Well i have been trying to claw back what was a horrific start to the year online. I had five £10000+ losses in consecutive sessions at the start of the year which wasn't exactly how i was planning my 2006.
I have been putting in a huge number of hours since to try and turn it around with reasonable success. The amount i lost has been just over halved. When i had a bad run in November, i didn't think it could happen again so bad, but this one was just much much worse. I kicked off the first session playing £10/£20 Holdem and lost £8000 in 30 mins on one table. Set over set three times in that period which is something like an 94/1 shot each time. That was going to set the tone for the next week or so. Grim.
Some of the hands i have lost just were unbelievable. Here are a couple of the very worst.
£10/£20 NL Holdem - 6 handed. I have £8000 in front of me. Early guy who has me covered makes it £60... 3 callers and i call in the BB with 5c6c. Flop 2c3c8d. I bet out £160 and original raiser makes it £500. Everyone folds to me and i call. The turn is the beautiful 4h which gives me the nuts and he can't put me on my hand either. I check and he bets £1000. I minimum raise it to £2000 and he pushes me in for about another £5500. He has a set of eights and the last eight gives him quads on the river.
£10/£20 NL Holdem - 3 handed. I have £9000. Both other players have £5000. I get dealt TT. I make it £60 on the button. SB calls. BB makes it £180. I call and the SB calls. Flop T33. SB checks. BB bets £250. I call. SB makes it £500. BB calls. I call. Turn 9h. SB bets £700. BB goes all in. I call as does the SB. SB has A3, BB has AA. River was of course the case Ace.
I could write about another eight similar, but those were the biggest two with a combined total of over £30000.
During the run i was even tilting too badly considering... only 10% of what i lost was probably tilt losses. The other difference between November and January is that when i was running bad at PL Omaha, i was winning at NL Holdem. This time i couldn't win a big pot at any game. I did resist the temptation to play the big limit game to try and win it back quick.
For some reason i found this amusing in a sick kind of way. I installed poker tracker towards the start of December and when i returned to playing in January i was happily sitting pretty as the biggest winner on my poker tracker Holdem and Omaha. The way Crypto hand histories work, it only includes sessions when i am at the table, so if i am winning its always going to be the case that i appear as the biggest winner. I looked after loading in my hand histories for January...
161st out of 161 at NL Holdem
78th out of 78 at PL Omaha
My next tournament is in a couple of weeks in Deauville for an EPT event... then on to Monte Carlo for the EPT final.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Oz Update
Apologies for the lack of posts. I wrote an essay the other day then blogger crashed so i coudn't be bothered typing it all out again.
Main Event
Here is what i can remember.
Day 1
20000 starting chips and a 90 minute clock. Two players kept opening for eight big blinds which was very frustrating when you can't find a hand.
- Second hand of the day! Blinds 50/100. I make up the SB with JsKs. BB makes it 200 to play. I call as does the button. Flop 9sTsQh. Bingo. I check. Initial raiser bets 500. I make it 1200. Button passes. He calls. Turn 5h. I bet 2200. He calls. River a spade to give me second nut flush. I bet 2200 again. He now reraises me 4000 more. I call and he shows AsQs. So halved my stack after two minutes.
- Built back up to 13000. Blinds 100/200. AsKs in the cut off. Middle position makes it 800 to play. He has 4200 so i put him all in. He calls with AcKc. Flop 7cTcQc. Mmmmmmm back down to 9000 and feeling tilty.
- Very next hand. UTG makes it 1000. Three callers. I peek down and find KK. I move all in. UTG thinks for a bit then calls with AK. I ask the table if anyone passed an Ace and three people said yes. Felt a bit safer after that and i was back up to 20000 ish.
- This hand was just sick. Blinds 150/300. I have Kd2d in the BB. UTG makes it 600. The whole table calls and i make up the BB. Flop Kh2h2s. Perfect. I check. UTG raiser makes it 3000. I call. Turn an A. I check. He bets 3000. I make it 8000. He calls in a flash. River another Ace. I check and he moves all in and i fold. I show my K2 and he shows AhTh so was flushing on the flop then runner runnered me. Down to 7000 and the big tilt was about to begin.
- Got back up to 10000. Blinds 150/300. Loose player makes it 1200 to play in middle position. I have Kd7d. I make it 4000. He calls. Hmmm. Flop QT7. He checks. I move all in. He folds JJ face up. Phew.
- This was the big bluff though. Got back up to 17000. Blinds 250/500. Last level of the day. I raised to 1700 with AcJc in middle position. The biggest calling station called on the button. Flop Ad6d5d. He leads out with a bet of 2500. Now i had watched this guy for hours and if he had a flush or two pair he would have check raised me. Ruled out AK or AQ as he would have reraised preflop. So i put him on an A with a 89T. Possibly with a diamond. Turn a 4c. He bet 2500 again. I just called. River a diamond and he 3500 into a pot of about 14000. I moved all in for 10000 so quick and he passed even quicker. AsTd face up. Got the read right on that one. Finished with 29000 and average is 32000.
Day 2
Had a great starting table and quickly got up to 40000 when i was moved to the feature table with Marcel Luske to my right and Phil Ivey to my left with chips. Hmmmm. Between them they were raising 80% of hands preflop at least.
- Blinds 400/800, i decided to raise under the gun to 3000 with 3h5h just to try and pick up the blinds. I picked up a caller so i knew i would probably have to bluff to pick up the pot. It flopped Ts7hJd. I checked to see what my opponent did and he checked as well. The turn was a Kh. I checked again and he bet 3500. I looked at him and my read was that he wasn't very strong, so i reraised him another 10000 and he passed quickly.
- Blinds 600/1200. I raised under the gun to 6000 with KsKc and picked up one caller. It flopped 3s4c5h and i checked to him hoping he would bluff. He obliged and made it 13000, i moved all in for 33000 and he passed.
- This was my downfall. Blinds were 800/1600 and I had 67000 chips before the hand. I was dealt 7h7d and as there were already two limpers, i called to see a flop. The flop came Ad5h7c, which was the perfect flop for me as anyone with an Ace was likely to bet. Everyone checked to me, and i checked hoping Ivey would raise behind me. He checked though and the turn was a Td bringing the flush draw. The player who had been in the big blind now bet 15000 into a pot of 10000 ish. It was almost impossible for him to have TT or AA as he would have raised before the flop. I decided to just call knowing he would bet again on the river as he had put me on a draw. The river was a 4c. He thought then bet 20000. The only hands i could be losing to are 23, TT or AA so i called. He had 2d3d so had made an straight. He hit the only card to take the majority of my chips and i was out shortly after. Maybe i should have settled for what was in the pot and pushed in on the turn.
- Was steaming a little. Had 30000 left. I get dealt one King then the second but it flips over so i missed having KK on the button. In that hand middle poition raised and Ivey put him all in with QQ so i missed out on a certain double up. I knew it wasn't to be after that.
- Final hand. Dealt J9... Everyone folded to Ivey's big blind as they had kept doing. I decided i was sick of him raising when i made up the SB, so decided next time i would push all in. I made the SB up and he raised as always, and i pushed in. He thought then called with AT. I flopped a flush draw but missed and was out. Does he have to have a hand EVERYTIME? Finished 90th out of 450... long time to play with no reward.
On a side note Ivey knocked out Marcel with a great call. Ivey raised UTG to 3500 to play. Blinds were 600/1200. Marcel called on the button. Flop 29T rainbow. Ivey bet 5000. Marcel pushed all in for about 25000. Ivey ponders for 2/3 minutes.... then says i am calling as i think you have JQ which is the only hand i am dominating. Ivey turns over QK and wins the pot with K high.
Cash has been fairly torturous throughout the whole month. When the first session you play someone hits set over set three times in 30 mins costing me £2000 a pop i should have seen it coming. Playing four tables of £10/£20 when form is out is not a good thing. Things have turned around very slightly, and at least i have't had a £10000 loss for about a week now. With the aid of my poker tracker i will post some of the huge pots i have won (about 6) and lost (about 27) when i get back to London next week.
I had a few questions about my rakeback offer on Crypto as well. The rakeback does include tournament (STTs, MTTs). For all those who contacted me. There were so many i can't remember who i confirmed the rakeback with. Everything should have gone through. If you don't get your rakeback on around the 3rd of next month under the title "credit" in your statement, contact me again.
Main Event
Here is what i can remember.
Day 1
20000 starting chips and a 90 minute clock. Two players kept opening for eight big blinds which was very frustrating when you can't find a hand.
- Second hand of the day! Blinds 50/100. I make up the SB with JsKs. BB makes it 200 to play. I call as does the button. Flop 9sTsQh. Bingo. I check. Initial raiser bets 500. I make it 1200. Button passes. He calls. Turn 5h. I bet 2200. He calls. River a spade to give me second nut flush. I bet 2200 again. He now reraises me 4000 more. I call and he shows AsQs. So halved my stack after two minutes.
- Built back up to 13000. Blinds 100/200. AsKs in the cut off. Middle position makes it 800 to play. He has 4200 so i put him all in. He calls with AcKc. Flop 7cTcQc. Mmmmmmm back down to 9000 and feeling tilty.
- Very next hand. UTG makes it 1000. Three callers. I peek down and find KK. I move all in. UTG thinks for a bit then calls with AK. I ask the table if anyone passed an Ace and three people said yes. Felt a bit safer after that and i was back up to 20000 ish.
- This hand was just sick. Blinds 150/300. I have Kd2d in the BB. UTG makes it 600. The whole table calls and i make up the BB. Flop Kh2h2s. Perfect. I check. UTG raiser makes it 3000. I call. Turn an A. I check. He bets 3000. I make it 8000. He calls in a flash. River another Ace. I check and he moves all in and i fold. I show my K2 and he shows AhTh so was flushing on the flop then runner runnered me. Down to 7000 and the big tilt was about to begin.
- Got back up to 10000. Blinds 150/300. Loose player makes it 1200 to play in middle position. I have Kd7d. I make it 4000. He calls. Hmmm. Flop QT7. He checks. I move all in. He folds JJ face up. Phew.
- This was the big bluff though. Got back up to 17000. Blinds 250/500. Last level of the day. I raised to 1700 with AcJc in middle position. The biggest calling station called on the button. Flop Ad6d5d. He leads out with a bet of 2500. Now i had watched this guy for hours and if he had a flush or two pair he would have check raised me. Ruled out AK or AQ as he would have reraised preflop. So i put him on an A with a 89T. Possibly with a diamond. Turn a 4c. He bet 2500 again. I just called. River a diamond and he 3500 into a pot of about 14000. I moved all in for 10000 so quick and he passed even quicker. AsTd face up. Got the read right on that one. Finished with 29000 and average is 32000.
Day 2
Had a great starting table and quickly got up to 40000 when i was moved to the feature table with Marcel Luske to my right and Phil Ivey to my left with chips. Hmmmm. Between them they were raising 80% of hands preflop at least.
- Blinds 400/800, i decided to raise under the gun to 3000 with 3h5h just to try and pick up the blinds. I picked up a caller so i knew i would probably have to bluff to pick up the pot. It flopped Ts7hJd. I checked to see what my opponent did and he checked as well. The turn was a Kh. I checked again and he bet 3500. I looked at him and my read was that he wasn't very strong, so i reraised him another 10000 and he passed quickly.
- Blinds 600/1200. I raised under the gun to 6000 with KsKc and picked up one caller. It flopped 3s4c5h and i checked to him hoping he would bluff. He obliged and made it 13000, i moved all in for 33000 and he passed.
- This was my downfall. Blinds were 800/1600 and I had 67000 chips before the hand. I was dealt 7h7d and as there were already two limpers, i called to see a flop. The flop came Ad5h7c, which was the perfect flop for me as anyone with an Ace was likely to bet. Everyone checked to me, and i checked hoping Ivey would raise behind me. He checked though and the turn was a Td bringing the flush draw. The player who had been in the big blind now bet 15000 into a pot of 10000 ish. It was almost impossible for him to have TT or AA as he would have raised before the flop. I decided to just call knowing he would bet again on the river as he had put me on a draw. The river was a 4c. He thought then bet 20000. The only hands i could be losing to are 23, TT or AA so i called. He had 2d3d so had made an straight. He hit the only card to take the majority of my chips and i was out shortly after. Maybe i should have settled for what was in the pot and pushed in on the turn.
- Was steaming a little. Had 30000 left. I get dealt one King then the second but it flips over so i missed having KK on the button. In that hand middle poition raised and Ivey put him all in with QQ so i missed out on a certain double up. I knew it wasn't to be after that.
- Final hand. Dealt J9... Everyone folded to Ivey's big blind as they had kept doing. I decided i was sick of him raising when i made up the SB, so decided next time i would push all in. I made the SB up and he raised as always, and i pushed in. He thought then called with AT. I flopped a flush draw but missed and was out. Does he have to have a hand EVERYTIME? Finished 90th out of 450... long time to play with no reward.
On a side note Ivey knocked out Marcel with a great call. Ivey raised UTG to 3500 to play. Blinds were 600/1200. Marcel called on the button. Flop 29T rainbow. Ivey bet 5000. Marcel pushed all in for about 25000. Ivey ponders for 2/3 minutes.... then says i am calling as i think you have JQ which is the only hand i am dominating. Ivey turns over QK and wins the pot with K high.
Cash has been fairly torturous throughout the whole month. When the first session you play someone hits set over set three times in 30 mins costing me £2000 a pop i should have seen it coming. Playing four tables of £10/£20 when form is out is not a good thing. Things have turned around very slightly, and at least i have't had a £10000 loss for about a week now. With the aid of my poker tracker i will post some of the huge pots i have won (about 6) and lost (about 27) when i get back to London next week.
I had a few questions about my rakeback offer on Crypto as well. The rakeback does include tournament (STTs, MTTs). For all those who contacted me. There were so many i can't remember who i confirmed the rakeback with. Everything should have gone through. If you don't get your rakeback on around the 3rd of next month under the title "credit" in your statement, contact me again.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Oz Update 1
Heading off to play the World Speed poker tournament in a minute.
In the middle of the sickest ever run of cards online at the moment. Worse that November. Can't be bothered in going in to detail. I lost four pots of a combined total of £23000 in the few days before i came away when i was minimum 65% when the money went in.
Maybe i should drop down a level till my form returns. Anyway Betfair poker is barred in the hotel so i can't get up to much mischief.
In the middle of the sickest ever run of cards online at the moment. Worse that November. Can't be bothered in going in to detail. I lost four pots of a combined total of £23000 in the few days before i came away when i was minimum 65% when the money went in.
Maybe i should drop down a level till my form returns. Anyway Betfair poker is barred in the hotel so i can't get up to much mischief.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
2006
The £10 freezeout on Betfair that i mentioned on my entry below, i ended up winning with over 500 runners. One of my mates Chris from uni came second so it was a good result all round. I pretty much couldn't lose when we got heads up. I got dealt KK, QQ, JJ, AQ, QK and AK in succession. First prize was a little over £2000.
I decided it was a great way to end the year so haven't played any poker since. Its been 17 days of no poker. That must be the longest i have lasted without playing a single hand for a few years. Hopefully the break will lead to a good start to 2006. Today or tomorrow i shall return to the tables. I have my new monitor that Nemesis recommended all set up now. It means i can play 4 tables with no overlap so its exactly what i was looking for.
I haven't got too much time to settle into a routine online, as i am of to Australia in a couple of days to play in the Aussie Millions. Will be there for just over two weeks so plenty of time to play some cash and smaller tournaments. I'll be posting plenty of updates whilst i am over there. The main event entry is Aussie $10000 which is about £4200 ... so that should generate a big prize pool. Unfortunately my time in Australia means i will miss EPT Copenhagen.
Last thing. If you are interested in a good rakeback deal on Betfair email me here ... its likely i can offer you something better than you currently get on the other Cryptologic skins (William Hill, UKBetting, Sun Poker, Betfair, Interpoker, PokerPlex and Littlewoods)
I decided it was a great way to end the year so haven't played any poker since. Its been 17 days of no poker. That must be the longest i have lasted without playing a single hand for a few years. Hopefully the break will lead to a good start to 2006. Today or tomorrow i shall return to the tables. I have my new monitor that Nemesis recommended all set up now. It means i can play 4 tables with no overlap so its exactly what i was looking for.
I haven't got too much time to settle into a routine online, as i am of to Australia in a couple of days to play in the Aussie Millions. Will be there for just over two weeks so plenty of time to play some cash and smaller tournaments. I'll be posting plenty of updates whilst i am over there. The main event entry is Aussie $10000 which is about £4200 ... so that should generate a big prize pool. Unfortunately my time in Australia means i will miss EPT Copenhagen.
Last thing. If you are interested in a good rakeback deal on Betfair email me here ... its likely i can offer you something better than you currently get on the other Cryptologic skins (William Hill, UKBetting, Sun Poker, Betfair, Interpoker, PokerPlex and Littlewoods)
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