I was thinking about this as I was washing dishes just a bit ago. Yes, dishes. It sure would be nice to find that Holy Grail, if it existed that is. To find it would mean an incredible amount to anyones game. Just imagine holding the 'secret' and being able to make the right decision every time. Oh well, maybe I can find another way.

I'm happy with my playing style and results right now. Of course I would like to see it get better, so I keep grinding away at the books, articles, blogs, and tables. I'm working on my math and short-handed game at the moment and it seems to be starting to pay off. Though I haven't had a cash lately, you must also consider that I don't play as often as most. I study the game more than play. I watch others more than play myself. But it must be understood, I don't play when I'm tired, bored, or have other things on my mind. I am not a volume player, but my play is quality. I will get where the big guns are, eventually. Poker has taught me patience at the table and in life.

Today, I played the Early Doubles on FTP. I played well, to a point, on one table, and better on another. Finished on the bubble in the A, and busted mid-stream in the B. Thought I would share some key hands.

Full Tilt Poker Game #7316952782: Early Double - A (55530091), Table 14 - 15/30 - No Limit Hold'em - 16:14:36 ET - 2008/07/21
Seat 1: 13j (3,470)
Seat 2: illoke (1,900)
Seat 3: Dazbog (2,250)
Seat 4: badenbaden (1,270)
Seat 5: Zallaz (1,970)
Seat 6: David Ginola (1,440)
Seat 7: Markus75 (1,930)
Seat 8: Abdul Z (1,570)
Seat 9: devilsbrother (2,200)
13j posts the small blind of 15
illoke posts the big blind of 30
The button is in seat #9
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Dazbog [Qh Kd]
Dazbog calls 30

I don't like this hand really UTG. I decided to limp here in order to disguise my hand and I am usually willing to call a standard raise depending on the raiser. Being OOP with this hand has killed me more times than I care to think about.

badenbaden folds
Zallaz folds
David Ginola has 15 seconds left to act
David Ginola folds
Markus75 calls 30
Abdul Z raises to 120
devilsbrother calls 120
13j folds
illoke folds
Dazbog calls 90

See, easy call. Now I just need some help.

Markus75 calls 90 ($525 pot)
*** FLOP *** [Kc 2s Ks]
Dazbog checks

I hit a huge hand here, but still want to see where others are. The spade draw is a possibility and I want a draw to come in. I'll decide later if he really has a draw or not.

Markus75 checks
Abdul Z bets 240
devilsbrother folds
Dazbog calls 240

Less than half the pot, looks like a standard C-bet more than anything else. There is the possibility he has the case K, so it could get down to kickers, but I'm pretty sure it's air or a smaller pair. His bet is too weak for a flush draw imo, so now I want to get as much out of this as I can.

Markus75 folds ($1005 pot)
*** TURN *** [Kc 2s Ks] [9h]
Dazbog bets 500

Time to turn the tables and make him think about what I could have. A half pot bet here should make him think I delayed a draw or hit the 9 and don't believe him. I only bet half the pot so as hopefully not scare him away but have him call with a worse hand.


Abdul Z calls 500 ($2005 pot)
*** RIVER *** [Kc 2s Ks 9h] [Js]
Dazbog bets 1,390, and is all in

No need to slow play this any longer. Heavily invested and he may feel committed no matter what. If he hit the flush, oh well, I asked for it.


Abdul Z calls 710, and is all in
Uncalled bet of 680 returned to Dazbog
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Dazbog shows [Qh Kd] three of a kind, Kings
Abdul Z mucks
Dazbog wins the pot (3,425) with three of a kind, Kings
Abdul Z stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3,425 | Rake 0
Board: [Kc 2s Ks 9h Js]
Seat 1: 13j (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 2: illoke (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Dazbog showed [Qh Kd] and won (3,425) with three of a kind, Kings
Seat 4: badenbaden didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: Zallaz didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: David Ginola didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: Markus75 folded on the Flop
Seat 8: Abdul Z mucked [Qc Jd] - two pair, Kings and Jacks
Seat 9: devilsbrother (button) folded on the Flop

I was kind of surprised to see QJ. But, it's still early in the tourney so there will be lots of strange plays. I was happy to extract max value on the hand. Don't know if I played it that well or if he played it that badly.

This next hand severely crippled me in the A tourney. I was out shortly afterwards due to being very low in chips. I got blindsided here.

Full Tilt Poker Game #7318622126: Early Double - A (55530091), Table 3 - 200/400 Ante 50 - No Limit Hold'em - 18:23:15 ET - 2008/07/21
Seat 1: shuvelhead69 (9,757)
Seat 2: 9ballwizard (5,110)
Seat 3: SKUNKBUSTER7 (3,500)
Seat 4: einor791 (4,773)
Seat 5: Dazbog (8,343)
Seat 6: BenutzerID (15,548)
Seat 7: aligold (16,587)
Seat 8: javs1980 (12,118)
Seat 9: slowcheetah1 (5,966)
shuvelhead69 antes 50
9ballwizard antes 50
SKUNKBUSTER7 antes 50
einor791 antes 50
Dazbog antes 50
BenutzerID antes 50
aligold antes 50
javs1980 antes 50
slowcheetah1 antes 50
SKUNKBUSTER7 posts the small blind of 200
einor791 posts the big blind of 400
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Dazbog [Qs Qh]
Dazbog raises to 1,200

UTG again, but a better hand than the KQ in the first hand.

BenutzerID folds
aligold folds
javs1980 folds
slowcheetah1 folds
shuvelhead69 calls 1,200
9ballwizard calls 1,200
SKUNKBUSTER7 has 15 seconds left to act
SKUNKBUSTER7 folds
einor791 folds ($4450 pot)
*** FLOP *** [8s 7c 3s]
Dazbog has 15 seconds left to act
Dazbog bets 3,000

I really don't like two callers pre-flop, but I have to lead out here to protect my hand.

shuvelhead69 folds
9ballwizard raises to 3,860, and is all in
Dazbog calls 860
9ballwizard shows [8c 8h] <------ bummer, a set
Dazbog shows [Qs Qh]
*** TURN *** [8s 7c 3s] [9s]
*** RIVER *** [8s 7c 3s 9s] [4h]
9ballwizard shows three of a kind, Eights
Dazbog shows a pair of Queens
9ballwizard wins the pot (12,370) with three of a kind, Eights
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 12,370 | Rake 0
Board: [8s 7c 3s 9s 4h]
Seat 1: shuvelhead69 folded on the Flop
Seat 2: 9ballwizard (button) showed [8c 8h] and won (12,370) with three of a kind, Eights
Seat 3: SKUNKBUSTER7 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: einor791 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: Dazbog showed [Qs Qh] and lost with a pair of Queens
Seat 6: BenutzerID folded before the Flop
Seat 7: aligold folded before the Flop
Seat 8: javs1980 folded before the Flop
Seat 9: slowcheetah1 folded before the Flop

Not much I could do here except lose a big pot. I wasn't going to let an A or K get to the board if I could help it, so a large bet was called for. I think he was gambling a bit to call with the 88, but that's poker. If I had been card dead for a while, I might have played them as well.

While I search for the Grail, I will take some time to study my hand histories and prepare for the next tourney. GL at the tables.

D

Yep, still getting used to writing a blog. I seem to forget that I am here on P5's everyday and have a blog to keep up. If anyone is even reading this, that is. But, it's mainly for me anyhow. I can look back and see how I was doing or feeling at the time and get a better idea of when's good and when it's not. So, onto the update.

My last couple of sessions have been ok, I guess. First session went well, 3 tourneys, 3 cashes. One of which I was able to get deep but no final table. Remember, I mainly play on Sundays and Mondays. Those are the only two off days I have during the week. I have learned through trial and error that I should play only when I'm feeling my best and not when I'm tired or worn out from work. I believe that is the main reason I am able to cash as often as I do. I still need work to get deeper, but I will get there.

Currently I am reading one of Tony Guerra's books, Poker by the Numbers, I think. I already have a firm hold on the math, but I feel that I should get a bit better at it. It is going into detail enough that I'm going to have to pull out the pen and paper soon. At least that will plant it firmly in my head. After reading Gus's book, Every Hand Revealed, I see that I still need work on my math. I highly recommend Gus's book by the way. It really shows the thought process of working the hand at the moment. There are truly some sick examples of aggressive play. Tony's book is well written also. He takes you through from the simplest math to the more extreme in a way that is easy to understand. It sounds kind of boring, but it really is a necessity to know your math in this game.

My psychological game is coming around well too. I am now getting to the point of indifference, almost, to bad reads, bad beats, and bad players. Being able to take that in stride has allowed me to open up my game a bit. Taking advantage of weaker players is getting easier. Suck them in and let them hang themselves. Such a great feeling when you play a hand well enough that they had no idea they were beat.

As of yesterday, the WSOP Main Event played down to the final nine players. The final table will be in November, as most of you already know. Personally, I think it will be a good thing for poker. Yes, ESPN will make big money in advertising, and the Rio will fare very good as well. But the real upside is the exposure to such a big event. People will be flocking to hear the stories of the players and the action that they barely understand. People will want to play that have not thought of playing already. Unthinkable, I know, that more people don't already play. Remember the Moneymaker effect, how it drove people to the tables online and live. It changed the game in the card rooms from limit to no-limit. Poker rooms were expanded. Poker became a big draw so the casinos could rake in more cash from spouses that didn't play poker but sat at the slots. Poker players came from the blackjack and craps tables to play in the card rooms. And then left to play more in the pits. This will be a good thing as it will be hyped up to no end. All I can say is that ESPN better have it live on pay-per-view. I plan on watching to the very end.

Till next time,

D

Starting a new blog will be an experience for me. I've never attempted this anywhere, so, we'll see what this leads to. I will be using this blog to post some hands played as well as thoughts and results from online (mostly) and live tourneys. I rarely play cash games because I suck at them, really. Haven't figured out why yet, so maybe later.

For those who care to know, I play on a Mac. This means that I don't have effective tracking software and typically will be at a disadvantage when deep in a tourney. It doesn't bother me to not have some of the tools that you may be used to. I just study a bit harder online and off. This is what will give me an edge over most others that I play against. A typical day is reading and study of poker online about 1-2 hours a day. I also have a library of about 20 books on poker and theory, of which I read about an hour every day, sometimes more. I have always had enjoyment reading books and articles, so it works for me. Most players that I play against online are much younger than me. I will counter their aggressive edge with my knowledge and my own aggressive play. A quote I heard many years ago, but cannot remember who from, "Age and treachery will overcome youth and exuberance". Playing by that mantra and Amir Vahedi's "You must be willing to die in order to live" has allowed me some limited success at the tables.

I am a micro limit tourney donk, really. I occasionally will take a shot at $10-24 buy-in games online, but mostly play lower than that. When I play live, it's typically $100-300 buy-in range. So, I'm not making lots of money, just keeping my head above water, really. Eventually I will get a good score that will allow me to move up in stakes, but since I mainly play weekends due to work, it may take some time.

As far as results go, you can check out this link for my online play.

Just last weekend, I went to Tunica for my anniversary trip. The room was comped, so I had a little cash I could spend on some poker. I originally told my wife that I wasn't going to play at all. But, temptation crept in and I did play a tourney while I was there. $80 buy-in with a $10 add-on for 2k chips, total 5k chips to start and 39 players. 20 minute blind levels starting at 25-50. Things started ok and was able to chip up and pressure my table on many occasions. I was getting good reads and got in trouble a few times bringing my stack down from being up in the beginning. I got down to about 2400, blinds at 150-300 I think when I got a hand that I could raise with. Being short-stacked and having a tight-aggressive image was helping me stay alive, but now I was UTG with A6o. I raised to 1500 attempting to give off the image that I was stronger than A6. I wanted them to see that there was no way I would fold if someone pushed, and would bet any flop if called. It folds around to the BB and he raises me all-in. I have to call at this point given the BB will be me next and super-short to boot. Dreaded the call, but I was committed. I call and we turn em up. He has 55 vs my A6. Coinflip time. Flop brings me a 6, turn an A, river bricks and I double up.

After that I started running good again and knocked a few out before we get down to 2 tables. One particular hand that had everyone talking went down like this. So you know, I never look at my cards before I have to act. This lets me watch others reactions for their look. In the BB, everyone folds to the SB. SB completes and I peek at my cards, AA baby! Knowing if I raise here that he will fold, I lay the cards down and casually pat the table, check. Flop comes out T A 4 with 2 diamonds. No diamond in my hand, so I'm happy and worried as well. SB checks, and I pause for a sec or two and check behind. I gotta let him catch up if I'm going to get paid here! Relatively sure he doesn't have diamonds or he should have bet out something. With blinds and antes, there's about 2800 in the pot, 500/1000/50 level. Turn brings an off-suit 6. SB checks and I have to bet something here. I look at the pot and toss out a 1k chip. SB quickly calls, so I know he has something. I doubt he has an A, most likely a T. I don't feel like I'm going to get paid well here by this time. He might see me with a small A-rag or JT, QT, or a drawing hand, but he knows I've probably got something, just not much. River brings an 8, no diamond, so I'm golden here! How to get paid!? SB checks again and I'm thinking, shit, nothing. So I fire out 5k hoping he will call me with a good T or think I'm bluffing at the pot. Apparently, he thinks I'm bluffing as he pushes all-in. I've got him covered and I quickly run down some combinations that have me beat. 57 and 97 are the only hands that have me crushed. 57 is out, I just don't see it fitting the turn play, could have, but not likely. 97 is entirely possible. It fits the action so far, but so do a lot of other hands. T-x that hit 2 pair seems most likely. A slow-played AT or T8 is what I think he has, so I call. He turns over T8 for 2 pair and I flip my trips over to the sounds of everyone at the table wondering what happened. They had me on the flush draw and him on the A-x. I'm up to about 45k now and players were getting wary of me when I was in the pot. Fantastic to get that respect at this point. We hit the FT and I continued to put pressure on the table. Notch another player out and it looked like I had the CL. Someone else KO'd another just before the third break to make it 7-handed.

As I come back from break, the floor was coloring up chips on the table. One guy was sitting in my seat and had just finished coloring up when I heard a player ask how many chips I had. I hadn't really counted them down so when I saw him count them down, not by hand mind you, just an accurate visual, he said I had 39-40% of the chips in play. Man, talk about a good feeling, having the CL and having people worried about me being there at the FT! I was feeling good and playing great! I could sit back and take shots at unopened pots and play my good hands for the rest of the time till 3 handed. I took out 2 more short stacks before we get to 3 handed play and I have a guy that's a good player and smart on my left, and a maniac on my right. The maniac was running so damn hot, it was unreal. He caught up with my left and almost with me. After taking a few more smaller pots off of my left, he was practically even with me. Everyone of us are still deep, but this guys play was loose and fast. I have my work cut out for me. I finished in third on a big screw-up, my only real mistake of the tourney. I'm on the button with AJo and open for 20k, blinds are 2500/5000/200. SB folds, and the maniac calls from the BB. Flop comes out 8 5 5 and BB checks. I felt like he missed as he would usually bet out at any connection with the flop. I decided that if he missed, I must be ahead, so I quickly pushed all-in expecting him to fold. He flips over 65 suited for trips and I'm now down to just a little more than a BB. All-in next hand with 74o. Game over.

I cashed for $351 so that's ok. Been running good online too for some small cashes, so I'm looking to hit a good one soon. Till next time, good luck at the tables.

D