Back On Track I Guess

Couple of decentish results tonight but i dunno if im just tired or what but i still dont feel that positive ! What it has done has almost guaranteed a top 400 leaderboard finish so i may well take a day off in the next day or 2 to try and refocus on my game and what i want to play and achieve from it the rest of the year.

First result was $82 headhunter 49 players for $1300 which prob covered my buyins plus a little for the night.

2nd result was only 19 players but £109 game so £950 is very handy as ive entered a few of these lately with no cash at all. HU went on 45 minutes and 125 hands but my patience paid off in the end against what was a poor passive opponent.

Still down on the quarter but the rollercoaster continues for now......

Rage Release Post

U ******* ******* ***** ****** ********* ******. Cant ****** believe it, folowing on from that post i get backwards dummied in the most ****** ridiculous fashion for months at a late stage in a decent game. Finish ******* 18/244 in £40 game with added value, **** off u ******* *******. Pot to go 2nd/17 but no K9 vs 9,10std not good enough and the **** spikes 2 pair. Makes me sick the guy played the hand so bad and ive still got loads games to play tonight, hense the necessary release on here.

Basically he topped up to 2400 playing about 24000 then was only too happy to stick the lot in when i make it 17k odd to go. Hate this game when it rewards brainless *****, really thought i might be on for a good chunk there after gettin my share of luck early in the mtt then playing faultless stuff mid to late before losing that pot.

Expect more moans later as im so livid now only a decent win will change my outlook tonight.

LAter update:

Yeh the poker world can **** off just had the most ridiculous bull**** i think ive expereinced in one night of poker so close together. HTF anyone enjoys this game ive got no idea cos the lows r a damn sight worse than the highs when u playin perfect poker and u get smacked in the face about 20 times in one ******* night.

How Bad It Has Become

I guess it was Saturday so drunks are about but some of the stuff ive seen tonight just proves how the standard online is often beyond a joke. Im not complaining although i was in a bit of a rage from a few pots i lost i had good results all night without getting the luck required to get 1 or 2 huge results.

Examples:

$109 - Playing 400xbb in a deepstack game i make it 18xbb to go preflop with KK, guy with 250xbb calls then min raises my flop bet before i go allin and he instantly calls (not priced in at all) with just a flushdraw and hits - Rage Rating 8.5/10

$109 (same as above) - Playing 31xbb late guy makes it 3xbb to go, i go allin with 99 in the sb and he calls with K10std and hits. Rage Rating 9/10

$109 - Playing 8000 at 75/150 on betfair joker playing 5000 makes it 450 utg, folds to me in the bb and i just move allin with QQ. He calls with K9off and hits a king on the river. Pot was to go 2/80 halfway through the field - Rage Rating 9.5/10

$55 - Only playing 9xbb but 6 handed raiser makes it 7000 to go (2400bb), folds to me in bb and i make it 17000 (10,000 more behind) with AJ. He puts me allin with 22, unbelievable why raise so gay in the first place. Eg if he makes it 9600 preflop i prob fold as my move over the top was very marginal and i knew this. Obviously i miss and that was busting in 11th/270 - Rage Rating 8/10

From Thursday:

£100 - limp 30 raiser makes it 120 2 callers. I go allin 2100 with QQ , raiser folds but caller playing the same stack calls his whole stack off with 22 and hits a 2 on the river - Rage Rating 9.5/10


Obviously i want all most of the above to come along for the ride but it drives me mad when dribble play is rewarded, especially for a massive or key pot. Anyway as always looks good for the future. Had steady results yesterday 3 cashes were: 5/52 $82 game (lost 2 coinflip against the same guy to bust when 5 left) : 11/270 $55 game bust above bit gutted but just didnt happen at the late stage after getting a monster stack all preflops maybe 3 or 4 in row lost : 10/104 $55 game, was stacked in 2nd for a while but was trying to bully and ran into a monster and didnt really recover. No regrets from any of the 3 above and if i keep playing like i did tonight its only a matter of time before a chunky result.


Got quite a lot lined up for tonight, im trying to get into the top 400 on crypto leaderboard for tournaments as Littlewoods have a great promotion going regarding the freeroll you get. As well as it being the network wide $25k freeroll (max 1000 players but i know its a lot less that enter) you get $100 in cash and if you make the final table in the freeroll you get a full EPT package worth 10,000 euros ! As i only started on there Wednesday its touch and go if i make it this month but this and other promotions going has convinced me to play nearly all my tournaments for cryptologic network on Littlewoods in future months.

If you dont have a Littlewoods poker account and play several tournaments a month on the cryptologic network its well worth signing up and playing. You can use the banner at the top of this blog and sign up through RAKETHERAKE to take advantage of this and a few other promotions they currently have.

Other promotions include getting a refund when you bust on the bubble in certain tournaments and also huge value in the WPT/EPT final where you can get a 2nd chance if you make the final table but dont win. If you do win they throw in a GUKPT seat worth £1550 as well on top.

Its not very often i promote promotions on here but it doesnt affect the value im getting much if others take part and for me these are great promos which give me extra motivation to play along with much needed targets to focus on.

Joke Of A Night

Daytime went well with some good profit from cash games. MTTs in the evening kicked in on reverse variance though, so many joke outdraws after hitting flops hard. Anyway only managed one cash but that wasnt the joke. An hour or 2 ago betfair crashed and i was left flustered as was deep in an mtt at the time. Then almost the same time crypto crashed too but play kept going at a ridiculously slow speed wasting the blinds levels and making the game anything but poker. I went from being pretty relaxed to feeling tired, moody and on tilt very quickly and it hasnt really gone now im finished. Result = early night although betfair have split the prize pool between the remaining players so i got an ok return and was still in profit for the day although it doesnt feel like it right now. Have done email to Littlewoods re: bunch of their games i was playing, i expect nout back in compensation but was worth venting at someone and ya never know. If every night was like this online poker would no longer be a living.

Back To Zee Grind

Played lots of crypto tourneys last night, 4-6 at once on the go most of the night. Prob played about 10-12 in total and managed to cash in 3 winning a 105 player £22 one for £600 which put me about £250 up on the day.

Probably do similar tonight before a night off tommorrow for some drinkies. Not nice playing knowing im in losses for the year but trying to use that to motivate me to turn it round as soon as possible. I dunno if i mentioned in a previous post, im no longer doin monthly profit totals or reviews. Im gonna try doing quarters for this year instead to see if that makes any positive difference to my mindset overall in general.

Slept most of afternoon yesterday but also managed 2am-8am this morning so i aint far off a reasonable working body clock again.

Australia Review

Travel: What to say ? As expected i guess, a long slog , delays both ways but i coped and im hoping the next trip (likely USA) will seem really short in comparison and hense smoother.

Hotel: Excellent really but know for next year 16 nights would be far too long in the 1 place. Im not really a city person so if i qualifed next year i would maybe do a week or sommat somewhere else before 9 or 10 nights in the Crown.

Poker: I played some of my best poker but also some of my worst since CPC 2006. Either way busted many big pots in the games i did play. With a little bit more luck i could have easily cashed deep in 1-3 big games. I come back with about £640 worth of live losses to stick in the spreadsheet which isnt the end of the world.

General: A good holiday again at a time which escapes the British winter. For some reason i hardly touched online poker out there and really now feel im only starting the new year online from today. Would definitely consider trying to qualify again for sure despite the travel slog to get there it was worth it. Probably put a little holiday weight on but i did small amounts of exercise daily which is a first for any poker trip for me and hopefully something i can keep up in future ones. As always met new faces i look forward to bumping into again and lots of invaluable poker experience gained for sure.

Next stop , who knows and at this point im in no hurry to think about it !

Racing Home

Got back 3 hours ago, 28 hours after checking out of my hotel in Melbourne. My body aint got a clue whats going on. Currently have nicely swolen ankles (my own dumb fault) and expecting some fun and games with jetlag in the next few days as usual. Gonna crash soon, no way im touching poker tonight.

Other news included me missing (my tiny share of) Laddies Two debut run at Kempton yesterday, report below:

LADDIES POKER Two produced a most accomplished debut as she convincingly beat her field by six lengths at Kempton today (January 21st).

The Choisir filly was far too good for her six rivals, readily landing the seven-furlong maiden in the hands of jockey Tom Queally to delight the many attending members from her ownership syndicate.

Having been slowly into stride, she was soon travelling sweetly as Monsieur Reynard led them along. At the top turn the eventual outcome looked predictable as the grey loomed up in ominous fashion to tackle the principals.

She cruised along to lead by the two-pole and was totally in charge a furlong out before running out the 11/4 scorer in good style.

Trainer Jeremy Noseda was on hand - with plenty of the shareholders - to greet Laddies Poker Two back into the winner's enclosure.

Noseda said: "It was a pleasing first effort. She was a little bit green prior to the race and seemed to slightly miss the break but after the first furlong-and-a-half Tom was able to get her travelling on the bridle.

"She gave a very professional performance. For a first start, you couldn't have asked for a better effort.

"There is no immediate plan. We will see how the handicapper assesses her next Tuesday, but there is no urgency at this point to get her straight back on the racetrack. The way in which she raced suggests that getting a mile won't prove beyond her.

Time For More Travels

Its just b4 midnight now, check out 2moz then fly back around 5pm. Pokerwise virtually none since the last post. Ive seen a bit more of Melbourne but im ready to leave now. Im not really a city person and 10-14nights would have been enough , 16 was definitely too long for me here. If i qualify another year i will almost definitely spend a week or sommat somewhere else in Australia out of the city.

Went to watch the tennis tonight which was great as i havent watched live games before. Was thoroughly enjoying it but then Mathieu (or whateva he's called) retired injured in the 2nd set against Nadal. Still saw womans match before that and it still was well worth it anyway.

Would luv to fast forward 48 hours right now but just hav to get the reading material ready for the long haul back. Funny enough im looking forward to getting back, i must be mad knowing how cold and wet it is back home. Will have to go back to basics on poker and turn a poor start to the year round. I know i will be more motivated to play when its wet or cold outside anyway.

Bumpy Landings

My travels are never smooth at the best of times. Usually faults with planes, luggage, general delays, large turbulance, terrorist activity or something seems to crop up when im on one of my poker trips. A few days yet but i guess be a it will bit more nervy landing at heathrow in a BA plane.

Anyway poker follows a similar path compared to real life actually and i can definitely say the cash session i had yesterday was anything but smooth. Sitting with $500 and topping up once with $100 more i was steady enough for a while around level. Then it all went backwards, i had many lagers but this wasnt the culprit, just bad variance really. Key hands below:

Sitting with about $600 at time i call a $30 raise in sb with 22, flop is J32 and i lead a weak 40 into the tight agressive guy who i know will prob raise even if only overcards. He makes it 125 in total and i call. Turn is a 5 and ive checked in the dark, he only bets 100. I think and say why only 100 then make it 400 in total, he moves allin, i call and he shows A4off and holds up. Sick turn :(

I then make a debatable pot odds call with 9,10off preflop expecting a guy to have AK but he has A9 and holds for $330 pot.

Then just to rub salt in my wounds i call a raise with 54std and flop top 2 pair but that same A9guy has 333 and i have no way away from the hand committed way before he moves in over the top of my raise. That would have been about a $600 pot i guess.

So finished the session $800 down but drunk and happy that i didnt do anything wrong really. Proceeded to get more lagers and cider down me and ended up crashing mayb around 1 or 2am. Suffering for it today with one of my famous hangovers but gonna try sweat it out in the steam room shortly.

I actually expected to play more poker online out here but the multis im used to start from 7am out here and i just havent had the desire to play that early even when ive been awake. For that reason i cant see me extending this trip and unless i have a change of heart i will be back on the flight home on Monday evening.

Gone without troubling the scorer...mate

Bust level 3 100/200 25 ante.

Wasnt gonna give myself a hard time about this one but the more i think about it more i maybe could have laid the hand down on the turn. Winning big in poker is about big laydowns as much as anything and im a little disappointed but not too mad or annoyed compared to some other big games.

8 handed i raise to 700 (playing 17k) and get reraised by standard guy on button, put him on kk or jj mayb 10s , unlikely ak and decide to flop it. Flop is a perfect A84 rainbow and i check to look for the check raise allin but he checks as well :( Turn is a jack clubs which i dont like but again i check (maybe i should have bet here for info) . He fires 5000 im left with tough decision as im either miles ahead or miles behind but there is no way im callin, it has to be allin or fold. I tank it for ages also knowing this makes no diff to the pot cos if he holds KK and is a donkey he may still call if i push. I move in eventually and he call instantly with JJ, harmless ace on river and he had me just covered. The hand could have played much different as the 5000 short stack folded 88 preflop but its isnt my worst moment in poker anyway.

Generally i wasnt overly happy with my play for the couple of levels before. I started on a tough table with the only weak guys badly placed for me to play against. I was very happy to move during the 2nd level and i really wish i had the table i had moved to from the start. I probably check called a bit too much in the first level but my stack went between 18,000 and 23,000 finishing on 20,500. 2nd level i didnt get above that but i did go down as low as 16,000 before finishing on 19,500 at 2nd break.

Hands of note hmmmm may add to this later if i miss any interesting ones out but:

50/100 i call a early 300 raise with J9off on the button and the flop comes 9 high. He bets 450 and i call. Turn is a rag and we check check, river is a rag and he bets 650, i call and he shows JJ.

50/100 utg makes it 350 and i make it 1100 on the button with AK. He calls flop comes Q63 and he check folds to my 1600 bet.
THE VERY NEXT HAND
utg+1 makes it 350 and i flat call in the cutoff with AK. Flop is KK5, turn is Q, river is 6. He check calls me the whole way. 500+1000+2000 and shows AA.

50/100 i call out of position after limping with QJoff for 300 more. Flop comes Q,10,x and i check call 600. Turn is a J both chk, river is a blank A. I stopper bet 1000 and he reluctantly calls fairly quick with what i knew was a higher 2 pair. He had AQ. Blank river there and i prob bet 2000 and cant see him folding.

50/100 i call utg with 99 , couple more limpers then bb tight guy puts it up to 550 total. Me and 1 other call. The flop comes 10,6,2 and he bets a weak 750, i make it 2000 and they both fold.

100/200 (vs same guy as one above) i call out of position after limping with K10std for 600 more. Flop comes Q,10,6 and i check call 1200. Turn is an 8 and both check, river is a 3rd but blank diamond. I check call 2000 and got this one wrong as he had AA

100/200 on new table ive sat 3 hands and stole blinds with 1. I raise it to 700 with A4std and just big chip bb calls. Flop is KQ4 and he check calls my 1200 bet. Turn is a J and he leads for a weak 1200. I make it 3000 more and he folds.

Obviously there were many many more hands but those are the only chunkier ones i can remember at the moment.

Summary, i fished quite a lot. I played quite aggressive (maybe too aggressive at the 2nd table but aint gonna worry bout that) but its more experience gained. I was in/out of my comfort zone for the 3.5 hours play. In hindsight maybe should have had a pint to relax me a bit more but to be honest the new table was so much better i didnt really need it by then. I didnt hit any flops hard where i had raised with weird hands which would have been disguised.

Im left with 6 days holiday in a great country, i hope and think i will move on very quickly from this. If anything its made me more motivated to get back to the grind online.

24 Hours To Go

Table 41 Seat 5 , ive got my seat.

Spent most of Sunday just chillin before a meal and fair few drinks. Today will be much the same but without the drinks. Wanna be as well prepared mentally as possible for tommorrow. So usual pool area stuff, prob go walk down the river or sommat and gonna pop in the poker room to get feel for the main event as day 1a is today. Been playin a bit online the last couple days but nothing too interesting to report just swings up and down as standard in my new love for omaha PL cash at moment.

Going Down Under Down Under

Played the $1,050 4:30pm game in the end. Ended up busting on a pot to probably go top 3 if not chip leader when i 3 bet allin KJstd preflop putting opponent on a resteal but it seems he had massive hands every time and my info was wrong this time. He showed QQ so i wasnt a massive dog but no help came. I probably played the game far too aggressive but the win only attitude was there and i was also a bit annoyed there were no antes in the tourney as there were plenty of rocks about.

Funny enough now ive written the paragraph above im a bit happier but ive been a moody **** for the hour since i bust. Its almost 9pm now on a Saturday night though and im totally against any kind of partying or such when ive bust something chunky like that. Back into negative for the trip as a whole now and its unlikely i will play much else before the main event.

Friday Summary

In the end i did my usual gym/steam room/swimming pool then headed early to the poker room to play cash again. I ended up on a 2/5$ cash table for over 9 hours in the end and drank a fair amount of lager again. Ran reasonably well (not ridiculous as tables can b so bad) and my buyin of $500 eventually had peaked at $2,250 when i left. This puts me back into profit for the trip marginally which is good considering i have played a couple of tourneys with no result.

As for today, im still unsure what or if im entering another tournament or not really. Options are 2:30pm $2,200 or 4:30pm $1050 (but this is played on their computerised tables) but ive still got a few hours to decide (only 9am at mo). Think i will do the daily trip to gym/steam room/swimming pool and decide in a couple of hours.

Caught At It In My Biggest Direct Buy In To Date

Yesterday the drunk cash session was eye opening. To compare the $2/$5NL cash table to 0.25/0.5$ online would be an insult to online 0.25/0.5$ players, it really was that bad. Of course that means not much room for bluffs etc and i probably ran ok in the end going $400 down before evenutally finishing $100 down but did get rivered 5 pots b4 i left for a pot which would have put me about $300 up.

Anyway at about 9pm i was tempted away by all the pokerpro players drinking again. Glad i did cos again it was a great crack, in the end i think it was 3am when we all left and i crashed soon after.

Woke up at 9am today (Thursday) but after a very large breakfast my plan to play the 12:15pm game failed as i just had too bad a headache and was still tired. After a couple more hours kip i hit the gym/steam room/swimming pool. Met a few of the others there and ended up stayin there for a few hours in the end. I finally left at 6pm and rushed to change immediately and head to the casino cos i hadnt ruled out the 6:15pm $1150 supersatellite. Arriving in the casino at 6:20pm i couldnt decide whether to play or not. 5 mins later i threw the money in and made up 1 of the capacity 120 players that entering meaning 12 seats up for grabs (or $10,500 cash in my case).

I took a couple of minutes to find my table but funny enough when i sat down i got dealt AA first hand !!! Actually took 2000 chips (25/50 level) and increased my stack by half without any danger so effectively a 6000 starting stack :)

I got moved soon after and sat tight trying to figure the new table. I soon was happy enough with it and was looking to make moves where possible if usual. This time though i went for a tight image so when i did move the aggressive guy to my right would have to respect it. When i was finally going over the top with any 2 in the bb (10,4 it was) the sb got to it first and the button folded quicker than he had all day.

My stack went from 5-6k range for ages never really improving significantly until finally i got my first key hand and 1 of few times in the tournament i was allin called and covered. Playing 5000ish after 2 limpers at 200 i made it 1400 to go with 88. Just the 2nd limper called after a dwell and i knew i was going to commit to most flops with only about the same as the pot left. Flop came 10,6,2 and i moved in after he checked, he made the hero call with 77 and failed to improve, i now had circa 10,000 chips.

I then had what was very key hand and was also a very strange one the way it played. I pick up kings in the sb and it folds to the aggressive guy in the cutoff who has me covered. Blinds have just gone up to 600 and he makes it 1800 to go. Likely to go over the top but wanting to trap as i know his range is weak the button then flips up A7off when mucking. I then flat call knowing the chances of an ace flopping are much less and of course if one does come its likely the raiser wont have one either. Now the bb playing about 5500-6000 goes into the tank (He folds not happy, its turns out he had AQ which is funny when u see how this pot pans out below).

Flop comes AQ4 and i had checked in the dark to look weak, he continue bets only 1800 or so and i move allin. He mucks very fast and then after finding out the bb had AQ i can see that i would have probably lost a massive pot with a nasty beat if the hand played as normal !!!

I lost a chunk soon after and was back to 9000 after playin an interesting pot with Marc Goodwin (Mansion Pro) which he either made a good play on me or he had me drawing dead when he min raised my turn bet. Fortunately our table broke soon after as i didnt like the fact he had been moved 2 to my left with a big stack even before that pot.

On the new table i told myself i was supposed to sit tight but a well stacked guy raised the cutoff to 1800 and i was playing about 8500-9000 at this time after i had only been there 6 hands. I used my "new table image" to go over the top with 97std and he eventually folded showing an ace and saying "ah u havent been here long :)"

The blinds were catching fast now and at 500/1000 i raised to 3500 playing about 11500 with 10s. Got a flat caller to my left and the flop came AK2 (2 clubs) . I bet 4000 as i figured this may look stronger to the basic player to my left. He tanked for ages then folded , dunno what he had.

I then made a pot odds call getting 2-1 with 89off on the next blind level when it was only 2.5xbb to call in the bb. I got lucky against A9 but i still could have played shove poker and sustained if i hadnt hit. That was where i peaked at circa 20k but the blind jumps became faster and with 24 players left i finally but being caught by a backwards dummy.

Blinds had gone 25/50 50/100 100/200 150/300 200/400 300/600 500/1000 700/1400 1000/2000 and if i had survived they were 1500/3000 next level. The previous hand the same guy had raised from a early mid position to 7000 and i folded in the bb to be shown queens. Next hand im in the sb with 15,000 and the same guy limps. I decide to move allin with any 2 cards if no more action to me. I look down at 74off and look at bbs chips to try to ignore the limper as though it doesnt matter to me what he is playing. I then move in but the limper has AQ and is only happy to gamble gettin them in backwards into the pot when we are only 12 places from then money and its 75% of his chips, im still prob 33% ish to win but the flop comes QQJ and its goodnight.

I dont regret the move but it was a bit gutting getting so far only to eventually be called at it. I had so often built my chips without being called or being caught lets say but cos of the blinds i was very happy with the bust really. That pot wouldnt have guaranteed my seat still with the blinds as they were but i guess i would have been favourite for one from there if my luck held and i had picked the right spots without a stitch up.

Its just gone midnight now and im gnna crash now, dnno what plans for tommorrow (Friday) are yet but its another hot hot day so i will be limited to not going out much neway.

Nout To Report

Er its confusing cos blog posts are in GMT but last time i posted was 11am Tuesday with tiny update 4 hours later.

Basically the rest of the day after the steam room / swimming pool i did try the supersatellite but only spent $240 and there is very little poker in it with the crapshoot it is. I may play one more of these but only if im in the mood to just sit there and not play much poker. After i bust it was still early but the day and night before and my irregular sleep pattern caught up with me. I ended up sleeping from 10pm-5am and it was my best sleep since ive been here.

So 5am today (Wednesday) it seemed the perfect time to get out and see Melbourne. Yeh right, i was itching for some online poker, aint played a proper session for almost a week. After a chunk of limit cash, some stts and the 1 multi (35th/230ish $20k , bit annoying but had a big stack most of game then all just fell apart from 50 or 60 players in) i was again sick of online stuff.

So i could have gone out to see the city this afternoon but the lure of the steam room and swimming pool won again. I also had plans in my mind that this way i can play some NL live cash shortly after finally craving it today for the first time since arriving.

Its now 3pm and once im showered im planning NL cash and booze combination, depending on how it goes luck and table wise i may be a long one but i'll just have to see.

Again depending on how the cash or other stuff goes im now trying to line up potential decent games with a good structure to play out here. At the moment there are 2 or 3 possibles and if i feel comfortable and confident these could be the 2 i play.

Tommorrow - $1,650 NL holdem event, think it was 4000 starting chips with 25/50 1st level and 50 mins clock. Also there is a bounty drawn at each table as a twist which could make it more fun.

Saturday - $2,200 PL holdem/omaha/omaha hi lo . 5000 starting chips and a better blind structure than the one above although cant quite remember it. The games switch each level and seeing some of the shocking stuff out here i can imagine this one could be a goldmine with the right opportunites.

Right im off, think the heatwave of up to 40degrees temperatures is back tommorrow so be good time to be on poker instead. Saying that i probably just using it as an excuse ;)

Back To True Form

I know that last post sounded pretty extreme and probably very cocky to say the least but it was written only minutes after busting that game and unless you were at the table it is impossible to explain how well i had played in the game format that we had. Anyway i probably try to respond to the comments below but first lets fill in the rest of the night.

I was lost after that post but also absolutely knackered so slept from 6pm, only fortunately to be woken my Martin (other contestant from Pokerdome heat) at 9pm to say everyone going for drinks. I immeditaly jumped out of bed and 5 minutes later was dressed and downstairs with most of the other 10. Now a few ciders later i realised i hadnt eaten anything since 8am in the morning and the drink was goin straight to my head. Couldnt be bothered to leave the crowd though so just ate this huge bag of crisps to keep me going. Anyway it turned out to be a great night discussing hands with nearly everyone. As i said before i think the other players were all a great bunch of people and the previous post obviously meant no disrespect to any of them personally. Several drinks later and some great banter and discussions and i began to struggle drinking but gradually people left the group and just 4 of us were left as the bar was shutting. We moved to another bar in the casino and had more drinks and eventually about 5am i went for food with just Ilja (pronounced illia) who i think potentially could be a great player as he was a very thoughtful player at the table. 6am after macdonalds (lol all that was open) i finally crashed and got about 4 hours sleep until now when im reading this post.

Right back to previous post and comments. Please remember this blog is never about boasting, being cocky or anything like that. Its not a blog that only gets updated when i win (like hundreds others). I always talk honestly about poker and the rollercoaster emotions that i feel very truthfully. I often mention that it isnt all about glory and who wonderful the game is etc. Its 99% written about my exact feelings at the time often immediately after a high or low and can often sound extreme in terms of me being mad or , as the last post, cocky. The blog has been and always will remain solely an outlet for myself to extinguish emotions that are often necessary in such a game that messes with your head when you play it full time. I have often considered taking it off the web in fact, but if i did that i would still 100% continue writing it for myself anyway and i have nothing to hide so here it stays.

Soap i dont want to explain in any more detail about the game as im trying to move on now but as i put there were proably a few dozen hands i could put on here if i could be bothered including big laydowns, reads, aggression, the confidence factor, the not getting involved with wrong hands at wrong times, the image i had created all game, and the fact that i had 2 pots in the game with still lots of players left to hav gone to over 30% chips in play. The guy that won it played very well and deserved to win but had his fair share of hands too. I know i had average cards and made the most of what i could. The guy that came 2nd was a classic blind out merchant and survived countless allins to stay alive. Remember this game isnt always about winning as in the short term its luck, but its about minimising your luck required to give yourself the biggest chance of winning. I 100% believe if those 10s held i would have raised almost 50% preflop and got little resistance and could have almost "freerolled" on stolen chips in the higher payout structure. Remember how tight everyone is and how nervous most were and allow for the huge payout and how top heavy it was, yet 2nd was still huge being the $12,000 package as well.

Animal - take this as you like, but the only thing I can say is - why call an all in reraise to these rocks with 1010? You had bullied your way up to a great chip position without any resistance. You should have folded to that reraise, which could have easily been a hand had you dominated anyway, and gone back to bullying without any resistance. GL for the millions - arniejokin

Well, no disrespect but due to the payout and my image and the history vs this chap i knew he was getting annoyed and his range was weaker than many others would have been to go over the top. The pot itself call was a total no brainer as i had committed enough chips to get far to good pot odds to fold. I didnt call instantly but got a chip count and watched him carefully just to check 100% i was correct. In the shape of things, if i win that call there it has such implied odds as to where i finish in the stt its massive. I honestly expected a race but i believe he could have had ace rag too as well as the obvious KQ or possible overpair. I actually ruled out AA or KK as i didnt believe he was good enough to move allin so quicky and may even have done a different reraise with them too. That pot would have took me to 30,000 (30%) with 400 as the big blind. When i lose the pot i was still circa 18k was it i put previously, still about joint 2nd or so and still able to play as i had before really. If you have been aggressive all game i agree its tough to know how to laydown hands like 9s,10s,Js but it also often is exactly the spot you have been building up to by creating the image you have. You have to realise their range and factor in history and such before making these calls but at the time there was little doubt in my mind i was behind to anythng other than JJ or QQ. I had busted 1 player at the table prior to that hand, remember someone has to bust the players. You cant steal forever as the stand by the other player will eventually come, and the luck element plays, but with chips behind you are free to gamble and still recover minimising the luck you need to win the stt (or mtt) by doing this.

Right hope that makes sense, im pretty hungova at mo, think im gonna check out the steam room again and see if i can sweat some alcohol out :)) May play the super satellite tonight at 6:15pm but have to see how the afternoon and hangova pan out. Apparantly the cash games are worse or as bad as the worst vegas ones but the rake is max $6 per hand and theres also a $5 per player per table rake per hour !!

Happy Hunting !!!


Edit 5 hours later:
Unreal 24 hours after that moody post and i feel as relaxed and happy as ive been for ages re: poker and lookin fwd to the rest of this trip. Long may that last, just shows blog works to get rage of my system and maybe im becoming more experienced and the madness just doesnt last quite so long as it used to !

Aussie Sickness

Right where to start, i think this could be my longest post for a long time if i chuck hand histories in.

Busted in 6th, sounds crap but basically ive just played my best ever live poker for 5 hours without a doubt. Nothing prior to this game in my whole career comes close, i know i was in the zone for so long but the blind structure just killed me in the end.

At this minute in time i feel inconsolable and so low i still do wonder if i have it in myself to handle the ups and downs in poker in the long haul. The "play out of your skin" for no reward kills me and i just feel sick. Sicker than WSOP bust 2006, sicker than WSOP bust 2007, sicker than CPC deep bust 2005.

OK on to hands, will list as many as i can handle, hopefully this will help me get some of this negative stuff out of my head cos i know there are so many postives to be taken deep down.

10,000 starting stack
50/100

1st hand, im dealt KK in the sb (highest hand of tournament) and make it 900 after several limpers as im not too bothered about action and want to set a image immediately anyway and all fold.

No i cant do this, there are too many hands and its just pissing me off trying to think of them cos im tired.

Lets generalise and maybe i will list key pots and list some more in another post. Basically everyone at the table (except myself) looked terrified and nervous in my opinion pretty much the whole game. The table was ridiculously tight with exception of the 1 italian who bust first as expected really. The more everyone tightened up the more i raised with complete junk, not even linked stuff often and got the majority through.

OK straight to the sickest pot of all, i have good image from above and we are on level 200/400 50 ante. Ive just raised from button with AK (had 2 times all game) and im now in the hijack 2 hands later with 10s (2nd biggest hand all game) and make it 1400. Allin for about 3700 more and i call. its his KQ vs my 10s but i dont hold and im mad, on tilt, gutted, annoyed, livid and plenty more.

At that time i was probably joint chip leader on about 22,000 and the pot would have took me to 30,000 (30% of chips in play) with 6 players left on a v v v tight table with a great payout structure to justify stealing beyond belief and of course it wasnt a crapshoot at that point.

It took me a while to calm down after that and despite being stacked on still just over average chips circa 18k it just seemed to go wrong after that. A couple of reraises of missed flops pots lost and stuff like that really. Made a good laydown with 8s after being priced in ridiculously preflop reraised and seeing a 9 high flop i eventually got a confident tell at which point i immediately mucked to be shown QQ.

Again reraised (by genuine hands 100% im sure) a couple times and with the blinds going up i become crippled. Playing only 7,000 at 600/1200 in the big blind i get the clearest tell ive seen all game. Folds to sb big stack and he pauses and i know he is weak as can be, then he moves in. Obviously it wasnt just the pause that gave me this his facial expression was def part too and previous strong hands pots he played info i had. Anyway im lookin for anything to gamble with and prob would called queen high here, likely J10 , maybe J9 so im praying for sommat like that. First card is 4h and 2nd is Ah and i make an immediate call on seeing the ace to be shown 9,10off. Its the first time im allin and in trouble for my life but i hold and get back to 15k.

Again sustain that then blinds go up again and its a ridiculous 3600 a round at 800/1600 with 200 ante. AJ runs into AQ which he took ages to call with and i bust out in 6th. Pot would have put me on over 30,000 with 5 left so again was huge and i knew how much it meant to me but no help came and i went into this instant depressive mood.

Absolutely no way i could watch the last 5 play out. to be honest they are all nice people but i couldnt care less who wins once i had gone.

One blind out merchant (the AQ) had probably survived at least 3 allins prior to that point and it just left me sick knowing how much luck just didnt go my way when i only needed such a smaller chunk compared to most of the other players. In all honesty if that STT played out 100 times i would expect to win it 20-25% of the time which is just a plain ridiculous statement to make but i know its true !

OK dunno what im doin now but im done on here for now. Try to fast forward in aussie millions mode where 20,000 chips with the same blind structure but an hour clock will be juicy and fun to say the least. I cant face the $1,150 supersatellite in 20 minutes as im flamin knackered and may hav a snooze for an hour or 2 to see if that makes me feel any better.

Note to self:

Poker is a sick sick sick game, get some luck for a change in a big event and who knows what can happen but for now its sick sick sick.

:((

Note to readers:

Comment on above if u want but i dont want "ul comments" so aint gonna post anything of that nature on here.

Almost Time

Just under 5 hours to go. Not too much to report about yesterday, i was just relaxing most of the time and met the other players at the evening meal.

The Game is 10,000 starting chips with a 50/100 starting level and a 30 minute clock. Ive got a kinda plan but really i dunno what im gonna do until im playing and take each situation as it arises. 7 of the 10 played a $50 sit and go last night for fun after the meal and i actually think i got some good information from it but sadly i also luckboxed a lot and just hope it isnt wasted on the small game only.

Payout is so top heavy it could lead to some interesting decisions, im praying for a big stack early or mid game to enable some hard bubble bullying but just have to see what happens. Also with effectively "2 pairs" of players (bro/bro & bro/sister) it could mess with my head a bit but hopefully enough im experienced enough to actually take advantage of that if possible.

Im expecting a fairly tight table for the first few levels at least and may attack early if i can get some linked cards rather than total rags just to get some good image.

Without being cocky i know im the favourite, but only a marginal one as anything can happen in any individual game and cos of that i havent put any pressure on myself as "anything is a bonus" will be what i will be trying to use to relax myself throughout it.

Right its now 7:21am (k/o midday) and despite my stomach giving me grief (not through nerves yet) i think i need to eat something to set me up for hopefully a long game. I will probably go to the sauna and swimming pool too after to relax for an hour or so.

Heres to a good finish, but its good to know ive got the Aussie Millions afterwards to look forward to anyway regardless of todays result.

I Made It

After the expected long slog with usual expected sort of delays i made it to my hotel at 1am last night local time. I managed 4 hours sleep and feel pretty adjusted body clock wise already having had bits of sleep on both legs of the flights.

Room is good and Pokernews have booked it so im in for 16 nights straight which is good to know. Had a brief look at the casino earlier which is pretty much as standard. Not sure what im gonna do this afternoon, maybe test the swimming pool etc in the hotel. Dont wanna do too much today apart from relax really. Got a meal later i think, so should find out full details of the 10 seater tommorrow which i believe is at 12 noon. Ive met 5 others already and it could be an interesting game with 2 brothers in it and also a brother and sister in it as well !!!

Bring It On

Cant wait to escape, probably just had one of my worst (non-sunday) days in terms of losses. Couldnt win a thing be it multis, NL, FL, or omaha. Didnt think i did too much wrong, only a few minor mistakes. Punished in full or outdrawn was the setting for the night. So as with a few months recently im starting off with a chunky loss handicap.

Obviously im got a big live scene ahead of me in the next few weeks which could be a good or bad thing money wise. Either way im prepared for a big or bad January. I keep reminding myself to just play poker exactly like i did in St Kitts and things will come good. I hate losing, its supposed to be all part of this "bankroll management" crap. I cant quite get a grasp on when it comes to staking myself to lose a little bit then win a lot back. I guess thats why i havent moved up in stakes enough and its always could be slow progress up a large hill.

Anyways hopefully the long long journey wont be too bad, especially when i remind myself what im getting away from and what im heading off out there for.

AUSTRALIA TRIP & SCHEDULE JANUARY 2008

INCLUDED IN PACKAGES/(APPROX. VALUE):

RETURN FLIGHTS (£1,000)
16 NIGHTS ACCOMODATION (£1,500)
10 SEATER POKER PRO FINAL TABLE (£3,000)
AUSSIE MILLIONS MAIN EVENT (£4,500)

TOTAL APPROX. VALUE £10,000


POKER PRO FOR A YEAR PRIZES:

Grand Prize
Sponsorship into four major poker tournaments in 2008
Buy ins, accommodation, flights and expenses all inclusive
Your own personal blog on PokerProForAYear.com
Worth over $50,000

2nd place
Sponsorship into the 2009 Aussie Millions
Buyin, accommodation, flights and expenses all inclusive
Worth up to $15,000

3rd place
$1000 worth of entries into Pacific Poker Global Qualifiers



SCHEDULE JANUARY 2008:

THUR 3 - TRAVEL TO & STAY HOTEL HEATHROW

FRI 4 - 12:25pm FLIGHT DEPARTS HEATHROW

SAT 5 - 9:35pm FLIGHT ARRIVES MELBOURNE


SUN 6 - POKER PRO MEAL

MON 7 - POKER PRO FOR A YEAR FINAL TABLE 12 NOON

SUN 13 - POKERNEWS PARTY

TUES 15 - AU$ 10,500 MAIN EVENT DAY 1 - FLIGHT 2

SUN 20 - AUSSIE MILLIONS PARTY


MON 21 - 5:30pm FLIGHT DEPARTS MELBOURNE

TUES 22 - 5:25am FLIGHT RETURNS HEATHROW