Happy Holidays!!!!!

Hey all (if anyone).

Just a quick note saying Merry Xmas or Happy Holidays if you are politically correct or not. I have no issue with the term "Happy Holidays" or anything but people start talking about "holiday trees" and such, I want to puke. But anyways,

In between presents, a 13 month old playing their noisy toys ad nauseum and such, I managed to sneak in a little play time. I'm a little over $44 thanks to a short but lucrative Omaha/8 session. Unfortunately, the game broke down with people leaving the table but them's the breaks. However I made $5 in about 15 minutes at a 0.50/1.00 table.

I'm starting to really look at Omaha as a money winner and will be studying that game more in the new year. In the meantime, I think it is time to take my poker playing a little more seriously. No, I'm not quiting a job or anything but I want to start doing some record tracking and such things and really learn how to play properly, build a proper bankroll and other such displinary pursuits.

Best of luck at the tables!

Sheesh....Lessons Learned.

Well...over the course of an afternoon I lost thirteen bucks leaving me with $43 and change.

I should explain. I really had a bad day at the 0.15/0.30 tables. It was your typical low-limit donkey poker hell. I think I played fine with folding of weak hands and aggression with good ones. It just seemed that the river was a knife stabbing me in the heart. I have two pair, the river gives someone their set....I have the nut flush...the river gives the other person their full house....you get the idea...it just sucked!!!!!!

In my steaming frame of mind, I decided to play a sit-n-go and that went bust. I'm learning some important lessons.

1. This happens. You can be playing your best and being aggressive with the best hand and still lose on a lucky river card...it happens so get used to it. You will hit those hands most of the time so don't change your style.

2. I'm going to have to see if I need to change some small things. I used to limp in on the small blind with any two cards assuming there are no raises in front. I'll probably stop that for the time being unless they are premium cards.

3. Time to hit the books again. I have started re-reviewing Sklansky's Small Stakes Hold Em for anything I'm potentially missing or misplaying.

4. Don't play on tilt...it was a bad day...get over it. You have been winning.

I'll probably not be playing over the holidays next week but we will see.

Later.

Played some Sit-n-Gos...

Hey folks (if anyone actually reads this).

My regular limit tables were full with huge waiting lists, so I decided to try a one-table Sit-N-Go for something different. I used to play them a lot with Play Money with decent success. So, for five bucks, I decided to give it a shot.

Well, I finished 2nd! Very cool and I was now $15 bucks richer putting me over $60.00 which should be enough for my regular 0.15/0.30 game. I tried another one afterwards. Unfortunately, I finished fifth in that one. Never really caught a playable hand. With a short stack, I went all in with A-K unsuited. Unfortunately, I ran into a pair of pocket Queens and never improved on the board. However, I seem to play these pretty well so I'll try again later with them as an option.

So things are going well. I may write again before the holidays but with a 13 month old, that may be difficult.

Merry Xmas!

Bad Beat? You decide...

Hey all.

Only played about half an hour last night and finished up one small blind. Lost most of my profit on the following hand.

0.15/0.30 Limit Hold'em

Was on the BB with AcJc. Five people limped in. I raised. Everyone folded except someone in MP and the SB.

Flop: Kh 6c 8c

SB checked. I bet. MP folded. SB called.

Turn: (Kh 6c 8c)7c

SB checked. I bet. SB raised.

I thought about this raise. I figured that they had a straight, a flush, or, God forbid, the straight flush. I decided to re-raise to find out. SB called.

River: (Kh 6c 8c 7c) 9c

SB checked. I checked.

SB had Jh 5c for the straight flush.

Ouch....very ouch.

Break even...

Hey.

Didn't have much time to play last night (things are busy with a 1 yr old). I played about an hour and just broke even (up 8 cents). I won my first pot but that was pretty much it for the rest of the evening.

While waiting for the table to open, I played some "play money" Omaha 8's. I have been reviewing the Hutchinson system of starting hands. It is pretty basic but at least it gives me an idea of what decent starting hands should be. Just another step in my Omaha education. Lost money (play money of course so really didn't lose anything...but still), but it is the education that I'm after at this point in time. I'm not seeing the smaller variance that they say exists in Omaha 8 compared to hold em...of course, this is just a short term observation.

I'll probably start posting some book reviews tomorrow on some texts that I have read and still continue to review.

Later.

Not bad for an hour...

Hey all.

Well I sat down at a 0.15/0.30 game of holdem and made about 4 dollars in an hour. Not too shabby. I had some good cards but no monster hands. The table in general was weak/tight so I was able to knock people off hands with raises and such. Very cool. That brings it up to about $53.00.

While I was waiting for a table, I played some Omaha 8's at one of the play money tables. I'm really starting to like this game but I'll need to build my bankroll more before considering money games. The lowest game available is 0.50/1.00 so money games will have to wait a bit.

So how did I get into the game of poker to begin with. I guess, like everyone else, I started watching it on television. I downloaded software from one poker site and just used play money but was terrible at it. I started reading some books (SS II, SSHE, ToP etc..). I then did an experiment.

Here in Toronto, the CNE runs a charity casino during the last two weeks of August. With $100, I went and sat down at a 5/10 limit holdem table. By playing tight/aggressive, I walked away with $450.00 in about 4 hours. Not too shabby. It made me realize that I can play the game with the right tools and discipline.

However, I didn't want to put real money online as my wife wouldn't be thrilled. The free bankroll promotion from Poker Source Online made it possible so the "experiment" continues.

Gotta jet.

Got my bonus but...

Hey all.

Well I cleared my bonus on Party for new accounts so my balance is $49.00. So what the hell happened? One phrase...Omaha Hi/Lo.

I did some experimenting in that game and did win some pots or pot splits but on a couple of hands I got nailed. An example would be having A-8-X-X (the X-X didn't figure into the hand) and had a A-8-8 appear on the flop. I played it hard only to have a player have A-A in their hand for the better full house. UGH!!!!! Funny thing though is that I enjoy Omaha 8's. I think I'll be playing some play money games of Omaha to get use to it and try some different systems.

I also tried multi-tabling but it didn't increase my bankroll...only minimized my losses. I would be up $4.00 on one table and down $5.00 on another. I really only did it to get my raked hands up to 500 and get the $25.00 bonus. Now I can relax and play within my means. My strategy now is to play 0.15/0.30 games when I can plus learn more about Omaha Hi/Low. In my reading, they say that Omaha has better edges AND requires a smaller bankroll....interesting.....

Wow......

Okay, well that sucked. Last night, while waiting to get in a 0.25/0.50 game, I sat in a 0.50/1.00 game just to get some raked hands in. I sat down with $25.00 and left with $14.50....and I only played in two hands. One hand taught me a valuable lesson to trust my instincts...

I looked down in late position with A-9. There were two limpers in front of me, I called and the big blind called. The flop came A-9-8 giving me top two pair. The big blind checked, the first limper checked, and the second player bet. I suspected an Ace but, with top two pair, I raised. The blind folded and the other two players called. The turn was another 8. First limper checked and the second limper raised. This set off warning bells in my head telling me to fold as I suspected a set or a full house but of course I called. The same thing happened with a rag on the river but the damage was done when they turned over A-8 for the full house. I learned a valuable lesson...TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS!!!!!!!!

I managed to remember this when I had another situation with top two pair. I raised and was called each time to the river. The river card became a scare card when one of the other players raised with it. It made me suspect that it caused the player to have a higher second pair in his hand now. I decided to fold and was proven right when the cards were revealed. Even though I lost a "significant" bit of money, it showed that I played the hand correctly and saved a bet.

I managed to get in a 0.25/0.50 game and made a little money on that but I now sit at around $69.00 in the bankroll.

I think it is time to go back to basics with my starting hands and stop playing 0.50/1.00 as a "hand raker". ;-)

Entry #2 - Slight Loss and thoughts

Well I played for an hour last night and my bankroll is about $77.48. Only a big blind loss at the 0.25/0.50 game. Well, they say that if you have a loss, minimize it as much as possible. I was up at one point about $5.00 but had some bad luck (and some bad decisions) down the stretch.

I played pretty well I thought. Made some good reads that saved me some money. I remember one hand where I had two pair with two callers. When a jack hit the river, one of them started raising. It seemed a little odd as I was sitting there with aces and nines that he was doing that but I got the impression to fold. Good call as he had just a pair of aces...and got his pair of jacks on the river. Despite the fact that he seemed to suck out on that hand, these are the type of players you want at your table as you will get their money sooner or later.

I need to review how to play AQ. I lost a couple of bigger pots holding that hand. I'm probably being too aggressive with it or not getting out of the hand earlier enough (with busted straight draws for example).

So....want a free bankroll?

I got mine from http://www.instantbankroll.com. They have promotions with Party Poker and Titan Poker. Just follow the instructions. You will need to sign up for the poker room as well as with Poker Source Online. You do NOT provide credit card or banking information (one of my concerns initially). Check out the forums at pokersourceonline to see feedback on the program. They have some great promotions including free chip sets!! Just say that 'kk_rush' referred you ;-).

Anyways, gotta jet.

An introduction.

Well, I have to start somewhere...so here it is. I always wanted to play poker online but I didn't want to risk my own money. However, I found a way to get a real money account without using my own money (will explain this in a later post). I figured that I would post how things go as I try to build my bankroll up.

The starting amount is $75.00. So this blog will continue until the money is gone...or I win the WSOP (a guy can dream can't he?). I started my play last night and, after an hour at 0.25/0.50, have it to $78.00. So far so good.

In future posts, I'll talk about how to get a free starting bankroll, book reviews, and musings about poker in general.

Follow the journey!