A Different Friday

Normally ive already decided to go out and get drunk. If i havent then i usually consider the option most of the afternoon and end up going out and getting drunk anyway, unless ive got something lined up for saturday night instead. 2 nights drinking in a row never agrees with my body be it hangovers or just feeling generally lethargic for a couple days after.

So anyway its different, i cant drink with these painkillers so there is no option there. I continue a gradual recovery which basically still means im flat on my back 23.5hrs out of 24. I did conquer the boredom somewhat earlier when i played 2,4$ for 3 hours this afternoon. Went 500$ down before finishing 100$ up. I lost a pot KK vs AA for $860 so 100$ up felt like a great result in the end being down for 90% of the session.

Ive played a 12£ sub so far this evening and busted that but again find myself not in the mood to play for the time being. Maybe i will feel different a bit later and catch a drunk or 2 but i have no intention of playing unless i want to. Gone against that too many times this month. Will update below if i do play later.


Late night update:

Stupid stupid but understandable results. Heads up for $500 win only i blow a chiplead and get nothing. I take time out but come back a couple hours later. I play 2,4$ very disciplined and make 300-400$ in no time with some nice hands and pay offs. Then i make my usual mistake of moving to 5,10 as i see some shocking play there. I dont get any and i blow $1000 trying to bluff a guy how makes a ridiculous river call in my opinion and ive done another £500 on the day.

Monthly profit stands at only around £1500 now and maybe more importantly yearly low is my mood for the game and for life itself. This backache really has opened my eyes up to people that have constant pains like these, especially when they have done nothing to bring it on themselves. Im struggling to cope mentally after only 1 week, i cant begin to imagine what people with constant pain do to handle it. The pain isnt the worst thing, its the helplessness and the lack of freedom to do what u please independantly. Obviously ive played poker more to pass the time than to win money this week. Yes ive been disciplined and played well often but it doesnt last and ive also run bad and played like i couldnt care less in many games. I know this isnt the way to make a living from the game and i guess i should tone down my game completely until im 100% better.

Time to sign out, i hope i can stick to what ive said above. It isnt an issue if i take as much time as i like off. The game aint gonna make me feel any better thats for sure. Unfortunately i do hav a $120 and a $160 WSOP sub tommorrow so im forced to play some stuff whatever happens. Thank god for a blog to take this crap out on, i certainly have no other outlet at present stuck in bed etc.

Sick & Bored

Of lying flat on my back all friggen day. I knew i wasnt in the mood for poker today (well not really in the mood for anything) so kept my few games very limited to break even or so. My back is improving but its just frustrating standing up for a maximum of 10 minutes every hr or 2 before being forced to lay back down again. I have nothing more interesting to write about as my day has been as exciting as this full stop --------> .

Negatives Time

Spent most of the afternoon/early evening feeling pissed off with myself and my body. I guess it was bound to happen. A bad run of luck on low stakes omaha losing $300 or so and i headed to a £2,5NL table where i prompted got aces busted by 33 and lost a total of around £400 in a very short space of time. As ive told myself many times i know i shouldnt be playing when im in the wrong mood and its just more proof of what should be obvious.

Anyway i headed back to the table at 8pm this evening and played .......

Later Edit:

OMG time to use blog for reason it was designed. Im absolutely livid mad gutted fuming , whatever else u can imagine without swearing properly. This game can be so so sick sometimes and i feel about as bad as can do from busting a tournament.

£55 12k only 191 entrants. I take an fairly aggressive stance early and it works when im allin AJ on a Q10xx board and KJ calls and i move to 3500. Basically from there i had no all ins preflop at all and played perfect poker in my optinion. Thats until there was 21 players left. Ive been taking mayb 20-30% pots around bubble fairly active with hands like 56std, 78off as well as a hellish risky but rewarded resteal with 97off all uncalled. I finally pick up AKoff and do the same raise 3xbb to 2400. Button guy moves in for 10k and has AJ and hits 2 pair and i dont improve. I win that i go to 35k chip leader at 400,800 blinds, sick but thats not all. Bubble goes and i push with Q10std in cutoff 10k as blinds have increased to 600,1200 and the table is still 7 handed. Guy on button who has me just covered folds AJ. Next hand 10 handed i move allin 15k with 99, guy next to me who had AJ hand before decides 77 is a better hand to call an allin with. Perfect ive set up another 16-20% pot for 23k. Except he catches a 7 on the turn and im left on 4k. Absolutely sick this 12k is a nightmare for me, i make things happen and that happens. A flip or being caught at it i could take but to lose 2 pots like that when ive picked perfect spots everywhere before that is totally demoralising. Of course i bust 2 hands later on a 40/60 9,10off vs KQ which unsurprisingly fails to improve for a 10k pot. I hate this game sometimes i know it rewards good players in the long run but its damn sick in the short term when it rewards fools or rocks that aint done nothing to warrant their finishing position other than get lucky.

End of rant and play for the day. ******* *********

Positives Time

The pain has eased to its mildest since Saturday.
I can actually almost walk without using a walking stick.
I might even manage to get in/out of a bath tommorrow if im lucky.
I might be able to sit upright and play poker more properly tommorrow.
I havent felt as bored today as yesterday.
Im actually looking forward to playing a normal programme of poker be it this week or next month.
I played holdem cash and made about $200.
I played omaha PL, 7 card stud and holdem blackjack for a change at low stakes and enjoyed them for a small while roughly breaking even overall.
Im not too bothered what this months profit ends up at. Given all the daft stuff that reduced my play the 2nd half of the month i can feel quite relaxed about the last few days play if there is much.
I probably wont take my health for granted, well for a week or so at least, once im better.

GG,WP,GL and enjoy the game....results will follow :))

Boredom Begins To Set In

Still pretty much stuck in bed although thankfully the pain has eased from the severity it peaked at. Apparantly ive got a problem with a facet joint(s) in my lower back. Reading up on the web about this and dont sound too good long term. Can recur any time for no reason etc and the pain i felt last night at one point was the strongest ive ever experienced in life. Just have to take a day at time for the moment anyway, hopefully it will clear and not recur often (or at all) but i may need to do stuff to reduce chances etc.

On the poker front ive been on laptop in bed half of the day but only played for an hour or so this evening. No exciting hands and i just got more bored stopping myself from getting involved with rubbish as i was 10 handed. Cant motivate myself to play any multis at the moment as i dont want to be stuck for a few hours in something in case im tired or in pain during them. I also dont like using a laptop in bed, its rather uncomfortable so i wanna set it down every so often which obviously isnt easy in a multi or 2.

Boring post i know but im bored and got nothing better to do but update. Also when i look back in days/weeks hopefully i will appreciate being free of pain and not moan about simple things in life as we all do.

Cash Games In Pain

Played 90 minutes sober and a couple of hours drunk yesterday on 2,4$ tables. Made a nice healthy $600 in total playing patient.

Today though i have donated it all back on 5,10$ plus a bit more where there was a shocking player that i just couldnt get a chunk of. 1 card makes all the difference at those stakes to hundreds dollars and when my straight was rivered by another guy i made the mistake of paying him off at the river on a fairly big pot i had made on the other streets. Yep i know i said i wouldnt go back on 5,10 but i couldnt help myself again...

The pain quote does not relate to poker. Having cleared that earache that was bugging me all week i went out to watch the shocking football and probably had around the 10 pints mark. From nowhere and for no reason i developed a pain in my lower right of my back at about 10pm which has got so much worse since. I could hardly get out of bed at one point and am still struggling big time now. I used to get a backache around that area years back but never with this level with pain and i havent done anything physical all week either. I guess im just getting old and my body is trying to tell me something. Anyway its off to take some more painkillers, i may play some of the sunday multis later, but it will totally depend on my mood and my pain level etc.

Be Lucky...

Cardiff Review

POKER:

Main Event: Happy enough with my play overall, certainly didnt play too tight and felt reasonably comfortable at the 3 tables i experienced. Maybe would have been suited to it more if it was 9 handed but cant complain. In the end i made it up to my exit hand with all my chips only ever being in danger in 1 pot on that 4 outs river when i hit trips, thats always a good sign gaining chips steadily or uncalled in these long multis. Could moan about the cards but i aint gonna as i know they could have been better or worse and i pretty much achieved what i could with what i was given. I was also pleased with my stamina and didnt feel mentally tired much all day which even surprised me a bit.

Shootout: Very happy with this and bearing in mind the strange shit that came over me at the end im happy with the result and it means im £120 up from the trip as well :)

General Set Up:
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Some of the dealers were shocking with players needing to constantly aid them. One guy had never taken collected antes before. Ive grown up playing with top quality dealers in big live events so i guess thats all i have to compare with. The non smoking rule was a joke as people could stand at the rail 2 yards away and i absolutely stank of smoke at end of the day (something im definitely not used to in poker as all been smoke free everywhere ive played before) April 1st smoke ban introduced in Wales so only 1 week too late :( . They tracked everyone with an id card and number which we had to leave on table by chips every break so they could do updates online easier (good idea). Only problem with this was some dummy decided to use playing cards and write a number on them so it just made it damn confusing sometimes to see exactly who was in the pot when most people kept this card by their chips at all times. Ridiculous idea especially if its already been done at other events which i assume would be the case. Also prompt restarts were not common after breaks and the announcements were not very audible if you were in the wrong part of the casino. I also got sat next to an air conditioning unti twice which blew ice cold air on me for long periods. The tables were far too small for 10 players and a lot of them wobbled as well. All of the above sounds very negative , no 1 thing was terribly annoying, they just small concerns really that add up.
+
On the plus drinks service was very regular and the buffet wasnt too bad. Also i should mention i got some help from a manager lady when i felt dizzy and she got me a drink, crisps and chocolate which all helped in perking me up a bit before pointing me to the cardroom supervisor who assured me the local welsh guy would honour the deal (despite the fact the casino doesnt officially allow deals).

TRAVEL & ACCOM.

Just under 3 hours returning and just over getting up there. Cant complain but as ive said before its always important to get up there the night before a big event, i lost count of the number of times i yawned in the shootout. Good clean hotel at £60/night. I was told it was £6/hour for internet which sounded a lot. It turned out i had no spare time and didnt even use the laptop so i never logged on to check those costly charges. The bonus of busting and being able to head straight home, i certainly wouldnt have wanted to hang in that casino longer than i had to.

PEOPLE

I didnt expect to see many people i knew to talk to but as it turned out i saw Clothey (CPC 2005), Fraser (CPC 2006) and also the Mad Turk (both CPCs) as well as meeting a few new people who im sure ill play against again.

FUTURE

Possibly more GUKPT events but im not too bothered if i fail to sub for more at the same time. Positives/Negatives outway each other and its business at the end of day. I expect to keep playing winners choice subs on Littlewoods but im a lot less likely to play any $100 rebuys on Blue Square now for the effort/time/reward factor to the $300 buy in.

Not sure what other events im looking at for now, the obvious WSOP is one i will try but im sure i wouldnt buy into that anyway if cash is available. Saying that if i can still get the hotel part of the package i would still go over for the holiday and play side games at other hotels if i was to win a package.

Level 9

400,800 with ante of 75 its costing almost 2000 a round if i dont play so im looking to gamble now. Its very difficult to pick spots as its 10 handed most of the time but all the same i dont want to come back on Saturday with less than 25,000 chips really and my target at the start of the day was 30,000. Bear in mind the level after this is 600,1200 with 100 ante so the jump is even bigger. Its the bold pushes/luck/get some hands key part of any tournament and here is what happened.

I didnt feel any spots at the start and basically was about 13-16k this level once i didnt play 10 hands.

I overraised a 2400 raise with 88 in the sb. He only had about 8k behind but folded very quickly. This was a risky play but i was comfortable for a flip or if he had a monster so be it.

I raised with K3off in the hijack and the button spent ages before moving in with an obvious big hand and claiming i folded AJ or maybe A10, he didnt show. (At least nobody guessed what i had from the way i was playing the whole day and often were well off the mark)

I pushed allin in my sb with K7std and took the blinds.

Then my 2 exit hands:

8 handed at this stage of a game im always going to push in with any pocket pair if im in the pot first and when i move in with 22 im called by the bb who has KK. I dont improve and lose a 20k pot leaving me crippled just under 5k.

My bb a few hands later and with huge pot odds im happy to commit against the sb who puts me allin when i see J10off its a no brainer for me. He shows A9off and a total blank board comes. I lose the 10k pot and exit in about 50-60th at 3:30am. (about 1/3 of the day 1a field in)

Level 7 & 8

New table had gone ok so far, busted a short stack AA vs 84off and stole a couple of pots uncontested as well as winning a nice smallish safe pot off Barny Boatman in an unraised pot.

First key pot was 56std. I was only in about 3rd position but the table seemed fairly tight was i was quite happy to speculate with this hand and raised it to about 1400 (200,400). Just the big blind flat called and on a flop on 6,5,3 (2 diamonds) he moved straight allin for 6000. I call expecting to see a draw or pp or some part of the board but no he has AxQx and is drawing totally to runner runner luck cards which he misses thankfully. I hit my peak stack there of 25,000 but it wasnt all gonna be roses from there on.

Another huge key pot was my bb of 400 when ive called a 675 raise from utg who is quite tight with 9,10off. flop is J8x rainbow and i check call a big bet of 2000 thinking he has either buying the pot by overbetting with a big ace or obviously he will follow up on the turn if he has hit or a has monster pp. The turn is 9h making 2 hearts on board and we check check. At this point im convinced im ahead and probably looking to check call the river, unless i hit in which case i may fire. River is 3h and i check, i didnt fancy placing a stopper bet as some of the nutters were raising big river bets with nothing and besides i actually thought in this case the bigger this guy bets the weaker it is. He actually bets 4100 which i didnt like as obviously he could have caught runner hearts or i could have been worng with my read of the pot so far. Its my toughest decision of the day by a mile by i decide to call after a long time thinking as i know how crucial it could be. He shows AhJh for he nut flush. OMG i go into instant rage and sling my cards into the muck (saying **** it under my breath) before racing off the the loos. The rage is with myself for making bad decisions but i know im gutted i didnt hit too when this guy is checking and giving me a free river on what a huge pot relative to his stack. I had 10 outs (about 22% shot) to have made for free and when i look back i would have got paid too :(

One more twist to this pot, when i return from the bogs i go to the bar for a coke and the tournament director approaches me and introduces himself. Ooops im thinking shit my swearing must have not been as under my breath as i thought. Anyway he tells me his supervisor saw me throw cards at the dealer and giving me a gentle warning. I obviously apologise as i didnt even realise i had done this (honestly yes !!!) , maybe one flicked up i dunno, but the only person i was mad with was myself when i stormed off from that table. I returned to the table and had calmed down shortly after, a change of dealer while i was away probably made it a lot less awkward LOL.

I didnt take a flop with 97std in the bb when at 200,400 a raise and call from big stacks of 1650 felt a bit too much at the time. 1200-1400 i call i think. Anyway the flop was Jc7c7x and the raiser bet huge on flop and turn both called by other guy. River of a Kc and the raiser check called what was an obvious flush (ridiculously chased) with what must have been a big overpair. Now the chaser has 9c,10c so i couldnt decide if i would have got him off the pot had i taken a flop. I guess from the way he chased the whole pot down he wouldnt have laid that hand down even if i led out and the raiser reraised. The other way being if i checked then check raised allin on the flop after the other 2 bets. It wouldnt have been a bad way to have bust and obviously i might have got a good 10-12k uncalled or more if the raiser shut out the chaser but again i dont think he would have done that either. Im convinced the more i think about it i would have bust and be moaning about a welsh calling station (believe me there plenty of that variety around) bad beat.

Another pot i stole with was in the cut-off when it folded to me on 300,600. I had been meaning to make this play all day if i got chips spare and raised to 2200 without looking at my cards (no one else was aware of this obviously). Clothey, a guy i know from the CPC 2005 stared me down from the sb before folding saying i had his QKstd well beaten after the bb folded. I couldnt resist a peak and 83off was the outcome :)

Another interesting pot was when the dummy calling station monster stack (the one above)raised my bb (600) to 3000. He had been very agressive shortly before and i was seriously considering an allin 15k over the top to resteal with KJoff (counting chips etc taking time) when he asked me if i had said allin. As he said it i realised he had just said call before that (thinking i had moved in verbally). I had not said a word and i know he would never have had the intelligence to make up this verbal stupidity on purpose so promptly mucked shortly after.

Anyway i finished that level on 18,200 with one more level left for the day.

Levels 5 & 6

Quite a bit of expectation for me now i had a few chips to play with. Both levels 150,300 the second with a 25 ante.

As it turned out i just didnt get many spots or interesting pots on these levels. Kept taking flops in raised pots to try and make move but i think the table had bigger hands or they certainly werent slowing up betting on the turn if i called a continuation bet. Think i won a missed flop with A9 being the raiser when i reraised the 8 high flop 600 bet by the other guy and also maybe won an AK reraise preflop. Apart from that i missed a few low pps and 1 or 2 gutshot/mid pairs that i got as far as the turn with. Finished up on 15.7k after 6 levels having just been moved to a new table with some large stacks on.

Levels 3 & 4

10,800 didnt move much at my new table.

First hand of interest was sb unraised pot with maybe 4 others in at 75,150. I had 23std and the flop came 22J. I led out for 400 and got 1 caller. Turn was a 6 and i led out for 1000 which was called. River was a 10 and i bet 1600. The guy took ages and made lots of cringes which set my memory into overload. I realised id played with this guy before as i remembered being in a pot or 2 with him before. We spoke later on and he was a guy i clashed with in St Kitts $220 event that i cashed in and had busted him out of just before the final table. Anyway he finally made the call and i was expecting to see KJ,J10 or QJ. He shows 25std and we split !!!

I then took lots of flops missing many and getting bet out of 1 or 2 hands and dribbled down to a low of 7500 feeling sorry for myself:

100,200 in the bb i pick up J8off and just button and sb call.
flop is Jd8x7x and we all check. turn is 6d and sb bets 500. I know i have the 8d in my hand as i always take care to memorise suits preflop so i dont have to look back unless i need to. However i look back to make the sb think im on a single card flush draw hoping that he will call a pay me bet on river if no diamond comes. River is a blank 3 and sb checks as i expected. I hope ive looked weak on this and but a good sized 1000 in expecting a call. He thinks then calls but mucks claiming he had a lower 2 pair. Im back to 9500 and the next hand comes 5 minutes before the 75 minute dinner break.

I flat call 200 utg+1 with 77 and everyone folds. A,6,3 and bb bets 300. I call to chase/see if he fires on the turn. I catch the golden 7 on the turn and he bets 500. I reraise it 1000 more and he immediately moves allin just covering my 9000 stack. Again a no brainer i call at the speed of light and he shows A5off and misses the 4 outs river. Lose 700 nxt hand raising AJstd and being reraised by AK who showed when i passed and went to dinner with 17,700 and very happy.

GUKPT Cardiff Main Event (Levels 1 & 2)

I must have been awake and well with it because i can remember loads of details from yesterday so im going to post as much as possible:

10,000 starting chips and a 1 hour clock.

Lost 1000 chips early bluffing with king high on a 9h,6h,5x,3h,9x board in a raised pot. Got the quick reminder calling stations will not even consider not folding a hand such as JJ and i mucked the bluff.
Lost another 500 going as low as 8500 missing flops then i caught a couple of hands:

10d,8d i made it 150 utg+1 and only the button called. Flop, KdQx8x both checked. Turn xd and i bet 200, which was raised to 600 and i called. River was another low diamond and i led out for 1000. He called and mucked and i recovered back to 10k.

Called a raise of 300 with AKdd in position after an early raise with the sb coming in too. Flop was Jd5d3x and i raised the raisers continuation bet of 500 to 2000 in total. He thought for ages then folded (didnt show but claimed he had QQ, i know he was a good player but im not sure if he was just after infomation from me or not). Both him and Mad Turk sat next to me were dying to know what i had and both seemed to think i had AA !!!

I peaked at 12k but got moved to a new table shortly after and finished at 10,800 at the first break.

Other hands of note which i wasnt in were:

utg raises to 150 and utg+2 reraised to 400. turk calls on button and so does raiser.
flop Kx5h3h and reraiser bets 500 which is flat called by both. turn is a Ax and it checks to the turk who bets 1200ish, just the reraiser calls. river is 10x and checked to turk he bets 2500. i totally felt he was at it here as i was postive he would have played any big hand a lot faster but when the other guy called with KhQh he wasnt happy and made it clear to the guy it was a terrible call. Turk didnt show but i put him on a mid or low pp.

early raises to 300 which is called by the turk, sb and bb. Flop comes JxJh10h and bb bets 400ish which is called by turk and sb. Turn is a blank and bb bets 1000ish. turk calls and sb (who get slated by the turk after the hand folded KhQh !!!). River is a blank and bb bets 2200. Turk only has 6200 left and makes it damn obvious he has a massive hand by only minimum raising to 4400 after a lot of trash talk which obviously meant he had the hand won. Im surprised he didnt move allin actually as it would probably have got the same result. Anyway the calling station has to call with his A10 !!! The turk showed JJJJ !!!!

Cardiff £100+£10 Shootout

A bit tired from the drive up but played this tournament as a warm up. 4000 chips 72 players and 8 tables of 9 with the winner from each going through to the final table of 8 (£150 for 8th rising to £2700 for 1st)

4000 chips, a 30 minute clock and not too bad a structure. Played tight early just seeing flops where i felt any implied odds warranted it etc. First key hand came at blinds of 100,200:

Limped with AA utg and a fairly aggressive guy raised me to 600. I contemplated a reraise but wanted him to hit and go for a double or bust really so just flat called. Also i was already aware of how ridiculously some players overbet there hands so i felt no need to reraise. Flop of K,J,10 and i check. True to form this guy (who has 12k cos he has knocked out 2 players with his overbets so far) just moves straight allin. I immediately call for my remaining 3600 chips (yes its only a 1500 pot on the flop !!! but this was a total no brainer) and he shows QQ. I hold and remain around 8k until we are 4 handed. After losing a couple of pot odds calls i finally knock out the blind out rock to my left A9 vs AQ and we are 3 handed.

Same guy (QQ vs my AA) raises my 400 blind to 1200 and i have him covered. I dont put him on a great hand so am quite happy to take a flop with 10,7std the way he overplays hands. A lot of allins had gone before this raise and this was first raised flop for while. Flop is 10,8,5 and i check. True to form this time he moves allin about 6k (yes the pot was only 2800 this time !!!). I call confident im ahead and he shows A5 and doesnt improve.

So i go heads up 22k vs 16k. I get a few hands near the start without action AK,AQ and it appears the guy is quite tight. I then got KK and decided to limp as he just wasnt calling any actions. I actually lost a couple thousand on that hand as he had 37off and the board came A6546. I then lost more trying a play when he raised which in hindsight was daft as he was a rock and i should have just kept agressing the button etc. Anyway went down to 12k then again lost some more when he reraised me preflop when i was at it. I then agressed post flop big time and got back to 12k with 1 or 2 big gambles.

What i havent mentioned is just before, but basically when i went heads up the earache ive had all week kicked in big time. I felt dizzy and disorientated and felt like i would fall over if i stood up. Basically like you feel if you are on a boat on rough seas. Anyway realising it was not a good option for me to hang around an hour then play a shootout final for 2-3hours till 4 or 5 am i offered a deal for the local chap to play (as he was playing ok) and for me just to get 33% of his takings. A good deal for him given the chip equity but i just wanted to sort myself out for tommorrows game and would have taken nothing the way my head felt. Anyway the next day i found he finished a respectful 4th/8 for £700 so i was up £120 from my investment. Also the paracetamol and much needed sleep worked and i felt great all day for the main event (see next post)

Not To Plan So Far ......

Playing Mansion 11am and still in. Probably destined for another bubble, after just losing AQ vs 89off to hav gone 20/100 (pays to 54) im shortish stacked 10k at 400,800 instead of a comfortable 23k. Sick board too QxxJ10 got me a tad annoyed lets say. Was hoping to leave around now but still to eat today and gotta have bath and pack the car !!! If i get paid it wont be too bad but 64/89 im favourite not to now :(

Earache worse if anything as well :( Reminder take paracetamol.

56/81 10k stack, 600,1200 blinds

bugger read a dummy big stack for a weak hand in a gay raised pot but he had flopped trips. oh well better to go out fighting, runner runner straight almost came but so be it. Another flaming stupid bubble in this tournament to add to the huge collection. Out 76th, with runners could have gone 13th just as always to prove i prefer these moves than blinding out in long run.

Cardiff Bound

After that last outburst ive hardly played, i leaked a bit more cash on Monday for an hr or 2. After that ive only played 1 multi and 1 sit & go. Nothing much to report, ive not been in the mood at all to play and have had earache since Sunday which doesnt help with relaxing and concentrating (both hugely important factors in my game). If i can shake if before Thursday it will be a bonus but if not i hope i have a quiet table to play on :). Ive also felt unable to exercise in fear of making it worse, especially in the cold wind and this is not exactly the build up to a fairly large live game i would have liked. That said im looking forward to a change of scene and 2-5 days away. Basically if i dont survive day 1a i will be home Friday, if i dont survive day 2 i will be home Sunday and if im good/lucky enough to make the final day then i wont make it back until Monday. Im still standing by my freeroll stance on this one. I expect nothing and hope to just get a feel for the tables im at and enjoy playing them. No strategy, will depend on the table at any given time i guess. Expect updates on here as im taking a laptop and hopefully will have internet access available.

One Day It Will Change

But for now i need a good damn moan about how every ****** time i play higher stakes (5,10$ in this case) i never get any luck and always seem to get done over and lose a hard earned wad from lower stakes. Its absolute ******** and one day i will clean up on these higher stakes against these lucky fools.

Lets just say this pot sums up every venture ive ever taken at 5,10$NL and beyond and serves as a good reminder why i should stay at lower stakes where the swings are still big relative to blinds but i dont always lose and know im so damn unlucky when im playing.

5,10.....bb AA 6 handed...........utg limps......sb makes it 65....he complete fish so i suck him in with 130$ total and of course he calls. Flop is QQ10 and he moves straight allin for my 700$ i have left. I call immediately and his J10 catches a 10 on the turn to take the $1600 pot. What an absolute joke and ive just done £1000 in total drunk (but not drunk, i sobered up quick when i sat down but just got totally outdrawn on that pot and a few others).

****** great im still up nicely for the month but y i insist on chasing these fish on higher stakes when they always win i never know and if i cant cope with this constant variance against me i know i should be playing 2,4 and 3,6 maximum but try telling me that sober let alone mildly drunk when some of the worlds worst players are at these stakes.


RANT OVER AND WAS MUCH NEEDED G'NIGHT

Almost A Day Off

After 2 days almost flat out at the tables i felt i needed a day off for sure. I didnt play at all until 1am in the morning for 2 hours and that almost didnt happen as my connection was playing up. I didnt get drunk in the end so most likely that will happen Sunday, although tommorrow is still possible. I have some weird Monte Carlo freeroll on pokerstars for 1st deposit but have no idea how many are in it, hundreds i expect. Its at 7pm so any Saturday night out would depend on that i guess.

Just some cash for 2 hours in the end today and a nice $500 profit to show even with an AA vs 99 losing for $360 and no beats in my favour :))

It Could Be Time For A Drunken Night Off ?

Much following the same pattern as last night i played the cash tables all afternoon. After going over $800 down i managed to recover to about level. I failed in my mtts , bubbling in Mansion yet again 99 vs AK to have gone 40/70 (pays to 54). Poker has been a bit volatile for my liking over the last 24hrs but this will always happen and the line between large winnings and a slight loss or level can often be a very thin one. Still knocking on the right doors in big enough games so im sure im still playing well but a day off could be a good thing tommorrow, we will see. Tempted to go back on the cash tables in a minute so may update this post later if i do but not sure at this moment.


Late Night Update:

I did hit the cash tables and again for a period followed the same pattern. Lost over 800$ before recovering to level. Then i lost 400$ back in a pot with top 2 pair against bottom trips on the flop. I thought i should probably stop then as it was (and is) very late but the table had some shocking players so i stayed longer and was glad i did. I hit a few nice hands and got back to level but then the short handed table filled up to 10 and again i knew i should go to bed but vowed to stay a few rounds looking for QQ or better or a set as the table was pure nuts. It was then that my biggest winning cash pot to date occurred.

3,6$ and UTG+1 i get KK and make it 33$ (an overraise but utg has limped and this table is nuts i dont want more than 1 caller ideally)

I actually get 3 callers ! and utg folds ! Flop is a KQ5 rainbow and i bet 100 into the 140 pot.
Next guy moves allin for 270 total and the worst player at the table who is a total calling station flat calls him.
I have the option to reraise so obviously do and make it another 320$ (ie ive put 500 in on the flop in total !)
He calls (of course !!!) and the turn is a harmless 3 but a second diamond.
The calling station could easily be drawing dead here if you saw how bad he was but all the same the pot is big enough and i move in for my last 510$ which is the same as the total flop bet anyway ! He now folds and i win the pot against the AQ that moved in on the flop when a harmless river jack came.

Total pot won (excluding the returned turn bet) in the end was $1620 ! Boy ive been waiting all week for something like that and it finally comes along in the form of a monster :))

Only problem i have now is the calling station just outdrew someone for another huge pot and is stacked again. Its almost 5am and im split between staying on a bit and going to bed. As its 10 handed im justified to go when i like but half the table are nutters so if i hit a monster board its so likely i will get paid.

God knows what i will raise to if i get KK or even AA in the hole, LOL.


Even Later Night Update

Oh man ive gone golden all of a sudden. My friend busted most of his 1300$ with J10off on a 10 high flop (but not to me), other guy only had K10 but pumped the flop and caught a king on the turn when the money was going in anyway. Anyway shortly after i pick up AA again and this time take his last 209$ which is only too happy to commit all of preflop with K9off, At the same time i get a guy on JJ who obviously also doesnt believe my rereraise in mid postion of a 10 handed table and also donates his 300$ as well. GOLDEN :))

Was just about to leave for bed but matey reloaded to 120 and doubled through, i cant leave :)) . 5:20am nooooooooooooooo LOL . Ah as i write this hes lost it all bar 36 with Q8off preflop against A10std 200$ preflop , Oh dear. I can confirm that he is the worst player ive ever played at any stake of poker live or online, i guess the money means nothing to him as he doesnt get involved in any chat, even when people are stupidly abusing him and just plays his own game. Also he is from from sweden, you dont often see scandies calling you down, they supposed to be the ones betting !!!

Comfort Zone

I used to like playing poker in a sort of comfort zone up until a week or so ago and this is definitely when i dont achieve my best results. Occasionly ive stepped out of this zone and am fearless. Its now something im looking to do much more often, (several times a day in fact) especially in tournaments. The extra excitement of difficult decisions adds to the thrill of the game and is a much better way to bust a tournament rather than waiting for decent cards all the time then moaning when they dont hold up. When the money means something to you and the pressure and excitement is there its the best game in the world and im almost certain my playing style of late has now become the most enjoyable for me (still await to see if the most profitable). Obviously not everyone can play this way and obtain a long term profit. I now find myself checking flops that i would never have checked at all in the past. Im finding myself playing awful cards sometimes when it just feels right as the information available on the other player(s) means this is more exciting and not a losing strategy. Yes i get it wrong sometimes and find those tough decisions timing out more often but its great in the long run and i know i will be rewarded long term. The ability to change gears has always been one of my better skills but i think im on a new level at the moment and hope the results will prove this for the rest of this year and beyond.

With respect to cash games, well im playing 6,8 or 10 handed lately so have a good variable starting hand selection dependant on this and of course the players at the table at any one time. Yes i often rock up in both cash and tournaments but i prefer it more when ive just been active and decide to rock up. A big hand then when everyone else thinks you are playing loose is the best reward in poker when it holds up of course.

Anyway enough of the ramblings, tonights games. Never got going in mansion and crashed out 99 vs QQ about half way down the field. The only other "multi" i played was the 13 player winners choice £77. Was a bit mad with myself a few minutes back but ive calmed now. Basically apart from a ridiculous JJ vs 33 (the guy called 2800 preflop at 100,200) allin my stack was never in any preflop danger until we reached the last 3. Unforunately i had dropped back to joint 2nd after having been 1/9 and 1/8 (win only for £1250 package) with 1st having over twice my chips. In hindsight i wish i had raised with rubbish more as i played too defensive as a short stack is "supposed" to and look for a double opportunity. The other shorter stack moved allin far too often given the blinds and i was really hoping to pick up a hand and bust or double through him as the chip leader was very tight and i think i would have been a big favourite against him heads up even with a 40/60 disadvantage start. Anyway i made a mistake of gaving away a free card in one pot and let the other shortie catch. I then chose to check raise a raised pot with king high and got reraised allin which left me on only 10xbb. I then finally exit on a 50/50 only to get back where i had almost been before. I live and learn and i would approach that situation a bit different next time with the same stack against the same players. Like i said i was a bit angry with myself but i know why and its all been put to memory now and im fine.

Cash games have been good so far today (more than cover above entrance fees) and i might play some more shortly as long as im 100% calm and relaxed after that nonsense above.

Speaking of comfort zones, i went for a longer jog earlier. Only 3 miles (more than the normal 2 miles) and boy was it a struggle but im on the right road and with the excellent weather and the extra daylight soon im hoping to get my fitness back and enjoy a lot more outdoor activities this spring/summer and a lot less poker until the short autumn/winter nights return :))

LATE NIGHT EDIT:

2.5 hours on cash tables, at my lowest i was $1500 down just on 2,4$NL but luckily managed to recover to only $340 down. A good reminder of keeping my head on and testing my patience which is easier said than done sometimes. Anyway i guess that makes me about level for the day and im done 100% now.

GUKPT Cardiff Confirmed

I ended up driving to Plymouth today and paying my entry there so that my funds are definitely cleared and im 100% entered into the GUKPT at Cardiff. I have confirmed entry and am playing on Day 1 which is next Thursday. Im really looking forward to another decent offline event (£1050) and if i do well it will be a bonus. I go there with no expectations except to try and enjoy myself on and/or off the table. If its good i will be looking to sub qualify into as many remaining events of the tour as possible including the obvious one of Plymouth in September. I will probably be after that one anyway as its the only other one really easy for me to get to. Ive also booked my hotel for 2 nights, if i make it through to the 2nd day on Saturday i will have to extend this which could be fun as most hotels are booked up. I would have Friday all day spare to worry and sort this out though so not really an issue. There is a £100 shootout (max 100 players) at 8pm on the Wednesday but i guess this is likely to be full, if not i will probably use it as a warm up game after the drive up there if im not too tired.

Again similar to last night im tired still having got up earlier and not slept that well again. I wasnt gonna play at all and avoided all multis but did play a couple of stts (for a change) and lost before making another chunk on cash tables for a couple of hours play which i was very happy with in the end.

An Early Night

Very tired after last night so decided to just play mansion and the 12k and the 8k.

mansion i lost 33 vs AJ to have gone 60th/250 (550 entrants).

12k i ended up weak after trying to play without any real cards and busted 77 vs 99 vs AK for only a 4500 pot at 150,300.

8k lost a big pot to have gone 22/160 when i raised 4xbb with 99 after a limper who took a flop and had QJoff on a 9,10,K board !

Thats fine im totally happy with my play in all of them and im very happy also in a way to have gone out early as i think i need to chill out and switch off after a busy weekend. Im also driving to Plymouth tommorrow to confirm my GUKPT entry for Cardiff next week. Im semi reserved a seat to play Day 1A (1 week Thursday) as long as the money makes it to Cardiff by Thursday im told. I could do by post but this is faster and hopefully fail safe. I also have 1 or 2 other things i can get whilst there too.

Well What A Week Its Been

Cash games the last 24 hours or so have been golden, im probably back into profit for the month due to this although im not doing any tallying up just yet. With a GUKPT seat (hopefully Cardiff next week if Littlewoods are able to register me this week, the chap who deals with it has been away in Dortmund) and 0.5% of a racehorse everything has almost clicked into place all of a sudden. Im going to read back to my last bad post where i hated the game only 5 or 6 days ago and read that to really remind me how much your outlook can change so quickly.

I actually know im playing a much different style this week which obviously has resulted in me going out of games earlyish or going out around the bubble or beyond often for a monster stack. Its much more fun, im thriving on tough decisions in raised pots instead of trying to make everything at the table too easy and i know this is giving me a lot more satisfaction when im playing.

Another Crazy Day In The World Of Animal Poker

Despite one of worst hangovers to date i managed a great day and am still playing now but felt i would blog as i go for a change.

First of all a 980$ pot on 2,4$ cash (500$ profit on the day for 75 mins play).

6 handed i raise utg to 12$ with JJ and get 3 callers including to loose agressive bb. Flop is rainbow 852 and i bet 30 into the 50$ pot. Other 2 fold and big blind min raises to 60$. I decide im ahead but choose to only call as i put him on only a little bit of the board and certainly not a set and want him to bet some more. The turn is a 9 and he bets about 2/3 pot to which i call again (often i would push here but feel this was still the right play against this player). The river is a queen which im happy to ignore as its unlikely to help his hand. He pushes all in though for almost 300$, i had a tough decision and also i didnt mention i was on a speed table where you only get 10 seconds to act ! Instinct told me i was ahead so went with it and he showed 77 , phew like i said it was a tough call but i was glad i made it for sure :)

Next a £12 sub for the 40k which i managed to bubble 5th in when there was 2 entries and cash to 3rd and 4th. :( top pair in a sb limped pot when the limper had a better kicker and the blinds almost made it unfoldable given the situation.

Next the 12k, never got going early but managed a double up with aces and never had all my chips at risk until the last 33 players when i hit a set with 44 vs 99 and AA to go from 30th to about 9th. Unfortunately it was shortlived as i couldnt care less about the bubble so when the big chip leader reraised me allin i called with AK and failed to improve against QQ. Pot was to go 1st/31 on 40k at 800 blinds but i bubbled again. Earlier in the game i managed somehow to not bust AK vs 1010 vs JJ when i reraised preflop strongly and missed the flop. Both players went all in and left with 7xbb i almost called and would have been justified to but would have lost.

Oh dear maybe in running blogging was not a good idea. Ive just close to bubbled in mansion (pays to 54) finishing 64th on a pot that would have put me 8th/60 on a huge 34k stack relative to the 1200 blinds :((. I played good solid poker in this today but also got paid well with aces 3 times but i guess this not meant to be. As it was near the bubble at 600,1200 i decided i wasnt going to fold to a rerraise so pushed 17k allin with AQoff which im a bit annoyed about being called by JJ. The flop hit my ace too but the jack hit the turn just to seal the deal. I know he was ahead but it was almost all his stack too, oh well only AK,AQ,QQ 1010 were the holdings i would have done this with in the position i was but thats irrelevant.
I was actually chipleader early for ages before losing a 13k pot (the average was only 7k and blinds 100,200) with flush draw and middle pair against top pair weak kicker (i think i was favourite but with 13k left i was always committing to the hand). 13k still left me in 6th just to put it into context how big a pot that was. I then lost AKstd vs JJ for a 10k pot leaving me on only 9k in 46th or something. I got a nice double shortly after with an 80% preflopper and then stole well to make it back up towards 20k before the exit above. Crazy that in the end i bubble in both on coinflips for massive pots but thats a good sign in the long run anyway.

Its great fun at the moment playing poker and i would like to think my game is at a very high standard these last few days as well. The best thing about this is when i bust im much more gutted rather than angry. My rediscovered tournament play really helps and i now feel ive got a very good balance of cash and tournaments to play as often as i like.

Still in the smaller buy in leaderboard events but not stacked in either although approaching the bubble in the 8k LOL. What a night, again i cant help thinking how different it could have been. The ups and downs ive had the last few days are just crazy. WSOP $480 game didnt reach 18 players so it was cancelled and ive got the cash instead. Not the worst thing for me given my hangover and the shock of the mansion and 12k exits a short while ago.

Update:

4k$ allin 10s vs A5std loses on pot to get ok stack back to 60th/120 odd. :(
8k£ 47/57 (pays to 40) LOL.

Ah10x vs JJ allin, board 10h9h7hJhAx, 21/56 but i will still bubble :))
AQstd push steals limper and blinds 23/52
Comfort food if i bust so dont mind, damn the takeaway shut 2 minutes ago :((
Damn no cards or spots and a 7xbb push on the button with Q10std was no good against a debatable A9std call in the sb and i finished 31st for a £1 profit. Again the pokergods tease me with a A,Q,10 flop but an ace on the turn seals the deal and im off for food.

Animal Is A Bad Boy

You were found spamming and promoting other sites in our poker room chat facility. This is not tolerated and therefore your chat facility has been disabled.

Please be informed that your chat facility will be disabled for the period of one month.

In the future, please avoid spamming in the poker room chat facility to avoid inconvenience.

Thank you for your cooperation.


Kind regards,

Harry
Poker Specialist




In my defense i didnt realise i wasnt allowed to promote Interpoker (through rake the rake)which is obviously a cryptologic site when im playing on the cryptologic site LOL. Anyway i think i know who reported me for this given the table chat and lets just say i wouldnt be surprised if i got a permanent ban the next time i meet him at a table.

Anyway if there is any readers who dont have a interpoker account i would recommend signing up immediately this month. The deal for March is 40% rakeback (which they are not allowed to advertise) and also a $10,000 freeroll all new players get into. There may be a smaller one for new players only as well but im not 100% sure on that. Sign up with RAKETHERAKE using my link and when you send an email to give them account details tell them my name and account number as referral. Thanks in advance.

Betfair Response

Thank you for your e-mail.

I am sorry to hear you have been experiencing these problems, and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. We are aware of these problems (1) that are due to ISP Providers, who restrict bandwidth during peak hours. We are currently investigating the matter with them.

However, feel free to contact your ISP provider and ask them to open some ports for you. Maybe (2) that would help. May I suggest you update some critical software such as your Operating system (3) or Direct X. Also when running our software, it is best to close all other applications (4) running at the same time.

You may also visit http://www.3.betfairpoker.com/help/faqs/index.html for further troubleshooting problems (5). It is in our interest that you enjoy using our website, but please understand that some problems incurred are due to external problems (6), not internal. I do hope that this email has helped you and I hope there will be a time when you start using our software again.



LOL OK lets look at the labelled numbers parts to just go over this:

(1) Aware of the problems, wow as far as i understand the site has been up for about 6 months and whilst admitting problems they have failed to sort such a major problem for some players.

(2) LOL "Maybe" that would help, fills me with such confidence. I think ive made it clear that im not messing around with stuff like this as im no computer whizz and have no wish to tamper with things i have no idea about and shouldnt neeed to know about just to play a poker site.

(3) As (2) , i have no idea what they are talking about. LOOOOL

(4) OMG u are having a laugh and this seals the deal for me. No other poker sites at same time LOL, also i guess this implies no messenger or music software at the same time. Your poker site is just not good enough for me to warrant all that !!! .

(5) No thanks i aint wasting any more of my time to try to play hassle free on such a shitty graphics software.

(6) That makes me feel so much better, what exactly is this statement meant to achieve. As far i as read it it means: "The problems are not our own making so we are not responsible fully for them and we really have no idea how to sort them out fully due to this." Get a grip betfair !


That email made me laugh a lot and i figured i should post a response on here given i posted the original sent email.

The Longest Post

Believe me it would be if i went into detail about my poker today. Basically ive had the most craziest beats (both ways), the craziest stack changes in multis, just the nuttiest game of poker overall ive had ever maybe in one day. Im not going to mention any hands though because there would just be far far too many and im tired. The strange thing was ive really enjoyed playing again, long may it last. The rollercoaster of poker is a fun game when your head is in the right place to just laugh it all off.

Failed to cash in mansion or the 12k but in the other 3 multis i did cash.
16/246 in the $27 $4k
28/323 in the £27 £8k

And finally the result of the night was top 3/65 players $25 on ladbrokes for a share of 0.5% in their new promotional racehorse "laddies poker 2", supposed to be worth in the region of $1000, but more importantly to me a good fun factor to it. Chances for VIP trips to racecourses again and of course the fun of watching the horse run live or on tv !!! I'll put a link up asap to the details for sure.

Also got into blue square and tried some cash games, still undecided on the network for cash games but i think i can find the tables i like and will give it a decent run for sure.

Positive Thinking Rewarded

I knew if i put the effort in this mini bad run would change and it certainly did to some extent tonight. Generally i just played better overall and was rewarded with a £1250 package from a £77 buy in on Littlewoods with only 13 runners. I expect to use this to buy into a GUKPT tour event (see link from blog). Likely contenders being Cardiff or Plymouth but i havent even looked at the schedule yet but will shortly as im only left in 1 small multi now (no i busted before end of post, booooo).

Details of games:

Winners choice £77 :

13 runners and never got going early levels but as the blinds went up i got AA (7 or 8 left) and played it slow to get a nice double through to 3k.

From that point until heads up i was never allin and called, managed 1 or 2 resteals when 4/4 (but not too short stacked) and progressed nicely. The others knocked each other out which then left me 7k vs 19k heads up.

Played some good standard heads up play before picking up AA which i got reraised with. All the chips went in on the K44 flop and he showed 88. Sight chip lead i hoped i might chip away and avoid prefloppers if possible but when i got reraised holding AK after losing a little of my stack i felt i had to push and vs 10s i hit to gather all the chips bar 1800. They got back to 4000 before i finally won with A7 vs 86off preflop when the blinds had just increased.

So its not cash but its a decent buy in tournament with a fairly decent structure i think as well, finally something to look forward to and a step in the right direction.


12k £55

I decided to be a bit more agressive in this one and it paid off for once progressing to 2500 from 2000 early levels. Went totally card dead then though and nothing even linked at all for ages. Finally got AA vs QQ at 75,150 blinds and got up to the 4-6k range. I then lost AQ vs KK when there was about 60 players left at 200,400. Pot would have put me 15th or so at time but fair enough i had the worse hand. Just played tight short stack poker then without being called until i made the money. Finally crashed out 28th when i made a correct but tough call. In the big blind 800 with AJoff and 5800 behind a 8k stack moved in mid position allin. Now the range i would have with 8k there would be less than or a coinflip to an AJ too often so i decided to make the call as i wanted to try and get a stack now. AJ vs KQstd and he hits a full house, pot would have took me 15/28 but not to be.

Mansion $100

Mansion followed a similar pattern to the 12k to begin with and i managed to get to 5k before i went nuts check raising allin with 96off (i was the raiser preflop) on a Q,10,8 board only to be called ridiculously by A10 !!! The pot was huge relative to the blinds and i hit a 7 to get a monster stack. My new tactics at the moment include playing draws or strong draws very hard if i think i can get someone off a hand and i would have been happy to crash out there although the call was very very dubious anyway. Anyway with this stack i played a bit looser and stole on what what a tight table before losing a bit betting a flop at turn against a serial caller. Down to 7500 but still with plenty of loose table image i raised with QQ and got reraised 3800 allin by 77, exactly the spot i had been building up for. Anyway a river 7 came and i felt sick as i would have gone to 12k and about 20th/120 players. Left crippled i tightened up and picked up a double KK vs Q10std before and playing 8k finally crashed out with this hand. Blinds 300,600 and im in the bb with AJstd, folds round and sb playing 9k makes it 1800. I move allin and he calls immediately with KQoff and hits. Pot was to have gone 20th/108 (pays to 54) with a 16k stack
and again i felt a bit sick but more gutted really as i had taken the winners choice game before i bust in this and the 12k. Again i dont like mateys KQ call allin after raising , he should just push allin if he is going to call my allin (as the 8k stack did in the 12k) but these people pay my wages so i cant complain.

Blue square gave me a new password but have now locked my account for no reason so i have still had no chance to play cash games on their new network, email last night but still no response. Removed all trace of betfair as per last post which with hindsight im glad i did as my head felt a lot clearer in the multis tonight after that rant :)

Goodbye Betfair

Please do not be offended personally by this email as it is directed at betfair as a whole, i need to get this off my chest.

What an absolute joke of a new poker site you have created, i hope someone got fired for this. As a player that grew up on betfair poker (introducing many mates to it) and probably at my peak was raking £500/month (not a lot but a fair amount and nowadays i rake about £1500-£2000 a month across a few sites) on your site and i cant believe the path you have followed. I have not complained before as when the site was first running i expected problems and when experiencing them (disconnections mainly, but the graphics are a joke too) i just didnt play the site for a couple of months and then tried again. Having now tried this 4 times experiencing disconnections for no reason (other sites running fine on my computer so dont tell me its my issue) when no one else seems to be i am left with only 1 path, that being to withdraw all cash and vow to not return for at least many months or even for good. This disgusts me because you have some good value tournaments but whats the point in that if your site just frustrates me.

The final straw is tonight when my computers and internet connection are both fine yet i fail to be able to even log into your site and knowing my mate who lives 3 miles away is on the software fine without a problem just makes my decision for me.

I hereby sever all ties with your company for the near future so i am able to keep my sanity and be able to just play poker with ease without having to worry about regular disconnections and annoying graphics.

A copy of this email will be posted on my blog shortly http://pokeranimal.blogspot.com/ as i feel its my duty as a full time professional player to inform people of this nonsense and steer both social and serious players away from this joke of a poker site.

If this comes across offensive in any way i apologise, but im saying it as it is and how many see it in the hope your company will see sense in the long term.


Thanks for many enjoyable poker games on the cryptologic system but goodbye for now.


Robert Price

Just Not Placing In ANY Multis

Played a few different ways tonight and the only one i really enjoyed was the $25 11pm game when i played as a maniac. It paid off early and i got a decent stack which moved up and down like a yo-yo before eventually busting AQstd vs 22 (stupid call by backwards dummy) , pot was to go 10/57 (282 runners) but more importantly to get back to a fun playable stack. That annoyed me more than any potential earnings. Maybe i will play 1 multi a day like that though, was a bit of an eye opener and a lot of fun too.

Only other multi i got anywhere in was the £55 12k which well stacked i proceeded to get bad beat followed by card dead but eventually busted AK vs QQ for a decent sized pot when roughly 30/60 to have crept up back into top 15 of so.

Head still isnt right for the game, i feel lost without cash games on a site where i feel comfortable. At the same time i doubt my tournament play because my cash game totally changed my outlook on a game i was once very comfortable at playing. Oh well my best chance at the moment is the WSOP satellites which im told will be $12000 cash (and not forced to enter) which, as i mentioned in comments below, i would take over the seat every time.
Also moody, tired and bored i "got away" with a stupid casino gamble last night, i just hope i learnt my lesson. Telling people about it only makes me embarressed which i have done so that hopefully i will have more control next time im tempted in there.

Leaking Cash

So far thats the story of March, a few frustrating bubbles and no wins of any significance. Played few multis today but cant be bothered to go into any details, basically nowhere in 2 of them, bubbled in one of them. I did manage to win a $40 WSOP double shootout and make it to the $480 final stage on saturday night, my first real decent chance of a WSOP seat but still roughly a 1/25 shot i guess. Luck in the right places seems to be what im lacking at the moment, i know im playing ok when im in the mood, it will change, i must be patient as i have been tonight.

Tired Hungover Undisciplined Poker

Unfortunately i didnt realise just quite how much this would have an effect on my enjoyment and probably my play until i was well into a session. Probably a good $1000 lost on the day so it seems March has arrived to test me in a big way.

Tried some cash games on another new site but this was definitely not for me, a pot bet button means a lot of the looser players price me out of a pot too often. Anyway the most damage was done when i reraised a 12$ raise on 2,4$ to 33$ which was called by 2 players. I had KK and the flop was Qxx with 2 hearts. utg bet and i raised which made me committed to the bb who pushed (with QQ). utg came along too with QhJh and turn/river J made my KK look like 72off and i lost a $1200 pot. Simple cash variance, where was my plain jack high flop :( ? But anyway like i say first and last cash session on that site because of the pot bet button.

Tourneys same sort of story as late, committed to JJ on a 10 high flop, other guy has AA. Did win 88 vs JJ in mansion and progressed to a large stack for a bit. This then destructed when KJ ran into AA and then the final hand took the mickey when i raised with A%, flop 559. I had bet and been called, turn was a 8 and this guy had 67std. OH dear i wasnt happy about that one.

An early night was due but i returned at 3am for a $120 WSOP sub. Lets just say i felt unlucky but could have played the 1 hand differently that got me. ON a board of 3x4c6x5c i check called a half pot bet with AK convinced the other guy had overcards only (yes i should have pushed allin maybe) then called a river bet reluctantly when 9c rivered. He showed Jc8c, oh well about the only read i got all night was correct anyway.

So lessons learnt, dont play with a hangover (even if its only the latter tired stages) and just as importantly dont drink vodka !!

Doubt i will play much today, maybe a few cash games, but im out in the evening and i think im still shocked from yesterdays downfall.

Ooooh almost forgot full tilt admitted their error and i can play any other $216 satellite of my choice so it wasnt all bad yesterday, just most of it !!!

Disciplined Drunk Poker

Yes it is possible and i definitely played that way last night. It was only a 2,4$ but it was 9 handed for a couple of hours and i didnt do anything silly and came away a couple hundred $ better off with no preflopper pots. Surprising stuff really, i guess hammering messenger flat out at a few people helped from getting bored or impatient.

Onto the suffering of today, too much red bull with double vodkas did not mix well with trying to sleep so unless i get an afternoon snooze im unsure how much poker ill play later. And to you lot that MADE me drink vodka redbull, i assure you i will win next time and not be diverted away from my lager top.

One more slight moan, ive subbed for a $200+16 irish open final on sunday (when im out). After a useless first response to change this from full tilt i actually realised they are at fault when i looked at all the other irish open satellites, i quote:

"Irish Open Satellite
.................................
Satellite to the $200+$16 Irish Open Qualifier on Saturday."

If you go into the tournament lobby it does in fact link you to sundays final but in light of the text above lets just say full tilt will not be in my good books if they force me to have to get someone else to play the final for a %. Anyway they are damn slow at replying to emails, a joke in fact for such a big site, but im awaiting a reply after pointing out their error above.

A Testing Return

Will considering the day ive had i should probably be livid but im remarkably calm, just gutted really.

Day started bad when i lost $100 first hand top pair vs AA on cash on tribeca.
I opened a full tilt cash table up too as im gonna play more satellites on there so had deposit some cash. 2nd hand i get A3off in the sb and manage to pay off a $300 stack on a flop of A83 !!!

I recovered some cash back on tribeca (but eventually lost it this evening) before next getting 64off on full tilt in the sb. flop 643 i bet 14 called by one, turn 5 chk chk, river 4 i bet overpot and he raises as good as allin. I pay off 55 and decide its one of those days but i was determined to still play plenty of multis later.

So on return to the computer this evening i have played many multis. Busted a $100 24 player AKstd vs QQ to have gone 4th/10. Played mansion $100 and got a good stack but decided to rock it still as the tables were so loose. Lost AQ vs AK just before bubble but then hit AQ vs KK to double. Eventually next time i was called i lost J10std vs AA for a pot to have gone 14ish/39 but at least i got something back ($350). Busted the £55 12k A9 vs A8 when all the chips went in on a 800pot flop AJ3 only for a 8 to river, pot was a reasonable size of 5k at 100,200 blinds but not to be.

And finally the sickest of the lot has to be the $100 er about 25 players full tilt WSOP sub to $1000+commission final. After an early double KK vs 99 preflop level 1, i never had my chips allin in a pot preflop and called and managed to get to last 4 playing 5k when this happened: Pays 2 x $1000 seats and $480 to 3rd.

I raise to 640 on the button with As7s and get called by sb (20k stack) and bb (5k stack) , other guy left in has 1800 only. Flop is a juicy 9sxsxs and bb bets 1200 which i call. Turn is a 9x and he bets 1200, i push him allin which he calls with Q9off (no spades) and the river is a sick 9 !!!
SICK , sickest pot of the day by a mile, almost guaranteed the next level if that held being 10k vs 20k vs 1.8k.

So instead of moaning about having to stay up until 2am to play a $1000 WSOP final for the main event 1/12 on paper chance for a $12000 package i think it is, im left shellshocked and probably will head to bed pondering what could have been a massive night.

Big postive for the day is i have set up laptop and desktop next to each other and its making it remarkably easier to play 4+ multis at once. I know this will stop me getting bored some nights so will definitely use this tactic more often.