I was back into poker ...

Having grinded $20 up to over $280 over the past three weeks in short cash game sessions on Stars, I was contemplating the withdrawal of funds. Stars have probably detected this and using their Jedi Mind Tricks, they've hit the variance switch and helped me spew $180 of that over two longer-than-usual sessions on three tables today.

I was gonna entitle this ‘Easy come, easy go’ but it really wasn’t easy making $260 profit from the 10c/25c/5c tables … It has however been very easy to lose them tonight …

I’m not gonna whinge but … (of course I’m gonna whinge!)

My PT3 VPiP have been around 27/19/45 so I’ve not played LAG by any means …


As you’ll see from the graph, I’ve taken 8 hits tonight for around $120 total. Here are some of them …

A2o on BB, one limper. I turn two pair, get two callers to my near pot-sized bet. K on river, limper has KK

Last hand at that table, AQ shove for $10 on A high flop into AK … standard

AKc, I call UTG’s raise from Button. K high, all heart flop. I decide I’m gonna call this down unless another heart comes on turn or river. It doesn’t, but he’s flopped the nuts with A7h and I've called him down, donating $22 of the $48 I have in front of me. Didn't go broke.

AcAh, I 3bet the cut-off’s 4xBB raise to 10BBs. He calls. Flop comes 238 all clubs. Again, I’m happy to play this fast and loose but decide on trappy to keep him in. He dwells, then bets half pot. I raise, he dwells, then calls. 7s turn, he dwells again, bets just over half-pot, I call. 8h river, He dwells for a good 30 seconds, bets, I call. He shows 33. I lose $28 of the $38 I have. Didn't go broke.

Last hand tonight, QJd I 3bet to $3 from CO, BB 4bets to $7, UTG (orig raiser) folds. Flop comes Qs9d5d. BB bets out $7, I shove for $21, he snap calls with black Aces (obviously, and what I hoped he has!) and they hold.

My rise was slow and tough, my demise fast and tougher. What will I learn from this ... ?

My bankroll-friendly lot of games (12th Sept 2010)

Played some MTTs on Stars tonight to see if I could bink a little something to keep me happy with poker. Overall I was a Calling Station all night and although having three tables open for most of the night DID distract me slightly from making 'the correct plays', I only regret two plays from the 5 games I played.

It's at times like these that I'm glad I don't regularly take shots at higher games ... I really don't have the patience to play just one game nor the skill to play as high as I want to.

I was going to document these results on the APAT forum in tonight's Sunday Night games thread but I'd probably never find it again if I did.

18:20 - $3.30 NL Holdem (6max, $4k GTD)
OUT (happy with my 5bet shove with TPTK and NFD, just didn't hit)

18:40 - $2.20 NL Holdem (Turbo, $12k GTD)
OUT for nowt, short shove with KJ

19:00 - $3.30 NL Holdem ($5k GTD)
Ran OK at times, but made two bad river calls for a third of my stack mid-way and near end

19:15 - $2.20 NL Single Draw 2-7
OUT - got bad hands (that's a good thing) but always 2nd worst.

19:45 - $2.20 NL Holdem (6 max, $7.5k GTD)
OUT - TT <<<< 77. Pushed out 1/3 pot-bets on all three streets on 9 high board ... damn 7 on river