It's hard to believe that the AC trip was only a week ago; it feels like it's been months. My tournament success has continued since then, though nothing nearly on the scope of the Borgata score. I've also done well in NLHE cash games over the last several days, but my luck has been terrible in both PLO and PLO8:
Tuesday - In Captain G's $1/$2, I made $100 in the only 2 rounds of NLHE that we played. However, due primarily to 'variance' (aka shitty luck) in PLO8, I finished the night with a net loss of $320 despite playing like an absolute rock in an ultra-loose game.
Wednesday - In the Liz and Brandon $20 Freezeout, I chopped the pot 50/50 when I got heads-up with Liz ($80 net profit). Sorry; I just couldn't bring myself to play cutthroat poker with my girl.
Krumbine Thursday - As on Tuesday, I played well during the NLHE rounds but faltered at Omaha. We were playing PLO (Hi only) this time, but it was still the river that bit me. $37 net loss over 6.5 hours.
Friday - Played an impromptu NLHE cash game at a new location with several of the regulars from Krumbine Thursday. Good combination of cards and post-flop play for a net profit of $259 over 4.5 hours.
Saturday - One of the Krumbine Thursday regulars and his wife had a poker-themed baby shower, including a $40 NLHE freezeout. I made it to the final 3 of the 19-player field before agreeing to an even split ($210 net profit). I actually had a sizeable chip advantage at the time of the deal, but I wasn't about to try to negotiate a more equitable deal in the middle of a baby shower and among friends =)
In summary, I feel like my NLHE game is about as strong as it's ever been. For the first few months of the year, I think I had been trying too hard to make things happen regardless of the situation. Lately I've been more selective with my aggression and just let the game come to me. I'm in a real comfort zone right now as a result, and I hope that the strategy continues to pay off.
As for Omaha (both PLO and PLO8), I've been playing super-tight due to the loose nature of the games that I've played in, but I'm definitely calling too much in spots where I should either be raising or folding (including pre-flop). This has been especially true in PLO8 when I've had the nut low on disjointed boards. Because of my passive play, I've been getting quartered and/or counterfeited on the river by marginal Hi hands which would have folded to pressure on earlier streets. Of course, this could all just be yet another example of a Hold'em player trying to make sense of Omaha...
I've ordered a couple of books and have been browsing the 2+2 forums for information on both PLO and PLO8. If I don't improve soon, these losses could really start to eat into my overall profit.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
Weekend Recap
Here's a rundown of the events of this past weekend:
I made $180 in the Thursday game over 8.5 hours. I tried to tighten up a little more than usual in order to get into 'tournament mode' for the AC trip, but I still managed to have a decent session thanks to some quality cards.
After spending most of Friday morning getting packed for the trip, I arrived in AC just after 10pm and met up with the others at the Hilton, where they were already seated at the $1/$2 NLHE tables. I wasn't really interested in sitting in a cash game since I had planned on entering a tournament at 11:00 the next morning at the Borgata, so I decided to hang out at the video poker machines and test my knowledge of basic strategy. I quickly learned that my knowledge of basic strategy was virtually non-existent, and it wasn't long before I took a seat at $1/$2 NLHE along with the rest of the guys. I continued to play the same tight game that I tried to play Thursday night, but consecutive bad beats (of which I will spare you the details) put me $300 in the hole right off the bat.
Rather than trying to get my money back, which I'm typically inclined to do despite my better judgement, I actually got up from the table and headed back to our room at the Fairfield Resorts to get some rest. Lack of sleep cost me dearly in my first trip to AC last year when I misread my hole cards during a tournament. I was determined not to make the same mistake this time around.
I woke up to my alarm at 9:30 Saturday morning and was out the door of the hotel an hour later (note: no matter how close it looks, trying to walk to the Borgata from the strip is a very bad idea). When I got to the Borgata poker room about 5 minutes before the tournament start time, there were a number of people in line for registration. Unfortunately, it wasn't until about 10 minutes later that half of us realized that we didn't have the player cards necessary to register, which ended up costing us another 15 minutes of table time. In short, the registration fiasco (my fault entirely) caused me to miss out on all but 2 hands of the first blind level.
Late start aside, I played a fairly disciplined game for the remainder of the tournament and didn't have to make many moves at all. I basically just used my tight image to steal the occasional blinds and take down pots post-flop whenever my position and/or cards (mainly cards) allowed me. There were a few interesting hands/concepts that I encountered, but we'll save those for a later post.
I reached the final table about 8.5 hours into the tournament. When we got down to 8 players, one of them asked if everyone wanted to chop the pot at a little over $4K per man. It sounded like a pretty good deal to me since the blinds were getting large in relation to our stacks, and it would take either a first place ($14.5K prize) or second place ($7K prize) finish in order to make a substantially larger amount. Unlike a few of the other players, I had no problem when the chip leader relented, but it was still somewhat poetic that he ended up going broke just 5 hands later.
The 7 remaining players agreed to an equal chop of $5100, with final places being assigned for tax purposes based on chip stack. Despite having only the 2nd smallest stack, I agreed to accept the $14.5K hit on my taxes in exchange for $1K of the small stack's $5100 prize up front (I'm at the high end of my tax bracket, and the $7K 2nd place prize would likely have put me over regardless). This brought my total prize to $6100.
After the tournament, I went with the guys on a buffet run, then we all registered for a $40+$10 NLHE freezeout at the Hilton. At 10 tables, this tournament was about 30% smaller than the Borgata's, but I was still pleased to finish one spot from the final table in 10th place, especially considering the very fast structure. Making back-to-back final tables would have been pretty sweet, but I certainly couldn't complain about my results for the day.
I made $180 in the Thursday game over 8.5 hours. I tried to tighten up a little more than usual in order to get into 'tournament mode' for the AC trip, but I still managed to have a decent session thanks to some quality cards.
After spending most of Friday morning getting packed for the trip, I arrived in AC just after 10pm and met up with the others at the Hilton, where they were already seated at the $1/$2 NLHE tables. I wasn't really interested in sitting in a cash game since I had planned on entering a tournament at 11:00 the next morning at the Borgata, so I decided to hang out at the video poker machines and test my knowledge of basic strategy. I quickly learned that my knowledge of basic strategy was virtually non-existent, and it wasn't long before I took a seat at $1/$2 NLHE along with the rest of the guys. I continued to play the same tight game that I tried to play Thursday night, but consecutive bad beats (of which I will spare you the details) put me $300 in the hole right off the bat.
Rather than trying to get my money back, which I'm typically inclined to do despite my better judgement, I actually got up from the table and headed back to our room at the Fairfield Resorts to get some rest. Lack of sleep cost me dearly in my first trip to AC last year when I misread my hole cards during a tournament. I was determined not to make the same mistake this time around.
I woke up to my alarm at 9:30 Saturday morning and was out the door of the hotel an hour later (note: no matter how close it looks, trying to walk to the Borgata from the strip is a very bad idea). When I got to the Borgata poker room about 5 minutes before the tournament start time, there were a number of people in line for registration. Unfortunately, it wasn't until about 10 minutes later that half of us realized that we didn't have the player cards necessary to register, which ended up costing us another 15 minutes of table time. In short, the registration fiasco (my fault entirely) caused me to miss out on all but 2 hands of the first blind level.
Late start aside, I played a fairly disciplined game for the remainder of the tournament and didn't have to make many moves at all. I basically just used my tight image to steal the occasional blinds and take down pots post-flop whenever my position and/or cards (mainly cards) allowed me. There were a few interesting hands/concepts that I encountered, but we'll save those for a later post.
I reached the final table about 8.5 hours into the tournament. When we got down to 8 players, one of them asked if everyone wanted to chop the pot at a little over $4K per man. It sounded like a pretty good deal to me since the blinds were getting large in relation to our stacks, and it would take either a first place ($14.5K prize) or second place ($7K prize) finish in order to make a substantially larger amount. Unlike a few of the other players, I had no problem when the chip leader relented, but it was still somewhat poetic that he ended up going broke just 5 hands later.
The 7 remaining players agreed to an equal chop of $5100, with final places being assigned for tax purposes based on chip stack. Despite having only the 2nd smallest stack, I agreed to accept the $14.5K hit on my taxes in exchange for $1K of the small stack's $5100 prize up front (I'm at the high end of my tax bracket, and the $7K 2nd place prize would likely have put me over regardless). This brought my total prize to $6100.
After the tournament, I went with the guys on a buffet run, then we all registered for a $40+$10 NLHE freezeout at the Hilton. At 10 tables, this tournament was about 30% smaller than the Borgata's, but I was still pleased to finish one spot from the final table in 10th place, especially considering the very fast structure. Making back-to-back final tables would have been pretty sweet, but I certainly couldn't complain about my results for the day.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Results Update - April 22, 2007
Just a quick update:
Thursday - made $180 net profit over 8.5 hours in the Krumbine game; $21.18 hourly rate
Friday - lost $300 within about 45 minutes in a $1/$2 NLHE cash game at the Atlantic City Hilton
Saturday - made $6100 gross profit in a $300+$40 NLHE freezeout at the Borgata
I'm too tired to go into details right now, but the $6100 prize from the Borgata tournament easily shattered my previous record.
Thursday - made $180 net profit over 8.5 hours in the Krumbine game; $21.18 hourly rate
Friday - lost $300 within about 45 minutes in a $1/$2 NLHE cash game at the Atlantic City Hilton
Saturday - made $6100 gross profit in a $300+$40 NLHE freezeout at the Borgata
I'm too tired to go into details right now, but the $6100 prize from the Borgata tournament easily shattered my previous record.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Results Update - April 19, 2007
Nothing particularly remarkable to report. I've played 28 hours since my last post for a net profit of $424, bringing my total for April up to $814 ($17.70 hourly rate).
I also may have found a permanent game for Monday nights. It is a $1/$2 NLHE cash game comprised of players of various skill levels, but the culture is loose-passive for the most part. Combined with the fact that most of the players seem to have very deep pockets, this game has the potential to provide my biggest profit each week.
I'm taking a trip to Atlantic City this weekend for a bachelor party, among other things. A good performance in tonight's Krumbine Thursday game would be very helpful.
I also may have found a permanent game for Monday nights. It is a $1/$2 NLHE cash game comprised of players of various skill levels, but the culture is loose-passive for the most part. Combined with the fact that most of the players seem to have very deep pockets, this game has the potential to provide my biggest profit each week.
I'm taking a trip to Atlantic City this weekend for a bachelor party, among other things. A good performance in tonight's Krumbine Thursday game would be very helpful.
Monday, April 9, 2007
Results Update - April 9, 2007
March 2007 was the most profitable month of my fledgling poker career:
My hourly rate at $.25/$.50 was horrible, and it was basically due to a couple of 2-hour sessions on Full Tilt and PokerStars in which I burned through $300 trying to buy every pot whenever I had the button. Good experience, but a costly lesson.
Since I intend to play more $1/$2 games, my goal for April will be to get my overall hourly rate up over $20. Yesterday should go a long way towards reaching that goal. In the Sunday game ("AK's Dollar-Dollar") that I'm considering adding to my schedule, I had a 4.5 hour session during which I managed to squeeze out $530 in net profit ($117.78 hourly rate), most of it from Pot Limit Omaha.
I'm starting to see why people say that PL Omaha Hi is one of the best ways for a good player to extract money from a bad player. It's easy for a novice Omaha player to become married to deceptively vulnerable hands such as big sets and medium flushes; the only thing really left for the good player to do is floor it when he hits the nuts.
How expert Omaha players play each other is something I need to see.
Sleep when I'm dead?
I haven't had much time to post this past week simply because I've been playing so much live poker. It's honestly been a challenge to get more than an hour or two of sleep per night, and my co-workers (the majority of whom are female) can't help but tell me that I look shittier with each passing day. For those of you who know what I normally look like, that's actually saying quite a bit.
In my defense, most of the games that I've been playing in are new to me, and the reason I've been spending so many hours at the tables is that I'm trying to get a feel for which games I like the most so that I can set my schedule accordingly.
This is what I have so far:
Monday - off
Tuesday - off
Wednesday - "Liz and Brandon $20 Freezeout". Co-hosted by Liz. 'Nuff said.
Thursday - "Krumbine Thursday". Since I started hosting this game, the players have slowly added PL Omaha Hi to the mix as well as an occasional second table with blinds doubled to $1/$2. Still my favorite live game, by far.
Friday - "Captain G's $1/$2". This is the mixed format cash game (primarily PL Omaha Hi, PL Omaha Hi/Lo, and NL Hold'em) mentioned in my previous post. Easily the toughest game I play in. They don't always play on Fridays, but that seems to be the most consistent day of the week so far.
Saturday - "JT's Dollar-Dollar". Another mixed format cash game, but this one has $1/$1 blinds and rotates among NL Hold'em, PL Omaha Hi, and 7-Stud. A decent place to hone my all-around game.
Sunday - "AK's Dollar-Dollar". Last night, I played for the first time in another $1/$1 game hosted by one of the regulars from Krumbine Thursday. I had originally planned to take Sundays off, but if I continue to have sessions like I did last night, I'll probably have to reconsider (more on this later).
Missing from this schedule, whether conspicuously or not, is online play. Since last year's passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, it's been more difficult for American players - especially the novice ones - to play online, and even the micro limit cash games are tougher than some of the live games I currently play in. Though I still intend to add online tournaments to my regular schedule, it's probably not a bad idea to focus on these softer live games while building my initial bankroll.
In my defense, most of the games that I've been playing in are new to me, and the reason I've been spending so many hours at the tables is that I'm trying to get a feel for which games I like the most so that I can set my schedule accordingly.
This is what I have so far:
Monday - off
Tuesday - off
Wednesday - "Liz and Brandon $20 Freezeout". Co-hosted by Liz. 'Nuff said.
Thursday - "Krumbine Thursday". Since I started hosting this game, the players have slowly added PL Omaha Hi to the mix as well as an occasional second table with blinds doubled to $1/$2. Still my favorite live game, by far.
Friday - "Captain G's $1/$2". This is the mixed format cash game (primarily PL Omaha Hi, PL Omaha Hi/Lo, and NL Hold'em) mentioned in my previous post. Easily the toughest game I play in. They don't always play on Fridays, but that seems to be the most consistent day of the week so far.
Saturday - "JT's Dollar-Dollar". Another mixed format cash game, but this one has $1/$1 blinds and rotates among NL Hold'em, PL Omaha Hi, and 7-Stud. A decent place to hone my all-around game.
Sunday - "AK's Dollar-Dollar". Last night, I played for the first time in another $1/$1 game hosted by one of the regulars from Krumbine Thursday. I had originally planned to take Sundays off, but if I continue to have sessions like I did last night, I'll probably have to reconsider (more on this later).
Missing from this schedule, whether conspicuously or not, is online play. Since last year's passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, it's been more difficult for American players - especially the novice ones - to play online, and even the micro limit cash games are tougher than some of the live games I currently play in. Though I still intend to add online tournaments to my regular schedule, it's probably not a bad idea to focus on these softer live games while building my initial bankroll.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)