February Review

Following on from the previous posts i havent played and ive arranged to do stuff both evenings left of the month so i doubt i will be tempted to play at all until March. Also a full couple of days away from the tables can only be a good thing. My love/hate relationship with poker has taken to a new level this month. Split the month in half again and i had an excellent first half which i thoroughly enjoyed and a boring meaningless second half where i might as well have not been playing. Im amazed just how bored i got of the game the last 2 weeks and i have no idea why exactly. Lack of goals ? Lack of effort due to complacency ? Lack of enjoyment due to how much i enjoyed vegas ? I just hope a new calendar month makes a difference to my motivation and enjoyment (obviously it shouldnt matter but my laziness makes me think it is the route cause).

Ok onto the figures to which i made £2860 profit , although interestingly my rakeback is only 55% of January. Bad choice of games and general attitude for last 2 weeks, a shorter month and obviously a live game away all being factor is such a large reduction in time spent playing. Anyway figures wise thats my worst month since July 2006 which i guess is not a good sign. As with all poker stories though if i look at the full picture with a bit more luck i could have made £20,000 cash but with a bit less i could have gone into a slight loss !

Zero targets for March at this time. Just remember to think carefully about which games i will enjoy before entering them and if im not gonna enjoy a game, dont play it.

Clowns Donks Rivers

Nothing has changed except im getting rivered constantly, i miss nearly every flop when i raise and i have become more impatient than ever.

AA or KK = guaranteed no action or someone flops a set against me

JOKE JOKE JOKE, why the heck am i even playing.

PS: Bonus cleared u r banned from crypto cash tables cos u r wasting your time and just frustrating yourself more playing against the wrong types of players with the wrong attitude at the wrong stakes. Time better spent elsewhere so stop u dummy.

Empty

Thats how i feel, not mad just empty. Played 2 satellites tonight and nothing else, donked off the first one in ridiculous impatient style but this only made me more motivated to play the next one. 29 runners and top 2 go through to $1700 final stage of monte carlo EPT, 3rd gets $1500 cash.

After losing half my stack early with aces (could easily have been the lot) i doubled up AA vs KK and never looked back. This was the only preflop allin where i was covered the whole game and i cruised to the final 4 because the standard was freeroll (basically everyone in it had subbed for $6-$15). Made some good resteals but unfortunately when i did become chipleader i got overraised by the big stacks when all i was doing was attacking the short stack. After some frustrating play watching these muppets double each other up or blind out eventually the blinds caught up and when i pushed with 10s i ran into the shortest stack (which actually now had 10k of my 14k) who had AA. Blinds were 500,1000 and i had already made some big folds JJ,77 and AQ prior to avoid any face off but the sick fact remains i went out with J10std vs K8off straight after and im left scratching my head again, feeling a bit let down by my luck or maybe my short handed play, who knows.

At least this has happened at the end of a month so i can restart in a couple of days time fresh for march, at this point i dont feel like playing much at all for the rest of february. My patience has been testing a lot lately and its failed if im honest. I have 100$k freeroll tommorrow, ill clear the tiny bit left of a raked hands bonus and thats it for me other than maybe some farewell cash games on the tribeca site and possibly the 100$k on mansion as long im up for it.

I know baring any stupidity i should still finish over £3000 up for the month which is fine but im just concerned that my lack of patience is again beginning to lead to that lack of enjoyment when im playing. I dont want to only enjoy the game when im winning but thats whats it feels like at this time.

Have A Bad Day

In terms of results yesterday was very poor. In terms of my poker play im quite happy with maybe one bad error.

I committed $200 to 99 on an eight high flop (running into aces) on a cash table. It didnt help that 10 minutes before that i had a 17% river beat for $400 which probably was a factor in my misread. This all happened within the first 30 mins of switching on in the morning and it appears that bad beats are more difficult to face so early in the day. I did grind back a little later on low stakes omaha futher trying to clear a monthly bonus.

Right Multis, 3 of them played including $100 on mansion. Progressed well early in this but then lost 1/3 of my stack continue betting 55 on a AAK flop. I tightened up and finally when out AQ vs JJ for a decent sized pot relative to the blinds, fair enough i guess. I played my first $100 rebuy for the GUPT also (300$ in) which was an eyeopener to say the least. Whilst i totally understand peoples tactics in a rebuy to get stack early i would suggest in this most just didnt have a clue (even though this contained what proabably are a lot of winning players). I watched some ridiculous stuff and when the package available is only worth $2700 it makes no sense to me that you buy in for $500-$1000. If u are happy to spend that much you might as well buy in directly !!! Anyway there were about 60 players and i finished in 19th (5 packages and cash for 6th). Pot i went out on was A7std vs JJ for a decent sized pot which proably would have put me in the region of 6-10th at the time. My tactics for this satellite (and often many others) are to go allin or fold once the blinds get up until im about 15xbb or better. I never progressed my stack at the start and my 5500 stack after rebuys finished was very weak compared to others. As the blinds went up i played what i consider perfect short stack agressive poker and from being on 5k at 200,400 blinds i progressed to 10k at blinds of 400,800 without being called on any hands, all preflop. Of course my tactics got totally under half the tables skin who dont consider it "pure poker" and i actually got some mild abuse when i finally ran into a hand and busted. Thats fine, each to there own but i know im thinking at a higher level than most of them and if it got under their skin that was a huge bonus as tilting people at a poker table that are frustrated with the way you play is excellent in the long run. Eliminating the resteal move from others in a satellite is a good thing as i know im less likely to get a coinflip preflop cos if i push in 10xbb with AK lets say, often a guy with 77 will pass, that same guy would have flopped or gone over the top if i just did a standard raise. I knew if i pushed often enough i would increase my stack and thats exactly what happened getting to more than double my stack uncalled. With the hands i had been dealt there is no way i would have made it to 10k by doing standard raises and hitting/missing flops without a lot of luck in several hands. Anyway i laugh at the abuse people give you at a table because you dont follow their set rules, or the book they have been reading tactics. For gods sake, thats what poker is about, everyone is free to play as tight or loose as they choose and any given move or strategy at any time is down to the individual which is what makes poker such a good game. I used a similar tactic in the main event of the WSOP main event when we were approaching the bubble and it works perfectly. Playing around 50k with blinds around 2400 i have 20xbb but this was not key to my thinking in that. What was key was i didnt want to blind out and have to double just to get back to where i was and, with a running ante, without playing a hand i would lose 6k a round or 12% of my stack. The move eliminates tough decisions post flop which is why purists hate it, but why not elimnate that option rather than miss and be put to the test. Also it really frustrates people when you do it and it makes their decisions much tougher because they know its a big chunk of their stack if they play. Obviously its important to only do this when you are weak enough and the blinds and antes stolen will make a difference to your stack. I believe in the WSOP once i got to this point i moved between 40-65k before i finally reluctantly called an allin for a flip (when on 65k i might add) which would have got me back to just over average chips and back into "proper" poker territory. Right enough of my waffle on to the last multi which was a £32 sub for sixpac highrollers, i had played excellent and got some nice hands prior to the final table and looked big favourite for a seat 1st/6 at the final table (3 seats available). No it went wrong, i just picked the wrong spots to raise and got overraised on what was a very passive table generally. I spotted a guy in the sb topping up for 10s for example and on another hand the bb checked an AK preflop ! Ironically the guy that checked the AK on one hand took me out in the end. Playing 5000 stack at 150,300 (4 players had 4-6k with 2 weaker) that guy limped for 300 and i was in the bb with A7. I decided to push in and steal the 900 but for some reason this guy was having none of it and called his whole same stack off with A8 !!! Backwards dummy classic and on a flop of A88 i figured great he will think he made the right play !!! Dont raise with A8 and take the blinds but do call an allin for your whole stack facing off against a big chippie when there are 2 weaker stacks at the table. Anyway i was out and very disappointed but i stand by my tactics and know this guy just really didnt have a clue what he was doing watching other pots he was involved in.

From the results i could easily think my satellite play needs fine tuning, but if i play the same way in those two satellites i know in the long run the results would be excellent so i take the positives from the games. Only other thing of note was i still struggle to play many multis in a night, 1 or 2 is ok and 3 in this case was fine but i know i would be bored stiff if i only played multis like i used to a year ago. Again its my patience which is a skill i must keep working on for sure.

EPT and WSOP satellites later on today so hopefully ill get through to the 1/10 next final stage of one these for another chance at the big time !

Plodding Along

Another day in the world of poker over, made a bit on cash, maybe 200-300$ and cleared more of a bonus im after by end feb. Also subbed into a couple of EPT and WSOP satellites for next to nothing cos of the value available. Made it to the last 70 or so of the 1000 player WSOP win only freeroll before going out K9std vs AQoff for a pot to have maybe gone about 20th at the time. That was fine, i made a few good resteals and laydowns after going card dead for ages and know i couldnt have done much more with what i got. Another ridiculous play in a $100 19 player game bust me after i had decided to play as a rock this happened:

level 2, 30,60 cutoff makes it 300 to go, ive got 1300 and reraise to 800 committing myself but making my AKstd look even stronger than it is. They put me in for my last 500 with KQoff and spike a queen, LOL quality stuff of late in that tournament.

Lag Lag Lag

Yeh sounding like a broken record now but i must conquer this jetlag and stop giving into it as a lazy person like myself does. Today i woke up at 8:30am, went back to sleep at 1pm-5pm then, for some reason, had another 4 hrs sleep 10pm-2am. Its now 5am and after playing cash for a few hrs im clueless as to whether continue playing or try and get some more sleep if thats possible ! Anyway on the poker front i was running bad in places and lost a bit but then i seemed to hit a few good boards and ive ended up a few hundred $ up on the day which is fine. I did struggle to keep my patience in my multis earlier, put that down to being bored, tired and just not in a patient mood basically. Went out on big pots in 3/4 of the multis i played though so it wasnt a total failure by any means.

Pet Hates In Poker

If you ever want to set me off on one at the tables do one of the following:

1) say "ty" when u win a medium to big pot against me when i heve typed nothing

2) say "oh well im out" then call an allin on the turn with nothing only to find your ace high is good

These things set me off big time and it doesnt matter how relaxed or happy i am at the time i go into an instant rage which i believe i will never get rid of when either of the above occur.

Other Rant:

Lowered to 1,2$ for a bit to change style and chill a bit, 6 handed......

BB AJstd 1 limper i make it 8 to go.

flop J,10,3 i bet 15 which is flat called.
turn is a blank and i chk expecting to check raise allin but no this guy goes allin 90$ and i call to see 73std (same suit as me i might add)....yes bottom pair only but he spikes and 3 on river and thats me for $240 pot.
im playing well on cash at the moment but the variance is just not pushing me into significant profit with so many of these shocking plays against me.

Disruption In Sleep And Softwares

Well tribeca, my choice of network for cash tables for the last few months is moving to ipoker from 1 March which also includes excluding all US players from the tables. This will disrupt my cash play without a doubt as this has been my platform for 80-90% of cash games the last few months. Obviously i will try the new network but im unaware whether i will still get rakeback at this time and of course it will be just like changing to any other network i havent played before. If it doesnt work out i will almost certainly try some new sites like absolute poker or ultimate bet for cash games which i havent played before to see if they suit me instead. I have played a fair bit of cash on cryptologic this month clearing bonuses but i dont find it nearly as easy to find the type of table that suits me and often dont sit down when im looking for a table.

Yesterday i ran ok on cash making back more than my $170 paid in tournament entries. Ive been on for an hr or so this morning and currently am $300 up despite being on the losing side of the pot below, not a rant theses people pay my wages in the long run:

3,6$NL 6 handed, utg calls,utg+1 calls and i make it 26$ with KQoff. utg calls and utg+1 goes allin about 150$ in total. its only 125$ for $330 pot and i think im ahead so make the call. Its KQoff vs 9,10off !!! but 2 9s come and i lose the pot :((

Im obviously in a slightly better frame of mind cos i wouldnt be as chilled out as i am after that pot but it comes and goes at the moment. Several multis later pencilled in but im still struggling with jetlag. My 3-4hrs daily snooze at lunchtime has moves to teatime now and i missed playing the mansion 8pm $100k yesterday cos of this. I also have spotted daily $100 WSOP satellites on ladbrokes so may play a few of these sometime soon as the weekly final of $1000 or so is on a weekday too.

Routines

I think i badly need one at the moment. Im struggling to get back into a clear system and again feel like im often just playing for the sake of it. Im not running very well either which doesnt help and obviously my body clock is just plain weird. I guess im also a bit in the same mode as i was a month ago after an excellent first 2 weeks i seem to just flow along without really progressing or feeling like im going to win like i crave at the start of a month. Tactics are to either reduce play or just really tighten up in a few multis and practise on my patience skills again which i know pays off as results show.

The Body Clock Challenge

After a standard flight being cramped and arriving on time only to have to wait an hour for a gate to park at in gatwick i managed to drive home without being too tired at all. I only had 2-3hrs sleep on the plane so i was very lucky really it wasnt more of a struggle and the roads were relatively quieter than i expected also.

At first i thought my sleep pattern was gonna adjust well after a good nights sleep but i have slept in the afternoon yesterday and last night after a few drinks i slept midnight - 5am and could not get back to sleep. So im online now at 7:45am and ill probably give in to a snooze later in the day. I have only played 90 mins poker on cash tables since i got back but have spent a fair amount of time looking at satellites for possible future offline events.

The GUPT tour next leg is in Cardiff next which only being 3 hours drive away would be a good one for me to qualify for. Only problem i have is qualifiers are Wed/Fri/Sun and often i cant play Fri or Sun most weeks. Also there are 1 or 2 action point freerolls on tribeca with 1000 players for Pokerface in vegas and the WSOP nxt week which i figure i might as well enter as ill never use the action points otherwise. I also spotted a $54 rebuy for a WPS cruise package on a Monday which wouldnt be a bad one to combine holiday/poker and i may play 1 or 2 of them. Full Tilt seems to have regular $200 satellites to WPT event of your choice also which i may well consider playing too. Pokerstars (which i have hardly touched) and Ladbrokes also have a range of EPT subs available as another options.

Basically at the moment im not too motivated to play too many normal cash multis so i think playing cash tables and satellites will be the agenda for the time being with just a few select cash multis with value etc.

Las Vegas Review

Without access to my desktop i cant bring up an exact figure of online profit since i got out here but i would anticipate it to be in the region of £2500-£3000. Obviously the investment in a laptop at Xmas has paid off and ill be taking it on every trip i go on in future without a doubt. It was good, especially cos im out here on my own, to just play online similar to a normal pattern.

In terms of live poker overall im very happy with my game and i guess 4 cashes in 6 multis at Caesars really shows how my live game is improving with every game i play. So for $1340 in buy ins i made (560+1160+550+1150) = $3420. Little bit more luck and 1 or 2 1st or 2nd place finishes and that could easily have been double that. Live cash games were ok, i probably showed an overall loss in the region of $200-$300 there i think.

As i said before the dome wasnt proper poker and im happy with my play in the luckfest and at the very least i can take away many positives from being relaxed in front of the cameras and in such a big event. I await the DVD only to watch and see if anyone did bluff any pots which i doubt very much somehow.

Hotels really were on a "i got what i paid for basis" although i definitely wouldnt stay in harrahs again, monte carlo was much nicer on the eye for a very similar price and just as good a base. Caesars deluxe room was the nicest hotel room i think ive ever stayed in and if i return with the intention of playing in the card room it would make sense to pay the extra to stay there. Poker rates enforce 8 hours play a day so probably wont be an option for me. Didnt get a chance to use the pool at caesars and the other 2 were closed for the season.

Flight on way out was excellent being half full and maybe flying out on a sunday could be a good thing given the logic thats its bound to be the quietest flight in the week. Apparantly the flight back is full but i think ive got a exit seat so hopefully ill be able to stretch out a bit. Staying in a hotel at gatwick the night before also made the flight a lot more relaxing and is a must for any future trips.

Restaurants were fantastic, the steak over here is just sooooooo good and the italian i had last night in the venetian (same restaurant night before day 3 of WSOP) was as good as i remember it.

I failed to do any tourist things but didnt want to as i was just happy with the strip and the change of scene from dark cold england.

Length of stay seems to be about right, 9-11 days is enough is a surreal place like vegas but any shorter and i would have wanted to stay on. Remember from WSOP that 15 nights is too long although i could have stayed on a bit if i wanted this time with the laptop making the difference. To be honest im not bothered either way at this time that im leaving.


FOR HOME:

Hate to think how much i weigh now but i am gonna definitely sort out my fitness a bit when i get home. I can play as little or much as i feel like for the rest of february given the profit ive achieved already.

Next live event ? Well as oppose to other times i come back from a live event when i just wanna stay home for a bit im itching to get back into the live event action so i guess ill have a good look whats about to qualify for. WSOP subs aint started on crypto yet which is my favourite site of choice for satellites. GUPT £1000 events have a good structure and are worth a shot for sure. May have a go at 1 or 2 monte carlo subs but time is running short on that one.

Only other dilemna is to move out and rent a place, but after this trip i have to seriously review what i want from the game and whether ill be travelling to events every month, 3 months or what. Before now i was happy with 3 or 4 live events a year but im seriously thinking about playing a lot more than that given how smooth this one has run.

Im Done

Played a bit of live cash (about level), had a nice italian meal for $80 and went over for one last shot at caesars 7pm. 27 runners tonight and again i make it to the final 7 players without any preflop allins against anyone. I then lay QQ down after there is a raise and allin b4 me which would have been a lost race as it was. Its almost crapshoot pushing time and i move over the top of a shorter stacks allin with AJ reading him for ace rag most likely. He turns over A8 but outdraws me. If i win that pot i have 25% chips in play with 5 players left (pays to 3), i then lose the reverse pot A10std vs AK preflop for almost exactly the same 25% stack and im out in 6th. Unlucky to lose a 75% fav. then a 30% dog 2 hands running but thats life and it just wasnt to be. However, it was another confident display and i actually feel ive stepped up another notch in ability from the live games ive played this last week or so and can take a lot away to use in future big offline events.

OK time for bed. In 24 hrs time (all being well) ill be in gatwick which should be a challenge trying to drive home when im on a body clock where i just wanna go to bed. If im lucky the plane will be half full again (yeh right) and if im really lucky ill manage to get some sleep also.

May get a chance to log on at the airport i think and if so ill try and do some sort of overall review of last 10 days for my own future reference at that point. Now its time for bed.

36 Hrs Left In Vegas

Again ive had a fairly enjoyable day with just a touch of the realisation that 9 or 10 days is enough in vegas. (Harrahs Pool is also closed out of season which mayb doesnt help) Had nice steak meal for $120 before playing the $220 tourney at caesars again. This time 30 runners and again i made the final table, basically playing and sustaining a weak stack the whole game !!! I did not have any preflop all ins until A9 vs A10 to bust out in fourth but it paid to 4 so i got $560 for my troubles and im able to keep my record of 4 cashes in a row in this tournament going. I expect to play it one last time tommorrow night unless something else comes up and then its the long haul home which im obviously not looking fwd to at all at this time.

Earlier i played 2 x $100 multis online and failed to cash but won back the buy ins on cash tables + a little. Also played some live cash just now but ended up losing $200 or so which was fine cos i was tired and just passing time really and missed many many draws overall.

Bouncing Right Back

I have had another enjoyable day despite a hangover and a late start. I again entered the caesars $220 at 7pm and this time finished 4th/45 runners for $1160. My actual poker was at it highest standard and i couldnt be happier with my play really. Bet well, hands held up that should and my exit of 33 vs 99 was fair enough as the blinds were at crapshoot level and i got them in first. Also pulled off 1 huge bluff mid way through which was fun. So my live multis record over here now reads played 4 and cashed in 3 and more importantly i know how well im playing and its only filling me with more desire and confidence at the tables and online. Didnt play online though today cos of the hangover, i expect to resume a few games tommorrow if i wake up in time. 3:30am local time and im signing off for bed.

Extreme Turbo STT Result

In one word ......frustrating

In two words.......frustrating but fun

Feel like i played so well but the game was even faster than i imagined it to be so there was hardly any real poker in it. Saying that there was an excellent mood between the players and it was great fun to actually play the game. Wasnt to be and hopefully i can relax and have some drinks to kill off the rest of tonight, boy do i need em.

Hands, well ill try and write key ones now but may have to fill few more in later as im off out within 10 mins or so.

My favourite hand was at blinds of 1,2 by a mile. 2 limpers and im on the button with 84std. I sense weakness and raise pot to 11 which enduces folds very fast. I was remarkably comfortable at this table but i knew this sort of move in such a fast structure wasnt gonna make a huge difference to the outcome. Anyway i also had AK twice and AQ once, no action any time. JJ and AA 2 hands running when the blinds were up to 2,4......again no action with either. The table was just too tight and because the blinds were going up so fast i could not take full advantage of this at all. I think i might have raised a handful of other times with middle hands like 10,8off or something and just stole the blinds but really cant remember until i get the DVD copy. Hindsight says i probably wouldnt have done much different in the game. Anyway the exit hand:

4 players left im on 60k stack and its 3,6 (about to go up to 5,10 nxt hand, again key to the pot)

Button chip leader makes it 16k , my instinct was he had a hand cos of what he said before he raised but i didnt listen. As i only had 15 seconds i didnt want to look weak by using my bonus 30 seconds before moving in with 66 so i moved in strongly after 5-10 seconds. He had 10s and caught another on the flop. I stand by the move, if i had longer to think about it or indeed if the blinds were still 2,4 i would never have reraised (given his image) but thats poker , there was a chance i could push him off an AJ or KQstd or something like 77 even and win 25k uncalled so i dont regret the move one bit given the info available and the speed element also.

OK enough for now time to go out and either get sloshed or have a beer and feel too tired for more. I sense it will be the first as im on champagne in the room and its going down well :))

Late night edit (well 3:28am)

Well im pissed as a fart and might as well post for the sake of it. Regret the all in 66 a little and know im good enough to have not done it in a longer structure event but so be it.

Hindsight, sod it i suppose im good enough to realise that despite looking like a complete beginner i should have just flat called loads of hands preflop including the really big hands i did get and hoped for action, could have been a better strategy and couldnt have done any worse. Ah sod that im drunk so i say whats on my mind but in the end it was a bollocks crapshoot with *** all proper poker and just a freeroll slightly weighted in my favour with cards lottery.

GOODNIGHT

PS bugger i gottta get up in 6 hrs just to move hotel, for gods sake animal invest some more money in yourself and pay to stay in caesars you cheapskate.

PPS and stop playing the slots u dumb loser

Early morning edit:

UHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i gotta leave room in under an hour and im still drunk as a skunk and feel sick, i didnt eat anything last night cos i refused to queue up so only as expected really.

Also talking to Ryan's mate (Ryan won the heat) im told the commentator said i have no poker face cos i smile too much. LOL what absolute undiluted bullshit, i can put an ivey face on all day but my pokerface of choice in this heat was to have a genuine smile whether i had a hand or not and im sure that would be the case on both the 84std hand or the AA. Key thing being u have the same face whether raising with junk or bullets, which a commentator which has no idea about the proper game just wouldnt understand. I watched the commentator dissing Ryan 3 handed when he called an allin with 22. What a joke he was and i said this at the time and Cort who also had bust out agreed 100% with me. It was 5,10 blinds and Andre had moved in 50k on the button (with 33 as it turned out). Ryan had 22 and called with simple basic pot odds imo, christ he has to call at some point and 40k for 105k pot is just standard even if u r 50/50 at best. Obviously folding is an option but calling is certainly not the wrong move in a win only game where u are 223k vs 77k heads up if u win.

The Dome Awaits

Off in 25 minutes time although dont play the main game for 7hrs. Met nearly all players last night and was a good laugh. Structure is a total crapshoot from what i can attain so hopefully ill be lucky. Decided on a couple of strategies but will choose which one when we have done the rehearsal and i have a bit more infomation available.

I hope the next post is positive !

CAESARS

Wow this hotel and casino is the best, i already knew i liked the casino but the deluxe room mansion have put me up is absolutely brilliant. Great decor, flat screen tvs (one u can watch from the spa bath), huge walk in shower, view of the strip and just generally very easy on the eye.

Been to get a tv interview and what happens ? The camera they have used without any problems for the last 37 weeks packs in so i have to go back later. (and no it wasnt my fault LOL) Not a problem for me as im happy chilling out till dinner at 7pm anyway then its on to the dome at midday tommorrow.

Ive also got $50 meal credit and am told will receive a bottle of champagne later in my room (Oh god ill be forced to drink the whole bottle myself !!!). As well as that i also get $500 in casino chips which obviously can be used for gambling but im also allowed to cash them straight in if i want to !!!

As far as i understand the dome wont be shown on UK TV (its also been pulled off a channel in Canada that used to show it) and in fact its only on a regional version of Fox Sports. However i do get a DVD so will be able to see how i won or where i went tits up ! I think there are 3 english people in my heat along with 1 or 2 canadians or americans including a lady.

Time to Chill ;))

More Disappointing Cash

Caesars 7pm $220 game with 29 runners. Paid to 4 and i went out 4th for $550 QQ vs AJstd preflop for 45k/130k in play pot against the other weak stack. Again enjoyed the game and again survived 1 or 2 coinflips but also had some bad luck too. Disappointing to go out but had the best hand and nothing more i could do with blinds just gone up to 1k/2k. Definitely would have fancied my chances with 3 players left as had plenty of reads on the 2 left, would have been good practice, but just not meant to be like a lot of things in poker. Another good run and good live practise and my game is top notch so i will take the postives now ive had a slight gutted moan on here. btw money went up about $600 per place :( although i wouldnt have been surprised if a 3 way split was agreed as chips were roughly even.

Time for bed, bring on the deluxe suite at caesars :))

PS y is it americans (or maybe all live poker players) are obsessed with not bubbling to the point there is always at least 1 that wants to give an extra payout to the bubble giving them their money back. Dont see the point, why enter and waste four hours or more to get the same back in your wallet, you are in vegas it isnt like you arent gonna gamble with that refund anyway so you might as well gamble it on poker which is much more fun than any other form of gambling imo. I dont like bubbling, no one does, but its more exciting and if you go out fighting who cares.

Time For A Change Now Im Finally In A Routine

4:15pm just finished 4th/18 for double buy in of $109 but cards were juiced up to high heaven, so many AA at table and mostly 4 handed it was stupid. Crashed out of mansion earlier 10s vs Js on a low board, thought he AK or AQ and i was wrong. Also ran bad on a couple of cash tables and probably did a fair bit but im not gonna add it up as there was no 1 big single bust pot, i basically just missed everything badly. So its back to daily routine of shower at this time then out for some food just after 5pm and onto caesars for the 7pm $220 game again i think.

Im semi packed for the move tommorrow morning, i just hope it goes smooth and im able to get into the room at 11am, its supposed to have been arranged for an early check in. Then its an interview and if the pools open at caesars maybe that for something different as long as its hot enough. Dinner at 7pm in evening so probably little or no live poker tommorrow unless i dabble on 1 or 2 cash games just to relax and kill time.

Only thing i havent done out here is exercise but i know how unfit i am at the moment and im not bothered this week so ill worry about it when i get home i expect. Its not affecting how relaxed and level headed i feel about the dome at the moment and my general mood is very good and chilled out. It was definitely a good move to come out a week early, although it does remain to see whether i should have arranged to have gone home straight after the dome. Win or lose i might just want to go home after but we will see, ive got a good routine going at the moment so i probably wont mind.

Vegas Update

So in the end last night i made it to caesars for the 7pm $230 multi. Only 29 players but was a good friendly atmosphere and the budweisers went straight to my head on an empty stomach. Started well but ended up going out 15th AKstd vs 10s on a pot to have gone only average chips. I know i enjoyed it though as i was more gutted to leave the table than the actual money factor involved. Got a decent nights sleep and i finally think im on vegas body clock time (if there is such a thing).

Played mansion again today and got a fair run but finished about 100th/500 when my 2s ran into AA for a reasonable sized pot. Also played couple of others but to no success which was fine, my play was ok in all of them and thats the main thing.

Well its now 4:45pm so time for a shower and something to eat tonight before i have a few drinks and most likely the 7pm at caesars again i guess. Also had a phone call from Adam @ fox sports just to check up on me and ask some pre interview stuff. It appears they record an interview in caesars on the friday afternoon to put together with the live show. Also ive heard a rumour it might not be shown on UK TV as stated on another blog so ill check up on this, but personally i couldnt really care less either way.

Late night edit update:

After a nice steak meal (only $65 this time compared to the $90 the other day ! Same restaurant i just realised i ordered way too much the time before) i ventured over to caesars for the 7pm $220 game. After a bad start losing 1/3 of my stack i hit some hands and pulled off a couple of nice bluffs to progress. The blinds caught up though and i gambled big time and hit a nice share of flops. Only about 20 entered and it only paid to 3. When we hit the final table i got a mad rush of cards and suddenly was chip leader. Then before i know it i lose a massive pot that would have put me 50% chips in play with 7 players left AKstd vs K8std ...sick. More ups and downs after but still with decent hands and eventually there were 4 of us left. Others suggested a chop and it turned out to be very favourable as i got just less than 25% of money and my stack was less than 20% of chips in play. $1150 payout which is nice and helps cover the other reckless non poker gambling ive been at :))

$6000 And Gutted (Part 2 !!!)

Ive just finished 5th/509 in the mansion 100$k again for $6000. Im definitely not as gutted as last time i finished 5th as i did get my fair share of coinflips holding up. Saying that i also had some nasty luck at crucial times but overall im happy to have cashed after a strange 2-3 weeks. The big difference in this tournament was i enjoyed it, it helped having someone to watch in another game to keep me from getting impatient (cheers Romper i owe you a beer). I wont post hands except for the exit hand which i hate to say was me getting impatient :(( LOL.

Blinds 8k,16k and about to go up to 12k,24k which had a bearing on my play. I have 260k in the bb with QJstd and the cutoff makes it 48k playing a stack 50k more than mine. I move all in and he calls with 77, damn i read him as having no balls but i still was totally a 50/50 and once we reached last 5 i was 100% playing to win this time. On a board of A10x8 i had plenty of exciting outs but a blank river was me out in 5th instead of being 1st/5 with over about 35% chips in play. Hey thats poker and i know i been lucky enough to get 5th so im not mad at all. Probably will be when i think about it later :(

Remember patience, PATIENCE, SHOW PATIENCE..... It worked !!!

Online Only

Still yet to play a live game in Vegas. Was planning to last night but i had a huge meal and just felt too tired. I think i still have the tail end of this flu thing and my body clock hasnt adjusted to vegas time yet either. I woke up a few hours ago at 4am and have been playing small stuff online to try and improve my patience which i know is a skill im lacking currently. I had an awful day yesterday online with ridiculous plays and calls beating me in cash or multis. Things can only improve i guess but im at the lovely stage where you are just looking for the beat to come as you expect it in every pot you commit to. If i feel up to it i might well enter a live multi later, cant make the game any more annoying really, so ive nothing to lose except for a few hundred bucks. Currently 7am and time for breakfast then i think i will try and play some more multis online.

Note to myself, patience, PATIENCE , SHOW SOME PATIENCE.

Arrived Safely

All checked in to Monte Carlo room 27221 (floor 27 very high up with good view). Flight was the best ive had for over 2 years. It was only half full so i was able to stretch out over 3 seats and it was almost on time !!! Hotel near Gatwick was a bit of a hole but you get what you pay for and it was only for one night anyway. My body has no idea what time it is, ive just had 4 hours sleep from 4pm - 8pm and im considering getting something to eat shortly. Hopefully i'll still be able to sleep through the night tonight and get adjusted to a reasonable body clock asap. The hotel pool is still shut for the winter season but it was 17 degrees and sunny when i arrived earlier. Toothache and flu are still coming and going a bit but hopefully will settle down now im here. Room is good, and connected to internet with ease. Basically can see me playing online from midday unless i fancy a offline multi tommorrow. This will depend what time i wake up and how fresh i feel.

Ready For The Off

1 or 2 more things to do then i'll be off in an hour or so. Not looking forward to the journey one bit. Still suffering from the flu somewhat and yesterday i had emergency treatment for a tooth which is still sore today as expected before it settles down. Long journeys are often a nightmare anyway so it dont look good, but hopefully i'll get a decent nights sleep at Gatwick and feel a bit better for the flight tommorrow.

No poker played at all this month so far, totally because of the reasons above. Once my head and other bits stop aching i'll probably be itching to play so could be a blessing in disguise, who knows !