Sit & Gos

I am currently about 780 vpp towards GoldStar, I am surprised at the rate I have grind this month, must be due to the 0.10/0.25 6-max cash games I have mixed in between the month. But I decided not to pursue the GoldStar because although this is faster for my vpp, my bankroll hurt a lot in this stake this month. And I have currently moved back down to 0.08/0.16 6-max, where I am recouping my losses slowly.

I am aiming for the silver money clip in stars' vip store but it never seem to be in stock. It must be the cheap price and very beautiful design and everyone grab it.

I am waiting for it. I have now enough fpp to exchange for cash rewards (silverstar level) but I think I will wait, unless I busto. Hoping if there are any promotions like last year August (10x faster vpp) and I can reach higher level, and by then have enough fpp to exchange for GoldStar cash rewards, which is at a little better rate. My cousin who's a supernova just claimed the 4000usd cash reward two months back and I'm drooling.

As for my tourneys, same old thing, no results. I decided to focus now starting with STT (Single Table Tourney) Sit & Go, and work on it. Tourneys and cash games are different. A lot of poker players have dreams about winning big events (eg. WSOP Main Event).

Something like that.

Of course not so big for me, but thats one of the dream I wish to achieve in my poker career, winning a tourney. The feeling is different from cash games where you grind n grind n grind. The furthest I can picture myself if I am a cash game grinder would be like Joey Knish in the poker film Rounders. Real good, I like his character both in Rounders & Transformers. But in Rounders, he is a conservative grinder who grind his money to feed his family, pay his rent, and (I assume) bankroll management that would not allow him to go broke. What more can you ask for?

So I started my Sit & Go practice at the $3.50 micro stakes. Yesterday I cashed out 3rd, which I thought I had a shot. This morning I busto another one at 6th, the table was super tight. Except one guy who played every single hand and was busto first, expectedly. Then I was short stacked and all-in my remainingg 8bb UTG with KJ, SB reraised all-in with AK, BB called with KQ. How the hell to win against such dominated hands? Lol.

I took a break and fired up another session and try again. I only single table because I want to focus on it, I need to start from the fundamentals. This table has a more different dynamics. More aggression and actions. So I was almost knocked out until I went chiplead in last 5. Maintained my position until last two, where I had about 6k+ vs 7k+. The guy saw a lot of flop and I thought he would have been one of the first to get knocked out but we heads-up. Ups and downs until he called one of the key flop of the match.

I had 99 3-bet him who has 54. Flop came A A 4 and he lead the bet and I insta-shoved. He tanked and called and I scooped the pot. I think his situation is kinda tough because flopping two aces reduce the chance of opponent hitting it. The only hands that could beat him is an overpair. I may have called in his position.

And so.. I took down first! Can't remember the lastime I did and I am going to continue work on it.

My Micro Millions Results

1) $0.11 Re-buy Madness - Out (afk, did not play)

2) $8.80 NLHE - Out in 1 hour 40 minutes. K9 vs K2 all-in on top pair flop, opponent suck out 2 on the turn.

3) $1 NLHE 3x-Turbo - Out 5,578 of 28,185. Short stacked KT < A8

4) $2.20 NLHE 6-Max Turbo - Out, AK < 88. Last hand trap by pocket aces.

5) $5.50 (Free Ticket) NLHE Knockout, Turbo, Pro Special - Cash Out 3,408 of 26,439, Knocked out 4. $6.50 + $4

6) $1 NLHE - Out in 4 hands, KK < 88

7) $2.20 NLHE - Out 3,397of 9,634, 99 < TT. JQ < 88 both by one freak who goes all-in every hand.

8) $2.20 NLHE - Out early.

9) $5.50 NLHE Knockout, Turbo - Out 1,456 of 7,425, Knocked out 2. KJ < TT. Healthy stack, turn hit J but he trapped me on flopping a set.

10) $3.30 NLHE - Out 1,672 of 6,717. Healthy stack, flop set of 8 all-in vs QQ. River Q.

11) $2.22 NLHE Heads-Up Hyper-Turbo - Knocked out 2 and out.

so sad..

Bad Variance & Good Variance

Let's talk abt my tournament first because they are nothing much to talk about. Started the day busting $2.20 the Big and $2.20 in micro millions and then proceed to $11 time game. Got lucky and cashed out $34 after two flips last two hands. I also tried the $11 knockout turbo and was knocked out in the first round, sigh! Thats about it.

AA vs JJ (Bust)
I'm beginning my cash games with a rant. I maintain my stakes at $0.10/$0.25, just try in for one more time. I started the day early with an AA vs JJ, we went all-in pre but his cards weren't turn over until the showdown (you can choose this in the setting). When I saw kings came my jaw drop I knew that was it, but it was the J in the turn that made him a set. 2 outs to suck me out and he did, full buy-in gone.

KK vs AA (Bust)
Later I was dealt KK, and this time round I went in pre against an AA. Of course I lost, how can I get so lucky than the other guy who suck me out? <-- typically thoughts when tilt. Another full buy-in gone.

AA vs 88 (Bust)
Third time I was dealt AA again. This time I three betted a passive guy who seldom bet after flop, you heard me seldom+after the flop. He called. Flop came QQ8, he shoved. I was uh? I put him on kings when I called him, did I put him on kings or did I wished he had kings..? He turn over 88 and took all my money.

After 3 such encounters in less than 500 hands who do you think still can play on? No matter how I loved and respected the mental game of poker and how it did helped my game, time and time again these beats still get to my head. And then I had my fair share of good variance.......

AT vs QQ
I think I was somehow tilted or maybe I am not that good at multi-tabling, I called this guy's raise, who was taunting the other guy at the table, 3 of us are in the hand, because the other guy accused him of a bluff and he said nextime you call. Flop came T52. He just shoved, a serious over bet. The other guy folded and I would fold if I was thinking properly but I mis-clicked a call. I think I thought it was just a standard raise and damn I instantly felt doomed. Turn came another T and I sucked out, surprisingly I wasn't bad mouthed.

66 vs 44
Called a raise and flop J64. Turn 3 and river 7, almost couldn't get paid because of the stupid board. I called his raise on flop and then lead the bet on turn, he re-raise me and I 4-bet him because I was out of position and wanted to lead the river bet. I shoved on river bet and he called. One of my biggest pot.

JQ vs AJ
Flop KT7 and he was raising like 1bb and I was like getting free cards. Turn A and he raised standard bet I flat called. River 4 and I lead the bet about half pot sized because I didn't think he had any cards that would re-raised me so hoping for a call, but he re-raised a pot size and I shoved and get called. I had the nut straight and there was no flush or paired on the board.

66 vs A?
Flop a quads, I think guy hits an on the river and bets. I re-raised too high and he didn't call.

33 vs A9
Same guy. I think this time he thought for so long and called me in the river with nut flush, not easy to lay down against a guy who shoved at u on river the second time. I think easier to see if I copy n paste below from poker-tracker..


PokerStars - $0.25 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3: http://www.pokertracker.com

UTG: $25.25
CO: $25.00
BTN: $24.76
SB: $37.27
Hero (BB): $51.07

SB posts SB $0.10, Hero posts BB $0.25

Pre Flop: ($0.35) Hero has 3c 3d

fold, fold, BTN raises to $0.75, fold, Hero calls $0.50

Flop: ($1.60, 2 players) Ks Js 3s
Hero checks, BTN bets $0.75, Hero calls $0.75

Turn: ($3.10, 2 players) 2s
Hero checks, BTN checks

River: ($3.10, 2 players) 2d
Hero bets $1.50, BTN raises to $6.00, Hero raises to $21.75, BTN calls $15.75

Hero shows 3c 3d (Full House, Threes full of Twos) (Pre 53%, Flop 72%, Turn 23%)
BTN mucks As 9c (Flush, Ace High) (Pre 47%, Flop 28%, Turn 77%)
Hero wins $44.60

So I ended the day with about +2.5 buy-ins surprisingly. So tiring mentally and I needed a break, read some blogs and poker video in youtube. I am basically unemployed now and grinding everyday. Staying at my gf house in the meantime and I so much free time to do whatever I want. Today I will just focus on cash games, and good luck to me. Talking about video I came across a few Daniel Negreanu's video which I'm truly amazed.. this is one. Enjoy!

-4 Buy-ins

Today I woke up early to play the 9am $2.20 NLHE MicroMillion tourneys, no result after 2 hrs plus. Alongside with other micro tourneys no result. I proceed to my usual 0.08/0.16 6-max grind and encountered two big coolers. Happy that I grinded my way back before lunch and was up one buy-in.

Resume my grind session and was thinking about testing the 0.10/0.25 6-max stakes but my equity was straight downslope. Merely 500 hands I am down 4 buy ins. So heart pain omfg. March was good as I grinded my way back up and this shit, in just one day, pull me all the way back down. I am not sure whats wrong as I always face this problem whenever I want to try going up stake. Maybe I play too much hands? Maybe post-flop is not as good? I don't know.

One of those days.

MicroMillions Updates & Tourneys

Been focusing on tournaments and sit & gos past few days. Cash game grinding has been little, but still running +ev. Micro Millions in stars have started and I am playing 'em around the clock. My first tourney was registered $0.11, but not played and was out as there were some personal issues going on in my life right now. Basically I have moved out of the house and staying with my gf and using her Macbook for my daily grinds. Thankfully everything works perfect, my poker tracker has been imported (can't live without it), my HUD display profile and lastly, my steam account gaming lol!

My first four micro millions tourneys were bust out, until this morning I woke up at 5am to play the $5.50 knockout turbo pro special, where you get $50 for knocking out a stars pro. I didn't even sat with any throughout my entire tournament, registered with my free fix (by depositing $30 in stars), knocked out 4 guys and cash out minimum, well about $6.50. My greatest tourney always is cashing out minimum. I never ever got into final tables in tourneys.

Alongside micro millions, I also registered other tourneys, micro 6-max, 90 knockout SNG, $5.50 turbo etc. I did better than my micro millions. I got to 5th place in the micro 90 SNG knockout, which I was pretty happy. When we were down to 5 I had like 3 big blinds, guy from Brazil called me out and say "seriously? with 3 bb? for goodness sake". I went up to double up to about 7 bb, and then dealt AA vs KJ, thought I could verbally screw back the guy because my chips would hv more than him if I won this hand. Board open QT9 giving him a nut straight on the flop and gg.

Earlier I tried some of the Timed tourneys ($1.10 survive for 30 minutes, tourney ends there and you collect prize based on chip count), $3.30 for 15 minutes and not bad. Some quick buck if you survive but you won't go to those final tables and cash big like regular tournaments. I only played two pocket aces in the $3.30 timed tourney and cashed out $11.

Think its time to read up more on tournament plays to improve my game, if there are books anyone could recommend on tourneys would appreciate :) becuz..

Recouping March Losses

Past few days been running good in cash games. Closing up to recoup my month's loss. Pray that I hang in there! Screenshot is my March graph cash game.

Been reviewing after-session in PokerTracker on my game leak and admittedly there are some big (not very huge) pots were all loose-call by me and giving a lot of money away.

Like trading, I need to tighten up my discipline in the hands/position I play.

Next half of the month I will do my best in the Micro Millions, although I suck more in tourneys, I will still try my best and see how it goes.

Good luck and have a nice weekend!

11, 13 & 14 March Updates

I have been trying my best to recoup my losses for the month and doing good. Although I find that the game is beginning to get tougher. The new cash games 0.08/0.16 are beginning to have infiltrations of short-stackers. Not that they are the main problems, but there are also more regulars during the timing I play. It is as if your multi-tabling four tables against the same opponent, all with a tight-aggressive approach.

Anyway its real good to net positive today and I was playing a 1,794 entrants $2.20 NL HE turbo tourney. Out $58 with no significant money prize, I was so hoping to get to the final table in such big tournament at least once. But a crippling AJ < AK hands spells my end.

Tonight midnight will be the start of micro million tournaments. I have deposited a $30 in stars for a ticket to any $5.50 micro million tournaments. Play at least 5 and you will receive a ticket to a free roll in early March. Hope to really see some results for this time!

Good luck!

7-9 March Updates

Up about only 1 buy-in for the past 3 days.. duh. But it's been good to net positive or break-even on days, basically the past 3 days started similarly, down about 3-4 buy-ins for the first 500 hands and then break-even or net positive. Remember the quads? I got two more within these 3 days, what a bankroll buster. It happened so frequently and similarly, dealt JJ / KK / AA , board open up 3 similar card for them to hit quads. I can't simply fold my nut full.

I maintained my SilverStar status this month, hit my 4th stellar today, and deposited another $30 for the free $5.50 ticket to any of the MicroMillion event. I am considering about playing the main event for MicroMillion, but then it starts at 3:30am in Singapore, worst than Sunday Storm !!

These few days I met a lot of assholes at the table, especially today when there was one guy (don't want to mention nationality due to sensitivity, as players there always stereotype nationality), whom I did a normal C-Bet on a flop K K 5, and was scolded. He then went about bad mouth other players on the table who won him at showdown.

Yesterday there was one guy sitting to my right. Whenever everyone folded to him when I am the BB, he would raised 3bb to steal or whatever, I would call it a steal because he did it like a robot EVERY SINGLE time. Usually SB who tries to steal (I do, on a high fold-to-big-blind stats player), I would do a triple re-raise, even if they call or fold, they would think twice about doing it again, but this anal didn't care. At every steal, he would call and then bet thrice the pot size on flop. Admittedly, my stack was reduced trying to defend my blind, and I was pretty annoyed.

Then came my chance, same thing I was dealt 68, he attempted steal once again with T9. Flop came T97, lol friggin' nuts. He did exactly the same thing by raising, I re-raised him min-size and then he 4bet me and called my shoved. Lucky he didn't suck out with any T or 9. That was sweet.

I been sitting daily for about 3-4 hours grinding to about 1000+ hands and I felt tired. I do not think I can go more than 4 tables at the moment, so my plan is to grind my way up and then increase the stakes, for any chance of progress.

I should be scouring for jobs tomorrow and take a break. Been a tiring week.

45 SNG Micros - 1st

Did some changes on my blog's Label, doesn't make sense with 'Black' and 'Poker' as labels anymore.

Today's cash games session went a little short, just close to 500 hands. First reason, want to bag some profit after so many days of beats to regain confidence. Secondly, I wanted to focus on some micro SNG I was in, wanted to give myself a little practice before the PokerStars Micro Millions mid this month. I am also reading up on Daniel Negreanu's Power Hold'em Strategy on Small Ball, hoping I could catch a bit.

So I bag about $45usd going back down to 0.08/0.16 6-max. Peak of my account was 600usd, after the beats the lowers I got was about $360, I would aim for $500 before trying back up to 0.10/0.25 in respect of bankroll management rule. 20 buy-ins right? ($25 x 20 = 500) And I read up, some says it doesn't mean you multi-table you have to multiply your bankroll (eg. 25 x 20 x 4) 4 tabling in my case. Some forum posters simply mentioned that multi-tabling means instead of 1 hour 100 hands for eg, it means 1 hour for 400 hands.

I sat for about 3 SNG this afternoon. Got first for a 6-max $1.50 SNG, first for a 45-man $1 SNG, and out earlier in $1.50 90-man knockout SNG..

Haven't have such a result for ages. It is micro though, but thats what I do when I can't beat higher games. I come back down and try boost some confidence and if I lose I will just stick around this stake as why move up when I can't beat it here?

For the 45-men SNG, I didn't expect that result though. I did not enter a single hand in my first table at all as the table was 3-betting etc. preflop, and I didn't had any decent cards. So I just waited patiently for something.

Up till heads-up, my chip was about 1:3 of the other guy. I am comfortable with heads-up because I been grinding it last year for a while, due to tilt (out of) control I stopped. I think the key hand would have been my raise with K4 and he called. Flop came K Q 4 and I checked it to him. He moves in with A 9 and I insta-called.

That's about it today. Good luck and will post more updates for the week!

Quads Quads Quads

After the blood bath day, the follow day was fine, up about $38usd. Yesterday grinded another 1,000 hands. I was winning about 980 hands but for the sake of reaching that 1,000 hands (sounds dumb), I lose two big pot to two dumb calling station and ended the day -$14usd.

I had QQ vs 78. He hit a mid pair 8 on the flop and called my shoved and hit 7 on the river. Later in the hand he still showed one of his bluff to me and tell me 'thanks' after I folded. It is due to these immature idiots that some times poker can be annoying. But you still will see couple of nice guys too.

Today's session was sick too. Earlier in the session (less than 20 hands 4-tabing, back to 0.08/0.16 6-max), I was dealt KK, board had 3 aces, I thought I had the nuts, and he turned over QQ. Following, I hit another straight on the turn on the other table and lost to full house. sick sick sick sick sick.. both less than 50 hands. 3 full house vs quads in less than a week. I need some serious exorcist to dispel the curse cast on me.

Downed about -$40usd today and went to eat my lunch. Came back to continue grind and had a lucky 99 full of kings > 3 full of kings. He had it on the flop (3, K, K). I called his check-raise on the flop and we checked the turn. The thing about slow-playing your monster is this, sometimes you want your opponent with weak hand to catch up so that they will call your higher raise, but sometimes they hit a monster hand and you'd be grabbing your hair (up there not down there, I don't know u). So end the day about -$25usd.

These streak of losses these few days made me forgot about the glorious month I had on February. Sometimes I don't even dare to raise a monster hand because even quads are here to put me down (thrice in a week).

5th day into the month and I'm left with 135vpp to maintain my SilverStar vip. Massive grind ever in my life. I am considering exchanging my fpp points for $50usd instant cash although I know the value of fpp sucks for this rate, but at least it is risk-less. I will keep it till close to end of the year before decide.

Blood Bath Session

Ultimate beats. I think god want me to die, and die ugly. I felt some bullshit with what the board cards turned out, but I didn't get fired up like yesterday. I played less than 100 hands already lost 2 buy-ins. There just no way anyone can lose as ugly as I did. 1000 hands and I'm done. Seriously, when my full house hit quads I'm done, god fucking want me to die on the spot, and he mean it.

Here were my fucking beats:

1) Flop nut straight on rainbow board, he hit a runner-runner flush on river - $69 pot gone.

2) QJ, flop AQQ and he hit straight on turn with KJ - $32 pot gone.

3) AcKc flop As 3c 5c, all in and he hit straight with 44 - $45 pot gone.

4) A2 hit straight on turn (5c4cJc 3d) he hit runner-runner flush - $35 pot gone.

5) AA raised super high pf and 9T called. River 9 makes me 9 full of aces vs 9 quads - $53 pot gone.

6) QQ vs KK pf - $20 pot

-120usd today. Feeling of this bad runs are terrible. Friggin' terrible.

EDIT:

How many of you believe in stopping poker completely for the day if yourrunning bad? I do and I was actually stubborn enough to continue playing after dinner trying to scrap some back.. But guess what? I had two more beats:

77, flop A22 turn 7, I set up to get him all in and he did, he turned over 22 for a quads. Two full house vs quads in ONE day. FUCK! I wouldnt be that pissed max if he had aces.

Before I end the day, dealt aces. Sb std raises and I 3 bet him 10bb in the bb and he calls with 88 and flop the set when we were in by turn. Great day.

Downed another 50usd.

Vengeance is Sweet

Today I proceeded up stakes to 0.10/0.25 6-max cash games. I started off 2-tabling as a warm up. But soon add up to 3 tables. The dynamics are completely different in this stake, although it is still micro. I could say I am a regular in the 0.08/0.16 because this blinds cash games were only started in stars since 1st Feb 2012 and I have been playing fully a month. And I supposed the people who play at that stakes are either 0.05/0.10 trying to move up (like me), or people who were losing in 0.10/0.25.

In the 0.10/0.25 stake today I played, you get frequently 3-betted. I encountered one who defended his BB like defend his wife from other guys. I did attempt one or two steal but I had to push him too when I had a hand. I open raised him from SB, he 3-bet and I 4-bet and he calls. Flop are all clubs. I had an ace club so I just pushed my stack in for a gamble. He folded then and I was happy enough.

Another thing about defending BB I supposed, is to 3-bet like him whenever someone you notice keep trying to steal your BB. You need to do it at least once to show him/her who's his daddy, so he may back off. Once today I 3-bet the SB with 72. Flop came 7 as mid pair. I called his raise again in flop. He then check-raised me on turn when a 2 came. Check down river and I took down the pot with 72.

In this stake, I barely had any chance of checking from BB, or successfully do a limp (although I seldom limp). There was a China maniac who simply 3-bet from all directions. His VP$IP was close to 50. I did called his 3-bet once to test with KT. Flop came 33T. He had a 3. I called him down to the river and lost a big one. That really pushed me to the edge, ultimate tilt. I almost spew my stacks the next several hands but luckily it rained outside and I had to keep the clothes in the yard, that gave me some time to cool down my head.

Today was sucky because I had my Kings ran into runner-straight, and Aces rain into runner-runner flush. A huge one for the aces. My worst pot was shoving bottom two-pair on flop in a 3 way hand and got called down by the same China maniac who had double-ended straight draw and flush draw, he hit in the river.

Revenge tilt is one thing I felt today on this China Maniac. Injustice tilt (kings and aces cracked). But luckily soon I hit a hand again with this China Maniac. I raised from UTG 3BB and he 3-bet again from SB for about 14BB. WHat a friggin' ass hole. I called and flopped the nut flush. Managed trap him by letting this maniac do the betting and had my vengeance doubling up. Hand history replay below.



It is pretty lucky for me to end the day positive with such an intensive session when I was drawn down huge earlier in the session. It is my goal instead of expectation to win this session. Yeah the difference (quoted from Jared Tendler), goal is something you seek to achieve. Expectation is more strict so you get more tilted if you don't meet your expectation. My goal today was to survive 0.10/0.25 and I did. I hope to do it tomorrow and the rest of this month.

Good luck to me and you at the tables!

February Poker Review

Cash Games

Quite satisfied with where the graph is going. I ought to bear in mind that if I hope my graph to continue upwards, it will never happen that it is a smooth straight upward line. Nobody win all the time. Grinded 18,000 hands for February, about 1.6k vpps. Been 3-tabling followed by 4-tabling 6-max 0.08/0.16 micro.

Really happy with my results. This is my best month ever since I started playing in PokerStars, 2nd straight winning months. Played 24 days out of 29 days. 5 loss days, 19 winning days. But the loss days weren't small. The last one was so massively beaten. Putting a huge drawdown to my bankroll.

I think I play better between 500 hands to 1000 hands per session nothing more than that. I am planning to reduce back to 3-tabling and give my opponent a bit more focus. There are just some loose fish on the tables to take note of and some super solid tight players you never wanna go all-in preflop with without AA or KK.  

I am hoping to maintain my SilverStar vip level so I am aiming at a decent amount of grind too in March.

Tournaments

Still doing so badly with tournaments. I seldom cashes in Sit & Gos and tournaments. But I find that I could run deeper when I single table one tournament at a time staying focus on my opponents and post-flop play. 

My best result would have been the Sunday Storm, nothing else really. I think I could save a lot of money not playing tourneys lol. But I see my cousin cashing thousands and thousands every time he made it to the final tables it seems so WOW. Like paying a little to try my luck.

Anyway I just saw @PokerStars twitter that there will be a MicroMillions Poker Tournament held in PokerStars for 11 days in March, for people such as me, micro stake players. Because the WCOOP is too expensive to buy-in, at least for me. Another great thing is the timing of the tournament will be catered for around the world, very good news for the Asians.

Anyway, enjoy your once in four years leap year day and good luck at the tables!