Again

Bankroll: $4004

Well, I never update, its true, but here's one. I haven't spoken about the party split, but I'm doing ok now with a new affiliate deal. I've been playing a bit of poker since uni finished, and I've been doing ok, probably could be going a little better. I was breakeven for about 7k hands, and in the last 2k I've started to upswing and I'm making about 1.1 BB/100, which is better then losing, but I'd like to see it move towards that magical 2BB mark :)

Im now a certified neteller user, and can withdraw money at will, but I'm only going to take out my rakeback, and even then I might not. I'm not working much, so a couple hundred here and there will be very handy.

Oh, and I still suck at poker. I'm working on that :L)

Taken a small hit

Bankroll: $2520

Yeah, a downswing has come. I'm getting rivered a lot, not hitting cards, and a Won at showdown of 48%, I'm sitting pretty light at the moment. But the good news is, its an obvious downswing, not one of those mysterious ones that make you contemplate your play. I know when the luck changes, so will my bankroll.

Other then that, everythings been going swimingly. I've clocked over 2000 hands in the past 4 days, and the rakeback is very very juicey at the moment. I'm getting better as I go, and every day grow more confident. But alas, assignments have gotten the better of me. Now I need to concerntrate in another area.... blast!

Pokerstars blog tournie!

I have registered to play in the
Online Poker Blogger Championship!

This event is powered by PokerStars.

Registration code: 6874170

The uni holidays are here... Time for some poker!

Bankroll: $3536

Woohoo, finally the holidays are here. I have a crap load of assignments, a crap load of random stuff to do, but that still leaves me with quite a bit of free time. Free time that will be used as poker time, hopefully profit time.

I ran well a few days ago, probably up around 60BB after a smart and quick session. I really like 90 minute poker sessions. Anymore I tend to tilt/get too tired. Playing my A-game is very important, especially since I'm slightly underrolled for 5/10. I was down around 50BB today though, I was about break even till the end, when my flush got cracked by 52o hitting a runner runner full house. Cost me a 15BB pot, and the tilt sorta started. I quit not long after, because I knew the poker wasn't going to be great.

Also, the number of TAGs is becoming intimedating at 5/10. At least 2 TAGs on every table. The games are still good, but it can get really hard to find a table. Depends on the time of day too. Because I have an income outside of poker, and really only play it for fun, it means I can really pick my times to play. I can pick it when I'm only feeling 100%, or the tables are really juicy. If its a rockfest, I usually go do something else instead, which is working out.

I'm setting myself a goal of 10000 hands minimum by the end of the holidays. If I can run decent, I should have a nice roll, and a good launching pad to gain that psychological advantage.

I'll see you guys at the tables!

Biggest upswing of my life

Bankroll: $3720

I decided to try a few tables of 5/10 6max. The rake at 3/6 is now a killer, and severely limits the profitability by as much as .5BB/100. Its pretty significant. Since my roll hit the magical 300BB for 5/10 mark, I decided to go for a few tables and see how it is. I found some big tables: 50/10 stats, with huge LAGs determined to see every flop. I missed with a few hands, but once I started hitting; a set of tens, a flush, and flopped trips, I reaped in huge profits. Even the 3/6 tables were doing well, and I made $700 in total for around 3 hours work; very very tidy indeed.

It makes me kind of fearful though, is a downswing around the corner? No way to play poker though. But everytime I think my downswing is bad, I think of 2 people:

1) Chrisdaddycool went 60k hands breakeven. This guys one of the most respected poker players on 2+2.
2) sbc had a 650BB downswing. Granted he's player sum 600k hands, and its a once in a lifetime swing, but daaaaaamn. That was at 10/20 too. $13000. Thats a nice new car. All in bad beats and cold cards.

I'll be fine. Also, I made a nice $200 rakeback cheque today. I didn't add that too my bankroll total, but it'll be there next time I post. Rakeback is the shit.

All's well in poker

Bankroll: $2954

I just cleared the $100 USETOWIN party bonus. I love 1/2, the games are so easy and straight forward. The trickiest move these guys have is a slowplay, and its so obvious to see it coming. I think 12-tabling 1/2 could make a very tidy profit indeed with little brain use, 2BB per 100, roughly 650 hands an hour, an easy $25 an hour without breaking a sweat, then you've still got rakeback to come. If my bankroll ever gets completely withdraw, I might just try that....

I played some 3/6 too, did alright in that. Its nice to be hitting cards. Makes me wonder how hard the downswings going to be, because its going to come eventually. Just need to toughen up before then.

Also, its good to see my favourite site, somethingawful.com is back online after Hurricane Katrina. SA servers are located in New Orleanes, and STILL are, and STILL the server remains alive. That's great stuff. The poker forum is a cool, relaxed atmosphere, I suggest everyone check it out. Hopefully there's some guys from there reading this humble blog.

No real good hands to post, hopefully I'll find one. I've been doing some session swapping with this cool guy, its been great for finding leaks. Just taking a peak at his now, later all.

Not dead

Bankroll: $2675

I decided to dabble in some no limit for something different. Now that game is very very weird. I understand it, sort of. Its all about showing strength when your weak, and being weak when you're strong. Very tough game for me to grasp, so I might stay away from that for now. I got my ass handed to me in some SnGs I played, and I was doing well at NL till a vicious downswing.

I'm back to my goal of moving upto 5/10 in about 6 weeks. I'm going to pound through a lot of hands, hopefully figuring out some leaks. NL has given me some perspective, and taught me a thing or two about hand ranges. Harrington on Holdem is an awesome read, even if you're a limit player. Reading a players betting habits is crucial at any type of poker to becoming a winner.


I was having an interesting discuss the other day with a fellow player about variance. He offered an interesting suggestion; stop playing marginal, take a 2BB/100 rate with little variance, and you'll never go on tilt. Interesting concept, but I'm not sure how you can apply it to your game. Tighten up preflop? Stop calling draws? I'm not sure how I'd go about doing it, although the idea sounds lucrative for the stable side of us.

I'm just clearing the party bonus on 1/2, man I wish 3/6 played like that. I'm up about 70BB without even breaking a sweat. I can stay breakeven in this game when all my cards miss, thats how easy it is to beat. When they start hitting, I rake in the big bucks. I think I was on 5BB an hour, and I reckon I could sustain close to that on these 60VPIP tables.

Sorry about the lack of updates, I promise more. Ta ta.

My game is like an old Soviet Warship

Its full of leaks, and I'm lucky that I can destroy any fish.

I gave a session of mine to a guy to review, in return I agreed to review his session. Its great, because we're both very similarly skilled, he's probably more of a text book player, I'm probably a bit more flamboyant, but same EV+ in the end.

I did his review, nothing out of the ordinary. He probably didn't bet here and there, but he was solid all around. Didn't spew at all, which is a great characteristic if you hate variance and love a fat winrate. Anyway, he sent mine back to me.

In short, I spew too much. I'm too loose, I don't play hard, and I don't finish my preflop wars. If I 3-bet someone preflop, I should always come out hard until I'm told I'm no good. I don't. I'm too erratic. So many bad calls, I can't believe I'm winning so much. I'm a good post flop player, but there's a few hands that are very fishily played. You know, thats a couple of big bets I'm wasting to stupid play. If I want to succeed at this poker thing, I need to become more disciplined.

The same reason why I suck at NL is my discipline. I don't wait for the right hand. I have the guts, but thats only half of it. Hopefully I can weed this out, and think about being a big long term winner. Hopefuly :(

(Bankroll is the same).