Results from Wednesday, December 20
Went to HP after work and played the 100 NL, lost two buy-ins fairly quickly. Lost on a nut flush draw and was drawn out on another hand. Unsuccessful session.
Also placed 6th out of 40 in a small $23 buy-in tournament in Seattle. Congrats to Matt who chopped the final four for like $350 or so. He probably would have taken at least 2nd if they played it out.
I've also been playing a bit online on Bodog. Bought in for $200 and now I'm at like $350 or so. Was up to about $600 last night when I tilted a little bit and bluffed a few hands badly.
Summary: 2 hours (6:45p - 8:45p), -200 (one table)
Last Wednesday Night:
100NL: -200
Overall: -200
Hourly: -100/Hr.
To date:
4/8 Limit: +201
6/12 Limit: +170
40 NL: -119
100 NL: -314
200 NL: +7503
December: +70
Overall: +7441
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Monday, December 18, 2006
Day 23: Bad Approach to Poker
Not very happy with myself about my Friday night session at Hustler. First of all, I really didn't have time to get a good session in. I went to Hustler with the mindset of winning a few big hands and leaving. This caused me to try and chase big pots and play too many hands, hoping to get lucky on a flop (which creates more draws).
Basically I got off work at 6 pm and had to be at a dinner at 8 pm in Orange County. Hustler is about 45 minutes away from work and 30 minutes from OC. So I was planning to go and play for an hour max, as Hustler is on the way. I ended up staying at Hustler from 6:45 pm to 8:15 pm and losing $600 (two buy-ins at the $100-$300 table).
I lost a big hand when I had K-9 in the big blind. The button raised a four-way limped pot to $25. I called (didn't belive him) and then another tight player with a huge stack called. The flop came 7-8-9 with two diamonds and I came out betting $35 to see if I would get raised by an overpair. The tight big stack called quickly and so did the button. The turn was another 9 (no diamond). This is where I really misplayed the hand. I was worried about the tight big stack. I hadn't seen him play many hands and he called me really quickly on the flop. I should have went all-in but I only bet $100. He called me quickly again and the button folded. The river was a diamond. I checked and he put me all-in for another hundred. This is where I should have folded. There were so many hands that could beat me: any flush, any full house, any straight. I called and he showed Jd6d for the rivered flush.
I bought back in and was crippled down to $100 when I got KK under the gun. I called the blind hoping for a re-raise and only two people called the blind so the pot was at about $20. The flop came K-9-5 rainbow. I checked, other player checked, button bet $25. Other player called, I called. Turn was a four and I checked again. Both of the other players checked. The river was an ace, which I loved to see. The first player bet out $30 and I went all-in for like $70. The button called and then the other player called the $70 also. The first player showed 4-5 for two pair and the button showed A-9 for two pair. In retrospect I played this hand pretty well and was lucky to triple up when one player caught two pair on the turn and the other player caught two pair on the river. They were both actually drawing dead after the turn.
After the KK I started catching a lot of strong hands. I had AQ and raised to 15. The cutoff on my left called with KJ (I saw his cards, lol) and the button called. Then the small blind, who sucked and just came from a $50 table for the first time ever playing a bigger game went all-in for $90. Then the big blind (the "drunk") called the $90 with only $100 left. I went all-in for $400 and the two players on my left folded. Then the drunk thought for a while and went all-in for his remaining $100. The floop came 5-5-K, turn 5 river x. The drunk shows K-2 for the winner and I lose. The button also said he folded K-Q so the drunk caught a one-outer, but I think the all-in small blind must've had at least an ace for a chop with me and probably a pair.
From there the drunk started getting so lucky and busted me on my final hand. Drunk raises to $10 pre-flop, two callers and I'm in the blind with K-10. Flop comes Q-J-J. Drunk bets $15 (weak) button raises to $45. I thought the button had a Q at best and felt weakness from the drunk. I called and so did the drunk. Now the button is worried. Turn is an 8 and everyone checks. The river is a blank and I checked, then the drunk bets another weak $25. The button is worried and calls the $25. I then push for $200, knowing no one has the jack. Unfortunately the drunk calls me with KQ and takes the pot.
It was a night where people hit their draws on me and I couldn't hit a draw, but I honestly don't even feel those anymore. I used to feel bad beats like "daaaamn that lucky SOB" but now I just feel like he paid for it, he got it, I'll get it back. The only time I feel bad at the table is when I miss my draw and feel stupid for chasing it.
I'm really disappointed in myself for (1) showing up to Hustler with such a limited time frame and (2) losing $600 when I actually had some strong hands to win some money. It's just hard to player poker for an hour or two because you feel forced to not only create action but chase action as well. Then when I missed, I made a bad play at the pot with a bluff. My final hand wasn't necessarily a bad play (it could have been a good play) but considering the player I was bluffing, it was suicide. I know more than anyone that drunks call down with anything, so it was ridiculous of me to think I could bluff him off the pot. The other thing that sucks is that my table was pretty sorry and predictable and I had to leave.
Now I'm tight with money again and even though I'm up a little this month, it feels like I'm down.
On another note, I was able to go to a studio this weekend and knocked out five tracks, which felt really good. I'm pretty rusty in the studio and I surprised myself and my producer with the efficiency that we were able to finish the songs. I'm looking forward to getting in the studio a lot more and making some quality music.
Summary: 1.5 hours (6:45p - 8:15p), -600 (one table)
Friday Night:
200NL: -600
Overall: -600
Hourly: -400/Hr.
To date:
4/8 Limit: +201
6/12 Limit: +170
40 NL: -119
100 NL: -114
200 NL: +7503
December: +270
Overall: +7641
Basically I got off work at 6 pm and had to be at a dinner at 8 pm in Orange County. Hustler is about 45 minutes away from work and 30 minutes from OC. So I was planning to go and play for an hour max, as Hustler is on the way. I ended up staying at Hustler from 6:45 pm to 8:15 pm and losing $600 (two buy-ins at the $100-$300 table).
I lost a big hand when I had K-9 in the big blind. The button raised a four-way limped pot to $25. I called (didn't belive him) and then another tight player with a huge stack called. The flop came 7-8-9 with two diamonds and I came out betting $35 to see if I would get raised by an overpair. The tight big stack called quickly and so did the button. The turn was another 9 (no diamond). This is where I really misplayed the hand. I was worried about the tight big stack. I hadn't seen him play many hands and he called me really quickly on the flop. I should have went all-in but I only bet $100. He called me quickly again and the button folded. The river was a diamond. I checked and he put me all-in for another hundred. This is where I should have folded. There were so many hands that could beat me: any flush, any full house, any straight. I called and he showed Jd6d for the rivered flush.
I bought back in and was crippled down to $100 when I got KK under the gun. I called the blind hoping for a re-raise and only two people called the blind so the pot was at about $20. The flop came K-9-5 rainbow. I checked, other player checked, button bet $25. Other player called, I called. Turn was a four and I checked again. Both of the other players checked. The river was an ace, which I loved to see. The first player bet out $30 and I went all-in for like $70. The button called and then the other player called the $70 also. The first player showed 4-5 for two pair and the button showed A-9 for two pair. In retrospect I played this hand pretty well and was lucky to triple up when one player caught two pair on the turn and the other player caught two pair on the river. They were both actually drawing dead after the turn.
After the KK I started catching a lot of strong hands. I had AQ and raised to 15. The cutoff on my left called with KJ (I saw his cards, lol) and the button called. Then the small blind, who sucked and just came from a $50 table for the first time ever playing a bigger game went all-in for $90. Then the big blind (the "drunk") called the $90 with only $100 left. I went all-in for $400 and the two players on my left folded. Then the drunk thought for a while and went all-in for his remaining $100. The floop came 5-5-K, turn 5 river x. The drunk shows K-2 for the winner and I lose. The button also said he folded K-Q so the drunk caught a one-outer, but I think the all-in small blind must've had at least an ace for a chop with me and probably a pair.
From there the drunk started getting so lucky and busted me on my final hand. Drunk raises to $10 pre-flop, two callers and I'm in the blind with K-10. Flop comes Q-J-J. Drunk bets $15 (weak) button raises to $45. I thought the button had a Q at best and felt weakness from the drunk. I called and so did the drunk. Now the button is worried. Turn is an 8 and everyone checks. The river is a blank and I checked, then the drunk bets another weak $25. The button is worried and calls the $25. I then push for $200, knowing no one has the jack. Unfortunately the drunk calls me with KQ and takes the pot.
It was a night where people hit their draws on me and I couldn't hit a draw, but I honestly don't even feel those anymore. I used to feel bad beats like "daaaamn that lucky SOB" but now I just feel like he paid for it, he got it, I'll get it back. The only time I feel bad at the table is when I miss my draw and feel stupid for chasing it.
I'm really disappointed in myself for (1) showing up to Hustler with such a limited time frame and (2) losing $600 when I actually had some strong hands to win some money. It's just hard to player poker for an hour or two because you feel forced to not only create action but chase action as well. Then when I missed, I made a bad play at the pot with a bluff. My final hand wasn't necessarily a bad play (it could have been a good play) but considering the player I was bluffing, it was suicide. I know more than anyone that drunks call down with anything, so it was ridiculous of me to think I could bluff him off the pot. The other thing that sucks is that my table was pretty sorry and predictable and I had to leave.
Now I'm tight with money again and even though I'm up a little this month, it feels like I'm down.
On another note, I was able to go to a studio this weekend and knocked out five tracks, which felt really good. I'm pretty rusty in the studio and I surprised myself and my producer with the efficiency that we were able to finish the songs. I'm looking forward to getting in the studio a lot more and making some quality music.
Summary: 1.5 hours (6:45p - 8:15p), -600 (one table)
Friday Night:
200NL: -600
Overall: -600
Hourly: -400/Hr.
To date:
4/8 Limit: +201
6/12 Limit: +170
40 NL: -119
100 NL: -114
200 NL: +7503
December: +270
Overall: +7641
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
My Basic Live Strategy
I didn't play yesterday and I'm not playing today, maybe not tomorrow nor Thursday but I do enjoy blogging and writing about poker.
I've been thinking about what makes the difference between winning and losing at poker and while the game is extremely complex to every single hand and situation being different, I feel like their are some very simple strategies that can make a huge difference between a winning player and a losing player. These strategies may seem pretty obvious but if they are not applied while playing, the simplicity of these strategies becomes completely lost. I myself have many times drifted away from these basic strategies that turned me from a losing player to a winning player. Some nights I am tired and play carelessly, sometimes I am at a table where I can't use these same strategies because of the skill level. But when I can use these strategies, they are very profitable.
I have a friend (Tomo) that really wants to start playing poker for money. The problem is he really has no idea what he's doing and he sucks ass at poker. We played a home game tournament at my house last week and he never raised once with KK yet he was willing to call all the way down with ace high at any time. Pretty much he is starting from scratch and I have been trying to figure out what to teach him first. I don't think the basic strategies that I apply to my game will help him much as he still needs to learn hand strength, betting position, etc.
Basically here are the main strategies that I have tried to adopt to my game recently. I'm still very young in my poker career so I'm not saying that these strategies are proven and that they work perfectly, but they are things that (somewhat obviously) work for me:
I've been thinking about what makes the difference between winning and losing at poker and while the game is extremely complex to every single hand and situation being different, I feel like their are some very simple strategies that can make a huge difference between a winning player and a losing player. These strategies may seem pretty obvious but if they are not applied while playing, the simplicity of these strategies becomes completely lost. I myself have many times drifted away from these basic strategies that turned me from a losing player to a winning player. Some nights I am tired and play carelessly, sometimes I am at a table where I can't use these same strategies because of the skill level. But when I can use these strategies, they are very profitable.
I have a friend (Tomo) that really wants to start playing poker for money. The problem is he really has no idea what he's doing and he sucks ass at poker. We played a home game tournament at my house last week and he never raised once with KK yet he was willing to call all the way down with ace high at any time. Pretty much he is starting from scratch and I have been trying to figure out what to teach him first. I don't think the basic strategies that I apply to my game will help him much as he still needs to learn hand strength, betting position, etc.
Basically here are the main strategies that I have tried to adopt to my game recently. I'm still very young in my poker career so I'm not saying that these strategies are proven and that they work perfectly, but they are things that (somewhat obviously) work for me:
- Pick out the worst players and consistenly get into pots with them. I hate to say it but when there is a really bad player at my table, I secretly root for him to give others bad beats so that he gains a considerable stack size. I've found that a lot of the older, tighter players actually fear the loose/aggressive/bad players and wait three hours to get KK or AA just to enter a pot with these players. I'm willing to enter a pot with a bad aggressive player with K-6 suited and if I hit the king I will call it all the way down. I'll play 8-6 off suit for a 5x raise with a bad player because if I hit it it will pay off. Even if the flop comes 10-9-6, I might call him all the way down because I know he will bet it all the way down with a hand like K-J or something. Obviously weak players are the easiest to beat. It's very hard to put them on a hand but if you can get a good read on them, it's the easiest way to make a profit in poker. They continually refuse to slow down their betting and usually think you're trying to bully them when you raise them. The first time I made 1k+ in a session it was against an extremely drunk player in Vegas. He never believed me and called me every single time I had something. Not too long ago I had my most profitable night ever against a player who was terrible but was getting lucky against everyone else. I was entering nearly every pot with him and giving him a beatdown that I almost felt bad about.
- Play a wider variety of hands in strong position. The keys to this are to try and get in big pots with a lot of callers when you have position. Say I have 7-5 suited on the button and someone raises 3x the blind and four people call. I'm definitely going to call hoping that I can get a good flop with this many people in front. I also raise with decent but not premium hands one or two spots in front of the button in order to steal position. This is why it is great to have a super tight player on your left, because it is easy to steal their position from them. It's great to play a hand like 5-3 on the button with six callers in front and get a flop like K-3-5 or 2-4-6. It's almost guaranteed someone will bet out and if no one does, it just looks like I'm trying to steal when I bet the button.
- Pick my battles. I think it's extremely valuable to observe the table for the first hour. On an average, I would say there are usually three really tight players, two loose players and three average players. There are usually players that are better than the rest, I try to stay out of the pots with these players. Increasingly I think I am considered one of these players as I've noticed that other good players will tend to fold when I make a raise but bad players will call. The important thing is to know who is raising with a great hand and who is raising in hopes of building a pot and hitting a flop.
- Keep my wins bigger than my losses. This is really obvious but hard to manage (easier said than done). It means getting up and knowing when to leave after I've lost two or three buy-ins. There was a point in time when I wouldn't leave until I didn't have any money left. But now I know that if the cards aren't going my way, it's better to just go home and come back another day, starting fresh with a new table image. Good poker players know when another player is tilting and even though I won't admit it, I'm sure I tilt when I get aces cracked or called all the way on a big bluff. When that stuff happens, it's better to just leave and come back another day. Similarly, if I'm on a huge heater...I don't mind staying for a long time if I'm hitting my flops and have a great feel for the table.
- Fold winners. Even though they seem like such great hands, top pair isn't always the best hand. Folding a winning hand sucks because you're losing money, but at the same time you're still living to see another flop. For example the hand where I had AA on a board of J-8-9 and one player went all-in and a really tight player called. I thought there was a good chance I had the winner but I didn't want to get into a huge pot against the tight player who had my big stack covered. I wasn't certain I had the best hand so I didn't want to risk calling her all the way down when I thought there was a 50/50 chance she had my top pair beat. I've folded winners lots of times and even though it stings, you are still putting yourself in a position to get into another battle with a better hand. This is something that new poker players really don't accept...letting go of top pair or a high pocket pair, even when there are overcards on the board. This is something that takes discipline but eventually leads to bigger stacks.
Well that's it for today. I just wanted to write about poker because I know I won't be playing tonight or maybe even until the weekend. I also like to remind myself what it takes to win and why I've been winning recently.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Day 22: A Win is a Win
Damn what a night. What a weekend. Friday after work I went to the ADP Payroll company Christmas party. I had a good time and met some cool girls but my phone fell out of my pocket and some drunk 21-year-old found it, took it home and made calls to people in my phone. I finally got the phone back on Sunday night.
Saturday I was lazy as hell and finally mustered up the energy to go to 3rd St. Promenade with my roommate, who is now having fun in Hawaii. After 3rd Street, I headed straight to Hollywood Park. Matt, Miles and Jouji also wanted to go play at HP following their company dinner.
I arrived at HP and was immediately seated at a 200 NL table that was short-handed. I was the seventh player at the table and the table was extremely tight when I arrived (what a surprise for HP). I started off slowly, going down to about 150 in a short time. The first big hand that I recall was the woman to my left, who had about $1600 in front and only entered pots with a raise, raised to $20 from the cutoff. I was on the button and I called with 44, obviously hoping to hit a set. Two other players called and I hit my 4 on the flop, which was all rags. The two other players checked, she bet $60 and I called before the other two folded. The turn was a blank and she came out with a $75 bet. I raised to $200 and she thought for a long time and said "I must be in trouble if YOU'RE raising." So she finally laid down, probably JJ or QQ, possibly KK or AA.
I won some more pots and worked my way to about $800 when the following hand came up:
Early position (not a tight nor loose player) raised to $15
Two callers, including the tight lady on my right, who is on the button
In the small blind, I have AA. I raise to $40 (not a big enough raise)
Everyone calls, which worries me that someone will hit a set or two pair
Flop comes J-8-9 rainbow.
I bet $60
Initial raiser goes all-in for $125 total
First guy thinks for a long time before folding his flush draw, he didn't want to have to go all-in against me or the woman.
The woman asks how much and hollywoods for a while then calls.
Now I'm stuck in a bad position because this woman is very tight and she is the only one that has me covered. She sees me thinking for a long time and tells me "I have it." I put her on JJ or maybe even Q-10 suited and I fold because I think I have the all-in player beat but not her.
I also kind of trust her when she says she has it because of the way we have played against each other so far. So I show the AA and fold.
The all-in player wins the pot with 99 for a set and the woman shows AJ. UGH!!! That was a big chance to double up with $800!! Or at least win a side pot. The guy who folded the flush also would have made his flush.
So that hand sucked becuase it would've paid big. But I was happy leaving up $662 because I was at a pretty decent table and I was able to beat it. We headed to the "Standard" where it was very frustrating because they didn't want to let us in when they clearly should have.
I ended up staying up all night and went back to HP at 7:30 am. This was kind of a mistake because as soon as I got there I realized the only people left were ridiculously tight and I lost $400 pretty quickly playing badly.
My friends Matt and Miles also got involved in a hand at the $40 NL table against each other. I believe that Miles raised to $13 or something with 1010 (blinds at 1/2). Matt went over the top and all-in for about $27 with KK. Miles said he believed that Matt had AA but called anyways and spiked the 10 for a set. The question is, did Miles have the odds to call the $14 all-in even if he knew he was behind. My theory is no. Obviously Miles only has a two-outer to win this pot, so essentially he is giving away $14. I also believe (and so does Sklansky) that to get involved in a pot like this, you need to see the odds to win it if you spike the set. The problem with this hand is that if Miles does get lucky and hit hit set, he doesn't even get paid off on it because all the money was put in when he was behind. The only reason to call an underpair when you think you're behind is to hope for the set so you can get paid off by the big pair (like my 44 that night). Basically you hit a set 1/9 times on the flop. So if the odds are right for you to get paid off 9-1 or better when you hit your set, you should call. Say you're in the hand with a big stack. For example you raise to $5 with 1010 and he re-raises to $15 with KK. The big stack has $100 behind and so do you. So you have the opportunity to win 10-1 odds on your $10 call. Then you should call. But because there was no money in the pot between Miles and Matt, there really was no reason to call assuming Matt had the overpair to Miles' 1010. If Miles put Matt on AK or something, that is a different story.
Also, just for my own information and curiosity I added up my daily numbers to see which days are more successful for me. It's very clear that the weekends are my most profitable days. For some reason my numbers are off by $41 but I'm too lazy to find where the discrepancy is.
Monday (five sessions: [-,+,-,+,-] +209) -130, +219, -500, +820, -200
Tuesday (three sessions: [-,-,-] -1495) -200, -715, -580
Wednesday (three sessions: [+,+,-] +2662) +2462, +700, -540
Thursday (two sessions: [-,+] +606) -400, +1006
Friday (three sessions: [-,+,+] +3328) -360, +3020, +668
Saturday (three sessions: [+,+,+] +2581) +1159, +1160, +262
Sunday (three sessions: [-,+,-] +309) -350, +873, -214
Weekdays: 1982
Weekend (including Friday): 6218
And here are the updated numbers following this weekend...
Summary: 9.5 hours (6:15p - 11:45p; 7:30a - 11:30p), +262 (two sessions)
Saturday Night:
200NL: +262
Overall: +262
Hourly: 27.58/Hr.
To date:
4/8 Limit: +201
6/12 Limit: +170
40 NL: -119
100 NL: -114
200 NL: +8103
December: +870
Overall: +8241
Saturday I was lazy as hell and finally mustered up the energy to go to 3rd St. Promenade with my roommate, who is now having fun in Hawaii. After 3rd Street, I headed straight to Hollywood Park. Matt, Miles and Jouji also wanted to go play at HP following their company dinner.
I arrived at HP and was immediately seated at a 200 NL table that was short-handed. I was the seventh player at the table and the table was extremely tight when I arrived (what a surprise for HP). I started off slowly, going down to about 150 in a short time. The first big hand that I recall was the woman to my left, who had about $1600 in front and only entered pots with a raise, raised to $20 from the cutoff. I was on the button and I called with 44, obviously hoping to hit a set. Two other players called and I hit my 4 on the flop, which was all rags. The two other players checked, she bet $60 and I called before the other two folded. The turn was a blank and she came out with a $75 bet. I raised to $200 and she thought for a long time and said "I must be in trouble if YOU'RE raising." So she finally laid down, probably JJ or QQ, possibly KK or AA.
I won some more pots and worked my way to about $800 when the following hand came up:
Early position (not a tight nor loose player) raised to $15
Two callers, including the tight lady on my right, who is on the button
In the small blind, I have AA. I raise to $40 (not a big enough raise)
Everyone calls, which worries me that someone will hit a set or two pair
Flop comes J-8-9 rainbow.
I bet $60
Initial raiser goes all-in for $125 total
First guy thinks for a long time before folding his flush draw, he didn't want to have to go all-in against me or the woman.
The woman asks how much and hollywoods for a while then calls.
Now I'm stuck in a bad position because this woman is very tight and she is the only one that has me covered. She sees me thinking for a long time and tells me "I have it." I put her on JJ or maybe even Q-10 suited and I fold because I think I have the all-in player beat but not her.
I also kind of trust her when she says she has it because of the way we have played against each other so far. So I show the AA and fold.
The all-in player wins the pot with 99 for a set and the woman shows AJ. UGH!!! That was a big chance to double up with $800!! Or at least win a side pot. The guy who folded the flush also would have made his flush.
So that hand sucked becuase it would've paid big. But I was happy leaving up $662 because I was at a pretty decent table and I was able to beat it. We headed to the "Standard" where it was very frustrating because they didn't want to let us in when they clearly should have.
I ended up staying up all night and went back to HP at 7:30 am. This was kind of a mistake because as soon as I got there I realized the only people left were ridiculously tight and I lost $400 pretty quickly playing badly.
My friends Matt and Miles also got involved in a hand at the $40 NL table against each other. I believe that Miles raised to $13 or something with 1010 (blinds at 1/2). Matt went over the top and all-in for about $27 with KK. Miles said he believed that Matt had AA but called anyways and spiked the 10 for a set. The question is, did Miles have the odds to call the $14 all-in even if he knew he was behind. My theory is no. Obviously Miles only has a two-outer to win this pot, so essentially he is giving away $14. I also believe (and so does Sklansky) that to get involved in a pot like this, you need to see the odds to win it if you spike the set. The problem with this hand is that if Miles does get lucky and hit hit set, he doesn't even get paid off on it because all the money was put in when he was behind. The only reason to call an underpair when you think you're behind is to hope for the set so you can get paid off by the big pair (like my 44 that night). Basically you hit a set 1/9 times on the flop. So if the odds are right for you to get paid off 9-1 or better when you hit your set, you should call. Say you're in the hand with a big stack. For example you raise to $5 with 1010 and he re-raises to $15 with KK. The big stack has $100 behind and so do you. So you have the opportunity to win 10-1 odds on your $10 call. Then you should call. But because there was no money in the pot between Miles and Matt, there really was no reason to call assuming Matt had the overpair to Miles' 1010. If Miles put Matt on AK or something, that is a different story.
Also, just for my own information and curiosity I added up my daily numbers to see which days are more successful for me. It's very clear that the weekends are my most profitable days. For some reason my numbers are off by $41 but I'm too lazy to find where the discrepancy is.
Monday (five sessions: [-,+,-,+,-] +209) -130, +219, -500, +820, -200
Tuesday (three sessions: [-,-,-] -1495) -200, -715, -580
Wednesday (three sessions: [+,+,-] +2662) +2462, +700, -540
Thursday (two sessions: [-,+] +606) -400, +1006
Friday (three sessions: [-,+,+] +3328) -360, +3020, +668
Saturday (three sessions: [+,+,+] +2581) +1159, +1160, +262
Sunday (three sessions: [-,+,-] +309) -350, +873, -214
Weekdays: 1982
Weekend (including Friday): 6218
And here are the updated numbers following this weekend...
Summary: 9.5 hours (6:15p - 11:45p; 7:30a - 11:30p), +262 (two sessions)
Saturday Night:
200NL: +262
Overall: +262
Hourly: 27.58/Hr.
To date:
4/8 Limit: +201
6/12 Limit: +170
40 NL: -119
100 NL: -114
200 NL: +8103
December: +870
Overall: +8241
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Day 21: Getting Cracked
The good news is I'm finally getting back into some exercise and played basketball the last two days. Monday I felt pretty good and was getting my jumper back, yesterday I was playing better and feeling better but now my knee feels like something's wrong. Hopefully it's just a stretching issue.
After I played and had dinner with my godparents, I went to HP. The 200 NL list was long as hell and my boy Matt was playing the 40 NL so I sat in the empty seat next to him and lost -$40 in about five hands calling with ace rag suited three times.
Finally made it to the 200 NL table and won about an $80 hand with A-9 two pair but no one had the ace anyways. I was pretty patient at this table because I recognized some of the good players as well as some of the bad ones. One of the good players raised my small blind to $40 from early position. He got one caller and I peeked down at AA. I knew the player was good so he must have a good hand and I had a feeling he'd call my all-in. So I pushed for about $250 or so and he thought for a minute before calling. The other player folded. Flop comes 10-10-3, turn Queen, River Jack. He shows AK for a straight. Ugh.
I rebuy and shortly after get AK. I raise to $35, get two callers and the button raises $80 more. I know the button over values any pocket pair so I'm pretty sure he doesn't have aces or kings and I push all-in. ANOTHER guy calls and he calls. He shows 77 and the flop comes KQ7. I actually thought I was good when the king hit but I didn't realize he caught his 7 as well. I left after that, was only there for about two hours and I played well but just lose a 98%er on my aces flop.
There are two ironic things about this hand:
(1) The only two hands the AK guy really could have beaten were KK and AA, the two hands that would have had him dominated. If I have QQ or JJ I'm full boating, 1010 and I'm quadded up.
(2) I just put a picture of pocket aces on my myspace page yesterday with a stack of cash behind it, lol. I definitely jinxed myself.
It's pretty frustrating to get the aces cracked head's up like that but I had him completely dominated when it went all-in. I also noticed that the guy I lent $200 to wasn't at the casino the last two nights but I'm not worried about it at all. I'm sure he went broke and will be back when he gets some money. I've been there before so I know how it is.
I'm not sure when I plan to go back. I need to go back soon but I want to figure out what I'm going to play. I'm thinking about the $100 game or 6/12 Limit just to build a stack back up. I paid a ton of money in bills on Monday so my funds are limited right now and I don't want to keep playing the $200 NL if I'm not beating it right now.
Summary: 2 hours (11:00p - 1:00a), -440 (two tables)
Wednesday Night:
40 NL: -40
200NL: -400
Overall: -440
Hourly: -146.67/Hr.
To date:
4/8 Limit: +201
6/12 Limit: +170
40 NL: -119
100 NL: -114
200 NL: +7841
December: +608
Overall: +7979
After I played and had dinner with my godparents, I went to HP. The 200 NL list was long as hell and my boy Matt was playing the 40 NL so I sat in the empty seat next to him and lost -$40 in about five hands calling with ace rag suited three times.
Finally made it to the 200 NL table and won about an $80 hand with A-9 two pair but no one had the ace anyways. I was pretty patient at this table because I recognized some of the good players as well as some of the bad ones. One of the good players raised my small blind to $40 from early position. He got one caller and I peeked down at AA. I knew the player was good so he must have a good hand and I had a feeling he'd call my all-in. So I pushed for about $250 or so and he thought for a minute before calling. The other player folded. Flop comes 10-10-3, turn Queen, River Jack. He shows AK for a straight. Ugh.
I rebuy and shortly after get AK. I raise to $35, get two callers and the button raises $80 more. I know the button over values any pocket pair so I'm pretty sure he doesn't have aces or kings and I push all-in. ANOTHER guy calls and he calls. He shows 77 and the flop comes KQ7. I actually thought I was good when the king hit but I didn't realize he caught his 7 as well. I left after that, was only there for about two hours and I played well but just lose a 98%er on my aces flop.
There are two ironic things about this hand:
(1) The only two hands the AK guy really could have beaten were KK and AA, the two hands that would have had him dominated. If I have QQ or JJ I'm full boating, 1010 and I'm quadded up.
(2) I just put a picture of pocket aces on my myspace page yesterday with a stack of cash behind it, lol. I definitely jinxed myself.
It's pretty frustrating to get the aces cracked head's up like that but I had him completely dominated when it went all-in. I also noticed that the guy I lent $200 to wasn't at the casino the last two nights but I'm not worried about it at all. I'm sure he went broke and will be back when he gets some money. I've been there before so I know how it is.
I'm not sure when I plan to go back. I need to go back soon but I want to figure out what I'm going to play. I'm thinking about the $100 game or 6/12 Limit just to build a stack back up. I paid a ton of money in bills on Monday so my funds are limited right now and I don't want to keep playing the $200 NL if I'm not beating it right now.
Summary: 2 hours (11:00p - 1:00a), -440 (two tables)
Wednesday Night:
40 NL: -40
200NL: -400
Overall: -440
Hourly: -146.67/Hr.
To date:
4/8 Limit: +201
6/12 Limit: +170
40 NL: -119
100 NL: -114
200 NL: +7841
December: +608
Overall: +7979
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Day 20: All Bad
Last night I lost three buy-ins and never caught cards, sucks. I can't even remember how I lost my chips because I was just losing them $20 at a time and missing flops left and right. Then I finally made a flush and someone else had a full house. Then I made top pair on a board of K-2-2-6-x and the guy has 6-2 suited.
Another hand I had top pair (K-10) on a 10-9-9 board and the guy that has cracked me for over 1k on river catches is calling me all the way with a flush draw. The pot was about $200 and he bet $50 when the club hit the river so I had to call and he had 2-5 of clubs. The guy is amazing against me, everytime I am in front of him and every time he catches me. His name is "Bobby" and he's not a bad player but it's frustrating because I've lost two huge pots to him on the river (one with AA me against his A-10 and the A hit the flop. He caught runner-runner straight with the 10). So he cracked me on his first hand on the table. It just sucked, I caught no cards last night and was playing shit like K-4 suited because it looked so good. I learned that I need to be patient because I was so card-dead last night that I should have left even, I didn't get any hands that were even playable.
My last hand I had JJ vs. KK pre flop. I made a bad call. I was BB. Everyone limps, SB raises to $15, which I thought was either a pot-builder or a monster. I raised him to $60 and everyone folded. Then he goes all-in and I called, I'm not sure why the fuck I called. Probably because I had been there for three hours and that was the first decent hand I had. Terrible play.
The interesting thing is, after the loss last night my December total is +$1048 after five days, which is almost exactly $200/day (my goal for December).
Summary: 4 hours (8:00p - 12:00a), -580 (two tables)
Tuesday Night:
200NL: -580
Overall: -580
Hourly: -145/Hr.
To date:
4/8 Limit: +201
6/12 Limit: +170
40 NL: -79
100 NL: -114
200 NL: +8241
December: +1048
Overall: +8419
Another hand I had top pair (K-10) on a 10-9-9 board and the guy that has cracked me for over 1k on river catches is calling me all the way with a flush draw. The pot was about $200 and he bet $50 when the club hit the river so I had to call and he had 2-5 of clubs. The guy is amazing against me, everytime I am in front of him and every time he catches me. His name is "Bobby" and he's not a bad player but it's frustrating because I've lost two huge pots to him on the river (one with AA me against his A-10 and the A hit the flop. He caught runner-runner straight with the 10). So he cracked me on his first hand on the table. It just sucked, I caught no cards last night and was playing shit like K-4 suited because it looked so good. I learned that I need to be patient because I was so card-dead last night that I should have left even, I didn't get any hands that were even playable.
My last hand I had JJ vs. KK pre flop. I made a bad call. I was BB. Everyone limps, SB raises to $15, which I thought was either a pot-builder or a monster. I raised him to $60 and everyone folded. Then he goes all-in and I called, I'm not sure why the fuck I called. Probably because I had been there for three hours and that was the first decent hand I had. Terrible play.
The interesting thing is, after the loss last night my December total is +$1048 after five days, which is almost exactly $200/day (my goal for December).
Summary: 4 hours (8:00p - 12:00a), -580 (two tables)
Tuesday Night:
200NL: -580
Overall: -580
Hourly: -145/Hr.
To date:
4/8 Limit: +201
6/12 Limit: +170
40 NL: -79
100 NL: -114
200 NL: +8241
December: +1048
Overall: +8419
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Day 19: F#$* ME!!
The night started well for me. Immediately after work two co-workers and I took the company Lakers tickets and went to the game against the Pacers, sitting in the 10th row. By far the best Lakers tickets I've had. The game was good, a lot of nice dunks by the forgotten Michigan man Maceo Baston and Kobe faked a nice injury when he missed a lay-up and the refs didn't call foul.
Kwame also had a nasty dunk...
The game was over around 10:30 pm and after the game I headed to HP to make my daily quota.
I didn't get to HP until midnight and I sat down and won about $100 pretty quickly with AQ on a Q high flop. I got up to $500 when I raised with KQ and caught a King on the flop and another on the river to beat some guy's pocket jacks. Once I got up to +$300, I should have left immediately. I thought about leaving because it was already about 2:00 AM but I stayed. Retarded.
After that it was downhill. The first hand I lost I called a $25 raise pre-flop with 7-9 suited. The flop came J-8-x and I bet $30 to try and slow any players with the jack down. However some guy went all-in with AA and I folded. I was chopped down to about $250 at a certain point when the same guy raised to $25 and everyone called. I had J-10 so I called as well. The flop came 9-J-Q. I bet $40 at a big pot and the guy went all-in again. I stupidly called and he showed KK, taking away two of my outs. I missed and he won the pot. After that I was down to about $55. I went all-in with 88 when the blind raised. He called and told me he was behind and I doubled up when he missed with whatever he had.
Not too long after that I called a small raise with As3s. The flop came AJ3 rainbow and the raiser bet out $40. I went all-in for about $100 more. The other caller asked if I was all-in and when he found out I was, he called. The raiser folded. I told the guy I had two pair and he said he was way behind. Then the 10 came on the turn and he says "now I have two pair too." Then the 10 on the river and he says "Now I have full house" and he had A-10. Good game me. It was already 3 am so I didn't want to buy back in, plus I lent $200 to the Ethiopian player that I referred to a while back.
I know to the rookies this looks like a dumb thing to do, lend money to some random guy at the casino. But this is a player who (1) I respect his poker game and (2) He basically lives at HP. In the poker world, a lot of loans are given on any night if a player is out of cash or has maxed their limit or whatever--you just have to be careful who you loan to. For example there was a guy walking around the tables last night bugging all the big stacks for $5. This guy I would not loan $200 to, lol. But this other character (I think his name is Heptu or something) should be good for it and maybe in the future this will come back to help me. I've never done this before but I know it goes on every day. There is even a player "Bill" who lends to everyone and keeps tight records of who owes him what. I'm assuming he charges interested or I don't know why he'd do it.
So (Heptu) owes me $200.
Overall I was really unhappy with myself. I easily reached my target of $200/night and surpassed it to +$350. Then I tricked it off on draws. The last hand was unlucky but that is bound to happen when I start chasing draws and other BS. It was one of those drives homes where I'm kicking myself in the ass for not leaving. But to keep it in perspective, it was a very limited loss of one buy-in and hopefully I will make it back soon. I've noticed somewhat of a pattern in my wins/losses where I have two winning sessions and one loser and this held true last night.
Summary: 3 hours (12:00a - 3:00), -200 (one table)
Monday Night:
200NL: -200
Overall: -200
Hourly: -66.67/Hr.
To date:
4/8 Limit: +201
6/12 Limit: +170
40 NL: -79
100 NL: -114
200 NL: +8821
December: +1628
Overall: +8999
Kwame also had a nasty dunk...
The game was over around 10:30 pm and after the game I headed to HP to make my daily quota.
I didn't get to HP until midnight and I sat down and won about $100 pretty quickly with AQ on a Q high flop. I got up to $500 when I raised with KQ and caught a King on the flop and another on the river to beat some guy's pocket jacks. Once I got up to +$300, I should have left immediately. I thought about leaving because it was already about 2:00 AM but I stayed. Retarded.
After that it was downhill. The first hand I lost I called a $25 raise pre-flop with 7-9 suited. The flop came J-8-x and I bet $30 to try and slow any players with the jack down. However some guy went all-in with AA and I folded. I was chopped down to about $250 at a certain point when the same guy raised to $25 and everyone called. I had J-10 so I called as well. The flop came 9-J-Q. I bet $40 at a big pot and the guy went all-in again. I stupidly called and he showed KK, taking away two of my outs. I missed and he won the pot. After that I was down to about $55. I went all-in with 88 when the blind raised. He called and told me he was behind and I doubled up when he missed with whatever he had.
Not too long after that I called a small raise with As3s. The flop came AJ3 rainbow and the raiser bet out $40. I went all-in for about $100 more. The other caller asked if I was all-in and when he found out I was, he called. The raiser folded. I told the guy I had two pair and he said he was way behind. Then the 10 came on the turn and he says "now I have two pair too." Then the 10 on the river and he says "Now I have full house" and he had A-10. Good game me. It was already 3 am so I didn't want to buy back in, plus I lent $200 to the Ethiopian player that I referred to a while back.
I know to the rookies this looks like a dumb thing to do, lend money to some random guy at the casino. But this is a player who (1) I respect his poker game and (2) He basically lives at HP. In the poker world, a lot of loans are given on any night if a player is out of cash or has maxed their limit or whatever--you just have to be careful who you loan to. For example there was a guy walking around the tables last night bugging all the big stacks for $5. This guy I would not loan $200 to, lol. But this other character (I think his name is Heptu or something) should be good for it and maybe in the future this will come back to help me. I've never done this before but I know it goes on every day. There is even a player "Bill" who lends to everyone and keeps tight records of who owes him what. I'm assuming he charges interested or I don't know why he'd do it.
So (Heptu) owes me $200.
Overall I was really unhappy with myself. I easily reached my target of $200/night and surpassed it to +$350. Then I tricked it off on draws. The last hand was unlucky but that is bound to happen when I start chasing draws and other BS. It was one of those drives homes where I'm kicking myself in the ass for not leaving. But to keep it in perspective, it was a very limited loss of one buy-in and hopefully I will make it back soon. I've noticed somewhat of a pattern in my wins/losses where I have two winning sessions and one loser and this held true last night.
Summary: 3 hours (12:00a - 3:00), -200 (one table)
Monday Night:
200NL: -200
Overall: -200
Hourly: -66.67/Hr.
To date:
4/8 Limit: +201
6/12 Limit: +170
40 NL: -79
100 NL: -114
200 NL: +8821
December: +1628
Overall: +8999
Monday, December 04, 2006
Day 18: Phil Ivey Made Me Money
Damn I just wrote out the longest blog and that shit was erased when I clicked on the wrong link, tried to go back and the whole blog was gone. This flaw definitely needs to be fixed by Blogger, but now I know why they have the "Save As Draft" option.
Saturday night I was supposed to go to dinner with my boys but I went to HP when I thought Matt was asleep for the night. I was hungry and thought it'd be good to eat some shrimp and steak and win a few bucks at Hollywood Park. Honestly when I went to Hustler on Friday night I missed the gambling action of HP. I got to HP and the list was a mile long, so I stood around waiting for a while. Matt called and we determined we wouldn't go to dinner but would trying to go out with the homies. I finally sat down and first hand got KQ, limped, bet a flop of K-9-7 two spades. Turn was an 8d, I bet, got one caller and I put him all-in when the river was another King. He called the additional $50 and I won about $120 or so first hand.
Not too long after I got AA in middle position. The guy to my immediate right called the big blind but looked like he wanted to raise and decided to just call. I raised to $20, got one caller (who was the loosest player at the table) and then the guy on my right went into the tank for a couple minutes before raising to $60. Because of what I originally noticed when he limped, I thought he was pretty strong. We were about even in money and the other caller had about $100. I only wanted head's up so I went all-in. The other caller surprisingly called the all-in, as did the raiser (reluctantly). First caller had Qd10d and raiser had 99. I won the pot and left not too long after up $510.
The reason I left was because Matt's co-worker/buddy Miles (Rookie #2) was at Hustler and told Matt that Phil Ivey was there with Greenstein, Flynt and Forrest. Out of all the poker players I know about, I hold Phil Ivey in probably the highest regards. Mostly because I can relate to him a lot more than I can the other pros and we actually have a few mutual friends that are from Jersey. I've never seen him play live though so I wanted to go check it out.
I got to Hustler and the waiting list was kind of long, Matt was still waiting for his $50 NL game and Miles was playing on the table directly behind Larry Flynt's table. Ivey and the table were playing what looked like Omaha with $500 chips, probably $2k bets (hard to tell because of security guards). I witnessed a nice hand on Miles' table where some guy went all-in, Miles called him with AK and the guy hit trips with J-6 suited. Ugly.
I sat down at my table and immediately determined that it was super tight. I stole about $40 worth of blinds by raising to only $30/$35 a few times. Then I caught AA and raised to $30. Got one caller who called me all the way on a somewhat scary board of three spades and a straight but I won the hand and about $100. I then caught KK and hit a set on the flop, taking down about another $200.
At midnight Matt and I decided we'd go meet some of our friends at a bar. I was happily up $650 and Matt wasn't feeling his table. It was cool to see the pros playing but it really wasn't possible to observe the play. So we left and I was up $650. So thanks to Phil Ivey being at Hustler, I won $650 in a couple of hours.
It was a really good weekend overall with a big downer that SC lost.
The weekend was good though for the following reasons:
1. I hit my goal of 1k for the weekend.
2. Three days into December and I'm well over my goal of $200/day.
3. Matt hit the jackpot.
4. Seahawks won.
5. Got my dirty ass apartment cleaned.
The weekend sucked because:
1. USC lost
2. USC lost
3. I missed my basketball game and we lost.
4. USC lost
5. I missed my baseball banquet
But again I'm really content with starting December on a heater, especially after the way I got in the hole on Friday, really made a somewhat impossible comeback.
Summary: 3.5 hours (8:00p - 10:00p; 10:30p - 12:00a), +1160 (first table [HP] +510, second table [Hustler] +650)
Saturday Night:
200NL: +1160
Overall: +1160
Hourly: 331.43/Hr.
To date:
4/8 Limit: +201
6/12 Limit: +170
40 NL: -79
100 NL: -114
200 NL: +9021
December: +1828
Overall: +9199
Saturday night I was supposed to go to dinner with my boys but I went to HP when I thought Matt was asleep for the night. I was hungry and thought it'd be good to eat some shrimp and steak and win a few bucks at Hollywood Park. Honestly when I went to Hustler on Friday night I missed the gambling action of HP. I got to HP and the list was a mile long, so I stood around waiting for a while. Matt called and we determined we wouldn't go to dinner but would trying to go out with the homies. I finally sat down and first hand got KQ, limped, bet a flop of K-9-7 two spades. Turn was an 8d, I bet, got one caller and I put him all-in when the river was another King. He called the additional $50 and I won about $120 or so first hand.
Not too long after I got AA in middle position. The guy to my immediate right called the big blind but looked like he wanted to raise and decided to just call. I raised to $20, got one caller (who was the loosest player at the table) and then the guy on my right went into the tank for a couple minutes before raising to $60. Because of what I originally noticed when he limped, I thought he was pretty strong. We were about even in money and the other caller had about $100. I only wanted head's up so I went all-in. The other caller surprisingly called the all-in, as did the raiser (reluctantly). First caller had Qd10d and raiser had 99. I won the pot and left not too long after up $510.
The reason I left was because Matt's co-worker/buddy Miles (Rookie #2) was at Hustler and told Matt that Phil Ivey was there with Greenstein, Flynt and Forrest. Out of all the poker players I know about, I hold Phil Ivey in probably the highest regards. Mostly because I can relate to him a lot more than I can the other pros and we actually have a few mutual friends that are from Jersey. I've never seen him play live though so I wanted to go check it out.
I got to Hustler and the waiting list was kind of long, Matt was still waiting for his $50 NL game and Miles was playing on the table directly behind Larry Flynt's table. Ivey and the table were playing what looked like Omaha with $500 chips, probably $2k bets (hard to tell because of security guards). I witnessed a nice hand on Miles' table where some guy went all-in, Miles called him with AK and the guy hit trips with J-6 suited. Ugly.
I sat down at my table and immediately determined that it was super tight. I stole about $40 worth of blinds by raising to only $30/$35 a few times. Then I caught AA and raised to $30. Got one caller who called me all the way on a somewhat scary board of three spades and a straight but I won the hand and about $100. I then caught KK and hit a set on the flop, taking down about another $200.
At midnight Matt and I decided we'd go meet some of our friends at a bar. I was happily up $650 and Matt wasn't feeling his table. It was cool to see the pros playing but it really wasn't possible to observe the play. So we left and I was up $650. So thanks to Phil Ivey being at Hustler, I won $650 in a couple of hours.
It was a really good weekend overall with a big downer that SC lost.
The weekend was good though for the following reasons:
1. I hit my goal of 1k for the weekend.
2. Three days into December and I'm well over my goal of $200/day.
3. Matt hit the jackpot.
4. Seahawks won.
5. Got my dirty ass apartment cleaned.
The weekend sucked because:
1. USC lost
2. USC lost
3. I missed my basketball game and we lost.
4. USC lost
5. I missed my baseball banquet
But again I'm really content with starting December on a heater, especially after the way I got in the hole on Friday, really made a somewhat impossible comeback.
Summary: 3.5 hours (8:00p - 10:00p; 10:30p - 12:00a), +1160 (first table [HP] +510, second table [Hustler] +650)
Saturday Night:
200NL: +1160
Overall: +1160
Hourly: 331.43/Hr.
To date:
4/8 Limit: +201
6/12 Limit: +170
40 NL: -79
100 NL: -114
200 NL: +9021
December: +1828
Overall: +9199
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Day 17: Night to Remember
Last night I headed to Hustler Casino to meet up with my boy Matt and my co-worker/homie Viet. They wanted to play at Hustler and I haven't played much there so I was willing to go see what the action was like.
Once I got there I sat down and first hand I got AQ and hit the Q with one player all-in for about $100. Then about two hands later I got KK and raised to $30. One loose player called me and the player after him went in for about $200. I went all-in as well and the loose player thought about it then called. The flop came 10-9-3 turn rag, river rag. The all-in player showed AQ and the loose player showed 10-10 for a set. Basically this was how my first two hours went. Last night I went deeper into my pocket then I had ever gone. Before I knew it I had bought in three times at the $100-$300 NL table, all three times for the maximum $300. This was around 11 pm and I decided that was enough for this table. There really were no weak players at the table and who knows, maybe I was the weakest player. So I got up and went to check on Matt. Matt was winning and feeling satisfied with his play. I watched him for a few hands, he had 77 and the flop came 7-6-6. Matt played it perfectly and got the maximum out of the hand that he probably could have when two people caught the jack on the turn. After contemplating if I should go to Hollywood Park to try and recoup my losses, I decided to just sit down at a different table.
The new table started off just the same, as I lost with QQ, AQ twice, etc. My play right now was probably questionable, I think I was tilting somewhat but this new table was much more promising based on the players. I bought in originally at this table for $200 and lost that. I was now down $1100!! WOW. This is a lot of money for a beginning player like myself. I decided I would buy in one more time for $200 and if I lost that, I would go home and plan the rest of my life. Just kidding. But it was my last buy-in.
Somehow I managed to get back to the $400 I had put into the table. Then a donk showed up and I made it over $500 (or a rack of $5 chips) playing hands with the donk. Then somehow I inched my way over two racks ($1k) and then I started my third rack. I was actually getting close to even, grinding and winning $100-$300 pots at a time. The donk tried to bluff me several times and was unsuccessful. Another player tried to bluff me with pocket 77 when I flopped a 10. My table broke around 430 am (yeah long ass time!) and I moved to the original table I had started out at, but this time with $1400.
I caught some great hands at this table. Pocket aces and I raised to $30. Three people called then the big blind says "I'm on all-in...I'm tilting." He went all-in for over $300, which was a good enough pot for me so I went all-in to get the other players out. I flopped an ace and the rest was history. I caught aces again, again raised to $20 and got four callers. Then the big blind, who was the only player who had me outstacked (2k) raised to $100. I told him there was only one hand I could go all-in on him with and then I went all-in. He folded and showed me jacks and I showed him the aces.
Then around 5:30 am Matt's table erupted in cheers and I looked over to see Matt giving everyone the "white guy" high fives. It was obviously a jackpot as several players were doing there versions of touchdown dances, etc. I was happy for Matt, assuming he won the table share for around $200-$500. About ten minutes later when the action settled down at my table I went to see how much Matt won and found out that he hit the bad beat hand! He had AK and made a full house AAAKK against a diamond royal flush. Damn!! This guy won 40% of the 13k jack pot. Sweet.
We left not too long after that, I was extremely happy not only getting back to even after being in the hole $1150, but I was actually up $600+ .. that really hasn't set in yet. Matt was obviously happy too. It felt good to be at the cashier's window cashing out for 2k and 5k next to each other. Hopefully that won't be the last time that happens.
The day started off right when we went to the Nike outlet at 9 a.m. and bought some cheap discounted stuff. But unfortunately the day took a turn for the worst when USC lost to UCLA (WTF?) in the season final. Really disappointing for the simple fact that (1) I hate UCLA and (2) we would have been in the national championship game if we won. Based on today's performance, I think that Florida and Michigan are both much more deserving of a shot at OSU then USC is. We made a good run but today really showed we have a lot of improving to do against a good defensive team.
The good news is that I started off December in the profit and met my goal of at least $200 a day. I'm about to go back tonight (right now) and eat dinner at HP and try to stack my $200 for the day. If I have the energy (I haven't slept since Thursday night...it's Saturday night right now) I'm going to go out with my boys. We'll see what happens....hopefully it'll be a great night, the weekend started off really well.
Summary: 11 hours (7:30 pm - 6:30 am), +668 (first table -900, second two tables +1568)
Friday Night:
200NL: +668
Overall: +668
Hourly: 60.73/Hr.
To date:
4/8 Limit: +201
6/12 Limit: +170
40 NL: -79
100 NL: -114
200 NL: +7861
December: +668
Overall: +8039
Once I got there I sat down and first hand I got AQ and hit the Q with one player all-in for about $100. Then about two hands later I got KK and raised to $30. One loose player called me and the player after him went in for about $200. I went all-in as well and the loose player thought about it then called. The flop came 10-9-3 turn rag, river rag. The all-in player showed AQ and the loose player showed 10-10 for a set. Basically this was how my first two hours went. Last night I went deeper into my pocket then I had ever gone. Before I knew it I had bought in three times at the $100-$300 NL table, all three times for the maximum $300. This was around 11 pm and I decided that was enough for this table. There really were no weak players at the table and who knows, maybe I was the weakest player. So I got up and went to check on Matt. Matt was winning and feeling satisfied with his play. I watched him for a few hands, he had 77 and the flop came 7-6-6. Matt played it perfectly and got the maximum out of the hand that he probably could have when two people caught the jack on the turn. After contemplating if I should go to Hollywood Park to try and recoup my losses, I decided to just sit down at a different table.
The new table started off just the same, as I lost with QQ, AQ twice, etc. My play right now was probably questionable, I think I was tilting somewhat but this new table was much more promising based on the players. I bought in originally at this table for $200 and lost that. I was now down $1100!! WOW. This is a lot of money for a beginning player like myself. I decided I would buy in one more time for $200 and if I lost that, I would go home and plan the rest of my life. Just kidding. But it was my last buy-in.
Somehow I managed to get back to the $400 I had put into the table. Then a donk showed up and I made it over $500 (or a rack of $5 chips) playing hands with the donk. Then somehow I inched my way over two racks ($1k) and then I started my third rack. I was actually getting close to even, grinding and winning $100-$300 pots at a time. The donk tried to bluff me several times and was unsuccessful. Another player tried to bluff me with pocket 77 when I flopped a 10. My table broke around 430 am (yeah long ass time!) and I moved to the original table I had started out at, but this time with $1400.
I caught some great hands at this table. Pocket aces and I raised to $30. Three people called then the big blind says "I'm on all-in...I'm tilting." He went all-in for over $300, which was a good enough pot for me so I went all-in to get the other players out. I flopped an ace and the rest was history. I caught aces again, again raised to $20 and got four callers. Then the big blind, who was the only player who had me outstacked (2k) raised to $100. I told him there was only one hand I could go all-in on him with and then I went all-in. He folded and showed me jacks and I showed him the aces.
Then around 5:30 am Matt's table erupted in cheers and I looked over to see Matt giving everyone the "white guy" high fives. It was obviously a jackpot as several players were doing there versions of touchdown dances, etc. I was happy for Matt, assuming he won the table share for around $200-$500. About ten minutes later when the action settled down at my table I went to see how much Matt won and found out that he hit the bad beat hand! He had AK and made a full house AAAKK against a diamond royal flush. Damn!! This guy won 40% of the 13k jack pot. Sweet.
We left not too long after that, I was extremely happy not only getting back to even after being in the hole $1150, but I was actually up $600+ .. that really hasn't set in yet. Matt was obviously happy too. It felt good to be at the cashier's window cashing out for 2k and 5k next to each other. Hopefully that won't be the last time that happens.
The day started off right when we went to the Nike outlet at 9 a.m. and bought some cheap discounted stuff. But unfortunately the day took a turn for the worst when USC lost to UCLA (WTF?) in the season final. Really disappointing for the simple fact that (1) I hate UCLA and (2) we would have been in the national championship game if we won. Based on today's performance, I think that Florida and Michigan are both much more deserving of a shot at OSU then USC is. We made a good run but today really showed we have a lot of improving to do against a good defensive team.
The good news is that I started off December in the profit and met my goal of at least $200 a day. I'm about to go back tonight (right now) and eat dinner at HP and try to stack my $200 for the day. If I have the energy (I haven't slept since Thursday night...it's Saturday night right now) I'm going to go out with my boys. We'll see what happens....hopefully it'll be a great night, the weekend started off really well.
Summary: 11 hours (7:30 pm - 6:30 am), +668 (first table -900, second two tables +1568)
Friday Night:
200NL: +668
Overall: +668
Hourly: 60.73/Hr.
To date:
4/8 Limit: +201
6/12 Limit: +170
40 NL: -79
100 NL: -114
200 NL: +7861
December: +668
Overall: +8039
Friday, December 01, 2006
December Goals
Well it's that time of year. Every December I try to start my new year's resolutions early...you know...get ahead of the game.
Basically I need to get in shape asap before I'm the cover boy for athletes gone bad.
Here are the fitness goals:
1. Play basketball three times a week.
2. Run three times a week.
3. Work out three times a week.
4. Batting cage once a week.
Here are the music goals:
1. Three songs a month (starting in December)
2. Mixtape CD done by May
3. Record in San Diego once a month
Here are the poker goals:
1. Win an average of $200/day in DECEMBER.
2. Increase profit goals every month
3. Win a tournament by the end of May
And a goal for the weekend again is to win 1k.
I'll be back.
Basically I need to get in shape asap before I'm the cover boy for athletes gone bad.
Here are the fitness goals:
1. Play basketball three times a week.
2. Run three times a week.
3. Work out three times a week.
4. Batting cage once a week.
Here are the music goals:
1. Three songs a month (starting in December)
2. Mixtape CD done by May
3. Record in San Diego once a month
Here are the poker goals:
1. Win an average of $200/day in DECEMBER.
2. Increase profit goals every month
3. Win a tournament by the end of May
And a goal for the weekend again is to win 1k.
I'll be back.
New Rap Albums
Here are some links to rap albums that have been recently released. I haven't listened so any of these yet so I can't really say if they're good or not:
1. Ghostface Killa: More Fish
http://rapidshare.com/files/5596914/Ghostface_Killah-More_Fish-_RapGodFathers.com_.rar
Download Password: www.rapgodfathers.com
2. Nas: The Ressurection of Hip Hop (Advance)
http://download.yousendit.com/ADFFB3D84F50183A
3. Mos Def: True Magic
http://rapidshare.com/files/5635459/True_Magic-2006-H3X.rar.html
4. Young Jeezy: The Inspiration
http://www.sendspace.com/file/lkgy9i
5. Hell Rell: The New Gun in Town
http://www.sendspace.com/file/ql0jsd
6. Project Pat: Crook by da Book
http://www.sendspace.com/file/8wdmxv
1. Ghostface Killa: More Fish
http://rapidshare.com/files/5596914/Ghostface_Killah-More_Fish-_RapGodFathers.com_.rar
Download Password: www.rapgodfathers.com
2. Nas: The Ressurection of Hip Hop (Advance)
http://download.yousendit.com/ADFFB3D84F50183A
3. Mos Def: True Magic
http://rapidshare.com/files/5635459/True_Magic-2006-H3X.rar.html
4. Young Jeezy: The Inspiration
http://www.sendspace.com/file/lkgy9i
5. Hell Rell: The New Gun in Town
http://www.sendspace.com/file/ql0jsd
6. Project Pat: Crook by da Book
http://www.sendspace.com/file/8wdmxv
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