Hope Springs Eternal

I played 12 sng's today to try and get some feel for them again. I wanted to see how hard it would be to constantly have 4 tables up at once and remain focused on them for several hours. It wasn't too hard, but if I made it to the end of 2 or 3 at the same time, it could get hectic. But I had some good results.

1st - 3
2nd - 0
3rd - 2
4th - 5
7th - 1
8th - 1 (That one was brutal. I was all in on the turn with the nut flush, and the river filled the other player up.)

I just wish I could have turned a few of those bubble finishes into money finishes. That seems to be a constant problem with my sng games. This is true of the live games I play in too, I have bubbled more than anyone else (by far) in our Tuesday night game.

But I'm not too upset. A lot of my 4th place finishes are simply due to me sticking around longer and not busting out early. I won't have any cards the entire tourney, so I'll just fold the whole time and finish 4th when I'm short and forced to move in.

Some people may criticize this style of play, but I think patience is probably the single best quality a player can have in order to beat sng's. Some of my 4th place finishes will transfer into 3rd's with a little luck at the end.

In fact, one of my third place finishes today was in a situation where there were 4 people left, each with about 3000, and I had perhaps 900. I didn't bother playing fast, and was just looking for the other players to battle. I can stick around on a shortstack for quite a while, and eventually one of the bigger stacks went broke against another big stack, and I profited by simply waiting.

I figure if I can keep my finishes concentrated in the top 5 most of the time, I'll keep a solid ROI, even if I am running bad. I can usually creep into the money without cards the entire time if I can just find one hand to double through with when it gets shorthanded.

Anyways, I'm gonna try another 12 or so tomorrow, and then January 1st, I'm gonna put in a full day (25 sngs, give or take) and go from there.

This blog will probably turn into a boring stat filled pile of crap. I apologize in advance.

SNG Stats

I'm looking at some of my old sng numbers, to see what I might be able to expect in the future. I only have 103 sng's under my belt though. Well, I only have 103 from Stars, I've probably played several hundred more on AP and Party, but I don't have the tournament summaries.

Stats
Number of Tournies :: 103
In the Money :: 47.57%
Return on Investment :: 38.53%



Those are pretty good numbers, but the sample size is far too small to be meaningful. I'm gonna put in another few hundred over the next few weeks and see where I stand after 300 tourneys.

In any case, I think I can make a tidy profit playing $20+2's. I just don't know how much yet.

Also, many of those tournies were played 1 or 2 at a time. But now I will be playing 4 or more at a time. I'm not sure how much that will effect my ROI. January should be a very exciting month of poker though.

New Years Resolution: More Tournaments

Earlier this year I gave a lot of thought to where I wanted to take my poker career. I thought that I wanted to move up the cash game ladder and eventually play in the highest cash games on the net. Not that I don't still want to do this, but I feel like I need to learn more about other forms of poker. It has become evident to me that my tournament play (not counting stt's) is very weak. I have a lot of theoretical knowledge, but don't have the experience to use that knowledge. In simpler terms: I suck at touranment poker.

I don't like this. There's a lot of money in tournaments these days. Fields are larger than ever, and packed to the gills with fish. And one good tournament can mean an early retirement from the grind for the rest of my life.

Soooo, I've made a [tentative] decision. I will play tournament poker this year, and I will stay on AP, atleast for now. I can still get bonuses on AP, if I'm playing 90% tournaments 10% cash games, albeit, the bonuses will clear much much slower. But I'll still be getting a little bit back. Secondly, on AP single table tournaments count towards the TLB, unlike on Stars. So I can play a mix of stt's for a more reliable income, and mtt's on the side to develop my tournament game. And all the while I'll be getting TLB points.

I honestly think I can get in the top 10 for the yearly TLB, not because I'm that great at tournaments, but simply because I play so much poker. Plus the SNG's count too, and I am moderately good at those.

The biggest problem I had with the tourneys on AP is that I can't track the results in PokerTracker, but they are working on fixing that. There are fewer fish on Absolute, but that makes it easier for me to be a leader on the TLB. I guess I'll find out, one way or another.

All I'm Doing is Merely Swirling the Waters About, That's Not a Crime!

I sorta wanna take Tripjax advice, and hit the SNG warpath. I've been doing some calculations and I could make 3-4k a month by playing $30+3 single table tournaments. The only problem is that I don't know what to expect my ROI to be. So I'm on unfamiliar ground. I looked at my sng stats in PT from the past year and I've played just a shade over 100 of them. My ROI is 20.84%, which is a decent figure, but I dunno if that's sustainable in the long term. I've been going through 2+2 posts, but I can't seem to find any solid numbers for large numbers of tournaments. (Over 500, preferably.)

Any readers who happen to have their own numbers, I'd really be interested in your ROI and ITM #'s.

I feel like I need to change things up a bit, and I want to see how many FPP's I can rack up on Stars with their new VIP system. I think I could get a new 20" monitor in less than 3 months. Then again, in 3 months on Absolute, I'll earn approximately $3k in bonuses, which could buy me a monitor with money to spare. It's a tough debate.

I can't really play tons of SNG's on AP because the traffic is too low during many hours, and I can't track my results in PT either (since AP is yet to have tournament summaries.) I could do a rudimentary spreadsheet, but I'm far too lazy for anything like that.

I also would rather play sng's on Stars because there is a far higher concentration of donks in the $20-$50 range (beyond that they may exist, I've just never played higher than that.) But again, I'd be forfeiting the bonuses I could make on AP. So unless I think I'm going to do that much better, it probably isn't worth it.

::

I saw in a recent post by Iggy that ESPN is starting a Fantasy Poker Challenge. This is akin to any other sports fantasy teams. You choose certain poker players, and based on how well they do in subsequent tourneys, you are rewarded with points, and compete against other people's picks.

Generally I despise fantasy sports leagues. Well, I should clarify that. I have no problems with the leagues, but rather the people who are in these leagues who want to talk to me about their fantasy sports teams. This is almost as bad as talking about religion. I don't wanna fucking hear about how well your players did. I don't care, and I can't imagine anyone does. It's like talking about bad beats, or the national debt.

From these experiences with people who find fantasy sports to be endlessly fascinating, I've developed a firm hatred for them, but maybe this Fantasy Poker thing will open my eyes to the world of being an annoying prick during conversations.

The Poker Gods Fight Via Guerilla Warfare

I'm so sick of this losing streak. I also hate how inexplicable it all is...how it's impossible to make people understand just how bad a streak I'm on. If you don't live through it, you'll simply assume it's a lot like the streaks YOU experience, maybe a little worse. I don't know what other people experience, but I know what I experience. This is novel. This is like nothing I've ever seen before, or even read about. I've never heard anyone report this many beats in a row, and I'm fairly certain that most people would quit playing if it weren't their job. Hell, I wanna quit playing.

I'm gonna try and use some stats and hand histories to show just how bad my recent sessions have been. (This on top of losing for 3 weeks straight.) And all the beats I've posted prior.

The last 6 flops I've seen with KK have been [Ad 5c 9h], [7d Ah 6c], [7d As Ad], [Ah Tc 7c] [Ac Jc 2h] and a flop without an ace. The flop without an ace was what I posted previously where the flop was 664, and I ended up losing to 77 which hit his 2 outer.

If you had any notions that you've experienced runs this bad, do you still have them? If so, here are my last 5 sets.

STAGE #253425627: HOLDEM NO LIMIT $1 - 2005-12-24 00:28:20 (ET)
Table: CHARLOTTE (Real Money) Seat #8 is the dealer
Seat 8 - SLIMJIM43 ($408.35 in chips)
Seat 3 - SBF ($156.25 in chips)
Seat 4 - FRYER TUCK ($245.85 in chips)
Seat 5 - DRAGONYSTIC ($405.70 in chips)
Seat 6 - JZNICK ($203.30 in chips)
SBF - Posts small blind $1
FRYER TUCK - Posts big blind $2
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to DRAGONYSTIC [10d 10s]
DRAGONYSTIC - Raises $8 to $8
JZNICK - Folds
SLIMJIM43 - Folds
SBF - Raises $15 to $16
FRYER TUCK - Folds
DRAGONYSTIC - Calls $8
*** FLOP *** [10c 2s Jh]
SBF - Checks
DRAGONYSTIC - Checks
*** TURN *** [10c 2s Jh] [5h]
SBF - Bets $22
DRAGONYSTIC - Calls $22
*** RIVER *** [10c 2s Jh 5h] [Kd]
SBF - All-In $118.25
DRAGONYSTIC - Folds
SBF - returned ($118.25) : not called
*** SHOW DOWN ***
SBF - Does not show
SBF Collects $75 from main pot

He said he had KK, and I'm positive he had it.

STAGE #253477591: HOLDEM NO LIMIT $0.50 - 2005-12-24 01:56:09 (ET)
Table: RADFORD (Real Money) Seat #5 is the dealer
Seat 5 - LUTE83 ($50.50 in chips)
Seat 6 - DRAGONYSTIC ($193.10 in chips)
Seat 9 - DNS0312 ($40.80 in chips)
Seat 1 - GRYGHEN ($88.35 in chips)
Seat 2 - TRIGGER76 ($203.30 in chips)
Seat 3 - IMAKEYAHUMP ($213.15 in chips)
DRAGONYSTIC - Posts small blind $0.50
DNS0312 - Posts big blind $1
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to DRAGONYSTIC [Jc Js]
GRYGHEN - Raises $5 to $5
TRIGGER76 - Folds
IMAKEYAHUMP - Folds
LUTE83 - Folds
DRAGONYSTIC - Calls $4.50
DNS0312 - Calls $4
*** FLOP *** [6s 8c 5c]
DRAGONYSTIC - Bets $7
DNS0312 - Folds
GRYGHEN - Calls $7
*** TURN *** [6s 8c 5c] [9c]
DRAGONYSTIC - Bets $11
GRYGHEN - Calls $11
*** RIVER *** [6s 8c 5c 9c] [Jh]
DRAGONYSTIC - Bets $22
GRYGHEN - Calls $22

Again, lose with an overpair, this time I hit the set...but he hit his draw. My redraw doesn't hit though.

STAGE #252813803: HOLDEM NO LIMIT $1 - 2005-12-23 02:46:48 (ET)
Table: PINNACLE DR. (Real Money) Seat #8 is the dealer
Seat 8 - DRAGONYSTIC ($371.05 in chips)
Seat 9 - SRR2449 ($126.85 in chips)
Seat 1 - HOOPCOACH15 ($56.80 in chips)
Seat 2 - DIRTDIGGER ($394.50 in chips)
Seat 4 - XENA777 ($176.15 in chips)
Seat 6 - KRNXBEACHBUM ($165.05 in chips)
SRR2449 - Posts small blind $1
HOOPCOACH15 - Posts big blind $2
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to DRAGONYSTIC [3h 3d]
DIRTDIGGER - Calls $2
XENA777 - Folds
KRNXBEACHBUM - Folds
DRAGONYSTIC - Calls $2
SRR2449 - Folds
HOOPCOACH15 - Checks
*** FLOP *** [7c 8s 10s]
HOOPCOACH15 - Checks
DIRTDIGGER - Checks
DRAGONYSTIC - Checks
*** TURN *** [7c 8s 10s] [Ad]
HOOPCOACH15 - Checks
DIRTDIGGER - Checks
DRAGONYSTIC - Checks
*** RIVER *** [7c 8s 10s Ad] [3c]
HOOPCOACH15 - Bets $4
DIRTDIGGER - Folds
DRAGONYSTIC - Raises $10 to $10
HOOPCOACH15 - Raises $16 to $20
DRAGONYSTIC - Calls $10
HOOPCOACH15 - Shows [9s 6s] (Straight, six to ten)
DRAGONYSTIC - Shows [3h 3d] (Three of a kind, threes)
HOOPCOACH15 Collects $44.65 from main pot

This one I was be at the whole way. Sweet.

STAGE #253448967: HOLDEM NO LIMIT $0.50 - 2005-12-24 01:05:14 (ET)
Table: DURHAM (Real Money) Seat #3 is the dealer
Seat 3 - BANANAJACK ($24.05 in chips)
Seat 4 - FARCANAL ($15.25 in chips)
Seat 5 - JZNICK ($168.90 in chips)
Seat 6 - PIGO ($153.83 in chips)
Seat 7 - GYPSY1 ($79 in chips)
Seat 1 - DRAGONYSTIC ($203.60 in chips)
FARCANAL - Posts small blind $0.50
JZNICK - Posts big blind $1
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to DRAGONYSTIC [7h 7d]
PIGO - Folds
GYPSY1 - Folds
DRAGONYSTIC - Calls $1
BANANAJACK - Calls $1
FARCANAL - Calls $0.50
JZNICK - Checks
*** FLOP *** [9s 2h 6d]
FARCANAL - Checks
JZNICK - Bets $2
DRAGONYSTIC - Calls $2
BANANAJACK - Folds
FARCANAL - Calls $2
*** TURN *** [9s 2h 6d] [7c]
FARCANAL - Checks
JZNICK - Bets $6
DRAGONYSTIC - Raises $13 to $13
FARCANAL - All-In $12.25
JZNICK - Calls $7
*** RIVER *** [9s 2h 6d 7c] [10d]
JZNICK - Checks
DRAGONYSTIC - Checks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
FARCANAL - Shows [10h 8c] (Straight, six to ten)
JZNICK - Mucks
DRAGONYSTIC - Shows [7h 7d] (Three of a kind, sevens)
DRAGONYSTIC Collects $1.50 from side pot-1
FARCANAL Collects $44.35 from main pot

Fantastic!

STAGE #253456370: HOLDEM NO LIMIT $0.50 - 2005-12-24 01:17:36 (ET)
Table: DURHAM (Real Money) Seat #2 is the dealer
Seat 2 - SBF ($97.90 in chips)
Seat 5 - JZNICK ($152.30 in chips)
Seat 7 - GYPSY1 ($65.95 in chips)
Seat 8 - IRONMAN10 ($104.75 in chips)
Seat 1 - DRAGONYSTIC ($206.10 in chips)
JZNICK - Posts small blind $0.50
GYPSY1 - Posts big blind $1
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to DRAGONYSTIC [9s 9c]
IRONMAN10 - Calls $1
DRAGONYSTIC - Calls $1
SBF - Folds
JZNICK - Calls $0.50
GYPSY1 - Checks
*** FLOP *** [9h 10c 5h]
JZNICK - Checks
GYPSY1 - Checks
IRONMAN10 - Bets $3
DRAGONYSTIC - Raises $9 to $9
JZNICK - Folds
GYPSY1 - Folds
IRONMAN10 - Calls $6
*** TURN *** [9h 10c 5h] [4h]
IRONMAN10 - Bets $3
DRAGONYSTIC - Calls $3
*** RIVER *** [9h 10c 5h 4h] [3s]
IRONMAN10 - Bets $16
DRAGONYSTIC - Folds
IRONMAN10 - returned ($16) : not called
*** SHOW DOWN ***
IRONMAN10 - Does not show
IRONMAN10 Collects $26.60 from main pot

Another chaser who pays 2:1 on the flop (pot sized raise) out of position to hit his draw. He wins nothing with it, but my spirit gets a little more crushed.

There were no intermediary sets in between these sets. Those HH's are the last 5 sets I've hit. I've hit trips a few times, but each of my last 5 sets have lost.

I could show even more. I could show the last 30 nut draws I have had, but unfortunately PT doesn't have an easy to way to sort draws, only flushes and straights that hit! So I'd have to search through thousands of hands to find the ones where I hit a draw. Those numbers would be just as sickening.

I also did some analysis on how often I'm flopping sets in the first place (let alone how often they are holding up.) My last 139 pocket pairs have hit 14 sets. With KK through JJ I've hit 6 sets in my last 73 tries. (Sets are 1:7.51 if you didn't know.) I'm hitting at a 1:10 clip. And if I had more energy to do this, I'd look back at my past 300+ pocket pairs, I'm almost certain they have faired just as bad, if not worse.

2 pair is holding up 64.61% of the time this month and three of a kind 69.23%; which is excrutiatingly low. To get an idea of how low that is, I looked up some numbers for a large sample of hands over the past year. Over the past 77,000 hands 2 pair has held up 71.46% of the time, and three of a kind 78.59%. Those numbers may appear close (comparing 64/69 to 71/78,) but in the world of poker, a few percentages are actually very big. 6-10% is huge! That means I'm losing 1 additional hand (on top of the normal beats) for every 10 times I get three of a kind, for the whole month of December.

I could probably dig up some more stats, but frankly I'm sick of it all, and I'm sure if anyone reads this blog they're sick of me bitching about beats too. (I'm just as sick of it as you.) And sadly, getting sick of something is slowly turning from a metaphor into a reality. The longer this streak goes on, the sicker I feel. The more I hate poker. I leave almost every session in the red, with a handful more of beats, and a fist full of anger.

I'm reminded of a quote about the difference between good players and great players, that those great players can still play good poker through the worst of it. I think I've continued playing as close to an A game as possible through all of this, but like another wise saying says "every man has his breaking point." I dunno where mine is precisely. I'm not sure how much more I can take. But I have a new found respect for those 20 year pros who have seen it all. You have to play a lot of hands to experience the very worst poker has to offer, and I'm sure every top level player has had to go through shit like this. I wish poker books talked about these kinds of things more than the play of starting hands on selected flops.

17 + 2 = 17

I dunno if I've been so happy and so disappointed at the same time. (By the way, this has nothing to do with poker.) I just bought a new 19in monitor and it came in the mail today. Happy day! I plugged it in and after some tinkering I got it looking really good. I don't have the dual monitor thing going yet because the DVI/VGA adapter is still in the mail. That's not what I'm primarily disappointed at, however.

My thinking was that I could now easily play 4 tables at once with no overlap on one screen. Somehow this is not the case. And I don't even know how this is possible. It's like some weird kind of optical illusion. I have no extra screen space vs my 17in. And both monitors are on the same resolution!

How is this possible? It's like the bigger monitor just magnifies everything slightly to conform to the bigger screen size, and so instead of having a bigger monitor, it's more like I'm just wearing a really strong pair of glasses. This is no help at all! I bought this monitor for the sole purpose of being able to multitable better. But if there's still overlap on either screen, what's the fucking point?

I would have just bought another 17in had I known that I would have the same amount of desktop space to use.

Again? Again?

I said it last time, and it still seems to fit...why does this keep happening?!

Stage #252814232: Holdem No Limit $1 - 2005-12-23 02:47:51 (ET)
Table: PINNACLE DR. (Real Money) Seat #9 is the dealer
Seat 9 - SRR2449 ($125.85 in chips)
Seat 1 - HOOPCOACH15 ($79.45 in chips)
Seat 2 - DIRTDIGGER ($392.50 in chips)
Seat 4 - XENA777 ($176.15 in chips)
Seat 6 - KRNXBEACHBUM ($165.05 in chips)
Seat 8 - DRAGONYSTIC ($349.05 in chips)
HOOPCOACH15 - Posts small blind $1
DIRTDIGGER - Posts big blind $2
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to DRAGONYSTIC [Kh Kc]
XENA777 - Folds
KRNXBEACHBUM - Folds
DRAGONYSTIC - Raises $8 to $8
SRR2449 - Calls $8
HOOPCOACH15 - Calls $7
DIRTDIGGER - Folds
*** FLOP *** [6c 6h 4s]
HOOPCOACH15 - Checks
DRAGONYSTIC - Bets $12
SRR2449 - Calls $12
HOOPCOACH15 - Folds
*** TURN *** [6c 6h 4s] [7d]
DRAGONYSTIC - Bets $24
SRR2449 - Calls $24
*** RIVER *** [6c 6h 4s 7d] [3c]
DRAGONYSTIC - Bets $40
SRR2449 - All-In(Raise) $81.85 to $81.85
DRAGONYSTIC - Calls $41.85
*** SHOW DOWN ***
SRR2449 - Shows [7s 7h] (Full house, sevens full of sixes)
DRAGONYSTIC - Shows [Kh Kc] (Two Pairs, kings and sixes)
SRR2449 Collects $258.70 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total Pot($261.70) Rake ($3)
Board [6c 6h 4s 7d 3c]
Seat 1: HOOPCOACH15 (small blind) Folded on the FLOP
Seat 2: DIRTDIGGER (big blind) Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 4: XENA777 Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 6: KRNXBEACHBUM Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 8: DRAGONYSTIC HI:lost with Two Pairs, kings and sixes [Kh Kc - P:Kh,P:Kc,B:6h,B:6c,B:7d]
Seat 9: SRR2449 (dealer) won Total ($258.70) All-In HI:($258.70) with Full house, sevens full of sixes [7s 7h - P:7s,P:7h,B:7d,B:6h,B:6c]

How many 2 outers is it possible to lose to in a month?

The Worst SlowPlay in History?

Stage #252413210: Holdem No Limit $0.50 - 2005-12-22 16:51:31 (ET)
Table: EDINBURGH DR. (Real Money) Seat #2 is the dealer
Seat 2 - CHOPPAPOTTER ($33.50 in chips)
Seat 4 - GANGZTA ($102.80 in chips)
Seat 6 - DRAGONYSTIC ($200 in chips)
Seat 7 - 1EYEDJACK35 ($99.47 in chips)
Seat 9 - INKPEN426 ($214.80 in chips)
Seat 1 - ROBBO63 ($116.25 in chips)
GANGZTA - Posts small blind $0.50
DRAGONYSTIC - Posts big blind $1
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to DRAGONYSTIC [9h 9s]
1EYEDJACK35 - Calls $1
INKPEN426 - Folds
ROBBO63 - Folds
CHOPPAPOTTER - Folds
GANGZTA - Raises $3.50 to $4
DRAGONYSTIC - Calls $3
1EYEDJACK35 - Calls $3
*** FLOP *** [Qd Ad 8s]
GANGZTA - Checks
DRAGONYSTIC - Checks
1EYEDJACK35 - Checks
*** TURN *** [Qd Ad 8s] [10s]
GANGZTA - Checks
DRAGONYSTIC - Checks
1EYEDJACK35 - Checks
*** RIVER *** [Qd Ad 8s 10s] [9c]
GANGZTA - Bets $5
DRAGONYSTIC - Calls $5
1EYEDJACK35 - Calls $5
*** SHOW DOWN ***
GANGZTA - Shows [As Ac] (Three of a kind, aces)
DRAGONYSTIC - Shows [9h 9s] (Three of a kind, nines)
1EYEDJACK35 - Shows [Qs Js] (Straight, eight to queen)
1EYEDJACK35 Collects $25.65 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total Pot($27) Rake ($1.35)
Board [Qd Ad 8s 10s 9c]
Seat 1: ROBBO63 Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 2: CHOPPAPOTTER (dealer) Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 4: GANGZTA (small blind) HI:lost with Three of a kind, aces [As Ac - P:As,B:Ad,P:Ac,B:Qd,B:10s]
Seat 6: DRAGONYSTIC (big blind) HI:lost with Three of a kind, nines [9h 9s - P:9s,P:9h,B:9c,B:Ad,B:Qd]
Seat 7: 1EYEDJACK35 won Total ($25.65) HI:($25.65) with Straight, eight to queen [Qs Js - P:Qs,P:Js,B:10s,B:9c,B:8s]

An Odd Happening

Every once in a while something happens in your life to really make your perception of things change. This can be a big event like a near death experience, or it may be something small, like an innocent comment that somehow finds a way to hit hard. Earlier today I experienced the latter.

I was playing a few tables on AP. I flopped a straight flush draw and amazing the turn brought me my straight flush. On the river the player to my right bets out a very small $4 bet. I raise it to $12 and he min raises me to $24. Now we both had about $400 in our stacks at the beginning of this hand. And I was now certain that he indeed had the nut flush. So rather than value bet $50 or so, I decided to see if he could get away from it or not. I should note that my straight flush was made with only 1 card in my hand, and 4 on the board. The board was also not paired. So the nut flush was good unless I had the straight flush. He called.

I was happy to win the nearly $800 pot, but this is not what forced me to think about things. Several players at the table began ridiculing the player who called! I, of course, did not partake in this, as I was happy that he called. And I don't really know the people who did the ridiculing. One of the statements they made hit me. It was something like "you just got rereraised by the tightest player on AP and you call with that?"

I asked this person, "am I really the tightest player on AP?" And he said "yes" and so too did the person next to him. No one said "no."

I'm not sure if other people can understand why a statement like this would hit me hard, so I'll try to explain. There's this man named Broomcorn...wait wait, I'm not gonna go that route. But it's certainly not a compliment to be called ubertight. It's not a direct insult, but it certainly is not something I enjoyed hearing. Really tight players are generally a very unskilled group who make their money simply by playing better cards than everyone else. It takes little skill to play tight and eek out a profit, especially against the people I play against.

But I don't want to be that player. I don't enjoy the idea that I need cards to win. A good player should be able to win with or without cards.

Less than 20 minutes later on another table I get involved in a pot with the player on my right. He bets out $8 and I raise him to $20 with an overpair. He states "if anyone has the nuts when they raise it's dragon[ystic]." This didn't stop him from going over the top of me with a draw, to which I called and lost on the river. But that's a different story.

So what is going on? Am I playing too tight? And am I missing out on some profit from playing tight.

My VPIP this month is lower than in previous months. This month it's been 19% and in previous months it was 21-23%. The number of hands I play has also corresponded strongly with how much I win. The more hands I play, the more I win, if you can believe that.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do about all of this. I have a lot of data I can look through, so that may be a place to start. I can see how often I'm playing those marginal hands like AJo and KTs, probably not enough.

I also tend to go into a shell when I get reraised preflop. Even if I'm entering the pot with a good hand. Several times this past week I'll raise with QQ or JJ, and someone behind me will minreraise. This kind of play puts me into a tough spot. If I reraise and am looking at AA or KK it's likely I'll get reraised all in and will be forced to fold without a good reason to call. Even if they smooth call I don't put it past them that they are playing A's or K's tricky. So no matter what the flop comes, I hate it. If it's all unders I think "how much is this flop gonna cost me." If an A or K hits, I think I just got out flopped. I sometimes get stubborn and call down if it's a nice board, but I don't do a lot of raising.

It's hard to admit, but these reraised pots are the toughest for me to play, and I probably give away far too much to players who overplay their hands.

This is also a problem in other pots in which I get raised on the flop, rather than preflop. Here's an example. I'll raise AcQd preflop and get a nice flop with Qh Th 7s. When I get raised on the flop here I constantly feel like I'm in a tough spot. If they are a tight player, I feel like they easily could have a set, and if I call down I'm just throwing money down the drain. If they are loose, then I feel like they could easily have QT or Q7 or T7. I so frequently run into an odd 2 pair with loose players that anytime I get raised on the flop by one of these players, I just wanna chuck my hand. There's no way to determine if they have a hand or not.

In real life I don't have nearly as much trouble with these kinds of hands because I can look at a person and get a better idea of what they have. The physical cues along with the betting patterns makes it a little easier to decide to fold, call or raise. But I often feel like I'm just guessing when this situation arises. And I don't like playing guessing games at the poker table. I wanna make my opponents guess.

Well anyways, those are some of the thoughts I've been having lately. An entire month in the red will do that to you. This is my first losing month in almost a year, and the beats are so consistent as to have hammered me into a weak/tight shell. I try to keep up the aggression and keep putting those bets out when I think I have the best of it. But when you see so many beats for so long, it's hard to not see them before the cards are even turned over...when you're still deciding if they have it or not. Sure it may not make sense for them to have called you down with just a gutshot, and it doesn't make any sense when they drag the $200 pot with the most improbable hand...but that doesn't change the fact that they win the pot and I've been outdrawn again.

To go along with the fact that I've had the worst month of poker in my life, I've also withdrawn $2k for Christmas. So my bankroll is hurting!

I can't wait to see the high end of variance. Does such an end even exist?

Online Poker = Life of Solitude?

Thanks Skitch for the laundry advice (how lame am I? ...talking about laundry.) But it really was a problem and I'm glad it was solved.

It's funny how different priorities arise in one's life, and how easily old ones which I clung to strongly have faded away. I'm only 24 but damn I feel old. I think about taxes, laundry, buying a new car, and future abodes which I would like inhabit. I don't 'party' for 2 days in a row, and avoid taking risks for the most part.

I think I started thinking about a lot of this stuff due to a recent visit from Shawn. He came up and stayed here for a night, but aside from watching things (tv, movies) and playing video games, there's little else I can offer in terms of entertainment. Does this make me a boring person? To other people, I can defintely see how it would seem that way. But I'm not bored in life. I always have stuff to do, but most of my ventures end up being solitary. I go to the gym by myself, I work on music alone and I play poker alone, aside from the few nights a week I play live with friends.

Point? Well I'm not sure really, but I know that in college I was much more social. I'm sure that's true of most non-psychopaths. However I miss those days, and they were only a few years ago. I'm just worried that my college years really were the best of my life, and now they are over. I don't want that to be true. But I don't foresee many ways to lead a very social life beyond what I do now. Making new friends is hard when you never meet new people. I don't meet many new people anymore. How can I? In college you meet people in class, or in the dorms, or at your job.

Playing online poker is about as solitude-inducing a job as is possible. I think that's why I really wanted to go to LV and meet some poker bloggers.

How do you meet people (again, non-psychopaths) when you don't go to school and you work at home?

*Crosses Fingers*

This is just a quick post to apologize for my lack of writings. I've pretty much just been putting up boring bad beat histories, but I don't have much to say about poker right now. I'm on the worst streak of my poker career, and it's not fun. It's making me not want to think (or write) much at all in here, because then I just think about all the beats.

I hope to get back to my normal blogging soon.

Silly Me, I Thought This Losing Streak Was Over

Stage #247706163: Holdem No Limit $1 - 2005-12-15 20:52:12 (ET)
Table: OKLAHOMA ST (Real Money) Seat #5 is the dealer
Seat 5 - REBEC13 ($107.16 in chips)
Seat 6 - MAYBAYNAY ($83.98 in chips)
Seat 7 - RAGS2RICHES9 ($116.30 in chips)
Seat 8 - DRAGONYSTIC ($393.80 in chips)
Seat 1 - SHAPIZZZY ($77.92 in chips)
Seat 3 - KRNXBEACHBUM ($434.11 in chips)
MAYBAYNAY - Posts small blind $1
RAGS2RICHES9 - Posts big blind $2
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to DRAGONYSTIC [Ad As]
DRAGONYSTIC - Raises $8 to $8
SHAPIZZZY - Folds
KRNXBEACHBUM - Raises $16 to $16
REBEC13 - Folds
MAYBAYNAY - Folds
RAGS2RICHES9 - Folds
DRAGONYSTIC - All-In(Raise) $385.80 to $393.80
KRNXBEACHBUM - Calls $377.80
*** FLOP *** [8d 4h 2s]
*** TURN *** [8d 4h 2s] [5c]
*** RIVER *** [8d 4h 2s 5c] [Kd]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
KRNXBEACHBUM - Shows [Ks Kc] (Three of a kind, kings)
DRAGONYSTIC - Shows [Ad As] (One pair, aces)
KRNXBEACHBUM Collects $787.60 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total Pot($790.60) Rake ($3)
Board [8d 4h 2s 5c Kd]
Seat 1: SHAPIZZZY Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 3: KRNXBEACHBUM won Total ($787.60) HI:($787.60) with Three of a kind, kings [Ks Kc - P:Ks,B:Kd,P:Kc,B:8d,B:5c]
Seat 5: REBEC13 (dealer) Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 6: MAYBAYNAY (small blind) Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 7: RAGS2RICHES9 (big blind) Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 8: DRAGONYSTIC HI:lost with One pair, aces [Ad As - P:As,P:Ad,B:Kd,B:8d,B:5c]

Stage #247796560: Holdem No Limit $1 - 2005-12-15 22:49:43 (ET)
Table: OKLAHOMA ST (Real Money) Seat #6 is the dealer
Seat 6 - DRAGONYSTIC ($396 in chips)
Seat 7 - KAPPA_HO ($103.84 in chips)
Seat 2 - SIGSH ($624.71 in chips)
Seat 3 - WIZARD26 ($220.93 in chips)
Seat 5 - DLFP ($406.75 in chips)
KAPPA_HO - Posts small blind $1
SIGSH - Posts big blind $2
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to DRAGONYSTIC [9h Ah]
WIZARD26 - Calls $2
DLFP - Folds
DRAGONYSTIC - Calls $2
KAPPA_HO - Calls $1
SIGSH - Checks
*** FLOP *** [Kh 9d 9c]
KAPPA_HO - Checks
SIGSH - Checks
WIZARD26 - Checks
DRAGONYSTIC - Bets $4
KAPPA_HO - Folds
SIGSH - Calls $4
WIZARD26 - Folds
*** TURN *** [Kh 9d 9c] [8h]
SIGSH - Bets $10
DRAGONYSTIC - Calls $10
*** RIVER *** [Kh 9d 9c 8h] [2c]
SIGSH - Bets $20
DRAGONYSTIC - Raises $40 to $40
SIGSH - Calls $20
*** SHOW DOWN ***
DRAGONYSTIC - Shows [9h Ah] (Three of a kind, nines)
SIGSH - Shows [2h 9s] (Full house, nines full of twos)
SIGSH Collects $113 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total Pot($116) Rake ($3)
Board [Kh 9d 9c 8h 2c]
Seat 2: SIGSH (big blind) won Total ($113) HI:($113) with Full house, nines full of twos [2h 9s - P:9s,B:9d,B:9c,P:2h,B:2c]
Seat 3: WIZARD26 Folded on the FLOP
Seat 5: DLFP Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 6: DRAGONYSTIC (dealer) HI:lost with Three of a kind, nines [9h Ah - P:9h,B:9d,B:9c,P:Ah,B:Kh]
Seat 7: KAPPA_HO (small blind) Folded on the FLOP

I Suck

Poker is just plain kicking my ass (still.) This is good though, it's humbling. I need a good humblin' every once in a while.

I played in the AP 90k guaranteed today. It's $150+12 buy in, but I won a satellite for $40. I promptly busted in the first half hour with pocket aces. I ran into a flopped set and I couldn't get away. I've ran into so many sets recently it's sickening, and barely believable. I should go through PokerTracker and look at just how often I'm running into sets. I'm not sure of the exact number, but it's high! I keep flopping TPTK vs. set, and it's just not possible to escape these without some loss.

But the AP bonuses are keeping me hanging around, rather than being down. And that's the kind of cushion I need (or atleast want.) Stars may be more profitable in the long run, but I don't want to deal with high variance poker until I have over ten grand.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about the kind of game I want to play, and the kind of game I'm forced to play because I play for a living, and am forced to win. But I want to become a lot more laggy. (Loose aggressive.) I wanna learn to win in multiple ways. But I can't experiment too much until I have a very large bankroll.

Well that's all...

WAIT, this just happened.

Stage #244279730: Holdem No Limit $1 - 2005-12-10 22:48:30 (ET)
Table: DEFIANCE ST. (Real Money) Seat #5 is the dealer
Seat 5 - DRAGONYSTIC ($460.70 in chips)
Seat 6 - TPINEAU ($219.35 in chips)
Seat 7 - TCGEN ($193.32 in chips)
Seat 1 - ONEBOOT ($206.13 in chips)
Seat 3 - COOTERMULLET ($179 in chips)
Seat 4 - VVEGA ($210.80 in chips)
TPINEAU - Posts small blind $1
TCGEN - Posts big blind $2
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to DRAGONYSTIC [Jc Ah]
ONEBOOT - Calls $2
COOTERMULLET - Folds
VVEGA - Calls $2
DRAGONYSTIC - Calls $2
TPINEAU - Calls $1
TCGEN - Checks
*** FLOP *** [Jd 3d Ac]
TPINEAU - Checks
TCGEN - Bets $6
ONEBOOT - Calls $6
VVEGA - Folds
DRAGONYSTIC - Raises $22 to $22
TPINEAU - Folds
TCGEN - Raises $46 to $52
ONEBOOT - Folds
DRAGONYSTIC - All-In(Raise) $436.70 to $458.70
TCGEN - All-In $139.32
DRAGONYSTIC - returned ($267.38) : not called
*** TURN *** [Jd 3d Ac] [3c]
*** RIVER *** [Jd 3d Ac 3c] [10c]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
DRAGONYSTIC - Shows [Jc Ah] (Two Pairs, aces and jacks)
TCGEN - Shows [3h 3s] (Four of a kind, threes)
TCGEN Collects $395.64 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total Pot($398.64) Rake ($3)
Board [Jd 3d Ac 3c 10c]
Seat 1: ONEBOOT Folded on the FLOP
Seat 3: COOTERMULLET Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 4: VVEGA Folded on the FLOP
Seat 5: DRAGONYSTIC (dealer) HI:lost with Two Pairs, aces and jacks [Jc Ah - P:Ah,B:Ac,B:Jd,P:Jc,B:10c]
Seat 6: TPINEAU (small blind) Folded on the FLOP
Seat 7: TCGEN (big blind) won Total ($395.64) All-In HI:($395.64) with Four of a kind, threes [3h 3s - P:3s,P:3h,B:3d,B:3c,B:Ac]

Sweet.

The Beats Just Will. Not. Stop

Stage #242790338: Holdem No Limit $1 - 2005-12-08 20:00:31 (ET)
Table: HAGGARD DR. (Real Money) Seat #9 is the dealer
Seat 9 - STICKITNU ($400 in chips)
Seat 4 - POOLPLAYER29 ($174 in chips)
Seat 5 - MIDNIGHT2345 ($397.85 in chips)
Seat 6 - PLATINUMSTAR ($342 in chips)
Seat 7 - DRAGONYSTIC ($404.10 in chips)
POOLPLAYER29 - Posts small blind $1
MIDNIGHT2345 - Posts big blind $2
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to DRAGONYSTIC [Ad Jh]
PLATINUMSTAR - Folds
DRAGONYSTIC - Calls $2
STICKITNU - Calls $2
POOLPLAYER29 - Calls $1
MIDNIGHT2345 - Checks
*** FLOP *** [Js 9d 3h]
POOLPLAYER29 - Checks
MIDNIGHT2345 - Checks
DRAGONYSTIC - Bets $8
STICKITNU - Calls $8
POOLPLAYER29 - Folds
MIDNIGHT2345 - Folds
*** TURN *** [Js 9d 3h] [As]
DRAGONYSTIC - Checks
STICKITNU - Bets $10
DRAGONYSTIC - Raises $28 to $28
STICKITNU - Calls $18
*** RIVER *** [Js 9d 3h As] [9c]
DRAGONYSTIC - Checks
STICKITNU - Bets $100
DRAGONYSTIC - Calls $100
*** SHOW DOWN ***
STICKITNU - Shows [Ac 9h] (Full house, nines full of aces)
DRAGONYSTIC - Shows [Ad Jh] (Two Pairs, aces and jacks)
STICKITNU Collects $277 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total Pot($280) Rake ($3)
Board [Js 9d 3h As 9c]
Seat 4: POOLPLAYER29 (small blind) Folded on the FLOP
Seat 5: MIDNIGHT2345 (big blind) Folded on the FLOP
Seat 6: PLATINUMSTAR Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 7: DRAGONYSTIC HI:lost with Two Pairs, aces and jacks [Ad Jh - B:As,P:Ad,B:Js,P:Jh,B:9d]
Seat 9: STICKITNU (dealer) won Total ($277) HI:($277) with Full house, nines full of aces [Ac 9h - P:9h,B:9d,B:9c,B:As,P:Ac]

He ridiculed my play after this hand.

Stage #242745166: Holdem No Limit $1 - 2005-12-08 18:58:35 (ET)
Table: HAGGARD DR. (Real Money) Seat #9 is the dealer
Seat 9 - STICKITNU ($92.80 in chips)
Seat 1 - NOANSWERS ($78 in chips)
Seat 2 - LORDSAURON ($236.20 in chips)
Seat 3 - SWANSHAFT ($82.80 in chips)
Seat 6 - PLATINUMSTAR ($379.34 in chips)
Seat 7 - DRAGONYSTIC ($393 in chips)
NOANSWERS - Posts small blind $1
LORDSAURON - Posts big blind $2
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to DRAGONYSTIC [Ad Ah]
SWANSHAFT - Raises $6 to $6
PLATINUMSTAR - Folds
DRAGONYSTIC - Raises $20 to $20
STICKITNU - Folds
NOANSWERS - Folds
LORDSAURON - Folds
SWANSHAFT - Raises $46 to $52
DRAGONYSTIC - Raises $84 to $104
SWANSHAFT - All-In $30.80
DRAGONYSTIC - returned ($21.20) : not called
*** FLOP *** [Qh 8s Kh]
*** TURN *** [Qh 8s Kh] [10d]
*** RIVER *** [Qh 8s Kh 10d] [6h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
SWANSHAFT - Shows [Qd Qc] (Three of a kind, queens)
DRAGONYSTIC - Shows [Ad Ah] (One pair, aces)
SWANSHAFT Collects $165.60 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total Pot($168.60) Rake ($3)
Board [Qh 8s Kh 10d 6h]
Seat 1: NOANSWERS (small blind) Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 2: LORDSAURON (big blind) Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 3: SWANSHAFT won Total ($165.60) All-In HI:($165.60) with Three of a kind, queens [Qd Qc - B:Qh,P:Qd,P:Qc,B:Kh,B:10d]
Seat 6: PLATINUMSTAR Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 7: DRAGONYSTIC HI:lost with One pair, aces [Ad Ah - P:Ah,P:Ad,B:Kh,B:Qh,B:10d]
Seat 9: STICKITNU (dealer) Folded on the POCKET CARDS

I dunno how much more I can take of this.

Stage #242888237: Holdem No Limit $1 - 2005-12-08 22:08:04 (ET)
Table: HAGGARD DR. (Real Money) Seat #6 is the dealer
Seat 6 - KRNXBEACHBUM ($139.15 in chips)
Seat 7 - DRAGONYSTIC ($385.95 in chips)
Seat 9 - RIVEROTTER21 ($250 in chips)
Seat 2 - GIMMEYOLOOT3 ($56.75 in chips)
Seat 3 - LGPAPA ($298 in chips)
Seat 5 - DBLIZZ21 ($240.38 in chips)
DRAGONYSTIC - Posts small blind $1
RIVEROTTER21 - Posts big blind $2
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to DRAGONYSTIC [6s 5s]
GIMMEYOLOOT3 - Folds
LGPAPA - Raises $4 to $4
DBLIZZ21 - Folds
KRNXBEACHBUM - Folds
DRAGONYSTIC - Calls $3
RIVEROTTER21 - Calls $2
*** FLOP *** [5h Qd 6c]
DRAGONYSTIC - Bets $8
RIVEROTTER21 - Folds
LGPAPA - Calls $8
*** TURN *** [5h Qd 6c] [7d]
DRAGONYSTIC - Bets $18
LGPAPA - Calls $18
*** RIVER *** [5h Qd 6c 7d] [Kd]
DRAGONYSTIC - Bets $20
LGPAPA - Raises $40 to $40
DRAGONYSTIC - Calls $20
*** SHOW DOWN ***
LGPAPA - Shows [8c 9c] (Straight, five to nine)
DRAGONYSTIC - Mucks
LGPAPA Collects $141 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total Pot($144) Rake ($3)
Board [5h Qd 6c 7d Kd]
Seat 2: GIMMEYOLOOT3 Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 3: LGPAPA won Total ($141) HI:($141) with Straight, five to nine [8c 9c - P:9c,P:8c,B:7d,B:6c,B:5h]
Seat 5: DBLIZZ21 Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 6: KRNXBEACHBUM (dealer) Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 7: DRAGONYSTIC (small blind) HI: [Mucked] [6s 5s]
Seat 9: RIVEROTTER21 (big blind) Folded on the FLOP

The Straw That Broke the Camels Back

POKERSTARS GAME #3259470048: HOLD'EM NO LIMIT ($1/$2) - 2005/12/06 - 17:27:38 (ET)
Table 'Erato II' Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: Billiam_cdn ($269.85 in chips)
Seat 2: bdgoat ($57.65 in chips)
Seat 4: Dragonystic ($194.95 in chips)
Seat 5: gvic ($321.55 in chips)
bdgoat: posts small blind $1
Dragonystic: posts big blind $2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Dragonystic [As Ad]
gvic: calls $2
Billiam_cdn: calls $2
bdgoat: calls $1
Johnybliz has returned
Dragonystic: raises $6 to $8
gvic: calls $6
CardsnBass joins the table at seat #3
Billiam_cdn: folds
bdgoat: calls $6
*** FLOP *** [9c Th 4d]
bdgoat: checks
Dragonystic: bets $12
gvic: calls $12
bdgoat: calls $12
*** TURN *** [9c Th 4d] [7c]
bdgoat: checks
Dragonystic: bets $22
gvic: folds
bdgoat: raises $15.65 to $37.65 and is all-in
Dragonystic: calls $15.65
*** RIVER *** [9c Th 4d 7c] [4s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
bdgoat: shows [4h 9h] (a full house, Fours full of Nines)
Dragonystic: shows [As Ad] (two pair, Aces and Fours)
Dragonystic said, "i cant win"
bdgoat collected $135.30 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $137.30 Rake $2
Board [9c Th 4d 7c 4s]
Seat 1: Billiam_cdn (button) folded before Flop
Seat 2: bdgoat (small blind) showed [4h 9h] and won ($135.30) with a full house, Fours full of Nines
Seat 4: Dragonystic (big blind) showed [As Ad] and lost with two pair, Aces and Fours
Seat 5: gvic folded on the Turn

::

That's it for me folks. I'm done with Stars. This above hand, is EVERY hand. That is Stars in a nutshell, and I'm rather sick of it. If for no other reason than stress relief, I'm not playing on Stars until I can play atleast 5/10.

So FUCK. YOU. PokerStars.

How Do You Combat This?

PokerStars Game #3259045598: Hold'em No Limit ($1/$2) - 2005/12/06 - 16:36:22 (ET)
Table 'Erato II' Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: Billiam_cdn ($145.75 in chips)
Seat 2: 3 2 2 O 2 ($261.30 in chips)
Seat 3: PontiacGuy ($43.20 in chips)
Seat 4: Dragonystic ($167.60 in chips)
Seat 5: gvic ($261.55 in chips)
Seat 6: jasabb23 ($455.55 in chips)
PontiacGuy: posts small blind $1
Dragonystic: posts big blind $2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Dragonystic [3h 2d]
gvic: calls $2
jasabb23: calls $2
Billiam_cdn: calls $2
3 2 2 O 2: calls $2
PontiacGuy: calls $1
Dragonystic: checks
*** FLOP *** [6d 4h 5h]
PontiacGuy: bets $2
Dragonystic: raises $6 to $8
gvic: calls $8
jasabb23: calls $8
Billiam_cdn: calls $8
3 2 2 O 2: raises $50 to $58
PontiacGuy: calls $39.20 and is all-in
Dragonystic said, "god"
jasabb23 said, "no kidding"
Dragonystic said, "we all flopped straights?"
Dragonystic: folds
gvic: folds
jasabb23: folds
Billiam_cdn: folds
*** TURN *** [6d 4h 5h] [8s]
Dragonystic said, "i had 23"
*** RIVER *** [6d 4h 5h 8s] [6s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
PontiacGuy: shows [6h 7d] (a straight, Four to Eight)
3 2 2 O 2: shows [8h 8d] (a full house, Eights full of Sixes)
3 2 2 O 2 collected $123.40 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $126.40 Rake $3
Board [6d 4h 5h 8s 6s]
Seat 1: Billiam_cdn folded on the Flop
Seat 2: 3 2 2 O 2 (button) showed [8h 8d] and won ($123.40) with a full house, Eights full of Sixes
Seat 3: PontiacGuy (small blind) showed [6h 7d] and lost with a straight, Four to Eight
Seat 4: Dragonystic (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 5: gvic folded on the Flop
Seat 6: jasabb23 folded on the Flop

Hey Buddy, Got a Quarter?

The beats keep a comin'. The battle isn't entirely one-sided now though, as I dished out a few bad beats myself. One hand I had AJ and the calling station on my right had JJ. The flop came J high and he checked it to me on all three streets, so I bet it for him. On the river I filled in a gutshot and took down the pot, but it wasn't very large. As my straight was with the A on a J2345 board, and I'm gunshy these days, I was worried he somehow had a 6.

Another hand I had AJ again, and the flop came AAx. I bet the entire way, all three streets, and got called down by 88 which hit his 2 outer. Good times.

Lastly, I got into a nice cold deck with AK against 33. Flop came A3x, and I lost a rather large pot to a very loose player. (He also busted my K's later on with A7, how can an Ace not flop?)

Soooo......

::

I'm really hitting a crossroads type thing here where I feel like I have to make a decision on what to do about this situation. I'm not winning on Stars. I'm getting demolished, continually, by very very poor players. (Says a lot about my game, huh?) And I don't have the cushion that I had on AP of getting around $1000 back in bonuses every month. I really don't know what to do.

If I go back to AP I'll be guaranteed to make 3k a month, give or take, but there's very little room to move up. There are 2/4nl games on occasion, but 1 or 2 tables usually, if at all. I can't even always find 1/2nl tables to play on. And that's a problem. I don't want to play .50/1 ever again. The stakes are too small for me to care with the bankroll I have.

I could move up to 2/4nl on Stars, and see how I do there. It seems paradoxical that I would beat a game with tougher opponents, but I've always had better results against better players. I just don't know how to beat a table full of maniacs. But I fear a bad run at 2/4nl would really put a hurtin on my BR.

So that makes me want to stick it out and learn to beat these games as much as I possibly can. I dunno what kind of winrate is possible, but my gut says it should be very very high. I see no reason why 7-10bb's per hour isn't doable against these idiots.

I also have to keep reminding myself, that with all the beats I've taken, and all the poor luck I've had in my week or so on Stars, that I'm still about even. It's not fun to tread water, but it leads me to suspect that with even average luck (let alone good luck) I will have a healthy winrate. Who knows how long that will be until things turn around though. I don't want to put in a month on Stars and come away with $500 or some trash like that. I pray to God that that wouldn't happen, but it's possible.

I wish I knew someone who has crushed the 1/2nl games on Stars for a while, I need a lesson or two.

I'm Still Now Allowed to Win, And the Beats Are Getting Sicker

PokerStars Game #3237973526: Hold'em No Limit ($1/$2) - 2005/12/04 - 10:19:28 (ET)
Table 'Troilus' Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: Frrrrrr ($219 in chips)
Seat 2: Dragonystic ($199.15 in chips)
Seat 3: juniorbud ($220.85 in chips)
Seat 4: daweed38 ($85.05 in chips)
Seat 5: lobojiji ($355 in chips)
Seat 6: garysready ($123.50 in chips)
garysready: posts small blind $1
Frrrrrr: posts big blind $2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Dragonystic [Kd Kh]
Dragonystic: raises $6 to $8
juniorbud: folds
daweed38: folds
lobojiji: folds
garysready: folds
Frrrrrr: calls $6
*** FLOP *** [3h 2d 5d]
Frrrrrr: checks
Dragonystic: bets $14
Frrrrrr: raises $14 to $28
Dragonystic: calls $14
*** TURN *** [3h 2d 5d] [Qd]
Frrrrrr: bets $35
garysready is sitting out
Dragonystic: calls $35
*** RIVER *** [3h 2d 5d Qd] [7h]
garysready leaves the table
Frrrrrr: bets $70
Dragonystic: calls $70
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Frrrrrr: shows [7c 7s] (three of a kind, Sevens)
Dragonystic: shows [Kd Kh] (a pair of Kings)
Frrrrrr collected $280 from pot
Dragonystic said, "why does this keep happening"
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $283 Rake $3
Board [3h 2d 5d Qd 7h]
Seat 1: Frrrrrr (big blind) showed [7c 7s] and won ($280) with three of a kind, Sevens
Seat 2: Dragonystic showed [Kd Kh] and lost with a pair of Kings
Seat 3: juniorbud folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: daweed38 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: lobojiji (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: garysready (small blind) folded before Flop

I just realized, that that was a 1 outer. I didn't realize this at first, but I had the Kd, so if the 7d hits, I have the flush. The 7h is the only card he can win with. Hooray!

PokerStars Game #3237827371: Hold'em No Limit ($1/$2) - 2005/12/04 - 09:45:17 (ET)
Table 'Troilus' Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: chipstack123 ($73.65 in chips)
Seat 2: Dragonystic ($172 in chips)
Seat 3: juniorbud ($132.90 in chips)
Seat 5: lobojiji ($207.70 in chips)
Seat 6: garysready ($209.65 in chips)
juniorbud: posts small blind $1
lobojiji: posts big blind $2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Dragonystic [Td Th]
garysready: calls $2
chipstack123: calls $2
Dragonystic: raises $8 to $10
juniorbud: folds
lobojiji: folds
garysready: calls $8
chipstack123: calls $8
*** FLOP *** [4d 7h 8s]
garysready: checks
chipstack123: checks
Dragonystic: bets $14
garysready: calls $14
chipstack123: folds
*** TURN *** [4d 7h 8s] [Ks]
garysready: bets $4
Dragonystic: calls $4
*** RIVER *** [4d 7h 8s Ks] [3s]
garysready: bets $28
Dragonystic: calls $28
*** SHOW DOWN ***
garysready: shows [6s 7s] (a flush, King high)
Dragonystic: shows [Td Th] (a pair of Tens)
garysready collected $123 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $125 Rake $2
Board [4d 7h 8s Ks 3s]
Seat 1: chipstack123 folded on the Flop
Seat 2: Dragonystic (button) showed [Td Th] and lost with a pair of Tens
Seat 3: juniorbud (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 5: lobojiji (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 6: garysready showed [6s 7s] and won ($123) with a flush, King high

This is the Shit I Have to Continually Deal With

PokerStars Game #3232098134: Hold'em No Limit ($1/$2) - 2005/12/03 - 18:49:26 (ET)
Table 'Adhara II' Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: ismaskin ($194 in chips)
Seat 2: lobojiji ($160 in chips)
Seat 3: Ayce ($130.70 in chips)
Seat 4: georgiethoma ($200.90 in chips)
Seat 5: Dragonystic ($187.80 in chips)
Seat 6: hestekjeften ($736.50 in chips)
hestekjeften: posts small blind $1
ismaskin: posts big blind $2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Dragonystic [Jh Jd]
lobojiji: folds
Ayce: folds
georgiethoma: raises $6 to $8
Dragonystic: calls $8
hestekjeften: folds
ismaskin: folds
*** FLOP *** [2h 7h 2d]
georgiethoma: checks
Ayce is sitting out
Dragonystic: bets $12
georgiethoma: calls $12
*** TURN *** [2h 7h 2d] [9h]
georgiethoma: checks
Dragonystic: bets $16
georgiethoma: raises $19 to $35
Dragonystic: calls $19
*** RIVER *** [2h 7h 2d 9h] [Ad]
georgiethoma: checks
Dragonystic: checks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
georgiethoma: shows [Ac 4s] (two pair, Aces and Deuces)
Dragonystic: shows [Jh Jd] (two pair, Jacks and Deuces)
georgiethoma collected $110 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $113 Rake $3
Board [2h 7h 2d 9h Ad]
Seat 1: ismaskin (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 2: lobojiji folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: Ayce folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: georgiethoma showed [Ac 4s] and won ($110) with two pair, Aces and Deuces
Seat 5: Dragonystic (button) showed [Jh Jd] and lost with two pair, Jacks and Deuces
Seat 6: hestekjeften (small blind) folded before Flop

Exactly 4 hands later I lose this hand.

PokerStars Game #3232116541: Hold'em No Limit ($1/$2) - 2005/12/03 - 18:51:27 (ET)
Table 'Adhara II' Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: ismaskin ($191 in chips)
Seat 2: lobojiji ($159 in chips)
Seat 4: georgiethoma ($253.90 in chips)
Seat 5: Dragonystic ($132.80 in chips)
Seat 6: hestekjeften ($739.20 in chips)
georgiethoma: posts small blind $1
Dragonystic: posts big blind $2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Dragonystic [3h 3s]
hestekjeften: folds
ismaskin: folds
lobojiji: raises $6 to $8
georgiethoma: calls $7
Ayce has returned
Dragonystic: calls $6
*** FLOP *** [3d 5c Kc]
georgiethoma: checks
Dragonystic: checks
lobojiji: bets $16
georgiethoma: calls $16
Dragonystic: raises $108.80 to $124.80 and is all-in
lobojiji: folds
georgiethoma: calls $108.80
*** TURN *** [3d 5c Kc] [Ac]
*** RIVER *** [3d 5c Kc Ac] [Jd]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
georgiethoma: shows [5s 5h] (three of a kind, Fives)
Dragonystic: shows [3h 3s] (three of a kind, Threes)
georgiethoma collected $287.60 from pot
georgiethoma said, "you are good"
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $289.60 Rake $2
Board [3d 5c Kc Ac Jd]
Seat 1: ismaskin folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: lobojiji (button) folded on the Flop
Seat 4: georgiethoma (small blind) showed [5s 5h] and won ($287.60) with three of a kind, Fives
Seat 5: Dragonystic (big blind) showed [3h 3s] and lost with three of a kind, Threes
Seat 6: hestekjeften folded before Flop (didn't bet)

He proceeds to ridicule my play after that.

Sigh. It never ends does it.

Transitioning

I've been thinking a lot lately about what I do for a living. All sorts of things, from the fact that I take other people's money as my profession, to the wonderment of playing at a WPT final table. I often get more philosophical in thought when I start coming out of a really terrible downswing. The really bad ones do a number on ya, or atleast they have the power to. Weather or not they effect the player is pretty much up the player.

I've always thought I handled losing very well, but I realize that I still can get very emotional about losing if the bad streak is to a certain degree. I learned something about myself. This revelation seems to have good and bad consequences. For one, I realize that I can still get tilted bad, that I can become a much worse player in a very short period of time, and that I can make poor decisions regarding weather or not to continue to play.

That being said, this is good. I want to keep developing as a player, and I needed to find something to focus on. AP had a good way of shielding me from beats...the players are a bit tighter. There's A LOT less chasing on 1/2nl tables on AP compared to Stars. You have to sort of alter a few things about your game when you switch to a much looser atmosphere. I was NOT prepared for this.

I would still bother coming in hands raising small pairs. On AP I got quite a bit of respect and this play would be profitable. This is a nightmare at loose tables though. You usually need the best hand to win, since so many hands go to a showdown. The best you can do is punishing chasers to the max.

My VPIP has shrunk to 18.25. I'm not happy about this, but for the time being, I don't see how I can add more hands than I play now. I feel like I'm playing looser than I normally do, but really I've switched a few hands for a few others, and completely thrown out others altogether.

For instance, I play all suited aces now. I've done this for a while, and it is worth it for the few times you get someone else with a smaller flush. You bust them every single time, because the players can't get away from a flush, no matter how low. I also play all pairs, even for a raise, because sets are worth enough when you do hit. This isn't the case against a table full of good players, because they won't go broke with top pair like the donks on Stars will.

So I spend most of my time on Stars looking for sets, nut flushes, nut straights, and if I think they are good, overpairs. Anything else is trash. I'll tell you why.

Typical hand on Stars.

You are dealt AQs in early position and raise it up 4x. One or 2 people call behind you, along with the big blind perhaps (because 1/2 Stars players defend their blinds damnit!) The flop comes Qs 9h 5h. You bet the pot and get a caller or three. The turn is the 8h or the Kd or the 9c. And now you lose to a flush/straight, the idiot with the overcards, or the idiot calling down with second pair. If that card didn't beat ya, the river is another flush card, straight card, overcard, pairing undercard. And they ALL beat you.

This may sound bitter, but this is very common. This is in fact, normal, and people who read this will probably roll their eyes at the banality of my example.

This works out well when you get a bunch of idiots in a hand together when you have a bigger hand. I won a very nice pot earlier which I am still in awe at.

POKERSTARS GAME #3228288088: HOLD'EM NO LIMIT ($1/$2) - 2005/12/03 - 10:40:18 (ET)
Table 'Luthera' Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: dasnootz ($225.60 in chips)
Seat 2: Sparkinator ($51 in chips)
Seat 3: bates35 ($114.75 in chips)
Seat 4: Dragonystic ($195 in chips)
Seat 5: Front St. ($34 in chips)
Seat 6: nychandball ($86.50 in chips)
Sparkinator: posts small blind $1
bates35: posts big blind $2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Dragonystic [Kc Kh]
Dragonystic: calls $2
Front St.: folds
nychandball: raises $6 to $8
dasnootz: calls $8
Sparkinator: calls $7
bates35: folds
Dragonystic: raises $48 to $56
nychandball: calls $48
dasnootz: calls $48
Sparkinator: calls $43 and is all-in
*** FLOP *** [Ts 6c Jh]
Dragonystic: bets $40
nychandball: calls $30.50 and is all-in
dasnootz: calls $40
*** TURN *** [Ts 6c Jh] [8c]
Dragonystic: bets $99 and is all-in
dasnootz: calls $99
*** RIVER *** [Ts 6c Jh 8c] [2d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Dragonystic: shows [Kc Kh] (a pair of Kings)
dasnootz: mucks hand
Dragonystic collected $217 from side pot-2
nychandball: mucks hand
Dragonystic collected $106.50 from side pot-1
Sparkinator: mucks hand
Dragonystic collected $203 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $529.50 Main pot $203. Side pot-1 $106.50. Side pot-2 $217. Rake $3
Board [Ts 6c Jh 8c 2d]
Seat 1: dasnootz (button) mucked [9d 9c]
Seat 2: Sparkinator (small blind) mucked [7h Td]
Seat 3: bates35 (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 4: Dragonystic showed [Kc Kh] and won ($526.50) with a pair of Kings
Seat 5: Front St. folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: nychandball mucked [Jc As]

Yeah, $56 preflop and 4 callers. And the best hand amongst them is 99.

I'm amazed that I won, but that's not really the point. The play is so utterly loose, that I'm left playing only the nuts, and very little else. This makes for a very boring game. I miss playing on AP because you could actually play poker there. I like the competition. Other good players make you play better too. That's how you get better. Playing morons all day, though profitable, doesn't help me get better really. I already know how to beat donkeys.

I guess I'll have to focus on just playing the best that I can until I can move up again and hopefully find semi knowledgeable players. I think I'm gonna read Zen and the Art of Poker again, because that entire book was on staying focused and patient at the table. I can still work on those two aspects of my game, along with beating the donkeys for the maximum amount possible. But hopefully I will do well enough to skip through 1/2nl very quickly. Hard to say though, the variance is extremely high.

My standard deviation at 1/2nl on AP was $122.01/100 hands.
My standard deviation at 1/2nl on Stars is $139.87/100 hands.

But I still only have 3,500 hands played at that level on Stars, so it's possible for that number to come down. We'll see I guess.

This Doesn't Work

This is a picture of my laundry detergent. Study carefully, and see if there is anything wrong with this design.

If this takes you more than 30 seconds, stop reading my blog, you're an idiot.

Anyways, I noticed there would be a problem with this detergent the instant the Misses brought it back. If you're stumped, I'll tell ya what it is. The fucking cap is on the top upside down!

This may not seem like a problem at first, but let me tell you how this goes. You take the cap off, and then you have to turn the container over to use the tap press (or pour it out of the blue capped opening.) You use the detergent on your laundry. What have you then? A cup with some leftover detergent. So when you put the cap back on, detergent seeps out and runs down the side and makes a mess on everything, dripping all over the carpet etc. And there's little you can do to stop this too! I even took one of my dirty socks that I was about to wash and wiped the inside of the cup out as best as I could, and still there was leftover detergent.

This wasn't a problem in the other containers because there is a small trench type system in the normal Tide, so it doesn't leak all over the fucking place.

The alternative?

Avoid putting the cup back on, bring it back to my apartment along with my keys, the detergent itself, and the empty laundry bag. (What am I an octopus?) And then clean out the cup every single time.

OR, have my Tide become a sticky disgusting mess.

Thanks Tide!