Another good day for poker!

Just look how pretty that graph looks when it just keeps going up. First day playing .02/.05 level and so far so good. After 450 hands I am up over 10 bucks and at 55 in my challenge. Today is another one of those days where I will put in a good number of hands and hopefully play some solid poker. My goal for the next session is to get to 66.

So far so good

Last night I accomplished my goal, and set a new one of 4 more dollars. Today, after a very rough start I made a commitment to myself that I would not lose focus. I lost an early hand to a very aggressive player, AJ to K5. He pushed with K5 and hit 2 pair on the flop. Whether or not I should have called pre-flop I felt it worth the risk. But, I did not let that get to me, and I played really well. After 400 hands today, I profited 1 dollar after being down almost 6 on the day. I will play some more later but overall this session was pretty good and I know I can achieve my goal today. I want to share a hand that I made a call based on the player and his bet and took down a nice pot.



I didn't show my river action. As you can guess, I did call this hand. When I led out on the flop, I was betting because I assumed I had the best hand. He called me, and I had to now put him on something. He quickly checked again with a 4 turn and I decided to bet .22 which was well over half the pot. This bet is rather large, but I needed to find out where he was at in this hand because of all the outs he could have. He only called. The river was a 7 of spades. There was 4 cards to a straight and no flush possible. After me betting the whole time, he decides to bet the river and he bets 1 in to an .80 pot. I just thought this was an extreme overbet, and he completely missed a flush draw. If he was a skilled player, then this bet would make sense. I often overbet when I hit the nuts hand. But after playing 50 or so hands with him, I just didn't think he was that strong of a player to overbet this that much if he had the 6. I made the call and took down the pot. He showed J4 of diamonds so completely missed his flush. Very interesting hand and I guess a very good call for me.

After an hours worth of play, around 260 hands, I have accomplished my 2nd goal. I finished with 4 dollars profit and that makes for 5 sessions in a row now of profit poker. It was a really good hour of play and lately I have been feeling very good. I know I can keep this going. I am going to join a tournament that cost 2.75 and when I am finished I will give an update on how I faired. Tourney play and cash play are a lot different, but there are some skills that you can use in both and hopefully I can make it far. This is my first tourney in awhile, but I just thought it would be cool to take a break for a little bit and join a small tournament.

The tournament didn't go to well. Made it past the first break, but did not see any hands at all. For 30 hands or so I saw one flop, and this is very rare because I like to play hands early with a big chip stack. But litterally I did not get any playable hands. Just before the break, I lost 1000 on A10 to AA. I made the call, after he pushed and obviously is was the wrong play but he was low stack and I thought he could be making a move. I was down to 1500 and with AQ suited I decided to push. I got called by a very large stack and a small stack which I did not like. And the flop gave me nothing so I knew I was done. The large stack showed 55 which hit its set and I was out. It was fun but didn't go the way I wanted. I will play some more .01/.02 cent. Overall on the day I have played a little under 700 hands.

Just finished 500+ hands of play and pardon my language but kicked some fucking ass. Played for about 2 and a half hours and profited 15 dollars. There was a certain period where every big hand I played I either hit the flop or didn't even need to. When I had JJ, I hit the J on the flop. When I had AA, all little cards came out. One of the players were very aggressive and it was easy to slow play him and earn maximum profit. So today after 1300+ hands I finished up 20 dollars and by far one of my best days yet. My new goal will be to get to $45 the next time I play.

Overall, I am up 41.89 after 5300 hands of play. I feel very confident and know that I am now on my way. In previous days I struggled staying above after I had won, but I feel like I have learned how to and will not be looking back. Below is the latest graph of my progress.

Just to let you know, I have decided to move up to the .02/.05 level. I am playing really good poker and think that I have proven myself and can trust myself to do well at this level. I will not move up to the next level till I am at 100.

Very inconsistent

I don't really know what it is but when I go on a massive winning streak, before I can even catch myself I go right back down. However, this time as you can see by the graph, I got back up to around 17 profit, and I slowly was decreasing so I decided to stop. It seems as though I play stellar poker for so long, and then something happens and I lose it. Hopefully, I will be able to regain myself and get above 20 profit. My strategy will be to accomplish that goal, and stop and then aim for another goal and see if that doesn't help. The good news is I am up and I just need to stay up. I have noticed that I have been a lot more consistent at the .01/.02 cent level and the graph is showing signs of improvement. It feels as though I am not getting anywhere, but I need to tell myself that I am making progress and it will take one day at a time.



I can see signs of improvement everytime I play now. At around hand 3500, I started to drop. So what I decided to do, which I had trouble doing before, was to stop playing. This is what I need to do when I am struggling. I played exactly 500 hands after that and profited around 4 dollars. Before I said my goal was 20 profit and I have accomplished that goal. My next goal for the next session will be 24 bucks. I know it may not seem like much, but when I set goals to strive for it seems easier to achieve so I will keep setting limits. I really think that this is where I will start my run. No more inconsistent play from here on out. Good session and tomorrow I might put in over 1000 hands seeings how it is Sunday and I have nothing to do.

A great session

I have been avoiding those big swings, and I am on the way back up. Another great session for me today, and by far my best I have played since starting the challenge. Playing for 1/2 of an hour, I caught this hand which just about doubled me up.

I am currently up 10.49 in my challenge in a little under a total of one days worth of play. The thing about poker is it takes a lot of consistency and focus, because it is easy to lose. I have had some quick sessions where I lost what I invested in a matter of minutes. In poker you need to be able to play slow, and risk very little. That is what I have been working on. Winning a little at a time and not trying to just win it all in one hand.

In case you were wondering, I switched to .01/.02 so that I can avoid the big swings and the chance of losing my whole bankroll. I have been reading, "Power Holdem Strategy" by Daniel Negraneu and trying to follow the 20-35 big blind rule. So technically, at the .02 level, I should have a bankroll of .02*100 = 2 * 20 = atleast 40. I am currently at 27 but because this level is so small it is ok. I will not move up to the .02/.05 until I have reached $100 which will leave me with 20BB. This is getting very interesting, and I just hope to keep climbing the ladder everytime I sit down to play.

Just got done playing just over 600 hands of poker. Through 2 hours of play, I finished up 10.58 putting me at a total of 21.07 profit at this time. Ever since I switched to .01/.02 at around hand 1500 I have done nothing but slowly increase. Today I played 4 tables at once, waited for big hands and capitalized. The one thing I learned in reading "Power Holdem Strategy" was to overbet when you have the nuts because beginners will often call. At this level, I was getting called with almost any pair. So when I had a good hand, I would bet the pot and sometimes much more then that. And it paid off. For example the hand above, I pushed the river and the short stack called with a pair of 6s and my full house took it down. I look forward to playing tonight after I get out of work and doing the same thing. Climb the ladder.

Consistency is key

Been awhile since I played, but I am back and doing well. Today, I played 88 hands of really good poker and went from $1.15 down to $1.38 up. Overall, I worked hard at just playing small ball poker and increasing slowly which is what I need to keep doing. I worked with $5 at the .01/.02 table and although the stakes are small, if you wait for hands you can increase your stack very easily. I had one big hand with AA that held up against a pair of 8s and my other big hand I hit a straight on the turn. I look forward to playing some more later.

I am trying to stay very busy this summer, and play poker on occasion. Watched both the Celtics and Bruins lose game 7 and was very disappointed but not much you can do. Celtics struggled early and had their oppurtunities to bounce back but Orlando would not miss. I think the Lakers will win the west and the Cavs will easily win the east, and as much as I hate to say it, they will also easily win the championship. It may go 6 games but the Cavs are too good.

Playing .01/.02 now and things are going well. Nearing on 2,000 hands I am just below the even line and slowly increasing. It will take lots of hands and time but risking less to win is never a bad idea. Look forward to playing tomorrow.

AK!

Found this new site that converts hands so you can watch them! Thought this would be very useful in explaining situations and showing how they worked out. Above is an AK hand that played out so well I should have got all my money in but didn't want to scare him off with quads. After 81 hands of play I am up 5 dollars and playing really good poker. I need to avoid big swings and take it one hand at a time. This was a really good session for me. I put in 5 and I ran it up to 10 and I stopped. That is what I need to keep doing. I am stopping for now to work on my final final exam due at 3pm today! Wish me luck!

Final exam went well! Came back to play poker and doubled up in maybe less then 20 hands and left the table. I am back on track and working at just slowly increasing everytime I play. This is the first time I can see the even mark in a long time and I will not be going below it again. I knew this challenge would be a struggle but I want to prove to myself I can accomplish it.

Besides poker, Bruins won game 6 to force game 7 in Boston tomorrow night! These last two games were both one sided and Bruins need to keep rolling. The Celtics are not making it easy but getting the job done. Very excited to watch both play tomorrow night. Go Bruins!

Learn to stop when ahead

I played great poker for the first 60 hands, doubling my money from 4.50 to 9. Stopped playing, and joined another table with only 4.50 invested which was profit from the first session. And it was awful awful poker to say the least. My problem here was I tried to be consistent but I was at a table with someone who wouldn't stop talking and although I thought they were are bad player, they were very unpredictable. 3 times I made a fold on the river, only to see someone show a bluff. Now here is where I need to get up and leave the table with no damage done. However, I continued play and am now back to where I was before. After 839 hands of my challenge I am down 21.55. This is very frustrating but like I said it will take a lot of determinism and something I need to work on. The final handed ended with me losing to the very same person who was talking throughout the game with me calling down on the river. I had middle pair and hit 2 pair with 10s and 9s on the river. However, his KQ rivered a straight and I was felted. I would say this is a prime example of me being stubborn and just calling because of my opponent, not using my head and playing the game of poker.

Here is one hand where I folded the river, when maybe I should have called. Any thoughts or ideas on this hand for me?














Button ($13.24)
SB ($10)
BB ($5.31)
Hero (UTG) ($5.67)
MP ($6.72)
CO ($14.26)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with , Jc 4c
Hero bets $0.20, 1 fold, CO calls $0.20, 2 folds, BB calls $0.15

Flop: ($0.62) , 10h 10c 4h, (3 players)
BB bets $0.15, Hero raises to $0.50, 1 fold, BB calls $0.35

Turn: ($1.62) , 2h, (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $0.45, BB raises to $0.95, Hero calls $0.50

River: ($3.52) ,Kc ,(2 players)
BB bets $0.65, Hero folds

The amount he put in was so small and I have been folding to him the whole game. Leading out on the flop with only .15 with 2 10s seemed so weird so I put him on flush draw. Then the heart comes and he check raises. Then on the river he puts .65 in to 3 dollar pot which is very small. And I fold. Should I call this?

1000 hands and not looking back. As you can see by the graph, I dropped below 40 but since then I have climbed to a little more then 10 down. I am making a commitment from here on out that I will not look back. In my last 50 hands or so I have played consistent poker and am steadily improving the bankroll which is exactly what I need to do. I am having tremendous success by raising pre flop a little more then I was with stronger hands. At this level, I was getting called with hands that really should not have been played and now that I increased it I am taking down many more pots and risking less after the flop. I hope this strategy keeps working. I look forward to seeing how my next 100 or so hands go and will have an update as soon as possible.

Back up and Back down

One thing I really want to work on is making sure I can bounce back from losses. For the most part today, at the beginning I was very inconsistent but I was patient and got two big hands to get me back to where I want to be. Sitting on the button with KK I raised in to an aggressive player at the BB. Not to my suprise he raised me, and I decided to push and risk the chance here. He showed QQ and I avoided any Q and took down $10. I need to play more consistent poker if I want to accomplish my goal. So far after 514 hands I am up $9.92.

Didn't take long to lose my 10 dollar bank roll. But this just did not make any sense. From the BB with AJ, facing a raise and a call I decide to reraise from .50 to 2.00. Both surprisingly call. Flop came down J94. I bet 1 and the next guy calls, and the other pushes for all his money which is 4.50. I decide to push as well. The other guy also calls. Turn is a 2 and the river is a Q. There was a rather large side pot that I could have won however, he turns over K10 to take both pots. The small stack showed JQ for 2 pair on the river. I dont see what I could have done differently here. The K10 and JQ are both very bad calls on a reraise preflop and to even stay in after the flop with K10 is somewhat confusing. But that is poker. I was down to 11.50 and decided to invest 10 more to play. Things did not get any better and I slowly crept down to 5 dollars or so abefore losing an all in AJ vs someones 55. I am going to invest in another 10 dollars and drop down to 1/2 cent tables until I have reached 20 to move up to the next level of 2/5.

Poker Challenge

Poker Challenge
$10 to $10,000

Sunday May 10, 2009

I am starting day 1 of my challenge, and I will keep an update on how I do every session I play. This will help me keep track of how I am doing and also help me with bankroll management. I am starting with $10 at .5/.10 and will move up to the .10/.25 when I have my bankroll at $500. At each table I will invest the minimum amount.

Today, I started with $2 and after 15 hands I could not get anything going and lost what I started with. I invested another $2 and since then, I have doubled up on AJ vs. AQ and then outplayed one hand bluffing on the river to take down a pot of over $2. Not trying to get tricky, just trying to wait for hands and slowly increase the bankroll.

The hand I was waiting for came no less then 10 hands after I was finally back up profit. On the button with KQ the player before me raises to .30. I smooth call and so does the BB. Flop Kd6h2c. BB checks and original raiser continues to fire with another 30 cents. I called and the BB folded. Turn came a 10d and he fired again this time 1 dollar. I had to be wary of AK, but I called anyway and the river tripped my Ks. He quickly pushed and I quickly called. He showed A10 and I took down the pot. The way it played out, I played it really well and he assumed his 10s with Ks A kicker was the best hand. After 75 hands I am staying consistent and up over 5 dollars profit.

I have played a little over 100 hands since my last update, and I am up $8.85. Since then I have hovered right around $5 with my biggest hand coming at the end of the session. Limping with 7Jhh early position, the button raised it to .40 cents. I decided to call and see the flop. This player is very aggressive so I decided to take a chance. The flop came down Ks7s2d and I checked. He quickly raised the same amount he put in pre-flop. I just was not convinced he was that strong, so I called. The turn was a Js which paired me giving me 2 pair but also a flush opportunity on board. So I decided to check in to him again. This time he put in $1 and I thought about the decision for sometime. I decided that if he hit the flush would he bet this strong? Would he want me out of the hand? I called again and checked the river as well. He fired again, down to $2.50 he puts in only $1.60. I decided to call because the bet seemed scared. Not weak enough to think he had flush and not strong enough to also have 2 pair. I made the right call and he showed 76 for a pair of 7s. Like I said before a very aggressive player and I think I played that hand correctly.

Just finished 200 hands and did very well. Will resume play later on, but finished up $15 profit. Towards the end of play, hands were landing right in my lap and I was playing them very well. Overall, I thought I was consistent and didn’t get out of control. Often times I would lose my cool and go on a really bad swing and lose what I originally worked on getting. This time, my biggest swing was a little over 3 dollars, but I was able to finish up 15 over 300 hands.

Played just less then 50 hands and things could not have gone worse. After about 1o hands in, I doubled up with KK. But no less then 3 hands after, I decide to call from the button with K9. The flop is KK3. It looks as though I hit the jackpot. The BB player leads out and to me this seems liek a good sign. So I decide to slow play and just call. The turn is a 5 and he leads out again. I call. The river is a 10. He pushes. I think about it, but in the end I call and he shows K10. This really surprised me because at this level I did not think that someone with a set on the flop would lead out. So, after 300 hands of good poker I play a little less then 50 and lose what I had originally won. This will be a tough task indeed but I am up for the challenge. I am currently down $1.58. Tomorrow will be a different day.