Better Late Than Never

Finally the WSOP 2009 schedule is out.

http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/tourney/tourneydetails.asp?groupID=607

Following on from Australia i still have a big craving to play lots of omaha , hi lo , horse etc and looking at the schedule there is plenty to accomodate me now im happy buying in directly a bit higher than previous years. I have never played any side events at the wsop mainly due to the poor structure but this year this will change for me. Fingers crossed the cash will keep flooding in as it has been recently and i can play as many small wsop events as i desire when June comes. The main problem i perceive is deciding on dates and how long i can stay there without going insane. 14 days was my max after trying 18 and it being too many 1 visit. I think i have kind of matured since then and my well be able to cope with a month.....who knows. Think my April visit to Vegas will be a good test run, i certainly wont book June until ive got more of an idea on the length of stay. Also prob got option of sharing a villa but i do really like HGVC and i may even consider the Rio if im likely to play there a lot for some of the stay.

Thailand is good, connection could b a bit better but managing. I seem to have picked a very quiet spot but im enjoying the change from the hussle and bustle of most trips abroad.

Aussie Done

Just quick note from airport gate 30 mins before boarding for Bangkok.

Only made decision to go to Aussie day or 2 before Xmas but its turned out to be a great one. Looking forward to chilling out more now in Thailand but as for live poker in Aus this is my summary:

live tourneys : + $9,840

live cash: + $2,950

other gambling: - $2,430

Bear in mind i funded that with $8000 not included in last years profits so profit is about $2,400 overall.

One Last Night

Mixed holdem didnt go to plan busting 45mins in for a 10k pot (4k sstarting stack) at 25/25 blinds on the NL with overcards and flush draw vs the old i cant fold 88 person. Neither did my 10% in Luke who picked up KK first hand and doubled up Scotty who had flat called preflop for 15% of his stack with 7s out of the blinds to set mine. Still with 30-40k he then lost AQstd vs K10 to get right back in a hand or 2 later, thats poker.

Aint done jack today apart from couple online sessions and getting my arse out of hotel room for a haircut. Lost £800 first session, fortunately i was only on 2/4 as i got rivered far too many times for double ups or more. Back on just now and managed to swing it around so im now £700 up for the day thanks to some limit and hi lo limit. Aint much games to choose from this time of day (7am uk time).

Gonna hit the gym now then hopefully go out for a nice meal and maybe have a look at one last gamble on omaha cash tables. I was gonna do it yesterday but the waiting lists were long, ideally there will be a 25/25 game with 6 people or so on fingers crossed. If i was to bust the remaining $ i have it wouldnt be end of world as im currently at peak profit for the month which is sweet.

One Last Tourney

Havent played as much since the main event. Online though ive made steady progress for the little time i have put in. Played the $1100 omaha yesterday and got up to 16,000 from 6000 starting stack but then went bckwrds. Ended up busting to bad beat river when guy hit higher 2 pair with AA to my flopped 2 pair to have gone back to 16k. Standard was awful and makes me wanna play the $3k rebuy today but way too hungova so thats a no no. Also been on the 5/10 cash tables and done nicely couple nights ago coming off $2300 up. Only 2 days left now so may sit on the 25/25 and spin or bust what AU$ i have left. Prob gonna play the mixed holdem $1100 at 2:30pm today but also got 10% interest in my mate Luke who is still in the main event on day3. Bubble should go within 1 or 2 levels today.

Main Event In Running

Dinner break about 26k just under average. Got a very loose image but havent quite hit enough flops. Saying that i was unlucky not to go to 48k in the 2nd level (20k starting stack) then ive had a couple of nasty knocks since. Been as low as 15k and as high as 50k in the 3rd and 4th levels thanks to some nutty animal play both ways. Played some pots well , some average and some bad. Could do with bringing my A game to the table but as said above my image is loose so i just need to hit and get paid hopefully. Prob 50/50 i make day 2 but been doing ok last day or 2 so month so far is still great even if i dont survive. Seem to be more tired than i expected but hopefully ill wake up in the last 2 levels of the day, i normally do in these big events.

........................
Hmmmm i got my wish and flopped 2 pair with QJoff first hand after dinner break. Unfortunately there was no getting away from the fact the other guy had bottom set this time :(

Main Event Tuesday

Managed to sell my 2nd seat tonight and decided not to play tommorrow (Sunday) and opted for Monday (Flight 2) instead. Played 2 hours of live 5/10 omaha and made $2000 and in between that i made £850 and £300 online. My main focus now is obviously on the main event but i am still keen to sit with most of my AU$ after it on higher stakes omaha and see if i can spin it up more.

Test Your Strength

Worst day money wise yesterday. Had a rediculous tournament director rule against me as well in what was the biggest direct buyin ive done to date which tested my mental strength to the upmost. Cant be assed to put details on here as ive moved on from it now i think. I failed the test anyway as was riled for hours although it didnt really effect my bust from that tournament. Anyway thanks to a couple of mates i had a great night last night trying many different lagers and cocktails. We even did a tequila tasting tray with 4 different types on it. What surprised me was the 4th one which i didnt even need a chaser with afterwards as it didnt make me feel sick at all. Don Julio Reposado Anjeo was the name, i can highly recommend it.

Still unsure whether to plan the main event tommorrow or Monday, think i'll decide tonight or maybe even in the morning. Was going to play the 12:30pm supersat today but i dont think im in the mood having woke up so late. Only 1 week left in Aus now so whatever happens i want to keep the relaxed enjoyment factor high.

You're Barred

Well not quite but it was a first for me last night. I spent 3 hours at a player party drinkin champagne and then moved on the my favourite bar here. After that and some food i went to the poker room in addict mode. Was gonna go for safer option of some omaha limit as it looked more relaxed and fun but i was refused any more alcohol and told i couldnt play poker either because i was too drunk. Hmmmmmmm i was more drunk the other night on 5/10 PLO but i guess this time it was 3am or sommat so i stood out like a sore thumb :(

Earlier on i played the HORSE which was more like a turbo structure really. Still had great fun but ended up busting on STUD hi lo with 555QQ being beaten by a higher full house. Took my frustration out on a slot machine and won $1,000 though, i run good :) Prob reinvest it over the next week anyway :(

Woke up very late today but not planning to play at all (well maybe bit of omaha cash later). Going to play the $1,650 bounty event tommorrow which should be a laugh. 20 seconds to act and bounty on every table of $1,000 .

Still A Live Addict

Strange im not getting bored playing live every day, previously i did this every other day on trips as just couldnt hack it. Anyway played the limit $1100, went deep but never got stacked finishing 26/140 (pays 18) but had lots of fun. Definitely playing the HORSE today and hope to enjoy it even more and test my brain a bit on the stud and razz parts.

Only played online for 10minutes yesterday dropping £150 and realising i wasnt in the mood at all. Played 5/10 omaha live after busting the limit for 3 hours and ended up making $2,000 which was nice.

Another Seat

Played a few hours online in the morning and made a nice healthy £1,000 :) Didnt run as good in the hi lo though despite it being a poor standard and bust out 4hrs in. Hung about trying to decide whether to play omaha or enter the super sat at 6:15pm. In the end went with the sat and after winning 2 flips for my tourney life i got another seat worth $10,500. The dumb thing is apparantly they make you sell additional seats and dont just give you cash so i may lose $200-$1000 doing that. Going to speak to the top guy today and plead my case, actually think its a cheat of a system as ive paid same rake and helped fill satellites. Plus im playin loads events and cash so have to see what happens. Surprised the locals let them get away with it , one guy had 3 seats and didnt seem bothered at all, crazy in my opinion.

Havent decided on the 12:30pm Limit game, may play it for fun but had my first late night of 4am yesterday so have to see how i feel in 2 hours. Definitely want to play the Horse tommorrow though.

Hangover of Hangovers

Hit the booze hard yesterday. Dumb thing was i totally forgot i had been to the gym earlier which basically makes my hangover 5 times worse. Anyway onto the day 2 i guess.

Generally got no cards but thats not a moan, 1 AQoff then nothing over A10std or 22. I actually didnt realise my cards were so bad until today as i didnt let it affect me or my play.
Key Hands:

Had been abusing the bubble on new table, raised last 4 pots running and was getting no resistance. Followed again with Q6std but tight bb shortie woke up with AK. Live cards but missed completely. Basically that pot would have took me to just over 100k at 3k blinds but losing it put me back to my starting stack of 70k.

A10ss button and made it 8000 to go at 1.5/3 still. BB is one of chipleaders and only just joined table and calls. Flop is QJ8 with 2 spades and he leads for 12,000 making my allin an easy move. He tanks for ages and tables 99, i dont show. That took me to peak stack of 93k.

QJoff in bb and same guy has made a small raise from earlyish position. Flop comes K105 rainbow, obv could lead but elect for chk raise or chk call and take off on a further street. He bets a weak 8000 (same as raise preflop) and i make it 20k and he folds quickly saying he had 66.

22 cutoff, 2k/4k i make it 11k to go. BB makes a reraise, i dont think he is strong at all but dont want a flip at that stage. Basically its 45k more for a 120k pot but i would be left with only 30-35k if lose. He murmours sommat bout Q10 after but dunno if true means nout really. With hindsight 50% there i often gamble but figured there were better ops about.

Bust hand: Blinded down a bit and on 65k at 3/6.
Same guy from early position makes it 10k more, he just tabled AA couple hands before but i watched him during that hand and he def didnt look as strong this time. I have KQoff in BB, obv could go allin but choose to flop and go with read, board etc. Flop comes J92 rainbow, i check raise him allin and he pauses before whats an autocall (several people border on slowrolling out here, seems to be common). He was also reluctant to call. He tables QJoff !!! I miss my 7 outs and hit the rail. I dont mind this bust too much, obviously gutted at the time but more fun than running QQ into KK or losing a race. So 40th/731 for $3,290, obviously was incredibly disappointed but once i lost the Q6 hand the blinds were catching fast. I knew i was gonna need a fair bit of luck in the crapshoot stuff before the day started but it wasnt to be.


As above got very drunk then and played the $1,050 event an hour later. Never got going in it though. Got chatting to english chap that lives in Spain for an hour or so and almost went for a meal with him but the urge to play drunk live omaha was just too strong. I hit the 5/10 table and sat with $5000 this time. 2-3hours later i was $100 up which i didnt mind as only had 1 big split pot of interest.

Ive entered the omaha hi lo limit today in 5 hours time which should be fun. Last time i played that i laughed at all the "experts" at the table discussing clueless tactics in vegas before chopping and taking first (only 30odd runners though). Hopefully get off to ok start i know its key to get spare chips in this so have an extra life or 2 to play a little more aggressively when blinds do go up. Def no booze today anyway :)

Sun Day

Lost $3,800 last night on 5/10 omaha live but didnt mind as just variance. Standard pretty bad but i lost a 40% $3,500 and had 14outs going to river in a $4,500 miss. Hopefully not the end of the lucky streak anyway ;)

Heres the table details for 6hours time: Im 9th/110 pays 72 but basically joint 5th in reality.

http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2009-aussie-millions/event-1/

(table 19 me)


As always i'll decide tactics when i sit but knowing me i doubt i will sit back for long, just hope the pot odds calls work in my favour as with day1a. I'll update later on whatever the outcome anyway.

........
Preparation. Been down the gym (not a bluff honest) and played online a couple of sessions as well (yip im such an omaha addict i couldnt resist). £1,600 up and break even is a good start to the day again, lets hope it improves. 90mins to go time to grab sommat to eat :)

........................

Probably finished for the day online, played for almost 5 hours straight with no break. Was struggling to get into profit for nearly all of it and it looked like a break even day or a slight loss. Then came the maniac on major tilt on 10/20 omaha , he had been on 3/6 but moved up and i quickly followed. Took him for $3000 odd Think best one was allin for a $4000 pot on a AQ2 board (no suits) i had QQ34 and he had K725 all hearts, a nice late Xmas gift :)

£1,850 up on day unless i play later.

Heres article with my name shownin it on pokernews, seems im probably higher than i thought. Gonna go check out the field and more importantly the blinds for tommorrow as i think it quickly becomes a bit of a luckfest.

http://www.pokernews.com/news/2009/01/2009-aussie-millions-event-1-day-1a.htm

-------

Just played another hour ish and made £350 :)
Been down the casino and they only got 389 runners today (expected over 500 cos its a saturday). Means i can estimate roughly expect 125 players left going into tommorrow with me 10-20th and it paying the top 74 . Blinds are brutal though:

1000/2000
1500/3000
2000/4000
3000/6000
4000/8000
6000/12000

If i survive that many levels im be laughing, players should continue dropping like flies from the off although guess it will slow towards the bubble.

The Run Continues......

Only £300 up from 2 online sessions (+£450 and -£150) this morning. But golden in the $1,100 live tourney. I know in the 11 40 minute levels i hit sets of 2s,3s,7s,8s (twice) ,ks and aces. Obviously some paid better than others but i also ran good on the 30-60% pot odds calls once i was stacked. Finished twice average stack with only 54 players left of the 340odd starters. They expect a lot more tommorrow though as its a saturday for flight 2. Nice to have a day off and hopefully i can cash and go very deep, looking forward to it anyway :)

My Best Mixed Poker Day (Live/Online)

Started at 6:30am this morning and ended up having 3 sessions of mostly omaha online.
Ended up £950 , £1,000 and £150 up respectively although i did lose this hand all on flop with $72 total in pot HU just before i finished the 3rd session so could have been better ! Pot was for $900 in hi lo omaha.

Flop was 10,7,2 rainbow and it was my A,3,7,2 vs AKQ3 only to come J,Q and lose 100%.

Anyway headed to the live $1,150 satellite. I cant be bothered to list hands as a lot was just flips or hands that played themselves but 6 hours later i had secured a $10,500 seat into the main event. Had my fair share + a bit more of luck but i couldnt really have started the trip better !

So to summarise , + £2,100 online and + AU $9,350 (half it for £) live in tourney entry profit. Hardly ever combine online and live much on the same day but might have to start doing it more on the back of this :))

Cant decide on $1,100 tourney tommorrow but its split into 2 days so i will almost def play it Saturday otherwise. So tired now so gonna crash shortly after 1 wind down a bit more.

G'Day Mate

Got here last night after 25hours travelling which actually wasnt as bad as i had feared. Guess im gettin used to this flying lark and also Thai airways was really good plane. Food was the best ive ever had on a plane and actually a joy to eat rather than something to pass the time ! No entertainment on first leg to Bangkok but that didnt bother me and i got lucky enough to have 2 seats and sleep 4 hours of the trip. 2nd leg was busier but i knw the reward waiting.

Its 7am now and ive kept my home body clock which is perfect here for a few days hopefully being wide awake first thing. Had nice 8hours sleep and been upgraded to a executive room becos of how long my stay is which is nice start. Plan is to play the $1,150 satellite today at 4:30pm after some chillin and some online omaha obviously :)

Turns out one of my mates (Luke) from Poker Pro Aussie last year won a package couple days ago so i will have at least 1 drinking buddy out here after all, another bonus :)

Details for Thailand Amatay fish:

Im scheduled to arrive 12:20pm in Phuket airport on the 25th Jan. (staying at Bangkok airport night b4)

http://www.phuketvacationapartments.com/?gclid=CIicu8rK1Y0CFQbmlAodNx1PYw

Leave there on 7th Feb 18:30 Phuket Airport -----> Bangkok and midnight plane home.

Highly recommend Thai Airways if you dont mind no chance of no entertainment system but i dont think u can get direct flight to Phuket with them so probably better looking at other airlines where that might be possible, ive no idea have to search yaself.

Oh injections, yeh had a typhoid one. Recommended to use mosquito repellent during day to reduce chance of dengue fever or sommat. I already covered for one of the Hepetitus ones so dnno if u may need that too. Go docs and find out, safer than lookin online imo.

Bad End

Was very very steady this evening. £500 up from couple hours. Came back and money was flying in. Was just beginning to wind down and all hell broke lose. Suck out after suck on mainly on the 3/6 omaha and also 50/50 on 2/4 for $1800. Also lost a 6,8,9,10 on a 57J flop vs trip 5s which was a $2-2500 swing. :( Nasty end but im off tommorrow so lots to look forward to. Just gonna tally up now, hope i aint lost too much :( A knock of £2,400 but still £2,900 up for Jan so far and off to sunny Australia. Ps: if u read this charwell dnt give advice on how to play PLO hi/lo you fool.

Reasons To Stay On Low Stakes

3/6 max a 2 hour session this afternoon. I couldnt have run worse. I was playing on some of the worst tables ive seen this week but along came suck out after suck out after suck out. This was about damage limitation and a tilt test which i passed in both cases but wow at how bad the play was and how they rivered me nearly every time they chased. If i hadnt lost a 50/50 for $1,500 and matey hadnt hit his gutshot he chased for $80 on a 456flop (i had 78) i would only have been £300 down but both of those lost along with countless others and im £1,700 down for today. I didnt tilt though and i actually hardly put a foot wrong which even surprises me given the crap i was taking, i guess its cos i knw how bad they were and also i was itchin to play when i woke up today.

Anyway will go back on later if i dont go out drinking, update below maybe.

...................................................................it was a close call but i decided against the booze in the end.

Many hours later i had reversed the losses, still by playing no higher than 3/6$. Then came the fun bit when i was winding down a nutter sat on 2/4$ hi lo and was raising 95% of hands. Played my patience well and prob took him for over $2000 :) Just done tally as dont expect to go back on the tables and im now £1,700 up for the day. Strange but nice reversal coincidence figure :))

Ah the ups and downs of poker all in one day !

No Fun

More like work today but still bashed a fair few hours out. Was tired from getting up a bit earlier so was aware not to do anything too stupid. Probably havent taken enough breaks either which is daft. Anyway got £600 rakeback back today and ended up making £600 in the end on the cash tables. Dont think i ran that well but happy enough and hopefully get to sleep a bit earlier now. Still may go back on tables but this post was meant to deter me, we'll see :)

New Years Resolutions

None cos i wont stick to them !

A good start 1 day in. Played 3 or 4 sessions of omaha and a bit of limit and took regular breaks inbetween. Think i was up every time so may try and factor breaks in more often even when im in total addict mode. It also helped that i felt incredibly motivated into putting a lot of effort into my games today which unfortunately cant always be the case :)

Anyways rakeback for couple hundred £. The rest was 1/2 up to a small bit of 5/10 , mainly 2/4 though. Ended up £2,400 up on the day, couldnt have gone much better really i guess.

2008 Review

Cant be bothered to go into too much detail as im tired. Generally started well before a poor few months then discovered omaha in a new light and never looked back. Main problem i have now is knowing when to attack the high stakes stuff and when to ease off. The good thing is im still happy on 2/4 despite playing much higher so the choice is there still.

Target was £36k-£48k and in the end i have made £71,764 and have £4,150 on top of that in live buyins paid up front for Australia. This is my best year to date for poker profits.

This year though im not leaving the target at such an "easy" level and my goal is simply to end 2009 with over £100,000 in profits for the year. £8-£10k a month is achievable for me. Im basing this on the last 5 months where ive totalled £52,000 so have made just over that target.

Happy New Year and GL to all.

Dec Review

A strange month but a successful one although it hasnt always felt that way despite always being in profit. Peaked at £28,000 before dropping back to £8,000. Moved back up to £17,000 before dropping back to £8,000 again. Finally finished on £12,148 for the month. (£400 made today despite losing several value mtt buyins, as normal got huge stacks then failed to cash.)

Now as mentioned prev. im going to take some profit off that and use it for live buyins in Australia so im effectively freerolling a load of them. Ive scheduled a load of tournaments im likely to play and they come to roughly £4,150 so that pushes my December profit down to £8,000.