Friday 25 November 2011

Clean Slate of Sorts

If it seems like I have plenty of clean slates and fresh challenges and new goals etc, that's because I do. They serve a purpose for me in that I just can't grind anything in a sorta day to day 'this is my existence' way. I've always been the same actually, I need to see light at the end of the tunnel, even if the tunnel itself isn't that bad.

For example when I was working it was always with an eye on '6 months of this, then I'm switching jobs', etc. I speak to some of my friends who live and work in Hull, and god do they make me depressed sometimes. 'I live for the weekend mate', says one with a bog standard retail job. Another who works for the council tells me that at this rate his mortgages will be nearly paid off when he's aged 50. Brilliant. Both are happy doing their day to day life grindathon, but I do think such people are ripe for a mid-life crisis when they wake up one day and think fuck my life is gone.

So if you'd told me 2 years ago that I'd be grinding 200nl for the next 48 months I'd have been sorely depressed. If you told me that now, I'd be sorely depressed. It's my job to make sure that doesn't happen, and that I can move up limits, actually have some money in life and do something that will then make more money, maybe business maybe high BI live tournys, leading to the ultimate goal of (yes laugh) having a farm which would basically be a sanctuary for rescued farm animals.


I played 400nl yesterday. I did so because I felt stale at 200nl. This is a bad reason to play 400nl ....... it meant I was doing so in a kind of 'day to day grind' mode, and just wasn't focussed or competitive enough. I got busted down to 200nl, with among other things:


$2/$4 Ante $0.80 No Limit Holdem • 5 Players • PokerStars

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTGgrogheadflow$1,014.20
COnoirduck$1,644.80
BTNM@cTeP Lee$2,514.90
SBMadAgenda$603.60
BBGusanoZ$409.60
  • Pre-Flop ($10.00, 5 players)Hero is UTG
  • cA c7
grogheadflow raises to $12, 1 fold, M@cTeP Lee raises to $48, 2 folds, grogheadflow calls $36
  • Flop ($106, 2 players)
  • d9 c5 c4
grogheadflow checks, M@cTeP Lee bets $80, grogheadflow calls $80
  • Turn ($266, 2 players)
  • hK
grogheadflow checks, M@cTeP Lee bets $95, grogheadflow raises to $260, M@cTeP Lee calls $165
  • River ($786, 2 players)
  • sQ
grogheadflow bets $625.40, M@cTeP Lee calls $625.40
  • Final Pot: $2,036.80
  • grogheadflow shows
  • cAc7
  • M@cTeP Lee shows
  • hQsK
  • M@cTeP Lee wins $2,034.80 (net +$1,020.60)
  • grogheadflow lost $1,014.20


Oops. Well if you can risk it all on one ridiculous bluff, and never speak again of your losses, etc etc.

So that's buried anyway. It's been bugging me all day, but that draws a line under that shot, and what I need now is a new tunnel so I can start working towards that.

Current Bankroll is $10.5k. That should probably be written in red rather than green, or maybe yellow. There are stronger shades of green though so I'll leave it at that. Living expenses are covered until 01/01/2012. There are 37 days between now and then, and so my current goal is to be able to start 2012 with $20k which will enable me to play 400nl comfortably and kick on through the year.

I have to make $270 each and every day then. Well, slightly less with bonuses etc. This to me is a very modest goal the way the currrent 200nl games are on stars, especially 4 tabling. I've been very bad both with stoploss and time of sessions lately, this I must pack in. I can do both so long as I have faith that dog so is the best thing for me, but we all know it's sometimes very difficult in the moment. I basically just have to have a bit of pride and not exceed either. $450 session stoploss, and 1.5 hour session length.

First things first though, as ever, win today !

Monday 21 November 2011

Monday 22 November Review


Funny day really. Good end to it. I started off slow, losing a BI or so, before playing a deep session. Pawel sweated the deep session. Now thanks to Pawel I am probably $16k richer in the last 8 weeks or so than I would've been without him, but one thing I've learned today is that I can't have sweats with anyone when I'm playing deep. There's just so many more levels of thought. 100bbs, I feel like I can just cruise along and merrily crush and talk at the same time. Not so when deep, and I made at least one huge mistake and plenty of medium sized ones as well looking back.

Anyway, to some contentious hands:

$1/$2 Ante $0.40 No Limit Holdem • 4 Players • PokerStars

Generated by weaktight.com.

COmehdi1983$461.20
BTNgrogheadflow$641.25
SBLuck&Skill86$285.80
BBlichik$153.85
  • Pre-Flop ($4.60, 4 players)Hero is BTN
  • cQ c9
1 fold, grogheadflow raises to $5, Luck&Skill86 calls $4, lichik calls $3
  • Flop ($16.60, 3 players)
  • c3 hQ c4
Luck&Skill86 checks, lichik bets $14, grogheadflow calls $14, Luck&Skill86 raises to $44, lichik folds, grogheadflow calls $30
  • Turn ($118.60, 2 players)
  • d8
Luck&Skill86 bets $78, grogheadflow calls $78
  • River ($274.60, 2 players)
  • dT
Luck&Skill86 bets $158.40, grogheadflow calls $158.40
  • Final Pot: $591.40
  • Luck&Skill86 shows
  • s4h4
  • grogheadflow shows
  • cQc9
  • Luck&Skill86 wins $589.40 (net +$303.60)
  • lichik lost $19.40
  • grogheadflow lost $285.80

For some reason after this he berated me, saying I should obviously fold the turn. I don't think it's *that* obvious, and was just one of those spots where I decide on the flop I'm going broke, and if I have to call 3 streets to go broke rather than 3bet get it in then there's no difference VS nutted hands anyway (assuming sets don't CF on 3flush turns and rivers of course which I think tbh is a safe assumption), but this way I get the benefit of seeing potential bluffs.

$1/$2 No Limit Holdem • 5 Players • PokerStars

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTGFalkao1970$238.85
COscorpchess$195.40
BTNArkkav$200
SBgrogheadflow$212.45
BBJJonyPoker$218
  • Pre-Flop ($3, 5 players)Hero is SB
  • c5 cA
Falkao1970 raises to $4.50, 2 folds, grogheadflow raises to $18, 1 fold, Falkao1970 calls $13.50
  • Flop ($38, 2 players)
  • c9 hT c2
grogheadflow bets $18, Falkao1970 raises to $42, grogheadflow goes all-in $194.45, Falkao1970 calls $152.45
  • Turn ($426.90, 2 players, 1 all-in)
  • h4
  • River ($426.90, 2 players, 1 all-in)
  • hQ
  • Final Pot: $426.90
  • Falkao1970 shows
  • h9s9
  • grogheadflow shows
  • c5cA
  • Falkao1970 wins $424.90 (net +$212.45)
  • grogheadflow lost $212.45

Then this one. Not upset to see 99. Standard/ whatever, but I do know his call flop range in 3bet pots is weak and so he'll have plenty of 3bets and triple barrels to worry about from now on.

$1/$2 Ante $0.40 No Limit Holdem • 5 Players • PokerStars

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTGJeanDitPipi$504.30
COgongyujia$593.85
BTNabbkk$529.75
SBwikiwikiweb$589
BBgrogheadflow$608.15
  • Pre-Flop ($5.00, 5 players)Hero is BB
  • sK cK
3 folds, wikiwikiweb raises to $8, grogheadflow raises to $24, wikiwikiweb calls $16
  • Flop ($50, 2 players)
  • c9 d3 s6
wikiwikiweb bets $30, grogheadflow calls $30
  • Turn ($110, 2 players)
  • d2
wikiwikiweb checks, grogheadflow bets $78, wikiwikiweb raises to $175, grogheadflow goes all-in $553.75, wikiwikiweb calls $359.60
  • River ($1,198.35, 2 players, 1 all-in)
  • sJ
  • Final Pot: $1,198.35
  • wikiwikiweb shows
  • s9d9
  • grogheadflow shows
  • sKcK
  • wikiwikiweb wins $1,177.20 (net +$588.20)
  • grogheadflow collects $19.15 (net -$589)

Deep hand gone wrong. Example of what I was talking about in the first paragraph. Just so so so bad VS this opponent. VS JeanDitPipi it's actually fine ......... but here especially as he had recently taken a similar line where I folded this is just burrrrrning money.

$1/$2 Ante $0.40 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players • PokerStars

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTGjointy333$659
UTG+1wikiwikiweb$573.35
COgrogheadflow$500
BTNWCG|Rider$258.45
SBJeanDitPipi$621.95
BBfengikareh$513.80
  • Pre-Flop ($5.40, 6 players)Hero is CO
  • c5 s5
2 folds, grogheadflow raises to $6, 1 fold, JeanDitPipi raises to $22, 1 fold, grogheadflow calls $16
  • Flop ($48.40, 2 players)
  • d7 s4 d6
JeanDitPipi checks, grogheadflow bets $26, JeanDitPipi raises to $88, grogheadflow raises to $188, JeanDitPipi raises to $599.55, grogheadflow calls $289.60
  • Turn ($1,125.55, 2 players)
  • c8
  • River ($1,125.55, 2 players)
  • cJ
  • Final Pot: $1,125.55
  • JeanDitPipi shows
  • d9dT
  • grogheadflow shows
  • c5s5
  • JeanDitPipi wins $1,122.55 (net +$500.60)
  • grogheadflow lost $500

So 55, probably most interesting hand. JeanDitPipi just check raises an absolute ton in 3bet pots. I've talked about him before, in a nutshell he raises depolarised, bets super thinly for value, calls all bluffs, and gives the impression of a super bluffy lagtard while not actually running any big bluffs whatsoever. So in this spot his plan is often to CR top pairs, hands like TT,JJ almost for information given that he'll fold to a lot of pressure. Very similar to the way I played on UB when all tables where deep, and something shortsharpshock used to talk to me about. Basically he'd raise top pairs etc a ton, and be like 'doesnt get exploited through bluff 3bets so its fine'. Anyway, given all this I decided I have ~40% equity VS a get it in range and can apply tons of pressure to what I've ascertained as his likely range. He gets there :-( (although I was a 40% dog)

$1/$2 Ante $0.40 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players • PokerStars

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTGfengikareh$711.40
UTG+1grogheadflow$500
COgongyujia$195.80
BTNJeanDitPipi$1,058.35
SBjointy333$474.20
BBwikiwikiweb$565.15
  • Pre-Flop ($5.40, 6 players)Hero is UTG+1
  • c2 cA
fengikareh raises to $8, grogheadflow raises to $24, 4 folds, fengikareh raises to $54, grogheadflow calls $30
  • Flop ($113.40, 2 players)
  • s8 cK hQ
fengikareh bets $54, grogheadflow calls $54
  • Turn ($221.40, 2 players)
  • s9
fengikareh checks, grogheadflow bets $118, fengikareh folds
  • Final Pot: $339.40
  • grogheadflow wins $336.40 (net +$110.00)
  • fengikareh lost $108.40

A 4 table superstar hand. Betsize and timing tells that otherwise get missed.

_____________________


Looking at my final session, (503 hands, $1557 in winnings lol heater) there's not too many interesting hands. I just kept making sets and flushes and getting paid by fish. This one though ............. (description beneath)

$1/$2 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players • PokerStars

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTGAccountant8$212.65
UTG+1stakks$283.30
COAzn1nvas1on$267.80
BTNs2_belzebub$200
SBgrogheadflow$469.40
BBillwill514$200
  • Pre-Flop ($3, 6 players)Hero is SB
  • h7 h6
Accountant8 raises to $6, 3 folds, grogheadflow calls $5, 1 fold
  • Flop ($14, 2 players)
  • s2 s6 hT
grogheadflow checks, Accountant8 bets $10, grogheadflow raises to $32, Accountant8 calls $22
  • Turn ($78, 2 players)
  • hA
grogheadflow bets $38, Accountant8 calls $38
  • River ($154, 2 players)
  • h8
grogheadflow bets $393.40, Accountant8 calls $136.65
  • Final Pot: $684.05
  • grogheadflow shows
  • h7h6
  • Accountant8 shows
  • hJdJ
  • grogheadflow wins $681.05 (net +$211.65)
  • Accountant8 lost $212.65

Ok really cool read on this guy is that he always 3bets any strong hand on the flop, especially on a 2 tone. Does it both IP and OOP, and plenty of examples. He has a middling WTSD and basically I feel like I can get his exceedinlgy bet call range IP to fold almost always by the river. Have to admit I was shoving blank rivers, and my feeling is my only 'mistake' in this hand is in not factoring the tilt that might come from having played the following hand a few minutes before.

$1/$2 No Limit Holdem • 5 Players • PokerStars

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTGAzn1nvas1on$264.15
COs2_belzebub$203
BTNgrogheadflow$200
SBiPoker00$284.95
BBAccountant8$200
  • Pre-Flop ($3, 5 players)Hero is BTN
  • h8 h5
2 folds, grogheadflow raises to $5, 1 fold, Accountant8 raises to $18, grogheadflow calls $13
  • Flop ($37, 2 players)
  • hT h2 hJ
Accountant8 bets $26, grogheadflow raises to $60, Accountant8 goes all-in $182, grogheadflow calls $122
  • Turn ($401, 2 players, 1 all-in)
  • cT
  • River ($401, 2 players, 1 all-in)
  • s7
  • Final Pot: $401
  • grogheadflow shows
  • h8h5
  • Accountant8 shows
  • hKsK
  • grogheadflow wins $399 (net +$199)
  • Accountant8 lost $200

Re the 76hh hand I messed up my turn betsizing looking back. Maybe another reason he called hmm.... at least I got there anyway.

So yeah happy enough with the turnaround in the day. Lessons learned re sweating while deep. Roll on tomorrow. Btw Pawel/ Zaza etc or anyone else for that matter (Matt) I'd be up for sweats whenever so long as either you're playing or I'm playing only 100bbs. Think I get a lot out of it ...........