Jan 2005 Summary of month

Here is my poker result’s for January. Seems easier to calculate in $$$ due to online play so will stick to that formula for the time being.

Online

Sessions 7
Hours Played 17
Overall Return (per session) +$648.58
Win Rate (per hour) +$267.06
Overall Profit / Loss +$4540.00

Live Cash Games

Sessions 5
Hours Played 23.00
Overall Return (per session) +$1925.00
Win Rate (per hour) +$418.48
Overall Profit / Loss +$9625.00

Festival Tournaments

Tournaments Played 3
Hours Played 20
Overall Return (per tournament) –$866.00
Win Rate (per hour) –$130.00
Overall Profit / Loss -$2600.00

Overall Profit +$11565

Well as my monthly target is +$6700 I feel I’ve had an excellent month. Also I am not yet able to devote the amount of hours that I will be able to from mid March onwards. My hourly rates in particular are very high and they will drop to more realistic levels as I play more as the year continues. I have controlled my tilt and played my A game the majority of the month. For some reason the New Year heralded renewed focus poker wise and long may I keep that focus. My festival tournament results need to be improved though.

Yearly target +$5865

The end is nigh!

Well it’s finally happened. I am winding down my company so I will be effectively a "poker pro" from March this year. I had threatened to do it last year before I set up my own company but my bankroll wasn't sufficient for me to be able to play in the big cash games and cope with the inevitable swings. It’s a risk I know but a calculated one. Although I did play alot of poker last year it was always my third priority behind my work and my social life.... now it can be my number one priority. My bankroll is probably half of what I’d like it to be but if I go skint I can just get back to the real world and get a job again.

It will be strange relying on poker as my sole source of income. At the moment it’s just an additional bonus if it goes well. I will have to adjust my poker strategy alot. Having unlimited time to play poker will have its pitfalls but I will be adjusting my poker strategy with so much time on my hands. At the moment I rarely play Heads Up and Single Table Tournaments online because they are slightly boring and when I do have the time to play I would rather enjoy my poker. However, I know I can make easy money playing in these games so will put aside a certain amount of time a day to do this.

I have kept to my New Year Poker resolution by not playing after I have been drinking online and have been really pleased with the way I have focused and played this month. I also realise that despite the fact I really enjoy the festival tournaments that if I am going to achieve the results that I hope for that I am going to have to rely on my cash game results both online and live and any festival results are a bonus. It’s pointless me earning $5000 in a month and then using it to have a shot at a $5000 buy in tournament with 200+ runners. I will pick and choose live tournaments carefully and try and qualify for the bigger events through satellites.

I have given plenty of thought to my aim in monetary terms for 2005. I have decided that my target for the year is to make $80000/£40000. This equates to roughly $6700/£3350 a month. It will work out slightly higher than that I am having a month’s holiday in Mexico in June after I win the WSOP ;-)

I am going to start writing a summary at the end of each month on my blog to help me focus plus how much I have made or lost online, in cash games live and at festivals. I am keeping meticulous records of every game I play at the moment.

Wish me luck!

Online fun

I was back on the online trail playing on both Party Poker and Pokerstars. I tried the step challenge on Party and bought in for $200 on level 3 and easily navigated my way to level 4. The table I was on was extremely tight and we still had 8 players left when the blinds became 100/200 so it effectively became a crapshoot and I tumbled back to level 3 so will have another go later in the week. I don’t think its something I’ll be buying in to again but it was fun.

Over on Pokerstars I had my longest online poker session of the year. I started playing $50 heads up Omaha tournaments and I won 4 on the trot. If I ever have to play poker as a sole source of income I could see those being the way forward. After I got bored of those I started multi tabling playing the $3/$6 Hi/Low Pot Limit Omaha, $3/$6 Pot Limit Holdem and a $3/$6 No Limit Holdem. I started with $300 on each.

On the $3/$6 Hi/Low Pot Limit Omaha I started with $300 and was up to a high point of $800 but when holding top trips and the Ace flush draw on the river a low came which also gave my foe a straight and I ended up about even on that table. On the $3/$6 No Limit Holdem table I quickly doubled up to $600 playing short handed but the table soon filled which was my cue to leave.

The best part of my night was the $3/$6 Pot Limit Holdem. I soon found myself heads up and I started hitting some major hands. I held KK and it flopped K66 and my opponent had A6. That doubled me up to a $1000. He kept pulling out the maximum and i had his number. He was winning 70% of pots by playing aggressively but crucially I was winning all the big pots. I kept hitting the flop and letting him do the betting and he never passed when I check raised him. I reached a high of $3200 and then finished with $2800 when new players started joining our table.

So all in all it was a good night. My average win rate online this year is a whopping $300 an hour. If its 25% as good as that by the end of 2005 I will be a very happy man.

Still haven’t decided whether to play in Brighton this weekend in the festival.

Luton Festival £500 NL Holdem Freezeout

Day 1

With 140 runner and starting chips of 10000 with a 45 minute clock this was clearly going to be a long tournament. Noticeable players as i took my seat on my table were Joe Grech and Roy Brindley. In my very first hand I found QQ. From the big blind I made it 500 to play and was immediately raised by the first limper to 2000. After a long dwell I called. It flopped 445 and i checked and he moved all in. I pass as i think he must have AA or KK. I then played aggressively for a while and managed to get back up to 11000 after dipping to 7000 at one point. Once again i found QQ and raised to 500 to play and picked up one caller. Flop 79T and i check raised 2000. Opponent calls and the next card comes a K. He only has 3000 left so i put him all in. Damn he shows QK and has hit one of his 7 outs. I was back down to 6000 and steaming a bit so called a small raise on the button with 35. Flop A45 and everyone checks. Next card comes a 9 and i call a raise of 600 chips. Last card a 3 to give me 2 pair and Roy Brindley raises 800. I raise to 3000 and he calls and I took the pot with 2 pair and am back up to over 10000 chips.

Soon after i am moved and despite not really seeing any major hands i had managed to double my chips to 20000 by picking up a number of small pots. Early on in these tournaments i play alot of hands because i think the implied odds are great at the early levels. If i don't hit a big part of the flop i can let them go. Before i knew it we were at the final level of Day 1 and the ante's were 1000/2000 and still had a stack of 20000. I decide to make a few moves determined not to return for the second day with low chips. I made a big bluff on a K24 flop holding JQ and got called by the eventual winner. I got lucky as he had correctly read my bluff but he just had A high and i hit a Q on the turn to take me to 30000. Again I went card dead and was down to 20000 when I found 89 suited and decided to try and steal the blinds by raising to 7000 to play. Rob Stevens called from the big blind and it flopped 256. He bet 13000 that would put me all in. I figure that he may have hit part of the flop but I figure a 7, 8 or 9 will be good for me to win and I don't want to return for day 2 with just 13000 chips. I call and he turns over A4 and I rivered a 7 to give me the nuts. I was up to 36000 and raised under the gun on the very next hand with QQ and the button moved all in for 28000. I call and he turns over AJ and I win a nice pot and end day one with a decent 67000 chips.

Day 2

With 4 tables and 32 players returning we had to lose 14 players before we hit the prize money. I didn't see many hands early and was around the 60000 chip mark when after a couple of early limpers I found K3 of diamonds. Normally it would be a quick pass but because I was on the button I decided to call and it flopped K24. Not great but I've hit top pair. Both the blinds check, the limper checks and so do I. I figure I'm winning but want to see what happens on the turn. The turn is a J and the initial limper raises 6000 into a pot of 8000. I call and the blinds pass. Last card a magical 3 to give me two pair. He checks and I bet 20000 which would put him all in. He thinks for a few minutes and calls. I declare two pair and turn over my cards. He looks very pissed off and mucks his cards. He was still moaning on Friday about me calling with K3 before the flop. He told me he had 99 in the pocket. I was up to a high point of 87000 chips.

Then the hand that effectively ended my chances in the tournament happened. I found AK suited under the gun and raised to 12000 to play. The small blind after dwelling for a bit came back over the top for another 30000. He really didn't look comfortable when he realised that I wasn't going to muck straight away. I figured he either had a middle pair or I had him dominated if he held AQ or AJ. The problem was that he still had 20000 chips left in front of him. I could pass and I'd still have 75000 chips or put him all in and either have 152000 chips and I'd be chip leader or be left with 25000. In the past I would have mucked but decided if I wanted to win the tournament I had to gamble on this hand. I put him all in and he showed 88. First card on the flop was an 8 and I was down to 25000. I exited a few hands later in 20th when I called a raise pre flop that had me covered with JJ and my foe had AA.

Looking back I could easily have mucked my AK. I should probably have waited for a better opportunity to risk most of my chips than a coin flip. I don't really regret my decision to play as I correctly read that he wasn't very strong and I know if I'd won that hand I would have been practically assured of a top 5 finish.

On a side note I met Tony Kendall who writes the reports for the UK tournaments. He was a very nice bloke. Also my first experience of Luton was walking in on a fight when I went over the road to the garage to buy some batteries.

I won't write a report for the £250 Hold em Pot Limit Rebuys that I played on the Friday. I was doing pretty well on 22000 chips when I hit a flush on the turn only to walk into the Camel who had the nut flush. I think it set him on his way to a good finish........

The Vic again......

Went to the Vic again on Sunday. It was my 5th visit this year already and I decided to start off by playing the £100 Pot Limit Holdem cash game as it was the only decent looking game when I arrived about 6pm. I started of with £300 and was up to £320 before the first reasonably sized pot I was involved in happened. I had AA on the big blind and 6 people put in the £3 blind before It gets to the button who raises it to £20. Small blind passes and I call as I think a reraise my scare my opponent off. 3 other players call and it flops a relatively harmless looking 358 rainbow. I check and it is checked round to the original raiser who raises £100. I push all in for another £200 and it passes round to the button who thinks for a couple of minutes before passing and saying that I must have had trips. Soon after I pick up KK in the small blind and there is an early position raiser and two callers back to me so I make it £75 to play. One caller and a flop of 22J which looked very nice. I bet £150 and the other players shows JQ passed and says, “I knew you had AA or KK.” So why exactly did they call if they thought that? Some people! Standard play with AA and KK standing up saw me leave the table after an hour around £300 up.

I had spied the £250 Dealers Choice game was about to start which is why I left the Holdem game and while I have my reservations about playing in it due to recent results I decided to give it another crack as the usual line up of rocks weren’t there. I sat down with £1000 and was regretting my decision to play after the following hand happened. Playing Omaha Hi/Low I held A4JK7 and it flopped 72J with two clubs to give me top two pair, the A flush draw in clubs and the second best low draw. I raised £100 only to get reraised £200. I call and a K comes on the turn. I check and my opponent bets £400. I call and the last card is a 5 which has also brought a back door diamond flush. I call my last £200 and my opponent shows me A2 of diamonds which scoops. I was winning the whole pot till the last card and a low diamond was the only way I could lose the whole pot.

I decided to pull out another £1000. My maximum I will ever lose on a night is £2000 and I have never broken that rule. I was down to about £800 when I called a pre flop raise of £30 with A2588 and it flopped 88K. I had hit quads J. The first player bet the pot of £150 and I am pretty sure that he must have KK in his hand as I know how this player plays. I think that however I play this hand I’ll get doubled up so I call. Next card is a J and he bets £400 and I go all in for £200 more. I think he knew what I had straight away but called and I picked up a pot of £1750. I have had an amazing run with quads of late that even goes back in to last year. Four out of the last five times I have picked them up in Omaha I have been doubled up which is incredible as normally I wouldn’t expect any action at all. In fact I have never lost a huge amount of cash to quads myself shows just how lucky that statistic is. Touchwood….

Soon after on another Omaha Hi/Low I had A3JJK in my hand and raise it £30 to play from the small blind. It flopped a very nice 24J rainbow to give me top trips and the nut low draw. 6 players called my raise pre flop. I bet £75 hoping that someone may reraise and I get two callers. Next card is a 2 and I check as I now have a monster and don’t want to scare my opponents off and the other two players check. Last card is a 7 which brings the low. I bet the pot which was £450 and both players call. I took the high and the low was split three ways. Both of them had a 2 and had made trips so maybe I was a bit unlucky that neither raised on the turn.

I was at a high point of £2400 when I played a hand very badly. In fact I don’t think I could have played it any worse. Playing Pot Limit Omaha I held QQ66 and called a £40 pre flop raise and it flopped Q32 with two spades. I checked and the button raised it to £150 to play. My first mistake was not raising here. I decided to just call and then fire on the turn if it was a blank. Another player also called the bet and the turn was a 4. I know I should now have bet as with 66 in my hand I could represent the straight. However, I checked and the next player bet £300. The button passed and I called. The last card was a 7 and I checked and my opponent went all in for his last £300. Again I made a mistake. I should definitely have called his bet. His bet was £300 into a pot of £1250. If I had thought about it I would have called. I think I was still annoyed at how I had played the hand up till then and I passed and he showed A high and was flushing. Thinking back…. If he had made a straight on the turn he would have bet £600 all in to make players drawing pass their hand. I hated my play on that hand it sucked……

I was down to £1800 and was slightly on tilt as I was thinking about that hand that I played so badly. So what was the next game I would put a serious amount of money into the pot. LOWBALL. I have only ever played about 4 lowball hands in my life before this one which happened to be against Paul Parker. My first three card were 237 of which the 2 and 3 were hidden. Paul had a 6 showing. I called his first bet of £25. My next card was a 5 and Paul got a 3. He checked and I bet £100. He called straight away. My next card was another 5 and Paul got a J. He checked again and I felt that I could get him off his hand with a big bet so I bet £400. Yuck he called straight away again. Now I felt he must have had two cards lower than the 6 hidden which meant he was favorite. The second from last card gave him a Q and me a K. Not good. He bet all in for £450. I had to call as the pot was giving me 2/1 and I still knew he only had a J low at this point. The last card is dealt and he didn’t look pleased. Mine is an A and I make a 7 low to win a pot of about £2000.

I didn’t really get involved much after that and I lost a few pots before I finished with £2600.

Nice to be back in profit in the Dealers Choice game. I got lucky hitting quads and winning so much on a game I hardly know…..

Have i ever made an easier money?

Just sat down 20 minutes ago to play a bit of online poker. Decided to try out Victor Chandler so i deposited £200 and took my seat at the $1/$2 Omaha Hi/Low game. Second hand in with $400 i raise $70 to play after an initial pot raise with AA23 and pick up one opponent. Flop is T62 and my opponent raises and i go all in for another $330 and he calls. What monster does he flip over? 4556. Wow what a Hi/Low hand that is! He would need a complete miracle to scoop with that sort of garbage. I won the hand and am up to $800.

This guy really is playing like a maniac and has probably chosen the worst type of poker to play this way. He manages to get up to $700 by getting extremely lucky against another player. Soon he tangles with me again though :-)

I call yet another pre flop raise from him with A277 and it flops 78K. He bets $100 and i call. Next card is a 7 to give me quads. He bets $200 and i reraise him and he calls another $400. What does he show me this time? Another monster hand K236. A 4 comes on the river and i scoop $1450.

After literally 20 minutes i was up to just over $2000 from $400.

That really has to be the easiest money i have ever made.....

Time to Party!

Went to the Vic last night... Finally for the first of my visits this year they opened up a £250 Pot Limit Omaha table. I quickly snapped up a seat in that and it was a very interesting table composition including 2004 European player of the Year Willie Tann and EPT producer John Duthie. There were a couple of good Vic Omaha players on the table and a few not so good.

I felt pretty confident at this table especially as two of the strongest Omaha players are in Tunica at the moment. I sat down with £700 and quickly won a £400 pot when i raised the maximum on the flop and river with the nuts straight.

Then the first of many key hands that i was involved with happened.

Vic Player to my left makes it £35 to play and 5 players called. I call on the button with A345. Flop comes AK2 with two clubs and i am holding a wrap on the low straight and a small flush draw. Vic player raises £200 and everyone passes to me. I decide to call after deliberating and the turn brings a lovely 4 of hearts to give me the nut straight. Vic player bets £600 and i go all in for £700. He looks pretty disgusted and calls and no help on the river for him and i'm up to around £1900.

I then was having my usual poser. The last two times i have been at the Vic i have been up £1000 at one point. Both times i considered stopping which would have been wise on both those occasions. However, i decided the table was just too good to pass up on this opportunity.

After no major hands for a while i picked up TJQA double suited and i raised it to £30 to play and three players call. It flops AK7 which gives me a wrap and the Ace flush draw. I bet £100, next player calls and then the player on the button raises another £200. Easy call for me and the other player passes. I even considered raising again as i knew my draw would make me favorite even against a set of Kings. Turn brings a blank and my opponent now bets £500 into a pot of £800. The pot odds are too good so i call and the river comes another blank. This hand puts me back down to about £900 and i am regretting my decision not to stop when £1000 up.

I then won a couple of smallish pots and found myself with £1200 when the following hand occured. I call a small raise preflop with 3456 and it flops A29 rainbow. I decided to bet the pot hoping to pick up the pot of around £100 then. Two players call. The next card is a 4 which gives me the nut straight. Again as i am first to speak i bet £300. One player passes and the other calls. Last card a T and i still have the nuts. Now it was a case of betting and seeing if i could get a call. So i decide to bet the entire pot of about £1000. My opponent goes into the think tank and after about 3 minutes says "I call" YES .... he had slowplayed a set of Aces on the flop and never believed that i held the straight.

I am up to around £3000 now after that big pot and i never leave just after scooping a big pot so decide i will stick around till they next come round for table charges. I look down at 6789 double suited and it is £75 to play and i am on the button with 3 callers before me. I think my hand is good enough in position facing multiple players so call the £75. It flops K57 rainbow so yet again i hold a wrap on the straight draw. The player who raised pre flop bets £300 and the other players pass to me. I am playing very tight now but after thinking for a minute or so call. This is a player i have already won a few big pots against tonight so i know he has been agitated by me. The next card comes a 3. My opponent checks. He clearly doesn't like this card and i have already won two big pots against him when i have made the straight. I confidently say, "I bet the pot." this amounted to £900. My opponent goes it to the tank again and starts talking to himself about how i keep getting lucky. He eventually passes after a long dwell and i show him my bluff. This just makes him more angry.

I am at around £3500 when again on the button (seems to be i kept getting my big hands there) i have AAJ8 double suited in hearts and diamonds. There has already been a raise to make it £50 to play here and whilst i would normally make a raise to try and isolate one opponent i decide to call thinking that if i do hit a big hand it will be better disguised. There are four of us that see a flop of AK7 with two clubs in play. One opponent raises to £200 to play and there is another caller when it gets to me. Both of these players have stacks that have me covered so they may call a pot reraise here. I decide just to call and see the next card and fire at it if its a blank. Next card is a blank and this time it is checked to me and i bet £800. One guy insta calls and the other passes. The last card is a scary looking T meaning there is a potential straight. Phew he checks... i check in case he is trapping me and he shouts, "Trip Kings." I show my aces and pick up a nice pot. He had £5000 in front of him before that hand and said if it had paired up he would have given all his money to me. Even a blank and he would have paid me off. Maybe i should have bet even with the T.

I was now sitting with nearly £5000 in front of me feeling very good about things. I decided i wanted to play on as there were at least 3 players on tilt. I then went card dead for a while and lost a couple of pots and decided the next time i put more than £300 into a pot i would call it a night and with £4200 the following happened. Under the gun i find 9933 and its £25 to play so i call it flops 932 rainbow to give me two sets of 9's and 3's. I think then fire out £150. The Vic player who was clearly after me because i had won a few big pots against him and got him riled with a big bluff raises it to £500. Everyone else passes back round to me. Hmmmm what to do now? I follow my usual tactic of waiting to see the next card and then firing if its a blank. I far rather get my money in the middle on the turn than on the flop. Especially as i am certain he would call me with something like 456 in his hand. I know this player quite well and feel that he will fire again on the turn if its a blank. The turn brings an 8. I check and he bets £1000. Wow... i immediately declare myself all in and he looks very shocked. It will cost him another £2700. To my relief he passes and i show my hand. I'm not sure if i wanted a call here. On one hand there was an excellent chance i would have won another £2700 but going bust on that hand would have made me feel sick. I think i had just enough to make him pass if he was holding a big straight draw.

I stick to my policy and soon lose about £400 when i make a full house but get beaten by a bigger one and go up to the cash desk with £5300. That has definitely improved my stats for 2005. Its actually my biggest ever cash game win live.

One thought. Looking back at my recent cash game results i see a pattern developing. The last 5 times i have played Pot Limit Omaha at the Vic i have won and the last 3 times i have played dealers choice i have lost.

It’s going to be one fun weekend.

Omaha on Stars

In a bizarre twist of fortunes my online results are going far better than my live results so far in 2005. I played in the $5/$10 Pot Limit Omaha on Stars and was generally getting big hands that were standing up. One flop saw me all in for $600 with top set on a KT4 flop against two callers and no flush or straight arrived to allow me to triple my money. Then a very aggressive player arrived on the table and kept raising the maximum before each and every flop. After he had blown $2000 quickly I picked up AATJ double suited. As I knew he would raise I called and he raised the pot to $70 a couple of other players call and I make it $300 to play and he goes all in for $1000. Everyone else passes and I call his raise. The board came a relatively safe looking T4272 with no flush. However, he had whacked his $1000 in with TTKA. I was back down to $2000 so decided to call it a day rather than go on tilt. I’d only been playing for 45 minutes so a profit of $1200 was good.

Table Image

I remember when i could play at the big Omaha and Dealers Choice games at The Vic and hardly be recognised. As people normally guess my age between 18-21 (see link below for photographic proof) i feel that this gave me a significant advantage as i could often just play the nuts and get paid off due to my perceived relative inexperience in these games. I lost count of the number of times that i used to make alot of money everytime i hit a monster hand. Now i am a recognised and reasonably respected player i think i have lost that part of my game that gave me a big edge. Now when i check raise players let go of hands. I have started to make more moves as i can't just wait for the nuts any longer. I have started making strong moves on pots if i sense weakness. I check raised someone £400 on a scary JJ5 flop last week and actually managed to get them to let go of 55 in an 5 card Omaha PL game when i didn't have a J. This is not a move that i would have made in the past but it seems i've resorted to big bluffs to take down serious pots of late.

How do i adjust my game now i am recognised? I need to think about this seriously. Suggestions would help!!

http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=g&n=26577

On top of being recognised i have also noticed something far more significant that could affect my long term expectations in the big games at the Vic. Where have all the fish gone? I know the Vic is regarded as one of the toughest places to play in the country but last year in the big games i could always guarantee there would be 2 or more players just waiting to let go of there money if you kind a suitable situation to relieve them of it. However, in my last three visits last week in the £250 dealers choice i encountered two bad players in total over three sessions. One of these is was of the dangerous/aggressive sort that can prove tricky. My last session was the biggest rock fest i have ever been in at the Vic. Where have they all gone? Answers on a postcard please!!

January Tournament Schedule

Have the following tournaments in my schedule for January after looking through poker in Europe.

Luton

Wed 19 Jan £ 500 + 25 No Limit Hold'em Freezeout
Fri 21 Jan £ 250 + 25 Pot Limit Hold'em Rebuys

Brighton

Sat 29 Jan £ 500 + 25 No Limit Hold'em Freezeout

Hopefully I will make a couple of final tables.

Online debut in 2005 – The year of the bluff?

Fresh from being annoyed at the mistake I had made the previous night at the Vic I decided it was time to play my first online game of the year. I started of in the Omaha Pot Limit $5/$10 on Pokerstars with $600 and finished about an hour later with $2200 for a nice profit of $1600 which went some way towards compensating for the £700 loss the previous night.
I would say that I am not normally a big bluffer in Omaha. However, the three hands below tell a different story. I enjoyed showing these bluffs to the table. The annoying thing was that I know I would have been paid of very well if I could have stuck around and waited for a monster. I just had to dash of to a party.
I wouldn’t say any of these bluffs were particularly well timed it was more of a case that I had to keep betting if I was going to pick up the pot.

Bluff 1

*********** # 4 **************
PokerStars Game #1052786173: Omaha Pot Limit ($5/$10) - 2005/01/08 - 12:19:06
(ET)
Table 'Alcathous' Seat #8 is the button
Seat 1: Glenmorangie ($1444.50 in chips)
Seat 3: MoonSky ($1663.50 in chips)
Seat 4: hamsa ($585 in chips)
Seat 5: milkybarkid ($957.50 in chips)
Seat 6: soora ($1654.50 in chips)
Seat 7: MENTOR 2 ($1279 in chips)
Seat 8: Evelyn ($2896.05 in chips)
Seat 9: **Tycoon** ($990 in chips)
**Tycoon**: posts small blind $5
Glenmorangie: posts big blind $10
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to milkybarkid [Tc Ts 9h Jh]
MoonSky: calls $10
hamsa has timed out
hamsa: folds
hamsa is sitting out
milkybarkid: raises $35 to $45
soora: folds
MENTOR 2: folds
hamsa has returned
LuckyTC is connected
LuckyTC has returned
Evelyn: folds
**Tycoon**: calls $40
Glenmorangie: folds
MoonSky: calls $35
*** FLOP *** [4c Qc Ks]
**Tycoon**: checks
MoonSky: checks
milkybarkid: bets $142
**Tycoon**: folds
MoonSky: calls $142
*** TURN *** [4c Qc Ks] [7d]
MoonSky: checks
milkybarkid: bets $426
MoonSky: calls $426
*** RIVER *** [4c Qc Ks 7d] [Qh]
MoonSky: checks
milkybarkid: bets $344.50 and is all-in
MoonSky: folds
milkybarkid collected $1278 from pot
milkybarkid: shows [Tc Ts 9h Jh] (two pair, Queens and tens)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $1281 Rake $3
Board [4c Qc Ks 7d Qh]
Seat 1: Glenmorangie (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 3: MoonSky folded on the River
Seat 4: hamsa folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: milkybarkid collected ($1278)
Seat 6: soora folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: MENTOR 2 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: Evelyn (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: **Tycoon** (small blind) folded on the Flop

Bluff 2

*********** # 1 **************
PokerStars Game #1052798463: Omaha Pot Limit ($5/$10) - 2005/01/08 - 12:23:26
(ET)
Table 'Alcathous' Seat #3 is the button
Seat 1: Glenmorangie ($1499.50 in chips)
Seat 3: MoonSky ($1000.50 in chips)
Seat 4: hamsa ($694 in chips)
Seat 5: milkybarkid ($1482.50 in chips)
Seat 6: soora ($1654.50 in chips)
Seat 7: MENTOR 2 ($1239 in chips)
Seat 8: Evelyn ($2856.05 in chips)
Seat 9: **Tycoon** ($1000 in chips)
hamsa: posts small blind $5
milkybarkid: posts big blind $10
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to milkybarkid [9c 6h Ts 5s]
soora: folds
MENTOR 2: folds
Evelyn: raises $20 to $30
**Tycoon**: folds
LuckyTC is connected
Glenmorangie: calls $30
MoonSky: calls $30
LuckyTC has returned
hamsa: calls $25
milkybarkid: calls $20
*** FLOP *** [Th Jc 8s]
hamsa: checks
milkybarkid: bets $20
Evelyn: calls $20
Glenmorangie: folds
MoonSky: folds
hamsa: calls $20
*** TURN *** [Th Jc 8s] [4h]
hamsa: checks
milkybarkid: bets $140
LuckyTC said, "sorry guys, if happens again I guess I have to stop"
Evelyn: calls $140
hamsa: folds
*** RIVER *** [Th Jc 8s 4h] [8d]
milkybarkid: bets $250
Evelyn: folds
milkybarkid collected $487 from pot
milkybarkid: shows [9c 6h Ts 5s] (two pair, Tens and Eights)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $490 Rake $3
Board [Th Jc 8s 4h 8d]
Seat 1: Glenmorangie folded on the Flop
Seat 3: MoonSky (button) folded on the Flop
Seat 4: hamsa (small blind) folded on the Turn
Seat 5: milkybarkid (big blind) collected ($487)
Seat 6: soora folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: MENTOR 2 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: Evelyn folded on the River
Seat 9: **Tycoon** folded before Flop (didn't bet)

Bluff 3

PokerStars Game #1052860704: Omaha Pot Limit ($5/$10) - 2005/01/08 - 12:44:30
(ET)
Table 'Alcathous' Seat #9 is the button
Seat 1: Glenmorangie ($1621.50 in chips)
Seat 2: LuckyTC ($2186.50 in chips)
Seat 3: MoonSky ($2005 in chips)
Seat 4: hamsa ($770 in chips)
Seat 5: milkybarkid ($1477.50 in chips)
Seat 6: soora ($1132.50 in chips)
Seat 7: MENTOR 2 ($1209 in chips)
Seat 8: Evelyn ($2880.05 in chips)
Seat 9: **Tycoon** ($1916 in chips)
Glenmorangie: posts small blind $5
LuckyTC: posts big blind $10
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to milkybarkid [8d 5h Jc 6s]
MoonSky: folds
hamsa: calls $10
milkybarkid: calls $10
MoonSky is sitting out
soora: calls $10
MENTOR 2: folds
Evelyn: raises $20 to $30
**Tycoon**: calls $30
Glenmorangie: folds
LuckyTC: calls $20
hamsa: calls $20
milkybarkid: calls $20
soora: calls $20
*** FLOP *** [6h Ks 4d]
LuckyTC: checks
hamsa: checks
milkybarkid: checks
soora: checks
Evelyn: bets $60
**Tycoon**: folds
LuckyTC: folds
hamsa: calls $60
milkybarkid: calls $60
soora: folds
*** TURN *** [6h Ks 4d] [2s]
hamsa: checks
milkybarkid: bets $100
Evelyn: calls $100
hamsa: calls $100
*** RIVER *** [6h Ks 4d 2s] [Td]
hamsa: checks
milkybarkid: bets $280
Evelyn: folds
hamsa: folds
milkybarkid collected $662 from pot
milkybarkid: shows [8d 5h Jc 6s] (a pair of Sixes)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $665 Rake $3
Board [6h Ks 4d 2s Td]
Seat 1: Glenmorangie (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 2: LuckyTC (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 3: MoonSky folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: hamsa folded on the River
Seat 5: milkybarkid collected ($662)
Seat 6: soora folded on the Flop
Seat 7: MENTOR 2 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: Evelyn folded on the River
Seat 9: **Tycoon** (button) folded on the Flop

Its official - I’m an idiot

Was back at the Vic last Friday playing the minimum £250 Dealers Choice. I started off with £700 and quickly won some big pots and was up to £2200 at one point. Maybe I should have stopped which is always easier said than done. I then went up and down till I made a ridiculous mistake. We had been playing Omaha Hi/Lo practically all evening except for the odd game of lowball and Stud. Anyway on a flop of 27K with 2 hearts and me holding the A34K I saw fit to re raise all my chips thinking I’m drawing to the nut low and the nut flush. WRONG .. I hadn’t realized the game had changed to Omaha high so in fact my £1200 had sailed in to the middle with the nut flush draw only. I didn’t even realize until after I declared I had the nut low that I had lost the entire pot. I was angry because the dealer hadn’t declared the game had changed and because the plaque which tells me what game we were playing was difficult for me to see as I was left of the dealer and the button was to the right of the dealer I couldn’t actually see it without leaning forward.

It won’t be a mistake I’ll be making again in a hurry.

In and out of trouble

I continued with my poker New Year Resolution and headed to the Vic last night to play a cash game. The only game that interested me was the minimum £250 sit down Dealers Choice. There were two bad players a couple of average ones and a good player so it was too tempting to resist.

It seemed the game of choice all evening was Omaha Hi/Lo Pot Limit. I sat down with £1000 and immediately went card dead and I mean really dead. On a 7 handed table I didn’t scoop a single pot for 90 minutes and saw A2 only once in a starting hand during that time and was down to £350. I then hit quad Kings on a KK2 flop only for someone to hit a backdoor low when I was all in to split the pot. It seemed whenever I had a high hand it flopped low and vice versa. I eventually lost my last £250 when I had the Ace flush draw and the nut low draw but the board paired on the turn and the river high card meant I lost the whole pot.

Then I had to decide whether to continue as my cards and luck were very bad.

I decided to pull out another £1000 thinking that I was due some cards and my luck would change. I quickly lost £400 of that when I held JJ in Holdem and flopped top set on a TJ7 board and my opponent hit his straight on the river after I put him all in. Another 30 minutes of getting no hands saw me down to £350 which meant I was down £1700.. yikes! I then called a £25 raise preflop with 44 and the flop was 49J with two diamonds. I check from under the gun and the player who made the initial raise bet £150. I went all in and then the guy to my left reraised another £500. The initial raiser passed. Now I feared the player to my left may have a higher set. However, this player could have a number of hands as he is very loose aggressive and he could just be isolating me heads up with a big draw. Turn a 5 and the river a 3. He says, “You got me.” He turns over the Ace flush draw. Phew finally I won a decent pot for £1100.

I then hit a few hands and won a couple of £100+ pots and found myself just £300 down for the evening. On a Hi/Low Pot Limit hand I was then dealt 23389 and it flopped 239. I raise £25 to play and one of my opponents re raised me for £100. I call. River brings a 9 to give me the complete nuts. My opponent bets £100 and I raise another £400 and he thinks for a minute then calls. River card an A so the board is 2399A. This card is evil as it gives the low and he potentially has 9A or AA as which beats my full house. He bets £1000 without thinking. Hmmm I don’t like this at all now. I guess he must have at least the low and perhaps has me completely beat. After a long think I pass and he shows me AA. It was the only card in pack he could scoop with. How lucky.

That hand really set me back as I would have been in profit for the evening of about £300 but instead was back down to £1100. I then played super aggressive and picked up some decent pots from bluffing and when I made a full house on the river and decided to call it a night with £1600 in front of me and a loss of £400 for the evening.

Overall I don’t think I played my best poker and the cards I was getting were mostly garbage. So a lucky escape I think…..

I may make an unprecedented third trip to the Vic in a week on Friday.

*STOP PRESS* I am yet to play online in 2005.

A few thoughts

I was thinking about the New No Limit Holdem game they are running at the Vic on Tuesdays with a minimum sit down of £50 and a max of £300. Online players have a bad reputation but some of what i saw was as bad if not worse to what i find online. With ante's of £1/£2 in the 90 minutes i was playing, every preflop raise had at least one caller with more often that not there being 3 callers or more. One raise of £20 pre flop saw a full table call. On a full table players were raising pre flop with small pairs and hands like JK, TK and TQ. Also players were often raising with any A preflop. There is definitely scope for a decent player to make some serious money in this game. One guy was sat at the table with £2000 when i arrived. From watching him for the duration of time i was at the table one thing was very noticeable. He played far less hands pre flop than any other player at the table. A coincidence? I think not.

I also picked up a tell on one of my opponents. I wouldn't say that noticing tells is one of the strongest assets of my poker but i definitely got one on this guy. He is quite a regular at the Vic so i shall be stalking him from now on.

It’s a New Year

The great thing about a New Year is that I have set out some poker New Year Resolutions and am going to stick to them.

The main one of these is that I am going to play a lot more live cash games as looking back on my results in 2004 I was barely in profit both online and in tournaments but cash games I did particularly well on.

So I kicked this resolution of by heading down to the Vic last night. I put myself on a waiting list for the £250 Omaha and Dealers Choice table and the £100 Omaha table. I was well down on both lists so decided to take up a seat at a new game they are running. A NL Holdem cash games with a minimum sit down of £50 and a max of £300. I have a mental block about sitting in games that I don’t really want to play in because I nearly always lose a few quid before I take a seat at a table I want to play at. I started of with £200 and the table was playing pretty crazy with 5 or 6 players quite often calling a decent raise. I lost my initial stake when I raised pre flop with AK and it flopped KJ4 and found myself all in against an opponent that had KJ. My bogey hand struck again….

Then I witnessed some terrible play. With blinds of £1/£2 a new guy who had just doubled up to £600 raised £15 to play before the flop. There were two callers. Flop ATT. The initial raiser raised £100 to play. A bit of an overbet I thought. Then the guy on the button declared himself all in for £600. The initial raiser without hesitation put the rest of his money in which was around £475. What did he have? You would have to think he must have a T or TA or AA to call such a reraise. He turned over A3 and the other guy had TK and won a £1200 pot. The guy who called with A3 then said, “This is my first game live… guess I have to pay for my lessons.”

Obviously after playing that hand so terribly he managed to hit a monster against me when he flopped the nut straight and I had a smaller straight. Luckily he didn’t bet much and I just called so it only cost me £100. I was down £300 and cursing my “stop gap” poker table. Then this hand happened. I had AQ diamonds and raised £30 to play and got 3 callers. Flop was 2TJ with two diamonds. Before the action got to me two people were all in. With three way action this was an easy call all in for my remaining £125 with a Gutshot or a diamond to give me the nuts. Turn brought a 4 and the river a Q. Well I hadn’t figured my Q as an out but it was good as both my opponents showed AJ. That pot of about £500 put me up £50 and I won another pot shortly afterwards when I made a flush on the turn and check raised my opponent who made a massive overbet of £100 and then passed to my reraise. I then went card dead and a seat finally appeared on the £100 Omaha and I left the NL Holdem table £2 in profit. That was hard work for just over an hour.

I decided to sit down with £650 on the Omaha table as I like to be amongst the deepest stacks and noticed there were a couple of maniacs on the table. Had really abysmal cards until I picked up TJQA double suited and raised £15 to play and got 5 callers. It flopped TK4 to give me a complete wrap and the second best flush draw. I raised £70 to play and got one caller on the button. The turn brought a 2 and I decided to try and win it there with a £150 bet and all I held was a pair of tens. The guy on the button called immediately and the river bought a 7. Now I had a decision to make. The pot was nearly £700 and I had put my opponent on a big draw… probably the A flush draw and maybe a similar wrap to mine. I knew the only way I could win this hand was to try and get my opponent to fold so I moved all in for £400. My opponent went into the think tank and asked me if I was bluffing. Normally I wouldn’t respond but decided too on this occasion. I just said, “If you can beat two pairs call me.” 10 seconds later he mucked his cards. I couldn’t resist showing my bluff. I knew next time that I made such a bet that I would definitely have a solid hand. I was up to £1100.

My cards then went dead and I lost one big pot when it flopped AA4 and I held AKQ8 and someone put me all in for there £250. They could only win with a 9 as they held AK98 and he hit it on the river. I was around £800 for about an hour rarely getting involved as I waited for a big hand. I then called a £10 pre flop raise with 77KQ double suited and it flopped 772. I had hit four of a kind on the flop and expecting no action. Amazingly under the gun bet £60 and three people called including me. Next card is an 8 and under the gun bet £200. I am loving this now and put on my best I have swallowed a wasp look. I call after a 1 minute think and the other two players fold. Last card a 2. he immediately bets again for £400 and I go all in for £500 knowing that he has to call which he did. I show four sevens and scoop and £1700 pot. He later tells me he had 88KK and filled up to make a 88877 full house on the turn. I then play for another 30 minutes and stay and win a few small pots and lose a few and finish with £1646.

I was just extremely happy to start 2005 of well and made a profit of £998 for my first live appearance of the year.