Wednesday Update

I was a little sluggish earlier today, so I started my day with some reading and updating some of the appraisal software I wrote while I sipped my morning Non-Fat Iced Mocha.

I added a bit to the business plan as well.  That was a good exercise because it really reinforced the right game, right opponents, right limits, right time of day, thing.  I’ve noticed that the daytime is kinda full of good players who play poker for a living and finding juicy tourneys can be tough.  I decided to start my day at 2pm when the guys from the east coast might be off of work.  I wanted to find a juicy game with a meaningful buy-in and just wait for the right one.

Bingo – right out of the gate took down a 6-handed tourney which catapulted me to my next financial reward goal.  Unfortunately, I need to wait another 2 hours before I can request a check because it’s been only 22 hours since I requested the last one.

The bankroll is growing and I’m getting small rewards along the way.  This feels like a really good thing as it relieves stress, protects the bankroll, and helps me really value what I’ve got.  The discipline and at-ease feeling I’ve had since Saturday’s pseudo-meltdown-and-recovery is a tremendous relief.   I need to continue the general discipline and generally review the documented plan in order to keep it at the forefront of my mind before each session.  It serves as a detailed and focused map while navigating unfamiliar territory.

As should be the norm, I’m going to take a break for a few minutes before returning to “work”.

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Going to sleep now – stress free

After the afternoon buzz, I took a walk and ended up at Trials.  I had one drink and left, then walked some more.  On the way back home, I bumped into Bill & Leslie and decided to have a pint with them.  I was still awake and decided to sit down again to play some more.

After this session, I’m at the 1/2 way point to my next mini-milestone.  Good stuff and good night!

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Evening update

Ahhh…cutting myself the check took off some pressure.  I went for a run, had some dinner, watched the 2008 WSOP on ESPN, then had a go in a tourney.   I took it down and it put me over my goal (so the $5 short was no big deal) and catapulted me well on my way to the next milestone.

Also, as an up date to a post over the weekend – I’ve got the sleep and anxiety under control for the moment and am feeling as normal as ever.

Exercise, biz plan, eating better, reviewing affirmations – it’s all touchy-feelie – but it’s what the Dr. ordered.

Cheers!

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Bankroll update

Today was a long day – I got close to hitting my bankroll target – within $4 about 5 times, then I would drop down.   I found it pretty frustrating.  I really didn’t want to cheat myself by not getting over the exact dollar amount target – but I had to cave in.  On the 5th approach to my target, I decided to quit for the day and take a withdrawl.  Now, I didn’t cut myself a check for the target amount – I went for $5.44 less because that’s how far away I was.   I don’t care – it’s my bankroll and I deserve a reward after such hard work.

That means that since I’ve started this management scheme, I’ve been able to cut myself a check every other day.  Not bad.   The fact that I’m periodically rewarding myself and building the bankroll is a great feeling and gives me some genuine peace of mind.

Hope you’re all doing well too!

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The sickest call ever!!!!!!!

OK – so this guy and I had been sparring for a while.  I specifically picked him because he was generally loose.  He was aggressive pre-flop and passive post-flop.  He made suspect calls with bottom pair a lot and didn’t give me credit for a good hand a lot of times.  He’d been notorious for sucking out on the river several times during our battle.

As we played, I started to pick up on something.  When he had any kind of pair, he acted pretty quickly.  When he was bluffing – he hesitated enough that it was noticeable.   I decided I wanted his whole stack, so I’d stick around and deal with the occasional suckout and just wait for that hesitation or until I had a monster.

Here’s how it went down – I think you’ll agree it was a pretty sick call on my part!  I’d never make that call if it weren’t for the high level of confidence I had with this tell.  Wee!!

Full Tilt Poker Game #7406769329: Table Clay (heads up) – $2/$4 – No Limit Hold’em – 2:03:08 ET – 2008/07/28
Seat 1: VILLAIN ($638.60)
Seat 2: HERO ($644)
HERO posts the small blind of $2
VILLAIN posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to HERO [4s 4d]
HERO raises to $12
VILLAIN has 15 seconds left to act
VILLAIN raises to $40
HERO: i might call
HERO calls $28
*** FLOP *** [8s Qc Qh]
VILLAIN has 15 seconds left to act
VILLAIN bets $53
HERO calls $53
*** TURN *** [8s Qc Qh] [7d]
HERO is feeling happy
VILLAIN has 15 seconds left to act
VILLAIN bets $127
HERO calls $127
*** RIVER *** [8s Qc Qh 7d] [Kc]
VILLAIN has 15 seconds left to act
VILLAIN has requested TIME
VILLAIN bets $418.60, and is all in
HERO has 15 seconds left to act
HERO calls $418.60
*** SHOW DOWN ***
VILLAIN shows [Tc 9c] a pair of Queens
HERO shows [4s 4d] two pair, Queens and Fours
HERO wins the pot ($1,276.70) with two pair, Queens and Fours
VILLAIN adds $400

*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $1,277.20 | Rake $0.50
Board: [8s Qc Qh 7d Kc]
Seat 1: VILLAIN (big blind) showed [Tc 9c] and lost with a pair of Queens
Seat 2: HERO (small blind) showed [4s 4d] and won ($1,276.70) with two pair, Queens and Fours

Of note:
Prior to his pre-flop raise to $40, he hesitated…I took note.
I said, “I might call” before the flop hit the board – he read that, then hesitated before he bet the flop
On the turn – he hesitated again
On the river – he hesitated AND requested time

Now I was pretty confident on this read that I had on the guy. I was nearly certain that the pause meant he had total squat.  When he had a pair – even bottom pair – in earlier hands, he bet/called VERY quickly. There was something about the way the river played out that just reeked of desperation.  The pot was equal to both of our stacks by that point – so for him it was check, I bet and take it down – or he fires and hopes that I fold.  He could only win by betting and it just stunk of that to me.  That and my confidence in his tell convinced me to call.

Sick! Totally sick!

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A bullet point update

Been one hell of a week:

* I think I’ve been suffering from some anxiety/panic attacks at night
* My belief is that they’re happening as a result of the uncertainty associated with earning an income this way
* Additionally, there’s a fair amount of stress that occurs while playing – and if I’m playing for 8 hours on any given day, that can lead to 8 hours of stress
* If I play until bedtime, I go to bed stressed
* The feelings/sensations I’ve been experiencing at bedtime are:  nausea, twisted stomach, chest pain, shortness of breath, the sensation of being on the verge of death at the point of dozing off – and ultimately never sleeping, and the illusion that I have no love in my life….pretty scary sh*t!

The good news, is that I’m a pretty resilient bugger and don’t like to resort to medication or destructive behaviors when I’m suffering any kind of crisis.  So I made sure that Saturday was spent being proactive and positive.  Here’s what I did:

* I read from one of my recently purchased poker books
* I went for a short run…very short…less than 15 minutes
* I actually wrote a significant portion of a business plan / code of conduct – still a bit to do, but it’s workable at the moment as-is…I *might* publish it here if someone requests it – as it’s something I’m pretty stoked about
* I popped open the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
* I wrote a 2-pager full of affirmations
* I wrote a 3-tiered bankroll management scheme
* I called my brother and my dad and told them both that I loved them
* I did not go out for drinks
* I located my health insurance card…just in case
* Before bed, I read my biz plan a few times, read the affirmations a few times, and did a lot of deep breathing and visualization
* Suddenly I was a bit more calm than previous nights and I feel I might have actually squeaked in 6 hours of sleep

After going through these exercises, my play yesterday and today was inspired.   I’ve written myself 2 checks in 3 days as a result of reaching my bankroll milestones – and I think that’s going to help.  My initial strategy was to just leave the money on FullTilt until I hit a whopping number – but I think that was too stressful.  The 3-tiered bankroll management strategy goes like this:

For every $500 I make, I cut myself a check for $250.  As a result, the bankroll initially grows in $250 increments.   The 2nd tier allows me to cut a check for $500 every time the bankroll grows by $1,000.  The 3rd tier allows me to cut a check for $1,000 every time the bankroll increases by $2,000.   Even if I all I do is fluctuate in Tier 1 for a while, I could be paying myself $250 pretty frequently – and that wouldn’t be the end of the world, that’s for sure.

So – anxiety and panic – be gone!  There’s no room for you in this household and no room for you in my tummy and chest!

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Wednesday – Round 1

Prospecting and found a maniac.  30 mins and 145 BB’s.  Generally played well – did get lucky twice on the river when I hung around with an A that was out-kicked prior to the river and a pocket pair that tripped up on the river.  The betting from the maniac wasn’t too aggressive after the flop and turn, so I just smooth-called to see if he’d slow, keep it cheap, or get aggressive.  Unfortunately for him, he didn’t get aggressive until the river when I’d hit a 2nd pair the first time, then tripped up my 9′s on the last hand.   Luck-sack – maybe, but it wasn’t expensive to hang around at that point. 

The good thing about the Maniac’s is that they will get very attached to their top pair and try to get you out of the pot with brut force if you hang around to the river.  Once I thought he was making a move and just bet the pot…turns out he had a straight.  Each time he shoved, he only had top pair.   Interesting.

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Update

Update on Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues:

Sat/Sun – dismal.  While I don’t spend much time documenting the bad days, I do try to acknowledge them and really get to the bottom of things.  Was it bad luck, or did I do something wrong?   On Sat/Sun – I think I can clearly say that I did something wrong.  I got caught up in trying to win each battle, rather than focus on winning the war.   The most glaring behavior that exemplified that shortcoming was that I’d REALLY get hung up on Top-Top.  I’d carry on further with those hands than I should have – particularly when out of position.  I’d start w/ AK or AQ, flop the K or the Q for example, and get hung up on it.  Opponents in position would often have KQ or something like that and end up flopping 2 pair and just continue to smooth-call me until I dug myself a hole I couldn’t get out of.  The spidey-senses *should* have been on full-alert – but I was stubborn and would keep firing away.   I’m kind of ashamed of this behavior to be honest.  The reason is that one of the first things I ever read in a poker book was, “Don’t go broke on 1-Pair”.  The *average* winning hand is 2-pair.   And even 2-pair isn’t worth going broke on.   If I limit myself to “going broke” on 3-of-a-kind or better, I’ll probably fare pretty well in the long run.  So – with that, my Mon/Tues were cut out for me with that as my guiding principle.

Mon/Tues – Muy Bien!   Highlights for Monday were taking 1st in a 45-player MTT – the payout was equal to 17 buy-ins.  Nice.  The other highlight was another tourney that day where my good-friend-yet total-stranger-and-fellow-poker-blogger, Brooklyn Bum, was observing and caught me taking down another win.   I was stoked to see that he was watching as we’ve been reading and commenting on each others successes and challenges for several months now cross-country.  With that – thanks for the continued encouragement BB – it’s much appreciated.

Highlights for Tuesday were taking 2nd in another 45-player MTT – which paid out just over 10 buy-ins.  Nice.  The other highlight was deciding that I should try something different.   You’ll laugh – but I tried to imagine what a Shark would do if he/she was hungry.   Would I go after a vulnerable surfer who was out alone, or would I go into a crowd of surfers and try to get a meal that way?  I decided that a Shark would most likely go for the vulnerable surfer who was all alone.  So with that in mind, I scoped out the head-up cash games for some bait.   I found some.  I’m generally looking for calling stations and maniacs.  Maniacs seem to be the most profitable, as the calling stations can just keep calling you with their good hands and you don’t know if they’re on a draw or actually have something good/great.  They’re often loose – but not total idiots – especially when they’re in position and just call without any raising/aggression.  Anyway – the prospecting paid off and the heads-up action earned me quite a healthy bounty before I called it quits at 11:30pm.   I kinda liked it and am curious about how profitable that kind of endeavor could be long-term.  Are there enough fish to sustain me if I just played heads up?   We’ll find out as I set out to give it another try today…with similar performance hopefully.

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Birthday Bliss – Round 4

Sat at a table and on the first hand I watched a dude shove all in for 135 BB’s preflop (female avatar…but no female poker player is that crazy) .  His opponent thought about it and called w/ 88…and won.  The original shover showed 95o.  I looked him up, and he was a maniac.

He immediately left the table, and I went in search of him.  Found him at another table with a seat open to his right.  The rest of the table would not fall under the category of desirable opponents – but this guy with this one move made me believe that he’d make it worth my while – and he didn’t know that I saw him shove with the 95o because I just sat down at the other table and never played a hand.

So I waited and waited.  27 hands…didn’t see a flop.  Partway through, the seat to his left opened up and I immediately jumped in so that he would be sitting to my right.   Eventually, 31 hands had been dealt and I saw 1 flop (which I won).

Maniac’s standard pre-flop raise was 7.5 BB’s…huge compared to anyone else.  I wanted a decent hand (not necessarily great) against him alone and in position – which I’d now have a good chance at thanks to my strategic seat change.  On hand 35 (25 mins in), he does his standard 7.5 BB raise.  I find myself w/ QTs.  I call.  This is way out of character for me…but I’m trusting in my position and his crazy persona to work in my favor.  The rest of the field gets the hell out of the way – knowing that I’ve only played 1 hand so far.  I don’t have a monster by any means, but the flop is favorable.   I flop a gutshot and a flush draw.  He acts first and bets the pot on the flop.  I call – hoping for a free river card.  Turn doesn’t improve my hand – but he checks and I get the free river card I’d hoped for.  River pairs the turn – somewhat scary – as he might have a boat, but I doubt it…and much to my liking it’s a heart.   So – to this point, this guy’s full-on bluffs have tended to be for all of his chips (I saw the 95o at the original table and he made one other all-in that was disproportionate to the pot-size on a weird board…there was no showdown, but I was suspicious).  So I called.  I figure this was about as good as it was gonna get – a flush vs the maniac…only a K-high flush could beat me or a full-house.  He showed 64o.  Squadoosh from Donkville!

Voila!  Thanks to the maniac I stood up with 114 BB’s after 27 minutes and playing only 3 out of 37 hands (played one more just so it didn’t look too much like a hit-n-run).  Muy bien!

Performance = Good
Patience = Great
Luck = Standard/Good
Opponent = Donkey
Results = Pleased

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Birthday Bliss – Round 3

Ok – back from Target & Cost Plus.  Got Ben’s gift taken care of.  He and Elaine are having a b-day party/housewarming next Friday.  Tomorrow they’re taking me to a concert in Mountain View – I’m stoked to see Jesus & Mary Chain headline the event.  Way cool.

Anyway, while browsing the tables I found a 6-seater that only had 2 players – I did my usual G2 and saw that one of them was loose-aggressive and had 100 BB’s he was ready to play with.  I decided to have a go at him heads up.

Things went sour for the poor guy pretty quickly.  I was pretty aggressive and took down some early pots.  Then w/ QTo flopped an open ender.  Which I hit and he paid me off bigtime.  On the river, I bet 1/2 his stack – thinking he’d come over top – but he just called.  Leaving him with 14 BB’s.  After that he just kept shoving.  I tested the waters a bit by limping on the button to see if he’d keep up the shoving, which he did.  All I really needed to do was pick a decent A hand and call for his remaining stack (back up to 18 BB’s).  I found myself with A8o and called – he showed JQs…I hit an A and it was all over.  98 BB’s in 4 mins.

While the results are pleasing, I want to believe that I picked the right opponent, the right table, the right stakes, and played smart-aggressive.  That’s what I want to believe anyway.  :-)

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