Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Session 6 - Last Day in Vegas

Today was a bit disjointed I was pretty tired and slept in, and only had about 6 hours till I had to leave to the airport.  I decided to check out the poker room at the Luxor.  I was hoping that there would be some easy action.  The poker room was pretty annoying, they had 2 tables going and I stayed for about an hour.  I did good, cashed out 75, but there was a room back behind the poker room where the casino was smashing glass, so that was going on the whole time it was very distracting.  I guess when they get glassware from other casino's they used to trade them back but now the policy is to break the glass.  Why they have to do it right behind the poker room is anyones guess.  Mandalay Bay is right next to Luxor and so decided to head over there and check that out.  They had one table going and so I decided to play.  I only stayed about 2 hours because inbetween I decided to play some Let-It-Ride, and on my second hand I got quad 4's for a big win.  So I was a bit out of sorts, was not playing correctly, I won a bunch right away and then threw most of it away, trying to play my rush, so looking back was not too happy that I did not keep my discipline during that game, would have been nice to post a bigger win than 100 overall for the day.

In, total for both places 400
Out, total for both         500
Time played                   3 Hr
BR 3158

Session 5 - Day 2 in Vegas

Session 5

This was a much better session for me.  Really no bad luck, I was also playing very tight.  The big difference was that my good cards I was playing where holding up when I hit a good hand.  I won the first pot I played and never dipped below my 200 starting chips.  It was a long day and hard to remember any real good hands or action.  My first double up I had about 250, was with QQ against JJ, and then I just played solid the rest of the day.  The player had me covered and then a few hands later I felted him when I had 55 and flopped a sest.  I played very few hands over the 10 hours and had no real bad luck.  It was really justification for the first day, where I felt I was playing real good and just got creamed by the deck. After about 9 hours I was up about 640 and started feeling like I was getting tired, over that next hour I lost about 100 so I cashed in my chips.  I still felt like I wanted to play but think I practiced good discipline by leaving when I did. 

I spent the next hour and a half sweating my Dad, he won enough the day before to buy into one of the deepstack tournements at the Venetian.  At 10pm there whas 46 players left of the starting 331 and he was the shortest stack.  I watched him basically fold for a hour and a half and make it into the money.  Once I knew he cashed I left and headed back to the hotel to get some rest and get ready for my last day.  25th place to 36th place pretty much paid the same so he told me when he got back to the hotel that he was so short he just pushed with a hand a lost not too long after I left.  He said he thinks he got 34th or 35th.

In - 200
Out- 718
Time- 10 hrs
BR - 3058

Monday, May 30, 2011

Session 4

Well, going to make this short since am in vegas and want to get back into the action.  My plans did not pan out too well yesterday.  Met my dad at the luxor around 2 or so yesterday afternoon and then we went to check out the poker room and where severly disappointed they had 2 tables playing 1-2 NL and that was it.  So we decided to make the trek out to the Venetian where we played last year.  They have a huge poker room and a lot of action.  One of the Deepstack Tourneys is going on right now so that brings in even more. 

I started playing about 3:45 in the 1-2 NL game and my bad luck streak continued.  In the first hour and a half I had lost 600, I was playing well but just gettin severly unlucky.  I started to come back and then got sucked out on twice by the same crazy forigen guy.  He would go all in on the flop and I have a set of 7's so I call him for 220 and he runner runners a straight on me.  Then a few hands later I have top and middle pair and he goes all in again on the flop so I call him again for another 200 or so and he has Top pair with a good kicker and it comes runner runner JJ to counterfeit me.  So about 10 pm I bought in for my last 200 by about 1 am I was down to about my last 150 when I won a monster ~550 pot.  This time it was my turn to get lucky on the river.  I had A8 and 2 other players in the pot, the flop was 8-7-8 with 2 hearts.  I made a bet on the flop and it was called and then the next guy went all in, and I called.  The last action was from eastern europe and was really talking the hand up about what he should do.  He showed the A-10 hearts and there was abotu 400 in the pot and he was debating if he should call with the nut flush draw.  He eventually did after about 5 or 6 minutes of analysing the hand for everyones benefit and how much it would be for him to call and the pot size and what we both had etc.....Well he calls.  The inital raiser of course had 8-7 for a full house.  I had three 8's with and Ace and the third player had the nut flush draw.  The turn brought in 9 of hearts.  So now we have Full house, me with 3 eights and the next guy with the nut flush and now an open ended straight flush draw.  Well the river brought me the ace of clubs to give me the bigger full house and take down the pot.

On a side note I hit up the roulette table at about 2:30am and got real lucky and won 275 so I am only 30 short of what I brought here.  So hopefully today will be a better day.  Starting off basically new so hopefully I can dodge the horrible luck I have been getting the last 2 days and start making some upward momentem, and going to add that 275 back into the bankroll, since this is Vegas gotta roll with it.

In 850
Out 545 (+275)
Time 9 hours
BR 2540

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Session 3

Session 3

This was a pretty brutal session.  I missed my connection home on Thursday so was not able to make it home till late Friday afternoon.  I decided to head out around 9pm to play 4-8.  I lost 100 in this session, which overall considering the cold deck I was recieving, I feel lucky.  I played for 4 hours, and The first 2 hours I could not really get any trackion on my chip stack.  It was constantly up and down up and down, then during that time I also lost a big pot with AA cracked.  I was in late position and pre-flopped raised, but since this is a low limit game all 5 people who limped called my raise.  So was pretty unhappy to have to play AA against 5 other players.  But i was in good position and the flop was not too threatening.  Everyone checked to me on the flop and I bet, everyone called.  The turn everyone checked I bet and everyone called.  The river brought the thrid club and of course first position lead out and bet, everyone folded but I called just in case, and of course I got beat to runner runner club flush.  The thrid hour was very brutal, I got lost my first buy-in of 100 after within about 30 minutes of that hour,  The same player rivered a bigger full house against me.  In each case I flopped a set and he flopped 2 pair, and the river boated us both up, him with the higher full house.  At that point it was pretty late, but I was happy that I did not go on too much tilt and decided to re-buy for 100 and see if I could make some back.  There was one player who was a complete calling station and was getting very lucky he had about 1000 in front of him, so I was hoping I could get in a few pots with him and have my hand hold up to get at least back to even.  My plan worked I was able to get into some hands with him with any pair against his draws and won a few.  I got about 60 back, but then here is where I started to let emotion and fatigue get into my game.  It was late, and I was jet lagged and all I was really thinking about at this point was trying to break even, to the point where I was making bad calls hoping to get lucky.  I also had a time limit in mind I did not want to play past 1am, so I basically threw that 60 away with my lost focus.  This is one of the points in my game where I really need to watch.  If it gets too late and I get too tired and I have a set time I have to leave instead of leaving when I feel the game has gone sour, or I am at a point where I am happy with my win and dont want to play anymore.  At that point I figued it was time to go and take my 100 loss and hopefully learn from that, I really played solid during the first 3.5 hours, against alot of adversity, but that last 30 minutes really took me down.

The good news is I am heading off to Las Vegas for a few days tomorrow morning and hopefully I will have got all my real bad luck out of my system.  My dad is down there for a conference so, since I have monday off and had already planned on working from home next week, I took and extra day off and will have most of Sunday, all day monday and then my flight leaves tuesday night to come back home.  I went to Vegas last year with my dad and did well.  Played at the Venetian for a few days and won about 500, so hoping to keep my unbeaten streak alive in Las Vegas.  Will be staying at the Luxor this time, looked online to see what they had going and looks like they dont have 4-8 which is where my bankroll would have me playing accoring to my plan.  I really dont want to play 3-6, so think I will use my 10% rule and start off playing real tight in the 6-12 game.  I will be using my bankroll for expenses also though, but my expenses should be pretty low, I used frequent flyer miles so my ticket was only $5, and will be crashing in my Dad's rooms so, no hotel cost either, should only have food costs.  Hopefully by Sunday night I will be winning and if I have enough, will try to roll that into the 2-5 no limit game, but if not, will stay at 6-12, and if things go bad I can try to grind out at the 3-6 game.  But I think I have some advantages to my game going to Vegas.  First I will have no time limit, so as long as I play consistently I will come out ahead.  I am actually pretty excited to play in the 6-12 game.  I have never played it before and hoping there will be alot of doctors around for this conference playing, and throwing there money into the game, not knowing what they are doing.  I have played in 1-3 no limit games and larger 2-20 and 4-40 spread games, but never a limit game higher than a 4-8 kill, so will be interesting to see how I feel I need to change my game with this structure and how the table is playing.

In 200
Out 100
Time 4hrs
BR 2570

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Session 2

Session 2

Much more comfortable game today.  When I got there, I got right into the second game that was full, but within 2 hands I was moved to the main table.  Playing 4-8 kill again.  I liked the composure of this table much better than in Session 1.  There was not really anyone tring to run over the table like the other night.  Most hands where not raised pre-flop, and the ones that where, I did not feel they where from players who where raising any two cards.  As the session continued several players busted out and new ones where brought in.  Near the end most where still pretty solid, with 2 players that I put on calling stations with any draw.  I got into some hands with them and my hand held up so was pretty satisfied. 

I still think I started out playing not so good.  I was making bad calls with bad draws and took me starting to bled chips before I reminded myself that I was not in a rush and to take my time and play smart.  Once I did this after about the first hour, I started playing much better and was retaining my chips more between nice pots.  One hand I think started out ok, but I think I ended it bad I wish I could have back.

I was in early second betting position with AQ off.  the person to my right called 8.  It was a kill pot so I pre-flopped raised to 16.  I think that was the right move, a real tight player may say no, but many people like to call 8 just becuase of the kill pot, but I only had one called plus the person to my right who called 8.  I was happy to get it down to three players.  The flop was not very exciting, I dont remember, a bit draw heavy something like 479, but I was hoping that the two callers to my raise where not playing weak cards.  First position checked, I bet 8 and they both called.  Dont remember really what the turn was another low card.  First position checked, and I bet 16.  I dont think that was a good bet, I was not in the best position, against 2 players on a draw heavy board, and all I had was ace high.  But I did get one to fold.  On the river the first position lead out and bet 16.  Here I figured I was beat, either hit a draw or had top pair or better on the flop and was slow playing me.  So lost a bit there, I think I could have played that A Q smarter.

I had two other real nice pots.  One was as I was getting my chips racked up to go.  I pre-flopped raised with JJ, got 4 callers and flopped a set.  first position bet, I raised and then it was down to 3 players.  The board had some draws, but the turn was bet and I just called and all three stayed.  Same on the river.  the inital better missed his draw, and not sure what the person after me had.  The other big pot I had was with a K J.  I called 4 to see the flop and hit the open ender with a Q and 10 on the board.  Dont quite remember how the betting went, but I check called one bet on the flop and turn, and then I hit the nuts on the river when a 9 came.  I lead out and bet 8, and then got raised, with one caller to the raise, so I re-raised to 24, and they both called.

In 100
out 390
time 3.75
BR 2670

Friday, May 20, 2011

Session 1

Session 1

Definatly not what I was expecting.  overall for the way the table was playing I am content with the outcome.  I have never been to this casino on a Thursday night, and it was not nearly as busy as a Friday or Saturday like I have played in the past.  When I got there, there was 2 tables but the second table only had 4 players playing.  So I had to start off short tabled, which I dont like.  Another thing I had going against me was my fatigue level.  I usually get home on Thursdays around midnight but I had an earlier flight and got in at 7pm, which allowed me to get home by 8, and I wanted to play so was at the Casino at 10.  I was pretty tired though and only played an hour and a half. 

When I got to the main game it was hyper-aggressive.  Since I was so tired I still wanted to play but knew I would not have my full focus, I was only willing to put up 100 of my bankroll.  At the main table there where 4 really aggressive players/gamblers.  It seemed that these 4 where pretty much just pushing 100 pots back and forth between each other.  Almost every hand was pre-flopped raised with any two cards, and many hands where re-raised or capped pre-flop.  So really against that many gamblers I had to pick my shots to gamble also.  Most of the time they where going all the way down to the river, so hard to outplay that many straight gamblers with limited time.  This is one of the challenges that I think I will have in this lower limit game, if I get at a table with too many straight gamblers.  Playing back only worked once on a kill pot, so that was nice.  I had got the hand isolated to one gambler, and had middle pair and figured the guy had not much of a hand becuase he was raising almost every pot.  So I played back on the turn and he folded. for a nice pot.  I also hit a monte carlo hand Quad Q's.  Unfortunatly it had been hit recently and was only worth $26.

But after that I went though a string of no cards and it was costing alot to see a flop and turn, if I was not so tired and it was earlier in the day I prob could have played more patient and waited for better spots to play back or wait for more premium hands, but did not have that option this time.  So I slowly started to bleed chips.  Ended up finishing after an hour and a half at -$20.

In: 100
Out: 80
Time played: 1.5 hours
Bankroll: 2,380

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

The Journey Begins

Welcome to my journey to independence through poker. 

It has been my dream to be able to make a living playing cards.  I have been playing poker tournements and cash games regularly for about 7 years now.  I have tried at different points to keep track of my wins and losses but have not been consistent with that.  From the records I do have, and my general feel for how I have done, I consider myself a winning player.  But I have never had an established bankroll and always used whatever money I had on hand to play.  Frequently my winnings would be spent right away as well.  I am hoping that by developing and sticking to a plan, and practicing good bankroll management, I can start small and work my way up the levels to eventually be playing full time and achieve fortune and glory.

My Plan and Goal:

My plan is to start off with a blank slate and a clear mind.  I am going to remind myself before each session how I intend to play and what pitfalls I need to watch out for.  My current full time job has me traveling alot and my time at the table is limited.  I am hoping to be able to play once a week, but that won't always happen.  The main game at the casino close to my house is a 4-8 kill.  I think that this is an ok place to start.  I have set aside 300 big blinds for my bankroll, at this point I dont want to put aside more than that, so the 4-8 game will be my starting point.  My goal is to play 52 sessions and evaluate where I am at that point.  After 52 sessions my goal is to grow my 2400 bankroll to somewhere between 8000 to 12000.  That would be an average win per sesson of 107 to 185. 

For my bankroll management I need to remember a few things.  In the past I have pulled together some wins and tried to start a bankroll from scratch.  Unfortunatly I have not maintained good discipline with it.  I am hoping that by starting off with a realistic bankroll to cover varience, and a plan, I will be able to see results.  Some things I need to watch out for.  No playing table games with bankroll while waiting to get a seat.  Tournemnets and home games at this point will be purely recreational and will not come from my bankroll.  Never risk more than 10% of my bankroll in any given session. 

Most of my posts will be session related with a recap of memorable hands, reminders to myself of what I feel I am doing wrong or right, and some basic stats to keep track of my goal of 8K-12K BR after 52 sessions.  I welcome any support or advise from anyone following this blog.