Final Animal Post Of 2006

Assuming i have no internet connection where im staying for the weekend im pretty sure it will be. Havent played at all today but did play 3 or 4 hrs yesterday nearly all on cash. After going down 600$ i finally finished about 600$ up for the day and very happy indeed with such a swing.

Ive done a tally and unless i do play any more (if i do i will edit below) im £6,012 up for the month and also have won a $7,000 offline package (really worth $10,000 on paper). December has become my 4th best months profit since i started and my 2nd best of the year. All bodes well for the future and hopefully i can keep this consistent run going and have a much better Jan-Jun 2007 than i had for Jan-Jun 2006.

Final profit for 2006 comes to £41,173

Happy New Year !!!

6 Monthly / End Of Year Review

A successful year with plenty of experience gained and many ups and downs to ride through.
After only £10,000 profit for the first six months im very pleased to have made in the region of £30,000 in the last six months and it appears my income has become steady now i have found a good combination of cash and tournament play. Not to forget i also have the pokerdome package to play in the new year, 1 in 6 win only for $25,000 + further game(s).

So the list of offline events in the last year i subbed and played in were (buy ins not package value):

February
Deauville EPT - 4,000 euro
Brighton - £100,£150,£300

July
WSOP Main Event - $10,000

November
Caribbean Poker Classic - $6,300


I only cashed in the WSOP but for $20,800. Lifes full of "ifs" but if the AKstd beat the 88 who knows the potential for the rest of that tournament back to above average chips.
I also came very close to a ladbrokes poker million package worth $25,000 which would have got me on sky sports LOL. Close to others but just natural variance and not so big.

My average cash per month made is in the region of £3,500 for the whole year. But splitting this up, the first 6 months it was £1,700, the last 6 it was £5000. Hopefully this bodes well for the coming months. My target set in December last year was £2000-£3000 per month or £24,000 - £36,000 over the year.

Next years target is £36,000 - £48,000.

I must sort out my fitness level having let that slide more in the last year.

I know if i look back i can see i didnt enjoy the game for long periods of time in the last year. Im constantly aware of this and have made adjustments where possible to keep my interest and enjoyment. Hopefully ive currently got a fun combination of games, ive certainly felt a lot more like i did a year ago when ive been playing the last few months in terms of enjoyment. I think the key was to vary the games i play and, if i do enter what i consider to be a bad run, be aware of it and either switch game type or ride the storm. As i get more experienced this has become easier to do and having a rant on this blog never does any harm either.


So for the time being the strategy is:

Keep the same combination of game type going, (includes direct higher buy ins for the last month or 2)
Get a bit fitter
Enjoy

How knows what 2007 will bring and thats the excitement of playing this game full time for a living.


Happy New Year !!!

Obviously final December and yearly profit to come in a few days.

Oh Lucky Me !

Wasnt gonna play tonight after getting up at 8:30am (about 5 hrs earlier than my norm at mo) and going shopping for new laptop as well as other things. So tired when i got home that i slept from 8-10pm and ended up in a value $109 15 players at 10pm which i have won for $960. Plenty of luck involved but i did also play well inbetween. Anyway details below. Ive only played a bit drunk cash yesterday and got tiny bit profit, didnt play at all Xmas day. Basically im winding down for the year now and playing very few select games.

Key hands: Not including steals which there were a fair few of at the final table.

1) 2k starting stack im down to 1800 at 20,40 and call utg or utg+1 with AcKc. Few callers and button makes it 120 which sb calls (he only has 520 total). I comtemplate moving all in but think it will look stronger to put a committing raise of 480 instead. I expect button to fold but he calls and sb is all in also. Flop is KsQc9c and i get the button all in , he has KQ !!!, im still about 40-45% to win the hand but i miss and im crippled on about 200 chips !!!

2) double A9 vs AQ
3) double A8 vs 1010 Still only 1k now !!!

4) having played very tight short stack i go with a AK even though there has been a raise and a reraise. Blinds too big to fold 50,100. Vs QQ and i more than double to 2.1k

5) freeflop 64 and flop of 6h4h2x i lead for 300 into the 400 pot and bb calls, others fold. Turn is Qs and i chk raise all in and get another 400 out of him and he folds.

6) having picked spots well i move to 4-6k never putting my whole stack in jeopardy, although i did defend my bb against a serial button raiser with only middle hands.

7) i then get a bit more agressive around the bubble and my stack increases to chip leader, i then get a key hand with 4 players left as ive been so aggressive. Blinds of 200,400 the button raises to 1200 (playing about 5-6k) and i reraise to 2900 with AK hoping he will think im at it. He does and goes back over the top with A6 and i hold for a massive pot.

8) Last 3 and weak stack is blinding out but i dont want to get committed to his stack so im actually raising the other big stack more often even though he has position on me. I increase my chips and have about 15k vs 10k vs 4k when i raise the sb with 89off to 1200 (200,400). BB calls and on a flop of 932 i bet 2200 which he check raises to 6700. I move in immediately hoping a slim chance he could pass a 9 or a lower pair and he obviously thinks of doing so as he take ages to call his last 3-4k with A9 !!!. I catch a very lucky 8 on the turn and go heads up 26k vs 4k.
That is quickly over when i call a min raise with 87off and he pushes with A5 on a K82 flop.

A Quick Reminder

Of how this game hits right back at you even when you are relaxed and getting well into the game.

I decided to play a value $200 at 3am with 145 players and started well and progressed my 1500 stack to about 2500 at low levels. I'll then list the key hands and review just how lucky/unlucky i was:

1) blinds 25,50 i caller i call with A4std on the button and sb makes it min raise to 100, bb folds.
Flop is A53 and sb bets pot of 350, he only has another 600 left over so if he holds the ace i have outs and if he doesnt obviously its mine so i push in and he calls with A7. I catch a 2 on the turn and im on about 3200 instead of the 1100 i might have been on.

I reraise a couple of pots and steal 1 or 2 others and progress my stack up to about 5k max then:

2) blinds 50,100 a 1500 chippie moves allin with 68std i call with QQ on the button and lose to a straight flush, pot was to have gone 2nd/83 at the time (pays to 18). In about 12th only when i lose that one.

3) blinds of 100,200 and im playing 3500 when button holding a stack of 2800 raises to 600. I move allin in the sb with J4std and he folds, stack now 4500 approx.

4) 2 hands later i raise with JJ in the cutoff to 600 and the sb who has me covered moves allin at the speed of light, i put him on AK and call as i know a big stack could secure a deep place and also he could have AQ or even a lower pocket. he shows AK and i hold to go 1/60

5) holding AQ i reraise a 600 raise to 2000 but he pushes in for 3400 total. I call and vs QQ i lose a huge 7k pot that would have put me 1/50 on 3 times the average chips and about 4k above my nearest rival !!!

6) Im left mid pack again in about 14th which was similar to my stack after the QQ loss above but there are less players left, i decide ill prob tighten up for a bit. But no, the nutter with the only allin move pushes for 3400 when the blinds are 150,300 and ive got AQstd in the sb. I call and im against 9,10off this time but he hits a straight to my flopped pair and i lose another huge 7500 pot leaving me this time, left on only 3000 chips.

7) Next hand on button ive got 55 and move allin but the sb rock that hasnt played a hand decides to commit his last 2k to his 150sb with only K10off and of course hits 2 10s to let me lose another ok sized pot of 4500 leaving me on just over 1000.

8) The very next hand (honest) i pick up AK and there is a short stack of 1k allin and a call and i obviously push and the bb also calls so good value pot if i can hit and get right back in with about 4500. Im up against 2 big chips that chk the whole way through and im looking good until the big chip bets the river 8 which he has trips with. Other short stack had AJ so that river sums that destruction of the tournament up really.


So i crash out in 46th and get a stark reminder of how the cards come back at you straight after a nice package win. Im lucky to have won that package but i certainly wasnt as lucky as i feel the above was unlucky. Anyway rant over im not pissed off because of the result earlier, just gutted. Payouts at the top for this tourney were:
1) 15000$
2) 10000$
3) 6000$


Still, failing a bad run im on for my 2nd best profit month of the year and thats without the package so its a huge month really for me in terms of potential for the future more than anything else.

Xmas Present For Animal

Namely a $7000 pokerdome package to play in Las Vegas. Too knackered for any real details so explain more when i know more about it but basically won the $215 final with 83 players that i had subbed for only 24$ to. Also bubbled in the 40k and cashed in a 750 player 100$k guaranteed but didnt get the help at the crapshoot end. Those were the only 3 i played today. It does seem too easy when you get the luck or hands hold up but i was certainly due a multi win given my recent record. Anyway im glad i subbed for that because i know i definitely would have gone out on the piss tonight if i wasnt forced to play !

Happy Xmas to one and all !!!

................
Later Edit:

Ok i couldnt help looking up the detail, i have no idea when i play but i would guess about 5 to 6 weeks time.

http://www.mansion.com/Content/poker/Poker.aspx?pg=pd&menuItemId=4

Also heres extracts ive copied from Sherwood Poker (Link At Side Of Blog) as he recently played there:

Poker Dome package supposedly worth $7k. Upon further investigation however, it turns out that the Poker Dome tournie has 216 runners and a payout of $2.2m, which is just over $10k per entrant. Not sure why they are advertisng it as a $7k package.

It is in a 6-handed format, with three rounds. Of course if you don't win your first table, you get diddly squat. Win the first table, you get $25k, second table $50k, and the winner of the final table scoops $1 mill. The hospitality package sounds good too - return flights paid for, hotel, $500 casino credit, and more. The format is speed poker - 15 seconds decision time, with the twist of being pot-limit preflop and no-limit post. There is a studio audience, and all players are wired up to heart rate monitors. Should be fun.

A Mixed Week

I havent played as much as i would have liked to so far this week due to having a bit of a sore throat and headache. Still running bad in tournaments towards the end of them and usually losing to some shocking plays. Cash has run ok though especially today where i think i was over $1000 up from just a 2,4$ and a 1.5,3$NL table for several hours play. So much for me in cash is finding the right table and i certainly did that today and really couldnt believe just how bad some of the play was. Good Stuff :))

I know im still under but approaching the £40,000 profit for the year mark. It certainly wont be a failure if i dont reach that by the end of the year, but it would be a nice round figure to enjoy if i do run ok in the last week or so.

Ive already started thinking about targets for next year but ill save them for a 6month/year review post i will write in a week or so.

Sunday Games

Hardly played much at all mainly due to tiredness and mild hangover but also had a pool match in the evening.

So far ive played a $27 (Xmas leaderboard game) 172 player game and i also played a $22 sub qualifier for a $215 multi final next Sunday.

I placed 14th and also got through the satellite. 14th was only worth double the entrance fee , unfortunately i was 1 hand away from going 3rd/13 but AQ vs 66 failed to improve.

Another pool match tommorrow so unlikely to play in any large amount either. I still havent ruled out entering a $215 game at 3am but im tired so i dunno if i will bother. I may target some more satellites for bigger multis next sunday to make it a decent night of multis. I actually dont mind buying into these sort of buy ins now but i know if i have subbed to them i am forced to play them and im also effectively freerolling for any cash place which never hurts.

Whoops Maybe Time To Change

A costly drunk cash session has definitely dented my monthly profit somewhat, i dont think i played that bad i just ran real bad and seemed to get called on nearly every bluff i made buy calling stations with no respect.

Anyway not a stupid amount of money but i will think twice before playing drunk in the future. I guess i was destined to have one of these sessions drunk as ive never lost in so many loose drunk aggressive sessions ive played.

Late Night / Early Morning Update

Just finished 3rd/159 in a $55 3am game for $1670. Not too disappointed but again obviously gutted i didnt manage to win or come 2nd for $3900 or $2500. Was leading it from 20 players down or so and abused the bubble well to get a loose image and then got paid off big when i picked up some hands because of that. Unfortunately the pointless hand4hand at 10 left (already in money) helped to make it a crapshoot on the final table so even though i was 1st/9 i knew the score with expectation and thought 3rd or above was acceptable. I basically sat tight and only played a few hands before there were 6 left then started to gamble again as stacks were level and blinds were high. In the end i had 40-50k compared to the others 80-100k stacks so had to pick some spots and went out K2 vs QQ when i didnt believe the sb had a hand as he was playing his big stack well and probably deserves to win. Shame i didnt spawn the king but hey thats poker :))

Only problem i have now is its 7am and im wide awake, Oops.

GURRR

Bit annoyed, just crashed out of the 12k in 15th for a crap £150 (only 192 entrants thought tonight compared to usual 250-300).

Another total rollercoaster of emotions as i seem to be getting lately, totally drains me and i glad i got this blog to get it out of my system.

Right key hands were:

An early double up 88 vs A7 on a A87 board.
An almost triple up KK vs AQ vs AK for a big pot to go top 3 about 45 minutes in
A loss AKstd vs JJ vs AQ for a huge pot to have gone 1/92, was left weakish 55/92 instead.

Pushed that weak stack well to sustain it before i doubled with 55 vs QJstd terrible call preflop.
That hand was bigger than i thought as i climbed to 10k soon after that 8k pot and then doubled QQ vs 99 preflop (blinds only 200,400 ridiculous call by 99 but i had notes on him and knew he would with exactly that type of hand). Suddenly im top 5 after being in the last 10 for ages with 31 players left !!! (pays to 20)

I then reraise a couple of raises with AQ twice and uncalled climb to 30k and into 2nd place looking good as we approach the bubble.

Then it all goes wrong, a familiar story where the real big payouts are concerned of late.

10 handed ive folded the button and the cut-off the 2 hands before as i dont want to be too agressive and get committed to some medium stack behind me. So i raise next hand to 1800 (600bb) with Q10 off and the guy behind goes allin with only KJstd for 7k (KJstd lol so few hands i would have raised with that were worse than that at this point for the reasons mentioned above). As it is he is v lucky to b ahead and a short stack moves in also with 10,8std for 1800. I call as always i am trying to win and can afford 5k for a pot over 15k, fail to improve although many outs on river :(( and im back to 23k but im actually still 4th/28 at that point. If i had won that pot i was on almost 40k and joint chipleader with a massive stack compared to the average at that point.

I then move in with 10,6off in the sb to block the bb after a 2400 short stack moved all in as i have huge pot odds but again i fail to improve and losing 2400 chips i fail to win the 7300 pot. I also go fairly card dead from here except for an AJstd which i raise in the cut-off only to get reraised allin by 1 of 2 guys at the table covering me. He was bad but i couldnt call my last 16k off when the blinds were only 300,600 as bad players do get hands and it wasnt one of his common moves.

It moves closer to the bubble and again i lose another preflop pot odds hand J4 vs A3 and this knocks me down to just under 10k. I sustain that stack best i can pushing average of once a round but eventually we make the money and playing 11k with 15 players left i push allin with KQ and run into AQ and get no luck. Crippled with 3k left i push allin next hand utg for value with J7 and lose the 3 way pot to 56off.

Summary basically i hit a few coinflips and held up in the big pots early but lost 4 in a row preflop all ins in the end which is too much damage for any tournament. If i folded and played tighter with the 30k stack it could have been a different story but i dont regret any of the moves i made especially given the poor run of cards i had towards and inside the cash.


On another note i had a lovely hand in the £27 8k that basically proves how bad the game has become as some stakes and might as well put it in here.

Its the first hand of the tournament and i get KK in 4th position and raise the 20bb to 100 hoping for 1 mayb 2 caller maximum. I get called by all 3 players to my left and im left cringing knowing im pretty much double or bust if no ace hits the flop.

Flop QsJc7s and rather than go allin 1400 for only a 430 pot i bet 400 to try and let a player hang themselves. Amazingly but worryingly i get flat called by all 3 players (remember blinds are only 10,20 lol) So again im thinking im forced to go allin on the turn and when a 9c comes i know i could be in big trouble but its just unfoldable in a game where the standard is so bad and the pot is now 2030 and i only have 1000 left.

Again amazingly im called by all 3 players 1000 chips and the hands are as follows on a board of:

QsJc7s9c

KK vs A9off (WTF) vs A10off (WTF) vs Ks10s (Lucky fool who should have been raising the flop not flat calling on the biggest draw possible which obviously he caught but wouldnt have seen the river for free if he hadnt)

Classic example of how bad some games have become in my opinion and im not moaning its bodes so well for the future of a poker online pro. :))


Shame about the 12k as i guess a top 3 finish would have put me right up there (maybe top 10) in the Xmas leaderboard promotion but then on the other hand i know i cant play all the remaining games so its not too bad.

Resist The Temptation To Swear (Part 2)

And i wont this time, im absolutely drained from a crazy night of highs and lows. Ive just busted in the 12k in 5th for £860 but im disgusted my luck wasnt better , the standard of the last 6 players was a joke to put it mildly. Ive actually made a nice profit on cash today also so thats the only reason im not swearing. So many hands i could blog about but i pick several mainly at final 2 tables as thats key ones for the real big money.

14 or 15 left blinds not relevant im already in top 3 and i move all in over the top of the tightest player at the tables utg raise expecting a call. I have AA and he has KK and i hold for a pot so push me back into 1st with spare chips.

11 left (well 10 its just gone to but we 5 handed), i have been highly active and already know ive pushed 1 guy off a better hand when i moved allin with bottom pair. I raise (again blinds not too relevant) to 8k. BB moves allin 40k i call with JJ as have over 100k and its a stitch up against QQ. I lose and im back to 5/10 with er 70k.

This is where it got nasty for a bit, i lose 10k in a blind battle. I push all in 60k with Q10 when a short stack has moved in for 10k to block the bb. The short stack has J10 and the board comes AKxQx and im down to 50k. Next UTG calls 2400 so there is over 10k in the pot so i push 50k all in with 88. I get called by a 40k stack only holding AK (this annoyed the heck out of me cos there is no way he would be ahead of the play i made there and i got them in first) and of course he spikes an ace on the river leaving me on 12k.

Basically i thought i destined to go out 10th at this point but i push with KQ and it beats A9 so im back in it all be it 10 x the bb on 30k. I pick spots well and calm down as im still gutted from the above. Basically i sustain that stack until i push with AK and get called by A8 which held up to push me back up again. Again i was patience in an all or nothing way with my chips and it paid off as players dropped off leaving us with 5 left.

Again it gets nasty, i tactically slow played to allow the blinds to go up to 6k as the table was very tight, the big stacks having no idea how to use them (made me cringe). It worked as i got 1 or 2 pushes away uncalled and then got a medium pot with AA and i was back up to 100k 3rd/5 but happy again and freerolling (sort of).

Now 2 times the 2 short stacks double here with the worst hand and its all close again. Then a key hand knocked a stack down to 12k 2 pair vs straight and i looked good for at least 4th again. But NO, the short stack antes down to 10k folding a 3k bb in the first instance (terrible play the pot is more than their stack) then pushes on my sb. I have A3std and decide to block the bb and move in 73k (Im playing to win and the pot is 22k, 4th place only slightly more money than 5th) , im against 74off and lose of course so now im down to 60k. I push next hand with 55 on the button and unbelievably get called by the 24k bb stack holding Q8, yes its a good call but wtf how can he fold a 3k sb holding 12k earlier then commit to Q8 here. Anyway the board sums up my tournament and comes (in order):

Q8658

I knew there was no way i was going to win this tournament at that point. The same guy had overraised with KQ and outdrawn AJ for a massive pot earlier before donking that stack off. It totally summed up my tournament and i know i couldnt have played any better with the luck i had in the end.

Anyway thats me crippled and blinds go up to 8k, i manage to get lucky (YES but its too late as its only for a 60k pot at 8k blinds). The hand was 69off vs A7 in the blinds allin as there was too much in the middle for me to fold.

Then another classic sum up of my night, it folds to the sb on my bb and i have J10off. I quickly text in "go on" and "i go" to entice a push as ive decided im not folding an 8k bb even though i have 50k left. The sb was a tight player but my text must have triggered something cos he pushed with 10,8, yes its christmas i thought. No its not yet, the board comes 2,5,10,2K and we split the pot (How am i not mad writing this LOL).

Thats it apart from 1 last push, i know i need a hand in the sb as my image is too loose to push 60k with any 2 and i get dealt A3. I go allin and the bb calls instantly with K8, the pot is to go back to 3/5 for 130k but of course i go out here. I induce the bad call from my image but there is just no justice some days.

A sick tale from 11 players down but thats poker i guess. £4000 and £2600 to 1st and 2nd and so much luck involved its very disappointing, especially with some of the shocking play i witnessed on that table.

.........................OK cash


One of my better days (so far as cant rule out playing later). Running OK but picking spots well and definitely could not be happier with my decision making. One monster pot to mention for fun.

3,6$NL 9 handed 3 callers and im in the sb with A5 off and top up.

flop 234 (2 hearts) i lead out for 24$ (into 30 less rake pot) and get 1 caller. (flush draw/overpair/trips are his holdings (if 56 i double him).

turn is 9d and i check he bets 48$ and i figure the pot is big enough to shut so i raise a further $200 so he gets no odds on any holding. He pushes all in for er another 150 maybe on top of that and i call.

He shows 99 and an ace on the river seals a 900$ pot for me on a day where i was already nicely up from cash.

Like i said i may play later but over $1400 up from 2,4$NL and 3,6$NL on the day and i only played 1 table in the evening for 3 hours. Earlier session was for 2 hours.

I guess my outburst yesterday worked exactly as intended. That being to help me relax after letting off the steam but also to remind me to put more effort in today which i certainly have done and been rewarded by.

Resist The Temptation To Swear

in the title, *** the rest of the post

what a ****** load a ******** , *** off u stupid ****** game i ****** hate u sometimes , ****** ******** **** ****** ******.

*** the detail 6 tourneys 5 near cash and only cash in 1

massive pots in 2 of them for chip leads or close ****** ******** never run well at end of tournament load of ****

****** dummies taking my money give it back u ******

big payouts possible and i get ****** $100-200$ *** that i spent 4 times that in entries and cash table lower 2 pair vs nxt higher 2 pair earlier

not happy

1 positive i hav a blog to let this ****** steam off i feel calmer already and ive smashed nothing

More Time But No Rewards

Put in a fair days play today in time, mainly on the cash tables. In the end i was only about level on the cash tables but i think i could have run a bit better especially earlier in the day when i took a couple of nasty river beats, but thats all part of the cash game and im getting used to it.

As for multis i lost KK vs A3 for a pot to have probably been about 30/90 in the 12k £55 one and i busted a good stack early in the 8k £27 one when i committed to an AQ, but was against trips. I just think the cryptologic network is against me at the moment and my balance in interpoker has got very low because of this. I also played a $50 game and a $200 game today. The $50 never got going then a muppet reraised my strong raise with 66 and held against my AK. As for the $200 it was long blinds and i played very well but just couldnt get a break in terms of actually hitting or getting any decent cards. I was very active and saw loads of flops or stole loads of blinds but in the end i got overraised by rocks a few times and eventually 88 ran into QQ leaving me crippled and my push with Q7std was no good against JJ. It was probably the best tournament ive played in the last few months where i only finished halfway through the field, about 60/120. I couldnt be happier with my play in it but everyone needs some lucky spots or help somewhere in the game.

Drunk Aggressive Cash Tables

Played a couple of $3,6NL for a few hours and was running bad for a while, made a few big laydowns to nasty hands but had to paid off a few and just didnt seem to get paid on my big ones. I was down $1300 at one point but i recovered and finished only $500 down, which, considering how i was running wasnt too bad a result. I also entered a $215 multi but was on a hellish tight table and never got going A8 running into 99 as the crapshoot blinds caught up with my stack. Still over £2000 up for the month so far but as i said before im gonna enter more larger buy ins than normal this month so it will be interesting to see where i finish at the end of the month.

Mixed Fortunes

After another bad day on cash on Thursday i decided to only play a limited amount on Friday. As it turned out the few hours i played on cash became quite profitable, especially late in the morning when i guess i got paid by 1 or 2 drunk calling stations. Multis on Thursday resulted in further lack of confidence in them and i guess it must have been at least 20 multis without a cash before tonight.

Im been in a funny mood the last few days, i think the weather after the caribbean doesnt help and also the distinct lack of fitness and extra weight ive eaten my way towards. Must do something about that and managed to force a 2 mile run today which is a start anyway.

I again bubbled in the 12k this time finishing 32nd (pays to 30) when my A9 ran into JJ. However before this i had played and run well in a 107 player 109$ game and i ended up finishing 2nd.

Things of note in this tournament were the abuse around the bubble i gave the table stealing 80-90% of pots as i already had a monster stack and i sustained that well. Keys hands of note in the game were:

Blinds of 200,400 i flat call in middle position with AA playing a 4-5k stack, next guy calls, but the sb makes it 1200 and i decide just to call and play slow. The other guy only had 1400 left and amazingly folded so it was heads up going to the flop of 983 (all clubs, i had the ace of clubs). He leads out for 1200 and i flat call (obviously could have played this hand so many different ways). Turn is Jc and he again bets 1200, now i only have 3200 left so push all in and dont get any more action. A bit of an overbet on my part but the pot was big enough there and if he did have trips i wanted him to pay for the river.

Several minutes later the same guy raises my big bling to 1200 and i move all in, which amazingly gets called by A8. My queens held up and i was up to 16k in 1st with 2nd place down on 10k i knew i could get more agressive now. There must have been about 30 players left at this point but once we lost a few more i became ultra agressive around the 18 players bubble and got very little resistance. I climbed to 40k , hitting 1 or 2 pot odds pots or knocking small stacks out.

The next hand got me fuming. With blinds of 300,600 (14 players left) my bb gets raised to 2400 and i move all in 40k with AQ. This is such an obvious fold for a 16k stack (in top 5) holding only A8 but he calls and spikes the 8 for a 35k pot. Unreal i was livid, if that pot held up i had over 40% of the chips in play with 13 players left. That certainly would have been the most dominant chip lead i could ever have had in a poker multi at that stage and i was not happy. Anyway i was still 2nd with 30k and i actually was marginally 1st when we hit the final table of 9. There were 3 other stacks almost my size though and the blinds had increased so i tightened up a lot and let the others knock each other out.

Then the reverse variance (or whatever you want to call it) came with 5 players left when my QQ ran into KK but i hit a full house and shortly after there was 3 of us left with level chips. Again i played tighter than normal as the others looked good for a face off and the cash increase from 3rd was $1000 more and only $1600 more for 1st than 2nd so i if i could cruise into 2nd it would be good. The plan worked but i was left 60k vs 100k heads up. I got back to 80k vs 80k but then lost 1 or 2 pots and was back down to 65k. The blinds increase to 2400 bb so i was looking for a good spot to gamble to try and catch up or take the chip lead when i moved all in 65k over a 12k raise with KJoff i was amazed when i was called by A3off as i had not moved in before that. Still in reasonable shape for a pot to go 133k vs 27k but no help came to either of us on the board and i was happy enough to accept 2nd for $3140 and maybe more importantly a multi cash win.

That pushes my monthly profit up nicely to a point where i can enter a few bigger multis this month and i may even consider moving up cash games stakes if i can put aside an amount affordable to lose.

Is It Really That Bad ?

I dont think my online multi tournament skills have got any better or worse the last few months, main reason being i havent played as many as i used to because of cash games. Now ive played 10 games the last 3 nights from between $27 to $109 or £55 and i cant believe how bad the standard seems to have become. There are so many ridiculous plays, people just dont seem to have a clue what they are doing. The problem with winning in these games is i need to play tighter and thats difficult for me as i like to be in the action where possible. I try to tighten up but just cant resist playing some hands and havent cashed probably as a result so far although i know ive been unlucky in a few.

I bubbled tonight in the £55 multi (282 runners) pays to 30, i pushed with a gamble hand of only 9,10off. Reason being the bb had a similar weak stack so couldnt call without a biggie and there were only 2 players after me covering my stack. I had 5k and the next weak stack called for only 1800 then a big stack decides AJoff is good (which it wasnt as the other guy had 77) but i just dont understand the call, he could so easily be dominated. They see AJ, they call its as simple as that, no thought process into the fact it could be miles behind. Thats just an example of what i saw many times tonight, couldnt believe some of the stuff but i guess its encouraging for the long term money making. I need to work on being more patient for sure and adjust my techinique accordingly to maximise profits if i carry on playing these sort of games.

Cash unsuccessful today but not a big loss and i suppose had to be expected after yesterday.

Best Day On Cash Tables ?

Quite possibly, although i never remember daily profits, im pretty sure the $2150 profit ive made today is for sure. The bit that makes it the best day is that its mainly from only 2 tables of 2,4$ NL with a small % from 3,6$ NL also. I did play 3 tables for a while but i also only had 1 table going some of the time. On average i played 2 tables for an estimate of maybe 7 hours give or take a bit so given the stakes its a rare result.

Interestingly enough i wasnt hitting any more flops than usual, i just hardly made any mistakes and every time i got my chips in ahead in a big pot ahead it held up. On average i probably would have expected a couple of outdraws and be moaning about them so its very nice for a change.

Ive played 6 tournaments since my return and have no cashes busting out early in 5 of them in exactly to the sort of hands im happy to bust on, basically stitch ups or fools getting lucky. Not a problem if cash sustains itself.

Another thing i cant help noticing is when i returned from Vegas in August i had one of my best 2 weeks of poker in the year so i cant help thinking having a rest away from the online game is only a good thing for me when im forced into it as im itching to get back on when i return.

CPC Review

POKER:
Main Event - Very Poor
Other Multis & Stts - Very Good

As the main event was effectively a freeroll i think i am able to calculate i paid $220x2+$330+$100x3+$110x2 = $1070 for side multis/stts
and cashed for $1590+$540+$220 = $2350

giving a overall profit of $1280 from live poker on the trip. I will take some expenses out and probably include say $1000 in Decembers profits, its all a bonus as i intended to spend the $1500 i took out there but came back with roughly $2500 in my pocket.

OTHER GAMBLING:
About level on slots , only played for a small while anyway.
-25$ on roulette on 1 spin only.

TRAVEL:
Taking my car to the airport made life a bit easier especially on the way up there and i certainly will do this again. Unfortunately without going into detail the flights were a nightmare with chunky delays on the way out followed by huge ones on the way back. It actually took me 24 hours from leaving to hotel to getting home (and that doesnt include the fact i checked out 3 hours before i left the hotel).

SERVICE:
If i had paid to stay in this hotel i would have gone nuts but i laughed off the ridiculous standards of service and saw the funny side of just how bad it was. Could put so much in here but the top 3 had to be- Arriving to a dirty room - Ordering a drink at the pool bar and signing for it only to be told they would be right back to actually pour it , did they return ? , er no :) - The night cafe serving chap, you had to tell him your order twice as you were guaranteed a total blank expression the first time as if he was saying why the *** are you ordering food from me.

FOOD:
Mostly good to very good (excellent in the seafood restaurant) but a pizza shack without chillis as a topping and the 2 nights i asked for a caesar salad they had sold out. Also sometimes some drinks were unavailable that surely should be fully stocked at all times. Also worth a mention is the "Bastard Fish Burger" Azimut found on an otherwise normal menu off resort, god knows why its called that, i guess we should have got one to see.

WEATHER:
Lovely, knew there would be a wind some days so it didnt bother me at all.

PEOPLE:
Met some new people and got to know some old faces better too, always nice to put some online names to faces and im sure ill bump into a few at the tables.

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Final Notes (For Future Reference):
Drive to airport prior to a flight to a big event
Consider a hotel prior to flight if my body clock isnt too late to make proper use of it
Consider arriving a day or 2 before the first day of play of the main event if that isnt part of the package
Dont overplay big pairs early levels in big offline multis, ultra caution next event, rock up if uncomfortable for a level or 2
Only play live smaller warm up event(s) for fun or for small practice for main event
Buy/Take a laptop in future
Relax more before a main event (i know something wasnt right the first few days out there but cant quite put my finger on it)
Look at flexible flights for non exotic locations as option to go home early after busting

At this time im shattered so i may adjust the above or add to it if i think of anything else in the next few days. If there is a cpc next year i will target it but i will have to wait to see on that one. If not ill maybe look for something similar to break up the autumn/winter weather and double as a holiday as this event certainly does.

As for the next offline event, at this time i have no desire so ill probably only stick to sub qualifers or finals with value. Even the WSOP may not be possible if they stick to the no online qualifers stance which isnt 100% confirmed yet but could happen.

Land & Sea

1 hour left before i leave for the airport and a fairly long flight. Hopefully i will get some sleep on the way back, im certainly tired enough. Last night i got a second wind at midnight and ended up staying up until 4am playing stts and having a few beers. Ive certainly enjoyed the last few days as a proper holiday after the crash out of the main event. Ill do some sort of cpc review when i get home but overall its been a great experience again. There is some doubt as to whether it will run next year which would be a shame as i certainly would target a return next year.

Back To Reality

It took me about 24 hours to get over my main event exit and properly relax again. Ive now just been enjoying the few days as a holiday and im a lot more relaxed than ive been for a long while.

I did play 1 more multi, that being a $330 NL 137 runners. Could have easily won it with a bit of luck at the final table but the crapshoot blinds meant i was forced to push regardless of cards a couple of times. Eventually i reluctantly stuck my last chips in knowing i was calling a tight guys raise (blinds were just to big to fold) with 77 only to run into 88 and crash out in 7th for $1590. The prizes were very top heavy so only 3rd or above was any decent money relative to the buy in. Anyway that covers my buy ins out here plus a tiny profit so it as nice to get something back. The worst thing about it was it took 9 hours to finish 7th, a tidy reminder to stick to big buy in offline events only. 10 hours it took for the whole game to complete !!!

Anyway flight leaves tommorrow at 6pm, hopefully without as many delays as the way over but as long as i get some sleep on the plane i dont mind. think i managed 1.5-2hrs on the way out so try and beat that :)