Next weekend the madness will begin, with a 3 day, 2 night stay in Vegas - complete with 5 (count 'em!) 5 tournaments on the schedule!
But I also got a glimmer last Wednesday, that maybe, just maybe - an even bigger tournament is on the horizon.
I took down our first "Worldline" tournament, an off shoot of our "Flatline" league (a group of friends playing amongst ourselves online for no rake) that will award a seat and travel money to the World Series of Poker!
A 1500K bracelet event, not the 10K Main Event, that everyone knows of - but it's still the World Series!
So I've won one tournament, which means I lead in points - 17 currently. Now the race is still very tight as second place received 16 points, third place 15 and so on. But If I can aim for the top five every week, and maybe take another one or two down, it is VERY likely that my dream of playing at the World Series of Poker may come true.
I'm not really thinking about the money at all - but I promised myself years ago that if I do ever cash a hefty amount (say 10K above my buy-in or so) I'm setting aside 1K to try and satellite into the Main Event.
Yes, I'm getting ahead of myself.
Online raked play on Full Tilt is still not going that great, but I just today took down a 16 player HORSE SnG, and it felt GREAT to be the actual best player at the table who was able to persevere through card dead stretches and then by good play and correct decisions be able to stomp my opponents in the end.
(By the way - SnG means "Sit-n-Go" a single or two table tournament that starts as soon as the table is filled. MTT - Multi-table-tournament. HORSE is a mixed game format, Hold-em, Omaha/8, Razz, Seven Stud, Seven Stud 8 or better.)
I've been experimenting with all different stakes (though all low) and types of games (cash games, MTT's, SnG's and satellites) and I think I finally know what I need to do to have a good shot at growing my roll.
Clearly, I have to invest some effort to going deep in another MTT like the Double Deuce. I will allow myself 2 shots in a 60c satellite a week to accomplish this.
Second, SnG's are just too tough to crack on a frequent enough basis - I think I can find an exception to this in the 16 and 18 playr SnG's of HORSE, PLO8 and NLHE. These are the ones, where if I single table, and concentrate on what I'm doing (and I don't get completely coolered) I can either win or cash about a third of the time.
I think the payout is big enough at this level, where I can grind out a steady profit.
Lower $ SnG's - the rake is just too nasty, the stakes not high enough for me or others to take seriously.
Higher $ SnG's - say $5.25 or so, just take too big a chunk out of my BR for me to be comfortable and not play scared, especially when I drop 3 or 4 in a row. Then even if I cash in the next one, I'm still down. Very frustrating, and I'm sure I'm tilting a bit when I realize that I have to win multiple times just to recoup my losses.
Right now, I'm down to $275, after being up over $400. I don't feel as though I've been playing terrible, but I definitely feel more comfortable risking $1 in a MTT or $2.25 in a two table SnG than any of the other types of games I've been dabbling with. I'll confess, I took a couple shots at $10 MTT's (the "Midnight Madness" is especially tempting as it has a large prize pool guarantee) as well as cash games that were above my BR.
I experienced a bit of success at the latter, and then subsequently lost it all and more within a week. My tournament experience has, it seems, worn away most of the patience that I just assumed was built into my poker DNA.
So hopefully now, I've learned with such a big down swing, that I'll just have to slow down. I'm still planning on aiming for the big payoff of a large MTT (and for that I can have many, many losses and still be a winning player) and the SnG's will be strictly low (but not ultra-micro) stakes.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Running down a dream...
Still running hot.
Last week, I busted early in Flatline.
This week, I finished second.
Again, felt great against the group. Ran into good cards just often enough to really pile on the aggression towards the end and reap the benefits of big stack poker. Still, there were a couple of hiccups along the way, that while not successful in their outcome, were good learning experiences.
First, I had to crawl back from a crippling blow at the hands of Sven (an oft lauded opponent here on this blog, who is a damn good player and also a friend and poker confidante). I flopped a monster with junk - two pair, and was so determined to felt him that I didn't raise the turn and instead smooth called my way right into his rivered straight.
I don't think my play was way out of line, but it was probably less than ideal. Sven likely would've tanked long and hard if I'd reraised the turn, and very possibly folded if I had given him the wrong price. Ironically, if he had called, even though I would have been far worse for wear chip wise (probably felted in fact) it would have at least been correct. I didn't have enough of a "monster" to justify my play of trying to get Sven to spew chips. In the end he had too many outs on a scary board, and he hit one, much to my chagrin. Thankfully, he didn't put me all in with the nuts, I likely would've called.
I bounced back quickly though, and then managed to spew some more against my other good friend (and sometimes quasi-poker confidante) Cali. Cali, along with Titan, are the two guys who I KNOW if they raise in early position always, ALWAYS, have something. Usually aces or kings.
Cali was kind enough not to put me all in when I flopped top pair queen kicker, but he did just about value bet me to death - and I let him. If I had been savvy enough I suppose I could have raised his lead out bet on the flop (though I would've been nearly short stacked with this move) and then put him on AK when he shoved. I really should have put him on this though with his pre-flop raise, and folded my trap hand (which was KQos).
Thanks to a couple of lucky breaks I pounded my way to the finish line, stealing mercilessly and quite simply outclassing a lot of my opponents with c-bets and cutoff/hijack stealing. It felt GREAT.
Then it was 3 handed. Sammy Ro proceeded to implode with ill timed steal attempts out of position, twice I swatted him down with the goods and then a third time with air when he was ridiculously short stacked.
Finally it was me and a new guy. I had him on the ropes, then he rivered a four outer and I found that I suddenly didn't have the will to wait him out. As far as I could tell he was fairly solid, though pretty ABC poker - I know if I hadn't let myself get a bit tilty I could have bore down and outplayed him.
As it was - with the blinds enormous, I made an ill advised steal attempt on a harmless looking flop that turned out to have hit his computer hand (Q7) perfectly. When he smooth called my button raise (I had J9) I should have readied myself to release the hand if I blanked. A normal c-bet was out of the question, I was short stacked.
At any rate, I feel GREAT about Flatline right now. I'm also excited about this Wednesday night of Worldline, a series of tournaments we're running to award a single winner a seat at this years World Series of Poker! I feel I have as good a chance as any, and frankly a better chance than most.
Speaking of Vegas, that's where I'm going a week from this Friday - for some serious tournament poker immersion. I have 5, yes 5, tournaments scheduled for me on the trip. I'd be pretty bummed if I didn't cash at least once, but I have to be realistic, and also go first and foremost for FUN.
If there's one thing that I've learned about poker, that it's ABSOLUTELY not worth doing if I'm not having fun - first and foremost. I would love to cash in Vegas, but I'm going to approach the whole venture with a sense of fun and a chance to hang out with my buddies, shoot the shit, see the sights, and laugh.
Speaking of laughing - I've been up and down on Full Tilt, but slightly more of the latter. I really believe that it's a bit of variance, a bit of being out played (especially at the $5 sit-n-go stakes and up) and a bit of a savage rake that is omnipresent at all low and micro stakes.
Still, I will persevere, and lower my BR requirements as needed. Full Tilt just recently added micro cash games (1c/2c blinds) which I've enjoyed a handful of times to great success by simply turning off my brain and playing only premium cards and betting monsters for value.
I need to stay away from SNG's that are technically bankroll safe but at the limit - $2.25 a pop seems to be about right. I've really had the most success (even when I don't cash) at the larger MTT's. I've gone deep, many, many times. I've qualified for the double deuce tournament in 60c satellites 4 TIMES. So clearly, I'm not stinking up the joint.
Ah well.
Last week, I busted early in Flatline.
This week, I finished second.
Again, felt great against the group. Ran into good cards just often enough to really pile on the aggression towards the end and reap the benefits of big stack poker. Still, there were a couple of hiccups along the way, that while not successful in their outcome, were good learning experiences.
First, I had to crawl back from a crippling blow at the hands of Sven (an oft lauded opponent here on this blog, who is a damn good player and also a friend and poker confidante). I flopped a monster with junk - two pair, and was so determined to felt him that I didn't raise the turn and instead smooth called my way right into his rivered straight.
I don't think my play was way out of line, but it was probably less than ideal. Sven likely would've tanked long and hard if I'd reraised the turn, and very possibly folded if I had given him the wrong price. Ironically, if he had called, even though I would have been far worse for wear chip wise (probably felted in fact) it would have at least been correct. I didn't have enough of a "monster" to justify my play of trying to get Sven to spew chips. In the end he had too many outs on a scary board, and he hit one, much to my chagrin. Thankfully, he didn't put me all in with the nuts, I likely would've called.
I bounced back quickly though, and then managed to spew some more against my other good friend (and sometimes quasi-poker confidante) Cali. Cali, along with Titan, are the two guys who I KNOW if they raise in early position always, ALWAYS, have something. Usually aces or kings.
Cali was kind enough not to put me all in when I flopped top pair queen kicker, but he did just about value bet me to death - and I let him. If I had been savvy enough I suppose I could have raised his lead out bet on the flop (though I would've been nearly short stacked with this move) and then put him on AK when he shoved. I really should have put him on this though with his pre-flop raise, and folded my trap hand (which was KQos).
Thanks to a couple of lucky breaks I pounded my way to the finish line, stealing mercilessly and quite simply outclassing a lot of my opponents with c-bets and cutoff/hijack stealing. It felt GREAT.
Then it was 3 handed. Sammy Ro proceeded to implode with ill timed steal attempts out of position, twice I swatted him down with the goods and then a third time with air when he was ridiculously short stacked.
Finally it was me and a new guy. I had him on the ropes, then he rivered a four outer and I found that I suddenly didn't have the will to wait him out. As far as I could tell he was fairly solid, though pretty ABC poker - I know if I hadn't let myself get a bit tilty I could have bore down and outplayed him.
As it was - with the blinds enormous, I made an ill advised steal attempt on a harmless looking flop that turned out to have hit his computer hand (Q7) perfectly. When he smooth called my button raise (I had J9) I should have readied myself to release the hand if I blanked. A normal c-bet was out of the question, I was short stacked.
At any rate, I feel GREAT about Flatline right now. I'm also excited about this Wednesday night of Worldline, a series of tournaments we're running to award a single winner a seat at this years World Series of Poker! I feel I have as good a chance as any, and frankly a better chance than most.
Speaking of Vegas, that's where I'm going a week from this Friday - for some serious tournament poker immersion. I have 5, yes 5, tournaments scheduled for me on the trip. I'd be pretty bummed if I didn't cash at least once, but I have to be realistic, and also go first and foremost for FUN.
If there's one thing that I've learned about poker, that it's ABSOLUTELY not worth doing if I'm not having fun - first and foremost. I would love to cash in Vegas, but I'm going to approach the whole venture with a sense of fun and a chance to hang out with my buddies, shoot the shit, see the sights, and laugh.
Speaking of laughing - I've been up and down on Full Tilt, but slightly more of the latter. I really believe that it's a bit of variance, a bit of being out played (especially at the $5 sit-n-go stakes and up) and a bit of a savage rake that is omnipresent at all low and micro stakes.
Still, I will persevere, and lower my BR requirements as needed. Full Tilt just recently added micro cash games (1c/2c blinds) which I've enjoyed a handful of times to great success by simply turning off my brain and playing only premium cards and betting monsters for value.
I need to stay away from SNG's that are technically bankroll safe but at the limit - $2.25 a pop seems to be about right. I've really had the most success (even when I don't cash) at the larger MTT's. I've gone deep, many, many times. I've qualified for the double deuce tournament in 60c satellites 4 TIMES. So clearly, I'm not stinking up the joint.
Ah well.
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