Monday, February 28, 2005

February 2005 Summary of Month

Here is my poker result’s for February. I am carrying on with the theme of evaluating each month like I did for January.

Online

Sessions 7
Hours Played 34
Overall Return (per session) +$1073
Win Rate (per hour) +$221
Overall Profit / Loss +$7514

I should stick to the PL Omaha online. If I remove my NL Holdem results I would be +$15000 for the month. There isn't really much more to say when things are so obvious.

Live Cash Games

Sessions 1
Hours Played 4
Overall Return (per session) +$900
Win Rate (per hour) +$225
Overall Profit / Loss +$900

I should have played more live cash games. It’s been a busy month with Deauville and my birthday week which is a partial excuse.

Festival Tournaments

Tournaments Played 5
Hours Played 15
Overall Return (per tournament) –$621
Win Rate (per hour) –$207
Overall Profit / Loss -$3107

I won my seat for the EPT main event in France on Pokerstars so these stats are made up by 3 Sit N Go's that I finished 3rd in and two side tournaments at the festival. Despite my form being out and making a few key mistakes I am still looking forward to playing in many of these upcoming tournaments.

February Profit/Loss +$5307

Yearly target +$2972

2005 Overall Profit/Loss +$16372

I was heading towards a poker loss for February until the last few days of the month when I managed to have a couple of very good online sessions on Betfair. It hasn’t been the greatest month so I am just happy to have made a profit and have hopefully learned from a few costly mistakes in tournaments and through my game selection this month.

Stars $500 NL Tournament

Thought I would have a go at the Pokerstars $500 tournament on Sunday evening. I was cruising along and above chip average with less than 300 players from 1500 remaining when I decided to give a very good example of how to play a hand badly all the way through.

Transcript for last 5 games requested by
Milkybarkid
*********** # 1 **************
PokerStars Game #1280039080: Tournament #5285433, Hold'em No Limit - Level
IX
(300/600) - 2005/02/27 - 19:37:43 (ET)
Table '5285433 3' Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: SNM1018 (36980 in chips)
Seat 2: ClayListon (28980 in chips)
Seat 3: milkybarkid (13447 in chips)
Seat 4: Rosebudd (37532 in chips)
Seat 5: PICKLED EGG (4905 in chips)
Seat 6: lucky karma (5200 in chips)
Seat 7: VO Viv (19116 in chips)
Seat 8: l'artiste (18250 in chips)
Seat 9: swirly (4198 in chips)
SNM1018: posts the ante 50
ClayListon: posts the ante 50
milkybarkid: posts the ante 50
Rosebudd: posts the ante 50
PICKLED EGG: posts the ante 50
lucky karma: posts the ante 50
VO Viv: posts the ante 50
l'artiste: posts the ante 50
swirly: posts the ante 50
milkybarkid: posts small blind 300
Rosebudd: posts big blind 600
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to milkybarkid [Kc Ks]
PICKLED EGG: folds
ragu46 [observer] said, "nh clay"
lucky karma: folds
VO Viv: folds
l'artiste: folds
swirly: folds
SNM1018: folds
ClayListon: folds
milkybarkid: raises 600 to 1200
Rosebudd: calls 600
*** FLOP *** [Kh 3h 2c]
milkybarkid: bets 1200
Rosebudd: raises 2400 to 3600
milkybarkid: calls 2400
*** TURN *** [Kh 3h 2c] [Qh]
ClayListon said, "fell into one"
milkybarkid: checks
Rosebudd: checks
*** RIVER *** [Kh 3h 2c Qh] [Js]
milkybarkid: bets 8597 and is all-in
Rosebudd: calls 8597
*** SHOW DOWN ***
milkybarkid: shows [Kc Ks] (three of a kind, Kings)
Rosebudd: shows [8h 4h] (a flush, King high)
Rosebudd collected 27244 from pot

Friday, February 25, 2005

Omaha Loving

Stayed up all last night and plowed through a full table of Omaha players on Betfair. By 8am this morning they had all disappeared and all lost except me and one other guy who won about £2000. The table was extremely loose. I was down £2500 at one point and finished with just short of £6000 in front of me. Considering the max sit down is £500 that is a monster stack. I also hit a Royal Flush which gave me a £300 bonus. Here were the three biggest pots I was involved in. I had started my end of month report yesterday... this result has helped no end for my February figures.

Hand 1

The first hand I took a major risk just calling with top set on the flop but it reaped dividends.

Omaha High Pot Limit (£2.50/£5) - 2005/02/25 - 03:59:20 (GMT)
Table "Iris" Seat 2 is the button.
Seat 2: Mervbluff (£936 in chips)
Seat 3: jimmywan (£1354.22 in chips)
Seat 4: Milkybarkid (£2691.04 in chips)
Seat 5: Slushie (£904.50 in chips)
Seat 6: dubchambr (£1395 in chips)
Seat 7: spkatrsl (£732 in chips)
Seat 8: moras (£1498.32 in chips)
Seat 9: the-fire (£624.50 in chips)
Seat 10: silver17 (£422.50 in chips)
jimmywan: posts small blind £2.50
Milkybarkid: posts big blind £5
----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to Milkybarkid [7d 9d Kc Kd]
Slushie: folds
dubchambr: calls £5
spkatrsl: folds
moras: calls £5
the-fire: calls £5
silver17: calls £5
Mervbluff: calls £5
jimmywan: calls £2.50
Milkybarkid: raises to £22
dubchambr: calls £17
moras: calls £17
the-fire: calls £17
silver17: calls £17
Mervbluff: folds
jimmywan: calls £17
----- FLOP ----- [2d Ts Kh]
jimmywan: checks
Milkybarkid: checks
dubchambr: checks
moras: checks
the-fire: checks
silver17: bets £137
jimmywan: calls £137
Milkybarkid: calls £137
dubchambr: calls £137
moras: folds
the-fire: folds
----- TURN ----- [2d Ts Kh][3h]
jimmywan: bets £685
Milkybarkid: raises to £2532.04 and is all-in
dubchambr: folds
silver17: folds
jimmywan: is all-in £510.22
Returned uncalled bets £1,336.82 to Milkybarkid
----- RIVER ----- [2d Ts Kh 3h][9s]
----- SHOW DOWN -----
Milkybarkid: shows [7d 9d Kc Kd] (Three of a kind, Kings, Ten high)
jimmywan: shows [4c 2h Td 5c] (Two Pairs, Tens and Twos, King high)
Milkybarkid collected £3072.44 from Main pot
----- SUMMARY -----
Total pot £3075.44 Main pot £3072.44 Rake £3
Board [2d Ts Kh 3h 9s]
Seat 2: Mervbluff (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: jimmywan (small blind) lost
Seat 4: Milkybarkid (big blind) showed [7d 9d Kc Kd] and won (£3072.44) with Three of a kind, Kings, Ten high
Seat 5: Slushie folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: dubchambr folded on the Turn
Seat 7: spkatrsl folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: moras folded on the Flop
Seat 9: the-fire folded on the Flop
Seat 10: silver17 folded on the Turn

Hand 2

Here is a huge pot that I lost. He probably read me for the flush draw on the flop or a steal but he was pot committed once he had reraised me.

Omaha High Pot Limit (£2.50/£5) - 2005/02/25 - 05:23:43 (GMT)
Table "Iris" Seat 5 is the button.
Seat 2: DevilFitz (£493 in chips)
Seat 4: Milkybarkid (£3777.01 in chips)
Seat 5: Slushie (£456.50 in chips)
Seat 7: spkatrsl (£1034 in chips)
Seat 9: the-fire (£1538.50 in chips)
Seat 10: Kovax (£484.50 in chips)
spkatrsl: posts small blind £2.50
the-fire: posts big blind £5
----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to Milkybarkid [Ad Qd 4c As]
Kovax: calls £5
DevilFitz: calls £5
Milkybarkid: raises to £27.50
Slushie: folds
spkatrsl: calls £25
the-fire: calls £22.50
Kovax: calls £22.50
DevilFitz: calls £22.50
----- FLOP ----- [5s 3h 2h]
spkatrsl: checks
the-fire: checks
Kovax: checks
DevilFitz: checks
Milkybarkid: bets £137.50
spkatrsl: raises to £550
the-fire: folds
Kovax: folds
DevilFitz: folds
Milkybarkid: raises to £1787.50
spkatrsl: is all-in £456.50
Returned uncalled bets £781 to Milkybarkid
----- TURN ----- [5s 3h 2h][4h]
----- RIVER ----- [5s 3h 2h 4h][5h]
----- SHOW DOWN -----
Milkybarkid: shows [Ad Qd 4c As] (A Straight, Five high)
spkatrsl: shows [8h 5d 3d 3s] (A Full House, Fives full of Threes)
spkatrsl collected £2147.50 from Main pot
----- SUMMARY -----
Total pot £2150.50 Main pot £2147.50 Rake £3
Board [5s 3h 2h 4h 5h]
Seat 2: DevilFitz folded on the Flop
Seat 4: Milkybarkid lost
Seat 5: Slushie (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: spkatrsl (small blind) showed [8h 5d 3d 3s] and won (£2147.50) with A Full House, Fives full of Threes
Seat 9: the-fire (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 10: Kovax folded on the Flop

Hand 3

Amazingly he gave it all back and more on the very next hand. My call on the flop was loose. I had a big smile on my face when he called my river bet :-)

Omaha High Pot Limit (£2.50/£5) - 2005/02/25 - 05:25:27 (GMT)
Table "Iris" Seat 7 is the button.
Seat 2: DevilFitz (£465.50 in chips)
Seat 4: Milkybarkid (£2743.01 in chips)
Seat 5: Slushie (£456.50 in chips)
Seat 7: spkatrsl (£2147.50 in chips)
Seat 9: the-fire (£1511 in chips)
Seat 10: Kovax (£457 in chips)
the-fire: posts small blind £2.50
Kovax: posts big blind £5
----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to Milkybarkid [6h Ac 3s 3d]
DevilFitz: folds
Milkybarkid: raises to £17.50
Slushie: raises to £60
spkatrsl: calls £60
the-fire: folds
Kovax: calls £55
Milkybarkid: calls £42.50
----- FLOP ----- [Jc 5d 4d]
Kovax: checks
Milkybarkid: checks
Slushie: bets £242.50
spkatrsl: calls £242.50
Kovax: folds
Milkybarkid: calls £242.50
----- TURN ----- [Jc 5d 4d][3h]
Milkybarkid: checks
Slushie: checks
spkatrsl: checks
----- RIVER ----- [Jc 5d 4d 3h][2s]
Milkybarkid: bets £970
Slushie: folds
spkatrsl: calls £970
----- SHOW DOWN -----
Milkybarkid: shows [6h Ac 3s 3d] (A Straight, Six high)
spkatrsl: mucks hand
Milkybarkid collected £2907 from Main pot
----- SUMMARY -----
Total pot £2910 Main pot £2907 Rake £3
Board [Jc 5d 4d 3h 2s]
Seat 2: DevilFitz folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: Milkybarkid showed [6h Ac 3s 3d] and won (£2907) with A Straight, Six high
Seat 5: Slushie folded on the River
Seat 7: spkatrsl (button) mucked
Seat 9: the-fire (small blind) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 10: Kovax (big blind) folded on the Flop

Thursday, February 24, 2005

Surfing around ......

I was reading Daniel Negreanu's blog and he wrote the following "In two days I'm down $441,000 which is nowhere near the biggest loser over that stretch. In fact, you can win half a million in an hour in that game, or lose it of course...... So while $441,000 is a lot of money in the real world, in that game it's not much of a figure at all. I'm totally comfortable with the figure personally and genuinely not worried about it. "

It got me thinking about how much money the players in that game have. Surely to play in a game where a game where you can win or lose $500000 in an hour then you need a huge bankroll. I am thinking $25-50 Million or something along those lines. Whilst i know there is alot of money floating about amongst the top players i just don't see where they get that kind of bankroll from. Assuming that the level of skill in the $4000/$8000 game is extremely high any player could surely go broke if they had a really bad couple of months.

My boredom in work reminds me why March 24th is such a big date in my calendar.

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Omaha Questions

I was scouring the net and i came across 20 questions by Tom McEvoy on Omaha Hi/Lo Split. I scored 16/20. On three i could see how my answer could be wrong but I think he is wrong on the following question.

You have 4-5-6-7 with one suit in middle position with two limpers. Your play is?

a) Call
b) Fold
c) Raise

Your Answer: Fold
Correct Answer: Call.

For me this is a clear fold before the flop. Does anyone else agree?

Ok so i am bored today so here is a little Omaha quiz i have put together.

The game is nine handed on Pokerstars. Each player starts with $1000 in front of them, blinds are $5/$10. I know this doesn't go in to detail on how each particular opponent may play but that would have been too complex. Assume the players are average/good aggressive players.

1) There is a small raise to $30 and you call on the button with 6d7d8c9c and 5 players see a flop of 7h10hJs so you have flopped the nut straight. Small blind bets $150, two players pass, and the player to act before you reraises to $400. You are sat there with $970. Do you?

a) Raise all in
b) Call
c) Fold

2) You are in the small blind. Pre flop under the gun raises $25 to play and there are 3 callers before the button who makes it $150 to play. You hold JcQdKcKd what do you do?

a) Fold
b) Call
c) Raise

3) You are on the button. Five players including you see the flop, one raise to $60 to play, pot size $300. You hold AdJdJh7c and the flop is 4d5d6c. First to speak bets $200 and another player moves all in for $700. You have $900 in front of you... your move?

a) fold
b) call
c) Raise all in

4) You in the small blind with Ah 9h Ac 6d and raise to $50 to play and all 9 players see a flop of AdThJh. Pot size is $450. You are first to speak .... what do you do?

a) Bet pot
b) Make a bet less than the pot
c) Check and if someone bets call any amount
d) Check and if there is a bet raise
e) Check and if there is a bet pass

5) You are in a late position and call $40 to play with JdQdKc8c. There are 3 other players who see the flop which is JcQc4h. First to speak bets $160, both other players call. Its on you.. do you?

a) fold
b) call
c) Raise less than the pot
d) Raise the pot

Monday, February 21, 2005

Deauville Trip Report

Main Event

It all started so well. I was placed on a table with 6 American Online qualifiers 3 of which had never played live. The only decent one was to my left and I think he went on to win it........

Starting chips were 10000 and I picked up a number of pots early on with some well timed bluffs as I was hardly seeing a hand. I think because they traveled so far to play they were very reluctant to call and sort of raise on the early levels. I was up to 20000 chips and called a raise from the only French player at the table who had slightly less chips than me with 88. I flopped a full house on a board of 8TT. I decided to lead out aggressively as I knew he would be less inclined to believe I had a made hand. I raised 1500 and he reraise me 3000.. :-) The tactic had worked. Turn brings a 4 and he bets 3500. I call after a short dwell and the last card is a 2. He bet 3500 again and I moved all in. He though for about two minutes and called and flipped over 44. What a nice turn that made him his losing full house. I was up to 40000 chips which at that early stage can't have been too far short of the chip lead. Then I had a terrible level when I lost with QQ twice and JJ twice... which set me back to about 30000 chips.

A young Scandinavian player then moved to the table and started raising alot of pots and he had about 27000 chips in front of him. After a few battles between me and him I limped under the gun. Blinds were 200/400. I am not going to say what hand I had as I want anyone who reads this to decide whether I played this hand badly or whether he did. I had not limped before this hand under the gun all night before this hand. He limped as well and the small blind passed leaving three of us in the pot. Flop KJ4 with two diamonds on the board. It’s checked to him and he bets 1000. I check raised him another 2500 and he then reraised me another 4000. I called immediately. There were now about 15000 chips in the middle. Turn is a T and I moved all in for nearly 20000 chips...... he thought for about 2 minutes before calling and flipping over KT for two pairs which held up on the river leaving me crippled and I was out about 5 minutes later. Considering my limp and check raise on the flop I could easily have held KK, JJ, KJ all of which would have him drawing dead.... but maybe I read too much into these things. I definitely wouldn't have called a reraise on the flop with top pair T kicker. I also know had the turn brought anything but a T or a K that he had decided to muck his hand if I moved all in (he told me that later). Incidentally he was 5th chip leader going into the second day and he was out after about an hour.

Time for a moan

My tournament form is seriously out at the moment. In the last 5 live tournaments I have played I have not once had AA or KK once which accumulating the hours played is probably 25-30 hours. I know that getting those hands is not the making of a tournament but it would help sometimes. In Deauville I had QQ no less than 6 times. I didn't win with them once. My favorite moment which sums up my form at the moment was during the 1000 Euro tournament. I had built my chips up from 5000 to just over 12000 chips and I was against a player with about 5000 chips. I had QQ in the big blind and reraised him all in after his initial raise. He flips over AK and hits an A on the flop. Fair enough it was a coin flip so no bad beat there. Very next hand I pick up AK suited. It’s folded round to me in the small blind and I raise a small amount and the big blind moves in for 7000 chips. I call and he shows QQ. First card out on the flop a Q and I am out. AK is another of my big moans at the moment. In France and Luton I have not once hit a single A or K when I have committed any chips with it preflop.

Place and People

The tournament was very well run and there was a giant cinema screen so you could see how many players were left, the prize pool, blinds and any other useful information whilst you were involved in a tournament. I finally met fellow blogger Mike Lacey who had a very good result in the main event. I'm sure he will write a full report on his blog soon. I think the people that travel around and play on the tournament circuit are far nicer than those you meet in the card rooms in the UK. Deauville is a nice venue for a poker tournament as well. It’s kind of like the Cannes of the north with lots of designer shops and nice restaurants. I think the EPT will grow and grow and before long the main events will be attracting 300-500 runners.

Oh and before I forget. French poker players are miserable gits.

Highlight of the week

After finishing 3rd in 3 250 Euro Sit n Go's I played in a 30 Euro Hi Low Stud Sit n Go with Julian Thew, Bad Girl, Steve Vladar and Mike Lacey and after studying High Low Split Poker for Advanced Players by Ray Zee on the way over I can say that I decimated the field and picked up a whopping 270 Euros for my troubles. lol. It was great fun and I am definitely going to be able to utilise my new found knowledge in that game when I play in the Dealers Choice at the Vic.

Talking of the Vic. I am going to have to play a few cash games before the end of February if I am going to turn around my figures for February which are not looking great at the moment. Online and Live are +$$$ but bad tournaments in Luton and Deauville mean that I am looking at a slightly negative month as things stand.

Monday, February 14, 2005

Time to give up NL Holdem cash

Well I was going to have a poker break before Deauville but my weekend in Jersey was cancelled by fog at the last minute. So effectively I had a totally free weekend to put in some hours playing poker.

I spied one of the worst Omaha players on Betfair £2/£5 PL game sitting on his own just waiting to dump some money to me. So I sat down to play heads up and he got so lucky against me that half an hour later he had taken about £700 of me. Then he left not surprisingly as his luck couldn't last. Every draw he hit and every draw I had I missed... that’s poker I guess.

So I decided in my eternal wisdom that the best place to play next would be the £5/£10 NL Holdem. I can honestly say that I actually didn't make a really bad play in any pot but 2 hours later I had lost £2000. One player was £5000 up and playing the worst poker I had ever seen. He was raising 90% of hands preflop to £70-£100 to play. My highlight was when I was in the big blind and he was on the small blind he predictably raised my blind to £100 and I RR him with KK and he went back over the top for another £500 to put me all in. Surely he couldn't have AA. I called and he showed a monster. JQ suited. The first two cards down on the flop were JQ and no help for me on the turn or river... leaving me fuming again. So after a few hours of play I found myself down £3000. This was not a time to start chasing or going on tilt so I decided to head of to the gym and take my frustration out on a squash ball which I did.

These valuable lessons are certainly expensive but I just cannot beat the big NL Holdem cash games at the moment. Every time I hit a big hand everyone passes and if they do call me or raise they keep hitting miracles to outdraw me. I have only played about 6 hours online on the £5/£10 tables but I am nearly £5000 down. Its not that I am playing badly it’s just a bad run but I am not going to risk trying to reverse these figures for the time being.

So I returned to my best game PL Omaha determined to try and put the mornings terrible session to the back of my mind. I was multi tabling on a £2/£5 and $2/$5 and after 6 hours of solid play I was £3800 up!

I ended the day £800 up. I should read these figures below every time I decide what game to play online.

2005

Online NL Holdem -£5200
Online PL Omaha +£7800

I should keep looking at those figures over and over again till my brain finally processes the information.

I am setting a bounty. Should anyone find me playing on the £5/£10 NL Holdem game on Betfair I will send you a cheque of £50.

My ID is Bennyboi

Thursday, February 10, 2005

February fraggles

I haven’t played too much poker of late. A couple of major suckouts in online cash games that cost me over £2000 when I had less than 5% chance of losing both hands earlier in the week prompted my decision not to play again until Deauville. Hopefully opponents have used up there 1 card miracles against me for February. I also want to be ably to play with a positive attitude so a few days break will do me good. If I get knocked out early then there are some other tournaments and I am hoping the cash games will be good.

I still am not playing as much live as I would like. Like 2004 my Live performances have reaped far greater rewards than online. I am not too worried about not playing much because as soon as the end of March arrives I will be able to put play wherever and whenever I choose.

I am also going to celebrate my new found freedom by playing every event at the Vic festival in March/April as it starts the week after I finish work. This could potentially be a 3 weeks of poker mayhem for me…. Possibly a very expensive one too.

The Vic

Mon, 28 Mar Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Unlimited Re-buys £250

Tue, 29 Mar No Limit Holdem Freezeout £750

Wed, 30 Mar Pot Limit Holdem Unlimited Re-buys + 1 Add-on 90 £200

Thu, 31 Mar Double chance Pot Limit Omaha Freezeout £1000

Sat, 02 Apr Championship Event No Limit Holdem Freezeout £1500

Sun, 03 Apr No Limit Holdem Freezeout £300

The Gutshot

Tue, 05 Apr No Limit Holdem Freezeout £150

Wed, 06 Apr Pot Limit Omaha Unlimited Rebuys £100

Fri, 08 Apr Pot Limit Holdem Unlimited Rebuys £100

Sat, 09 Apr Main Event No Limit Holdem Freezeout £750

Luton Grosvenor

Mon, 11 Apr Pot Limit Holdem Unlimited Rebuys £150

Tue, 12 Apr No Limit Holdem Rebuys £150

Wed, 13 Apr Pot Limit Holdem Freezeout £300

Thu, 14 Apr Double ChanceNo Limit Holdem Freezeout £500

Fri, 15 Apr Pot Limit Holdem Unlimited Rebuys £250

Sat, 16 Apr Main Event No Limit Holdem Freezeout £1000

Monday, February 07, 2005

Change of Omaha tactics

Made my first visit to the Vic for a while on Friday and eventually got a seat in the £100 PLO. Surveying the scene they were rocks, rocks and more rocks.

Ok time for a change of tactics me thinks. I decided to sit down with the most money on the table and raise pre flop on every hand blind if there hadn't been a raise before it reached me. I knew the players and the majority would be very happy to see every flop as cheaply as possible. I was actually raising most of the time before the flop blind. Whilst many would see this tactic as crazy i know that post flop play is far more significant in Omaha and a good pre flop strategy doesn't necessarily make you a good player. In an instant i had changed the table from one that would often only have £10-£15 in the pot on the flop to one where there was always over £50 on the flop. My persistant raising also made it very difficult for the short stacks to play because having £100-£200 is not going to get you far when every hand is £10-£20 to see the flop.

The result...

Well i sat down with £1000 and stopped about an hour later with £1450. My tactic had worked. I picked up a lot of £50 pots on the flop because my opponents knew i was playing blind and therefore could literally represent any hand on the flop. If i had played my usual game on that table i would have ended up about even. It also seemed to force my opponents into calling me with more marginal hands than they usually would.

I also played in the Dealers Choice for a while but nothing interesting to report there..... ended up +£450 to put me in profit for February for the first time.

Thursday, February 03, 2005

They say old habits die hard....

Well it had to happen. I did manage to go through a month and not go on tilt online.

Till this happened.

I was cruising along in the £5/£10 NL Holdem on Betfair when the following happened.

Sitting with AA in the big blind I was pleased when my foe raised it to £50 to play... I called and just the two of us saw a flop of AJT rainbow. I check and he bets out £500. A massive overbet. It’s really an easy re-raise though because there is no way I thought this player would bet so much with the nuts and even if he does have QK I still have 35% of winning this hand. I reraise him his remaining £200 and he types "oops" in the chatbox and then calls. He turns over AK. Q on the turn and no pair up and he wins a pot of £1500.

Later I did the following analysis of hand that he could have had.

Worst case scenario

AA v QK = 35% chance of winning

Other more likely scenarios

AA v any two pair = 97%
AA v trip J or T = 93%
Gutshot draw = 88%

So I lost to a 12% chance. I think I can cope with bad beats now but not horrific 12% ones in £1500 pots.

So yes I went on tilt.... at one point I was down £2000. Thank god for Omaha and heads up......

At least when I am playing ultra aggressively in Omaha I still only commit my entire stack when I have the right pot odds unlike in NL Holdem when my play is generally very bad if I am tilting.

I also played heads up £2/£5 NL Holdem after I gave up on the ring game..... I actually thought I played very well and turned my £300 on there into £700.

Overall I ended up £500 down if I include a small win on VC but it could have been much worse.

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

I'm bored in work today

I have been through the tournament schedules on Poker In Europe for the forthcoming months and noticed that the Vic have published their schedule for The Poker Classics 28 Mar - 03 Apr 2005

One thing that struck me in particular is that they have scheduled in the following tournament:

Thurs March 31st
£ 1000 + 30
Double chance Pot Limit Omaha Freezeout

They have obviously noted that during recent festivals that the Omaha Tournaments in particular seem to be dying. Recently in the Luton festival there was only 49 runners.

Perhaps making it a freezeout is the way forward. Many players avoid the Omaha tournaments simply because a lot of people are willing to buy in 3 or 4 times plus a top up especially when they have sponsorship. Making it a freezeout will certainly make it a lot more popular in my opinion. This is one tournament that I am very much looking forward to playing in.

Deauville is only a couple of weeks away. Unless I get a decent result there then I am going to struggle to reach my financial target this month. It is literally manic in work plus I have a birthday weekend and two weekends abroad including Deauville so will have less time than usual to get some decent poker playing time in.

I also watched the EPT London event last night that was shown on Eurosport which I had taped. Whilst I can see that the EPT is a great thing for the poker players in Europe I have to question the quality of a few things. The commentary was very bad, they gave no indication of how big the raises were in relation to the blinds and also due to the highlighting John Falconer had managed to make it down to the final two and I can only remember them showing one pot that he had won to get there.

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

Well it wasn't quite the end of the month

Online

Sessions 8
Hours Played 20
Overall Return (per session) +$505.00
Win Rate (per hour) +$202.00
Overall Profit/Loss +$4040.00

Whoops a last minute adjustment to my January figures. Played on Betfair for a few hours last night and lost $500. I seem to have gone completely card dead playing Hold em at the moment. I played 4 hours in the festival at Brighton last weekend and 3 hours on two tables last night. During that time I have not once seen AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT and had AK just once. That is about 10 hours of play when you include playing on two tables last night. During that time I have also not once hit the flop in a major way. No sets, straights, flushes…………

Luckily I managed to triple my buy in on the Omaha table or I would have lost $2000.

I’m definitely hoping that my cards improve significantly for the EPT event in Deauville in a few weeks.