What can we say about the game of poker? I can say that this is the most confusing game I've ever played. One minute you know what's going on and the next, some one's raking in a huge pile of chips because you played the hand perfectly. What the hell is that all about? Oh, I forgot to mention that there is enough luck in the game to make oneself want to give the whole thing up! Sounds a little to the futile side, doesn't it?
Over the last month or so I decided to go back to the basics. I was tired of being a break even tournament player and have decided to take up playing the cash games. Life has caused me to cash out a lot of the bankroll I have been using, so it's right back to the micros for me. I normally wouldn't see that as any form of problem until you bring that fucking luck factor into everything!! The cash game is definitely a different animal than the tourneys. It really is about pot odds and being able to read what your opponents hands might be. The simple things, right? Ya, right. You can control pot sizes all you want. You can call out what your opponent has in his hand. You can't determine what will fall on the river!!
If I have been a little too vague as to what has been happening in the micro cash games for me, let me put it into numbers. I started on the adventure of playing cash only about a week ago. Here is how things have stacked up so far:
2,203 hands played
$won/100 hands: -$1.10
bb/100 hands: -5.51
Basically put, I haven't been able to hold during a big hand. I've had sets beat by sets, full boats beaten by full boats, and have watched more monkeys catch rivered flushes than I can shake a stick at. I've spent some money the last couple weeks on coaching which also has taken a serious toll on the roll. I always seem to be getting the same answer about the situation- "Wow, that was unlucky!". That just makes you want to get all sparkly inside, doesn't it?!?
This is really sounding like a "bitch" post. You know what, it is a "bitch" post and it's long overdue. Everyone wants to believe that if you put in the time and energy learning how to play the game, eventually you'll "beat the odds". BULLSHIT!! Every training site says they'll make you a better player. Every book says they'll make you a better player. Play this way, do things that way, don't you get it? NO, I DON"T GET IT!!! You can say what you want. Poker/NoLimit Texas Holdem has taken up more of my time in the last two years than any other thing. That is a sick statement to have to say. I didn't practice this hard when I learned to play the violin. I guess what I'm saying is that this whole thing can get frustrating.
There really isn't much more to say at the present. I'll try to post more frequently again and maybe I'll start posting some HHs for those of you that would be interested. I hope all of you are doing well on the felt and sorry for the rant. Take care!!
Tracy,me and Kim-the African Sea Lion at the Florida State Fair
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
CRASH!!!
Not shortly after my last entry here, my laptop had a fatal crash. I hadn't really even considered that as a possibility in my life. I spent a few hours trying to get it to work myself, to no avail, then took it to the Geek Squad. They informed me that I had to swipe it clean and reinstall my OP. :( Because I'm the genius I think I am, I went "cool, thanks for the help" and calmly walked out of the store. When I got to my hotel room, I tried backing up my files and the computer wouldn't do it. Try and try as I might, I couldn't convince this pile of plastic gadgetry to give up it's information that I had diligently kept track of for the past year and a half. Needless to say, I loaded the recovery disk into the drive and it proceeded to erase any evidence of my poker hobby. As of now, the only real proof of any of the struggles or accomplishments is recorded here in this blog. Having written it out like that makes one think about a few things.
Poker is a game played with cards and chips. The way we make it important( to adults) is to make the chips worth money, and that is how we keep score. There aren't any trophies or other physical accolades to this game unless you play live. Even in live events, trophies are rarely seen and the bracelet is the true goal for tournament players. I don't personally know anyone who has one of those. The rest of the game is recorded in bankrolls, which really boils down to numbers on a computer screen or penciled into a ledger. The online community has it's "Player of the Year" people for the elite, players like myself won't make those lists. So what is this fascination with the game if there really isn't anything to show for it? Good question, don't you think?
This has got me thinking. I'll be back after a while. Good luck everyone!!
Poker is a game played with cards and chips. The way we make it important( to adults) is to make the chips worth money, and that is how we keep score. There aren't any trophies or other physical accolades to this game unless you play live. Even in live events, trophies are rarely seen and the bracelet is the true goal for tournament players. I don't personally know anyone who has one of those. The rest of the game is recorded in bankrolls, which really boils down to numbers on a computer screen or penciled into a ledger. The online community has it's "Player of the Year" people for the elite, players like myself won't make those lists. So what is this fascination with the game if there really isn't anything to show for it? Good question, don't you think?
This has got me thinking. I'll be back after a while. Good luck everyone!!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Victory
At last, at last. Victory has come home to roost. In this game where people want to play because of their skill, luck still reigns supreme and so it should. I took down a $2 turbo last week and here is the congratulatory e-mail:
PokerStars Tournament #145140747, No Limit Hold'emBuy-In: $2.00/$0.202934 playersTotal Prize Pool: $5868.00Tournament started 2009/03/04 0:00:00 ET
Dear supercase,
You finished the tournament in 1st place. A $864.95 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
The proof is always in the pudding but I also have bad news about the whole ordeal. I was on ubber monkey tilt from the start. I have a few friends on Skype that can confirm all this. I was planning on cashing out everything and calling an end to this perversion called poker. I intentionally played a $2 turbo MTT hoping to see that this was a useless endeavour. I had to fold a couple of very good hole card hands due to aggression and that sent me off into neverland. I was shoving hands like 46o and getting there. Jacks rivered Queens and I cheered. By the time I came back to my senses, I was the chip leader with 100 or so runners left. The rest became a big sng for me and history for the books.
A few days after that, I was playing a 90man sng with a friend and took it down. During which time I got dealt premium hands like I'd never seen before. It leads to a strange sense of awe about the game that is tournament poker. Very, very difficult to play and maintain some sense of sanity due to all the variance the structure itself creates. You know what cards to play but just don't get them. Now, you're running out of chips and no where to go but the rail unless you pick a hand. At the same time, everyone else at the table feels exactly the same way. When you add it all together, it's still very confusing!!
Here's what I can say for now. WE WON!!!!!!!!!!!! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!
We're bankrolled for a while longer and will just have to see how far the rabbit hole goes!!!!
Good luck everyone. See you on the tables.
Rodney
PokerStars Tournament #145140747, No Limit Hold'emBuy-In: $2.00/$0.202934 playersTotal Prize Pool: $5868.00Tournament started 2009/03/04 0:00:00 ET
Dear supercase,
You finished the tournament in 1st place. A $864.95 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
The proof is always in the pudding but I also have bad news about the whole ordeal. I was on ubber monkey tilt from the start. I have a few friends on Skype that can confirm all this. I was planning on cashing out everything and calling an end to this perversion called poker. I intentionally played a $2 turbo MTT hoping to see that this was a useless endeavour. I had to fold a couple of very good hole card hands due to aggression and that sent me off into neverland. I was shoving hands like 46o and getting there. Jacks rivered Queens and I cheered. By the time I came back to my senses, I was the chip leader with 100 or so runners left. The rest became a big sng for me and history for the books.
A few days after that, I was playing a 90man sng with a friend and took it down. During which time I got dealt premium hands like I'd never seen before. It leads to a strange sense of awe about the game that is tournament poker. Very, very difficult to play and maintain some sense of sanity due to all the variance the structure itself creates. You know what cards to play but just don't get them. Now, you're running out of chips and no where to go but the rail unless you pick a hand. At the same time, everyone else at the table feels exactly the same way. When you add it all together, it's still very confusing!!
Here's what I can say for now. WE WON!!!!!!!!!!!! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!
We're bankrolled for a while longer and will just have to see how far the rabbit hole goes!!!!
Good luck everyone. See you on the tables.
Rodney
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
February
So the month has come and gone. As far as the regular world goes, there wasn't much to talk about. Still no jobs out there for my company to send me to, so poker got the main stage for 28 or so days. Almost all of the play was at Pokerstars during the month and I had a great deal of experimentation going on. I made an honest effort of trying to build up my bankroll using "double-or-nothing" tournaments. I would use the profits from the DONs to pay for my MTT exploits later in the evening. As a total for the month, I played 351 different events, 251 of those events being of the DON variety ranging from $5-$20. With that kind of volume, you would think that i couldn't help but get lucky. WRONG!
Not that the result was necessarily bad. As a total, I made a profit of $17.35 for the month. Here's one thing that has a huge effect on such things. I played 68 $4.40 180man tourneys at an ITM rate of 17.65%. That is a great percentage to be cashing in those events. Now the problem. I lost $153.76 in the process. Why is that we might ask? The secret to being profitable in the MTT payout structure is two-fold. 1-final tables, 2-top 3 finishes. The money i all these events is all at the top of the spectrum. The top professionals are happy to be cashing in 15% of their tourneys but they also know without the top 3s, they are losing money. Rough way to go huh?
That brings us back to the reason that this is a hobby. If you look at the time I had involved in play last month, compared to the dividends made, I would have been better off collecting cans from dumpsters! Would have made a much greater profit for time invested. So, we can't really count pure profit as a leading factor for this hobby now can we. It would appear that other purposes must be at play. Don't know. I have been making a lot of quite wonderful acquaintances all over the world and it has been time spent in good fun. Unlike most hobbies, I don't see that this has the overall relaxation thing going on. If anything, it seems to raise my stress levels. Interesting.
Well, I've got a $3r to pay in a couple minutes. Hope all is well with you all and good luck at the tables!!
Not that the result was necessarily bad. As a total, I made a profit of $17.35 for the month. Here's one thing that has a huge effect on such things. I played 68 $4.40 180man tourneys at an ITM rate of 17.65%. That is a great percentage to be cashing in those events. Now the problem. I lost $153.76 in the process. Why is that we might ask? The secret to being profitable in the MTT payout structure is two-fold. 1-final tables, 2-top 3 finishes. The money i all these events is all at the top of the spectrum. The top professionals are happy to be cashing in 15% of their tourneys but they also know without the top 3s, they are losing money. Rough way to go huh?
That brings us back to the reason that this is a hobby. If you look at the time I had involved in play last month, compared to the dividends made, I would have been better off collecting cans from dumpsters! Would have made a much greater profit for time invested. So, we can't really count pure profit as a leading factor for this hobby now can we. It would appear that other purposes must be at play. Don't know. I have been making a lot of quite wonderful acquaintances all over the world and it has been time spent in good fun. Unlike most hobbies, I don't see that this has the overall relaxation thing going on. If anything, it seems to raise my stress levels. Interesting.
Well, I've got a $3r to pay in a couple minutes. Hope all is well with you all and good luck at the tables!!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
An Update
So it's been a couple weeks. I've been playing a lot but really just spinning my wheels I guess. It was suggested to me to use the DONs (double or nothing) as a bankroll building tool. After a couple hundred of those, I'm pretty much burnt out on the idea. It really doesn't pay much for the amount of time you have to invest. Mind you, I could be way off on this. Maybe I just haven't put enough effort into it or maybe I'm just not playing well enough. I did come up with another explanation tonight but that may also be way off. Here goes anyway:
What if I expect more than what is possible to achieve at the levels I play?
Think about this for a minute. Everyone of the professional instructors that teach this game say that all you have to do is play ABC poker at the micro level. Do that and you'll have no problems. Well, let's put a couple things together shall we. Most people that play this game are hobbyists. In other words, it's a past time they use to forget about their real life or just something to do for fun. Many of these people are now joining these training sites and becoming better players. That's really not a huge number but enough to make a difference in the micro games. To build a decent enough bankroll to move up, you really need to dominate at the micro levels. Hence the problem. If the players are getting better and better, how do you build a bankroll in a reasonable amount of time? Good question.
I thought I'd give an update as to what the plan is to date. I had gotten away from the original project. I have decided to pick up that torch and continue on with it. The little change in it is that I shall play 500 games at each level of the turbos to figure out an accurate ROI. From there we can tweak a few things and come up with a new plan. I'll also continue playing the $4.40 180 man games at PokerStars so I can keep up with my MTT training. Here are my current BR numbers for both sites:
Cake= $604.05
PS= $285.31
I'll give a better set of accurate game/itm/roi numbers in my next post. To start being realistic about the goals of this hobby, I must find good hard numbers to base the approach on and then we can have some fun. Sometimes being a little over critical can have it's drawbacks but in the end it shall lead down the good path. I hope all is going well with everyone and good luck at the tables!!!
What if I expect more than what is possible to achieve at the levels I play?
Think about this for a minute. Everyone of the professional instructors that teach this game say that all you have to do is play ABC poker at the micro level. Do that and you'll have no problems. Well, let's put a couple things together shall we. Most people that play this game are hobbyists. In other words, it's a past time they use to forget about their real life or just something to do for fun. Many of these people are now joining these training sites and becoming better players. That's really not a huge number but enough to make a difference in the micro games. To build a decent enough bankroll to move up, you really need to dominate at the micro levels. Hence the problem. If the players are getting better and better, how do you build a bankroll in a reasonable amount of time? Good question.
I thought I'd give an update as to what the plan is to date. I had gotten away from the original project. I have decided to pick up that torch and continue on with it. The little change in it is that I shall play 500 games at each level of the turbos to figure out an accurate ROI. From there we can tweak a few things and come up with a new plan. I'll also continue playing the $4.40 180 man games at PokerStars so I can keep up with my MTT training. Here are my current BR numbers for both sites:
Cake= $604.05
PS= $285.31
I'll give a better set of accurate game/itm/roi numbers in my next post. To start being realistic about the goals of this hobby, I must find good hard numbers to base the approach on and then we can have some fun. Sometimes being a little over critical can have it's drawbacks but in the end it shall lead down the good path. I hope all is going well with everyone and good luck at the tables!!!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Frustration
So that little bug has a sharp bite aye? You get it in good and actually start praying because you know your opponent is a maniac from hell and is just as likely to take you out. You know beyond a shadow of a doubt what they hold in their hand but there's still two to come. All good on the turn. Sdfhhsfhasfhsfsdfhshfwoerfwehfwhf!!!!!!!!! WTF OVER!!!!! AGAIN!?!?!? "Breath Rodney" says the kind little voice inside. Time after time. Over and over. You spend endless hours studying. Going over betting patterns, win/loss percentages, taking notes on every play. Hour after hour, trying to learn how to crush the competition. You think you've got it wrapped together and then comes the miracle 1 outer to dash your hopes again.
"Breath Rodney", the voice calmly says.
No One ever said any of this was going to be easy, did they? Fortunately, no, no one ever did say that. If they had, I would feel relatively saddened by the lashing they would receive from aspiring players like myself. Of course, there would not be any reasonable explanation for my recourse, which is why such action would sadden me. I still believe that people can act in rational, if not logical, ways. This is what leads to all the frustration, my friends. The art of poker is one of deception. If I want my opponent to give me his chips, I must make him believe that he is winning. That is not the easiest of tasks. Those of you who play in the micro levels will be able to attest to that quite fervently. How do you get a fold from someone that doesn't have a fold button? Guess what folks. You don't. You tag them with their little "calling station" note and play the nuts against them next time. That's where the fun comes in. When is next time? More frustration!!!
"Calm down, it'll be alright"
So I guess I must say it as honestly as I can. The world of the online micro degenerate is not an easy one. I saw in a chat room earlier someone say that poker is nothing more than a new form of drug. After a little bit of thought, I can see some similarities. For those of a competitive nature, the thrill of the win is irreplaceable. For the math geek, the number of number combinations is excruciatingly deep. Could take a lifetime to really understand it. For the fun lover, where else can there be so much activity in front of a computer screen? The game, the people, the enjoyment of maybe winning the big one! All of these can lead to an "addictive" expression that most drug/alcohol genres include. More frustration.
So let's put this puppy to bed with a few realizations. #1- it takes more than a years experience to understand the game, let alone win at it. #2- the frustration will never go away as long as you choose to strive to be good at it( why? the game is ever evolving silly). #3- drugs and poker can have similarities if you choose the right context of comparison. What does any of this have to do with the price of tea in China? Absolutely nothing!! That's the fun of it. We are all going to go through times when the game, or variance of, makes us feel horrible. It will cause you to question the who's, what's, and whys of what you do. If you're as enthusiastic about the game as I am, it will go so far as to cause you to question your character (those are details for another post)!!
Frustration will always be in the game and if we can accept that, we will be better players for it. Is it worth all the trouble? I will respond with this. Aren't the things that give us the most trouble the ones we find most gratifying? Good luck everyone, til next time.......
Caisson
"Breath Rodney", the voice calmly says.
No One ever said any of this was going to be easy, did they? Fortunately, no, no one ever did say that. If they had, I would feel relatively saddened by the lashing they would receive from aspiring players like myself. Of course, there would not be any reasonable explanation for my recourse, which is why such action would sadden me. I still believe that people can act in rational, if not logical, ways. This is what leads to all the frustration, my friends. The art of poker is one of deception. If I want my opponent to give me his chips, I must make him believe that he is winning. That is not the easiest of tasks. Those of you who play in the micro levels will be able to attest to that quite fervently. How do you get a fold from someone that doesn't have a fold button? Guess what folks. You don't. You tag them with their little "calling station" note and play the nuts against them next time. That's where the fun comes in. When is next time? More frustration!!!
"Calm down, it'll be alright"
So I guess I must say it as honestly as I can. The world of the online micro degenerate is not an easy one. I saw in a chat room earlier someone say that poker is nothing more than a new form of drug. After a little bit of thought, I can see some similarities. For those of a competitive nature, the thrill of the win is irreplaceable. For the math geek, the number of number combinations is excruciatingly deep. Could take a lifetime to really understand it. For the fun lover, where else can there be so much activity in front of a computer screen? The game, the people, the enjoyment of maybe winning the big one! All of these can lead to an "addictive" expression that most drug/alcohol genres include. More frustration.
So let's put this puppy to bed with a few realizations. #1- it takes more than a years experience to understand the game, let alone win at it. #2- the frustration will never go away as long as you choose to strive to be good at it( why? the game is ever evolving silly). #3- drugs and poker can have similarities if you choose the right context of comparison. What does any of this have to do with the price of tea in China? Absolutely nothing!! That's the fun of it. We are all going to go through times when the game, or variance of, makes us feel horrible. It will cause you to question the who's, what's, and whys of what you do. If you're as enthusiastic about the game as I am, it will go so far as to cause you to question your character (those are details for another post)!!
Frustration will always be in the game and if we can accept that, we will be better players for it. Is it worth all the trouble? I will respond with this. Aren't the things that give us the most trouble the ones we find most gratifying? Good luck everyone, til next time.......
Caisson
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The Math
I've been really trying to grind the math out and get an even better understanding of how it works within the game. I'm truly amazed by how some of the probabilities work out in the long run. Fox did a hand analysis chat a few weeks ago and it opened my eyes to a whole dimension of the game that I was missing. Thanks Fox!! I've also been working within a study group that has it's own "math genius" and his input(CPOner) has also enlightened me to a whole new level of thinking. It's actually dumbfounding how well 97o will do against a lot of ranges. Plus, the Sheets lecture series are actually starting to make sense. That, in it's own right, is an incredibly big step towards my improvement within the game.
The study group that I'm currently working with has brought a huge ray of sunshine. It's an older bunch that have as much passion for the game as I do. There isn't any whining or crying about differences of opinion, so it opens the whole gambit of learning. We've actually started with a review of one of my 180man tourneys. We've had three separate sessions of review(about 6 hours) and still haven't finished. We're about half way through the final table play. I really can't wait to finish this one and get into the next. I've also just been introduced to another group this week. It's a younger group with another approach to ideas. We did an impromptu review session yesterday evening that also went well. I think if I can coax a little bit more involvement from them, it'll also turn into another fantastic learning circle.
I have decided to split my games up by site for the time being. I'll play sngs at Cake, mtts at PS, and I'm wanting to learn limit cash play at FTP. I'm currently looking at reactivating my account at Bodog also but that has future written all over it. I believe this is the correct approach since the play styles at the different sites vary so much. By specializing, I can take in the active style of one site and use it specifically for an event/game. That way the differences don't effect my game as a whole and keeps me focused a bit more. Really just an experiment until I get bankrolls built up at all the sites.
Sort of as a quick review of January, I've pretty much stuck to the $4.40 180man sngs at PS. things are going fairly well. Since the study group became truly active, my play has taken a turn for the better and the results are starting to show. Since the 11th, I've played 50 games with an ITM of 18% and an ROI of 76.4%. I started the 180 thing with around $200 and it is now around the $340 mark in the first month. I am pretty confident that it will be getting better very quickly.
One other thing of note. By spending so much time studying the math, the beats are have much less of an effect on my play. Tilting in a negative way is gradually disappearing as well as the positive side of it. Everything is starting to become a constant review of correct choices as opposed to a win/loss sequence of emotional reactions. I'm really enjoying this form of reaction much more. There is still the thrill of making the final table, I just feel like I'm in much greater control of myself when I get there. The force is strong with you, young paddiwan!! Hehe.
Well, got more work to do. Hopefully that never ends, for it is the student of the game that succeeds. Good luck everyone!! Til next time....
The study group that I'm currently working with has brought a huge ray of sunshine. It's an older bunch that have as much passion for the game as I do. There isn't any whining or crying about differences of opinion, so it opens the whole gambit of learning. We've actually started with a review of one of my 180man tourneys. We've had three separate sessions of review(about 6 hours) and still haven't finished. We're about half way through the final table play. I really can't wait to finish this one and get into the next. I've also just been introduced to another group this week. It's a younger group with another approach to ideas. We did an impromptu review session yesterday evening that also went well. I think if I can coax a little bit more involvement from them, it'll also turn into another fantastic learning circle.
I have decided to split my games up by site for the time being. I'll play sngs at Cake, mtts at PS, and I'm wanting to learn limit cash play at FTP. I'm currently looking at reactivating my account at Bodog also but that has future written all over it. I believe this is the correct approach since the play styles at the different sites vary so much. By specializing, I can take in the active style of one site and use it specifically for an event/game. That way the differences don't effect my game as a whole and keeps me focused a bit more. Really just an experiment until I get bankrolls built up at all the sites.
Sort of as a quick review of January, I've pretty much stuck to the $4.40 180man sngs at PS. things are going fairly well. Since the study group became truly active, my play has taken a turn for the better and the results are starting to show. Since the 11th, I've played 50 games with an ITM of 18% and an ROI of 76.4%. I started the 180 thing with around $200 and it is now around the $340 mark in the first month. I am pretty confident that it will be getting better very quickly.
One other thing of note. By spending so much time studying the math, the beats are have much less of an effect on my play. Tilting in a negative way is gradually disappearing as well as the positive side of it. Everything is starting to become a constant review of correct choices as opposed to a win/loss sequence of emotional reactions. I'm really enjoying this form of reaction much more. There is still the thrill of making the final table, I just feel like I'm in much greater control of myself when I get there. The force is strong with you, young paddiwan!! Hehe.
Well, got more work to do. Hopefully that never ends, for it is the student of the game that succeeds. Good luck everyone!! Til next time....
Friday, January 23, 2009
Tradition
As things would have it, my tradition with writing continues. Although I truly enjoy putting the thoughts to paper(computer screen), the consistency just isn't there. I shan't dwell on it now but it is under observation. So, on with an update.
I've been playing a lot of the $4.40 180man sngs at PokerStars. I've prolly been getting in between 4-6 of these a day. I have managed a + ROI for the first 104 games at 12%. It isn't necessarily a fantastic result but I'm not really too concerned. This month has been full of learning in ways that I hadn't expected. The study group at PXF is starting to take form and the other group is really getting active. We had our first live conference call last night. Absolutely great experience with four of us sharing information while analyzing hands. What a great way to study the game! I'm hoping to do at least a couple of these sessions a week for awhile. Maybe get another group involved. Hard telling but it's off to a wonderful start.
As to updating the blog here, I need to start setting a more concrete schedule for that. Haven't really put a bunch of thought into it so far. I'm sure that will come with time. The drinking and exercise parts are doing fine. I do think I need to regiment the exercise a bit more also. I went to give blood today and got turned down do to my blood pressure being 2 points to high. Go figure. You do what they tell you is healthy just to find out that you're not. Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? Will go and attempt tomorrow. I'm sure everything will be fine then. Enough for now. Good luck everyone, Cya
I've been playing a lot of the $4.40 180man sngs at PokerStars. I've prolly been getting in between 4-6 of these a day. I have managed a + ROI for the first 104 games at 12%. It isn't necessarily a fantastic result but I'm not really too concerned. This month has been full of learning in ways that I hadn't expected. The study group at PXF is starting to take form and the other group is really getting active. We had our first live conference call last night. Absolutely great experience with four of us sharing information while analyzing hands. What a great way to study the game! I'm hoping to do at least a couple of these sessions a week for awhile. Maybe get another group involved. Hard telling but it's off to a wonderful start.
As to updating the blog here, I need to start setting a more concrete schedule for that. Haven't really put a bunch of thought into it so far. I'm sure that will come with time. The drinking and exercise parts are doing fine. I do think I need to regiment the exercise a bit more also. I went to give blood today and got turned down do to my blood pressure being 2 points to high. Go figure. You do what they tell you is healthy just to find out that you're not. Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? Will go and attempt tomorrow. I'm sure everything will be fine then. Enough for now. Good luck everyone, Cya
Monday, January 12, 2009
Double Deuce
As fate would have it, the study group I was looking for has shown up out of thin air. It's an older bunch with varying opinions and styles. The nice part is that they can talk about poker without having an emotional attachment to their views. This opens up a lot of different avenues of thought that wouldn't normally be exposed for evaluation. We can actually debate the different approaches without someone flaming or getting pissed off. I can't tell you how delightful that is compared to some of the forums that I've read. The game is one of logical assumption based on incomplete information. Thought about from that perspective, please leave your emotions at the door. It is possible to disagree and still get along. That's one of the nicest parts to poker. No one approach is completely valid, so all styles can work in any given situation. The debate itself can show you how your competition thinks and reacts. What better way to defeat them then by their own means?
It was this group that introduced me to the Double Deuce tourney at FTP. Great tournament with a nice structure. You can satellite into it for as little as $.50 and it's a $100k guaranteed purse. I think you can see the value in that. After the second break(maybe 15 minutes from the next), I was down to 12bb and looking to get my chips in when this hand came up:
Full Tilt Poker Game #9988455946: The $100K Double Deuce (73510655), Table 34 - 300/600 Ante 75 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:30:27 ET - 2009/01/11
Seat 1: Percy80 (14,910)
Seat 2: AAAAlexis (25,002)
Seat 3: EZpleze (9,555)
Seat 4: caisson (7,647)
Seat 5: lafortuna24 (31,722)
Seat 6: 123223 (40,780)
Seat 7: Juana de Arco (9,545)
Seat 8: Purple_Gold08 (7,850)
Seat 9: Simme123 (13,712)
Percy80 antes 75
AAAAlexis antes 75
EZpleze antes 75
caisson antes 75
lafortuna24 antes 75
123223 antes 75
Juana de Arco antes 75
Purple_Gold08 antes 75
Simme123 antes 75
Juana de Arco posts the small blind of 300
Purple_Gold08 posts the big blind of 600
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***Dealt to caisson [Ks Ad]
Simme123 folds
Percy80 folds
AAAAlexis folds
EZpleze folds
caisson has 15 seconds left to act
caisson raises to 7,572, and is all in
lafortuna24 folds
123223 folds
Juana de Arco folds
Purple_Gold08 calls 6,972
caisson shows [Ks Ad]
Purple_Gold08 shows [Qd Qc]
*** FLOP *** [4h Kd Kc
]*** TURN *** [4h Kd Kc] [7d]
*** RIVER *** [4h Kd Kc 7d] [Qh]
caisson shows three of a kind, Kings
Purple_Gold08 shows a full house, Queens full of Kings
Purple_Gold08 wins the pot (16,119) with a full house, Queens full of Kings
caisson stands up
On the flop, be still my beating heart! On the river, wow!! Nice hand sir, good luck. A month ago, that hand would have had me depressed for a couple of days. Now that the maths are starting to sink in, good game me and let's gettum next time. You have to win a few of these coin flip situations to go deep into the $$$. Nice part is I know that day is coming and that makes all the study worthwhile.
For those keeping track, sobriety for 12 days. I would have thought there would be some form of mental/emotional complication but there hasn't been. Maybe that is why all the poker information is starting to meld into something useful. I've also lost 5 lbs but I think that's nothing but water weight. It's amazing how the body will let go of things it stores when you give it enough of what it needs. Maybe the mind works along the same lines. That something to ponder.
Well, good luck everyone and til next time...
It was this group that introduced me to the Double Deuce tourney at FTP. Great tournament with a nice structure. You can satellite into it for as little as $.50 and it's a $100k guaranteed purse. I think you can see the value in that. After the second break(maybe 15 minutes from the next), I was down to 12bb and looking to get my chips in when this hand came up:
Full Tilt Poker Game #9988455946: The $100K Double Deuce (73510655), Table 34 - 300/600 Ante 75 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:30:27 ET - 2009/01/11
Seat 1: Percy80 (14,910)
Seat 2: AAAAlexis (25,002)
Seat 3: EZpleze (9,555)
Seat 4: caisson (7,647)
Seat 5: lafortuna24 (31,722)
Seat 6: 123223 (40,780)
Seat 7: Juana de Arco (9,545)
Seat 8: Purple_Gold08 (7,850)
Seat 9: Simme123 (13,712)
Percy80 antes 75
AAAAlexis antes 75
EZpleze antes 75
caisson antes 75
lafortuna24 antes 75
123223 antes 75
Juana de Arco antes 75
Purple_Gold08 antes 75
Simme123 antes 75
Juana de Arco posts the small blind of 300
Purple_Gold08 posts the big blind of 600
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***Dealt to caisson [Ks Ad]
Simme123 folds
Percy80 folds
AAAAlexis folds
EZpleze folds
caisson has 15 seconds left to act
caisson raises to 7,572, and is all in
lafortuna24 folds
123223 folds
Juana de Arco folds
Purple_Gold08 calls 6,972
caisson shows [Ks Ad]
Purple_Gold08 shows [Qd Qc]
*** FLOP *** [4h Kd Kc
]*** TURN *** [4h Kd Kc] [7d]
*** RIVER *** [4h Kd Kc 7d] [Qh]
caisson shows three of a kind, Kings
Purple_Gold08 shows a full house, Queens full of Kings
Purple_Gold08 wins the pot (16,119) with a full house, Queens full of Kings
caisson stands up
On the flop, be still my beating heart! On the river, wow!! Nice hand sir, good luck. A month ago, that hand would have had me depressed for a couple of days. Now that the maths are starting to sink in, good game me and let's gettum next time. You have to win a few of these coin flip situations to go deep into the $$$. Nice part is I know that day is coming and that makes all the study worthwhile.
For those keeping track, sobriety for 12 days. I would have thought there would be some form of mental/emotional complication but there hasn't been. Maybe that is why all the poker information is starting to meld into something useful. I've also lost 5 lbs but I think that's nothing but water weight. It's amazing how the body will let go of things it stores when you give it enough of what it needs. Maybe the mind works along the same lines. That something to ponder.
Well, good luck everyone and til next time...
Thursday, January 8, 2009
2009
So here we are. One week into the "next" year. I was thinking about putting resolutions down on the first but was sceptical because of the word. Re-solution. "So, you didn't get it correct the first time huh?", one of the little voices in my mind responds. "Do you possibly think you have the answer this time?". What a queer little voice that is, I think to myself. After the week has past and to much weighing of information, I believe I have come up with some simple changes for this year which may help this hobby along. They are as follows:
1) Stop thinking in terms of $$ gained as the reference point for poker skill.
2) Create/join a small group of poker degenerates.
3) Use a minimum of 10 hrs/wk for study (vids,reading,etc)
4) Use a minimum of 10 hrs/wk for hand analysis
5) Learn how to make this blog more interesting
6) Write more- twice a week sounds right
7) Stop drinking for one year
8) Exercise for 1 hr 4 times a week
Wow, 8 solutions seems like a lot, doesn't it? Maybe this is a mistake and I should cut back so as to set myself up for success and not create an atmosphere heading to failure? Rubbish!!!!!! One of the things I see wrong in this world today is people will actually strive to avoid being successful. At the first sign of some form of resistance to their hopes and dreams, they curl up and whine about the world not being fair. The worst part is the modern psychological community is agreeing with this pattern. If you don't have discipline or patience, they diagnose you as ADD. If your scared to get out and change your life, they diagnose you with Chronic Fatigue Disorder so you have an excuse not to do anything about it. If you think the world is unfair and that makes you unhappy, they give you a bottle of Xanax(a depressant) to make you "feel" better. Let's face some reality here. If life was supposed to be easy, why do you shed tears at the birth of your child? Why do you feel so alone when God doesn't hear your prayer? Why do you feel remorse when your plans fall through? Any clues?
We didn't listen to our parents when they said something was hot for the first time. We had to touch it and find out for ourselves. "Damn, that hurt!!", we think in our dismay. As we get older, the lessons become more subtle and complicated but the basic answers all remain the same. We do not learn anything without experience and we do not receive fruits without the labors to show for it! Don't get me wrong here. There are people who are born gifted and don't "seem" to have to work as hard. The other side of their coin is what lessons they have to learn. People that struggle can appreciate the benefits of their labor because they understand the cost. What of the gifted? I'll leave that for you to decide. Sorry for the rant. I do have a very spartan way of looking at things which may seem unsympathetic but I'm weary of people demanding excess solely on the basis that they are capable of drawing air into their lungs. I refuse to be that naive and I've enjoyed the work that is life. Let's get back to the topic at hand.
Solutions for my poker hobby. I hope by sustaining this rather rigorous training plan, by the end of the year, my mistakes at the tables will be few. That may or may not be as profitable as I may hope, but the "pros" that I communicate with seem to confirm that $$ does follow proper decision making. I will just have to try it out for myself. As to the difficulty of this plan, I really don't see it as such. 20 hours in a weeks time really isn't a lot when compared to the normal waste of time used in other activities like watching mundane drama on the television so you have some imaginary comparison that makes you feel better about your own life. And let's face it folks, would you rather watch Phil Hellmuth blow up on Poker After Dark or play well enough to sit down and be the reason that he's blowing up? I prefer the latter.
As to items 5 & 6 on the list, I've had some really nice feedback about this blog. So I'd like to take the time and hopefully make it more interesting, if not at least more appealing to the eye. It really helps when there is some interest from other people. This is also something I hadn't thought about before I started it. Throughout my entire life, I've made attempts of recording things of interest in words. This one has lasted the longest and is by far my favorite endeavour. I would just like to make it more enjoyable for those of you that read it, so any input would also be appreciated.
As to 7 & 8, these are topics that have needed to be addressed for a while. Because of my position at my day job, I don't get the exercise that I should and alcohol obviously ( for those of you who don't drink) "relieves" the stresses of my day. Well, I quit smoking almost two years ago and have put on about 40 pounds and don't really "feel" any better for it. In my mind, that would mean that I am still contaminating myself with something that isn't good for me. Let's see. My usual week consisted of about 4-6 cases of Budlight/Budweiser for mental "medicinal" purposes. When written out that way, it sounds sort of sick/sad doesn't it? Although there are people in this world that wouldn't understand, the heavy construction industry is full of people that have this preoccupation. It had never stopped me from being to work on time or from taking care of my responsibilities. I just feel at this stage of my life, it should be left behind for now to see if my physical aspects can start aiding my mental aspects in being a better player. I believe a years time with periodic reviews should be able to determine if this approach is helpful.
So far this year, sobriety for a week and some form of cardio/weight lifting every other day has at least got my spirit saying thank you but the joints are a little upset(creaky, snap, crackle!)
This seems to have been a bit long for a blog post but I think very necessary. I hope everyone is having a grand new year and may all be blessed with aces in the big blind!! (utg raiser w/ AKo of course!!!) Until next time,
Rodney
1) Stop thinking in terms of $$ gained as the reference point for poker skill.
2) Create/join a small group of poker degenerates.
3) Use a minimum of 10 hrs/wk for study (vids,reading,etc)
4) Use a minimum of 10 hrs/wk for hand analysis
5) Learn how to make this blog more interesting
6) Write more- twice a week sounds right
7) Stop drinking for one year
8) Exercise for 1 hr 4 times a week
Wow, 8 solutions seems like a lot, doesn't it? Maybe this is a mistake and I should cut back so as to set myself up for success and not create an atmosphere heading to failure? Rubbish!!!!!! One of the things I see wrong in this world today is people will actually strive to avoid being successful. At the first sign of some form of resistance to their hopes and dreams, they curl up and whine about the world not being fair. The worst part is the modern psychological community is agreeing with this pattern. If you don't have discipline or patience, they diagnose you as ADD. If your scared to get out and change your life, they diagnose you with Chronic Fatigue Disorder so you have an excuse not to do anything about it. If you think the world is unfair and that makes you unhappy, they give you a bottle of Xanax(a depressant) to make you "feel" better. Let's face some reality here. If life was supposed to be easy, why do you shed tears at the birth of your child? Why do you feel so alone when God doesn't hear your prayer? Why do you feel remorse when your plans fall through? Any clues?
We didn't listen to our parents when they said something was hot for the first time. We had to touch it and find out for ourselves. "Damn, that hurt!!", we think in our dismay. As we get older, the lessons become more subtle and complicated but the basic answers all remain the same. We do not learn anything without experience and we do not receive fruits without the labors to show for it! Don't get me wrong here. There are people who are born gifted and don't "seem" to have to work as hard. The other side of their coin is what lessons they have to learn. People that struggle can appreciate the benefits of their labor because they understand the cost. What of the gifted? I'll leave that for you to decide. Sorry for the rant. I do have a very spartan way of looking at things which may seem unsympathetic but I'm weary of people demanding excess solely on the basis that they are capable of drawing air into their lungs. I refuse to be that naive and I've enjoyed the work that is life. Let's get back to the topic at hand.
Solutions for my poker hobby. I hope by sustaining this rather rigorous training plan, by the end of the year, my mistakes at the tables will be few. That may or may not be as profitable as I may hope, but the "pros" that I communicate with seem to confirm that $$ does follow proper decision making. I will just have to try it out for myself. As to the difficulty of this plan, I really don't see it as such. 20 hours in a weeks time really isn't a lot when compared to the normal waste of time used in other activities like watching mundane drama on the television so you have some imaginary comparison that makes you feel better about your own life. And let's face it folks, would you rather watch Phil Hellmuth blow up on Poker After Dark or play well enough to sit down and be the reason that he's blowing up? I prefer the latter.
As to items 5 & 6 on the list, I've had some really nice feedback about this blog. So I'd like to take the time and hopefully make it more interesting, if not at least more appealing to the eye. It really helps when there is some interest from other people. This is also something I hadn't thought about before I started it. Throughout my entire life, I've made attempts of recording things of interest in words. This one has lasted the longest and is by far my favorite endeavour. I would just like to make it more enjoyable for those of you that read it, so any input would also be appreciated.
As to 7 & 8, these are topics that have needed to be addressed for a while. Because of my position at my day job, I don't get the exercise that I should and alcohol obviously ( for those of you who don't drink) "relieves" the stresses of my day. Well, I quit smoking almost two years ago and have put on about 40 pounds and don't really "feel" any better for it. In my mind, that would mean that I am still contaminating myself with something that isn't good for me. Let's see. My usual week consisted of about 4-6 cases of Budlight/Budweiser for mental "medicinal" purposes. When written out that way, it sounds sort of sick/sad doesn't it? Although there are people in this world that wouldn't understand, the heavy construction industry is full of people that have this preoccupation. It had never stopped me from being to work on time or from taking care of my responsibilities. I just feel at this stage of my life, it should be left behind for now to see if my physical aspects can start aiding my mental aspects in being a better player. I believe a years time with periodic reviews should be able to determine if this approach is helpful.
So far this year, sobriety for a week and some form of cardio/weight lifting every other day has at least got my spirit saying thank you but the joints are a little upset(creaky, snap, crackle!)
This seems to have been a bit long for a blog post but I think very necessary. I hope everyone is having a grand new year and may all be blessed with aces in the big blind!! (utg raiser w/ AKo of course!!!) Until next time,
Rodney
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