Saturday Part II Session and Weekend Review

The first 10 hours of poker this weekend have been an absolute war.  The 6 hours Friday ended in one of my best sessions.  Up +$306, and by the end of the session I was 12-tabling comfortably.  It all came crashing down the first 4 hours of Saturday.  Down -$302.  The worst beats came when I was getting in with the best of it.  Huge pots were lost AK< KJ all in pre.  AK < QK all in pre.  AK < J4 all in pre.  If I could have held on to those pots alone I would have been even for the 4 hours.  Anyways the QK hitting the queen on the river against my AK set me off on a rampage.  Now I’m back.  Just trying to focus on making the best decisions.  It might be wise to stick to 6 tables until I’m very comfortable and un-phased by any sort of bull-shit that occurs, but I feel Stars has it out for me after a session like that.  Well it really can’t go any worse at least.  Or can it?

11:25 p.m

Already extremely pissed off and having to refrain from screaming or throwing something across the room.   Worst player on table 5 sucks out my AA like usual.  Calls my 3-bet pre with JQ off… hits the top pair queen on the flop and goes all in.  TURN JACK FUCK OFF.  It looks to be a continuation from the session earlier.  It hurts that much more because the tables are dead right now.  I need to avoid A SUCKOUT .

TABLE 5 AGAIN AK < 10 10 ALL IN PRE. HILARIOUS.  WTF IS WITH THIS HORSESHIT TABLE?

12:10 a.m

Somehow I’m down like -$150.  Combine completely card dead with a few really bad suck-outs and there you have it.  The worst possible 2 hours you could have on 6 tables.  Going to break in 10 minutes.  Things really have gone to shit.  The endless screw continues on table 2.  All in pre AQ < A5. The clown hits a 5 on the flop lmao.  I give up.  The standard one tabler reward.  You only seem to get rewards on here if you play one table or 24.  If you’re somewhere in between you might as well not play.  I guarantee the super-user won’t having trouble avoiding 4 outs when the same guy donks his entire stack away within the next 15 minutes.

I’m going to push this until 1a.m at least before breaking.  Man I’m all over the place.  Trying to find 4 solid tables. 

12:40 A.M

Just doubled on table 3.  This is a weak table; I’m going to leave the doubled stack on.

1:05 a.m

8-tabling trying to get something going here.

1:50 a.m

Getting ready to break at 2:00 a.m.  I’m starving.  This session really hasn’t picked up.  A lot of it has been fought in the trenches.  I’m just not getting enough hands tonight.  I also don’t think I’ve ever seen so many 3-bets in my life.  And no they aren’t bluffs im legit beat.  Just have to regroup and keep fighting I suppose.  My mult-tabling is also affecting my table selection probably.

I was down -$60 in those 4 hours.  Not terrible for 8 tabling.  It’s also a loss that is salvageable.  Certainly better then the -$300 I lost when I played the 4 hours earlier.  Funny, I felt like I actually played better earlier even know I lost 5 times more; go figure.

2:10 a.m

Back already.  Had a quick slice of pizza.  Going to start off 4-tabling.  I want to establish some good reads before I begin massing tables, if I get to that point.   The volume vs research debate is still going on with me.  I will say though, sometimes I feel more comfortable 8-12 tabling because playable hands are dealt at a higher frequency.  Therefore, generally I think it makes me feel less impatient.  I’m also less likely to do something stupid.  Well maybe.

I’m getting a few thoughts together here.  The last 6 hours or so the cards really haven’t been there all that often, and when they do come there are sometimes folds completely around.  I think back to the last session in particular and it would have been a worse if I didn’t pull off two huge bluffs post-flop on different pots.

Last week I contacted one of the biggest grinders at 200NL on Poker Stars.  He actually happens to be on two of my tables right now.  I was really excited that he agreed to talk to me, and said it would be cool to give him a call.  Last week on one of the weeknights I spoke with him an hour and a half.  If he plays break-even poker he would still make 100k a year.  The guy 24-tables at once with full buy ins.  We disagreed on some points, but I truly didn’t grasp one thing he said until during the last few sessions which was:

“YOU HAVE TO BLUFF”.

A normal response to that would be “yeah sure well sometimes”……

But now I see how it really factors into the realm of these particular stakes.  For example, I’m card dead an hour, but have a tight image.  I make a nice raise preflop with AQ off and get one very loose caller.  I completely miss the flop.  He checks, then CALLS my C-BET.  He checks again.  With air I drop the hammer and push my remaining $25 all in.  He thinks a moment and then MUCKS.  In certain cases I think pulling off bluffs like this is essential.  Especially against a very loose caller.  You are usually going to miss your flops with a hand like AK or AQ.  But he is often going to miss the flop even worse, so you have to sometimes apply the pressure.  Even with a weak mid-pair he is sometimes going to fold.  And more than half the time under that same situation you actually have him dominated, and he usually knows this.

2:40 a.m

Still four tabling.  Was dealt AA on the button on table 1.  All 8 players fold around.  Did I mention I hate this site?

Just doubled on table 1.  AK> 10 10 all in pre.  Did that really just happen? 

3:00 a.m

Biggest pot of the night on table 2.  Unreal.  Just took a $60 buy-in up to $190.  Leaving the table with $167.  All in on the flop with overpair QQ with 4 people behind me.  Both callers had top pair JACK LOL.  The regular who I talked to one the phone was in the pot and happened to fold KK??  I was all in on the flop first to act and he MUCKED, there were 4 people left to act behind him and he said later that he figured someone had a set or I had AA.  We were talking about how much I owe him lol

3:20 a.m

TABLE 1 All in preflop with AK.  GUY HAS AQ AND NAILS THE QUEEN ON THE FLOP.  You gotta be fucking kidding me.  That just destroys any progress I had.  Typically 4 out bullshit drilled on the flop.

Table 4 all in 3-betting pre with QQ.  He calls with AQ.  NO ACES? WTF?  REALLY?  Double and leaved. 4-tabling, but I’m in the mood to kick it up to 8 if the traffic picks up.

3:35 a.m

Still only 4-tabling but there is crazy action going on everywhere.  Won a buy in AK> A7 all in pre on one table.  Lost a buy in on the other AQ< AA all in pre.  He limped with AA for some reason.  The guy was very loose so I pushed my $30 all in from the button.  I was hoping to get him to call with a dominated hand.  Of course the one time he actually had a hand, and LIMPED with the intention of trapping, so sick.  Even if I only bumped to $8 pre I would have been committed there. 

3:40 a.m

Lost an $80 pot on table 3.  First really big mistake of the night.  I tried to steal with a low pocket.  He calls my C-BET on a very low flop with a flush draw out.  Turn comes queen, he instantly goes $30 all in first to act.  I thought he was on a flush draw and called with 55.  HE WAS ON A FLUSH DRAW.  BUT HE ALSO HIT THE FUCKING QUEEN ON THE TURN.  God damnit.  That was a questionable call that I really could have laid.  I’m not going to push to many tables right now, feeling pretty stupid after that.

One more incorrect play and I’m pulling myself from every table; that is a promise.

4:00 a.m

Just doubled on table 4 and table 6.  Table 6 is extremely profitable, but I’m going to stick to a correct “by the books” strategy and leave for once.

Just doubled on table 3 as well.  He paid me off all in with a shit mid pair despite the ace clearly showing, which I clearly hit.  Before the blinds hit me I just won another $80 pot with QQ> AQ preflop.  Leaving with $120; awesome.

Doubled on table 4.  QQ holds.  Guy tried to bluff the river with ace high and I picked him off despite a king showing on the board.  Gg donk.  What’s wrong you couldn’t catch a 4-outer for once?  The king on the turn certainly didn’t scare me all that much.  I figured he would have 3-bet pre-flop with AK.  This has been the most profitable 30 minutes of the session I believe.  There is some NICE traffic right now.  People are paying off with anything.   Maybe I should just shift my poker on the weekends to 3:00 a.m to 6:00 a.m.  Then I can have a social life as well!  But then I’d be drunk and pissing money away.

4:20 a.m

Lost a full buy in on table 2 AK < KK all in pre.  Not like I was getting away from that hand but the guy had a 75% vpip.  Guess the min-heater is over.  Everything was going right for a bit.  PLEASE COME BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doubled on table 5.  BB special flopping 2 pair with K7 off.  Though I’m not sure why the guy called $30 against my 4-bet on the flop with top pair king, 5 kicker lols.  Whatever man.  These are the type of idiots that were breaking me in half 12 hours ago as they hit every 3-outer in the book, making me lose my mind Saturday afternoon.  Now comparable players have returned only now they are apparently playing while tripping on acid and smoking crack.  I haven’t checked my bankroll.  I’m hoping it’s doing damn good.  No clue where it stands, but it should be a decent amount.

4:45 a.m

8-tabling.  There are still some really awful players floating around.  This is amazing, there isn’t a presence of regulars sitting there playing 20 tables!  The majority of the players on a given table are actually NORMAL PEOPLE.

5:10 a.m

Currently 6 tabling.  Just doubled on table 3 with JJ> AQ all in pre.  There are still some really crazy tables, I can’t leave just yet.

5:20 a.m

I trimmed down to 4 tables.  I’m a little tired and that’s all I can focus on right now.  Though I’m probably getting the same FPPs as 8-tabling because table 1 and table 3 are border-line play money tables.  I have a stack of $70 on table 3.  I’m trying to trap this donk I’ve been watching. 

5:35 a.m

Down to 3 tables.  Table 1 is really enjoyable so I’ve been sticking around.  Having some fun for once.  I should really set a time limit or start 4-6 tabling again; but I’m so tired it’s a bad idea to multi.

6:00 a.m

Completely logged out.  Ending bankroll $2,720.  That completely wipes out the -$300 loss Saturday afternoon so I’m feeling very good.  I also only need to play 2 more hours to hit the weekend goal of 20 hours.  The first 8 hours of Saturday I was down -$365.  The last 4 hours I was up +$410.  Combined in the 18 hours this weekend I’m up +$350.  The big losing session (Saturday afternoon) I took some horrendous beats as well.  Guess I should um sleep or something.

Hours: 4

Starting: $2310

Ending: $2720

Profit: +$410

That sounds great, but in the combined 18 hours I was only up +$350.  It would have been a break-out weekend if it wasn’t for the loss Saturday afternoon.  You figure if I avoid some suck-outs and break even there I would be up +$650 for the weekend.  Ah well.

Update Sunday 2/28/2010:

Unfortunately I did not get to finish the final 2 hours this weekend.  I was having some serious issues with my primary machine.  It almost didn’t start Saturday.  I spent 8 hours on Sunday buying Windows 7 and re-installing the new operating system.  I completely started over with my system.  Finally I seem to have figured everything out.  I now haven’t had any issues booting up.  I knew it was either the operating system going corrupt, or the hard-drive about to fail.  Either way Windows 7 is awesome.  I should have bought and installed a while ago.

-bag

Comments

[FkCoolers]

Have I told you I love these recaps? Because I really do. F'ing hilarious. I hate online poker so much lately.

[Lucypher]

Bags, Yes, the advice you got is right on. I did not go into sufficient detail before. The main reason I only 4 table or less is that I cannot bluff/steal as effectively with more tables. Ed Miller and company really go over this well in their e-book about small stakes online holdem. You have to steal. Every hand has steal/bluff equity and showdown equity. From your posts, you appear to be only playing hands with showdown equity (i.e. good starting hands). Any two cards are sufficient to steal the blinds when it is limped to you and you are in Hijack, Cutoff, or Button. Your BB/100 win rate will go up significantly if you add this into your game. It also helps you get paid off on your good hands in late position. Even if you are called, you will benefit from playing the hand in position and using your post flop skills. I also seem to do better when I play shorter sessions online, rather than longer ones. Anyway, good luck and keep grinding.

[baglife]

Thanks for the comments, please keep em coming. 2 comments a post makes it worthwhile. FK I was hating poker and life after that Saturday afternoon session, keep fighting man.

Luc I haven't read any of Miller's Ebooks, but I put stealing and bluffing in two different categories. I’d consider a bluff me pushing all in on the turn $35 with ace high (using an example from the post). As opposed to a steal, which would be raising someone’s big blind with K-5 off. The “pros” advice was definitely with regards to hard-core BLUFFS. Then again he is full buy in so it is a little different, but not so much.

I certainly steal the blinds on these sessions often; it is a huge part of the game. Stealing is such a SITUATIONAL GAME in my book. My take is that if you steal too much it can turn into a leak. And if you steal against a certain player every round you CAN BE pissing your money away. Stealing takes constant awareness to make the right moves. Generally speaking I’d say any ace high, higher connectors, or some face card combos are good to open on the blinds (from the small, button, or cut-off). I’m reluctant to open with less unless I have notes that say I should be doing otherwise. You can make guide-lines all you want, but it really all depends on the opponent. Even if they re-jack you it’s often worth it to steal a few times and fold to their re-jack. This is how I’ve won several buy ins against solid regulars (you mentioned more likely to get paid off).

Most of the hands on my recaps are BIG SHOWDOWNS. Those are the most fun, and I don’t have time to document everything while I’m playing. Again, one of the main points of these recaps is to document my emotional swings. And the big pots are the ones that cause the emotional swings.