Won back about 30 buy-ins since my last entry.

Stopped playing PLO for the time being.

Confidence in my NL game has returned.

The last two weeks didn't go very well, so I'm taking some time away from playing to review how I went on a 70 buy-in losing streak. LOL.

Real swingy sesions lately.  I either win huge or lose everything it seems. Played some good sessions lately using good "poker business" senses and the outcome of the sessions in which I did nothing of the sort are sharp in contrast. 

I still think I played pretty solid since Friday, and I would be happy if I play at least that well and HOPEFULLY better for the rest of the month.  Things could be looking pretty well if my volume remains consistent.

Played today for the first time in three days! The self exclusion was a pretty good idea.  I definitely needed to take a few days to recover my mental game after the 32bi downswing.

I was pretty excited about playing some sessions today, but unfortunately couldn't pull off a win. 

Summary of Play:

200NL

• I "value cut" myself twice with two double barrels
  • Once where I folded TP2K to a large shove OOP on a scary turn card
  • Tried going for two barrels w/ JJ on K44tt-Q and ran into a slowplayed AK UTG vs BB. 
• Two triple barrels that I tried didn't work.  One was in a limped pot and in neither hand did I have any equity when called.  That's really not very impressive. 
• Lost QQ vs KK in BB vs BTN for 100bb in a squeeze situation

100PLO

•  Top set no good 3-way on K(T3) getting it in w/ 61% equity on the flop
• Overplay turn with top two pair and a dominated straight draw after the turn card made a straight possible and villain had bet/called the flop for about 4/5p bet.

100NL

• Won a buy-in here, no signs of this limit being rigged b/c 2nd set holds up w/ 100% equity on the turn.

50PLO

• Lost seven buy-ins in 567 hands while running six buy-ins under EV. 

SNAP-check by villain in 4-bet pot ALWAYS means they got there, FYI

Full Tilt Poker PL Omaha - $0.50/$1 Ring (6 handed)

Starting Stacks:
Seat 1: LP ($86.65)
Seat 2: CO ($155.70)
Seat 3: BTN (Hero) ($119.25)
Seat 4: SB ($49.20)
Seat 5: BB ($237.15)
Seat 6: UTG ($88.25)

Preflop: Hero is BTN with


1 fold, LP raises $3, 1 fold, Hero calls $3, 1 fold, BB raises $12.50, 1 fold, Hero raises $41, BB calls $28.50

Flop: ($85.50) - 2 players

BB checks, Hero all-in $78.25, BB calls $78.25

Turn: ($242) - 1 players


River: ($242) - 1 players


Final pot: $239 ($3 rake)

Results below:
Hero has a pair of Aces

BB has three of a kind, Sixes


BB wins $239 from main pot

Had to self-exclude myself today for the first time ever, there's no way I have what it takes to play this game seriously, I don't know why I thought that I did.

I played a good session today, which is certainly pretty awesome considering poker was really bad the last week and a half. 

Looking back on some the hands I played, it's just like what the fuck was I thinking?  Whenever I get on a bit of heater, I start playing too many tables and don't really put enough effort into table selection on top of that.  I think my thought process goes something like, hey I'm fucking winning some money right now, why worry about any of that stuff?  The more hands the better right!?  

After a few days of bad results, it got to the point where I was just shipping flops and turns for the hell of it trying to double up and get back the money I had lost without really considering the EV of the plays that I was making. 

Note to Self:  Yes, trips medium kicker is a nice hand in NLHE, but if your huge turn overbet shove isn't getting called by anything you beat, then it's not a very good play.

It looks like I'm going to finish the month of February slightly in the black (including rakeback and bonuses, and likely some rake race money!!) barring anything crazy happening tomorrow.   Pretty sobering however considering that I was on pace for a record month about half-way through.

It's unfortunate that things didn't turn out so well.  There's always next month...

This latest downswing caused me to realize a few things about my game that I haven't been doing well enough, or at least not well enough to crush in today's games.  I have some new ideas about putting in work away from the table that I think will really help my results, and when I'm on the felt I'm just going to work on playing my A+ game as often as possible in March and quitting my sessions when I start to lose focus or develop a defeatist attitude.

 Edit: the graph of run bad i posted earlier only got worse. -22bi in 8k hands to erase my winnings for the year other than rakeback. poker is super frustrating like that

This villain was playing 97/6 over 80 hands when this hand came up.  Does anybody play it differently or should I have just check/called the flop? I think given his wide VP$IP that he can peel the check/raise with a wide range of hands, so his range shouldn't be only flushes. he should have two pair and set hands that i want to protect against (or at least force them to call all-in on the turn if they are priced in)

Full Tilt Poker PL Omaha - $0.50/$1 Ring (7 handed)

Starting Stacks:
Seat : BB ($)
Seat 1: UTG ($80.20)
Seat 2: MP ($147.20)
Seat 3: LP ($234.05)
Seat 4: CO ($100)
Seat 5: BTN ($173.30)
Seat 6: SB (Hero) ($153.55)

Preflop: Hero is SB with


MP calls $1, 2 folds, BTN raises $4.50, Hero calls $4, UTG calls $3.50, MP calls $3.50

Flop: ($18) - 4 players

Hero checks, UTG checks, MP bets $18, 1 fold, Hero raises $72, 1 fold, MP calls $54

Turn: ($162) - 2 players

Hero all-in $77.05, MP all-in $70.70

River: ($303.40) - 1 players



Final pot: $300.40 ($3 rake)

Results below:
MP has a flush, King high

Hero has a straight, Queen high


MP wins $300.40 from main pot

As evidenced by the tone of the last post, I had a couple of really bad sessions in the last 24 hours.  All of the big pots seemed to go against me, but I've been playing a more aggressive style and getting a lot of action.  I'm sure the changes I've made to my game as of recent are for the better.  Now just to run well...

Posted below are a few of what I think are my spewiest spots from the last two sessions in case anyone has any comments.  I won't bother to show the coolers and bad beats.

Full Tilt Poker PL Omaha - $0.50/$1  (6 handed)

Starting Stacks:
Seat 1: CO ($154.65)
Seat 2: BTN ($174.20)
Seat 3: SB ($155.55)
Seat 4: BB ($324.75)
Seat 5: UTG (Hero) ($152.65)
Seat 6: MP ($146.80)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with


Hero raises $3.50, MP calls $3.50, 2 folds, SB raises $15, 1 fold, Hero calls $11.50, MP calls $11.50

Flop: ($46) - 3 players

SB bets $46, Hero all-in $137.65, 1 fold, SB calls $91.65

Turn: ($321.30) - 1 players


River: ($321.30) - 1 players


Final pot: $318.30 ($3 rake)

Results below:
SB has a pair of Sixes

Hero has a pair of Twos


SB wins $318.30 from main pot

----

Full Tilt Poker NL Hold'em - $2/$4 Ring (6 handed)

Starting Stacks:
Seat 1: LP (Hero) ($1185)
Seat 2: CO ($754.40)
Seat 3: BTN ($501)
Seat 4: SB ($663.70)
Seat 5: BB ($406)
Seat 6: UTG ($1211.60)

Preflop: Hero is LP with


UTG raises $10, Hero raises $60, 4 folds, UTG calls $50

Flop: ($126) - 2 players

UTG bets $78, Hero calls $78

Turn: ($282) - 2 players

UTG checks, Hero checks

River: ($282) - 2 players

UTG bets $282, Hero calls $282

Final pot: $843 ($3 rake)

Results below:
Hero has two pair, Aces and Tens

UTG has a flush, King high


UTG wins $843 from main pot

----

Full Tilt Poker NL Hold'em - $0.50/$1 Ring (5 handed)

Starting Stacks:
Seat 1: SB (Hero) ($100.50)
Seat 2: BB ($167.30)
Seat 4: UTG ($100.95)
Seat 5: CO ($101.40)
Seat 6: BTN ($323.75)

Preflop: Hero is SB with


3 folds, Hero raises $4, BB calls $3

Flop: ($8) - 2 players

Hero bets $5, BB raises $10, Hero calls $5

Turn: ($28) - 2 players

Hero checks, BB checks

River: ($28) - 2 players

Hero bets $21, BB raises $100, Hero all-in $65.50

Final pot: $198 ($3 rake)

Results below:
Hero has three of a kind, Aces

BB has a full house, Sixes full of Aces


BB wins $198 from main pot

-------

Full Tilt Poker NL Hold'em - $1/$2 Ring (5 handed)

Starting Stacks:
Seat 1: BTN (Hero) ($207)
Seat 2: SB ($208.75)
Seat 3: BB ($214.95)
Seat 4: UTG ($345.25)
Seat 5: CO ($324.05)

Preflop: Hero is BTN with


2 folds, Hero raises $7, SB calls $6, BB folds

Flop: ($16) - 2 players

SB checks, Hero bets $9, SB calls $9

Turn: ($34) - 2 players

SB bets $29, Hero calls $29

River: ($92) - 2 players

SB bets $88, Hero calls $88

Final pot: $265 ($3 rake)

Results below:
Hero has a pair of Aces

SB has two pair, Nines and Fives


SB wins $265 from main pot

---

Full Tilt Poker PL Omaha - $1/$2 Ring (7 handed)

Starting Stacks:
Seat : LP ($)
Seat 1: CO ($543.40)
Seat 2: BTN ($200)
Seat 3: SB ($195)
Seat 4: BB ($512.45)
Seat 5: UTG ($205.95)
Seat 6: MP (Hero) ($200)

Preflop: Hero is MP with


1 fold, Hero raises $7, CO calls $7, 1 fold, SB raises $30, 1 fold, Hero raises $99, 1 fold, SB calls $69

Flop: ($207) - 3 players

SB all-in $96, , Hero calls $96

Turn: ($399) - 1 players


River: ($399) - 1 players


Final pot: $396 ($3 rake)

Results below:
SB has a straight, Jack high

Hero has two pair, Aces and Jacks


SB wins $396 from main pot

----

Full Tilt Poker PL Omaha - $1/$2 Ring (7 handed)

Starting Stacks:
Seat : MP ($)
Seat 1: LP ($520.85)
Seat 2: CO ($181.70)
Seat 3: BTN ($200)
Seat 4: SB (Hero) ($211.25)
Seat 5: BB ($200)
Seat 6: UTG ($359.40)

Preflop: Hero is SB with


2 folds, CO calls $2, BTN raises $8, Hero calls $7, BB calls $6, CO calls $6

Flop: ($32) - 4 players

Hero bets $32, 1 fold, CO calls $32, BTN folds

Turn: ($96) - 2 players

Hero bets $96, CO calls $96

River: ($288) - 2 players

Hero all-in $75.25, CO all-in $45.70

Final pot: $376.40 ($3 rake)

Results below:
CO has two pair, Queens and Fives

Hero has Ace Queen high


CO wins $376.40 from main pot

Hand History:

• Game: No Limit Hold'em
• Structure: Cash Game
• Stakes: $2/$4
• Players: 6

UTG: $410 (102.5 bb)

Hero (MP): $400 (100 bb)

CO: $437.10 (109.3 bb)

BTN: $507 (126.8 bb)

SB: $1,461.90 (365.5 bb)

BB: $750.10 (187.5 bb)

Pre-Flop

: Hero is MP with KK

UTG raises to $12, Hero calls $12, CO folds, BTN raises to $56, 3 folds, Hero raises to $150, BTN raises to $507 and is all-in, Hero calls $250 and is all-in

Flop: ($818) 7T7 (2 players, 2 are all-in)
Turn: ($818) Q (2 players, 2 are all-in)
River: ($818) A (2 players, 2 are all-in)

Results:

$818 pot ($3 rake)

Final Board: 7T7QA

Hero showed KK

(two pairs, Kings and Sevens) and lost (-$400 net)

BTN showed QQ

(a full house, Queens full of Sevens) and won $815 ($415 net)

Promise I'll run good at $2/$4 one of these days.

It's been about 10 days since I last posted and for good reason. 

The 12th was my last day of work at the consulting firm where I worked at as an engineer for the last two and a half years.   While it's possible I may eventually work for them in some capacity in the future, I am excited for having some time off to relax, travel, and grow as a person in slightly less career-oriented ways.

Some people might think that resigning without a job lined up in this economy is absolutely ridiculous (and I don't disagree) but I wasn't really satisfied working there to be truthful.  

I have two years of living expenses saved up and last year I made 2/3 the amount of money I made at work by playing poker.  I am still pretty young and I want to see how well I can do at this poker thing when I am focused 100% on grinding.  If it doesn't work out for whatever reason (I suck at poker, online poker dies, etc) then I'll deal with that when the time comes.

Believe me, it was quite a challenge putting in hands and studying the game while working 40 hour weeks.  I wish I had gotten more into poker a few years ago while I was still in college.  That schedule was pretty rough on my body, and I'm planning on starting up a new exercise regimen and also changing my diet.  With the freedom of unemployment, I will have no excuse for ignoring those two important aspects of life and I think my poker playing is going to improve as a result of it.

So for now, I'm a "poker pro" until I find out what I really want to work towards in my life.  Instead of immediately grinding out the hands, I celebrating by taking a four day vacation.  I just got back from spending four nights in New Orleans for the Mardi Gras celebration, and it's clear that no city can party as a hard as N.O.   Mardi Gras plus the fact that the Saints (the football team) had just won the Super Bowl the previous weekend really had the city rocking!  It was a hell of a time and I'm exhausted from the trip.  Now it's time to GRIND!

Here's a hand I played at $1/$2 PLO.  I think this hand is pretty interesting for a lot of reasons and there are a lot of concepts really crucial to PLO that are displayed in this hand. 

MP is a monkey playing 91% of his hands and raising 27% over a 100 hand sample.  BTN is tigher, 28/13, (same numbers as before) and hasn't 3-bet much at all.

------------------------------

-----------

$1/$2 Pot Limit Omaha Hi

SB: $200 (100 bb)
Hero (BB): $202.85 (101.4 bb)
MP: $195.05 (97.5 bb)
CO: $601.75 (300.9 bb)
BTN: $541.75 (270.9 bb)

Pre-Flop: Hero is BB with T 9 J K
MP raises to $7, CO folds, BTN calls $7, SB folds, Hero raises to $29, MP calls $22, BTN calls $22

Flop: ($88) 8 6 9 (3 players)
Hero bets $88, MP calls $88, BTN folds

Turn: ($264) 5 (2 players)
Hero bets $85.85 and is all-in, MP calls $78.05 and is all-in

River: ($420.10) 4 (2 players, 2 are all-in)

Results: $420.10 pot ($3 rake)
Final Board: 8 6 9 5 4
Hero showed T 9 J K (a pair of Nines) and lost (-$195.05 net)
MP showed 2 5 9 2 (two pairs, Nines and Fives) and won $417.10 ($222.05 net)


---------------------------------------

Well to start off I think it's a really good spot to 3-bet squeeze.  If I 3-bet I can expect MP to continue with a wide range of hands, many of which will be other rundown type hands that i dominate.  3-betting will lower the stack to pot ratio on the flop and we can play a variety of flops aggressively even if we are OOP against two players.  this is good because I have a gap at the top of my hand (i am missing the queen), so my hand would play a bit worse with a large stack to pot ratio since my straight wraps won't be as strong as often.

My 3-bet squeeze is called in two places and I flop top pair with three overcards, an eight card nut OESD, and a backdoor 2nd-nut flush draw. 

I think this is a good flop to attack aggressively will a full pot bet since the stack-to-pot ratio is two.  I will be up against made straights and sets occasionally, but I have clean outs against any hand, although it's certainly possible that my outs would be to a chop if we get all-in multi-way. Still, I think MP will put his money in even looser in this kind of spot with a lot of hands that I completely dominate.  Those hands will be anything from hands as weak as overpairs to hands with similar straight draws but no pair (or a worse pair), to hands that he thinks are strong like a bare 98 top two-pair type hand that has no redraws.

As the hand played out, MP called the flop bet and BTN had to make a decision for his stack by the time the action got around to him.  He has no fold equity on a shove in this spot so if he didn't flop a big hand that plays great multi-way, he's going to fold a lot of the time.   since there aren't any flush draws on the flop, there's fewer hands that villains can feel comfortable getting all-in multi-way.  (nut flush draws do really well in multi-way all in situations as long as the board isn't paired already)

As I mentioned earlier about the top gap being problematic, note how much weaker my hand is on this flop because I don't have the queen.  If I had a queen, a ten or jack on the turn would get me top two pair and the nut straight!!

On the turn I pick up enough equity to push all-in for the rest of my stack since I'd have to call any bet that MP made given my pot odds and equity against even the current nuts.

I left the results in the hand here to back up my read on MP.  Note that against MP's hand I was an equity favorite 85%/15% on the flop and even after he made two pair on the turn, my hand was still a favorite 65% to 35%.

Any comments are welcome, I'm really not entirely sure that 3-betting and then potting the flop are the best plays.

Well, the PLO hand review session I was talking about in my last blog post never happened.  Instead, here's a hand I played recently at $2/$4 on FTP.  Let me know if you have any comments here or in the thread.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/56/medium-stakes-pl-nl/400nl-tptk-3-bet-pot-deep-702476/

Thanks!

I've run pretty bad so far this week and lost a few buy-ins after crushing over the weekend.  Poker is a lot more fun when winning for sure, but it's important not to get sidetracked by short term results.  What is important is evaluating your play to determine if you are thinking about the game in a solid way.

I am excited because tonight I'm planning on doing a PLO hand review session that involves reviewing two sessions with my brother.  I want to evalute how my play differs once I start to win a few buyins and then contrast that with what happens when I start out losing a few buyins.  

I strongly suspect that I may find out I should start implementing a lower stop loss than I have in the past.  Generally, I tend to call it a day if I get anywhere near the territory of losing like 5 five buy-ins.  It may be that I would do better to at least take a break from playing after losing even as little as 2 or 3 buy-ins.

I'm planning on trying to play a lot more poker in the near future and I want to make sure that I don't get into a habit of playing way too long when losing and not long enough when I'm on top of my game.

Obviously everyone would like to get to a point where they can play continuously for long hours without losing a beat; endurance (and consequently the long run) is what really matters.  The best players will be the ones that never waver in their determination to play their A game at all times.

I'll post some hands after the review.

It's been about a week since my first blog here.  And what a week it has been!  Full Tilt released a major update on the 19th adding RUSH POKER but also more importantly they FINALLY increased the buy-in requirements on their tables!  Even if it took forever they did make this change in response to complaints from a majority of their player base, and I appreciate their work to solve the "plague" of poker. 

Ever since that day the games at 200nl have been running GREAT!  (Games don't break any more when the table fills up with two or three rat-hole short stackers.)  It's been super easy to start tables and get action.  I think the new update & Rush Poker have attracted a lot of attention to FTP. 

I played a few thousand hands of rush poker just to see what it was all about.  It was certainly an exciting novelty at first, but it can in no way replace normal poker.  The best part of poker is exploiting your opponent's mistakes and since that's way tougher to do in Rush Poker, I'll stick with the regular style for getting my fix.