Over the past seven days i've made Six final tables. Two in the $11 90 man KO tournys finishing 2nd & 5th. Four in the $26 90 man KO tournys; finishing 8th, 8th, 2nd & 3rd. The two 8th place finishes was after playing short stack ninja for most of the final 3 tabs. The 2nd place finish i had a 3:1 chip lead and villain sucked out several times to win HU.
I'm happy to be making final tables but disappointed that i'm not taking any down. I will watch a few final tables on PXF and review my own to see what i could be doing differently.I feel like i've got a good grip on these 90 man KOs and will be using them to build my roll further. I'm pretty comfortable buying directly into the $26 tournys now with my bankroll just a little under 3K. But i want to get to the point where i'm playing the $55, $75 & $109 MTTs regularly.
Today I bought directly into the $17.5k Guaranteed tourny on fulltilt with a $75.00 buyin and played a pretty strong game imo. I eventually busted 54/758 for double my money. I really want to review this one asap, because at one point i had up to a 50xbb stack i think. But as the blinds increased my stack went down and down until eventually i shoved out of the sb with 15bb holding 88 vs. a late position raise which turned out to be AKs. Obv i lost the race. It was a good push but i'm thinking i missed some spots to chip up on the bubble. I didnt maintain my stack well down the stretch... prehaps playing too conservatively to make the money?
will update after i review.
oh btw.
JKruger206 (Observer): Finish it up grinder
I rarely pay attention to the chat while playing so i didnt get to respond to this note from the rail. so if you see me playing and try to chat if i don't respond its not that i'm being a prick, its just that i probably missed it. thanks Jkruger!
Showing posts with label micro stakes blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label micro stakes blog. Show all posts
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Make Small mistakes
I watched a Rizen vid recently that talks about making small mistakes vs the big mistakes. Poker is a game of mistakes after all and the player making less will win most often. Unfortunately i tend to make the big mistakes late in tournies most often... its something i continue to work on.
This is a hand from the Daily double B tourny tonight on Fulltilt...
Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold'em Tournament, 150/300 Blinds, 25 Ante, 8 Players
LeggoPoker.com Hand History Converter
MP1: 1,710
MP2: 10,335
CO: 8,588
Hero (BTN): 9,180
SB: 20,584
BB: 13,126
UTG: 8,305
UTG+1: 6,790
Pre-Flop: (650) Kd As dealt to Hero (BTN)
UTG folds, UTG+1 calls 300, 2 folds, CO raises to 1,200, Hero raises to 9,155 and is All-In, 3 folds, CO calls 7,363 and is All-In
Flop: (18,076) 4s Qh 6c (2 Players - 1 is All-In)
Turn: (18,076) 3h (2 Players - 1 is All-In)
River: (18,076) 2s (2 Players - 1 is All-In)
Results: 18,076 Pot
Analysis:
I start the hand with 30BB and Villain with 28BB so we're deep. There's a EP limp and villain makes it 4xbb. Villain was running 18/11. So he's raising 11% of his hands which is roughly 22+, KQs, ATo+, ATs+ vs. this range i have 53% equity. if Villain is folding 50% of the time i have 47% equity... so the push is still a +ev play either way.
My thoughts:
while my spread sheet says its a +EV play i think it might've been a mistake for several reasons.
1. We were pretty deep
2. I had been playing pretty aggresively. The sb and myself had reraised or reshoved this guy several times already.
3. I searched him on OPR and he had a 53% rating... person's with this rating i think generally have problems letting go of good but not great hands (like medium pocket pairs) and can be outplayed post flop rather easily.
So what are my options on this hand?
1. Reraise - Make it 3600 which would give him about 2:1 on a call... but looks a lot stronger? I would be pot committed and have to call if he reshoves but if he calls i would have around a pot sized bet left on the flop. He'd have 2 opportunities to fold a better hand; pre flop and on the flop.
2. Smooth Call - Just calling controls the size of the pot allowing more flexibility. It also gives the very aggressive SB a chance to make a move which i'd be more than willing to call if everyone else folds. On the flop i could easily outplay villain to take the pot or fold if he makes a big bet leaving me with 27bb.
I'm generally an agressive player, so i tend to choose the more aggresive option whenever i'm in a hand... but i've busted several tournaments making aggressive plays, that had i played differently i couldve gotten away from or won outright.
I'm not a fan of the waiting for better spots plan but i do feel i have an edge on alot of the field in some of the tournys i play in. I'm looking for ways to take better advantage of that edge.
I'd appreciate any thoughts on my analysis above.
-Isgrinder
This is a hand from the Daily double B tourny tonight on Fulltilt...
Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold'em Tournament, 150/300 Blinds, 25 Ante, 8 Players
LeggoPoker.com Hand History Converter
MP1: 1,710
MP2: 10,335
CO: 8,588
Hero (BTN): 9,180
SB: 20,584
BB: 13,126
UTG: 8,305
UTG+1: 6,790
Pre-Flop: (650) Kd As dealt to Hero (BTN)
UTG folds, UTG+1 calls 300, 2 folds, CO raises to 1,200, Hero raises to 9,155 and is All-In, 3 folds, CO calls 7,363 and is All-In
Flop: (18,076) 4s Qh 6c (2 Players - 1 is All-In)
Turn: (18,076) 3h (2 Players - 1 is All-In)
River: (18,076) 2s (2 Players - 1 is All-In)
Results: 18,076 Pot
Analysis:
I start the hand with 30BB and Villain with 28BB so we're deep. There's a EP limp and villain makes it 4xbb. Villain was running 18/11. So he's raising 11% of his hands which is roughly 22+, KQs, ATo+, ATs+ vs. this range i have 53% equity. if Villain is folding 50% of the time i have 47% equity... so the push is still a +ev play either way.
My thoughts:
while my spread sheet says its a +EV play i think it might've been a mistake for several reasons.
1. We were pretty deep
2. I had been playing pretty aggresively. The sb and myself had reraised or reshoved this guy several times already.
3. I searched him on OPR and he had a 53% rating... person's with this rating i think generally have problems letting go of good but not great hands (like medium pocket pairs) and can be outplayed post flop rather easily.
So what are my options on this hand?
1. Reraise - Make it 3600 which would give him about 2:1 on a call... but looks a lot stronger? I would be pot committed and have to call if he reshoves but if he calls i would have around a pot sized bet left on the flop. He'd have 2 opportunities to fold a better hand; pre flop and on the flop.
2. Smooth Call - Just calling controls the size of the pot allowing more flexibility. It also gives the very aggressive SB a chance to make a move which i'd be more than willing to call if everyone else folds. On the flop i could easily outplay villain to take the pot or fold if he makes a big bet leaving me with 27bb.
I'm generally an agressive player, so i tend to choose the more aggresive option whenever i'm in a hand... but i've busted several tournaments making aggressive plays, that had i played differently i couldve gotten away from or won outright.
I'm not a fan of the waiting for better spots plan but i do feel i have an edge on alot of the field in some of the tournys i play in. I'm looking for ways to take better advantage of that edge.
I'd appreciate any thoughts on my analysis above.
-Isgrinder
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Still Pokering
Wow! I last posted here over 2 weeks ago. I just haven't been in the mood to post. I still play some what regularly... I have been running about normal; not like shit but not great either.
Since i withdrew from Pokerstars i haven't played there much and so i've not had good results there. My problem at stars is game selection. The $4 180 man sngs just take too long for the payout; 4.5hrs for $216.00. I just don't have that kinda time for that payout... if i'm gonna play that long i'd rather be playing a MTT. The $12 180 man sngs usually take 2.5hrs but are high variance and i have a limited bankroll on stars now. So i've been limited to MTTs on weekends at Stars.
On the other hand i find myself playing a ton on Fulltilt. They have a larger selection of tournaments in my buyin range and they seem much softer. In addition their Tournament dollars and $26 tokens are much easier to win. last month i won several buy-ins to $109.00 tournaments including the MSOP main event and also a $216.00 entry to the Sunday Brawl (Fulltilt's Sunday Million).
Using the tournament dollars i can play a lot of the higher buyin ($26 - $75)tournaments that get less than 1K entrants but still pay close to or over $5K for 1st. I've gotten deep a few times already but have ran my monsters into monsters to bust out late with huge stacks. but hopefully i will win a few of those hands and take down something soon.
I still haven't decided whether i will play in the MSOP main event though. I want to, but July 5th seems the be a really active night with a huge concert and several other events taking place. I'd hate to be home steering at a computer screen with all that partying going on. Will update on what i decide to do.
-ISgrinder
Since i withdrew from Pokerstars i haven't played there much and so i've not had good results there. My problem at stars is game selection. The $4 180 man sngs just take too long for the payout; 4.5hrs for $216.00. I just don't have that kinda time for that payout... if i'm gonna play that long i'd rather be playing a MTT. The $12 180 man sngs usually take 2.5hrs but are high variance and i have a limited bankroll on stars now. So i've been limited to MTTs on weekends at Stars.
On the other hand i find myself playing a ton on Fulltilt. They have a larger selection of tournaments in my buyin range and they seem much softer. In addition their Tournament dollars and $26 tokens are much easier to win. last month i won several buy-ins to $109.00 tournaments including the MSOP main event and also a $216.00 entry to the Sunday Brawl (Fulltilt's Sunday Million).
Using the tournament dollars i can play a lot of the higher buyin ($26 - $75)tournaments that get less than 1K entrants but still pay close to or over $5K for 1st. I've gotten deep a few times already but have ran my monsters into monsters to bust out late with huge stacks. but hopefully i will win a few of those hands and take down something soon.
I still haven't decided whether i will play in the MSOP main event though. I want to, but July 5th seems the be a really active night with a huge concert and several other events taking place. I'd hate to be home steering at a computer screen with all that partying going on. Will update on what i decide to do.
-ISgrinder
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Improve at Poker
Just wanted to talk a little about studying poker.
How much time do you average per week actually studying poker? If you're anything like me, an average micro stakes grinder, then the answer is not much.
Yet we still want to win at this game and make lots of money... well thats just not going to happen. Unless we put in the effort required to get better. There is no activity, outside of the lottery, that i can think of where you don't have to put in a huge effort to get better at something in order to make good money.
Musicians, Pro athletes, Business Execs, Doctors... you name it, before anyone makes it big in any of these professions they have to put in a lot of work, Poker is no different. Sure some may be naturally talented/smarter, and it comes a little easier to those fortunate few, but even they put in a lot of work. For those of us less fortunate we have to get by on pure hard work and determination.
Again if you are anything like me then the urge to play is often stronger than the urge to study. I want to get in there and mix it up mano a mano rather than read about doing it. Of course the more you play the more situations you get to see, but that alone is not enough. when playing you often dont have the time to completely analyze a situation right there at the table. By studying away from the table we get to take everything into consideration and come to a better decision.
For instance, In a tournament you may be faced with a tough decision whether to call, fold, reraise or reshove. You could be in this situation several times and not be sure what to do. Away from the tables you could assign your villain different ranges and calculate your EV with different hands for each of these options. Now when you're at the tables and the situation arises again, you are prepared.
I've learned a lot and my game has improved tremendously since the beginning of the year, but i feel there is more i could be doing. I've decided that i need to spend at least 15 hrs each week studying poker.
My study will include the following;
-Reading poker books
-Watching PXF videos
-Reviewing my own tournament hand histories
-Reading various sites/blogs
-Reading & maybe contributing on some forums
I already do most of the things on this lists but not on a consistent basis and not with the right mindset. I'm about to change this and hopefully it will push my game to the next level.
-Isgrinder
How much time do you average per week actually studying poker? If you're anything like me, an average micro stakes grinder, then the answer is not much.
Yet we still want to win at this game and make lots of money... well thats just not going to happen. Unless we put in the effort required to get better. There is no activity, outside of the lottery, that i can think of where you don't have to put in a huge effort to get better at something in order to make good money.
Musicians, Pro athletes, Business Execs, Doctors... you name it, before anyone makes it big in any of these professions they have to put in a lot of work, Poker is no different. Sure some may be naturally talented/smarter, and it comes a little easier to those fortunate few, but even they put in a lot of work. For those of us less fortunate we have to get by on pure hard work and determination.
Again if you are anything like me then the urge to play is often stronger than the urge to study. I want to get in there and mix it up mano a mano rather than read about doing it. Of course the more you play the more situations you get to see, but that alone is not enough. when playing you often dont have the time to completely analyze a situation right there at the table. By studying away from the table we get to take everything into consideration and come to a better decision.
For instance, In a tournament you may be faced with a tough decision whether to call, fold, reraise or reshove. You could be in this situation several times and not be sure what to do. Away from the tables you could assign your villain different ranges and calculate your EV with different hands for each of these options. Now when you're at the tables and the situation arises again, you are prepared.
I've learned a lot and my game has improved tremendously since the beginning of the year, but i feel there is more i could be doing. I've decided that i need to spend at least 15 hrs each week studying poker.
My study will include the following;
-Reading poker books
-Watching PXF videos
-Reviewing my own tournament hand histories
-Reading various sites/blogs
-Reading & maybe contributing on some forums
I already do most of the things on this lists but not on a consistent basis and not with the right mindset. I'm about to change this and hopefully it will push my game to the next level.
-Isgrinder
Monday, May 12, 2008
Isgrinder Update, Poker Tracker3 & Belly Off
I haven't felt as sharp as i did a few weeks ago and my results reflect this, especially on Stars. I won a Sunday Million satellite earlier in the week and did absolutely nothing with it, just blew it. The next time i win a seat i'm playing in the tourny... fuck it!
Things have been going a bit better on fulltilt. I took down a $24+2 90 man KO sit n go for $576.00. I've used up most of my $24+2 tokens, i only have 2 left. I will try to get that back up to 10 this week so that i can play the 90 man KO tourny again. My Build-A-Roll challenge for fulltilt is completed. I will begin withdrawing $500 each month from here on out. It looks like i will have to jump through a few hoops before i can withdraw though. Will see how it goes.
Stars latest update caused some problems with my PT import earlier in the week so i havent played there much this week. I was going to update it but decided to just make the switch to PT3 instead. I have to say it is pretty sweet. I installed and imported all my tournies for the this year and about 10K ring hands in under 15 minutes. Its pretty slick and the instant update to the hud while playing is nice also... no more waiting to import every 2-3 minutes. And there is hardly any lag when playing 6 tables and importing.
Belly Off
I've always told myself that once i hit 30 i was gonna start taking better care of my body. I'm 31 years old, 6'1" and 205 lbs. I'm not fat or anything but i do have a little belly fat. So I've finally decided to do something about it. I found a pretty good program on Menshealth.com called Belly Off that i'm gonna try for the next 8 weeks. My goal is to lose 15lbs. I already exercise a bit but not enough... I will stick to this program.
-Isgrinder
Things have been going a bit better on fulltilt. I took down a $24+2 90 man KO sit n go for $576.00. I've used up most of my $24+2 tokens, i only have 2 left. I will try to get that back up to 10 this week so that i can play the 90 man KO tourny again. My Build-A-Roll challenge for fulltilt is completed. I will begin withdrawing $500 each month from here on out. It looks like i will have to jump through a few hoops before i can withdraw though. Will see how it goes.
Stars latest update caused some problems with my PT import earlier in the week so i havent played there much this week. I was going to update it but decided to just make the switch to PT3 instead. I have to say it is pretty sweet. I installed and imported all my tournies for the this year and about 10K ring hands in under 15 minutes. Its pretty slick and the instant update to the hud while playing is nice also... no more waiting to import every 2-3 minutes. And there is hardly any lag when playing 6 tables and importing.
Belly Off
I've always told myself that once i hit 30 i was gonna start taking better care of my body. I'm 31 years old, 6'1" and 205 lbs. I'm not fat or anything but i do have a little belly fat. So I've finally decided to do something about it. I found a pretty good program on Menshealth.com called Belly Off that i'm gonna try for the next 8 weeks. My goal is to lose 15lbs. I already exercise a bit but not enough... I will stick to this program.
-Isgrinder
Sunday, May 11, 2008
OMG... its HOTTTT!!!!
Well it seems summer is officially here. All week its been really hot and today is more of the same. Since i'm working nights i have to endure it until i get to work and its really bad in the mid afternoon. I could turn on the Air conditioning, but with fuel prices the way they are i'm trying to avoid that.
I think it may also be affecting my poker game as well, its hard to concentrate when you're uncomfortable. Adding to that the latest Stars update seems to be messing with Poker Tracker so i can't get any stats. I played like this the other day and i felt naked. So i don't think i'll be playing today.
If the weather continues like this next week, I'll try to get in an early morning session and probably just go on the beach in the afternoons. I have a grill sitting in a box thats just waiting to be used... a few steaks, a few heinekens... sweet!
-Isgrinder
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Focusing for May
I've been slightly out of it so far in May. I just wasn't as focused as i couldve been over the past few days. I found myself playing without really thinking about what i was doing. Just opening tournaments because i felt the urge to play even though i knew i was sleepy/tired.
I had a really bad session at 25nl yesterday where i only made 30 cents after a couple thousand hands. I was all over the place, playing very loose and aggressively. opening a wide range of hands from any position... its a wonder i didn't loose money, but i probably shouldve ended that session up like 4 buy-ins.
The aftermath of that session was me taking a hard look at what i was doing and deciding to refocus on my goals for poker this year. Today I probably played my best poker for the month. I won another seat to the Sunday million playing the $3+rebuys satellite and i had a nice 1hr session on Fulltilt 7 tabling 25nl.
I had a really bad session at 25nl yesterday where i only made 30 cents after a couple thousand hands. I was all over the place, playing very loose and aggressively. opening a wide range of hands from any position... its a wonder i didn't loose money, but i probably shouldve ended that session up like 4 buy-ins.
The aftermath of that session was me taking a hard look at what i was doing and deciding to refocus on my goals for poker this year. Today I probably played my best poker for the month. I won another seat to the Sunday million playing the $3+rebuys satellite and i had a nice 1hr session on Fulltilt 7 tabling 25nl.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Another So So Sunday
I partied more than usual this past weekend and as a result i was really out of it on Sunday. I just could not get in the mode to play. I tried to play some 180s but busted everything pretty quickly. After taking a nap i decided to play the 100k at 3:30. I was feeling much better and was able to get ITM, finishing 2182/22182 for $22.00 when my JJ < AQo.
That was it for tournaments but i did play 2hrs of 25nl on fulltilt, finishing up $66.00
Today i played a $3 MTT with 1613 entrants. I just missed making the final table finishing 11th when i reshoved with A9s in the BB vs LP raise with KQo. I was a short stack from the time we got ITM but was able to pick and choose the right spots to get it AI to steal or resteal.
I was pleased with my patience down the stretch and this proves that i can play as both a huge stack and a small stack late in tournies. Although i prefer the bigstack obviously :).
I will spend tomorrow reading, reviewing and watching PXF videos, so i will not be playing any tournaments.I will probably play several hrs of 25nl on Fulltilt.
Good News!
I passed my Stats course with a 78%(B)!!!!
-Isgrinder
That was it for tournaments but i did play 2hrs of 25nl on fulltilt, finishing up $66.00
Today i played a $3 MTT with 1613 entrants. I just missed making the final table finishing 11th when i reshoved with A9s in the BB vs LP raise with KQo. I was a short stack from the time we got ITM but was able to pick and choose the right spots to get it AI to steal or resteal.
I was pleased with my patience down the stretch and this proves that i can play as both a huge stack and a small stack late in tournies. Although i prefer the bigstack obviously :).
I will spend tomorrow reading, reviewing and watching PXF videos, so i will not be playing any tournaments.I will probably play several hrs of 25nl on Fulltilt.
Good News!
I passed my Stats course with a 78%(B)!!!!
-Isgrinder
Saturday, May 03, 2008
April Results
April was a really good month. I finally won my first MTT for 1500.00 and got deep in several other tournaments with +5k 1st place prizes. I feel that my tournament game has taken a step in the right direction although i still make too many mistakes.
During this month i started playing 25nl fullring and had some pretty good results. Its not a really large sample size but i'm pleased nonetheless. I will continue to play 25nl at fulltilt until i have a large enough sample size.
During this month i started playing 25nl fullring and had some pretty good results. Its not a really large sample size but i'm pleased nonetheless. I will continue to play 25nl at fulltilt until i have a large enough sample size.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Sooo Close!
I played several tournaments lastnight and got deep in the $25+2.5 25K Guaranteed, I finished 35th of 1452 runners. I was sitting 8th of 38 with thoughts of final tabling and taking this thing down, when i completed A6o in the small blind.
I normally would've raised this hand but there was a utg limper. On the flop villain insta pushed and i knew exactly what he had so i insta called. of course after i lose the hand and i'm sitting 35/35 i start to second guess the call. But from everything i've read and learned it is wrong to pass up on obvious +ev plays. Besides had i won this hand i wouldve final tabled for sure... and you know how i feel once i final table a tournament... i'm taking that sucka down!
First prize was around 7k i think. I checked the result this morning and the donk villain in this hand busted 24th... 24th! winning this hand put him in 1st or 2nd place with around 60bb and he finished 24th. So sad.
I had played a $11 mtt and a $11+1r+1a earlier but busted both quickly because i had just come home from work and was tired. I also played the $55 50k that started about 30 minutes after the 25k and was running ok when i misplayed a flopped set on a coordinated flop to bust 391st out of 1289.
All in all i feel really good with my play lastnight. Most importantly i learned that i can play at these buy-ins. when playing higher than normal we automatically assume that opponents are gonna be so much better based solely on the buy-in, but that simply was not the case in any of these tournaments. I felt i was better than at least 60% of the field. Of course the final table would probably be alot harder.
I will continue to work on my game, hopefully it pays off in a high 4 figure or even 5 figure cash.
-isgrinder
I normally would've raised this hand but there was a utg limper. On the flop villain insta pushed and i knew exactly what he had so i insta called. of course after i lose the hand and i'm sitting 35/35 i start to second guess the call. But from everything i've read and learned it is wrong to pass up on obvious +ev plays. Besides had i won this hand i wouldve final tabled for sure... and you know how i feel once i final table a tournament... i'm taking that sucka down!
First prize was around 7k i think. I checked the result this morning and the donk villain in this hand busted 24th... 24th! winning this hand put him in 1st or 2nd place with around 60bb and he finished 24th. So sad.
I had played a $11 mtt and a $11+1r+1a earlier but busted both quickly because i had just come home from work and was tired. I also played the $55 50k that started about 30 minutes after the 25k and was running ok when i misplayed a flopped set on a coordinated flop to bust 391st out of 1289.
All in all i feel really good with my play lastnight. Most importantly i learned that i can play at these buy-ins. when playing higher than normal we automatically assume that opponents are gonna be so much better based solely on the buy-in, but that simply was not the case in any of these tournaments. I felt i was better than at least 60% of the field. Of course the final table would probably be alot harder.
I will continue to work on my game, hopefully it pays off in a high 4 figure or even 5 figure cash.
-isgrinder
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Taking Shots with Tournament Dollars
Before i get into my plans for using my tournament dollars i will discuss lastnight's tournaments. I played in two tournaments; a $12 180 man sng and a $3 Rebuy MTT. Although i was playing while watching the NBA playoffs (GO LAKERS!), I still played really well.
I final tabled the 180 man sng but was the short stack because my AQo < A9s two hands before the final table bubble burst. A few hands into the final table I got it AI with AA and was unlucky so i was 1st to bust.
Late in these tournaments you have to know how to pushbot, assign ranges and Know when/who to 3bet. You simply cannot sit on a stack, blinds are huge and increasing quickly. You have to make moves. Had i won the AQ hand i wouldve entered the tournament with a really nice stack and i'm always confident entering a final table with chips. If the AA hand had held i wouldve again been in it to win it, but variance is a biotch and it was not meant to be.
The $3 rebuy was also alot of fun. I was at one of those tables where guys went AI almost every hand, it was Sweet! I've seen Johhny Bax employ this strategy but it was obvious that the two players involved had no clue. Between them they probably spent 15 - 25 double rebuys each. At the end of the Rebuy hour I had a 25k stack and 4 of the top 10 stacks were at my table because of these guys. I spent a total of 5 buy-ins including the Add-on.
After rebuy madness I was able to play a conservative game for most of the tournament because of my huge stack. Unfortunately i went extremely card dead getting AK once and my highest pocket pair being 77 over the next 2.5hrs. Still i was able to stay in it by stealing and out playing opponents. I busted 90th out of 3040 when i shoved KTs from HJ and was called by QQ in BB. My stack was around 57k with blinds 3500/7000 ante 700.
Tournament Dollars
My strategy this year has always been to get better at MTTs and take shots at larger buy-in tournaments. My goal remains to play in at least 3 Sunday Million tournaments before the end of the year. However i will not be playing in the Sunday Million this week, instead i've unregistered and will take shots at some of the medium buy-in tournaments.
I'm looking at playing a $10 Rebuy and a $55 MTT FO this week... probably tomorrow night which will be my last chance at another big score for April. Tonight i will review lastnight's tournaments and watch a few PXF vids.
-Isgrinder
I final tabled the 180 man sng but was the short stack because my AQo < A9s two hands before the final table bubble burst. A few hands into the final table I got it AI with AA and was unlucky so i was 1st to bust.
Late in these tournaments you have to know how to pushbot, assign ranges and Know when/who to 3bet. You simply cannot sit on a stack, blinds are huge and increasing quickly. You have to make moves. Had i won the AQ hand i wouldve entered the tournament with a really nice stack and i'm always confident entering a final table with chips. If the AA hand had held i wouldve again been in it to win it, but variance is a biotch and it was not meant to be.
The $3 rebuy was also alot of fun. I was at one of those tables where guys went AI almost every hand, it was Sweet! I've seen Johhny Bax employ this strategy but it was obvious that the two players involved had no clue. Between them they probably spent 15 - 25 double rebuys each. At the end of the Rebuy hour I had a 25k stack and 4 of the top 10 stacks were at my table because of these guys. I spent a total of 5 buy-ins including the Add-on.
After rebuy madness I was able to play a conservative game for most of the tournament because of my huge stack. Unfortunately i went extremely card dead getting AK once and my highest pocket pair being 77 over the next 2.5hrs. Still i was able to stay in it by stealing and out playing opponents. I busted 90th out of 3040 when i shoved KTs from HJ and was called by QQ in BB. My stack was around 57k with blinds 3500/7000 ante 700.
Tournament Dollars
My strategy this year has always been to get better at MTTs and take shots at larger buy-in tournaments. My goal remains to play in at least 3 Sunday Million tournaments before the end of the year. However i will not be playing in the Sunday Million this week, instead i've unregistered and will take shots at some of the medium buy-in tournaments.
I'm looking at playing a $10 Rebuy and a $55 MTT FO this week... probably tomorrow night which will be my last chance at another big score for April. Tonight i will review lastnight's tournaments and watch a few PXF vids.
-Isgrinder
Monday, April 28, 2008
Bad Beat Sunday
I was all set to win one of my sunday tournies :) unfortunately Stars apparently experienced some technical difficulties. My first tournament didn't start until almost 2pm and somehow i wasn't right after that.
I busted the 5k and the daily 15k within the first hour and decided to unregister from the 100k. I moved over to fulltilt and promptly lost 3 buy-ins at 25nl. I battled back and ended the session down 1.5 buy-ins, my first losing session since i started playing ring again... was bound to happen.
Wasn't all bad though. After the ring debacle, decided that i'd stick to tournaments which are less demanding. I won 2 24+2 tokens and final tabled a $3 90 KO on Fulltilt. On Stars I played a few single table Step tournaments, i barely missed making it to step 3. I'm guessing step 3 is where they start to get difficult. I currently have step 1 and step 2 tickets. I bubbled a $12 180 man turbo, finishing 19th... I'm gonna take one of these down soon. I know they're high variance but some how i really enjoy playing them.
I finished off the day by playing and winning a $3+R satelite to the Sunday Million. will post later with my plans for the ticket.
-Isgrinder
I busted the 5k and the daily 15k within the first hour and decided to unregister from the 100k. I moved over to fulltilt and promptly lost 3 buy-ins at 25nl. I battled back and ended the session down 1.5 buy-ins, my first losing session since i started playing ring again... was bound to happen.
Wasn't all bad though. After the ring debacle, decided that i'd stick to tournaments which are less demanding. I won 2 24+2 tokens and final tabled a $3 90 KO on Fulltilt. On Stars I played a few single table Step tournaments, i barely missed making it to step 3. I'm guessing step 3 is where they start to get difficult. I currently have step 1 and step 2 tickets. I bubbled a $12 180 man turbo, finishing 19th... I'm gonna take one of these down soon. I know they're high variance but some how i really enjoy playing them.
I finished off the day by playing and winning a $3+R satelite to the Sunday Million. will post later with my plans for the ticket.
-Isgrinder
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Sunday's Tournaments
I have 3 tournaments lined up for today.
The 5k Guaranteed @ 1:00pm
The Daily 15K @ 2:05pm
The Sunday Hundred Grand @ 3:30pm
If these don't work out i may play some 180s depending on how i feel.
wish me luck.
-Isgrinder
The 5k Guaranteed @ 1:00pm
The Daily 15K @ 2:05pm
The Sunday Hundred Grand @ 3:30pm
If these don't work out i may play some 180s depending on how i feel.
wish me luck.
-Isgrinder
Friday, April 25, 2008
Happy Birthday Isgrinder
Another year older today. Not sure what i'm gonna do though, most of my close friends are off the Island. My really good friend is at the hospital with his wife about to have a baby girl who will be my Godchild. It looks like she will be born on my bday... how cool is that.
Will probably just go to dinner, but its still early, once i start drinking anything can happen :)
Isgrinder
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Tale of two Sites: Stars|Tilt
My months always seem to go like this on Stars; At the beginning i have very nice scores then... nothing. Early in April i took 2nd in a $4 180 and 1st in a $5 mtt, total profit was around $1662.00. I also made two other FTs in $4 180 sngs but no top 3 finishes. It seemed i was heading for a break out month.
Since then nothing. I can't get deep in anything. The $4 180s that i was final tabling with ease, i can't seem to get out of the first hour now. My profits this month is down to $1,175.00, thats a $487.00 decrease!
I don't feel too bad though. I've been taking shots at different tournaments; Several $12 180 sngs, about 3 3+R sunday million satelites for about 7 buyins each and several $11 Mtts, all with no success. Oh yea and somewhere along the way i decided to try to multitable $3 45 sngs which didnt go well.
Thats been the story on Stars this month, hopefully i will have another big score before April is all Done.
Fulltilt on the other hand is still going nicely. I'm accumulating $24+2 tokens and running really well at 25nl fullring as well as getting deep in several KO tournys. Last night for instance i took 3rd in a $3 90 man KO sng, won 3 $24+2 tokens and won 2 buy-ins at 25nl full ring, all while watching playoff basketball... Well actually the tokens were won during the game, $3 KO and 25nl were post game, but you get the idea.
I'm taking some atrocious beats at both sites but i'm at least making coin on fulltilt. Meh. It will come around, i feel there's a big cash in my future... just a feeling ;)
btw tomorrow's my Birthday... I'm old!
-Isgrinder
Since then nothing. I can't get deep in anything. The $4 180s that i was final tabling with ease, i can't seem to get out of the first hour now. My profits this month is down to $1,175.00, thats a $487.00 decrease!
I don't feel too bad though. I've been taking shots at different tournaments; Several $12 180 sngs, about 3 3+R sunday million satelites for about 7 buyins each and several $11 Mtts, all with no success. Oh yea and somewhere along the way i decided to try to multitable $3 45 sngs which didnt go well.
Thats been the story on Stars this month, hopefully i will have another big score before April is all Done.
Fulltilt on the other hand is still going nicely. I'm accumulating $24+2 tokens and running really well at 25nl fullring as well as getting deep in several KO tournys. Last night for instance i took 3rd in a $3 90 man KO sng, won 3 $24+2 tokens and won 2 buy-ins at 25nl full ring, all while watching playoff basketball... Well actually the tokens were won during the game, $3 KO and 25nl were post game, but you get the idea.
I'm taking some atrocious beats at both sites but i'm at least making coin on fulltilt. Meh. It will come around, i feel there's a big cash in my future... just a feeling ;)
btw tomorrow's my Birthday... I'm old!
-Isgrinder
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Good Night on FTP
Still not doing much on Stars but i had a really good night at fulltilt. I took 3rd in a $10 90 KO for $100.00. I felt i shouldve taken this down but it was not to be. I felt i played well in several smaller tournaments but didnt get anywhere.
I took a break, got something to eat and decided to put in a hour at 25nl tables. I had been 6 tabling but decided to try 9 tables tonight. That didn't work out so well so i 7 tabled instead. I ran really well, got paid off on my big hands and made my flush draws. Only had one major suckout when the flop came all clubs, i had the Ace of clubs but was up against a made flush and i got there on the river.
My bankroll is coming along slowly, it had dropped back to 324.00 but tonights results pushed me passed the $500 mark. I've also been playing tier1 satelites. My goal is to get 10 tokens, then start playing the large field guaranteed tournies.
-isgrinder
Monday, April 21, 2008
Sunday Tournament
I only played one MTT today, the $5 5K guaranteed at 1pm. I finished 57th out of 3353 for $27. Not a huge score, but i really had fun playing this tourny, i think i played really well actually except for a few mistakes.
I was running really well, accumulating chips with ease for most of the tourny when i ran into huge hand and lost 95% of my stack. Blinds were 600/1200 ante 125 I raised 3xbb with A9s from LP and was called by the BB, flop comes A7A and we proceed to get it AI. He had 77 and i was left with 1491 chips from my 33K stack. Then the fun began!
I don't know, perhaps i could've played the hand better or not at all but i was not tilted by the beat. The very next hand i had QQ and doubled. Next hand I had 33 and called utg's shove. My pair held against KJs and i doubled again. I doubled about 2 more times eventually getting my stack to about 22K. There were about 190 left and with blinds increasing there was constant pressure to stay ahead of the blinds. My M fluctuated between 5 - 8 the entire time. Eventually i got my stack up to 120k.
I was hoping for that one big hand that would push me over the top. With blinds 3500/7000 ante 700 i picked up KK in the big blind, my stack = 121k. A MP player with 62K shoves.... sweet! I call and its KK vs. As5s Flop: QcJs3d,Turn: 6s, River: Ah... sigh.lol i lost half my stack.
I guess i could've battled back but the very next hand CO limps, btn limps and i complete in sb with 7h4h. flop comes 5s6sTd and I think I make perhaps my biggest mistake of the tourny. I make a weak lead of about 14k into a 33k pot, CO shoves and i have to call, he shows QTo and i don't improve. I think i had two options; shove AI thus maximizing FE or chk hoping to see a cheap turn intending to fold to a huge bet. Unfortunately i was still too focused on the previous hand to play it properly.
Nevertheless it was a fun tourny and had i won that KK hand i think i could've made the final table and if i had made the final table i felt good about taking it down. Btw the guy who cracked my KK took 4th.
-Isgrinder
I was running really well, accumulating chips with ease for most of the tourny when i ran into huge hand and lost 95% of my stack. Blinds were 600/1200 ante 125 I raised 3xbb with A9s from LP and was called by the BB, flop comes A7A and we proceed to get it AI. He had 77 and i was left with 1491 chips from my 33K stack. Then the fun began!
I don't know, perhaps i could've played the hand better or not at all but i was not tilted by the beat. The very next hand i had QQ and doubled. Next hand I had 33 and called utg's shove. My pair held against KJs and i doubled again. I doubled about 2 more times eventually getting my stack to about 22K. There were about 190 left and with blinds increasing there was constant pressure to stay ahead of the blinds. My M fluctuated between 5 - 8 the entire time. Eventually i got my stack up to 120k.
I was hoping for that one big hand that would push me over the top. With blinds 3500/7000 ante 700 i picked up KK in the big blind, my stack = 121k. A MP player with 62K shoves.... sweet! I call and its KK vs. As5s Flop: QcJs3d,Turn: 6s, River: Ah... sigh.lol i lost half my stack.
I guess i could've battled back but the very next hand CO limps, btn limps and i complete in sb with 7h4h. flop comes 5s6sTd and I think I make perhaps my biggest mistake of the tourny. I make a weak lead of about 14k into a 33k pot, CO shoves and i have to call, he shows QTo and i don't improve. I think i had two options; shove AI thus maximizing FE or chk hoping to see a cheap turn intending to fold to a huge bet. Unfortunately i was still too focused on the previous hand to play it properly.
Nevertheless it was a fun tourny and had i won that KK hand i think i could've made the final table and if i had made the final table i felt good about taking it down. Btw the guy who cracked my KK took 4th.
-Isgrinder
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Micro stakes update
The micro mtt sng turbos are still kicking my ass. I've taken to pushbotting and have gotten deep in a few. The chat goes crazy though with guys calling me donkey and bingo player... etc etc lol. As a result i get alot of spite calls later in the tourny when blinds become huge relative to stacks and i get call down lite alot. meh.
So lastnight i did two things I haven't done in a long time;
1. Played in a $12 180 man turbo sng. I wanted to play lastnight after work, around 12:30am, my normal $4/180s would take 4hrs... just too long. I decided to play the higher buyin turbo because i saw they take about half the time.I really enjoyed the game, it was soft and i got deep before making a questionable AI shove with M=9.5 to bust 40th. I normally shove around this M but with an EP limper in and my image perhaps i couldve chosen a better spot.
2. Played 25NL full ring cash for the first time in a year. I've been feeling interested in ring again recently. But i'm not gonna get involved with 6max or regular grinding. An hour four tabling 25nl now and again would not be bad. I quickly realized that i was way off that game, and was not sure what to do in several spots... especially post flop. still i managed to come away with a little profit... only making one major mistake with KK that cost alot.
I will study some on playing ring to refresh my skills at that game. I suspect it won't take long to get up to speed on standard play. Am also considering playing more $12 180 man sngs, after all i have the bankroll for it.
- Isgrinder
So lastnight i did two things I haven't done in a long time;
1. Played in a $12 180 man turbo sng. I wanted to play lastnight after work, around 12:30am, my normal $4/180s would take 4hrs... just too long. I decided to play the higher buyin turbo because i saw they take about half the time.I really enjoyed the game, it was soft and i got deep before making a questionable AI shove with M=9.5 to bust 40th. I normally shove around this M but with an EP limper in and my image perhaps i couldve chosen a better spot.
2. Played 25NL full ring cash for the first time in a year. I've been feeling interested in ring again recently. But i'm not gonna get involved with 6max or regular grinding. An hour four tabling 25nl now and again would not be bad. I quickly realized that i was way off that game, and was not sure what to do in several spots... especially post flop. still i managed to come away with a little profit... only making one major mistake with KK that cost alot.
I will study some on playing ring to refresh my skills at that game. I suspect it won't take long to get up to speed on standard play. Am also considering playing more $12 180 man sngs, after all i have the bankroll for it.
- Isgrinder
Thursday, April 17, 2008
I'm Back and running pooorly!
I'm done with Stats! Now back to poker. Unfortunately i don't seem as sharp as i was a couple weeks ago and i'm running like crap. I've played 20+ mtt sngs and have not cashed in any. I'm taking beat after beat in the $3 90 man KO sngs on FT and the $3 45 man sngs on stars. Its relentless. I finally resorted to playing some single table $5 sngs today for some relief.
Will see what happens this weekend.
Will see what happens this weekend.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Inner Turmoil
There's been a battle going on inside me for the last few weeks. I'm taking a statistics course that I hate and I'm pretty sure I'm going to fail. There's a part of me that wants to quit and be done with it. But there's a part of me thats going "don't be a quitter, just see this thing through fail or not, just complete it"
So far I've been going with the latter opinion, but its getting harder to stay the course. I'm good until i open the book to try to study and then i just feel like fuck it... this shit means nothing to me... why am i wasting my time. Its like torture studying statistics, not that I'm completely hopeless at it, i did get a 94% in the first in-term exam. its not even that i suck at math it just that doing this course means nothing to me.
Truth is I'd rather be playing poker.
Which i also find somewhat troubling. Am i now putting poker before other things in my life? If i was not involved with poker would i be giving this course a better effort? disturbing questions for me to ponder.
Shouldn't i be free to decide what i want to do? I am of course. But i don't want my girlfriend to think I'm a quitter, or my friends or co-workers for that matter.
sigh...
Final exam is on Wednesday. Case study that I'm not completely sure how to do is due at final. I've missed the last two classes so I'm almost completely unprepared.
There's no quitting now, I've come too far.
I will buckle down, do the case study to the best of my ability and study everything that we did up to this point. I will finish this course.
So far I've been going with the latter opinion, but its getting harder to stay the course. I'm good until i open the book to try to study and then i just feel like fuck it... this shit means nothing to me... why am i wasting my time. Its like torture studying statistics, not that I'm completely hopeless at it, i did get a 94% in the first in-term exam. its not even that i suck at math it just that doing this course means nothing to me.
Truth is I'd rather be playing poker.
Which i also find somewhat troubling. Am i now putting poker before other things in my life? If i was not involved with poker would i be giving this course a better effort? disturbing questions for me to ponder.
Shouldn't i be free to decide what i want to do? I am of course. But i don't want my girlfriend to think I'm a quitter, or my friends or co-workers for that matter.
sigh...
Final exam is on Wednesday. Case study that I'm not completely sure how to do is due at final. I've missed the last two classes so I'm almost completely unprepared.
There's no quitting now, I've come too far.
I will buckle down, do the case study to the best of my ability and study everything that we did up to this point. I will finish this course.
The most common choices in this world are the following: rest over labor, entertainment over education, delusion over truth, doubt over confidence and fear over courage. The choices are ours to make.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
