Apr 23 : Can't seal the deal ($977 : Up $68)

Played very well today - with a bit more luck, it could have been a really good one.

RESULTS
Games Played
1 x $22 SNG (6 Seater)
8 x $22 SNG (10 Seater)
1 x $22 SNG (10 Seater , Speed)
Wins (SNG)
5 money finishes, 5 non-money finishes
4 x 2nds (10 Seater), 1 x 2nd (6 Seater)
Bankroll
SNG Cost of play $220, Winnings $288, Net Gain of $68
Bankroll up from $909 to $977

5 second place finishes with no wins is frustrating, but I am happy with the way I played in all but one of the heads up phase.

1 x Arrived heads up ultra-short stacked (9:1) so no realistic chance
3 x Played excellent heads up to get good chip leads, only to get outdrawn after getting my money in ahead with strong hands
1 x Got outplayed

Overall, I am much more confident with my heads up play than I was a couple of weeks ago - a controlled aggressive strategy now that puts 70-80% of opponents on the back foot folding a lot - by the time they work out I am raising and re-raising with less than premium hands, more often than not I have 60-70% of the chips and in a position to gamble to end the game.

I think I need to revisit my strategy for ending games though - I seem to be losing more than my fair share of "coin-flips" to end games. Maybe I need to be more patient? My general strategy is to build a 2:1 chip lead, then take a gamble with and ace, decent King, or pocket pair. Doesn't seem to be working out for me though. Need to consider whether I am getting my money in the wrong spots at "match point", so to speak.

Apr 22 : Tourney Frustration ($909 down $69)

Played a couple of tourneys today just for variety - I wish I hadnt bothered. I don't yet have the patience for those, I must admit.

Fold Fold Fold, playing only premium hands early on, picking a spot to get your money in ahead.. then getting outdrawn to leave you short stacked and in pushbot mode. That has summed up my last 3 tourneys, unfortunately, including the two today. I have won a decent size tourney in the past (from memory, a $33 buy in with about 90 players), but they don't instinctively appeal to me while I am still prone to making big mistakes, and prone to getting really angry when hours of effort are binned by a bad beat.

Reverted to the SNG world after that, with a marginally above break-even performance over 6 games.

RESULTS
Games Played
1 x $55 Tourney
1 x $22 Tourney ($12 rebuy + 1 add-on)
6 x $22 SNG (10 Seater)
Wins (SNG)
2 money finishes, 4 non-money finishes
1 x Win, 1 x 3rd (10 Seater)
Bankroll
SNG Cost of play $132, Winnings $140, Net Gain of $8
Tourney Cost of play $77, No winnings, Net Loss of $77
Bankroll down from $978 to $909

Statistics : 6 Seaters v 10 Seaters

I did some number crunching today, which came out with some interesting statistics regarding the 121 SNG games I have played over the last few weeks in the $22 rooms in Party Poker. (yes, I know, its a lot).

OVERALL STATS
Played 121, Won 21 (17%), In the money finishes : 60 (50%)
Cost of play : $2662, Winnings : $3672 = Net Gain : $1010
Average profit per game : $8.35 ($1010/121)
Average return : 38% ($8.35 / $22)

I found it really interesting to see this sort of breakdown - to be able to put an exact figure of my expected value for a game. If i join a $22 game, I would expect on average to walk away with $30. Not too shabby for a fish like me.

Within those overall figures were some VERY interesting sub-trends though.

IN THE MONEY
Pretty consistent percentages across the 3 formats
49% 6 Player
53% 10 Player
45% 10 Player Speed
50% Overall
i.e. My instinct was that I had far more money finishes in the 6 player rooms - but the "spread" across the 3 formats is pretty narrow.

AVERAGE PROFIT PER GAME
This is a real jaw-dropping insight (to me, at least)
$5.13 6 Player ($354 Profit / 69 games)
$17.33 10 Player ($520 Profit / 30 games)
$6.18 10 Player Speed ($136 Profit / 22 games)
$8.35 Overall

My profitability in the standard 10 player rooms is around triple that of the 6 player & 10-Player-Speed formats. Aye carumba. I think I have played enough games for this to be identified as a genuine trend, rather than statistical variance, and it is not at all what I had thought was the case. Shows the value of keeping records.

• I can make the prize money about half the time in all 3 formats
• The premium for winning the 10-seaters (a $100/$60/$40 split) means that the profitability for those are higher than the 6 seaters (a $72/$48 split)
• For whatever reason, once I get to the money, I am more likely to win a 10-seater standard than a 10-seater speed.

Interesting stuff. Must think about this a bit more.

Apr 22 : Momentum Back ($978 : Up $70)

Took some time to analyse my results from my 6 and 10 player SNG games over the past month, which revealed some extremely surprising trends that took my by surprise. It turns out that my profitability in 10 player games is hugely superior to that in 6 player games. I will write specifically about this soon.

As a result, stayed in the 10 seaters today, with some decent success.

RESULTS
Games Played
3 x $22 SNG (10 Seater)
2 x $22 SNG (10 Seater, Speed)
Wins
3 money finishes, 2 non-money finishes
1 x Win (10 Seater), 1 x 3rd (10 Seater Speed), 1 x 3rd (10 Seater),
Bankroll
Cost of play $110, Winnings $180, Net Gain of $70
Bankroll up from $908 to $978

Apr 21 : Short but Sweet ($908 : Up $100)

A welcome day of positive results, and gains in the bankroll.

RESULTS
Games Played
1 x $22 SNG (6 Seater)
3 x $22 SNG (10 Seater)
Wins
3 money finishes, 1 non-money finish
1 x Win (10 Seater), 1 x 2nd (6 seater), 1 x 3rd (10 Seater)
Bankroll
Cost of play $88, Winnings $188, Net Gain of $100
Bankroll up from $808 to $908

Apr 20 : Still Struggling ($808 - Down $71)

A bad day.

RESULTS
Games Played
1 x $55 SNG (10 Seater)
1 x $22 SNG (6 Seater)
3 x $22 SNG (10 Seater, Speed)
Wins
1 money finish, 4 non-money finishes
1 x Win (6 Seater)
Bankroll
Cost of play $143, Winnings $72, Net Loss of $71
Bankroll down from $879 to $808

Decided to have another dabble at a $55 SNG. Same conclusion as before - a surprisingly large number of maniacs / calling stations, but the cards not falling for me to be able to trap them. I have lost my apprehension of standing out as the obvious fish at the $55 level - but my bankroll is not yet big enough to support a long barren run at $55 a go, so I'll build up my bankroll to about $1500 before making more regular appearances at that level.

Dropped back down to the $22 rooms after that, playing a 6 player game that I dominated start to finish and won. Then had a spare half and hour that I decided I could squeeze at least one speed game into if I was lucky. Huge mistake, played like a maniac to try to speed things along, busted out of two games in the space of 5 minutes, then the third game overran and I had to again play like a maniac to end it quickly, losing again. What a total idiot. Playing that rushed is worse than being on tilt. $66 thrown away in double quick time - sometimes I need a good slapping.

Apr 19 : Struggle Struggle ($ 879 : Down $4)

Boy oh boy its a struggle at the moment - can' t get a win for love nor money (mostly money). Another 10 games today without a victory, making a staggering 23 games since my last win!!! The bizarre thing is my play has been OK in about 75% of those games, but things just arent happening. A really weird feeling, but again doing a reasonable job of not getting too frustrated.

My standard of play is reasonable - 9 money finishes in the last 15 games doesnt happen by accident, but hit a brick wall in terms of actually winning a game.

RESULTS
Games Played
6 x $22 SNG (6 Seater)
3 x $22 SNG (10 Seater, Speed)
1 x $22 SNG (10 Seater)
Wins
5 money finishes, 5 non-money finishes
2 x 2nd (6 Seater), 3 x 3rds (10 Seater Speed),
Bankroll
Cost of play $220, Winnings $216, Net Loss of $4

With 9 ITM finishes, you would expect even the fishiest of fish to win at least one through random luck, but I havent managed it. But it just won't come my way - a combination of bad luck and declining confidence the most likely explanation. Wins are so critical, not just from a bankroll point of view because of the premium for winning, but because of the confidence it gives you too, confidence to be more aggressive which as everyone tells me, is the key to good poker.

Still, the money finishes are keeping the bankroll afloat, so that I only lost a token $4. Hopefully a long winning streak is somewhere just around the corner.

Apr 18 : 8 Game losing streak ($883 : Down $123)

The 4-digit bankroll didnt last long - sustained a net loss $123, nullifying much of my gains from yesterday. Strangely enough despite playing 13 games today without a single victory, I was actually playing pretty well - better, in fact, than earlier in the week when I was gaining money. Such a strange game sometimes.

RESULTS
Games Played
1 x $55 SNG (10 Seater)
8 x $22 SNG (6 Seater)
4 x $22 SNG (10 Seater, Speed)
Wins
4 money finishes, 9 non-money finishes
2 x 2nds (6 Seater), 1 x 2nd (10 Seater Speed), 1 x 3rd (10 Seater Speed)
Bankroll
SNG Cost of play $319, Winnings $196, Net Loss of $123
Bankroll down from $1006 to $883

It started badly in a $55 room. I had decided a while ago that if I ever made it to a $1000 bankroll, I would treat myself to a game in a $55 SNG, just to see what the standard was, and having creeped above the magic figure, I kept my promise.

With a little apprehension, I started the 10 seater game, expecting to see a real marked increase in the standard of play to what I was used to. In reality, the standard of play was frankly abysmal - 4 or even 5 of the players were classic maniacs/calling stations, playing as though it was a play money room. The standard of play was shockingly poor, but my luck was not going to allow me to take advantage - as having flopped a set, I induced an all in bet from a maniac who made a very bad call with only an inside straight draw, which he hit, of course, knocking me out.

I found it pretty surprising really,the poor standard of play from so many players. I had always assumed the level of play would be better at the higher buy in levels, and have been a little intimidated to try my hand in them. I felt the same entering a $55 tourney last week - again, to be shocked by the abject coin-flipping taking place from large numbers of players. Perhaps there are easier pickings in those rooms than I had previously thought.

The main problem is that my bankroll couldnt currently sustain a long losing streak in the $55 buy-ins. And a day like today is a constant reminder that losing streaks can pop-up from nowhere, through no fault of your own.

Today I played 13 games without a win, including starting the day with an 8 game streak without a single money finish. I kept notes - in 6 of those 8 games I was busted out at critcial stages playing well and getting my money in ahead, but having hands outdrawn time after time after time.

I took it pretty well, though, actually. I was focussing so hard on not going on tilt, to try to stick to my gameplan. By the 5th, 6th, 7th loss it was getting pretty hard, and the 8th game of the streak nearly drove me insane! The table was the "wild west" variety, with maniacs going all-in at the drop of a hat, in the course of the game I got dealt AA, AA, KK, KK, QQ, and AK, but couldnt get any action whatsoever with a single hand.

Three of those hands hit me in the Big Blind, with EVERYONE folding, including the small blind, unbelievable. The rest were scared off by minimum raises from me in early position. If it was a super-tight table, i could have understood it. This was an all-in-fest though, so to not get any action at all on these huge starting hands was incredible! On the very few occasions I DID get action, I was outdrawn. Just "one of those days", for sure.

Took a break after that game to compose myself, and came back with some hard-earned money finishes - stringing together 4 money finishes in 5 games to reduce the losses for the day to a more manageable level, although failing to actually win a match outright (again, getting money all-in ahead several times heads up without reward).

I am actually happy with the days performance - the losing streak was much more attributable to bad luck than bad play (although that always plays its part), and I held it together. My gains on some days earlier in the week were probably more attributable to good luck, so I guess that streak is just my luck evening itself out.

Lessons Learned
I am improving my ability to stay off tilt - I managed to maintain my game (for the most part) in the face of a long losing streak - it did degenerate a little, but nowhere near as much as it did on my last losing streak of this nature. Definitely progress made.

Apr 17 : Highest Bankroll Ever ($1006 : Up $176)

A major milestone for my bankroll - topping $1000 for the first time ever after a good day at the office. Played very well all day today in the 10Player rooms - a couple of wins helping the balance along nicely.

Was in a real rhythm today - no problem maintaining my discipline, making very few costly mistakes, and going up through the gears very effectively as the blinds increased / players got knocked out.





RESULTS
Games Played
3 x $22 SNG (6 Seater)
3 x $22 SNG (10 Seater)
1 x $22 SNG (10 Seater, Speed)
Wins
4 money finishes, 3 non-money finishes
2 x Win (10 Seater), 1 x Win (10 Seater Speed), 1 x 2nd (6 Seater)
Bankroll
SNG Cost of play $154, Winnings $332, Net Gain of $178
- $2 lost in a micro limit Cash Game
Bankroll up from $830 to $1006


So for at least 1 game, I have a four-digit bankroll. I actually can't believe it - I have come on massively since starting writing this blog.

My previous highest bankroll was just over $700 after I won a decent size MTT a couple of months back. That win went to my head a little, convincing me I was something special. It only took me a couple of days to lose the money again after going on tilt in quite spectacular fashion.

After winning the MTT, the next 10-15 games I played afterwards I had the worst run of cards I have had to date in my 9 months of poker. From memory, there were about 10-15 games of abject bad luck and bad beats where nothing, absolutely nothing was working - nothing holding up, missing every draw.. you know the score. My head was completely shot to pieces, and by about the 8th or 9th game in the streak, my game had degenerated horribly. By the end, I was throwing the money away, as I just couldnt bear to weigh up the right decisions, because I just KNEW whatever I did, I would get outdrawn, so why work it out.

After blowing those winnings, I took a couple of months off the game, swearing to myself that I wouldn't play again until I improved my knowledge and skills in a more systematic way. A fter a few months/books/online articles, I returned to the fray in April 2007 - and so far so good.

I think a major influence in my improved play is actually this blog. It forces me to confront and put into words my weaknesses and flaws. I think beforehand I never really thought about why I was losing/winning games, but now I do. Also, the potential humiliation of having to let you all know that I have blown my whole bankroll with horribly bad play is often enough to keep my standards up when the cards are not running for me.

So $1000 bankroll, at least for one day, is great. 12 days ago I started with $165 , and the possibilty of growing that to $1000 through gaining over many games (as opposed to one-off tourneys) would have seemed unthinkable to me.

To be honest, I have to admit to being slightly bewildered. Reading my new books (Sklansky, Gordon, etc) the main thing I am conscious of is how very very little I understand of this game. I probably have less than 5% of the knowledge I would need to be a geniunely good player, and yet the level I am at now allows me to make slow but steady gains in $22 SNG tables.

I am curious just how much more lucrative this could become if I really committed to gaining the knowledge that proper players are armed with. Over the last 12 days, my average daily gain has been about $70, a nice amount, but it has involved a LOT of hours play. If I could transfer my current ITM ratio from the $22 rooms to the $55 rooms, I would be able to make a reasonable living at this.

I am nowhere near ready to move up to that level, which I assume is shark-infested, and I would get eaten for breakfast. My aim, though, is to develop into a break-even player at the $55 level within 1 year. We shall see :-)

Apr 16 : Solid Gains Again ($830 : Up $80)

Another slightly frustrating day, where my bankroll rises a decent amount, despite not playing particuarly well. 5 times ITM out of 9 SNG games is a decent return given that I wasn't at my best, but I think it probably owed more to favourable cards than any sophisticated play by me.

On the downside, another disappointing return of only 1 win from 5 once it got to heads up. Of the 4 losses, I deserved to lose 2 by playing badly, but deserved to win the other 2 but lucked out after outplaying my opponents.

RESULTS
Games Played
6 x $22 SNG (6 Seater)
2 x $22 SNG (10 Seater)
1 x $22 SNG (10 Seater, Speed)
1 x $12 WSOP Sub-Qualifier (40 player)
Wins
5 money finishes, 4 non-money finishes
1 x Win (6 Seater), 2 x 2nd (6 Seater), 2 x 2nd (10 Seater)
Bankroll
SNG Cost of play $196, Winnings $288, Net Gain of $92
Sub-Qualifier : Lost $12
Bankroll up from $750 to $830

Lessons learned today

It is very difficult to shake off a particular negative table image once you have established it. In games where I get involved in too many hands early on with marginal hands (often due to boredom), you are identified as a loose player by the others, and more likely to face re-raises when you have reasonable hands.

I much prefer a tight table image - it normally means you dont win many hands early on unless you get dealt strong hands, but the payoff come later in the game. Once a tight image is established, with few if any blind-steals / bluffs in the first 1-3 levels, then when I do go up the gears as the blinds increase, the blind-steals and bluffs tend to get believed, at a time when the blinds & pot sizes are worth stealing.

Apr 15 : A long hard struggle ($750 : Up $64)

Today was one long, hard struggle - just not getting the cards, and struggling to overcome players without them. Was heading for a losing day, before finishing off for the night with consecutive wins in 10 seater SNGs to turn it into a winning day.

RESULTS
Games Played
9 x $22 SNG (6 Seater)
3 x $22 SNG (10 Seater)
1 x $22 SNG (10 Seater, Speed)
30 mins in a $0.50/$1 cash game
Wins
5 money finishes, 8 non-money finishes
1 x Win (10 Seater), 1 x Win (10 Seater Speed), 1 Win (6 Seater), 2 x 2nds (6 Seaters)
Bankroll
SNG Cost of play $286, Winnings $368, Net Gain of $82
Cash Game : Lost $18
Bankroll up from $686 to $750


My biggest challenge in poker is against myself - I realise I have a strong tendency for the quality of my play to follow my luck/success on a particular day.

If I am playing well and winning, my standard of play improves - my concentration increases, my discipline is stronger, and I make even more good decisions which more often than not lead to more wins.

If I am playing well but losing, my standard of play can deteriorates pretty quickly. It only takes 3 or 4 consecutive losses caused by fish chasing and catching their long shots against me, and I get really frustrated, and my game deteriorates. I get pulled down to the level of the people who are beating me, and join in the coin-flip-fest. Which of course, is losing poker play. And so a downward spiral begins which can lead to LONG losing streaks.

I am fighting hard against this tendency, but its a very strong one. I feel personally victimised when I make lots of good decisions that don't get rewarded. In a lean spell in the middle of the session, I went out in the first few hands with hopeful all-in calls with JJ, and 10-10, I think. Just rubbish play, brough about by a desperation to win by any means necessary. I still have some VERY bad play within me when my mind is not right. I need to train myself to be able to stay disciplined for longer when the cards are making me suffer.

For the most part, I stuck to my strategy of staying in the 6 seater rooms, trying to play myself back into form and luck. I ended the day with two much needed wins in 10-seaters (1 standard, 1 speed), as the cards finally started hitting me - good pocket cards that hit flops and got action.

I need to accept the variance thing a lot better than I am at the moment. I have had 2 days of pretty poor cards - the bonus once again is that I haven't blown my bankroll in the process - a slight loss yesterday, and a small gain today. This is despite what I would consider to be relatively poor cards, and significant amount of bad play from myself.

If my bad days are break even days, I suppose that is a good sign.

I also had a little dabble in a cash room (the bad beat jackpot is over $300K!!), but I am not comfortable in there. Such a different style of play from SNGs, and I am wary of blowing a large stack in there with one of my legendary overplays. Still, the BB Jackpot would be nice - you wouldn't hear me complaining if my KKKK got busted, I promise you!

Apr 14 : Playing Pretty Badly ($686 : Down $17)

Played in two distinct sessions today - largely playing badly in both.

The only consolation is that even though I played badly today, I only lost $17 over the course of 15 games (total buy-in cost $330, Winnings $313). I suppose it some consolation - the downside being I am on an 8 game losing streak that I haven't yet broken.

SESSION 1

After a competent start in the first game, my play deteriorated horribly. I couldnt find any rhythm at all in my play - couldn't get "in the groove" at all, and my play slowly deteriorated. I stopped weighing odds, outs, etc, and strated calling and coin flipping like the fish of old. That embarrassing fish is still in there, ready to come out when my head isn't right. Its days like today that I'm glad I don't play cash games - I would have lost plenty today in that format.

Unfortunately for my opponents (and for my own poker development) I wasn't punished, as the river rescued me on several occasions from my bad plays. The last game in particular I had 3 massive bluffs called, but miracle river cards saved me, including the winning hand in the last game where I hit a straight on the river after going in with not a whole lot.

RESULTS
Games Played
3 x $22 SNG (6 Seater)
1 x $22 SNG (10 Seater)
1 x $22 SNG (10 Seater Speed)
plus a few hands in a micro-limit cash game
Wins
3 money finishes, 2 non-money finishes
2 Wins (6 Seater), 1 x 2nd (6 Seater)
+ $1 gain in the cash room
Bankroll
Cost of play $110, Winnings $193, Net Gain of $83
Bankroll up from $703 to $786

I was playing so badly in the last game (which I won) that I turned chat off for the first time ever! I didn't want to hear from the other players about what a donk I was - I knew it. I know how steamed I get sometimes when I am playing an idiot being rescued by miracle cards, so I decided to duck out of the vitriol I am sure was pouring my way.

Funny old game, isnt it. I made a very respectable profit of $83 in that session despite making numerous horrible plays in big pots. On other days, I have played really well, and gone on 8 or 9 game losing streaks. The short term variances can make you disbelieve probability theories sometimes.

Interestingly, I didn't derive any pleasure from the money I won in that session (well not much anyway). It is not enough to compensate me for the feeling of being such a fish for couple of hours. I am hoping that this is a sign of improvement in itself - that I can see beyond the short term results, and realise that the way I played is losing poker in the long term.

Also disappointed that I didn't walk away early in the session. I knew my concentration wasnt there today. Gotta learn to leave the tables when I know that because of tiredness / laziness / the stars being out of alignment, that there is no chance of me getting "in the zone".

I got away with it this time. But in the long run, that session represented the play of a losing poker player. And I don't want to be that any more.

In the long term, you really get what you deserve in poker.

SESSION 2
Took a few hours break, and came fairly refreshed, and started playing well again, with money finishes in the first 2 games. However, this was not a sign of things to come as I embarked on an 8 game losing streak that I failed to break by the end of the session.

RESULTS
Games Played
5 x $22 SNG (6 Seater)
2 x $22 SNG (10 Seater, Standard)
2 x $22 SNG (10 Seater, Speed)
1 x $22 SNG (Heads Up)
Wins
2 money finishes, 8 non-money finishes
1 x Win & 1 x 2nd (6 Seater)
Bankroll
Cost of play $220, Winnings $120, Net Loss of $100
Bankroll down from $786 to $686

I wasn't playing as badly as the results suggest - I was actually playing fairly well, but one of those "cold deck and bad luck" sessions where nothing goes right. Poor hole cards, missing flops with the decent hole cards, bluffs/continuation bets never believed despite a tight table image, and coin flips going against you. Feels like running through custard when you hit this sort of streak.

However, looking at my stats, the big mistake I made was moving away from my best game - having lost a couple of 6 seaters, I started playing the 10 seaters (including speed games) which I statistically do a lot worse at. With no better luck here (no surprise), I even tried a heads-up game to try to break the streak. I completely dominated and outplayed the guy - three times getting to a 3:1 chip advantage and getting the money in with even-money coin-flip opportunities, and losing all three flips.

The state of mind that comes over you in these sorts of sessions is very bad - you just KNOW those flops are going to miss you. Its like your hole cards and the table cards are entirely different species, unwilling to connect to each other. AK ? Worthless, you know neither will hit the board, and you are faced with only a bluff to take the hand, and you are surrounded by calling stations.

Or your timing is completely awful - you raise with something and everyone folds. You raise with nothing and everyone calls. Its hard to keep a clear head and stick to your normal game, but I am trying.

Lessons Learned

• Some days, you get out of bed destined to play badly. Go and do something else.
• Some days you will go on losing streaks that owe as much to bad luck as bad play - don't let your play deteriorate along with your luck, as this only compounds the problem
  
• When on a losing streak, I should stick to my core game - namely tight aggressive play in 6-Seaters.. I have LESS chance of breaking a bad streak by going on the 10 seaters, especially the speed ones, where I appear to suck, relatively speaking.
  

Apr 14: More Heads Up Practice ($703 : Up $10)

Another 20 games of heads up at the $6 level yields a good return in terms of games won (65%), although not in cold hard cash.

RESULTS
Games Played
20 x $6 Buy in Heads Up
Wins
13 Wins, 7 Losses (65%)
Bankroll
Cost of play $120, Winnings $130, Net Gain of $10
Bankroll up from $693 to $703

SNG Heads Up Rake
The rake seems a little excessive in these rooms - $6 entry per player, from which a $2 rake is taken (therefore paying $10 for a win).
This week :
40 games played x $6 = $240 Entry Fees
24 Games won = 24 x $10 = $240 Winnings

Despite a 60% win ratio in these games, I have not gained in cold hard cash. The rake means this style of play is unlikely to be profitable unless you are exceptionally good at HU, so I will treat these types of sessions purely as a training exercise for the later stages of larger SNG tables and MTTs.

Apr 13: In the Money every time ($ 693 : Up $158)

A mini landmark - my first day of poker where I finished in the money in every game played (made easier by 3 of them being heads up, but still, its the principle).

RESULTS
Games Played
3 x $22 SNG (2 Seater, Speed)
1 x $22 SNG (10 Seater, Standard)
1 x $22 SNG (6 Seater, Standard)
Wins
5 money finishes, 0 non-money finishes
3 x Win (Heads Up), 1 x Win (10 Seater), 1 x 2nd (6 Seater)
Bankroll
Cost of play $110, Winnings $268, Net gain of $158
Bankroll up from $535 to $693)


Conscious of my recent struggles in SNG once it gets heads-up I decided to repeat my previous tactic of playing a bunch of heads up games, for the practice. As before, I decided to stick to the $6 buy ins, to keep it cheap. Won the first 2 with good aggressive play, and part way through the third game, I realised I was mistakenly in the $22 buy ins, rather than the $6 I had intended, and that I had been for the first 2 games too! Somehow in the excitement I had been missing the messages telling me the cost, and the messages telling me my winnings.

Still, with good play (although with more tension) I took down the third game as well, giving me a hat-trick of wins.

A couple of things occurred to me from this experience

• I did not feel I was playing a better class of opponent in those 3 games, than in my previous $6 rooms
• In fact, all 3 opponent were more easily bullied by button raises, and raises from the BB after they had limped in with the small blind.
  
• It was harder for me to be aggressive once I knew I was playing for $22, rather than $6. My instinct was to be a bit more conservative, but I did manage to fight off that urge and make myself play the same way I had in the first 2 games. It paid off.

I then ventured to the SNG tables, and won a 10 seater that was very pleasing from a number of angles.

• I didn't make any big mistakes
• I got hurt a couple of times by people chasing straights/flushes without getting steamed or going on tilt.
  
• I managed to lay down AKs early in the game after being re-raised preflop by 2 players with bigger stacks . It turned they had pocket JJ and pocket QQ respectively, and one of them was busted out at the end of the hand. It felt good to be able to lay down a good hand like this and live to fight another day. As it happened, I would have won with a straight on the river, but I wasnt bothered. Had a warm glow of having made a good decision, rather than coin flipping.
  
• Also managed to lay down a pair of 10s against a strong reraise from a tight player - he showed pocket Kings. I would have definitely gone bust on that a few weeks ago. Warm glow of satisfaction
• The net effect of the above was that I was shortish-stacked (about 1300 chips) with only 5 players left. I then managed to dial up my aggression as the blinds rose, pushing my chips a bit earlier than I normally would as other players tightened up. I won two coin flips, which got me amongst the leaders and in a position to win the thing. Not being scared to get knocked out on the bubble had paid off.
  
• Made it heads up, and played a great game to dominate from the button, and the guy bet all-into me when i had flopped a strong hand, I called, he was bluffing and I won.

I felt really good after this win, perhaps more than any other, as I managed to string together several aspects of play that I have struggled with to date:

• Laying down quality pocket cards when I think I am probably beaten
• Going up through the gears as the bubble approaches
• Good strategic heads up play

The challenge it to repeat this on a regular basis. Also played a good game in the following 6 seater, although on this occasion I entered heads up at a 6:1 chip disadantage. Still, with my improved heads up play I got it back to a 2:1 disadvantage over 10-15 hands, but then lost a coin flip. Very happy with my overall play though.

Seeing real signs of progress, which is very encouraging

Poker Books by Helmuth, Sklansky & Gordon

Its time to do some proper studying if I want to get better.

At the risk of getting carried away with a week's worth of results, I think I can say with a modicum of confidence that I am a break-even player in the $22 SNG world of Party Poker. I have a basic grasp of strategy, I know some of the probabilities involved in common situations, and the key player types/ But I don't want to stay at this level, I want to improve.. which means reading books.

I bought a few poker books when I first took up the game last summer.

Phil Helmuth - Play Poker Like the Pros
With hindsight, this was probably a bit of a daft purchase, given my abject lack of skill at the time. However, it did open my eyes in one crucial aspect. He categorised players according to their playing style (mouse, jackal, elephant, lion, eagle) - and it was sobering to realise I was 100% in the "sucker" categories that the good players look out for. It made me realise that the skill element to hold'em was vastly larger than I had realised, and that my I was a cash machine to people who knew what they were doing. That insight alone was enough to stop me playing for a while - I went away and learned some basics of strategy, and came back a much tighter player (too tight as it happens, but that is a better starting point). So the book has probably saved me an awful lot of money for that reason.

I also bought a couple of other "idiots guide to" style books which were vaguely useful, if only for the odd page of probability statistics in them that were an eye opener. But nothing that would really help me improve.

So, after a bit of online research, there seemed to be the following consensus of what constitured essential reading:

• Theory of Poker by Sklansky
  
• Phil Gordons's Little Green Book
  
• Phil Gordons's Little Green Book
  
• Harrington on Hold'Em Volume 1
• Harrington on Hold'Em Volume 2
  

So yesterday I went out an bought the first 3 of these - Sklansky and both Phil Gordon books. The Harrington ones seem more focussed on larger tournaments, which I am not planning to get into quite yet, but will definitely buy when I do play a few more of those.

So, initial thoughts. I browsed through a couple of chapters of the Sklansky book, which tries to teach the general principles of poker play. My initial impression is that its a little above my head at the moment - I simply don't have enough experience in the locker to fully grasp a lot of the stuff in there., but every man and his dog says its an absulute essential classic, so I will persevere.

I suspect its one of those books that you need to keep coming back to after months and year and having a "oh NOW I get it" eureka moment and the penny drops about some particular point he is making. This is not a criticism of him or the writing style whatsoever - its a complete criticism of there being insufficient poker knowledge in my brain at the moment for much of what he says to attach itself to. I'll read it through though, and hope 10% of it sticks on the first reading.

The Phil Gordon books won't be so intimidating - they are much more practical guides into helping you make good decisions in specific situations. The advice in there I will definitely be able to grasp and put into action quickly (e.g suggested ways to play two pair, sets, flush draws, etc). Even if I can't grasp the exact mathematical reason WHY he suggest certain ways of playing hands, I am happy to follow the advice and work out the logic later. They both look like superb buys to me.

So initial impressions ? I am very optimistic that the 2 Gordon books alone will take me up the next level or two of playing ability. The Sklansky book will be a longer term project that I think will mean more to me in a few months than it does at the moment - I would think the better you are, the more it will help you.

I will keep you posted.

Apr 12 : Another Positive Day ($535 : Up $140)

Another positive day, although my general play was not as good as previous day, I got luck when I needed it to finish 2nd & 1st in my last 2 games of the day at 10 seaters.

The biggest satisfaction was the final game, where I played heads up really well, benefiting from the practice that I put in a few days ago, and a bit of other reading about heads up tactics too.

Some progress made.

RESULTS
Games Played
1 x $22 SNG (10 Seater, Speed)
5 x $22 SNG (10 Seater, Standard)
4 x $22 SNG (6 Seater, Standard)
Wins
6 money finishes
1 x Win, 1 x 2nd (Speed), 2 x 3rds [10 Seaters]
1 x Win, 1 x 2nd [6 Seaters]
4 non-money finishes
Bankroll
Cost of play $220, Winnings $360, Net gain of $140
Bankroll up from $395 to $535

Apr 11 :Short Handed Success again ($396 : Up $102)

Another session that confirms what I already know - that I am better at 6 seaters than 10 seaters, and that my heads up play needs improving.

RESULTS
Games Played
2 x $22 SNG (10 Seater, Standard)
5 x $22 SNG (6 Seater, Standard)
Wins
1 Win (6 Seater), 3x 2nds (6 Seater), 1 x 3rd (10 Seater)
2 non-money finishes
Bankroll
Cost of play $154, Winnings $256, Net gain of $102
Bankroll up from $293 to $395

I started with the two 10 seater games - with one 3rd place money finish that I most definitely did not deserve. Played like a fool in both games, and halfway through the second game, I realised why.

The prior 20 heads up games I had played earlier in the day had completely screwed up my evaluation of good starting hands / good flops. After a couple of hours of betting most hands in heads up, I couldnt dial down the aggression straight away when I hit the SNG tables, and ended up playing like a maniac, which has never really been my style even from the early days (I started my poker life as a calling station, rather than a maniac).

4 money finishes out of 5 in the shorthanded format is another pleasing return, the only downside being a losing record again once it got to heads up.

Weaknesses Identified today
My heads up play is weak. I realise I have been far too passive in general when I get to heads up in a SNG game, waiting for the cards to land in my lap to take down the victory. I need to be more aggressive, raising from the button with a lot more regularity. I was happy enough with the progress made in my Heads-Up-Fest earlier on, managing good pre-flop aggression that definitely paid off in terms of getting opponents to fold, and establishing a good table image. Still a bit clueless on post-flop play heads up though - need to do more reading on this.

I think playing too tight heads up is an example of a wider weakness in my game - not being able to ramp up the aggression appropriately to reflect the state of the game / tourney. I think my early game play is pretty good, but as games develop, it takes me too long to adjust my aggression levels and starting hand requirements to suit the changing situation. Hopefully, this will come with experience.

To Do
Find some more articles on heads-up strategy

Apr 10 : Heads up Poker Practice ($293: Down $10)

I have extremely strong suspicions that my heads up play is pretty poor. I read a couple of articles, and it definitely seems I am too passive at it.

So armed with a fistful of planned aggression, I decided to have a few hours of heads-up poker to see where I am.

RESULTS
Games Played
20 x $6 Buy in Heads Up
Wins
11 Wins, 9 Losses
Bankroll
Cost of play $120, Winnings $110, Net loss of $10
Bankroll down from $303 to $293

Interesting that even with an 11-9 winning record, I still lost money overall because of the rake.

So, I am marginally above average at it, based on those results. Definitely a big scope for improvement that could pay off a lot in cold hard cash, given the big difference between coming first or seconds in SNG or MTTs.

Apr 10 : SNG Heads-Up Failures ($303 - Up $94)

Is it just me, or does each poker session have its own theme? My last 3 sessions of poker have had very distinct characteristics
(1) A Car Crash Poker session - great cards, beaten by monsters
(2) A calm predicatble session - average cards, no bad beats, lots of wins
(3) A grinding session - poor cards, forced to grind relentlessly, but 4 money finishes, summarised below.

RESULTS
Games Played
4 x $22 SNG (6 Seater)
1 x $22 SNG (10 Seater)
Wins
4 Times in the money (3 x Runner-Up on 6 seaters, 1 x Runner Up on 10 seater)
1 times out of the money
Bankroll
Cost of play $110, Winnings $204, Net gain of $94
Bankroll up from $209 to $303

All 5 games were very similar - fairly poor pocket cards so playing very few hands, just winning small pots and picking up blinds here and there, but not able to accumulate many chips. Being very patient, and letting the other players knock themselves out.

I every game, I found myself on the bubble as the smallest / join-smallest stack (about 2K-£3K generally). But with the blinds still fairly low in most cases, there was plenty of play possible, and I grinded my way into the money mainly by showing more patience than the other players. The play on the bubble probably averaged 15-20 minutes per game, and was extremely tight in some games.

I wanted to play aggressively, but being well covered in most instances by bigger stacks, and a genuine lack of cards, I had to be very selective. I mainly took down smallish pots with rags, trading off my tight image (forced on me by relentless mediocre cards).

Really interesting to win a series of money finishes through grinding play without having many glamorous starting hands. Not sure I have done it before.

The only disappointment is a 0/4 in the heads-up play. A couple were because I had staggered into the money with a 4:1 chip disadvantage, and had to push with not a lot. The other two I lost fair and square, having been even at the start. I do feel a little lost in heads up sometimes, not sure I know how to value hands, relative to other forms of play.

Note To Self:
- Look back at my stats to see what my win ratio is once it gets to heads up
- Find some articles on good heads up play

Have fun!

No joy with $55 Buy in Tourney

Decided to enter a $55 NL tourney with 140 entrants.

After yesterdays debacle at the $300K guaranteed, I was absolutely determined to be more controlled this time. No overplaying hands in the middle part of the tourney like yesterday. That was the plan. But history repeated itself.

Level 1 (20/40)

• QQ : I wanted a quiet start, but dealt the ladies UTG, second hand of the tourney. I raise 3BB. Folds all the way round to the SB who goes all in. Unbelievable, 20 seconds in and already a massive decision to make. I figure he had to not want a call with that sort of bet, so I called. He shows 88, doesnt improve. I double to 6K. What the hell was he thinking, I said I wanted a quiet start.
• QQ : About 10 hands later, I get dealt the ladies again. I raise 4BB this time, expecting a little respect. I got none. An all-in from another player with 1.5K stack gives me another decision. I wanted a slow start. Having him well covered, I call, and he shows KK. Oh well. The flop and turn are no help, but a miracle Q on the river hands him a bad beat, amd gives me his 1500 chips. Stack now at 7.7K

Level 2 (30/60)

• No playable hands. A nice quiet 15 minutes

Level 3 (50/100)

• AK : I raise 4BB, and it is called by one player. Flop comes AK10. Top two pair, nice. I check, and he raises 500 into me, I check-raise 1500, he calls. He must have something he likes. Turn is a rag, I bet 1500 he flat calls. River is another rag. I go all in and he calls instantly to show a matching AK - split pot.
• A8s : Get this hand on the button, make a 2.5BB raise and take the blinds
• QQ : My third set of ladies, and on the button. Played them very badly. A raiser in front of me with a 7K stack makes it 500 to go. I raise to 1000, but the small blind goes all-in with his 3K stack. The first raiser calls, I think long and hard and call too (bad move). The flop comes K-rag-rag. This has to be bad news for me. Have to figure one of them has AA, KK, or AK, and has me beat. Brain freezes a little though, still in love with the ladies in my hand. I make a small 1K raise, and the other guy folds, so its showdown with the all in guy, who shows aces, and takes down the pot. I lost 3K on that play, leaving my stack at 4.2K

Level 4 (100/200)

• AK : Raised 3BB, everyone folded
• 99 : A raiser in front of me raises 400, I call. Flop comes A-9-rag, giving me a set. He bets 1000 of his remaining 3.5K stack, i reraise, he goes all in, I call. He shows Q6 suited I think. Madness, but i gain 4K, giving me a 8.5K stack

At the first break
Chip Stack : 8270 (34% above the average)
Players left : 68 of the original 140

Reasonably happy with my play -I have been disciplined in the hands I have played, although playing with the QQs, as ever is playing with fire, I have lived to tell the tale. Its looking good, really hoping I can stay on this table for a while longer. I have a good table image - every hand I have shown has been good, and I have always bet them strong, so that I should start getting some respect as blind-stealing becomes more important.

Level 5 (150/300)

• AJ : One limper into me on the button. I raise it to 3BB (900), folds back round to him, and he goes all in for 7K. Muppet. I fold. I lose 900, stack at 6.8K
• KQ : I make a min-raise of 600 from MP . BB calls. Flop comes Q-J-rag , giving me top pair with a good kicker. BB checks, I make a minimum raise, but he folds. I gain 750, stack up to 7.6K

Doing OK with the hands I am playing, but the blinds rising fast and I am now about 10% behind the chip average. Still , happy with my position, I have lost very few hands that I have got involved with, but my table image is good and in a good spot to start taking advantage as th blinds hit 200/400.

At which point I am moved to a new table. Very frustrating when that happens. Sometimes the move is welcome when your table image is a liability, but on this occasion it was not to my benefit. A new table where I would not get any respect until I had earned it.

Level 6 (200/400)

• AJ : Opponent raises 1000 from the button, suspect a steal, although being a new table, I have no evidence for this. I flat call, the flop comes K-J-Rag. I check, and he raises 1000. I decide its a continuation bet, and check-raise him 2000. About half my stack is now in the pot. He re-raises me all in, having me well covered. Do I believe he has a king? There are 2 spades on board. Is he chasing a flush ? I decide 3K is not enough of a stack to come back from if I fold. I call, and he shows a K6, and no miracle turn/river means I am out.

Out in 40-something place in a 140 player tourney where top 20 paid. When I went out, i was about 25% below the chip average.

Analysis of my bust-out hand is welcome from any third parties. Should I have re-raised his original bet, rather than flat calling? He was on a steal with K6, so with hindsight I probably could have got him off it with a strong reraise/all in.

But out of position in the small blind, and new to the table, I was wary of just raising, and decided that an all-in push would be a bad move. Opinions? I had a 6K stack before the hand was played (about 12 big blinds). Should that be an all-in, rather than a call? Should that have been the point to make a stand?

So the same outcome as the last tourney - good discipline in the hands I played, a bit of luck here and there when I needed it, but then overplaying a hand post-flop in the middle part of the tourney for all of my chips, and bye bye.

Comments/criticisms/advice welcome.

Apr 9 : Calm is restored ($264 : Up $108)

Its amazing the difference a day can make.

Yesterday was a special-effects filled blockbuster of car crash poker - my monster hands being beated repeatedly by even bigger monsters. Kind of Godzilla v King Kong.

Today was more like the Waltons. Nice predictable poker, without any particularly notable hands (good or bad). One of those days where most continuation bets get through, most bluffs are believed, and passive players bow to your big stack without putting up much of a fight. The end result - a profit of $108 from 6 games.

RESULTS
Games Played
5 x $22 SNG (6 Seater)
1 x $22 SNG (10 Seater)
Wins
4 Times in the money (2 Wins & 2 Runner-Up on 6 seaters)
2 times out of the money
Bankroll
Cost of play $132 , Winnings $240, Net gain of $108
Bankroll up from $156 to £264

You wouldnt believe it was the same game as I was playing yesterday. I am struggling to think of any significant bad beats in any of the games played today either for or against me. I had my fair share of starting hands, hit my fair share of flops, and my coin flips hit their fair share of times. If poker was always like this, then it wouldnt get me so stressed. But then again, it wouldnt get me as excited either.

The thing is, I am left a little confused about how easy it was to win today. I could have easily won all 6 games today with above average luck hitting cards. But average luck was enough to get me two firsts, and two second places.

I also had a strange, unfamiliar feeling for much of the time I was playing. At first, I struggled to recognise the feeling, but after a while, I recognised it. The feeling was "I am the best player on the table". A new feeling for me - my main aim is normally to not be the worst player on the table.

Now I know I havent drastically improved my game since yesterday (see my gut-clenchingly bad play in the $300K), and I wasnt having an outrageously lucky day either to explain the wins. My ego hasnt run away with me, dont worry. I'm not going to turn pro any time soon.

My suspicion is that I was facing weaker opponents than normal - and I am wondering if the time of day has anything to do with it. All the games were played in the afternoon (UK time). Is the quality of player is worse at some times of day than others?

My gut feeling is that in a typical evening game, any given table probably has a couple of good players, a couple of awful coin flippers, and the rest somewhere in between (I consider myself in the "somewhere inbetween" category at the moment, with occasional demon possession which takes me back to the "awful coin flipper" category).

The tables this afternoon were overloaded with passive players. Small post-flop raises would induce a fold time and time again. Continuation bets got through on most occasions. Blind stealing was seldom fought. They rarely raised a pot, but when they did, it was with such force that it was obvious they had a monster, and it was easy to get out of the way.

If this is typical of the clientele on an afternoon, I will reorder my life so that afternoon play is possible! Any thoughts ?

Apr 8: Monster Hands Beaten ($156 - Down $110)

Having one of those days where I cant get a win for love nor money. Leaving aside my self-destruction at the $300K guaranteed I am having a day where I keep busting out of SNG tables when my monster hands are being beaten by even bigger monsters.

In 5 games so far, check out the following 4 bust-outs :

(1) Full house beaten : Opponent gets quad kings (pocket kings, hits his quad on the river). I'm out
(2) Trip Aces beaten - Playing A10, the flop comes AA2 - TRIP ACES, yeehaa. The other guy bets small, i reraise small, he reraises all in, i call. He shows AJ, edging out my kicker. I'm out
(3) Flush on the flop beaten by better flush on the flop - I limped in with J10 hearts, and flop a flush, with Ah-Qh on the board. Guy bets all into me, I call in a heartbeat. He shows 2 hearts, king high. Nut flush beats my 2nd nut flush. I'm out
(4) Trip 7's beaten - I limp in with pocket 77. Flop comes A 7 2. Guy bets all in into me. I call. He shows pocket aces for a set of aces. I'm out

I have thought about all of these hands, and cant see how I could have put down any of them, really. Massive hands where I get the action I badly wanted. And lost every one - drawing pretty close to dead on all of them. None were a classic "bad beat" - I was behind on every hand when the money went in.

Days like this are really hard to take, in terms of state of mind. Massive hands falling in my lap that I have to play, but opponents getting dealt even bigger monsters. Individually, any one bust-out can easily fall into the "variance" category (or "shit happens" as it is better known). When you get a run like the above in 4 out of 5 games, it falls into a new category of "I'm cursed" (better known as "this much shit is not meant to happen to one person, surely?").

When I feel cursed like this, I need to take a break. I am now in a state where I am apprehensive to play ANY hand. I mean if these monsters dont hold up, what the hell would I do with a rubbish hand like top two pair, or top-pair top top kicker? Garbage hands like that wouldnt stand up to anything.

Add on top my self inflicted horrors in the $300K Guaranteed, and its a full on "I hate poker" day today.

Time to take a rest from the carnage.

RESULTS
Games Played
4 x $22 SNG (6 seater, standard)
1 x $22 SNG (10 seater, speed)
Wins
None - 5 losses
Bankroll
Down $110 (to $156)

Self destruct at the $300K Sunday Guaranteed

Man, poker can make you hate yourself sometimes. I just made an ass of myself in the $300K Sunday Guaranteed.

My strategy before the outset was "don't get involved in big pots unless you are have a very strong hand". For an hour, I kept to the plan. With the standard 5K starting stack, I had played solidly for the first hour, engaging in a little sparring with good hands, taking down a couple of small pots, staying around the chip average with no drama.

Then self destruction - overplaying a hand quite spectacularly, in true fish style. I blew my whole 5.5K stack in one hand after an "alpha-male" raising war with another fish.

I had A10 in the BB - with just two limpers into me. I raised it up to 3BB and got one caller. The rag flop came 10 6 3, which I liked. I bet 400, was reraised 800, which I called. Turn comes a King. Still not too worried, I bet out 800 into the pot, and am reraised again. There is now about 2500 in the pot, with my remaining stack just under 3K.

With any other player on the table, I would have run away at that point. But of all the players on the table, this is the one I dont believe - he was the habitual raiser/bluffer.

I was vaguely worried by a set, but his limp-in preflop didnt really support that. I figure he also has a 10 with a kicker he likes - 10J maybe.. suited connnectors seemed to fit in with how he had played the hand.

With no real thinking, other than "i dont believe he has a hand so strong that I cant push him off it", I re-reraise all in. I had not made any large bets until that point in the first hour, so figured my tight image would pay off at that point , that he would fold unless he had the absolute nuts. He thinks for 20 seconds, and calls. He shows K10 for two pair to have me beat. No ace on the river and I'm out. I had been ahead after the flop, but the turn made him 2 pair, and I chose the completely wrong moment to bully the serial raiser off a hand.

Absolutely gutted, but mostly embarrased to have overplayed the hand quite so spectacularly. I don't wait around to hear the comments about my idiotic play. Don't want to add their insults to my self-inflicted injury.

I had abandoned my strategy and gone all-in with Top Pair-Top Kicker in the face of strong reraising. Really embarrassed at making such a horrible play. I thought I had left this behind a couple of months ago. Its horrible that under pressure/excitement, it can come back in such force.

And gutted at repeating one of my regular "leaks" - not believing that a bluffer/serial raiser can actually have a strong hand for real sometimes.

Particularly annoyed that the near 4-hour qualifier I fought my way through with so much patience and discipline to get here has now been rendered a complete waste of time by this self-inflicted bust out. It wont be very often that I get to play in a $215 buy-in tourney, and I'm steaming at myself for throwing it away so cheaply.

Avoiding making big mistakes is the mark of a proper player, and even though I have drastically reduced the number I make, I still have it in me to make horrendous plays for massive amounts of chips from time to time. And in No Limit poker, that generally means game over. I am still firmly in the fish/donkey category until I can stop these insane urges to blast someone off a hand, largely hoping they dont have a really strong hand rather than knowing they dont.

I was under no illusions about my chances in the tourney - I was obviously operating "out of my league" , and had no delusions of making the final table unless the deck slammed me in the face for several hours. I wasnt going to outplay the number of good players that were in it, so I had to have the cards to go deep. That said, I did think I had it in me to make it to the money (top 200 places) with decent cards and solid play.

But I didnt give myself that chance, having a brain-fart on one hand that ends my tourney. I'm still a fish - I need to fear myself almost as much as I need to fear my opponents.

Another painful lesson learned the hard way. It only cost $33 dollars, but it still hurts a lot at the moment!

Big Stack Bullying

He's a link to a really useful article on Big Stack Bullying from a guy who sound like he has done it a lot!

An essay on being an effective big-stack bully

As I am entering a $300K guaranteed in about an hour, I really really hope that I need this advice at some stage today.

Apr 7 : Slight Gain ($256 : Up $41 )

Just a few games played yesterday - a break even day

RESULTS
Games Played
4 x $22 SNG (6 Seater)
2 x $22 SNG (10 Seater)
1 x $23 Speed Qualifier for $300K Sunday Guaranteed
Wins
3 Times in the money (1 Win on 10 seater, 2 x Runner-Ups on 6 seater)
4 times out of the money
Bankroll
Cost of play $155 , Winnings $196, A Net gain of $41
Bankroll up from $225 to £266

I decided to play a qualifier for the $300K, even though I have already qualified, just to try to win the $215 for a double qualification. Still, yuo can't do well in speed games without the cards coming pretty quick, and the blinds were up to 200/400 before I had a playable hand ,and with a stack halved to only 1.5K, I went all in with 10-10, to be called and busted by JJ. Not my turn to win the lottery.

Gearing up for the $300 Guaranteed later today

Rebuy Tourney Madness

I'm not planning to play too much today. I am saving my playing time for the $300K Sunday Guaranteed tomorrow. This normally has a $215 buy in, but of course, someone with my tiny bankroll couldnt afford this - and even if I could, it wouldnt be a good investment, given the number of proper players who are likely to be in there.

I qualified through an $11 Rebuy qualifier a few days ago. I don't play rebuy tourneys on principle - it seems to have the loosest play of all the formats. It coin-flipping heaven, with huge bets constantly being made by anyone with mediocre hands upwards. It seems a magnet for people with lots of money and no skill.

I entered this qualifier without realising it was a rebuy - I was seduced by a pop-up message from PP in the chat box while playing a standard game. The only bits that registered were "$300K", "5 minutes", "16 seats guaranteed". The "rebuy" bit didnt register.

I took a look at the tourney lobby, and with only a couple of minutes to go before the tourney started, there were only about 30-odd players registered to play. I signed up in a flash - $11 entry to a $215 buy in, with what I thought would be less than 100 players, and 16 guaranteed seats into tourney. It was a no-brainer in terms of value.

Shows what I know (and that PP know more). From all corners of the Party Poker nether regions, other players ran like lemmings towards the cliff, responding to the same message I had and registering for the tourney. By the time the tourney started, a couple of hundred people were registered, and suddenly it wasnt such a bargain entry.

And then I noticed it was a rebuy. Dammit. I read somewhere that a reasonable strategy for a rebuy is to do an immediate rebuy at the start of a game to double your stack, and to plan to buy the add-on after the first hour. I don't know if this was good advice, but I planned to follow it, so my "cheap" $11 game was likely to cost me almost 3 times that. The value was now even worse.

Anyway I rebuy at the start, and settle down to a tight game. Staying out of the firing line unless I have a premium hand and/or position, watching the coin-flippers indulge in an orgy of attempts to double up. People with 6K stacks going all in with 66, being called by someone with A5. People with any two suited cards chasing flushes like I would chase Jennifer Lopez in a thong. And when they get busted out, an immediate double rebuy and it starts again.

It was the loosest, most clueless table I have ever been at. There were 3-4 players with a seemingly unlimited budget just going at it non stop. All in with any semi-playable pocket hand, and regularly being called by the other coin flippers. They would take turns to double each other up/bust each other out/rebuy. They made between 6-10 rebuys each during that first hour (which means they spent about $60-$100 each!).

I sat back watching the carnage, only picking up 3-4 playable hands that I was willing to expose to this style of play in that first hour. Still, i built my 6K stack up to 10K without ever being at risk, and was happy enough with that. One minute before the freezout, I get involved in a hand with the chief coin flipper.

He had already made 9 rebuys that I counted (yes nine). 6 of the rebuys had been in the 5 minutes leading up to the break / freezout, and was playing like a complete idiot. Literally, all-in with any two cards. He leads out from the small blind with an all-in bet for his 6K stack. I am sitting pretty with pocket kings, and call. He shows 3-5off. I am laughing and congratulating myself that I will be not too far off the lead going into the freezout.

4 spades hit the board, I have none, he has one, and makes a flush. Having played completely solid poker for an hour, I was suddenly short stacked by the worlds biggest idiot making just the most awful play imaginable and getting rewarded for it.

I went on a trash-talking rampage that lasted a solid hour. I don't feel good about it now. I kind of humiliated the guy, who was an utterly clueless fool with seemingly a full blown gambling problem. It pushed him into his shell - he barely played a hand in the second hour, despite being the table big stack at the start.

I doubled up a couple of times to get back to the chip average, and then got a series of good hole cards that hit flops and got action, building a stack up to 56K by the second break. He was down to 8K when we were finally separated, way below the chip average. I protected my stack pretty well for the rest of the tourney, rarely putting chips at risk, and made it to the final 16 without too much drama, qualifying for the "big one" on Sunday.

Bizarrely, so did the coin flipping fool. We ended up back on the same table with 17 players left - with him the short stack of the 17, right on the bubble. I so very very very badly wanted him to get busted on the bubble - I could not believe he was still in after 3 hours and 45 minutes. But his luck knew no bounds - despite being extremely short stacked, he won 4 out of 4 coin flips in a row, despite being behind when the money went in each time - and sometimes way behind. It is quite staggering to behold a run of luck like that. He made it through by knocking out the other short stack, his 10-4 somehow beating his opponents dominating 10-8 by hitting a 4. I could have wept .

But I know, I know, I know, I gotta stop getting riled at these players. They can't help it, they are acting out of ignorance. I too was equally ignorant about 6 months ago - its just I didnt have the money to support that style of play over a prolonged period. Qualifying through a field of a couple of hundred players with that style of play has almost certainly condemned him to huge future losses. He will remember the style of play that worked for him on this occasion, and try to replicate it. He will pour endless cash into rebuys in a bid to repeat the magic of the past, only to be eventualy smacked on the head by a normal distribution curve. I have no doubt this guy will lose many thousands of dollars in a short space if time if he has the means to fund it.

The lesson I have learned? Well, to stay away from games where coin flipping lemmings hang out in numbers. To me, that means staying clear of Rebuy Tourneys, all forms of Speed poker, and SNG tables below the $11 buy in mark.

Still, all's well that ends well. I am in the $300K tourney, and look forward to being the fish in that particular pond.

6-Seaters v 10-Seaters

I have had a gut feeling for a while that I am winning more money at 6-seater tables than at 10-seater tables. As a reminder of the payout structure :
At 6-seaters, only the top 2 pay (a 60/40 split of the winnings)
At 10-Seaters. The top 3 pay (a 50/30/20 split of the winnings)

My pub mathematics tell me that in the long run, if all players had equal ability, then I would expect over the long run to win money 30% of the time in the 10 Seater room, compared to 33% in the 6 Seaters. i.e not an awful lot in it in terms of the frequency of winning some money, and no really blatantly obvious reason why I should perform much better in the 6 seaters than the 10 seaters.

This isnt borne out by my (somewhat sketchy) statistics that I have kept of my play of the past 2 months. There are a couple of trends that kinda jump out of my stats which cover about 200 games over the past 2 months.

Firstly, I am a break even player in 6 seater games. My losses are mostly accounted for by my 10-Seater games. Within the 10 seater games, I lose more heavily in speed games than I do in the standard games. Note that I am not completely rubbish at the 10 seaters, I win a reasonable amount of them... but clearly short of my "fair share" that would let me break even.

Secondly, within the 10-seaters, I lose more at Speed Poker than I do at standard speed. At standard, I have a steady downward trend. In Speed poker, the losses are far more pronounced.
Thirdly, within the 6-seaters, I make the money positions more often when the buy-in is higher (typically $22) than at the lower $11 / $6 buy ins. Fascinating stuff. To me anyway. If you have similar trends in your play, I would love to hear them.

Time to theorise why. My basic assumption at the moment is that I am not particularly skilled at playing games where there at a lot of gamblers/coin flippers. You know the sort. Pre-flop, they will bet big with any pocket pair, most aces (however raggy), and any two reasonable suited cards. Then whether the flop hits them or not, they will often bet big. All-ins are a staple bet. I suppose they are the fishiest of the fish in the fish kingdom - and to me, damned hard to play against in numbers.

My limited experience tells me that the coin flippers are far more likely to play 10-seaters, and even more so to speed games. I would say that its more normal for there to be only 1-2 of these sorts of players on a 6 seater table, and I seem able to adjust my play and suckout chips from them - whereas on the 10 seater games I am more likely to hand over my chips to them as I get sucked into their "gunfight at the OK Corral" showdowns.

The more volatile the game, with lots of players making bad decisions, then I do worse. Show me a $3 speed game with 10 players and I would generally lose money in the long run.. but in a $22 6-seater game at standard speed, I can hold my own quite consistently over a prolonged period.

Interesting stuff. I'm off to think about what strengths & weaknesses this indicates in my play. This could take a couple of days.

Apr 6 : A day of two halves ($225 : Up $60 )

Its a bank holiday in the UK, so I have spent quite a few hours in the Party Poker world.

RESULTS
Bankroll : From $165 to $225 (+$60)
Games Played : 12 x $22 SNG, Standard, Mix of 6/10 seats
Results : 5 Times in the money (2 Wins, 3 seconds), 7 Finishes out of the money.

Sounds like solid, break-even play, you might say. You would be wrong. The 7 bust outs were the first 7 games I played (all on 10 seat tables) which reduced my bankroll to nearly zero. Then came the turnaround - I swapped to 6-seater tables, and reeled off 5 consecutive payouts - 3 runner up spots followed by 2 wins. A day of two halves.

Food for thought indeed. What changed ? Was it my play, my luck, or does the 6 seater format suit my current play better than the 10. My records over the past couple of months tend to strongly support this too. If so, why? I am off to contemplate this during a soak in the bath.

6 seaters v 10 seaters. More to follow...

Apr 5 : A fish with $165 to burn

Hi there fellow fish. I am 30-something male from the UK, and I am a losing online poker player. Do not adjust your screens, you read correctly - I am a loser at online poker.

I play mostly 1-Table Sit & Go No-Limit Holdem at Party Poker, with buy ins between $6 to $30. In the year or so since I started playing, I am about $1000 down. The inescapable conclusion from this is "I am bad at poker".

I am not completely useless - I would describe myself as a semi-competent fish. I am not a coin-flipper, pushing all in with any pocket pair, or raising with every ace (or at least, I am not any more). I have a reasonable grasp of the basics - playable starting hands, the importance of position, and what are reasonable raises and bet sizes. I also have a basic understanding of counting outs, working out the chances of hitting them, pot odds, that sort of thing (although on many hands you would probably not believe that I did).

So I'm not a complete fish... maybe one or two evolutionary stages up from that. I have many more stages of evolution before I can crawl out of the sea, walk on my hind legs and grow opposable digits (I hope I am not overstretching the analogy). Lets hope it doesnt take several hundred million years.

For most men, it is easier to admit that they are bad at driving or even bad at sex than to admit they are bad at poker (and by the way, I am excellent at at least one of those). But my secret shame is laid bare for you to laugh at - my track record from my first year of poker is a losing one.

"I am a losing poker player". Just a tinge of humiliation in admitting it. Not least to myself. If you, like me have to keep topping up your account with more funds then you are a losing poker player. Say it out loud. There are a hell of a lot of us out there. Don't be ashamed.

I invite you to join me on a journey that I hope will lead to me becoming a winning poker player - where my bankroll grows over time, and (angels sing in the background) I can even withdraw money every now and again back into my bank account. It may take a while to get there. I am humble enough to believe there is a possibility I will never get there. But I'm willing to try. Every journey starts with a first step (fill in your own cliches here).

I'm planning to read some books, learn probabilities properly, all that stuff. I want to be a winning player - not professional good, not do it for a living. Just a solid, consistent winning poker player who on his day can give most players a good game, with or without the cards. I don't particularly plan to play live - although if I did somehow fluke a win in a WSOP qualifier I would soon change my mind. At the moment, just making a consistent profit at these low stake levels online is my only goal.

If you are at the same stage of of your poker development, I welcome you to join me and post comments to this blog. We'll compare notes. Hell, I may even bump into you on Party Poker and give you some of my hard-borrowed money.

I'm planning to document my emotional highs and lows, and the highs and lows of my bankroll, which stands at a whopping $165 at the outset. If you are really kind, you can point out my errors and shortcut the journey I am on.

Ambitious fish of the world unite, you have nothing to lose but your chips.