6 Month Review

Dunno if this is worth doing but i have always done one before so might as well try.

Really just not feeling the poker vibe lately. Put a lot of effort and time in during April and May after 2 losing months in the first 3 of the year then had laziest month ever in terms of time put in.

It would seems a number of factors are/have affected my game and bottom line this years, here are some i can think of off the top of my head:

- the game is tougher and this has/is moving through to both plo and plo hi lo
- i really do believe i had a bad run at high stakes from about Dec - Feb but maybe i was due
- i didnt expect to beat last years profit and i may never beat it during my life but you cant help but feel negative when you get the low after such a big high
- spending about 80% of my roll on a house has maybe put extra pressure on me at times, especially at higher stakes. at the time i jumped in knowing this is locking away cash i could lose back if i lost my head but maybe? i spent too much. hindsight is a strange thing but one thing i do know is i still love the house i bought 4.5months later. also i now have living expenses which were virutally non existent before
- the cancelled vegas trip, i dont feel too bad about this BUT i was more interested to see how i did on return (win or lose out there) as i often return from there craving and playing my best poker when i get back online, could be time to book another trip out there for autumn time.
- the poker novelty factor has worn very thin and it totally feels like a job and all too often one i just dont enjoy or get satisfaction from any more, this is probably the most concerning reason.

Anyway my total profit this year comes in at +£15,233 (£14,000 of that in last quarter so maybe back on the right track). I know this is still a great earning figure tax free but it is my worst start to a year since 2006 and unless i carry on like the last 3 months for the other half of the year it will be my worst ever profit for the year. Would like to think thats a challenge for me but the motivation at the moment just aint there.

June Figures

+£2,995 in end which is great considering how little time i put in this month. Nout more to say really as it would just be as dull as the last post, simply hardly played at all and i will be surprised if this changes much next month, but we'll see.

Pre End of Month Post

Lack of posting because i simply havent been playing this month. What with the weather, the football and my backache (seems to be better) ive put in the least number of poker hours in a month for possibly years. When i have its been small sessions on higher stakes and had come good until the last couple where ive dropped some back. Sitting in profit at mo though (just) but just had losing session so thought better stick sommat on here.

If the weather continues its likely to be much of the same but i might need a new time filler now England are out its just not the same watching the rest of the games.

Vegas Cancelled

Im not going to the WSOP after all. Im a bit gutted but after a few days deliberation and my back gettin a bit worse overnight (tried coming off painkillers to see how it handled) i dont want to take any gamble on my back as ive had worse pains in it a few years ago which literally took months to "fully" recover. I think my heart was ruling over my head as i really thought i was going to rebook today but after weighing up all the options my head says dont take the risk.

Hey at least i can watch all the football now :)

Will return all stakes asap, thanks for investing to one and all.

Important Message For Shareholders

Ive had to cancel my flight out tommorrow as ive got a sharp pain in my back preventing me from getting to London today let alone trying to carry luggage and endure plane travel for 10 hours tommorrow.

There is still a small chance i may rebook with another company (virgin are too full) and go out a week later and make the event so i wont refund stakes just yet.

Will post here as soon as i know for sure, have everyones transfer details though so will send refunds through immediately if i become 100% sure i wont make it.

Nearly There

Not much to report really on poker front, been kind of in limbo itching to play some live stuff when i get to vegas. Probably havent played more than a couple of hours on any single day. The swings have still been there as ive been playing a little bit higher than normal (a lot higher for one manic drunk session i wont go into) but overall ive just stayed around the same sort of mark which is currently just under +£1,000.

Roll on the world cup and roll on vegas, not sure which im more excited about to be honest. Time to get packing inbetween the opening games tommorrow.

Turbulent Times

All but destroyed yesterdays profit playing same stakes mixed with a few shots at higher games. The last 3 days have been so swingy its doing my head in but i doubt i will take a break from it. The only light in the tunnel today was a couple of 15/30$ limit tables on stars. I forgot how addictive this can be and i soon was $1200 down before i went up a similar amount and ended up about $580. Maybe i should be playing this more often and just grinding for stars bonuses but i dont think it suits me really. Maybe sommat to have a look at after vegas if im still a bit lost as to what to play.

Sickest 2 Hours For Months

Sick in a gooooooooooooooooooooooood way !!!

Only played maybe 3-4hours total but swings all over shop earlier on.

Within 5mins i was up $400odd then i lost a pot with all money going in post flop on a $36 flop of AK6rainbow. i had the lock on it with AA58 vs KKJ8 but didnt count on the Q 10 runners for the $1,100 pot (only 2/4 table).

Sick but got a bit on other tables and still levelish on the day 30mins later but a bit p1ssed to not be £800 up from the 96% scoop, 2% chop roughly i think when i ran it into an odds calc.

Returned later and again it was a turbulent time a few hundred down and then getting it back and vice versa but took a couple of decent pots near end of session to be about £400 up on the day.

Again took a long break and returned at 11pm for 20mins where i proceeded to lose 3 stacks, fortunately i was only playin 40% stacks at the time though.

Took a food break for 10mins then returned as games looked very juicy, now about level for day. WHAT HAPPENED THEN IS THE SICKEST 2 HOURS FOR A LONG TIME.

Just couldnt put a foot wrong, everything was hitting, holding up, bluffs got through when i missed. Hands were either cold decks in my favour or just good strong hands against table fishes that never fail to pay. I hope this is a trend to continue in June and not a one-off, im almost pinching myself to believe that just happened. All games where 3/6 2/4 or 1/2 $ PL hi lo and i prob made 50% of my cash on 3/6 , only a small bit on 2/4 but about 5 buyins on 1/2 i think. lets see if i can remember some of them hands !!:

1/2 i raise cutoff with AA23rainbow . bb and utg call and flop is A,5,10 might have been 2 spades but not relevent. nice flop but almost too good, chks to me and i bet about 16 into 28mayb but both call. turn is another 5, niceeeeee now bb leads for 54 i think it was and other guy calls. now bb prob has a 5 and other guy is chasing a low. instead of potting allin i chose just to minraise (not a play i would advise against decent players as they will know exactly what ure up to but these were fish). anyway bb takes ages so i obv did give him a chance to fold but he cant fold A5xx and repops allin and other guy calls with 234x and river is a juicy 9.

same table i raise cutoff with AKK7dbl suited and loose guy repops , his range is wide from bb and he is tilting after hand before a bit for sure. i flat call looking to push any high flop as he onyl has a 200stack before the hand. flop comes KQQ and i just call his 24odd 50% ish flop bet. turn is a 6(also a 3rd diamond) and now he checks and i figure i wont get any more so just check behind. river is a 6 and again he checks with pot at about 110 i bet weak into it for 32 hoping he might take it as a bluff and he repops allin but then what was he going to do with AQ6x !!!

hmmmm both above cold decks and boring nuts flops, im trying to think of a more interesting hand but cant think of one.

this one was on 1/2euro (i knw i said all $ above but its same thing really) AA2 flop and i call bet from sb with 2347. turn is a 2 and again i chk call a bet. river is a 7 and i chkraise matey allin and he calls and mucks.

ah i can remember a scoop but not full details from 3/6, i had only just started the 2hrs and i was in a mildly tilted gamblin mode so wasnt goin anywhere on a Q,10,8 raised flop with nut flush draw gut shot and runner runner low draw. i was actually in bad shape against QJ109 and and shortstacks K10109 but spade hit and low and i scooped about a $1400 pot which set me on my way. ----->>>>implied odds of winning this were huge as only 2 hands later table fish covering my $1,065 stack "gave" his full stack away to me (although i did lose $500 hand inbetween to only cold deck against me of the session so i probably looked like a maniac at that point).

Anyways dont think im goin back on now unless i wake up a bit more but along with the rakeback i got today of around £300 ive got a flying start out of the blocks and am sitting on +£2,300 :)