short session

Played a short session this afternoon; micro-limit stuff. Patience can pay dividends here. I bought in for $6, then watched two hands where two ppl played such insanely crazy hands all-in that topped off before my first hand: if I get a monster they're gonna pay me off.

Most standard stuff: super weak/tight players. I limped in position with a few junk hands, fired a 1/2 pot bet when checked to to take 'em down - standard. Tried to bluff a hand with 45o & got called down by the 2nd nut hand (only quad 8's would have beat him - can't believe he only check/called the river!). I wasn't too active, but active enough (especially in the first two orbits I sat down, limping into a lot of pots) that I'd have the immediate impression of a loose player.

Find 77o in the cut-off. 2 limpers; dude in MP min-raises to .20, I bump it to .60, one limper calls, MP raiser calls (leaving, btw, .55 back: I was already up about 2 bucks so I'd have called a push from him pre). 3 to the flop:

6c7s8s. EP checks, MP pushes .55 all in; I popped to 2, EP shoves for an additional $3 or $4. Sure, 9 10 has me crushed, but I doubt either of them would play that hand like this: I'm thinking I'm against a big pair, or top pair and a flush draw. I've got a set, and a big pot (for these stakes *grin*) out there, I ain't going anywhere, I call. Check out what they shoved with!!!


Thank you, both, for shoving your draws. :)

This gave me a profit of ~ 8 or 9 bucks; I tightened up, stole a few pots after limping in position with ATC (well, I guess that's not quite tight) and firing at the flop, got bored and quit. I got caught bluffing once, lost about $2.50. Oh, well. I'm trying to learn how to play looser in cash games - I do a good job in live games, but online I feel like it's often more profitable to wait for big hands and over bet for value. It's sometimes hard to get action, though, if ppl notice how tight I've been playing.

Limit

I played some limit the other day at FTP. It was fun. I made some cash. I was dead-even at a low-stake PLO table. I don't know why I bother, I pretty much suck at it.

Gotten into playing chess, too -- first time in my life that I've played chess and can see different strategies and such.

And I refuse to take dating advice from those who've been married 2+ years.

slow

Played nary a hand of poker since last week. No interest. Planning on playing The Mookie Wednesday, and hopefully RPT Thursday (depends on if I'll be back from work in time). Had half-a-plan to hit the Tulalip this weekend, but I suffered from severe insomnia from last Wednesday through Sunday, and know I play really crappy when that tired (Vegas was a different story).

I felt like I'd abandoned my blog, so I figured I'd write a touch. Only poker-related stuff I've been doing is watching all the WSOP main event coverage from ESPN (I found a site that streams them online - remember, no TV for this dude). I followed the ME on pokernews.com, so I knew when some all-ins were going to come from behind, etc. Was great to actually see Rain Khan dance with a chair on his head - I remember the description from the live updates, and couldn't imagine what that meant.

I've also been getting my apartment "date ready," as I found out over the weekend it really isn't. I needed to get a few simple things, and need to straighten up a few things, and actually do a small bit of rearranging, then it'll be much closer to ready. I'm actually thinking of asking her to come shopping with me; chicks love to shop...

so I played tonight....

...and I had fun. I got home and, not really understanding why I haven't wanted to play, I thought I'd fire up a micro-limit game just to see. And yea, I had fun. And no, not just because I had a winning session.

Most of the hands were standard: a touch tight, loosened up in position, bet ragged flops in position if checked to - standard. Two hands were memorable, though:

Towards the end of my session, I raised to .30 from UTG. 3 seats to my left min-raises. BB calls, I try to squeeze and pot-bet to around $3. Original raiser shoves, BB folds, I call. Got a little worried - the re-raiser had presto. Thankfully, though, his name was NOT fuel55:


Nice double-through. Well, just shy of a double through.

Only other memorable hand I was in MP, raised to .40 after one limper, guy to my left re-raises t0 1.20. I figure him for AK here, so I call with the intention of shoving any flop without a K or an A.


He had 4.50 left, I bet $5 into the 2.50 pot, figuring he missed, and he mucked. I don't know what he had, but he said it was a good bet because that was going to be his move.

Stop and go's are fun with the right read :)

SO - yea, I have interest in playing again. Nowhere near as obsessive as I was about 3 months ago, but somehow miraculously found interest again tonight - interest from who knows where.

I didn't want to play a sit n go because I didn't want to dedicate a whole hour to playing, but - well, here I am, after almost 2 hours online! LOL!

I'm becoming much more interested in cash-games than tournaments anyway. Yet, at the same time, something is holding me back from playing online cash above .10/.25, even though I play $3/5 live....

late night micro-limit session

Hadn't played in ages - just no interest, no idea why. But I logged on out of boredom tonight, and saw millerd33 was at a .05/.10 table. I watched a crazed lunatic at the table shoving with utter crap over and over, and promptly took a seat. This dude is open-shoving $25 when there's nothing but the blinds in the pot!! I'm just waiting - waiting! - to be able to take advantage of this! And it finally comes when I find AJs in the SB and he open-shoves from UTG+1. Unfortunately, fate had other plans:


I forgot that K5o OOP was the new nuts....

No way in hell I'm leaving this table, though - that money is coming back, one way or another.

Here's the other thing: he was a complete loose cannon, and when he shoved I mucked unless I had a monster. Only non-monster hand I contemplated playing against him was when he shoved UTG and I found 1 red 9, and 1 black 9. I was probably ahead, but I had zero invested yet, and was feeling patient enough to wait for a stronger spot. BUT: the rest of the table were such passive pussies!! I had no fear limping in position with 107o, and betting the flop if checked to, and if called firing at the turn if checked to....the vast majority of hands I won at that table were stone bluffs. Not even semi-bluffs. Stayed away from one calling station, but the rest of the table (if the Loose Cannon had folded) was cake! Softie-softie-softie!!

Not too many hands after the K5o hand, things are looking VERY bright: two red aces, in middle position! Dude to my right raises to....something bigger than is appropriate for there only being .15 in the pot - think he raised to 2 bucks or something. Overbetting for value (scroll to Sept 11), I shove (only had like 12 or something anyway). Better yet, Mr. Shove-OOP-with-K5o reshoves!!! And, to my utter joy and excitement, the other dude calls. Talk about the dream-situation for AA v 2 hands, check this out:


Knowing I'm not gonna get drawn out on (save for some weird super unlikely straight) is sweeeeeeet As soon as the cards are flipped up, I thank both of them :) Nice triple up, and quickly ensure an unstuck session unless I self-destruct.

Not sure how much I'll be playing online... probably just a phase, but -- I'm tired of sit n go's, MTTs are a boring grind, and I don't feel like I play online cash games very well (well, except for super-short handed, super-low LIMIT, which is BORING as all get-out). Date tomorrow, and the Pokerstars blogger freeroll Sunday afternoon, so no Tulalip (besides the bankroll took a hit when I dug into it for the new computer). Next Saturday (or Friday - kinda depends on the chick honestly :) ) will find me at the Tulalip. I feel so much better about my live game vs my online game. Maybe it's b/c of the cash game stakes I play (.10/.25) -- maybe I need to move to 1/2....

Will need to decide if I want to try a LAG approach at 1/2, or my typical (and typically profitable) play at 3/5. I'll probably stay with 3/5, but am thinking about at least starting at 1/2 and, even if I lose a buy-in, it'd be good experience. If that happens I'd simply move back to 3/5 and play my usual game. TAG is my style, so playing LAG would be quite a trip -- yet very educational if keep my observation up.

That's a week away, though --no need to decide 'till I get there, but something to mull over, that's for sure.

no desire

I've had practically zilcho desire to play online lately. A few nights ago I played a couple limit tables, trying to win my buy-in for the Mookie (which I did), but that was over 3 different tables, short-handed, leaving once it filled up, and took all of 8 minutes. I love short-handed or HU limit - 3 handed is my favorite for some reason. I feel like I can really control the action and do well at it; I wish I kept better records, but since I mostly gave up full ring-game limit online (and also months ago gave up live limit), and have only played HU or 3-4 way (no more), I have been very profitable. Don't know what happens against fewer people: I know when to pound away at the pot, I know when to fold -- a LOT more so than when I'm against 8 others.

...but I'm getting off my point...

I've had zero desire to play. This used to be my ritual: once I'm back from work, or wherever, I log in, fire up a sit n go or 3, and play 'till bed time. The past two weeks.... not so much... I'm looking forward to next weekend (not this up coming one, but the following one) -- a good chunk of my paycheck will be going to replenish my bankroll (which, if I didn't mention, was raided to buy my fatty new computer), so I'll have a decent cushion to play with. I may even stick to 1/2 --- but knowing the action junkie I am I'll probably stick to 3/5. THOUGH -- it'd be an interesting exercise to specifically play 1/2 and go in with the intent of playing a very LAG style (which has NEVER been my style). Could be good for me, to see "how the other side lives" so-to-speak. And at the max buy-in at 1/2, I could bust through 3 buy-ins for the same as one max buy-in at 3/5. Obviously the cash isn't as big, but -- I'm thinking this could be an interesting exercise.

We'll see -- that's still 10 days away. And obviously if I get sat at a table full of lagtards, joining in would be the worst idea.

Wonder if that's what has killed my desire for online play: I so much prefer live games, and I much prefer cash games over tournaments. Last summer/early fall I had great luck at online cash games (small stake - .50/1 NL); since moving out west I've either had pathetic luck or played like a jackass in online cash games.... but live I've been very happy with my play (well... except for the worst call of my poker-playing life!!!) I enjoy the live interaction and the extra information.

I have enjoyed the big MTT's I've played, but they get to be a big drag. Sit n go's I really enjoy, but I just.... well, I dunno... just haven't had that spark. Oh, well.

Must be that time of the month....

Nerd Lite

actually a bit surprised, given my line of work and all... I would have guessed the sci-fi/comic would be lower and the dumb/dork/awkward would be MUCH higher...

Of course, these tests never lie...

Death of a Computer

I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later... my computer has served me well; I've had it for about 7 years (including some upgrades to it). And now, today, it seems to finally have died. Possibly hard drive failure, possibly the motherboard crapping out (which, btw, I've been worried about for about 6 months when for no reason it started complaining of keyboard problems on every boot).

SO - no RPT tourny for me tonight, I'll be out computer shopping. Also, no poker for me this weekend, and for at least a short while afterwards: a nice chunk of my bankroll is going towards a new machine. And I'd rather wait and replenish my roll by saving than playing with a short roll and "scared money."

Why so urgent, you ask? Well, besides it being a staple of my daily off-work entertainment, I am scheduled to work on Saturday - work which I can do from home. So instead of taking the extended-long bus trip (extended due to awful weekend bus hours for the commuter busses), I definitely need to get something up and running at my place tonight!

This weekend...it's ON

...though I have to maneuver around a date, and a Saturday work schedule, I am without question hitting the Tulalip this weekend for some $3/5 action... the more I think about my last session there, the more curious I am about what's going on internally when I all the sudden decided to start playing like a pussy (and subsequently left a juicy game because of this)... perhaps it's my severe shortage of NL live games in the past year (besides Vegas I've only played a couple live NL donkaments, one short .25/.50 NL private game, and the rest has been $4/8 or $3/6 limit)....

I'll be monitoring my internal reactions and states of mind the entire time, trying to identify instances where I get oddly nervous or start playing like a wimp. Hopefully those moments will be nonexistent...