My experiment was a success.

My single table “experiment” is over. Last night I finished the last of ten straight $30+3 SNGs on Paradise Poker. Here are the results:

2 – 1st place ($150)
4 – 2nd place ($90)
2 – 3rd place ($60)
2 – finishes out of the money

This is the lesson to me. My account grew because I didn’t get seduced by the other more lucrative games that I don’t play as well. I will play those again one day, but I need to be disciplined and play what I’m good at until I get my bankroll back in the black.

Now that doesn’t rule out moving up to $50+5 tables. There is only one problem with that. Those tables take forever to fill unless it is a weekend night. At least that’s true on Paradise Poker. As it is, it took 25 minutes to fill a $30+3 last night. But it is likely the way I’ll go. I’ll set aside $550 and play ten straight tables to see how I do. (For the record I’m 0-for-6 at this level, finishing 5th once).

For now I’m going to take my $450 profit and close out July with a net gain. Finally, a positive month online.

Craftiness Gets The Best Of Me

I want to get into analyzing a hand, but first some updates. Over the weekend I was able to play in four more of my online STs, cashing in three of them. I am now 5-of-6 cashes with four more to go.

Saturday, my buddy and I went to Hard Rock for some STs. He was new there and played the $120’s finishing in 5th, 6th and 5th. I really thought he would be able to cash in one of them. My first $225 I took 1st place, then 5th in my 2nd $225. I then decided to try my hand at a $535 which leads into my hand to talk about.

Everyone starts with 2,000 in chips. I have about 3,000 with seven players remaining. I am one off the button when everyone folds to me with 10-J of spades. I call the BB for 200. The button and BB call also. Flop is J-10-7 rainbow. BB checks. With 700 in the pot I bet 400. The button who has played tight so far raises to 1,000 and the BB folds. So now with action on me I go into the tank to think about this one. I figure him for three hands. He could have limped with AA, KK, QQ, JJ. Not likely since I’m sure he would have raised pre-flop. So I’m safe there. He could have a pair of sevens in which case I’m beat. Or he could have A-J or A-10. That’s what I really think he has since he limped. Or maybe I’ve just fell in love with my hand. But if I'm beat I have four outs that fill me up for a boat.

So I push all-in to see if he's bluffing me but he calls. I'm dead. He shows 8-9 for a flopped straight. A 9 on the turn gives me 7 outs of 8, 10 or J. But none come. I’m out in 7th place.

I usually get burned when I try to play crafty and then fall in love with my hand. I should have folded to his raise on the flop. I was playing tight so he had no reason to believe I was trying to steal the pot. Lesson learned. Well at least it’s another hand that goes towards teaching me a lesson.

I'm down $100 and my buddy's down $360. It's time to go home.

Single Tables, Single Tables, Single Tables!

Single Tables, Single Tables, Single Tables!

After all of my preaching to myself and on this blog about how much easier single tables (STs) are than the other types, this week I continued to play in multi-tables (MTTs).  After losing an undisclosed amount online I found some religion after listening to one of Ante Up’s podcast (see links on right).  There they recommended a bankroll of 10 times the buy-in.  So last night I made sure I had $330.00 in my Paradise Poker account and began a test.  I will play in 10 (ten) $30+$3 STs and see how I end up.  I’m not allowing myself anything else online during this time.  

The good news is that last night I played in two STs and placed 2nd and 1st respectively.  Not a bad start.

This weekend I’m headed out to Hard Rock with a buddy of mine who’s newer to the game.  It will be my first real test to see if I can successfully share my knowledge of how to play out there or not.  Wish me luck.

Single Table Success

I have had very different success stories between online and live play.  Enough to warrant an explanation of how I approach the two.

I started out online like most.  It is easy and cheap.  I went almost directly to single tables (STs) and started winning.  As I won I moved up in buy-ins until I reached $50+5 where I have yet to cash in.  That means I spend a lot of time at $20+2 and $30+3 with respectable success.  I like STs because I know the maximum I could lose and how much time it will take.  The sexiness of multi-tables (MTTs) is tempting and has cost me quite a bit of money, but it takes time, patience and experience.

While all of my online play I have dumped quite a bit of money.  Luckily for me I have been working my way back steadily in live play at the Hard Rock Casino in Tampa.  They, too, have live action games, MTTs and STs.  I have never played the live action games there and have only played in maybe four MTTs (cashing in 4th place once).  My bread and butter has been the STs.

Their smallest table is $100+20.  That was a lot to me back in February when my wife gave me a $100 birthday gift to play in a MTT at Hard Rock.  I went out one day in March for the first time and busted out early.  Not one to give up, I hit the ATM and proceeded to play in four STs cashing in three of them.

I keep detailed records of all of my play and I cash out in over 50% of the STs I play in there.  I attribute part of it to the low limit fish and drinkers.  But in May I moved up to $200+$25 and kept up the pace.  And finally last week I moved up to $500+$35 and cashed.  So I can no longer explain my success, especially since it can’t be repeated elsewhere.

For now I’m content to make money on the STs until I get back to even for all of my poker losses.  I’m predicting two more month (end of September).  Last week’s big win sure did help!

Big Night at the Hard Rock

Big Night at the Hard Rock

After a poor showing at my bi-weekly clubhouse game, a few of us went out to the Rock.  They, of course, went to the slots and I went to the card room.  Sat down at a $225 SNG.  In the second level an early position raises the 100 chip BB to 300.  With pockets 10s I call.  Heads-up, the flop comes 2-6-7 rainbow.  He bets 400 or 500.  I’m putting him on a low pair, but hopefully not one of the sets, or on two high cards like A-K.  So I push all-in for 1,100.  He reluctantly calls with pocket 9’s.

Unfortunately he gets a 9 on the turn and I’m gone.

Going against my rules I jump into a $535 SNG for the first time.  Turns out your starting chips go from 1,500 (at the $120 and $225 SNG’s) to 2,000.  Nothing very exciting happened at this table.  I played my usual solid elimination poker, a somewhat tight game unless I sense weakness on someone.  

Nearly two hours later, I’m in the final three and in the money.  The short stack (JJ) asks if we all want to chop.  I’m game, it’s late and I’m pretty happy with cashing out my first time at the money level.  But the chips leader (only moderately) says no since the small is pretty small.

Now JJ gets a little unset and says “last chance or there will be no more chopping three ways”.  Chip leader (Boss) again says no.  Three hands later Boss is out in third place and the JJ and I chop.

Now I agree with Boss in not chopping if one person is real small or real big.  But last night I was tired and happy.  Where it got interesting is how JJ put Boss on tilt by copping an attitude.  It didn’t bother me, but Boss got pretty pissed, even accusing me of partnering with JJ to knock Boss out.  Not true by the way.  This caused Boss to make some really bad calls and ultimately lose money.

When the night was over I netted $1,140.00 to put me a lot closer to the black with my poker earnings.

Welcome

I will soon post some entries I made over time but never published. Now that I have my blog set up, I'll get it up here soon.