Merry Christmas to all the poker players out there. We just finished opening our presents and I got a few poker related goodies. The two books I was given are Hold’Em Poker for Advanced Players and Winning Low-Limit Hold’em. My best gift of the year though is a kick ass card protector from my brother. Check out the picture below. The back is also engraved with my name. It suprisingly heavy too. They aren’t cheap, but you can buy your own.
Poker was fun last night. I had bout 30 minutes to blow before going to play basketball so I fired up Party Poker and sat down at a $2/4 bad beat jackpot table. I wasn’t getting any playable cards, but I sure was getting good at clicking the FOLD button. For the second time this week I was noticed at the table. This time is was by someone who reads and comments once in awhile. The guy lost 25 BB in about 20 minutes! Just the mere mention of me having a web site seemed to give me a table image.
Somebody just sat down at my $2/4 table with over $4,400! Is this supposed to be intimidating?
What’s on your Christmas list this year related to poker? I really hope I get Zen and the Art of Poker: Timeless Secrets to Transform Your Game. I’m doing well at handling all of the bad beats, simply because I’ve come to expect them, but I think this book would really help out the mental […]
When will the bad beats end? Seriously!?
Each of these pots were over 10 big bets and some approaching the 20 big bet pot. If I’m such a magnet for miracles why can’t I win this bad beat jackpot?
Yes, those are all from a few hours of play tonight. I didn’t even include the ones from earlier in the night before I went out to finish my Christmas shopping. I can’t hit a flush draw when I’m getting the odds to call, but everyone else seems to be shitting bricks of gold. I’m getting unreal hole cards tonight and hitting some flops, but getting outdrawn by people that have no business calling my flop or turn bets. If I win 2 or 3 of those pots, I’m ahead. If I win another one or two, it’s a great night at the tables. If the odds go my way for once this month…it’s one hell of a night at the tables. But no, I’m a big LOSER!
Have you noticed how fast the Party Poker Bad Beat Jackpot is climbing? DAMN! I think I just contributed 2 grand to it myself. Ok, so not really, but it feels that way. These bad beat tables are so unbelieveably juicy, but I can’t win a hand. But it’s impossible to win here when the cards are going the way I showed above. And just when I thought I was back on the winning trail…I get bitch slapped upside the head. Where’s the love? Maybe I should just stay away from the BBJ tables, but I can’t help myself. When the jackpot gets over $100,000, everyone shows up to play. I just can’t catch a run of cards to take advantage of the douche bags. I should change my screenname to “Fish Feeder” because they’ve been living off me lately.
Time for bed…
Two winning days in a row. I can’t remember the last time that happened.
My favorite poker pro, Daniel Negreanu won the final event of the season, the WPT Bellagio event, to take the Card Player Player of the Year. David Pham had passed Negreanu in the standings with only two events left on the schedule, so the pressure was on and boy did he ever come through. Negreanu […]
I’ve decided to stick it out at the $2/4 limit tables on Party Poker. I’ve proven to myself that I can play there, I just need the cards to start helping out a bit. People with 3-5 outs are killing me when the turn and river brings their miracle. I’ve moved away from the bad beat tables, but have run into some tighter play. I’m not sure if it’s been a good thing or a bad thing. I seem to be taking down more pots though, that’s for sure.
Last night I was recognized at the tables for the first time ever. It was -EV and he remembered my screenname from the blogger tourney I won. We chatted it up a bit and I think the table took notice. They were folding to our raises (good and bad) and shortly after, the table broke up completely. My luck is running so bad that even a blogger sucked out on me. I raised from UTG with KK and was called by one other and -EV in the big blind. The flop was a rainbow with no ace. I bet, -EV raised and I reraised him back. The turn brought an ace, to which he check-raised me. The turn paired the queen on the board and it went check-check. He showed down an ace and a nine, hitting his two pair on the turn to beat my cowboys and take down a 10+ BB pot.
Almost simultaneously on another table my QQ lost to AQ when an ace came on the turn. My big hands just aren’t holding up like they should be. If there is a hand my opponent could have to beat me, they have it. I’m doing my best to keep the pot where someone doesn’t have the odds to call, but that doesn’t really mean a whole lot to these players. Each time someone hits their 3-5 outter, I lose a pot that’s near 10 BB. If just a couple of these pots go my way, I’m ahead. Instead, I’m behind as of late. At least my pocket rockets are holding up though. After starting a new database in Poker Tracker, I’ve had them 19 times and only lost once.
Did you know that the second best hand in a ring game doesn’t pay anything? I have a lot of proof from last night if you don’t believe me.
Losing streaks suck!
I played some no-limit again last night and the cards are just not coming. I can’t hit a flush draw. Can’t win when I call someone’s bluff. Can’t get someone to fold when they should. It’s very frustrating. But…after winning for the first 2+ months of my new serious play, I figure variance is finally kicking in.
Over Thanksgiving break I had my best day ever at ring games, taking down almost $400 in a few hours of play. My bankroll was sitting near $2400, the highest it has ever been. Over the next two days I managed to give about $300 back and it has continued ever since. I’ve had a few small winning days over these three weeks, but the majority have been losses. I know that I’m going on tilt a little bit here and there, but the cards are just not cooperating. I think my bankroll is down around $1700 right now. It’s been almost a month since I set some goals for my poker game and instead of going forward, I’ve gone backwards.
I’ve tried to switch it up by playing no-limit this week, but that’s not where I play my best, especially when I’m losing. I’m a much better limit player because I can play the odds and my losses are limited by the betting structure. During my Thanksgiving peak I had moved up to $2/4 games and the bad beat jackpot tables at Party Poker. I did well to start, but then hit a brick wall and I don’t think I was quite ready for how fast the bankroll can disapper at the higher limit. I’ve been primarily playing the $1/2 6-max tables and they seem to be my favorites, but I may have to go back to the full 10-seat tables and just grind it out. Tighten up and be aggressive. Back to ABC poker with some SSH in the mix.
Thanks to working for SVSU, I have a long Christmas break from work and I expect to play a ton of poker while I’m up at my parents for almost 2 weeks. I’ll be taking my main computer with me so that I have access to Poker Tracker and all of my software. I’m also going to the casino in St. Ignace for New Year’s Eve, so I’m looking forward to some live play finally. I’m hoping to at least get the bankroll to $3000 or so, but in order to achieve my goals, I really need to get closer to the $4000 mark. We’ll see…
I’ve been reviewing bits and pieces of SSH, which really helps to remember things I had totally forgotten. For instance, protecting a hand by checking the flop and betting the turn, so that some of the draws are not getting the right price to call. It’s these minor leaks in my game that are making the bad cards look worse in the numbers.
I also need to rememeber that poker is just one big long session.
My new goal is to practice focus, concentration, logic, patience, aggresiveness, and THINK.
Nick Momrik 