same to others at some point (perhaps only in the context as what they perceive as "revenge" on someone who has done it to them before).

I try to be friendly to most regs in chat if not always in my choices of where and when to play and I fully expect them to do the same to me as it is all within the rules. On occasion I won't push it as far as I can... I remember a few months ago finding a table with a reg playing HU with a deep fish. When I sat he politely asked if I would leave him to play HU. It was clear that the fish had been running good, stacked the reg a couple of times and the reg was keen to have the best chance to get his money back. I understood where he was coming from and as he asked nicely I was happy to leave him to it and he said he'd owe me one. Another reg took a seat a few minutes later and was asked to leave the game HU too, but he either chose to ignore it or didn't read the chat.

I guess my point is that its a part of the game that you just have to accept and make the most of. Harbouring hatred for some other reg due to their behaviour just isn't worth the energy and can create an unnecessary dynamic that affects either their or your play.

One reg (who might be reading this) told me in chat the other day "I used to like you, but you are just like the rest". I'd taken a short break from my tables to make a drink and when I sat back in it just happened that one of the tables had almost broken and he was playing a fish HU. Sitting back in my original seat he had perceived that I'd jumped into postion on the fish. For some reason he doesn't seem to want to use AIM/Skype to chat and I had no desire to launch into a debate about table etiquette in public chat at the tables, espeically with the fish there, so I just left him to his perception of what had happened. Since then he has said a few things in table chat that I've not been too happy with, like quoting my winrate with a number of unknown players at the table, but again I do not want to launch into some debate in public chat with him about the ethics of what he is now doing. So, if you are reading this sir, get AIM and add me. We've had some fun at the tables in the past and there is no reason to do/say things that are going to affect how much we win.

So, in conclusion, keep it friendly, keep it fun, and save all your focus for making good decisions.

Happy Christmas everyone!

Year 1 as a Pro - Live play

2010-12-24T19:08:00.004Z

The bulk of my poker playing is online, but I do enjoy playing live for a change of pace and actually getting to see some real people!

Last year I played in the Office Poker league (a saturday afternoon tournament at the local casino) and finished a respectable 3rd. This year I've played again but it has been a bit of a shambles with a change in ownership and the new owner being out of the country most of the time. It was a great structure and a fun and friendly event but numbers have dwindled down to only 2 tables for the final event this year. I think it may unforunately die if it doesn't get some love and attention early next year. The events are generally holdem although there had been some PLO and a team event. There were some more varied games this year which I loved (especially getting to play PLO8 and win) but unfortunately I think it contributed to the reduction in numbers.

Last year a clear winner emerged fairly quickly, but scattered attendences this year meant that everyone realised with only a couple of events left that the league (and £500 prize) was still quite open. Going into the final event there were 4 of us playing with enough points and a chance to win. Two were knocked out and I reached the final table with one other who was 3pts ahead of me with up to 1-12pts available at the final table. We were both pretty short and it didn't last too long... I shoved JJ allin over a raise but it was a pretty easy call for him with AQ and the turn A ended my chances. Congrats Tam!

I obviously played quite a lot of live poker when I went to Vegas: 1 WSOP event, 1 Venetian Deepstack Extravaganza event, a $200 torunament at the Rio, a few small satellites as well as some live cash. I mainly played $1/$3 live at the Wynn and Rio however I didn't play that great or run very well which curtailed the amount I could play due to bankroll limitations.

I've come back from Vegas more determined to play better live and have definitely played better on my trips to the casino here since. A live cash games usually runs in the evenings but it has a lot of preflop nonsense so I've stayed away not wanting to put in the hours to get through the variance and have stuck to torunaments instead.

I'm looking forward to being back in Vegas this year and will try and play more live than I did last time.

Year 1 as a Pro - Some things I'd like to post about but won't

2010-12-23T23:59:00.001Z

Poker is an information war and some information is just too significant to share. I'm not saying I know some magic secret that can make you a winner at poker, but any information that if shared could affect your own winrate should be guarded carefully. There are some things I'm sure others would find interesting if I discussed them but it is not in my interests to share it here.

As there is no real content in today's post here is a wonderful picture from a post by Baz that really sums up a lot of the things you need to think about if you are going pro.

Year 1 as a Pro - PLO / PLO8

2010-12-22T00:04:00.004Z

I decided to add this topic just to talk about playing games other than your main game. PLO and PLO8 happen to be two of my favourite alternatives to holdem but I've played most others at some point.. even Badugi recently.

It is important to stick to one main game if you are playing professionally I think. However, certainly for me, I feel there are some benefits of playing other games at times. It can give you a different perspective of different elements that are common to all forms of poker .. ranges, lines, position, aggression etc... In the early days I switched between holdem and plo8 a lot, and each time I came back to the other game I felt better at it. It can also provide a welcome mental break if things haven't been going so well - being able to shove a few draws in a cheap game and win for a change can feel pretty good and get you back on a more even keel without threatening your bankroll. I started playing poker for fun, and its good to rememeber that once in a while if you feel grinding your regular game is getting you down.

Year 1 as a Pro - HEM / HUD

2010-12-21T19:14:00.004Z

A database and HUD are essential tools these days and the only real choice is between PokerTracker 3 (PT3) or Holdem Manager (HEM).

I started out using PT3 but a few months later I trialed HEM and decided to switch instantly. I'm not sure how PT3 is these days, but at the time it seemed buggier, had less features and the HUD seemed slow and hungry on resources.

Getting to know your database is critical so that you can make the most of reviewing hands, analysing villains and looking for your own leaks.

Getting your HUD and popups right is a very personal thing and something you should re-evaluate and tweak over time. I'm sure others would find my HUD interesting but I'm not wanting to share. I know a few of my regular opponents are reading this and I'd rather they weren't aware of the details.

Year 1 as a Pro - EV

2010-12-20T12:31:00.007Z

At some point you will run worse
than you ever thought possible

It is a depressing statement but statistically inevitable. I prefer the other version which is also true

At some point you will run better than
you ever thought possible

I know of good players who have been breakeven for 300,000 hands, some who run 100BI below EV (Expected Value) and all sorts of other horror stories. The fact that this is possible, even if you are playing a reasonable A-game, means that someone could fail to make it work playing full-time. I'm sure a lot of people with potential to succeed at poker have been crushed before they ever really had a chance. Running like this can have huge consequences for tilt and it is inevitable that it will affect your game in some way, especially if it goes on month after month.

The "All-in EV" stat in HEM/PT3 is a useful guide as to how you are running, but it doesn't tell the full story and shouldn't be obsessed about. Running into the top of a villains range or getting most of the money in when you are ahead also comes under running bad. In fact it is possible for almost every element in poker to have some kind of EV value.. getting good seats, getting AA when someone else has KK rather than the other way around, being at the tables at the right time of day and how marginal the decisions you face are etc...

I think it is really important to focus on your awareness of all these things and how it is affecting you - it can only lead to improving the decisions you make, be it when to quit and take a break or which areas of your game or attitude could do with some attention. Preparing yourself for worst runbad of your life could be one of the most critical things you do as it could be bad enough to end your poker career.

I've been lucky that I haven't hit one of these really bad patches this year and that I'm still playing. As I've said before I don't downswing much at all compared to others (yet!). When you start out it is hard to know how good you are and it is possible that good early results are just some rungood, but as you put in more volume it becomes easier to evaluate your ability. In the first few months I really didn't know where I stood, but having done almost 500k hands now I can feel more comfortable. We all play for the long term, but that is still much more than we can measure in a few months or even a year. There is a handy online EV simulator that can give you a feel for the possible statistical variance.

The last 15k hands have been about as close as it gets to a downswing for me... only 6.5BI below EV and other hidden coolers but in the scheme of things it is nothing.

I'm hoping it turns around so I can finish the year strong. As for practical things you can do to deal with it other than just putting volume in and making good decisions you can

take breaks when you are aware it is affecting you
talk to others and discuss hands to make check your decisions
do some sweats
get some coaching
study something
watch a training video
play something else that can't hurt your BR but give you some satisfaction of finally winning some flips!

Year 1 as a Pro -Bankroll management

2010-12-19T01:51:00.003Z

Bankroll management is critical if you are going to make poker your primary income.

When I played recreationally I was happy to play with a BR of 20-30 BI, but it is important to have a deeper BR when it is your job and stick religiously to it for 2 reasons:

It protects you from going busto.. you can't make money if you lose all your BR
It protects you from unnecessary mental anguish and pressure if you go on a downswing

The common wisdom seems to be a 100BI BR if you play full-time. You must also be able to drop down stakes if your BR takes a bad hit and try and rebuild it from there. Taking shots with less BI at higher stakes can be ok too (say 50BI) if you pick the moments the games are softest. Some people also use a stop-loss limit for a given day but numbers seem to vary a lot depending on the person and their tilt control.

I actually started the year with about 150BI for 50 and I was taking a few shots at 100 too. As the year has progressed as I've made withdrawls my BR has fluctuated between 100BI at 50 and 140BI at 100. I don't seem to go on as many downswings as others and when I do they aren't very severe (yet?!). Hence, I'd feel pretty comfortable playing 100 with only 50BI now and might even take some shots at 200 on 25BI. I recently played a few hands at 400 on 25BI but its not going to be a regular occurrence. I will always strive to get my BR up to 100BI for the main stake I'm playing and right now thats 100BI at 100, taking a few shots at 200. Fortunately, I haven't been forced to move down at all, but I mix different stakes and might only play 50 one day depending on how I'm feeling and how the games are. If it comes to it I know I'm prepared and able to play lower stakes if my bankroll dictates it. As I don't downswing much I haven't felt the need for a stop loss and instead focus on making good quitting decisions.

The point is, that BR requirements are going to be quite different for everyone depending on their style and games they play and how they handle it mentally. Setting the limits generously to start with should give you the flexibility to adjust things at a later date if you feel it still gives you the protection that BR management is there for.

EDIT: I forgot to add that I also had some contingency in a savings account when I started - enough to survive a few months if there was no other income. I didn't want my career to end before it even got started due to variance, and I knew I'd need some time to improve my game to win enough each month.

I've not needed to use any of the contingency this year which I'm really pleased about, other than borrowing a bit from it around Vegas for cashflow reasons, but it was repaid soon after I got back.

Year 1 as a Pro - Shorthanded / HU

2010-12-18T14:06:00.002Z

As a full ring (9 seats) cash player, most of my experience and comfort zone is with 7 or more players. Playing with less opponents is definitely harder and higher variance due to everyone having wider ranges of hands and therefore decisions being much more maginal. However, it can also be very profitable and should not be ignored or passed up.

It wasn't until I felt competent at full ring that I felt I could try to play with less people. Some of the hardest things become much more important - understanding ranges, bet sizing, lines, hand reading and villain types for examples. However, there are 2 great side effects of trying it and working on all these areas

We get better as a player and can bring a better A-game to full tables
Villains play worse than they might full ring as it is harder and will make more mistakes and therefore it can be a great source of profit

Heads-up with just 2 players is obviously hardest but is still great for your game and profitable. Starting tables also has other great side effects because as the table fills up the villains are generally weaker - casual players just want to play so they fill find a seat as soon as they can rather than wory about waiting lists or game selection. Often these kinds of opponents are there for a quick gamble so will stack off much lighter than usual. Regs are usually busy multi-tabling they don't always have the time to see new tables starting and will take some time to find them so you can generally get at least a few orbits before the casual players start to bust and leave and be replaced by regs. Taking notes on villains and their HU play is extremely useful and I need to do it more as often there will be opportunities to get your stack in within a hew hands. Generally, the biggest winners at each stake are table starters so the cycle of getting better and playing in profitable situations definitley pays off.

In these short-handed situations its important to keep your eye on how profitable a situation it is as the dynamic can change much more quickly than at a full table. You also need to be ready and be aware of when it is +EV to change seats as again it can make a huge difference. There are times that I will choose not to play against a certain collection of or single villain becuase they are good (or just plain lucky!) or it is hard to get into good spots with a weak player due to seating options. However, it is also important to recognise when there seems to be an appetite for seats at your stake - a few hands HU with someone who you wouldn't choose to play for profit as your edge is tool small or negative is worth it if you can get a full soft table running quickly.

In the situation where there are a few regulars and only one or 2 weak players or as tables start there are obviously some strategic manouverings going on between the regulars.. either in seat choice, range adaptation or in simply choosing when to sit in or sit out. There are some fine lines between making the situation the most profitable it can be and table etiquette and each reg seems to have a different opinion of where these lines are drawn... I'll post more about this under "Table Etiquette".

I can understand why some regulars only want to play full tables - usually as they require more attention than you might have when multi-tabling or they simply don't feel as comfortable. However, as tables are breaking up it is worth keeping an eye on the changing dynamic and it can often become a very profitable situation again within a few hands. I can't sometimes believe when a regular leaves after a couple of seats become free when there is still a really bad fish at the table, especially when they have a deep stack. I'm happy that they are leaving easy money on the table, but the times it causes the bad player to leave because there aren't enough players makes me sad :(

Year 1 as a Pro - Bonuses

2010-12-17T23:59:00.000Z

If you are playing for a living its important to maximise your earnings and take advantage of as many bonuses, offers and promos as possible.

Rakeback is common to most sites and essential to get so that you can get back a percentage of all the rake you pay to the poker room. It can be problematic on some sites depending how you first signed up, but although my full tilt account is old I must have just downloaded it via their website so was able to get rakeback. If you are unable to get it at your preferred site you should seriously consider changing where you play.

For a while at the the beginning of the year I was taking advantage of bonus offers at both Absolute Poker and Full Tilt, but as the year has gone on I've stuck primarily with Full Tilt. It is worth being aware of the offers on other sites if you play enough to meet the requirements for their promotions. At times your chosen games at your main site may not be running or just not be very good so you might want to consider what else is available and take advantage.

The requirements for some promotions can be quite complicated and often require you to opt-in rather than being given to you automatically. The poker rooms need to have these to compete with each other, but they obviously would prefer if they didn't have to pay out to everyone. Full Tilt's "Take 2" and "Iron Man" promotions are good examples of this in that you have to elect to participate. Hence, its important that you take the time to read emails, promotion pages and research what is available.

Full Tilt has a number of schemes that it is worth taking advantage of if you play cash games:

Rakeback - 27% of rake paid back weekly
Iron Man - worth up to $600 of bonuses every 6 months, plus more from "iron man medals"
Black Card - double full tilt points, exclusive store with cash bonuses and a little more
Take2 - extra full tilt points during promo period
Happy hours - extra full tilt points for playing specific games at specific times of day
Rush week - bonus for playing rush (rigged so I wouldn't recommend it!)
Miscellaneous one-off or seasonal bonuses

I think its important to keep in mind that these are all just bonuses and not get too attached to any of them. The poker rooms will makes changes and suffering from losing one just isn't worth it. There has been a lot of hate directed at Full Tilt after their recent change from dealt to weighted contributed rakeback and the Black Card scheme which many had over-hyped for themselves by expecting it would compete with Pokerstars. If many regulars leave for Pokerstars as they are saying they will, then Full Tilt games should become a little softer, so it isn't all bad!

One danger of getting bonuses and trying to achieve or clear them is to rush through the extra volume required. A few times I've managed to lose more than a bonus is worth by playing more than I should or games that I shouldn't.

Full Tilt have just started a promo where you can get up to $100 bonus if you spend 140k ftp in their store. Yesterday I bought a $500 Black Card bonus for 125k pts and plan to buy another cash bonus to make it up to the required 140k ftp spend. With the volume required to clear these, plus the $100 bonus when it comes, plus working off the Iron Man $600 bonus in January I need to put in quite a lot of volume over the next 8 weeks. I was definitley affected by this yesterday and played some things I shouldn't and effectively threw away some of the bonus that I was trying to get.

I play some torunaments now and again and treat these in a similar way to bonuses - if I can win some extra then great but no problem if I don't. Spending iron man medals or full tilt points on tournaments can achieve a much higher rate of return on them in you are competent. I also find playing tournaments can be a great motivator to put in some good volume at cash while the tournament is running or just to take a mental break from cash games. Swapping some % of yourself or buying a % of others in torunaments can help smooth out the variance too and make a return more likely (especially if it is with Gary! - he won me $900 the other day while I was asleep.. definitely a nice bonus :)).

Year 1 as a Pro - WSOP

2010-12-16T18:52:00.002Z

One of the dreams of going to Vegas was to be able to play in the World Series. A shot at the $10k main event was well beyond my bankroll, but one of the $1k events was affordable if a rather extravagent compared to my usual live tournament buyins.

There were several $1k events so I decided to play one of the later ones so that I could get used to being in Vegas first. We took an early trip to the Rio and the sheer scale of everything was pretty awesome. I managed to get some poker celeb pics while wandering around.

Gary had a great run at the $1k Event #24 and I was as ready as I would ever be and registered for $1k event Event #47.

I was pretty nervous as it began.. my biggest live buyin ever, biggest live field ever and first multi-day event ever. There were no celebs (that I recognised anyway!) at my table but Chris Moneymaker was just a couple of tables away from me. As it was the cheapest wsop event the structure wasn't the greatest with not too many chips to start.

I was quite active in the first few levels but there were only a few small pots going backwards and forwards - not getting any action with a flopped set in a 3bet pot was a bit sad in Level 2, but it allowed me to settle down and get more comfortable. A few players came and went in what was quite a mixed field of ability.

After the 2nd break level 5 began and I picked up AK. A shorter stack opened before me and we got it in preflop after I'd 3bet him. However, his QQ held on a QJxxx board and I couldn't bink a T. I lost quite a few chips but certainly wasn't out of it yet. A few hands later another shortstack went allin and it was an easy shove for me with KK. Again, luck wasn't with me and his A4 hit an A on the flop to leave me crippled. The very next hand I had 88 and shoved my few chips in.. there was a quite a lot of action behind me and I was knocked out by TT in the end.

I haven't worked out what I'm going to play in the series in 2011, but I'd like to put together a package of a couple of WSOP events and a couple from the Venetian Deepstack Extravaganza and try and sell some action on 2+2 to make it affordable and give myself some more chance to find some rungood.

Year 1 as a Pro - Vegas

2010-12-15T10:29:00.004Z

Long before I started playing poker I'd always wanted to go to Vegas. I'd only been full-time a couple of months when the threads went up advertising spots in a house for summer 2010. As much as I wanted to go, I was still getting myself established as a pro and didn't really have the bankroll to be able to commit and know I would be able to pay for both the trip and bills at home. I knew it was going to be a trip of a lifetime and I wanted to be sure I could afford to go without financial pressure and be able to enjoy myself properly so reluctantly delayed my decision.

By chance in April, with only really one spot left in the house, I was contacted out of the blue and offered a contracting job with a company I had worked with on some projects when I was at the bank. I wasn't thrilled about doing 9-5 again and playing less poker, but the length of contract and day rate was enough for me to feel safe committing to the trip. It felt like fate pushing me to go so I promptly took up the last spot in the house and booked my flights, to leave on June 8th in time for Gary's birthday and the start of the world cup and fly back on July 14th.

I won't go into all the details of the trip but it was awesome! - I made some posts at the time if you want to read more - Vegas #1, Flu in Vegas and I shot a zombie with a Glock 9mm.

I had a list of things I wanted to do while I was there and managed most of them including

play a wsop event
play lots of poker
shoot handguns
roll dice at a craps table
play slots
see the desert
see the grand canyon
play golf

We had an epic last night and in the end I was really sad to be leaving the good friends I'd made and Vegas itself. Even if poker doesn't work out as a long-term career for me, it will have been worth it for being able to fulfil one of my dreams.

There were a few things I didn't get round to doing so I guess I'll have to endure the hardship of going back! I haven't booked any flights yet, but I plan to be there for the whole of June and July 2011. There should be a good number of us back from last year - Gary, Dip and Darren and perhaps DJ and Tim. Gary is already lining up a house for us and it should be way better than the one we had last time. The idea of having an outdoor pool is a tough concept from someone from Scotland but I'm sure I'll cope :)

Year 1 as a Pro - Ego

2010-12-14T23:59:00.000Z

There isn't a huge amount to say on Ego other than there is no room for it in poker. You should be humble, accept that you are fallible, accept that you have a lot to learn and never let an inflated perception of your abilities affect your decisions. If you don't, you are just setting yourself up for a fall at a later date and risk developing FPS (Fancy Play Syndrome).

Year 1 as a Pro - Results-Orientatedness

2010-12-13T23:59:00.002Z

The thoery of this one is simple enough - results for a given session, day, week, month, even year really don't matter. All that does matter is the long term and we shouldn't allow ourselves to be affected by results.

Personally, I find it really really hard to not look at results. Some will go to the extent of removing $ information from HEM/PT3, never looking at their online poker balances or graphs but I can't seem to manage it. In fact, I don't want to.

I've always been quite motivated/driven/obsessed by results and it is no different for me with poker. Its a bit of a cop out, but rather than try and look at them less I decided to try and work on the negative side-effects instead.

When results are going well it motivates me to play more, and I don't seem to allow it to affect my game in an adverse way.

However, when results don't go my way, especially after a 3+ day bad streak I find it much harder to put in volume and find the motivation to play. When I do play in this state, I'm aware that some of my decisions are not optimal and I'm probably a little desperate to turn things around and get back to "normal".

Next year I'll continue to try and improve when in this state rather than deal with the root cause. Especially in my early poker career when I need to prove to myself that I can make it work, results are rather critical. Perhaps in a few years and with a deeper bankroll to cushion any bad periods I can try and achieve a more zen-like state with regard to results.

Year 1 as a Pro - Life balance

2010-12-12T17:38:00.004Z

This is another topic that I need to make progress with next year.

Grinding for a living is a pretty insular existence, working long and often unsociable hours alone. Talking with friends on AIM/Skype is good, but not a real replacement for the human contact you'd get with colleagues in a traditional job.

It's important for the mental side of poker to get away from the tables at times and obviously for your own sanity too!

As it has been my first year, I've approached it much as I would starting a business, in that its critical to put in a lot more hours than is probably good for you. I've probably averaged 7 hrs a day, 7 days a week at the cash tables and probably a lot lot more if you consider coaching, sweating, hh reviews, tournaments, live play, browsing 2+2, watching videos, studying and just talking and thinking about poker.

Its hardly a break from poker, but I try and get to the casino once a week to play a live tournament just for a change of pace and see some real people!

One of the great things about playing online poker is the ability to play anywhere and any time with only a laptop and internet connection. It affords great opportunities to do other things and travel so why not take advantage? Being able to go to Vegas for several weeks, even if it was a working holiday, wouldn't have been possible otherwise but more about that later.

Year 1 as a Pro - Healthy lifestyle

2010-12-11T07:47:00.003Z

This is another depressing fail for me.

Sleeping well, eating well and exercising can only be good for our stamina, concentration and brainpower. Unfortunately, sitting in front of a PC for hours a day doesn't lend itself well to a healthy lifestyle.

On the plus side, I can only get better at it next year!

Year 1 as a Pro - Playing without distractions

2010-12-10T01:12:00.003Z

This topic is a big fail for me.

Baz who coached me first religiously goes into "Do not disturb" mode in Skype when he is playing and may listen to music I think but nothing else when playing.

This is what I should be aspiring to, but I browse the internet, IM, watch TV and films and the truth is I can't be making the best decisions I can be when there are other things taking up my attention.

Again, as results have been good I haven't felt compelled to make changes, but I know I should be playing more tables (if I'm able to do other things at the same time) in shorter focussed sessions with regular breaks.

Year 1 as a Pro - Studying

2010-12-09T23:59:00.000Z

When I started out I planned to do a lot of studying. However, the past has shown me that I prefer to learn by trying things out rather than studying theory, and I haven't done as much this year as I'd hoped away from the tables. As results have gone well I haven't felt the need to apply myself in this area. However, as I move up it will become essential to have a greater understanding so I hope to establish a better routine next year.

Hand History Reviews

Reviewing hand histories is probably one of the best ways to learn, especially with input from others. Understanding what you did wrong and what you should have done can only make you play better in a similar spot another time. Many people advocate reviewing hands at the end of a session, but I haven't done this very often - usually only a quick scan after a really bad session to understand what I lost due to mistakes and what was lost due to general runbad. In the last couple of months I've started marking hands as I play and reviewing them weekly with El Nino and Perfection - with 2 other views to draw upon its really useful. Many post hand histories at 2+2, but I've avoided this as there is so much bad advice out there, and prefer to talk to friends on AIM/Skype instead.

Villain Analysis

Taking some time to examine the players you play regularly against can definitely pay off once you have a reasonable number of hands against them. At the most basic level, I'll review some of their ranges (EP open, MP open ... , 3bet, 3bet calling etc.) and then look at how they play sets and draws. On occasion I've tried to look into some more detail including cbet sizing in an effort to find a really exploitable leak, but with only a limited number of your hand samples going to showdown I'm not sure how much data you need to make this worthwhile. I meant to do this weekly when I first started this year, but it is only recently that it has become a more regular occurence.

2+2

Although some of the advice/strategy on 2+2 is a bit suspect, there are also some wonderful pieces of information: from the occasional inspirational post to the generally solid Concepts of the Week in the micro stakes forum, so it is definitely worth taking some time to read.

Watching Videos

I had planned to watch a lot of videos, perhaps 1 a week or more, but I've probably watched less than 10 this year. I'm not sure exactly why this is, but I know there are some great ones out there and I really should take advantage. Again, something for next year.

Pokerstove

For someone with a maths degree I really should understand some of the general theory better. I think with experience I have a pretty good feel for what is correct, but on the few occasions I've used pokerstove to check out the details I've found myself quite far off the mark. Pokerstove is a great tool for working with ranges and equity and I need to do this much more next year.

Coaching

Coaching is obviously a great way to learn in itself, but a coach can often help identify areas of weakness where study can help. Make sure you ask your coach for advice!

Thinking

Particularly for the mental side of the game, taking time just to think away from the tables can help. I often find myself thinking about a hand while driving (and still concentrating on the road obviously!) or listening to the Eightfold Path to Poker Enlightenment while in the bath.

Year 1 as a Pro - Playing for a living in the UK

2010-12-08T23:59:00.001Z

As I mentioned ealier, the UK is a pretty good place to play poker from as you don't need to pay any tax. The Inland Revenue class you as "non-employed" which is a status no-one else has ever heard of. I think there will be some need to keep up with national insurance contributions but the research I did when I started suggested it wouldn't be for at least 2 years, and they certinaly haven't come after me for anything yet.

The only other thing to note is that banks (and probably any other finance company) won't recognise your poker income at all so don't expect to be able to get a loan/mortgage/remortgage no matter how pretty your graphs are. Even if you don't think you'll need it, circumstances can change, so it is worth thinking about what you would do.

If you are planning to play 9-5 then you need to be aware that these won't be the best hours for poker. Personally, I keep a pretty odd schedule and like to stay up late so it isn't a problem.

Year 1 as a Pro - Game Selection

2010-12-07T17:59:00.004Z

I don't think there is a huge amount to say about Game Selection, other than it is very important you get it right: from the poker site you play at, to the actual game and limits right down to the seat you are sitting in. As to which ones you pick (within Bankroll Requirements), its a very personal choice. You also need to be aware of the effect of the day of the week / time of day on each game and limit you play.

I colour code players when at the tables which makes it easier to select the good and avoid the bad tables. Simply, I just try and pick tables with as many bad (and preferrably deep) players as possible. There are tools out there to help with table selection, but playing as few as I do I don't normally bother with them - the only one I use on occasion is Table Scan Turbo. I tend to ignore the players/flop and avg pot stats in the lobby, although if you don't have any more information to go on, it can point you towards the better tables.

If you can't find tables then starting them can be a great idea, especially when the waitlists are full and there aren't many/any short tables running. Bad/casual players don't like to wait so you often find it filling with them as soon as the table gets going and you are in the best position to take advantage.

I seem to be a little more aggressive with seat selection than most - a luxury afforded by playing fewer tables, but picking the correct seat can make the spots you get into much easier to play and potentially more profitable. Ideally you want tight players on your left, and bad players on your right. It is pretty rare that I'll leave a table due to my seat when there is a bad player, but sometimes the conditions mean that it is going to be very hard to win pots or you'll have to be playing oop a lot. If it does get really bad I'll sometimes leave the table and rejoin the waitlist in the hope for a better seat.

If you consider the situation where there is one bad player at the table opposite you with no seats next to them, but there is an empty seat to your left I will often swap to that empty seat. It makes no difference regarding the fish at the table, but think how much better it will be if another bad player takes your old seat and sits to your right. Sure, it will often be filled by another reg, but for the times a fish sits, why wouldn't you want position on them? Being aware of the empty spots at the table and how it will effect things if filled can definitely help you make the most of a table.

Year 1 as a Pro - Tilt / Mental Game

2010-12-05T23:45:00.002Z

I don't think anyone who doesn't play poker can really understand how tough poker can be mentally. As they say, "It's a tough way to make an easy living".

Poker should simply be a game of mathematical decisions but we are emotional beings and it is very hard to separate the two. I won't list all the emotions here, but I think its possible to feel pretty much every emotion on this list at wikipedia in varying degrees due to poker. Any single one or combination of these can affect our decisions, and any time we are not making perfect decisions and not playing our A-game is a form of tilt.

Tommy Angelo talks about striving to be "tiltless" and I think this is another crucial element in being successful at poker and one that can't be ignored. As Tommy also says, we need to work on "lopping off our C-game" - working on things that we know we are really bad as well as working on improving our already good skills. Many of these bits of C-game are incredibly hard to deal with such as this. However, any improvement to our C-game can affect our winrate just as much if not more than improvements to our A-game. I think many people who play for a living don't do enough work on this because it can be so hard, and therefore if we make any efforts at all we can only improve our edge over the other players.

There is some great material out there to get started, but in the end in just takes some effort to be self-aware and try to reflect objectively on your state of mind at all times and how it is affecting you and your game. Being able to adjust and also quit at the right time can have a huge bearing on results.

I'd recommend the following to anyone wanting to learn more

Elements of Poker by Tommy Angelo
The Poker Mindset: Essential Attitudes for Poker Success by Ian Taylor & Matthew Hilger
The Eightfold Path to Enlightenment by Tommy Angelo

Over the years I've been playing I think I've probably experienced every form of tilt but now I feel I do better at almost all of them, especially with the effort I've put in over the last year.

Tilt comes in many and varied forms. One particular demon of mine was Bankroll Tilt: Playing higher stakes or taking silly risks in an effort to reclaim money that I had formed an attachment to and lost, in an effort to get back to even. This hand from June 2009 before I went full-time pretty much sums it up and the dangers involved.

At the time I was playing 100NL within my bankroll requirements but had not had a good month (down about $1k). It was approaching the end of the month and I wasn't happy with my results.. I jumped into a 400NL game and quickly lost a stack and felt worse. To compound it I then jumped up to 1000NL promising myself only a single orbit of the table and to only consider putting all $1000 at risk if I had the nuts. 2 hands from the orbit being complete the hand above happened.. flopped the nuts in a 3bet pot, got stacks in and then was brutally coolered by runner-runner.

I felt pretty terrible at that point finishing down $1400 for the day - my worst day ever (and still is fortunately!). It took a couple of weeks to really get over it but when I did I was able to really think about what I did, why, and how I could prevent it happening again.

I think I'd always had this tendency, but sometimes it can take an extreme event to really become aware of something. In hindsight I'm pleased it happened in that I have been able to recognise when I've felt the same since and been able to step away from the tables or play some silly cheap game instead until I'm back on an even keel.

Unfortunately, not all forms of tilt are as easy to fix but it can only have a positive effect to make an effort to seek them out and deal with them.

Year 1 as a Pro - Volume

2010-12-05T11:29:00.009Z

When I first started playing cash I knew the common wisdom seemed to be that to make money at poker you had to multi-table and as many tables as you possibly can (without affecting winrate to the point its not adding more). There were some that played less but they were definitely an exception.

I'd started out with 1 table like everyone else when I first started playing poker, but slowly added a few more over time. When I first started playing cash I varied how many I was playing.. anywhere between 4 and perhaps 10 with the intention to try and add more but never really found a number that worked for me. I think this was as a result of not playing great poker rather than an issue with the number of tables.

At the beginning of this year I knew I needed to play a lot of hands to be able to make a living but didn't have any real idea of how many that might be. My future winrate, stakes and multi-tabling ability were all fairly unknown and I didn't waste any time trying to estimate what with was required. I knew I had time on my side in that I knew I would be able to put in a decent number of hours a week. However, from experience, I also knew that I had a lot of leaks to address before I would be able to comfortably multi-table without making bad and costly mistakes.

When things clicked in January I was only playing a handful of tables at a time. Not wanting to lose/break whatever I had found I stuck with a similar number of tables (2-6). As results came in month by month I was making enough that I wasn't compelled into re-evaluating how many tables I played so just stuck with the forumla. I also was able to continue to improve at a greater rate. In a game of edges, it is important to take every edge you can, and playing fewer tables affords quite a number even if they are small

more time to make decisions as a whole
fewer misclicks due to slower action
fewer misreads due to table/HUD size
more time to navigate HUD popups and notes
more time to take notes
more time to observe game flow
more time to read hands that others take to showdown
ability to always tile tables on monitor and not miss any action
good players with an edge over you are probably playing more tables and will therefore have their edge reduced. (I haven't done it often, but being able to be aware of other big decisions they have at the same time as being in a pot with you can marginally influence the decision in a hand)
easier to perceive your table image on each individual table
more time to game select
more time to seat change/select

You do need to be aware of getting distracted too much when there is little action. Also, you need to make sure you aren't trying to play too many pots for the same reason.

You do get to see every brutal showdown - I've noticed when playing more tables that I sometimes am vaguely aware of having made a river bet or raise and don't remember seeing the result. For the mental aspect of the game and tilt control it is probably a good thing not to see every result and just focus on good decisions. The flip side of the coin is that if you don't see showdowns how are you able to adjust your game based on your perceived range of cards that the villain had against what they actually showed up with? Sure, you can review hands later and make notes but the information is most valuable right there.. in that moment and the hands following it. People you play may be creatures of habit, but I think its definitely possible to pick up on how people may be playing slightly differently that day.. particularly if they seem to be on tilt they are likely to be putting their stack in within a few hands and you can adjust accordingly.

Another downside of playing fewer tables is reduced rakeback and bonuses. However, if you can achieve a better winrate then money made at the tables can more than make up for any "lost" income. If the poker rooms change their promotions you are also less affected by any changes (e.g. recent ft rakeback changes and Black Card). The other plus of a greater winrate is quite honestly - it just feels good to crush the stakes you are playing. It feels good to win and I think it helps the mental side and the bad days probably don't feel quite as bad and tilt is much reduced; and less tilt = more money :) I have huge respect for those that can play 16+ tables but I don't like the idea of playing more for bonuses than anything else so I don't think its for me.

Having said all of this, I have played a session or two of 10 tables this month. The number of leaks I had have definitely reduced to the point I think I can safely add a few tables when I'm feeling good and the games are good without affecting things too much. As I try to move up stakes I may find edges are much smaller and it might require playing more hands/tables. I'll continue to fine tune things to try and find the sweet spot that works for me but I'll definitely not be 24-tabling for SNE next year!

So, with the year-end approaching, I've played close to 500,000 hands but don't think I'll make that milestone. Volume was down in April, May and June due to doing a 9-5 to guarantee the trip to Vegas and then being in Vegas itself. I haven't got back to the volume I manged in Feb/March primarily as I wanted to keep the number of tables down while moving up to 100. Now that I feel established there I'd like to push back towards 60k and perhaps even try for 100k one month next year.

Year 1 as a Pro - Friends / Villains

2010-12-04T08:59:00.003Z

Making good poker friends and contacts is as critical to success as much as coaching I think. Coaches are obviously great, but they cost $$ per hour and aren't around all the time. With an array of people in different timezones keeping odd hours there is almost always someone around to discuss hands or strategy with or do sweats.

I've picked up contacts via this blog, 2+2, coach introductions and sometimes chatting at the poker tables. One thing to note is that if you play the person regularly at the same tables it definitely will have a different and sometimes slightly odd dynamic playing against them in the future. e.g. cbetting a flop oop and being called by someone you know can make it quite tought to play the turn - you want to win the hand obviously and you might bet in the same spot against a villain of similar stats, but the fact that they called you probably means they might have a more reasonable hand than they might against a villain of your stats. Perhaps they are only calling with a really strong hand vs you because they want to keep a small pot and not take money from you as much as from others? If you do continue a bit light and it gets to showdown how will they perceive how you played them and how will affect future encounters?

Some people can be quite open in talking while others can be much more withdrawn and be unwilling to discuss specific details of hands between you and them. I think this is Tommy Angelo's "Information Reciprocality" in effect.. in that for the perfect poker strategy you should never give up information unnecessarily while trying to get as much as you can yourself. However, I think for what you can get out it can be worth sharing information with the right people. As in life, there are bad people out there and you have to be on your guard when first getting to know someone - there are enough horror stories on 2+2 of people being scammed so it pays to tread cautiously.

I now participate in a hh review session once a week with El Nino and Perfection - we simply take turns in going through hands we've marked during the previous week using TeamViewer, HEM and Skype. It has been really useful for all of us I think and definitely something I will continue with.

I can't do a section on friends without a special mention for Gary (El Nino 1). We've been good friends almost a year now, and I don't think I'd be the player I am today without all the hands and strategy we have discussed. Also, I don't think I'd have made it to Vegas and had such an awesome time if I hadn't known him. We play quite a few torunaments and often he is generous enough to swap some % (as he definitely a better MTT player than me!) so I need to thank him for winning a lot more for me than I have for him ($540 in vegas after his WSOP cash, and $900 a few days ago come to mind). So, thanks Gary, and I really hope you can win the prop bet for next June. If anyone is looking for a good coach or even staker for micro stakes then I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him and he is great value too.

As in life you can't be friends with everyone, and there will be players that you come across that can really make life miserable for you and you will start to hate with a passion. They might just run really well against you but its really important to try and keep a level head and stick to your A-game. Taking time to go through hands in your database to understand how they play and look for leaks is definitely valuable, especially the ones you play on a daily basis.

I have to make a small brag at this point as the last 2 days have been 2 of my best ever. 26.65 BB/100 is unfotunately unsustainable but I'm enjoying it while it lasts. Posting and rungood are now linked so I have to keep up this posting once a day !

Year 1 as a Pro - Coaching

2010-12-03T16:07:00.005Z

I've had 3 coaches - Baz, Kush and Jason. Its impossible to say who was best - each has had an effect on shaping my game into what it is today. Getting coaching is critical to success in poker and its essential that you approach it with the right attitude, be prepared to listen and think really deeply about your reasons for doing anything and everything at the tables.

It has been over a year now since I had my last coaching, and although everything seems to be going really well I still make horrendous mistakes and have lots of room for improvement. I think I posted a few weeks ago that I was thinking about getting more coaching and I've not moved any further forward as yet. I'm still considering a number of different people and also what I want out of it.

As teaching is a great way to gain a greater understanding, I've taken on a student myself recently. I think I'm starting to have a positive effect on his game but it is probably taking a bit longer than it should as I'm learning the ropes myself. If it works out I may take on more students next year.

As for methods of coaching hand history reviews are best, but as many coaches say these days, its best for the student to decide the format that will work best for them. I know from experience that being sweated can be just what you feel is needed even it isn't going to give the best value for the time. I think the reason is that there is a gap between connecting up the theory of what to do and what you actually do when you are at the table, faced with decisions and limited time. I think this connection is part of what changed for me last January.

Year 1 as a Pro - The Beginning

2010-12-02T06:40:00.006Z

Cliffnotes prior to this year:

Started playing in 2004/2005 recreationally (mainly sngo and mtt) - didn't work on my game or use a HUD but did well enough to keep playing for fun
In 2008 I switched to cash, got some coaching, started using a HUD - did well initially but a lack of understanding and some tilt control issues kept me from winning much
October 2009 I was hating my job and decided to take the plunge, so quit and decided to try poker for a living

I had a few months of contingency money in case things didn't work out and I needed to find a job, but I was starting out with no track record that I would be able to actually win enough to cover all my expenses. I had enough belief (and hope!) that with the extra time I had for poker that there was no good reason I couldn't do it. I had one clear goal for the year - thats was to prove to myself that I could make a living from player poker full-time. There were a few things in my favour -

Its easier to play from the UK in that all winnings are tax free so you don't need to win as much
I always found it easy to spend hours in front on the PC playing games, so knew that I could put in the hours and volume required
I already had a reasonable understanding of the game and knew I wasn't completely incompetent

Once I'd made the decision to quit my job I got some coaching from jasons0147. We only had a few sessions but they were really useful, especially as I was really motivated to learn. He had some great suggestions and his clear thinking definitely helped refine my thought process at the tables.

Between November and January I played mainly 0.25/0.50 at both Absolute Poker and Full Tilt. I was managing to put in the volume and starting to win a little more consistently, but still not enough to really live on. Being paid in arrears and trying to live a little cheaper meant I could keep going without resorting to using any contingency.

Towards the end of January something magical happened - in fact two things! Full Tilt made changes to the buyin limits to the tables which meant that the games were no longer infested with shortstacking players. Secondly, a number of things clicked into place in my game.. its hard to put my finger on exactly what it was, but able to think/play full-time as well as game select better definitley allowed it to happen as well as the effect of the coaching from jason. I'd also had time to be able to talk with and do some sweats with El Nino 1 and Incognito which were invaluable.

In the early months I was winning at around 2BB/100, but Feb saw me jump to 3.5BB/100 and 5BB/100 in March. I'm not sure what my "true" winrate is, but I've played enough hands since to know that this wasn't just variance and I had definitely turned a corner.

Year 1 as a Pro - Index

2010-12-01T07:11:00.034Z

As I posted in my November review, I'm going to do a series of posts about my first year of full-time poker this month - I'm going to try and make a post a day if I can manage it. This will count as 1st in the series and I'll take the next 24hrs to finetune the list of topics I'm going to cover and shuffling the order before making post #2.

November review

2010-11-30T23:59:00.000Z

Its been another solid month with around 40k hands played. In the closing hours of November I was within $150 of it becoming yet another record month, but a quick series of coolers for $450 moved it out of reach.

Cash results were a bit down on the last couple of months, but winning a live £50+£30 at the casino and getting $900 as my 25% share of Gary as he ran deep and chopped a tournament HU definitely helped!

Overall it makes it my 3rd best month, and the last 3 months have been the best ones of my "career" so I'm hoping for a good December to finish the year.

A couple of people have asked what happened to my epic post I was going to write about my first year as a pro - I think the problem that it was just too epic to make as a single post and I kept putting it off. Instead, I'm going to write a series of posts in December that covers everything, each one focussing on one important element.

October review

2010-10-31T22:24:00.004Z

It seems fitting to end my first year full-time with a best month ever (5th one this year). I played a little more volume this month but still a bit below where I'd like it to be.

I'll write more soon when I make my epic Year 1 post.

1 year today!

2010-10-29T23:33:00.002+01:00

It is exactly 1 year today that I had my first full-time day playing poker for a living. Given how well it has gone, in hindsight its a decision I'm glad I made. This month is going especially well but I'll post more about it in my usual end of month review.

I'm also going to write a more epic post at the beginning of next month this first year as a whole.

September review

2010-09-30T23:59:00.000+01:00

September

A combination of only losing in 5 of the 30 days of September, playing reasonable volume and also playing more 100PL has resulted in a new best month ever :)

Coaching

I'm really pleased with the way I'm playing, but still think I'd benefit from some more coaching - I'm going to take some more time to decide who and what I want from it though. I've actually taken on a student myself now - it's very early days so far, but I hope teaching will help me think more deeply and clearly as well as being able to help someone else.

Black Card Day

So, its the big day today and Full Tilt have revealed the details of the scheme among other changes. There seems to be a lot of bad reactions to the news : loss of rakeback due to changing to a weighted contributed model, worse than hoped for black card bonuses and small changes to Iron Man. I'm not so pessemistic and will allow some time for the system to bed in and see if any tweaks appear before passing judgement.

Rakeback isn't a huge part of my income so I'm not too worried about that, and if players think they need to play laggier to get more rakeback then it should suit my game. If some of the regs decide to leave for Stars then the games should get marginally better. I've no appetite for SuperNova or SuperNova Elite at Stars, so there is no value in any kind of comparison between the sites for me. The black card store is pretty poor, but the increase in rate of earning FT points should allow me to pick up more tournament tickets which I get a reasonable return on.

Live Poker

Its been a while since I've posted about any live poker but it hasn't gone that well this year. However, after also doing poorly with it in Vegas I now have an appetite to do much better when I go back next year. I've approached it with a little more of the discipline that I apply to online poker since I got back and have had some results as a result (or I'm just finally running a little better!). I finally got to play Omaha Hi/Lo live for the first time at the end of August (I never managed it in Vegas) and although there were only a disappointing 8 entrants I had a lot of fun and won. There were a few more for Omaha Hi mid-september and I finished in an ok 3rd after a bad run of cards towards the end. The week after I was doing pretty good in a 2-day £100 event, but towards the end of day 1 I was moved with an average stack to a new table and 2 large stacks had a lot of hands while I sat pretty card dead. In the final hand of the day I decided to commit my remaining short stack rather than come back the next day for only a few hands, but couldn't even beat J high :( Last saturday was a normal nl holdem event, and after a poor start I staged a comeback getting to the final table with 3rd largest stack and then winning after quite a long HU battle.

Recreational monkeys

2010-09-06T00:13:00.005+01:00

Games at the weekend can be a volatile affair with recreational monkeys clicking buttons, and when there are several at the table it can create some really awkward spots. The forums are always full of regs bemoaning bad weekend beats while others have awesome sessions.

I played pretty well this weekend navigating these spots and didn't have too much C-game in evidence at all. Running good definitely has benifits of providing the confidence to be more aggressive preflop and make the most of barreling and bluffing opportunities. Almost everything went to plan for probably my best 2-day results ever. I don't think I can complain at running below EV!

August Review

2010-08-31T21:31:00.002+01:00

Its not been the best month results-wise, but still pretty decent... beating 50PL and 100PL for over 6BB/100. A 15k hand breakeven stretch in the middle of the month didn't help and I didn't get in as many hands as I should. I'm way below the 67k hands I managed in February so I really need to up the volume in September and not let short-term variance get in the way.

I've not done as well HU and shorthanded this month which has put me off starting tables and playing as many as I could or should be.

September goals:

at least 50k hands of 50PL, 100PL, 200PL, 50NL and perhaps some 50NL rush.
try and get into a studying routine - focus on HU and shorthanded.

Its been a while since I've had any coaching, partly because I've been in a good winning groove and have a good network of friends to discuss hands with, but I'm wondering if it might be a good idea to find a new coach and get a fresh perspective on my game. I certainly don't want to get complacent in my current style and there are plenty of areas I know I should be doing better in.

July review

2010-07-31T23:59:00.003+01:00

I got back to the UK middle of the month and its taken a while to get used to being home again and away from the heat and casinos of Vegas. It was a great trip overall and I hope to go back again next year.

During July I've played a lot more 100PL than usual and have done pretty well, which is a relief as I've not done great at 50PL for the first time in a few months. Its been fun/challenging working out how to play the 100PL regs, although it hasn't seemed too different to playing 50PL. I think one of the biggest differences is that table/seat selection is much more important - knowing when to avoid the tables and also who to have on your right.

I played just over 40k hands in July and was close to a new "best month ever" if I hadn't hit a small downswing in the final few days of the month. However, I can't be too disappointed with a 2nd best ever month and having two $1k+ days.

I played my first live poker yesterday after getting back to the UK - a £30+3 freezeout. We only had 32 entrants, but I came 4th for £100 which makes a nice change. The size of the casino and speed of dealing made me long for Vegas again though. There are some interesting events coming up that I'm looking forward to

21st August - £30 PLO8
11th-12th Sep - £100 2-day event
2nd Oct - £50 HU NLH

The plan for August is to keep grinding 50PL & 100PL and play 30k-50k hands.

Sick day

2010-07-12T06:27:00.005+01:00

EDIT: Played a tournament and made a deal when HU and outchipped to win $401 too, for a $1,201 total day :)

I shot a zombie with a Glock 9mm

2010-07-09T02:28:00.004+01:00

Feeling much better now, so trying to cram in some more touristy stuff before I have to leave.

We went to the Wynn buffet last night which was pretty good and a huge choice of good food to eat. After visiting a piano bar at Paris, we went for some degen gambling at Slots A Fun - probably one of the tackiest casinos (part of Circus Circus?) where we were looking to play $1 craps, but the table wasn't open and we ended up playing $2 blackjack instead.

I managed to turn $20 into $114 and a free beer :)

We've just been to The Gun Store where there were a wide array of guns you can shoot. I'd never shot a handgun before so went for the Glock 17 9mm ($25 for 20 rounds). It had more kick than I expected but an interesting experience. The number of young children (12+ I think) and the fact we didn't even need to show passports or any ID was a litte scary though. With a background check you could pick up as many AK47s as you wanted for around $1300 each, and handguns in the $300-$500 range.

We're about to head off to watch a minor league baseball game - not one of my favourite sports, but seems appropriate while I'm in the US.

Tomorrow a few of us are going on a bus trip to see the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and the western ridge of the Grand Canyon.

With only a few days left after that I'm going to play some long live sessions and try to finally book a win. Online poker is still going pretty well and I'm playing mainly 100PL.. its not too different to 50PL I'm finding, but the regs are of a slightly higher standard.

Flu in Vegas

2010-07-05T19:04:00.002+01:00

I've been laid up in the house for the last few days after catching flu :( I'm not sure if I picked it up at the live tables, from going between the blazing heat and draughty aircon or at the outdoor pool at the Rio but its not been the most pleasant last few days.

However, I'm actually drinking coffee this morning which is a usual sign I'm on the road to recovery. With only 8 full days left of the trip I'm not going to manage to do everything I had hoped to but I'll try and squeeze in as much as possible.

I have managed to do a few other things since my last report:

playing and winning first ever game of beer pong
going out drinking on the strip and visiting a bunch of casinos
going allin blind for $70 at O'Sheas $1/$2
continuing to crush at ping pong in the house

I think I'm going to try more live poker today so I hope I can find some live rungood that has eluded me so far.

June review

2010-06-30T23:59:00.001+01:00

I've managed to put in a decent online volume despite all the distractions in Vegas and its turned out to be my best month ever (for the 3rd time this year).

When I get back home I'm going to have to consider switching my main game to 100PL from 50PL assuming live poker in Vegas doesn't deplete my bankroll too much. I also want to try and play some more NL as there is no good reason I shouldn't be able win - I think I just have some mental blocks about it after a bad run when I was playing recreationally last year.

I'd also like to add more tables.. watching guys here playing 24 tables at a time makes my 2-6 tables seem pretty pathetic. I don't want to go all out to play as many as possible, despite the sick bonuses/rakeback they get, but I'm sure there is a good balance that will work for me - perhaps 8-10.

I've been playing some 6max tables recently and they are going well. Starting full ring tables and playing them shorthanded has definitely been good preparation and there are a bunch of bad players I wouldn't normally see at the full ring games.

EDIT: I'll post another Vegas trip report in a couple of days including a report on my sad exit from Event 47

If only all sessions were like this

2010-06-24T08:40:00.009+01:00

Vegas #1

2010-06-18T09:14:00.002+01:00

My first Vegas post is long overdue now, so I better get on with it before I forget everything.

I arrived on Tuesday 8th after a 19hr trip into Vegas' oven-like atmosphere, picked up by Gary and DJ. We went straight to the Wynn where I managed to lose $300 playing $1/$3 (making a stupid shove on the river with an overpair when I knew in my head that the villain had tripped up on the river).

The house is cool.. not as balla as some places in Vegas I'm sure (no pool etc) but it is the Micro Stakes Grind House - perhaps if I come back next year we can upgrade to the Small Stakes Grind House! There are nine of us in the house, although 2 have left now, but more will be coming/leaving as time goes on.

I was pleased to see the guys had bought a Table Tennis table that is sitting in the garage. I used to play in one of the Edinburgh University teams years ago and I'd been thinking about joining a club at home as I'm doing no exercise and I used to enjoy it, but I've been putting it off for months. A few games in I'm starting to rediscover my skills and beating everyone in the house so I'll definitely sign up when I get home.

The heat in Vegas is like nothing I've experienced before, but I'm slowly getting used to it. Fortunately, we don't need to spend much time outdoors and there is aircon everywhere inside. I hope I'll be able to play some golf on one of the cooler days as the courses look pretty sweet. The casinos are huge and there are many more I'd like to visit - so far I've been to the Wynn, Rio (where WSOP takes place), Red Rock and Venetian.

We went out for Gary's birthday on 10th at Red Rock and had some food & drinks before going bowling and fulfilling one of my dreams of rolling the dice and playing craps in Vegas. I didn't really understand what was going on, but somehow made $7 :)

Live Cash

I've not done well at live cash at all so far.. its quite a different game from online (as well as being a much more expensive $1/$3 at most places or $1/$2 at the Red Rock). The games are definitely soft, but I haven't got into the right mindset for them yet I think. I have had a couple of coolers, but have also made some pretty bad mistakes. I'll definitely play some more so hope I can hit a heater soon as well as form some decent strategy. Having proper dealers does make the hands go faster than the self-dealt live games at the Circus in Edinburgh, but its hard to get through variance playing 25 hands/hr. Things like tipping the dealer or being able to straddle from the button (at the Rio) are all new to me.

Gary's run at Event 24

Gary played in WSOP Event 24 - $1k NL Holdem - the same structure as the WSOP event I plan to play. He had already won $5k from staking Kurt in a previous event and did an amazing job in making it to Day 3 and coming 29th in a field of 3300 to win $11,870. He'd sold 1/2 his action and I was lucky enough to have swapped 5% with him so he won me $540 :) I hope I can repay the favour and get something back for him when I have a go at my $1k event. You can read more about it here but I've never felt my heart sink so much at watching someone else losing a hand when his AK was beaten by K4 allin preflop, on a sick 2356X board at the beginning of Day 3 - not just because of my 5% either. He's as sound in real life as he seemed to be online, and for all his help with my poker game and the help he has given to countless other micro players on 2+2 etc. he really deserved to win that hand and make it to the final table. He had AA a few hands later and his allin attracted no action despite large stacks acting after him. It could have been so different if he'd won the AKvK4 hand and had a stack that the others could play against postflop :(

Live Tournaments

I've only played 2 tournaments so far - the 1st was a $125 sngo satellite to win chips for buying into WSOP events. We went from 10 to 3 players and agreed to take our buyins back from the prizepool. I knocked out one of the others in 3rd to go HU for the remaining prize money. In hindsight I should have perhaps proposed another deal at this point, but I felt I had a slight edge and as I'd already got my original buyin back I didn't have anything to lose. I missed some huge draws in one hand and then had to shove but lost. I'll probably try a couple more of these but be wiser about making deals.

We were going to play a $300 + $40 MTT at the Venetian Deepstack Extravaganza today, but it turned out to be a Limit game, so Dip, Gary and I played the $200 deepstack at the Rio instead. I was doing pretty well staying above average for the first 6 hours, but after my good table was broken up I lost a large chunk of my stack with set over set, and then lost my remaining chips when A8 beat my AK allin with an 8 on the flop to go out just inside the top 200 (from 720). Dip went out 8 places short of the bubble but Gary ran deep again coming 25th to win $830.

I'll definitely have a shot at the Venetian deepstack if we can get the right day this time! as a warmup for the $1k - it will almost definitely be Event 47 that I play.

Online Poker

Fortunately, I'm running great online this month, on target for a best month ever for the 3rd time this year, so it makes the live losses easier to deal with, especially as the money I earned from the contracting job is covering all the bills and mortgage etc back at home. We haven't done any decent sweats yet in the house, but being able to talk about and think about poker 24/7 with everyone in the house is sure to improve things further.

Touristy stuff

I haven't done much yet that doesn't involve poker, but I hope to play golf, go to a show, take a helicopter trip to the Grand Canyon, shoot handguns and go to a live UFC event at least before the trip is over.

You can see a bunch of photos I've taken so far although most of them are photos of some of the stars playing at the Rio.

Pre-Vegas feel good post

2010-06-06T17:02:00.005+01:00

Its feeling good to get back to full-time poker again, and the last couple of days have gone pretty well with a few nice pots (I'll post some hands below).

With Gary picking up 7% of a $70kish WSOP event final table score I can't wait to get to Vegas to soak up the atmosphere, meet the guys in the house and play lots and lots of poker. It should be a balmy 41 degrees C when I get there! I'm not sure if the World Cup will have much effect on Vegas but I'm looking forward to watching a few games even if Scotland haven't made it again. There are two UFC events on while I'm there so will definitely try to get to one of those too. I haven't picked which WSOP event I'm playing but it will be one of #24, #36, #47, #54 - all of these are the same format and $1k entry.

Now for some not very interesting hands, but ones that made me feel good.

$0.25/$0.50 Pot Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	$140.90
UTG+1	$50
CO	$35.60
Hero	$135.95
SB	$13.15
BB	$53.65

Pre-Flop ($0.75, 6 players)Hero is BTN

UTG raises to $1.75, 2 folds, Hero calls $1.75, SB raises to $7.50, 1 fold, UTG calls $5.75, Hero calls $5.75

Flop ($23, 3 players)

SB goes all-in $5.65, UTG calls $5.65, Hero raises to $45.60, UTG goes all-in $133.40, Hero goes all-in $82.85

Turn ($290.50, 3 players, 3 all-in)

River ($290.50, 3 players, 3 all-in)

Final Pot: $290.50

SB shows two pair, Aces and Nines

UTG shows two pair, Aces and Nines

Hero shows two pair, Aces and Kings

Hero wins $282.55 (net +$146.60)
UTG collects $4.95 (net -$135.95)
SB lost $13.15

$0.50/$1 Pot Limit Holdem • 3 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

BTN	$119.70
SB	$81.40
Hero	$244.70

Pre-Flop ($1.50, 3 players)Hero is BB

BTN folds, SB calls $0.50, Hero checks

Flop ($2, 2 players)

SB checks, Hero bets $2, SB calls $2

Turn ($6, 2 players)

SB checks, Hero bets $4.50, SB calls $4.50

River ($15, 2 players)

SB bets $15, Hero raises to $60, SB goes all-in $73.90, Hero calls $13.90

Final Pot: $162.80

SB shows

Hero shows a full house, Kings full of Queens

Hero wins $161.80 (net +$80.40)
SB lost $81.40

$0.25/$0.50 Pot Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	$86.35
UTG+1	$35.40
Hero	$67.75
BTN	$16.40
SB	$34.50
BB	$190.30

Pre-Flop ($0.75, 6 players)Hero is CO

2 folds, Hero raises to $1.50, 1 fold, SB calls $1.25, BB calls $1

Flop ($4.50, 3 players)

SB checks, BB bets $2.25, Hero calls $2.25, SB calls $2.25

Turn ($11.25, 3 players)

SB checks, BB bets $4.50, Hero calls $4.50, SB folds

River ($20.25, 2 players)

BB bets $20.25, Hero goes all-in $59.50, BB calls $39.25

Final Pot: $139.25

BB shows

Hero shows a flush, Queen high

Hero wins $136.25 (net +$68.50)
SB lost $3.75
BB lost $67.75

$0.50/$1 Pot Limit Holdem • 4 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

CO	$121.70
BTN	$85.15
Hero	$190.85
BB	$52.35

Pre-Flop ($1.50, 4 players)Hero is SB

1 fold, BTN calls $1, Hero calls $0.50, BB checks

Flop ($3, 3 players)

Hero checks, BB checks, BTN checks

Turn ($3, 3 players)

Hero bets $2.50, BB calls $2.50, BTN calls $2.50

River ($10.50, 3 players)

Hero bets $6, BB raises to $12, BTN folds, Hero raises to $46.50, BB goes all-in $48.85, Hero calls $2.35

Final Pot: $108.20

BB shows

Hero shows a full house, Tens full of Nines

Hero wins $106.20 (net +$53.85)
BB lost $52.35
BTN lost $3.50

May review

2010-05-31T23:59:00.000+01:00

The contracting job meant I just couldn't get many hands in during May, but I played ok and ran well when I did to help boost my BR before Vegas. For part of the month it felt like my fears had come true and I'd slipped out of the groove I'd got in to, but I knew it was just frustration at a series of short sessions that started bad and not having the time to grind through to recovery.

I was back to full-time poker today (yay for no commuting and afternoon naps! :)) after finishing at the job yesterday. My first session was pretty awesome picking up a few stacks while not losing more than $11 in a pot to be up $285 but dropped 1BI at 100PL in a short second session.

After the recent FT changes I'm not sure which option is the best value for spending points, but I've been spending mine on Step 2 tickets, trying to pick up a Step 3 ticket then playing a $24 90-seater or a guaranteed MTT. I've been failing to convert these into anything meaningful for a while, but won a 90-seater tonight for $576. I got down to HU with a spanish opponent but he lost connection soon after we started and I took it down - thank you spanish internet :)

So, up $750 on my first day back at the tables and I'll be in Vegas in under a week so all is looking good!

1 month to go

2010-05-09T18:06:00.004+01:00

Only a month till Vegas now.. I can't wait :)

Looks like I'll be continuing with the contract job for the rest of this month which means I won't get much poker in at all. Fortunately, when I have been able to play things have been going well.

April review

2010-04-30T23:58:00.002+01:00

Its been another solid month despite hardly putting in any volume for the last 2.5 weeks due to the contracting job. Some shots at 100PL and 200PL when the tables have been soft have gone well but it has been a little frustrating not to be able to grind through the whole month - it probably would have been my best month ever for the 3rd time in 3 months. I only managed 30k hands comapred to the 67k and 60k of the last 2 months. However, thoughts of Vegas are keeping me going and my dislike for 9-5 and the commuting will help motivate me to make poker work as a career.

May will be tough as I'll be spending a greater proportion of the month contracting. I think I'll probably abandon the idea of making the top level in the iron man loyalty programme as I just made it in April - there were definitely some evenings where I played C-game in a rush to get the necessary 200pts after a long day in an office. It's not fun if you have some early bad variance that you know you don't have the time to grind out. When I quit my job to play full-time I knew that I would be able to play/win more due to the fact I could pick the best times to play, be focussed and learn, however it was always going to be a mystery as to how much this was. 200k hands into this year it definitely feels like a significant amount although I could still just be a sick heater!

I also made some money this month with profits from my first staking deal. 3 of us have $600 invested in a solid 25NL grinder who is taking a shot at 50NL. I think I've been incredibly lucky with my first stakee, but he has a solid history, good motivation to win and a really good attitude at the tables and to learning. He has had some coaching as part of the deal and he's had an amazing month so I hope he can keep it going for the next 2 months that the deal runs. I'll definitely look to do some more staking in the future but will try to keep risk to a minimum.

Just over a month to Vegas and I can't wait :) I'm going to be playing in a $1k WSOP event so will be looking to sell some of myself in it. I'm not expecting to win or anything but if Darvin Moon... If anyone wants to buy a piece let me know - the chances are small obv, but I enjoyed having a small piece of Baz in an event last year. I haven't decided exactly which one yet as there are a few.

Gl at the tables everyone!

Ugh! Mornings and commuting

2010-04-14T19:46:00.002+01:00

I set off this morning to start the contract job and it didn't take long to remember the horror of driving with loads of other cars around. For the last few months I've been able to pick when I drive and so avoid most of the bad traffic. Its going to get even worse soon as its school holidays or something and the roads are less busy then they would normally be at that time of day, and I fear even PJ Harvey and the sun being out won't make it much better.

However, its only a few weeks and I have thoughts of Vegas to keep me motivated and get through it. The company/people all seem nice and I've worked with some of them before. The work shouldn't be too strenuous and I'll be working with websites and clients that I've also worked with before. It'll certainly be a lot better than my last real job, even with the commuting.

Yesterday, my last full-time day before the job was my biggest ever cash table day, winning just over $600 in 1k hands. I have to credit both a german 97/5 who dumped a few BI at 50PL including a couple to me, as well as my fish-hunting skills as I found him at a 200PL table an hour later and took $380 from him in 54 hands. It did make me wonder if I've done the right thing in taking the job, but had to remind myself its variance-free and I don't lose money if I make a mistake! I did feel another tinge of regret today as I received an email to say my german friend was playing again :( Oh well.. maybe it was going to be his day for a comeback.

March Review

2010-03-31T23:59:00.003+01:00

I'd like to thank PJ Harvey for accompanying many winning hands of poker this month :)

The month continued well although not quite as hot as the first half. I finished with a new record win for a month in just over 60k hands. Volume is down a little from my record last month but I played more quality hands and didn't waste too much time playing tiny stakes Rush. According to a certain site I'm the top 50PL Full Tilt player this month by a long margin winning at over 7BB/100 and also top so far this year winning at over 6BB/100 so I'm feeling pretty good about my game and poker at the moment.

In other news I've been offered a contracting job for 5 weeks which I've decided to take, starting in a couple of weeks. Its been a tough decision with poker going so well and the idea of mornings and commuting. However, I think its important that I keep my options open in case poker turns out not to be the career for me. This will put something in my CV as well as solidify some contacts should I need to approach them for a job in the future.

The downside is obviously that I won't be able to put in the same volume and will be restricted to playing at probably the worst hours of the day during the week. My other big fear is that it will disrupt my current progress and the hot streak I'm on at the moment. However, I've realised this thinking is probably flawed and results-orientated.. any attachment to "success" in an arbitrary timespan is meaningless in a game where only the longterm matters. Then I thought it about it some more and probably out-levelled myself so decided it's not worth worrying about!

However, the bonus is that as I'm being paid contracting rates on top of whatever I can make through poker the rest of the time, it means I'm now almost 100% certain I can afford to go to Vegas this summer :)

[x] good month so far :)

2010-03-16T15:49:00.004Z

The month is going really well so far and I feel my decisions at the table have been slowly getting better and better (for the most part!). I'm hand-reading so much better than I used to although still plenty of room for improvement as its such a tricky art to master.

I've not managed to increase the number of tables I'm playing but its been going so well I'm not feeling the need to change what seems to be a winning formula at the moment.

Table chat

2010-03-03T23:02:00.002Z

I dedicate this post to Journey__xxx__man54 & comb__xxx__sgator.

As far as I'm concerned there are two golden rules when playing at the tables (online or live)..

Don't berate the bad players
Don't educate the bad players

Rule #1

What possible value is there for you in talking trash to a bad player.. probably after they have made some awful play and somehow got there? If they are bad they are most likely a recreational player and are playing to have fun, pure and simple. If you are nasty to them they are going to be more likely to leave the table with your money without giving you the chance to take it back (and more). Say "nh" and move on. When you suck out or cooler them then say "ul" and move on. When two bad players start at each other then fair enough, but when regular players do this I cannot understand why. If they are smart enough to be regular players and possibly depend on poker for a living then its definitely -EV. I'm sure there are villains who will stay and play even worse if you do wind them up, but unless you have some prior experience with them or a degree in psychology I still don't think its +EV.

If a reg feels the need to vent in table chat then they have a leak imo and need to find another way to deal with it if they have any desire to improve. If I see this going on at the table then I tend to try and deflect attention from the bad player and say something about how terrible the reg is.

Rule #2

Any bad or recreational player is unlikely to have much knowledge of poker terminology, theory or poker tools such as HUDs.

By talking strategy at the tables with another regular player you risk the chance of the bad player reading it and reacting. They might decide to do some reading and educate themselves to become better or more aware; they might discover that people play with HUDs and discover they can store and review their hand histories; they might discover you can (although its not permitted) buy hand histories; they might discover tools such as PTR and realise how much they are losing; they might decide that poker is rigged and they will never win so stop playing.

The table might be full of mainly regs but even a single 45/6 at the tables is enough for me to think its -EV. Maybe the fish that is your biggest donator is on the waiting list and observing waiting for another chance to test their mighty poker skills against you. Do you really want to take a chance (however small) that you might never get the chance to play them again?

Regs should know there are plenty of other ways to talk strat... via IM, 2+2 etc so there is no need to do it at the tables.

Conclusion

Poker is a game of small edges so can you really afford to give up any edge you have?

I moderate comments so if either of you want to discuss rule #2 (or laugh at me!) you can send your contact details. Don't get me wrong.. I don't think you were commiting the crime of the century or anything, but as I now make my living from poker I try and treat it seriously and want to preserve any edge I have at the tables and keep the bad players exactly as they are... at the tables and bad.

February review

2010-02-28T23:59:00.002Z

Its been a record month in many ways and one where I've begun to understand what "grind" really means.

I've topped my record volume by over 20k hands putting in around 67k hands and have also had record results managing to earn as much as I did in a month of my old job. I've put in a lot more hours than I would have done at work but for all the other benefits its definitely worth it. Unfortunately I'm left feeling a little disappointed in the end, as the last 8 days of 20k hands has been breakeven after a huge heater for the first 20 days of the month. I don't think I've let my game slip too much if at all - I've just been running into sick turn/river cards after getting my money in good most of the time. I am pleased that I've managed to keep putting in the hands when things haven't been going as well as I wanted them to though.

Its the time of year when people are starting to make plans for going to Vegas for the WSOP. I REALLY want to go this year, but I'm going to need to have a really solid March/April before I can commit or I could risk curtailing my poker career by eating up a chunk of my precious contingency savings and putting pressure on myself to win. I've wanted to go to Vegas for a long time, well before I started playing poker so I want to make it a memorable (and therefore not cheap!) trip.. if that means I have to delay it until next year then so be it. My plan would be to go for a month, stay in a house with other poker players, play a WSOP event (prob one of the cheapest ones.. $1000 entry). I've only played live twice this month, but have played pretty terribly when I have.. its something I definitley need to improve upon, especially if I do go to Vegas. I picked up Mike Caro's book of poker tells yesterday so will definitley study this to help me read people better as well as hide my own tells.

I've got a 4hr session tomorrow of someone going through my poker database looking for leaks so it should identify problems in my game as well as let me know what I'm doing well and should keep doing. This should give me the impetus to have the good months I need to be able to commit to Vegas I hope.

Plans for March..

Play 50k-75k hands (50PL / 50NL)
Play more tables
Play less hours
Study/analyze more
Do more sweats
Play some events in the miniFTOPS series

January review

2010-01-31T14:42:00.005Z

The month didn't start off that great at all. I took a few shots at 100NL which didn't go well and was getting coolered or playing badly early in every session which meant I quit and lost the motivation to grind and get through it.

The last 1/3 of the month has been great though.. some big changes at FT have been partly responsible with the raising of the min buyin from 20BB to 35BB and the addition of Rush poker. The tables have been great and I've been playing much better volume since then and I should reach around 38k hands. I've also had my first ever +10BI day :)

Next month I'm going to go for record volume (50k+) and stick exclusively to 50NL/50PL.. I'll try 100NL again in a month or two I'm sure.

I'm really pleased with my game at the moment .. some things have really started to click in my thinking at the table... looking forward to Feb :)

This week we've had the Jason Ho scandal which is a sobering lesson for the training sites as well as for anyone who deals with coaches and other players they might not know quite as well as they think.

2009

2009-12-31T23:59:00.000Z

Online Cash

It was a great start to the year playing 100NL having just had my first real coaching with Baz. However, the joy was shortlived as the new ways to use aggression opened me up to a whole new world of poker that I wasn't truly ready to deal with. I definitely played with quite a lot of tilt when the results didn't continue and exposed a few nasty leaks within myself.

I then decided I had to knuckle down and took on some coaching from Kush. It didn't have the instant effect I'd hoped but I think it was the first time I'd truly realised something that I just hadn't been applying to my game - it seems so obvious now but it was the need to play hands differently against different kinds of opponents. I didn't really get the value I should have from Kush's coaching but this little nugget alone was worth it.

It still took some time for the tilt to bottom out and my work situation wasn't helping how I was feeling and playing. I had dropped down to 50NL by this point despite being over-rolled but I think the decision was a good one.

Around the time I took the decision to quit my job I got a new coach (Jason) and really approached the sessions with a new vigour and desire to learn and improve. He boomswitched me over a few sessions which definitely helped as well as offering some really solid practical adjustments to make.

I've definitely been playing better since but still have leaks and plenty room for improvement. Being able to put in volume and concentrate on it fully has helped a lot. I've had a few sweat sessions with other regs as well as just starting with a new coach (Andrew) and I'd say I'm comfortably beating 50NL/50PL at the moment and have been flirting with 100NL/100PL again with some success.

I've not looked at my yearly results graph for quite a while as it was depressing, but looking at it as 2009 ends I'm encouraged I'm back to where I was at the end of the Jan/Feb boom and hope I can move onwards and upwards from here.

Online Tournaments

I've continued to play some MTT & STT. I probably should focus exclusively on one form of poker, but I do enjoy them still and there is always the chance of a big payday with series such as Full Tilt's miniFTOPS. I'm not losing money at them at least!

I'm playing some larger tournaments these days rather than waste time too much on the small ones and I think my tournament play has improved over the year so it would be nice to get a decent 4-figure cash in 2010.

Live Poker

After a whole year of the Office Poker league Jas and I finished exactly even in 3rd= with 43pts! I guess our bet will just have to continue into 2010. I think we both probably feel we could and should have beaten the other with some pretty bad mistakes but its all part of the learning experience.

Its probably not a great return /hr compared to multi-tabling online but I do enjoy it, and if I ever do go to Vegas the experience will be invaluable.

Playing full-time

Going full-time has allowed me to put in a record 37k hands in November and then 41k this last month. Its also enabled me to play on a couple of sites and take advantage of rakeback and loyalty programmes on both.

Mentally its definitely tougher when the results aren't going your way or when real life bills affect the way you play (huge car bill :(). As a grinder I'll need to learn to keep playing A-game through these times and not let the volume drop which has been my tendency. There are plenty other aspects of playing full-time that I need to work on too - schedule, eating well, exercise..

Results-wise things have been ok but not as good as I'd like or really need. However, if I can put in more volume, continue to improve my game and move back to 100NL it shouldn't be a problem at all so I'm not worried.

2010

I'm hoping for a good 2010 and perhaps I'll start to feel like a real professional poker player by the end of it!

I've been offered some contracting work I think I'll enjoy in 2010 although the details are sketchy so far. I hope that it will provide some solid income to take some mental pressure away while allowing me to continue to play poker and provide some life/poker balance.

If 2010 starts well and I don't have to dip into my savings I really hope I can get away in June and go to Vegas for the WSOP and play in a couple of events.

I'm still not sure yet if the decision to quit my job to concentrate on poker is a foolish, brave or a great idea.. you'll just have to come back and see.

p.s. I'll try and post more often this year.

Dealing and playing errors ftw!

2009-11-15T16:48:00.002Z

It was a rather odd but fun torunament at the casino yesterday (OfficePoker £30+3 freezeout). A couple of pretty wierd situations came up that just wouldn't or couldn't happen online - I like live play due to this and the added dimension of being able to see your villains.

As usual we started pretty deep (7k chips with 25/50 blinds). I was put in seat 10 of table 1 so took up the dealing. The table was slightly better than the usual average with some younger more aggressive players. The first 4 levels up to the break were fairly uneventful.. my AA got no action and I finished without much change to my stack.

I was going to give up dealing at the break so I could watch the football scores come in (crucial top of the table QOS-Dundee game which actually finished 0-0 keeping Queens at the top :)). However the tv screens had one of the international games on rather than the usual Sky scores so I carried on dealing.

I was starting to get pretty short with the blinds at 400/800/50. An EP player limped and with QJo, a passive player on the BB I took the chance to limp in and see a flop as one final opportunity before resorting to an all-in move. A new large stack to the table also limped on the button, SB folded and BB checked making the pot pretty large.

I dealt the flop of 8c Jc 2d giving me top pair. The EP limper checked and I decided to put in a large bet hoping to take it down there. I was concerned by the button player calling and I quickly dealt the turn of 7c completely forgetting that the EP player was yet to act. It was a completely innocent mistake as I was wrapped up in working out what the button was calling with, and having been dealing for 3.5 hrs working out pots with antes I guess I was a little fatigued. The EP player obviously spoke up and was probably a little more upset than they should have been suggesting a flush draw. I had to pre-deal the river face down and then reshuffle the 7c back into the remaining deck and the EP player called making the pot huge and dwarfing my remaining stack.

I re-dealt the turn of 3h. The EP player checked with a lot of frustration and I shoved my remaining chips in resulting in 2 folds giving me a stack of above average chips with around 30 players left from the starting 52. The EP player then showed their cards and the 7c actually would have given them a straight flush as they held 9cTc. They were understandably quite upset but fortunately realised it wasn't something I'd done on purpose. I quickly retired from dealing at this point!

We were soon down to 2 tables but I was pretty card dead and with lots of action I never found any spots to make a move. As we hit the final table bubble I was getting pretty short-stacked again with blinds of 2000/1000/200. A large-stacked player made a raise from EP and I looked down at T9o. With blinds and antes the pot was pretty large and as I was probably the shortest stack it seemed like time to make a stand and to try and get a reasonable stack for the final table and hoped at least my cards would be live.

I must have still been pretty tired because I shoved in my chips and exposed my hand thinking it was time, but 1 player as well as the original raiser were still to act! I quickly grabbed my cards again. The player who hadn't acted yet was out-stacked by the PFR so folded AQo despite having seen my hand. I was expecting an instacall from the PFR as I didn't many chips more than his raise but he looked strangely perplexed and muttered something about 9s. I kept quiet and the other players fortunately didn't speak up so he mucked his 77 thinking he was dominated giving me back my tournament life. He was pretty devastated to realise what happened after but still had a decent stack. We dealt out the board and he would have won the hand. It was definitely starting to look like I was fated to go further! I've seen this situation at the tables before and I'm not sure exactly what the rules are... I should probably find out for future reference. I wonder if the player to act has the right to ask for the cards to be re-exposed or to be able to confirm/discuss what was shown with other players at the table?

A few hands later the same PFR opens from EP and I look down to see AA. I've been reading and thinking about tells recently and tried to conceal my strength without looking too obvious and shoved leaving him a call for around 1/3 - 1/2 of his chips. He took quite some time while I tried to look just a little nervous before he finally called. With A7d I had him dominated and my AA held to give me around 42k chips and one of the leading stacks.

A couple of hands later 2 players were eliminated taking me to a final table of 9 players with a decent stack for a change (3rd= or so?).

Final table action was fast and furious.. the chip leader taking out several players while I comfortably afford to fold the trash I was being dealt and we were soon down to 5. 3 of us were quite short by now (~35k with blinds 2000/4000/400) comapred to the two chip leaders. I was dealt QTd in EP and shoved allin getting an instacall from the player to my left with AKo who I slightly out-stacked. I hit both a straight and flush on the river and we were down to 4.

One of the chip leaders took out the other shorty and we were down to 3 - myself, the OP league winner from last year and this year's runaway winner. I had to make a move and shoved over a raise with K7o but the chip leader had JJ and held to see me go out 3rd for £220 and 8 league points.

All in all a fun, profitable day and its not often you get payed off for making mistakes :) A welcome payout too now that I'm full-time. I'll post about how things are going with that in a few days.

With 3 tournaments left (2*NL Holdem and 1*PLO) this puts me 6 points clear of Jas for our prop bet for the first buyin of 2010 and 3rd= in the league. I think I probably have an edge on him in the PLO event having finished 3rd last year, but for now I'm happy to be ahead and the pressure to be on him to gain points. (remember Jas! - pressure ;))

Bit late - October review

2009-11-03T21:48:00.002Z

It was a profitable month, but not as good as I'll need. However, I didn't play that many hands and my game in the latter half of the month was a bit ropey while making and facing the decision of quitting my job and depending on poker for the future.

The coaching I recieved at the beginning of the month was great and has helped give me a new confidence and perspective as well as some practical adjustments to make.

I'll post again mid-month as to how full-time poker is treating me as its too soon to comment yet.

Going full-time in the UK

2009-10-27T10:25:00.003Z

The UK is one of the best places to go pro - you are not taxed on your winnings at all :) In the US you have to pay tax, but can write off losses, whereas in Brazil you have to pay tax on every win you have, but can't offset your losses against it - no wonder there aren't many online players from Brazil!

I was worried that this might change in the future for the UK, but it would also mean the Inland Revenue would have to accept gambling losses as tax-deductable so I don't expect it will change as they'd have a mountain of paperwork for probably no gain and potentially be opening up an exploitable loophole.

As a poker player, I'll be classed as "non-employed". This means I'll also be able to stop paying tax on any interest on my savings which is an added bonus. One thing I'll need to keep an eye on is National Insurance contributions - it looks like I can let it lapse for a while but will need to do something before the price goes up 2 years later : http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/nic/ca5603.pdf

2 days left at work now!

I quit my job today!

2009-10-12T10:11:00.008+01:00

My job and company I work for have been going through a lot of changes over the last 14 months. I've waited patiently for a change that would see me happier, but I've reached the stage where I just don't feel I can continue to keep my head down and grind through each day. If I'm committing a serious amount of time each day to something I need to feel some kind of passion for what I'm doing and its just not been there for at least 10 months. A few small changes recently have been the final straw..

Its a scary time to be quitting without a new job to go to, and perhaps a little foolish, but with some savings behind me I can survive for a few months.

I haven't quit the job to play poker full-time, but now that I have quit it would seem silly not to give it a try :) I'd hoped to be able to attain a winrate to make the decision of quitting less risky, but I think with the extra time I'll have to play and study poker I have a chance of making it work.

I'm quite prepared for an outcome where I find that poker isn't a suitable career for me and that I may have to jobhunt again. At least I'd know if playing poker is worth the hours I put in! With a few months away from a 9-5 I hope I'll be able to re-kindle some passion for IT and find a job I can live with if it works out that way. I'm going to keep my eye on the job market and perhaps look for some contract/freelance work if anything suitable appears, especially if I can make my own hours and work from home.

I had been thinking about making a very solid plan/schedule if I was to play poker full-time, but I'm just going to have to work that out as I go. I'll need to try and fit in some exercise and time for all the other things that will help me sustain longer periods of A-game play. I hope I'll be able to put in at least 2k hands per day, so should manage around 50k for a month, breaking sessions into 1-1.5hr chunks. If I can improve my multi-tabling skills I should be able to achieve even more.

I'll be working out my notice for the rest of this month so I'll have more time to refine my plan and fit in plenty of time for studying/sweat sessions etc..

As poker is going to become my primary income I'll be removing the bankroll and monthly breakdowns from my blog soon.

Wish me luck! :)

Coaching etc..

2009-10-06T10:43:00.005+01:00

I had some really good sessions with my new coach (2* 1.5hr sweats and 1hr hand review) who suggested some adjustments to make that seem to be paying off. It helps to run well too as I had quads 4 times in 3000 hands and had a 12BI upswing in and around the coaching sessions.

I've also been a lot more focused in my sessions, paying attention to everything that is going on at the tables, making notes and trying to make a plan for each hand given the villain(s) involved. Stopping myself watching TV / instant messaging / forum browsing / checking results while playing is something I've struggled with in the past but I've managed it so far this month and plan to continue.

After the coaching sessions finished my boomswitch ended, was replaced with a doomswitch, and I had a bad day on Sunday dropping 4BI. Normally I think I'd start to tilt a little at this point and let it affect my play without really analyzing why. Instead, I reviewed hands and realised the cards just didn't run my way apart from mistakes I made in 2 hands. Yesterday I played again and made sure I played the same game as I had been during the coaching and picked up 3BI. I was in two very similar spots to the mistakes I had made the day before but was happy to not repeat them.

A combination of coaching, a nice heater and a renewed dedication to improve have helped a few concepts that I've been struggling with over the last few months click into place and I think given me the confidence that I was looking for when I dropped to 50NL.

Plan for the rest of the month (All FR and no 6max) :

Week 2 (this) : Continue 4-tabling 50NL
Week 3 : 6-table 50NL
Week 4 : Drop back to 4 tables but 2*100NL & 2*50NL
Week 5 : 6-table (4*50NL & 2*100NL)

September review - coolers and spew

2009-09-30T11:41:00.005+01:00

You can probably tell from the lack of posting that its not been a wonderful month of poker, ending up down $750. The first few days started ok but then I seemed to lose my way.. my A-game didn't show up very much and when it did I tended to run into the top of villains' ranges which induced some variance tilt and some pretty horrible play.

On a more positive note I made my first live final table in what seems like ages in one of the OfficePoker events picking up a few league points but no $$. Best hand of the day was being priced into a call when pretty short in the BB with J2c after a small button raise and SB call. SB was short too and shoved on the 242 flop. I obviously called and turned quads :)

I'm starting with a new coach tonight - a Full Tilt FR reg from 2+2 who I hope can help get me back on track.

EDIT: Coaching session went well. Clawed back $150 before the month ended :) This hand helped:

$0.25/$0.5 Deep No Limit Holdem • 9 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	$57.15
UTG+1	$101.85
MP1	$50
MP2	$53.75
MP3	$38.10
CO	$102.30
Hero (BTN)	$75.60
SB	$68.15
BB	$50

Pre-Flop ($0.75, 9 players)Hero is BTN

UTG raises to $1.75, 3 folds, MP3 calls $1.75, 1 fold, Hero calls $1.75, 2 folds

Flop ($6, 3 players)

UTG bets $4, MP3 calls $4, Hero calls $4

Turn ($18, 3 players)

UTG bets $12, MP3 calls $12, Hero calls $12

River ($54, 3 players)

UTG goes all-in $39.40, MP3 goes all-in $20.35, Hero calls $39.40

Final Pot: $153.15

MP3 shows

Hero shows

UTG shows

Hero wins $150.15 ( won +$93 )
MP3 lost -$38.10
UTG lost -$57.15

August review

2009-08-31T11:32:00.003+01:00

Its been a decent month results-wise.. up $2000 overall. Unforunately I haven't been much more than a breakeven rakeback pro in cash games, the profit coming from donkaments and a decent month of FT bonuses. After posting my mid-month results I triggered a doomswitch and dropped 8BI in allin EV luck but have clawed it back into the green even if still below EV.

Not much else to post for now.. will continue with my plan to stay at 50NL until I reach $10k and then move back up to 100NL.

Bing Blang Blaow

2009-08-14T12:02:00.005+01:00

I've had a couple of days off work and have been able to put in some decent volume for a change - all hands at 50NL (mainly FR). Being able to play at the times I want and without the tilt of work has been great. Starting deep tables has been +EV and helps avoid the shortstacks.

The above has some O8 mixed in - pure holdem graph below.

Its nice to see some upward movement on the red line for a change even if it is a small sample.

With this, the donkaments results and some good FT bonuses its shaping up to be a pretty decent month. I've now wiped out the nightmare that was June and the "1000NL inicident" :) After June I had $500 left in my FT account (rest of bankroll held elsewhere), and I've managed to build it up to just over $3k taking my BR to a career peak of over $9k and without taking any stupid shots at higher stakes.

My plan is to continue building confidence at 50NL until I reach $10k and then move back up to 100NL (100BI).

Donkaments

2009-08-12T11:28:00.004+01:00

I'm running pretty well in donkaments this month which helps make running breakeven at cash feel not so bad.

I was 2nd in a $8 MTT last night - pretty sick not to win it though after this final hand.

No Limit Holdem Tournament
$8 + 0.80 Tournament
2 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:

SB	Hero	(161314)
BB	gangzi	(198686)

Blinds: 1500/3000 Ante 400

Pre-flop: (5,300, 2 players) Hero is SB

Hero raises to 6,000, gangzi calls 3,000

Flop: (13,600, 2 players)
gangzi checks, Hero bets 3,000, gangzi goes all-in 192,286, Hero goes all-in 151,914

Turn: (360,800, 2 players)

River: (360,800, 2 players)

Final Pot: 322,628
Hero shows:
gangzi shows:

gangzi wins 360,000 ( won +161,714 )
Hero lost -160,914

Also had the privilege of watching Baz take down a few pots against Phil Helmuth last night

O8 NL

2009-08-03T21:39:00.002+01:00

I've being playing a mixture of NL and PL 08 due to there not being a huge number of tables to choose from, with no real preference for either game. PL is obviously much safer in that it takes some effort to get it all-in. However, in NL there is definitely more danger and you really can't afford to be chasing draws.. especially for 1/2 the pot. One thing that does happen much more often in O8 NL compared to NL holdem is the open shove pre-flop.

In the hand below I finally got a chance to look one up. I was actually a 44% to 56% underdog so was pretty lucky to scoop both pots. I haven't seen many bad players yet trying to emulate with weaker hands, but I'm sure its an inevitable (and profitable?) result. I think I was probably a little weak to be calling in this instance without a 2 and a suited A but having low backup and curiosity I couldn't resist :)

$0.25/$0.5 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo
8 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:

Hero (UTG)		($68.20)
UTG+1		($34.30)
MP1		($19.85)
MP2		($26.60)
CO		($35.80)
BTN		($42.55)
SB		($50.70)
BB		($83.70)

Pre-flop: ($0.75, 8 players) Hero is UTG

Hero calls $0.50, 5 folds, SB calls $0.25, BB goes all-in $83.70, Hero goes all-in $67.70, SB folds

Flop: ($152.40, 2 players)

Turn: ($152.40, 2 players)

River: ($152.40, 2 players)

Final Pot: $136.90
BB shows:
Hero shows:

BB wins $15.50 ( lost -$68.20 )
Hero wins $133.90 ( won +$65.70 )
SB lost -$0.50

One for the shortstack haters

2009-08-03T20:26:00.000+01:00

[ x ] thinly veiled royal flush brag

$0.25/$0.5 No Limit Holdem
9 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:

UTG		($12.60)
UTG+1		($10.00)
MP1		($54.95)
MP2		($53.25)
MP3		($22.10)
CO		($60.95)
Hero (BTN)		($70.50)
SB		($16.00)
BB		($19.95)

Pre-flop: ($0.75, 9 players) Hero is BTN

1 fold, UTG+1 raises to $2, 4 folds, Hero raises to $7.50, 2 folds, UTG+1 goes all-in $10, Hero calls $2.50

Flop: ($20.75, 2 players)

Turn: ($20.75, 2 players)

River: ($20.75, 2 players)

Final Pot: $20.75
Hero shows:
UTG+1 shows:

Hero wins $19.75 ( won +$9.75 )
UTG+1 lost -$10

Good day

2009-08-02T22:18:00.009+01:00

I haven't had many decent poker days recently so results today made a nice change.

350 hands 50NL holdem - up 1.5BI
$10+1 holdem MTT - 5th/630 for $409 (out KK < AA)
$10+1 O8 MTT - 9th/112 for $25
$10+1 holdem 27-seater - 1st for $108
$6+0.5 O8 9-seater - 1st for $27
$2+0.25 O8 9-seater - 1st for $9
$3+0.8 holdem 45-seater super turbo : 1st for $60
4 losers for about $50

total : +$630 :)

July review

2009-07-31T19:21:00.002+01:00

I didn't manage the volume I'd hoped this month, only playing around 10k breakeven hands. I've run pretty well in tournaments though (particularly in $12 90-seater sngos - ROI 312% in 22 attempts). Total profit for the month is $800 which isn't great but way better than last month's results!

The most important thing was that I didn't play any stakes that I wasn't bankrolled for despite feeling the urge now and again to try and wipe out the memory (and results) of last month.

The plan for august is to grind away at 50NL - probably a mixture of 6max/FR holdem with a little O8 thrown in. I've got some FT bonuses to work off by the end of August so will need to put in a reasonable but achievable volume.

I haven't had much joy in live events recently except for the table win at the team event so hope that I can turn that around too.

Office poker team event

2009-07-26T12:14:00.006+01:00

The Random Outs reformed for this year's OP team event on Saturday. We had a couple of substitutes and even had to get one substitute substituted in the final minutes!

I was team captain due to me being the only full member of OP at the moment. The format was the same as before - each team member playing a one table tournament for points and 3 teams with the most points taking down a prize. There had been some issues with the previous format but a £60 prize for each table winner helped - last year there had been players still in, knowing that their team had no chance and with nothing to play for. I'd played 7 sngos in the 24 hrs before the event and I had 4 1sts, a 2nd, a 3rd and a 6th so was feeling good.

I started out pretty tight and picked up a couple of pots - the standard of players was wide and there were some odd early position min-raises. I called one of these with AT on the button along with 2 other callers. The TT6 flop looked pretty sweet and one player bet after the PFR checked. I re-raised which he called and the turn brought a 7 : he check-raised me all-in and I called. He had TQ and the river A gained me a point and the chip lead on the table.

At the break we discovered our last minute substitute had gone out first - a similar sounding hand to mine - his A7 vs K7 on a 774 flop but with a river K. From previous experiencewe knew it was going to be tough unless the 4 of us left all made top 3 on our tables.

After the break it started to get a little more agressive with the increased blinds, but also pretty loose and bluffy. I called a shortstack allin with QQ and his QT didn't suck out, but stayed out of most other hands. One player had expressed his non-interest in the whole thing earlier but had quite a decent stack and was making some quite wild plays. He shoved allin UTG with about 20BB and was called by another loose big stack who knew him with 77. He showed 72o and the sick board came A35T4 for him to gain a dominating chip lead and eliminate another player.

Another team member was eliminated so we knew it was pretty much over for the team even though the three of us remaining were in with a chance of a table win.

My table was down to 4 - Mr 27o with 30k chips, me with 12k and the others 5k & 3k. It was pretty much a lottery at this point with huge bets coming from the chip leader and no room for any kind of play - I'd raised from CO with AJ which he called in SB and then donk-led 8k into a low flop. I doubled a shorty leaving me with just under 8k then I had a sign..!

I had 7700 chips UTG with 77 and shoved all-in. I hadn't noticed exact chip count until asked, but it was truly a hand to play 7s! I was called and the board brought 2 more 7s for me to get quads :) We were now down to 3 with pretty even stacks - it only took a few hands but the 72 player was eliminiated in 3rd for me to go heads up with a french dude : his 37k to my 13k.

I've not played a lot of heads-up, especially live but was looking fowrward to it as we were both pretty deep with blinds at 600/300. My oponent had been pretty tight-weak all tournament and he didn't really change his game HU, folding on the button a lot when i had a run of 23 27 37 82 62 type hands. When he did raise from the button he tended to betsize the strength of his hand.. he insta-folded a button raise when I shoved with JJ. I tried the same again with 77 but he called this time with K9 and my 77 held up to take the lead. A few hands later I limped from the button with 89 and was raised 2-3k which I called. He'd done a mixture of checks and raises when limped to so I figured he had 2 big cards or a pair. The flop was a pretty decent 79T - he made a large cbet and I shoved. He called with his open-ended JQ. The turn was a Q to give him top pair but the river 6 gave me the straight, 12pts and £60 :)

The others finished in 3rd and 5th so we didn't stick around to see how the team had done overall. I was very pleased with the way I played (and ran) and it was good to actually walk away with more money than I arrived with for a change!

O8

2009-07-22T00:06:00.008+01:00

SCOOOP! :)

I've been playing some FR Omaha Hi/Lo for the last couple of evenings and its making a refreshing change from holdem. And WOW are some of the players bad.

Its just a shame there aren't more tables running. However, table selection doesn't seem to be too much of an issue with usually several players playing 50+/tiny! (at 50NL anyway).

I probably should be raising more, especially in position, but with many callers its feeling more profitable to be in cheaply, with a disguised hand and with position. I think I'll watch some DC vids and see how I should be playing! With some of the skills I've picked up in holdem I feel I'm playing with much more awareness than I ever played O8 before.

EDIT: There don't seem to be many O8 vids around and the ones available mainly seem to be limit. Perhaps thats a good thing though :)

$0.25/$0.5 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo
9 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:

UTG		($31.30)
UTG+1		($17.40)
MP1		($63.35)
MP2		($43.10)
MP3		($49.50)
CO		($4.60)
BTN		($19.20)
Hero (SB)		($105.20)
BB		($20.00)

Pre-flop: ($0.75, 9 players) Hero is SB

UTG calls $0.50, 1 fold, MP1 calls $0.50, MP2 calls $0.50, 3 folds, Hero calls $0.25, BB checks

Flop: ($2.50, 5 players)
Hero checks, BB checks, UTG checks, MP1 checks, MP2 bets $2.50, Hero calls $2.50, BB folds, UTG folds, MP1 folds

Turn: ($7.50, 2 players)
Hero checks, MP2 bets $7.50, Hero raises to $30, MP2 calls $22.50

River: ($67.50, 2 players)
Hero bets $16, MP2 goes all-in $10.10

Final Pot: $87.70
MP2 shows:
Hero shows:

Hero wins $90.60 ( won +$41.60 )
MP1 lost -$0.50
MP2 lost -$43.10
BB lost -$0.50
UTG lost -$0.50

June review

2009-06-30T19:57:00.002+01:00

Its not been a great month and my bankroll has taken a hit. I'll be grinding 50NL in July until I get my game/confidence back on track... not much more to be said for now.

Ugh

2009-06-27T09:52:00.004+01:00

Discipline went right out the window last night and it turned into gambling well beyond my bankroll requirements (self-analysis underway!). Pretty brutal cooler though :(

$5/$10 Deep No Limit Holdem
8 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:

UTG		($1174.50)
Hero (UTG+1)		($1000.00)
MP1		($3897.00)
MP2		($2718.00)
CO		($1000.00)
BTN		($493.50)
SB		($758.00)
BB		($630.50)

Pre-flop: ($27, 8 players) Hero is UTG+1

1 fold, Hero raises to $40, MP1 calls $40, MP2 raises to $135, 4 folds, Hero calls $95, MP1 calls $95

Flop: ($444, 3 players)
Hero checks, MP1 checks, MP2 bets $275, Hero goes all-in $863.50, MP1 folds, MP2 calls $588.50

Turn: ($2,171, 2 players)

River: ($2,171, 2 players)

Final Pot: $2,159
Hero shows:
MP2 shows:

MP2 wins $2,156 ( won +$1,157.50 )
Hero lost -$998.50
MP1 lost -$135

The tilt monster

2009-06-09T10:26:00.004+01:00

Recognising the tilt monster

I was enjoying playing cash a couple of weeks ago and doing pretty well then something changed... I could feel an urge within myself to not believe people. I found it almost impossible to lay down a hand when I knew I was beat, wanting to make hero calls when I shouldn't. I was able to recognise the feelings without throwing away too much money but it has resulted in a number of short abandonned sessions and almost no cash hands played in the last few days.

Facing the tilt monster

Trying to understand the reasons for feelings of tilt is a tricky business - there are so many factors that tangle themselves around your A-game. Some life/work tilt has definitely affected me recently. I'd love to be able to quit my job and take up poker professionally, but I find myself stuck in a vicious circle - I'm not good enough yet to quit, yet the restrictions a 9-5 job put on your ability to study, get in volume, play at the best times can make it feel impossible. Table /seat selection seemed to become harder at my usual playing times for 100NL. Good 50NL tables were easy to find, but it seems a waste of time when I'm over-rolled for it and am getting good 100NL coaching. I didn't have a great start to the month in my first session, and as stupidily results-orientated as it is there is something for me about that first session and getting off to a good start.

Dealing with the tilt monster

I've been playing a few donkaments when I've not been at the cash tables in the hope that I can shift the feelings of tilt and satisfy my urges to call down light without losing a whole stack. I think its slowly starting to work and I feel a greater clarity coming into my decisions.

Rather than jump straight back into 100NL I think I'm going to play 50NL for the rest of the month. It should allow me to table/seat select well, limit any losses if my tilt is still in evidence, and I hope bring back some confidence that the tilt monster has beaten out of me.

May Review

2009-05-31T17:09:00.005+01:00

Its been a much better month than april and I've made $1100 in around 15k hands of cash and quite a few MTT&STT running well in both, and this is despite spending almost $400 on coaching.

Coaching with Kush has really helped me work out where I'm weak and what I need to work on. I've not managed as many focused A-game sessions as I'd like so I 'm going to try to improve upon this next month as well as study. A target of 20k-30k hands seems reasonable if I play less tournies. I'm going to try some sweat sessions with other players around the same level too with a focus on hand reading and post-flop play.

Live poker hasn't been so great recently.. its been quite a few trips since I last cashed. The variance of live play takes so long to work itself out so I'm not too bothered and hope to get lucky again soon!

Its now been a year since I started the blog and took poker more seriously, and in that time my game has improved and i've quadrupled my bankroll so I'm really happy. (If I can multiply my bankroll by 4 every year I'll be a millionaire in 2013!)

With WSOP approaching and people heading to Vegas I'm wishing I was there. Maybe next year?!

mini FTOPS main event

2009-05-20T10:55:00.002+01:00

I managed to satellite into the mini ftops main event for 2750 FTP which saved me the $55 buyin. There were 12,000 entrants and a prizepool of $600,000 with $97,000 for 1st, so its probably the biggest MTT I've ever played in.

I hit a couple of sets early on to double up twice and made good progress through to the bubble with 1350 players left. I had some luck along the way as is needed for donkaments (KJ > AK in particular) but was on the wrong end of it for my final hand. I pushed allin from the button with TT and was called by SB with 77. I was good all the way until a 7 came on the river :(

In the end I finished 261st to win $286 after 7.5 hours of play. I don't think I made any mistakes along the way so pretty pleased with how it went even if I didn't make it into the big money.

In other poker news I went to the office poker event on Saturday but was card dead and went out pretty early as my shove with an open-ender was called and my outs didn't come.

I've also now had 2 lessons from Kush - the 1st was him watching me play 6 100NL FR tables as we discussed any spots that came up and the 2nd was a hand review session. There were a few hands he suggested plays that I would never have made myself. Its left me realising how terrible my hand-reading skills are and my thought process needs a lot of work including adjusting properly for the opponent I'm facing. Its going to take some time to really understand all of Kush's valuable words. I've got the hand review session recorded, but unfortunately the railing session camtasia file won't open :( At least I have the hands we played recorded in HEM. For lesson 3 & 4 I have to record a video of a couple of my sessions which I probably should have done soon after the lessons, but the miniFTOPS main event got in the way - I hope I'll get some time to record one tonight.

Good start

2009-05-02T05:15:00.011+01:00

Good start to the month with my biggest winning day ever almost wiping out April's losses in one go :) But, much more importantly I feel my game has settled down and I played most spots really well with some great reads.

The last few days I've been reading some old 2+2 hand reviews and its helped me analyze everything so much better. I also gained some inspiration from watching Goldseraph's FR video series after buying a subscription to DC. I played a decent volume today and didn't feel my concentration waivered too much at all playing between 2 and 6 FR tables in a decent 15.7/11.4/3.32 TAG style. Some flopped sets with action definitely helped as well as stacking a nitty reg who is always tricky to play against. It gave me the confidence to really attack his blinds which I usually shy away from and I could feel him back down to me across the 2-3 tables we were both at.

Another change I made was to remove $winnings from my HUD so I can focus on player style/behaviour and to try and not focus on results but I couldn't help myself checking them now and again. I managed not to spew away any big pots for thinking I was running hot and couldn't lose though. To be honest I think it usually affects me more when I'm losing and can call down light in an effort to catch up in too big a pot that I shouldn't have got involved with in the first place.

April results

2009-04-30T19:22:00.003+01:00

Its the first month since switching to cash 8 months ago that I've had a losing month, finishing down $600 overall :( There are numerous reasons including mistimed aggression, some bad luck, some tilt, too much results-orientated thinking, lack of discipline, not enough studying etc.. Tournament play has been ok and has made overall results better than they would have been otherwise.

On the positive side I feel I'm past the stage of throwing money away and I'm ready to address the issues in my game and am confident I can come out of it a better player. Not much else to be said for now...

Office poker - 6th / 35

2009-04-25T20:51:00.005+01:00

I was really pleased with my play today - I picked all my spots pretty much perfectly, very aware of my M and everyone else's making some good calls to shortstack allins and pushing at the right times and with the right hands. It was just a little disappointing to finish 1 away from the money after going in with best hand :(

I started out by winning some chips on the first hand but dropped back a little then finished strong before the break to have around 9.6k chips (average stack).

After the break I probably made my one mistake.. I raised from the button with AK and was called in the SB by a guy who hadn't played in many hands at all, but earlier had called down on all streets to the river with 66 vs a bluff from a player on an AQ725 board with 3 clubs. At the time it looked like an amazing read and call but I really don't think that was the case judging by his later play. Anyway, I didn't hit the flop with my AK and decided to cbet on a Jxx board. He called and I probably should have either been more aggressive on the turn when a Q came (or just checked back on the flop) to get him to lay down, but checked with my straight draw. River was a blank and he opened so I had to lay it down and my stack was down to 6k.

Soon after I had a decision to call a shortstack allin (M of around 3) with 56o in the BB (my M around 11). With antes in the pot and my BB already I just about had pot odds and was pretty sure my 2 cards would be live so I called and his A8o hit two pair before I made a straight on the river. I made another call from the BB with K7h to another shortstack allin and he showed K6d and I won. It was a pretty marginal call, being suited probably just inclining me towards the call and the range I put him on. I finally got a decent pair (KK) and had my raise called by 2 players. One of them opened on the Q32 (2 clubs) flop and I took it down with a re-raise to grow my stack to an around average 20k with around 15 players left. I didn't get too involved and made it to the final table of 9 (two eliminated on the bubble) with around 18k chips (7th) - most of the chips were on the other table.

The blinds and antes grow pretty fast at this stage and I managed to hover between and M of 4-6, taking down pots uncontested as the first players were eliminated. With 6 of us left the villain above (sitting to my left) and I were the shortstacks. Earlier I'd raised from the CO with AJd to which he folded - he then said to the table that he'd folded AK much to the bemusement of everyone left. Soon after he did push allin with AK, was called by the chip leader also with AK and they chopped. With my M of 4 and his M of 2 I pushed into his BB with Q8 and he called with 89. He spiked a 9 but in the end we chopped, both making a straight with our 8. The next hand I got AQo on the button and pushed. One of the larger stacks called with AJ from the BB and a J ended my tournament.

I might have been able to keep folding my way into 5th knowing that the rest of the players would be attacking the other shortstack, but AQ was too good to lay down so was happy with my final table play. Calling down with weaker hands than I normally would definitely had some benefits.. I could feel others being more wary with me, and it meant my premium hands were nicely disguised .. the villain with AJ certainly wasn't expecting my AQ when our hands were shown.

The office poker league leader went out before the final table, but another who was 3rd= with me and the player in 6th were at the table when I left along with perhaps two others further down in the league so I think there will be a few of us bunched near the top once the results are published.

I'm not sure what happend to Jas but he was gone before we were down to the last two tables, so I definitely have the edge on our bet so far (my 23 pts to his 12).

Final table improvement

2009-04-24T23:27:00.009+01:00

I played 4 MTTs tonight (buyins of $9-$15), making it into the money in the $9 one only (180 entrants). There were some pretty bad players which helped me to around 6th when the bubble burst at 18.

I had a super-aggressive Dane two seats to my right which restricted how much I could play in late position as he was calling down with a pretty wide range and getting lucky, but a couple of well-timed 3bets kept me in contention. By the time I reached the final table I was last in chips although with a pretty low M, with the Dane still in the same position and playing the same strategy.

A couple of orbits passed and with an M of just over 5 I got 99 in the BB and with a raise from the Dane I 3bet him all-in. He called with A3o and a 9 on the flop was very welcome! The blinds and antes kept eating away and with an M of around 4 I shoved in late position with QTh. It looked bad when I was called by AA but the board came 2K5T with 2 hearts and a river Q saved the day.

I knocked out the players in 4th and 5th with AQ and A3 as they were very short and we were down to the final 3. The eventual winner knocked out 2nd place and we started HU - he had a 3:1 chip advantage. I got it back to just above 2:1 but dropped back and in the end my open-ended str8 draw lost to his KK and I finished in 2nd for $244.80.

I'm much encouraged by my play tonight - reading some of Harrington's wisdom definitely kept me more focussed and I picked my spots much better. Luck played its part, but it has to in tournaments and I was happy to be on the right side of it this time.

I'm fired up and ready to play in the Office Poker toruney tomorrow and hope I can improve my 3rd= position in the league.

Cash play has been pretty terrible this month, particularly the last week but the win above has given me some hope that I can manage to turn what was looking to be an overall losing month into breakeven at least if I can keep my focus. I'm realising that the increased aggression I've been playing with over the last 2-3 months is exposing weakness in my hand-reading and post-flop play and its all part of my evolution into a better poker player. I haven't been studying as much as I should - either with hand analysis, video training or reading 2p2 and the other good sites which I need to address. I also hope to get my coaching with Kush (his new blog linked to on the right) soonish and I'm sure he'll be able to help me seal up some leaks.

[For anyone that doesn't know what 'M' is try the wikipedia entry on M here]

Final table stumble again!

2009-04-14T12:30:00.002+01:00

I ended up playing a $24+2 PLO Knockout MTT last night with 202 players. Things started well with a couple of early double-ups seeing me chip leader with around 150 players left. I then dropped away before risking my tournament for 15 outs which I won. I was moved to a new table and as I was resizing the table I accidently 3bet an UTG raiser just before the bubble burst. With a large chunk of my chips commited I pushed all-in as a complete bluff and luckily he folded. Phew!

I had a few nice hands in the next orbits and was chip leader again with 14 left, 40k clear of the rest. There was a break when we got to 12 and it was all looking good.. 2nd in chips had closed the gap and was seated to my left. Then things started to go wrong...

Almost straight after the break I had AAxx which I raised to the max preflop, with 2nd in chips calling my raise. The flop came 88x and I Cbet pot which he called. We both checked the turn and then i bet pot on the river to see him call down with an 8 and for me to lose most of my stack.

This seems to be the common theme with my end-game issues.. get a big preflop hand and then push push push without really thinking. There was no need for either of us to get into such a big pot but it was me that forced it to that point. There was no need to raise it to the max preflop.. sure AAxx is a good hand at this stage but I wasn't at the point of needing to risk my tournament on it. Similarly there was no need for a pot sized cbet, but when I did and he called it was a pretty strong call. My river bet was the most stupid of all given his response to my bets so far.

With 20k chips left I managed to double up from him (I raised TTxx in late pos, hit a T on the flop and then sealed it with a T on the river) and made it to the final table 6th in chips.

My tourney exit wasn't as bad as the hand I lost above, but still not good as I was out first. I had AAxx 3 times in 4 hands - the first 2 saw me gain a few k, but I was called on the 3rd one. I had AA9x single-suited and the flop came 99T. It looked pretty good for me but my pot-sized cbet was called pretty fast. There was only one hand I was scared of - TTxx and sure enough he had it and I finished 9th after we got allin on the river.

I was glad to cash but I only got $80 when 1st prize was $1k. It was pretty criminal to throw away such a good tournament position and again finish below expectation.

On one hand I'm annoyed, but on the other I'm happy that I'm starting to acknowledge and accept I have a problem in these situations so can only do better in the future. I have to get into the habit of thinking longer and re-evaluating my decisions before acting in the latter stages, especially when tiredness becomes a bigger factor. I'd only read a few pages of Harrington before this MTT, so back to reading about my M and anything else that might help.

I think there are some parallel issues in my cash play too where I grow the pots too big when I perceive I've been ahead at any point in the hand and can't seem to accept that my hand may have become 2nd best or worse.

Final table meltdown

2009-04-13T09:56:00.005+01:00

It was a beautiful Saturday and I should have been playing golf, but I descended into the basement that is the the circus casino instead, on the hunt for more league points in a field of 42.

The first 4 levels were fairly dull.. the best hand I got was A8o and not a single pair. I stole a few pots and managed to almost keep my 7k starting stack with 6.9k at the break. First hand of the tournament was interesting : Player in early position raises preflop and gets a single call from the button. Flop comes J73 with 2 spades, PFR makes a normal-sized CBet and button throws his KK face up into the muck! (It transpired it was his first live tourney so just some early nerves I think).

Our table was broken up shortly after the break and I finally got my first pair - 44!. Decent player had raised from CO so I called from the BB and flop came Q84 :) I check-raised the flop and got a decent amount of his stack, although I probably should have taken it to the turn with such a dry board. A couple of hands later the same player, being short thanks to me, shoves allin and I have to call from button with AKc. He shows K8 and an A on the flop sends it my way.

I then got a little lucky, making a play that I normally wouldn't but it payed off big and I grew my stack to around 40k. Large stack raises from CO, small stack calls from button and I call from BB with T9h. Flop come Axx with 2 hearts.. original raiser makes large Cbet, short stack just calls making the pot a very decent size. I put the original raiser on Ax, perhaps making a move on the shortstack. I felt I had enough chips to be able to make him lay it down and shoved allin. He called pretty quick showing AK and the shortstack gives up. Qh on the turn makes my day :) We were down to the final table after an orbit or 2 more and I was 4th in chips with 35k, chip leader with 60k and shortstack on 10k and only 9 players as 10th/11th went out in the final hands of normal play.

As things stood I was in a great position, especially as everyone in the league above me was already out and it was a real chance to move up. However it didn't go according to plan... early on I get TT and raise and am called by the BB. Flop comes K83 which I Cbet and he check-raises me pretty much allin. I'd already commited over half my chips and made a reluctant call to see his flopped set (888). From this point I was pretty active trying to claw back chips and luckboxed my way to a FH with 66 to knock out KK but it didn't last long and I finished 8th for 3pts and no money (6th+ paid).

I left feeling disappointed with my final table play - I should have been able to get away from the TT hand - I didn't have history with the opponent but I knew he was good. I had to raise preflop and was too deep to shove all-in, but definitely could have CBet less especially on that board so that I could have folded to a check-raise. After that I was definitely in gamble mode and even after recovering some chips I was shoving quite a wide range and was in blind twice (it wasn't worth looking based on the stacks) so my exit was inevitable. I had a chance of real recovery on one hand that would have had me back at 40k but that pleasure fell to another shortstack - I shoved A4o from the button after it was folded to me and SB calls with TT which held up.

I've been on a quite a few final tables recently, both live and online, haven't got into the top 3 for some time and always seem to finish worse than I should based on stacks and quality of opposition. I've been ahead in quite a few of the hands that I've lost with but taking on the chip leader isn't always the best move. Tiredness is obviously a factor at this stage and I'm probably not thinking clearly enough when its most important to be. Definitely time to re-read Harrington on Hold'em: Volume II: The Endgame and see what else I can find about final table play (suggestions anyone?).

Pepsi 1991-2009

2009-04-08T12:36:00.006+01:00

It was with huge sadness today that we had to end the suffering of my cat Pepsi. She had been bravely coping with an inoperable tumour for a few months but had reached the stage where she had lost a lot of weight and was barely eating along with some other complications and the vet agreed it was time.

She has had a good long life for a cat being around 18. We got her from the Cat Protection League in 1992 when she was around 1.5 years old and she's been with me ever since. Even when I was away I would inevitably find cat hairs amongst my belongings so in some way she has been with me all of those years at home and everywhere else from LA to Hong Kong.

Once she managed to win some gig tickets in a magazine competition as Miss J Pepsi (name taken from the song 'Jack Pepsi' by TAD) which she graciously allowed us to use!

Even now I'm looking around expecting to see her... but at least her pain has gone.

March Review

2009-03-31T20:21:00.002+01:00

Its not been the best month results-wise, but a profit again matching last month's $400 in around 30k hands with a graph too ugly to post.

Full ring games have been terrible this month - down $825 from only 8k hands. For the rest of the hands I've been playing 6max and its gone really well gaining back the losses from FR, leaving rakeback & tournaments as my profit for the month. Its the first time I've enjoyed playing 6max and over the last few days I think it has really helped me acknowledge some leaks in my game that I'm now working on. Baz mentioned something the other day particularly that has really made me think how I play some hands.

I'm also going to be getting some FR coaching from a new coach late in April I hope. He's one of the biggest winners at 200NL across FT & Pokerstars so it should be awesome. This is absolutely no disrespect to Baz at all who has improved my game at both FR & 6max but the opportunity is too good to miss to get some help from such a solid player (especially while he is offering it cheaply too!). I'm glad I have a few weeks to get my FR game in a better state to make the most of the sessions.

The discipline I wanted to achieve last month has been much better, and I've not played a single hand of 400NL :) But, as with all aspects of poker there is much still to improve.

The plan next month is to play 100NL FR, 100NL & 50NL 6max, to study and keep working on leaks and discipline. I'll probably play some micro PLO & HA too as I've got the omaha bug again and HEM will be adding omaha support very soon.

Office Poker Omaha

2009-03-28T23:59:00.007Z

The practice paid off and I finished 4th tonight from 35 entrants with a decent prizepool thanks to 100+ rebuys to win £190. We played 7-handed which seemed a little odd but due to the entrants I guess.

The rebuy period was as painful as last time costing me 3 rebuys and an addon to get to a reasonable 9k chips at the break. It was an interesting mix of players at the table, from clueless to competent that made it almost pointless to raise preflop for isolation during the cheap blind levels as EVERYONE called so most hands ended up being limped pots.

Things picked up after the break and I tripled up after having middle set, nut flush draw and nut str8 draw all on the flop - at the turn I hit the str8 and a fh on the river to take it away from another nut str8. I picked up some more chips using stack & position and made it to the final table with 29k chips. The other table dominated us for chip counts - the leader and 2nd had 131k & 61k to our table max of 50k.

I started the final table 5th in chips, with 1st and 2nd both to my right :( I ducked under the first volleys of aggression and got some decent hands to fire back at 2nd in chips twice to grow my stack up to around 80k. It was most satisfying as he'd knocked me out of both the last 2 events! 3 others fell by the wayside in the meantime and we were down to 4. I'd been very tight for a couple of orbits and picked up AAT3 on the BB. Everyone limped in and I raised pot to make the pot 32k. The chips leader called (as he had done to most other raises). The flop came J87 missing me completely and possibly hitting some of his range while he probably knew I was on a big-paired hand. I probably should have folded at this point but my T gave me some foolish hope that he didn't have the str8 and I had outs to win even if he had 2 pair or a set. The pot was was 48k and I had around 55k left, chip leader had dropped a bit and 48k would have made quite a dent so I shoved pot and he put me allin which I had to call. On the flop he had 2 pair, Js and 7s. The turn came J leaving me 2 outs but the river brought another 7 and I was out.

I hadn't been too far away from 2nd in chips and had 4th well outstacked so perhaps I should have check/folded the flop and hung in for a better spot, more money and league points. Anyway, I did better than the last omaha event, made a profit, gained 7 league points and had fun so can't complain :) (and it puts me 3pts clear of Jas!)

It was a very tiring 8+ hours, especially as I probably dealt for 5hrs as well as coping with 4 cards and potsize calculations. Amazing it took that long for 35 people, but I guess PL, slower dealing and a 2hr rebuy period with a lot of rebuys didn't help. It did save me from having to watch Scotland lose though.

Net gain : +£139 (£190 - £11 - £10*3 - £10)

Omaha

2009-03-26T23:43:00.013Z

With a PLO event coming up this weekend I've been reaquainting myself with Omaha Hi... and I'm starting to remember why its so much fun! This hand is from early in a $3 MTT. Before cards were shown I was pretty sure at least one would have had quads! Right now I'm running 2nd of the remaining 200 from 400 entrants :)

EDIT: 15th of remaining 45 at the bubble

EDIT: Just gone from 25/25 to 2/20 :) Horrible flush double, KKxx > AAxx, AAxx > KKxx then KKxx hitting quads to beat QQxx in 10-20 hands.

EDIT: Final table, 6th in chips (12BB)

EDIT: Chip leader after hitting 2-outer on river with AAxx :) (27BB)

EDIT: 4th from 423 to win $114.21 :)

Pot Limit Omaha Tournament
$3 + $0.30 Tournament
8 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:

Hero (UTG)		(2455)
UTG+1		(1290)
MP1		(565)
MP2		(2490)
CO		(2260)
BTN		(4310)
SB		(2195)
BB		(2450)

Blinds: 20/40

Pre-flop: (60, 8 players) Hero is UTG

Hero calls 40, UTG+1 calls 40, MP1 calls 40, MP2 calls 40, 2 folds, SB calls 20, BB raises to 280, Hero calls 240, UTG+1 calls 240, MP1 calls 240, MP2 calls 240, SB folds

Flop: (1,440, 5 players)
BB bets 1,440, Hero calls 1,440, UTG+1 goes all-in 1,010, MP1 goes all-in 285, MP2 goes all-in 2,210, BB goes all-in 730, Hero goes all-in 735

Turn: (9,290, 5 players)

River: (9,290, 5 players)

Final Pot: 9,255
MP2 shows:
BB shows:
Hero shows:
UTG+1 shows:
MP1 shows:

MP2 wins 35 ( lost -2,455 )
Hero wins 9,255 ( won +6,800 )
SB lost -40
BB lost -2,450
UTG+1 lost -1,290
MP1 lost -565

Office poker

2009-03-16T18:15:00.002Z

Saturday's office poker event saw a small field of 35. I grew my starting stack from 7k to around 10k at the break but then lost a few chips after being re-raised a couple of times. As the blinds increased I shoved from CO with QTo and was called but hit on the TTx flop and secured the double-up with a T on the river with quads. As the bubble approached I was pretty much card dead so sneaked to the final table with 17k chips (7th). Jas also made it with around 5k more chips.

I started on the button and didn't get involved till my first BB (blinds 600/1200 ante 100) after being raised to 3600 from CO by the guy who knocked me out last time. I figured my 89h reasonable enough to call with and the flop came JT3. I checked and he put in a cbet of 4500. I took my time and decided to shove (an extra 12k) with my open-ender thinking he had just about enough chips to be able to put it down as well as me having some outs to win if behind. He called pretty quickly though and with AKo taking away 4 of my outs it wasn't looking good. An 8 on the turn gave me some hope before the river A ended it.

In hindsight I wished I'd either folded preflop or had open-shoved the flop to gain some more fold equity. Also, it meant I was out first scoring only 1 league point and not getting any cash (only 5 prizes with the small field) so don't feel too sensible to have gone out without even making a hand. Jas and I made a bet before it started that whoever finished lower in the league this year would buy the other in to the first event of 2010, but fortunately for me Jas was out 9th gaining only one more point. This makes Jas ahead by 4 points (We were 5th= (10) & 9th= (7) before this one began - league not updated yet).

Next event on 28th will be PLO which was a lot of fun last time although I hope to do better. I don't think Jas has played any omaha in a long time so hope I can narrow the margin!

Justice

2009-03-11T13:18:00.003Z

There is no justice in poker.

In real life I like to think I have a strong sense of justice and in things being fair, but there is no place for it in poker. You might occasionaly get some justice but to go after it is a leak.

There are a few scenarios where I probably call down bets or push harder where I shouldn't when the board and betting patterns dictate otherwise. As an extreme example (I wouldn't do this one now) I might have decided to slow play a flush on the flop but when the turn pairs the board or another flush card comes and I didn't have the A I'd bet big, annoyed I didn't bet when I should have done and to try and push someone off the hand - all very flawed logic. Recently I called down and lost a stack with what in hindsight was a fairly weak hand after losing a stack to a suckout on another table a few seconds before. There was definitely an element of "justice" in my weak thinking.

February review

2009-02-28T23:59:00.000Z

Its been an odd poker month.

My play has been up and down as have my results from losing quite a bit at 50NL and 200NL, playing mainly 100NL pulling 1.84BB/100 and having some amazing but foolish and tilty shots at 400NL. I lost a chunk playing STT when I was struggling with cash games but then recovered some with the MTT prize below. In hindsight I seem to have been tilted after having a bad start to 100NL dropping a couple of BI in my first big session. I'm sure wanting to beat my record previous month was a factor but this results-orientated kind of tilt I need to work on. It was only 2BI after all and hardly a bad downswing!

All in all I feel slightly lucky to come out of the month being +$400 ($1000 above EV!) in around 21k hands and it was cool to win my biggest pot ever ($803 as I cracked AA with KK after putting in $400 preflop!).

In the last few days I've had a coaching session and I'm feeling more grounded again and the MTT & casino wins are filling me with good feeling for the new month.

Next month I'm going to concentrate on a couple of things. I HAVE to be more disciplined so no more 400NL! In fact I'm going to restrict myself to 100NL FR and 25NL/50NL 6max exclusively, the odd cheap MTT and no STT. Along the same lines I'm going to more disciplined with my decisions at the table and take more time to make them watching out for the Invisible Information. In turn this will require sessions to be more focussed so I'm going to enforce a 2hr max on sessions with mandatory 30 min break and no on-screen distractions (IM, email, video etc..). These all seem to be essential skills to master to really get value out of poker. Many people say that online poker is much harder than it used to be in the past and I'm sure its true. However, the game seems far from dead and there is money to be made but every small edge needs to be taken. A very solid 200NL regular posted his monthly stats and its an inspiration and something to aim for (+$25k, 100K hands, 6hrs a day 16-tabling). His 800k hand graph has lost the signs of variance is a straight line moving ever upward.

4th *2

2009-02-28T22:48:00.008Z

I played a $10+1 knockout MTT last night and came 4th of 410 entrants to win $295 which helps my online numbers for the month greatly. Went out with the best hand as a larger stack who had been aggressive and had already been caught raising from the button with J3o shoved over my BB. With less than 10BB left I called with K9o and his K3o hit a 3 to knock me out.

Today I was at the casino for the office poker tournament (£30+3 freezeout) with 64 players. I'd gone quite prepared to lose the tourney and play some cash again, but the casino has started a £25/hr charge for each cash table which seems to have killed all the action :( I played pretty steady for most of the tournament hovering around average chips. My only pair bigger than TT all day was a single AA on the button that could only steal the blinds around level 3. Closing in on the bubble I dropped some chips and was forced into shoving 99 after a raise with my last 12BB. The tourney organiser was 300 chips shorter than me and had to call with 77. The original raiser folded and my 99 held up and gave me a 36.1k stack to take to the final table (around 5th in chips).

The blinds were rising brutally with antes but with a stolen pot and a fold to my BB I stayed around 35k till the first players went out. I was forced to call a shortstack allin (3k into a 15k pot with Q8 which spiked an 8 and beat QJ) which propelled me up to around 50-60k. Blinds had risen to 8000/4000 + 800 ante and into the last 4 I managed to steal some blinds from my button to still have 50k (8BB) before my last hand. The chip leader (180k?) had been making quite a few raises showing 72 earlier and opened from UTG against my BB. Finding KQc I shoved and he called with KJo. The flop brought a J and it was all over for a win of £190.

Its a bit brutal to have lost both times with a better Kx against Kx, but better to have it happen for 4th rather than at the bubble so very pleased with my game. Perhaps my biggest mistake of the night was...

bit loose not very good player who likes Ax (20k) in CO raises 2.4k into pot of 2.8k blinds&antes

me (14k) on BB with 44 thinks about going over the top but folds

ok player in SB (16k) calls 2.4k

Flop : K44

SB shoves KQ
CO calls KT
me in BB cries on the inside :(:(

My numbers above aren't exact but the blinds were around 1200/600 + 200, 27ish players left, so our stacks didn't give the odds to setmine, but perhaps this is cashplay thinking? Partly based on this, my instinct was that a call wasn't the right move especially with only 12BB. Shoving was an option but if villain called I'd probably be the underdog in a race for my tournament life as well as there being another player yet to act. I'm still not sure which option I prefer - I think fold, call or push could all be reasonable and I should probably run some ICM calculations to compare. I think the way it played out just makes it seem disappointing and a worse decision than it might have been.

Net gain : +£134 (£190 - £33 - £3(parking) - £20 (op membership renewal))

Thats my first win in an Office Poker torunament in quite a few attempts (other than the team event) so very pleased to rack up my first points in the league and bring a positive end to the month.

The only good thing about poker

2009-02-25T00:36:00.002Z

today was stealing some blinds from WSOP bracelet winner Vitaly Lunkin.

Everything else is best forgotten..

Its amazing I'm still up for the month and certainly don't feel I deserve to be - I'm hoping a coaching session will help me get back on track.

Home games are rigged!

2009-02-22T02:35:00.003Z

My hand was the 99.. we obviously chopped!

I had to rebuy a few times as Mr Swift was his usual aggressive self and also running hot - a fearsome combo! (hand above was with him too). Finished 3rd for £18 to cover my buyins exactly.