1st Session Today

Posted by icemonkey9 on Jun 27, 2008 in General | 0 comments

Hey welcome back to the blog. I'm really glad people enjoy reading this, I'm certainly getting a lot out of it myself.

Session 1 for Thursday:

Hands: 320
Tables: 4
Time: ~70 mins
End Results: +$25.30

It's been a long ass time since I've come away in a session up a buy-in and it feels *great*. I felt like I was playing better, and even though I managed to dodge some land-mines, still didn't do quite as well as I was hoping. All things considering though I am not down on my effort nor my result. Lets look at some hands ...

Hand 1 : Did I Mess Up?

I was thinking this might be a tough hand so I wanted to bring this up. I flopped an overpair with a lot of pedestrians hoping for a set. Villain is 15/6/8.5 over a lot of hands. I bet it decently at that flop, and either FedK had a better overpair (TT, JJ) or hit a set, or made his hand (56s). It's doubtful he would pull this with AK but it's also within the realm of reason. I hadn't seen him bluff and his stats suggest he's pretty solid. I chose not to call.

Hand 2: Well, I Just Can't Beat THAT Now Can I!

Villain here is 39/18/3.8 over 50 hands. Today I have been alternating between 3x and 4x raises to randomlize my play. I know people have been suggesting just making it always 4x. I guess for some reason I'm reluctant. Anyways, the flop looks great to me ... and I get called. The turn I am not happy about filling the flush, so I check it. The turn is another weird card filling a straight (A5 or 56), and he value bets it and I call it because I'm either ahead against something like 54 or AT, or in a tremendous world of hurt. He flips over flopped quads - wow.

Hand 3: Always Fun

Flopping the nuts is a great feeling. I have no clue why I limped in this pot. With the position that was a huge mistake and should have made it $1.25 to go. Anyways I'm rewarded for my bad play by flopping the nuts. The flat call on the flop was a good idea. I was really hoping the "stewartmann" guy would just stack and get juicar to stack too. Instead we see a 9 hit the turn and for whatever reason he stacked there (not sure why) and its an insta-call for a decent pot.

Hand 4: Man Did He Overplay His Hand

This is why you don't play garbage post-flop. I didn't raise big at all on his flop bet quite honestly hoping he'd call and I'd take it on the turn (that was the plan). A great/scary card hits the turn with the K giving me 2 pair but filling a straight (AT, J9) and he leads with a less than 50% pot bet, so i punish that crap again just under 3x his bet. He calls with a lot of outs (hoping for either the T or a heart) and when nothing hits I make the HUGE mistake of not value-betting (not that it even would have been called).

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Okay, so that wraps Session 1 for tonight. I am pretty sure there will be another!

Why No Posts?

Posted by icemonkey9 on Jun 26, 2008 in General | 0 comments

This week has been ridiculously busy with personal life and work. For example, Tuesday night was my anniversary, and this coming Saturday is my birthday. Funny thing was that the wife wanted to play some poker on our anniversary night , and i was okay with that , so I played in a $3sng and finished 2nd for a decent $8 payday. Here's a fun hand.

Anyways - she is apparently going out with the girls tonight, and if I can get my work done before 5:30 or so today then I'll fire up the tables, try to put in at least one 45 minute 4-table session, and probably play a SNG. I'll check in (hopefully) later!

1 Hour CardsChat Only Cash Game Session

Posted by icemonkey9 on Jun 22, 2008 in General | 1 comment

I had seen some posts on CardsChat about getting cash game sessions together on stars at the $.01/.02 tables and tried to get something going last night since I was up. To my surprise we ended up getting a table entirely full of players from CC! It was a lot of fun, and since the stakes were so small I think a lot of us were playing a little more reckless than usual. In fact we even played the 72 game where if someone wins a hands (and shows) with 72 we all had to send them $0.25.

First, the table screenshot:
So now lets break down some hands. Obviously we can't break it down too much because everyone had ridiculous lines of something like 40/28/inf. You wouldn't ever see that at a regular cash game so I knew not to take things too seriously.

Hand 1: The Hunter Becomes the Hunted

Curtis was raising with any two cards to 8 cents so that didn't bother me at all. Zach cold calls on the button which means only 1 of 2 things imo - low suited connectors or a low pocket pair. I cold call with my Jacks since a 3bet would just be called again by both (so what's the point). The K hits but again, I am fairly certain both players are playing crap. I bet the pot and Curtis goes away and zach calls. A nice turn card hits, and at this point I just want to keep things going so I check-call. The A hits and I bet it hard and Zach lets it go.

Hand 2: Take That Suckah'

I limp with the low pair and call Sindri's standard raise. Flop looks good to me so I check call to get action, and do. Turn card is a blank and the plan is to stay patient, so I check call again (I'm trying to represent the flush draw as best I can). The 9 hits (no flush) and so I become super patient and let Sindri triple barrel at this thing with the hopes he calls my raise. He (smartly) doesn't and I take it home.

Hand 3: I Am Aloe's Hero

So the idea here is that you win a hand with 72 and everyone at the tables sends you $0.25. I don't think in the history of poker anyone has 4bet pre-flop 72o, so at this point I'm just looking to be a cult hero and brag about this to all the CCers. Curtis calls the 4bet and Aloe frickin' goes mad and 5bets AIPF the hand. At this point I know she's on QQ-AA or AK. I am thinking one thing - how awesome would it be if I actually called this. Then I thought - give me a break it's like $1.50 - and made the call hoping to be the guy with brass balls that wins with 72o against KK or AA. Everyone at the table gave mad props for doing this, and Aloevera said I was her new hero. Hey it's just like I said before - if you're not willing to die in poker, you'll never live.

Hand 4: Well THAT Didn't Work Against Munchers

Munchers is a real solid player that never updates his damn blog. In this hand he raised me big PF OOP ... so I put him on a good hand but I wanted to represent AK here even PF. Clearly, that plan blew up in my face when he actually HAD AKs. I double barrel and realize my goose was cooked, and I knew his check at the river was complete BS, so I checked it too (especially since my hand had no showdown value since it was counterfitted). Kudos to Munchers for the nice hand.

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So all in all it was a fun time and cool to hang out with the CC crew at a table for what was probably an hour of continuous CC-only players at the table.

Put in a Big Session

Posted by icemonkey9 on Jun 21, 2008 in General | 0 comments

I worked my ass off today, straight from 7:30am right up to 4pm. Got a lot done, and its Friday so apparently nobody works at all so I am stuck where I am until Monday am. And you know what that means - poker time. Also I played a SNG last night with KingCurtis and showed him "the long con" where you basically set up a player through an entire blind level (or two) and then use that against him the next level. Helped me take him down completely and I'll demonstrate that later probably in a video. Curtis was duly impressed I must add.

Here's the numbers for the cash game session:

Duration : ~90 minutes
Hands: 588
Tables: 5
Final Result: +$7.35

Not a great result but today was super swingy. I was down $12 to start so I came back and made some nice plays. Lets get to some hands ...

Crap Hand - But No Regrets.

Villain is a loose player with VPIP of 45+ and is shortstacked. I just figure "screw you" when he 3bets me and he calls ... with 33. Unreal. Anyways it's a coinflip (fair enough) and he takes it down by hitting a set at the flop.

Big Hand of the Day: KK Killer

Shazam is a moronic maniac who stacked with $10 with 33 on a 4bet preflop against me (I had AKs) and I lost (last hand above). His VPIP stat was still at like 45 so I knew he could be on any two cards. The flop was georgous - the "at the time" nuts. I lead out really light to look like I am trying to take it down purely with position. Turn looks like a blank and I 1/2 pot bet it, and its called again (thinking he's drawing to the flush). The board pairs, giving me a boat and he strangely pushes. Unless he has 55 I'm totally good so it's an insta-push and I take it down against his trip 5s.

2nd Best Hand : Top Set Baby

Big PF raise at the SB against a LAG villain. Hitting top set I realize I am waaaay ahead here at the turn so I check it. He puts in 2 so I flat call hoping he spikes something on the turn. The K comes and I think "perfect" because I put him on AK at this point. I check again and as expected he leads out again for 1/2 the pot and with only $4 more i just get him to stack and take it down - with QUADS.

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So that's it for the hand analysis and chances are I am done for the weekend with poker. I have massive work next week (a real good thing because that means massive pay) so again it might not be lots of updates. Also I got in touch with the Holdem Manager people and I'm going to be writing a full review on that software, and that should be worth a read. Thanks again for stopping by.

Nice Mini Session

Posted by icemonkey9 on Jun 20, 2008 in General | 2 comments

So a few things ...

1. Real Life stuff way more important than poker going on (family / work) so haven't played poker in like 4 or 5 days (gasp!).

2. Based on some people from CardsChat.com I am checking out "Hold'em Manager" instead of using Pokertracker3. I'll be honest - I'm ready to switch over after 1 session. There is no lag and no mysterious errors or bugs. SOLD.

3. I'd like to send a HUGE thank you to the following CCers: KingCurtis, Jokish123, Sindri_93, bob_tiger, and Inscore. There was a thread on the forum to mention something like a "top 10" cash game players and these people mentioned me in that list. I'm so honored. Truly. I think my game 6 months ago before CC was laughable since I knew tournament play and nothing about cash games. Now, I'm considered to be good! Yay for that! Absolutely I am honestly honored, because I have indeed worked my butt off to become a better and more profitable poker player.

Finally ... put in a session!

Duration: 42 minutes
Hands: 201
Tables: 4
Final Result: +$20.25

So that's a fantastic result. First we'll get the crappy hand out of the way ...

Standard Cooler:

What the hell was I supposed to do PF? Fold!? Heck no.

Hand 2: His name is a bounty of irony.

Did you catch this villain's name?!! Hilarious!!! See kids, this is why if you are UTG at a LOOSE table you do not limp with KK. I mean, what poker book or internet artice suggests that as a wise play?! I am glad I took this sucka's money.

Hand 3 : Standard Heater

Had a feeling this was exactly what this guy was holding, thus the betting formula here.

So all in all I have to love the results and again I am very happy with Holdem Manager. Also a thanks to WVHillBilly (see his blog here: http://dtidt.blogspot.com/) and SavagePenguin for their advise, it's come into good use. This weekend there will most definitely be no poker ... working all day Saturday and Sunday I am book with really fun wife stuff (no, really!). Later guys.