Im going to have to post my stats in a little different way. It would be too confusing if i posted in sets of 20 instead of just doing it for the day. My stats are going to be a little flawed because of it. I'll still do for the day, then overall. Considering i have to start this over, its showing 30 sng's played. I actually played 14 today so far. I've gotten 2nd so many times its disgusting. A few i could have avoided, the others were just bad luck. But i cant control everything.
Today
Played: 30
$Won: $253.80
Net $Won: $58.80
ROI%: 30.15
ITM%: 56.67
1ST: 2
2ND: 7
3RD: 8
Overall
Played: 66
$Won: $567
Net $Won: $138
ROI%: 32.17
ITM%: 54.55
1ST: 7
2ND: 12
3RD: 17
Friday, August 25, 2006
Thursday, August 24, 2006
An OK day..
I only played 16 sng's today because i was doing other things. I got unlucky in 3 with pre flop all ins with AA or KK in the first 5 hadns and people called with small pairs or connectors and got lucky. So my ROI hurt because of it.
Today
Played: 16
Total $Won: $129.60
Net $Won: $25.60
ROI%: 24.62%
ITM%: 50.0
1ST: 2
2ND: 2
3RD: 4
Total
Played: 52
Total $Won: $442.80
Net $Won: $104.80
ROI%: 31.01%
ITM%: 51.92%
1ST: 7
2ND: 7
3RD: 13
Today
Played: 16
Total $Won: $129.60
Net $Won: $25.60
ROI%: 24.62%
ITM%: 50.0
1ST: 2
2ND: 2
3RD: 4
Total
Played: 52
Total $Won: $442.80
Net $Won: $104.80
ROI%: 31.01%
ITM%: 51.92%
1ST: 7
2ND: 7
3RD: 13
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Bankroll Building
So i haven't written on the blog in a good week and couple days. I've been brainstorming and playing different MTT's and tournaments and even on a few different sites. For some reason i cant get anything going on Party. I would love to be able to maximize the fishyness there but it's just not happening. Full Tilt might be profitable in the long run. I really like their $6 18 man tournaments where the top 4 get $24+2 tournament tokens. Then you play any $24 dollar tournament for 6 bucks. I wish you could trade or sell these tokens for cash.
Then we have Pokerstars. I'll never leave their site. Everything all around is high class and thats the reason why they are number one in the industry. The problem is, i don't know what i want to play to start building. I've been playing various levels of SNG's and some MTT's. You cant really build a good bankroll by playing the low limit MTTs. This is where variance is the greatest. I would love to do cash games, but for some reason im not as good as when i play them live. I did grab a subscription to cardrunners to help that out. They have some great videos along with PXF.
That pretty much leaves me with SNGs. Like I said, i did play various levels and i think im going to stick with the $6 Turbo's for the time being. The $3 turbo's i can play 8 at a time, but my ROI isnt the greatest. Although my ITM% is still around 47%. I might also try the $10 non turbo sng's also. My stats in those are freakishly good. I'm going to keep progress on this blog with all my stats for them. I want to play atleast 20 a day and i only 3 table them. From what ive seen i play my best, can still stay attentive and know what other players are doing at the table. I've played 8 today so far and here are my stats.
Total SNG Played: 8
Total $ Won: $118.80
Net $ Won: $66.80
ROI% : 128.46%
ITM% : 75%
1st Place : 3
2nd Place : 1
3rd Place : 2
When i accumulate all my $6 sng's my stats look like this. Keep in mind this is a very small sample size and dates back from before i went to vegas.
Total SNG Played: 36
Total $ Won: $313.20
Net $ Won: $79.20
ROI%: 33.85%
ITM%: 52.78%
1st: 5
2nd: 5
3rd: 9
My ROI could be better, but like i said i didnt implement some of the strategies i used today back then. Also i was 8 tabling them before so my ROI should go up. These sng's usually average about 35 minutes, so if im 3 tabling them and want to play 20 a day im lookin at 3 or 4 hours or so.
Then we have Pokerstars. I'll never leave their site. Everything all around is high class and thats the reason why they are number one in the industry. The problem is, i don't know what i want to play to start building. I've been playing various levels of SNG's and some MTT's. You cant really build a good bankroll by playing the low limit MTTs. This is where variance is the greatest. I would love to do cash games, but for some reason im not as good as when i play them live. I did grab a subscription to cardrunners to help that out. They have some great videos along with PXF.
That pretty much leaves me with SNGs. Like I said, i did play various levels and i think im going to stick with the $6 Turbo's for the time being. The $3 turbo's i can play 8 at a time, but my ROI isnt the greatest. Although my ITM% is still around 47%. I might also try the $10 non turbo sng's also. My stats in those are freakishly good. I'm going to keep progress on this blog with all my stats for them. I want to play atleast 20 a day and i only 3 table them. From what ive seen i play my best, can still stay attentive and know what other players are doing at the table. I've played 8 today so far and here are my stats.
Total SNG Played: 8
Total $ Won: $118.80
Net $ Won: $66.80
ROI% : 128.46%
ITM% : 75%
1st Place : 3
2nd Place : 1
3rd Place : 2
When i accumulate all my $6 sng's my stats look like this. Keep in mind this is a very small sample size and dates back from before i went to vegas.
Total SNG Played: 36
Total $ Won: $313.20
Net $ Won: $79.20
ROI%: 33.85%
ITM%: 52.78%
1st: 5
2nd: 5
3rd: 9
My ROI could be better, but like i said i didnt implement some of the strategies i used today back then. Also i was 8 tabling them before so my ROI should go up. These sng's usually average about 35 minutes, so if im 3 tabling them and want to play 20 a day im lookin at 3 or 4 hours or so.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Home
I flew back home from Vegas Wednesday night. It does feel good to be back at home. But i did like making tons of money while I was there. I didn't blog at all the final 2 days i was there because i never got the time. I did manage to avoid the long lines that stemmed from the terror plot stuff that was over in britain. My cousin who is coming home tomorrow unfortunately will not.
I was up a solid 4k in 13 days. Im not sure whether it was luck or I'm actually a better cash game player than i thought. I did only have 2 losing sessions in those 13 days, with the largest sum of money lost was $400. Maybe its just that considering im playin live i can get a better read on the people im playing with. Considering that is a very small sample size, im actually thinking about renting an apt out in vegas for a month or two and seeing how i do playing. 4k cash in 2 weeks isnt shabby at all. If you walk up to most people and ask them how much they make a month after taxes, ill guarantee you 60% are going to say its under 8k a month.
Another option that i have, which is probably the best one, is to try and get into UNLV. This way i can get an education and play at the same time. I was very good with actually setting a schedule when i would play out there. If i was losing, i would get up and leave. If i was winning i would stay but i wouldn't play more than 8-10 hours. That schedule went into place as i was there for a little bit. In the beginning i just wouldn't leave.
Of course i'll try to play some cash games online to see how i do there. Ill keep track of my stats via PokerOffice. I did manage to make $260 today playin 1-2 for about an hour and a half, so thats not bad at all.
I was up a solid 4k in 13 days. Im not sure whether it was luck or I'm actually a better cash game player than i thought. I did only have 2 losing sessions in those 13 days, with the largest sum of money lost was $400. Maybe its just that considering im playin live i can get a better read on the people im playing with. Considering that is a very small sample size, im actually thinking about renting an apt out in vegas for a month or two and seeing how i do playing. 4k cash in 2 weeks isnt shabby at all. If you walk up to most people and ask them how much they make a month after taxes, ill guarantee you 60% are going to say its under 8k a month.
Another option that i have, which is probably the best one, is to try and get into UNLV. This way i can get an education and play at the same time. I was very good with actually setting a schedule when i would play out there. If i was losing, i would get up and leave. If i was winning i would stay but i wouldn't play more than 8-10 hours. That schedule went into place as i was there for a little bit. In the beginning i just wouldn't leave.
Of course i'll try to play some cash games online to see how i do there. Ill keep track of my stats via PokerOffice. I did manage to make $260 today playin 1-2 for about an hour and a half, so thats not bad at all.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Back in Action
I was back to my normal self tonight. I was hitting cards and making nice plays. I'll write about the plays later, for now im tired. I did have a stack of around $990 till this old guy check called all the wya down on a board of J 3 3 4 4, when i had AJ. He had KK and i doubled him up. Oh well, what are ya gonna do?
Days in Vegas: 11
Net Winnings Today: $597
Net Winnings Total: $3023
Days in Vegas: 11
Net Winnings Today: $597
Net Winnings Total: $3023
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Good and Bad
Unfortunately i didnt have a great day today either. I made a sick play on a guy i have been playing with the last week or so the 3rd hand i played when i sat down. The flop came 2 4 5. I had the 56 after he raised pre flop to 12 bucks. Yea i know its a loose call, but i felt like making a play, what do you want. There were 2 diamonds on the board so i checked. He over bet the pot and bet 30 dollars. I flat called looking to make a play on this guy, NOT because i had top pair..he obv had a little bit better hand then i did. I knew he wasnt the type of player to bet into his flush draws. The turn brought a brick i checked again and he bet out 60 dollars. I flat called again. The river brought the King of Diamonds. Wow i couldnt ask for anything more perfect. I go all in and he yells out loud in his thick english accent "why does everyone hit there draws on me" and throws his cards away. I flip over the 56o and raked the pot. He was stunned but said "nice play". You damn right it was!
Well then later on a Q 8 6 board, and 35 dollars in a pot, he checked from the sb, UTG + 2 bet 30 and i re raised to 95 with KK. He was in the sb and quickly shoved his chips in. UTG+2 folds and its 42 more to me and i call. He says i have the best hand at hte moment. turn and river both come JJ and he flips over 9T for the double gutshot straight draw. Sigh..2nd bad beat in 2 weeks.
When it was all said and done i was down $150 in poker and tried to make it back on the big wheel with black and red spaces they call roulette. I lost $200 and was quickly on my way. I've been good on staying away from the viruses they call blackjack and roulette. If i ever want to move out here and try and make it just playing poker, thats something i cant do.
I went back later on and was up $100, so i was only down a quarter of a buy-in for the day, but down another $200 in roulette. That goes in the tally also.
Days in Vegas: 10
Net Winnings Today: (-$250)
Net Winnings Total : $2426
Well then later on a Q 8 6 board, and 35 dollars in a pot, he checked from the sb, UTG + 2 bet 30 and i re raised to 95 with KK. He was in the sb and quickly shoved his chips in. UTG+2 folds and its 42 more to me and i call. He says i have the best hand at hte moment. turn and river both come JJ and he flips over 9T for the double gutshot straight draw. Sigh..2nd bad beat in 2 weeks.
When it was all said and done i was down $150 in poker and tried to make it back on the big wheel with black and red spaces they call roulette. I lost $200 and was quickly on my way. I've been good on staying away from the viruses they call blackjack and roulette. If i ever want to move out here and try and make it just playing poker, thats something i cant do.
I went back later on and was up $100, so i was only down a quarter of a buy-in for the day, but down another $200 in roulette. That goes in the tally also.
Days in Vegas: 10
Net Winnings Today: (-$250)
Net Winnings Total : $2426
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Controversy..
Obviously played at the venetian last night. It was a roller coaster all night. I was down then up then down then up again. I just couldn't stay in one consistent path. I had my QQ cracked by 99, then QJ cracked my JJ. Those were all ins pre flop when the other players had only about 30-40 bucks behind.
A little vietnamese man came to the table and was stacked the 2nd hand he played. I gave him more chips a few hands later..he was the one who had 9s and cracked my queens. I raised utg and he came over the top for a raise so i just put him all in. That's not where the story is though.
I had limped from the sb with A4o to see a flop and it came A A 3 with 2 clubs. I bet out 10 bucks into a 20 dollar pot to see where i was at and the newcomer called. The turn was an 8. I bet out 20 bucks and he re raised to 60. I was pretty sure i was ahead considering how this guy has been playing. Now right before the river hit the felt he said "I go all in". So the river was a queen of diamonds but i still thought i had the best hand. So i say out loud "You acted out of turn, but i call anyway". I push my stack into the middle and flip over my cards showing what i had. The guy says "what are you doing you cant do that". I go "um sir you said, you're all in". I turn to the dealer and ask her if she heard the same and she said, "yes he said he was all in".
To make a long story short, the gentleman to his left said that he did indeed say "no all in". It doesnt matter though. All the dealer heard was all in and the rule for The Venetian card room states that out of turn verbal comments are binding. So he was forced to pay me. He shouldnt be saying anything referring to being all in because of things like that. He flipped over T8c for the flush draw and said "do you really think i would go all in with that". I semi-politely said "Sir, this is poker...the cards are irrelevant" So that was the end of that...And besides that bastard sucked out on me before, he had it coming hehe.
Days in Vegas: 9
Net Winnings Today: $100
Net Winnings Total: $2676
A little vietnamese man came to the table and was stacked the 2nd hand he played. I gave him more chips a few hands later..he was the one who had 9s and cracked my queens. I raised utg and he came over the top for a raise so i just put him all in. That's not where the story is though.
I had limped from the sb with A4o to see a flop and it came A A 3 with 2 clubs. I bet out 10 bucks into a 20 dollar pot to see where i was at and the newcomer called. The turn was an 8. I bet out 20 bucks and he re raised to 60. I was pretty sure i was ahead considering how this guy has been playing. Now right before the river hit the felt he said "I go all in". So the river was a queen of diamonds but i still thought i had the best hand. So i say out loud "You acted out of turn, but i call anyway". I push my stack into the middle and flip over my cards showing what i had. The guy says "what are you doing you cant do that". I go "um sir you said, you're all in". I turn to the dealer and ask her if she heard the same and she said, "yes he said he was all in".
To make a long story short, the gentleman to his left said that he did indeed say "no all in". It doesnt matter though. All the dealer heard was all in and the rule for The Venetian card room states that out of turn verbal comments are binding. So he was forced to pay me. He shouldnt be saying anything referring to being all in because of things like that. He flipped over T8c for the flush draw and said "do you really think i would go all in with that". I semi-politely said "Sir, this is poker...the cards are irrelevant" So that was the end of that...And besides that bastard sucked out on me before, he had it coming hehe.
Days in Vegas: 9
Net Winnings Today: $100
Net Winnings Total: $2676
Friday, August 04, 2006
Madness last night
I made out very well last night. I got over to the venetian around 7pm. I sat down and didnt recognize any of the players at my table again. As the night progressed a few people i knew started to show up. The first 3 hours didnt go my way at all. I wasn't hitting flops, and i had to lay down a few hands against weaker players because i didnt know how they played at all.
So i decided to take a break and go to the Grand Lux Cafe to get something to eat. I could have gotten table side service, but it was in my best interest to go there for a few reasons. 1) I like a change of scenery. 2) i didnt want to fug up the cards or the chips. 3) I dont like watching other people eat meals at the table, so i would assume some people dont like watching others eat also.
I returned around 10:30 after eating a terrific steak and was feeling refreshed. As i was about to sit down there were 2 kids from denmark about to take a seat to. One of them was directly to my right and i started up a little conversation with him. It seemed that he and his buddies were out here for the series and played 10/20 and 25/50 on all the very small european sites that are out there. They were playing the 100/200 mixed game last night and decided they just wanted to have a little bit of fun.
They continously were pushing all in with 34 and other ridiculous hands because the money just wasnt an issue with them. I doubled up my stack when a guy called my all in with a flush draw and missed. That was the only time i could reap the benefits of them because they moved to a table which had all their buddies on it except for 2 or 3 people. All during the night they would have swarms of people lurking around their table since they were going all in pre flop every hand. Each pot was around 2-3k and they easily had 10k on the table in a 1-2 game lol.
Antonio Esfandiari briefly made an appearance and walked around the venetian poker room to check it out. Then Bill Gazes actually sat at our 1-2 table with his buddy who was learning the game. Gazes was hammered and didnt play a hand, his buddy broke even after a little while.
I caught another little nice pot when there was a straddle and a raise to 10 bucks with 5 callers. I called with 7s 8s and flopped a straight. A guy hit a set on the turn that only improved my straight and i felted him. Then really late around 5 am, i made a guy fold JJ on a Q J 5 Q board when he thought i had quads. I played it really scary he said. He was hammered and also from sweden. I had raised pre flop with AQ to 12 bucks and he re raised to 40. I flat called and we saw a flop. I bet out 14 dollars to see what he was going to do and was dumbfounded. He flat called and said the only thing that beats me is queens. The turn brought a 3rd queen and i just went all in. He had about 300 behind but i didn't think he was going to call. He indeed let it go and said wow i cant believe im laying this down, but you have quad queens so w/e. If i had that he was losing the whole way. So i threw over the one queen, and then the ace and he was disgusted.
At that point i had a little over $1200 in front of me so i decided to leave at about 6:12 am.
Days in Vegas: 8
Net Winnings Today: $854
Net Winnings Total: $2576
So i decided to take a break and go to the Grand Lux Cafe to get something to eat. I could have gotten table side service, but it was in my best interest to go there for a few reasons. 1) I like a change of scenery. 2) i didnt want to fug up the cards or the chips. 3) I dont like watching other people eat meals at the table, so i would assume some people dont like watching others eat also.
I returned around 10:30 after eating a terrific steak and was feeling refreshed. As i was about to sit down there were 2 kids from denmark about to take a seat to. One of them was directly to my right and i started up a little conversation with him. It seemed that he and his buddies were out here for the series and played 10/20 and 25/50 on all the very small european sites that are out there. They were playing the 100/200 mixed game last night and decided they just wanted to have a little bit of fun.
They continously were pushing all in with 34 and other ridiculous hands because the money just wasnt an issue with them. I doubled up my stack when a guy called my all in with a flush draw and missed. That was the only time i could reap the benefits of them because they moved to a table which had all their buddies on it except for 2 or 3 people. All during the night they would have swarms of people lurking around their table since they were going all in pre flop every hand. Each pot was around 2-3k and they easily had 10k on the table in a 1-2 game lol.
Antonio Esfandiari briefly made an appearance and walked around the venetian poker room to check it out. Then Bill Gazes actually sat at our 1-2 table with his buddy who was learning the game. Gazes was hammered and didnt play a hand, his buddy broke even after a little while.
I caught another little nice pot when there was a straddle and a raise to 10 bucks with 5 callers. I called with 7s 8s and flopped a straight. A guy hit a set on the turn that only improved my straight and i felted him. Then really late around 5 am, i made a guy fold JJ on a Q J 5 Q board when he thought i had quads. I played it really scary he said. He was hammered and also from sweden. I had raised pre flop with AQ to 12 bucks and he re raised to 40. I flat called and we saw a flop. I bet out 14 dollars to see what he was going to do and was dumbfounded. He flat called and said the only thing that beats me is queens. The turn brought a 3rd queen and i just went all in. He had about 300 behind but i didn't think he was going to call. He indeed let it go and said wow i cant believe im laying this down, but you have quad queens so w/e. If i had that he was losing the whole way. So i threw over the one queen, and then the ace and he was disgusted.
At that point i had a little over $1200 in front of me so i decided to leave at about 6:12 am.
Days in Vegas: 8
Net Winnings Today: $854
Net Winnings Total: $2576
Thursday, August 03, 2006
WSOP Player Opinion
I havent made a meaningful post in a while so i thought i would do that. Some of the plays that i have seen are absolutely horrendous. The one time i was watching the rail there was a big play in front of me. It was Day 1C. It was late in the day, could have been the last level of the night. It is folded around to the button who has approximately 18k, raises to 1200(200/400) blinds. I saw his cards when he lifted them up and he had J6o. The big blind calls and has the button raiser covered by a few thousand. The flop comes 9 9 6. The big blind checks and the button raiser fires out 3000. The big blind immediately pushes his whole stack into the middle of the table.
Now if i am this guy i am not calling with J6. You cant beat anything. Not to mention you are staring at 2 9s on the board. What do you think the BB is pushing with here? As i was watching i could have sworn this guy had a 9. After deliberating for maybe 2 minutes, he calls and proudly flips over his J6 thinking he was ahead. The bb surpisingly(to me) flips over the A6. The A on the turn seals the buttons fate, only being able to tie if the case 6 hit on the river. It didn't and he went packing. All the while thinking, i could have been that guy with 20k sitting there, what is he doing?
About 5 minutes later they bring another guy to the table and he has A LOT of chips. He has around 85k and is reallly in no danger considering the second biggest stack at the table is around 35k. Plus its the last level of the night, why would you want to get involved now, when you can come back on monday or tuesday and have a very healthy amount of chips, when you got a great night of sleep. Well of course this guy didnt wan't to do that. I should also mention he was a party poker qualifier. I brought my cousin over and pointed to his stack. In a low voice, he says "it will be gone in 30 minutes". Well it only took about 18. What this guy mistakenly did, was try to take over the table without gaining respect. Sure he has a lot of chips, but when you get moved to a new table, you have a fresh image. He procedeed to double the guy up 2 to his left, then doubled up the guy to his immediate left, then doubled up the guy immediately to his right. He could have gotten away from all of the hands easily, except for the last one when he flopped top two with AQ on an A Q 3 board , when the guy flopped top set with 3 aces. People dont understand that you CAN NOT win the tournament on the FIRST day.
Now it brings us to an interesting hand that i saw on cardplayer. I dont really understand this play, but it worked out for the guy and now he has lots of chips.
5-4 Kills Aces and Kings
The player in seat 1 raises to $3,000 from early position, and two players call the raise. Jon Lane re-raises to $20,000 from middle position, and seat 9 moves all-in for $35,000 total. Seat 1 calls the all-in, and action is folded to Lane. Lane calls the raise. The flop comes A73. Seat 1 tries to bet $20,000, but only brings out $10,000 first and is cited for a string-bet; Lane makes the call of $10,000. The turn is the 6, seat 1 bets $20,000, Lane moves all-in, and seat 1 calls for his last $21,000. Seat 9 shows KK, seat 1 has AA, and Lane has 54. Lane yells, "Don't pair the board!" and the 2 peels off on the river to secure Lane a huge pot and eliminate two players. Lane is now up to $350,000.
What do you guys think of that play?
And this brings us to our chip leader for the WSOP so far. His pokerdb *online* stats for MTT's are as follows.
Est Winnings: $0
Est Buy-ins: $ 900
Rake: $65
Est Profit: -$965
To his credit he has only played 5 mtt's. I say online because it looks like he is a live player. I dont know how he got his chips but it wouldnt surprise me if it was somehow like up top. The play has been less than stellar here at the WSOP. Hopefully as the event goes deeper, play will get better.
Now if i am this guy i am not calling with J6. You cant beat anything. Not to mention you are staring at 2 9s on the board. What do you think the BB is pushing with here? As i was watching i could have sworn this guy had a 9. After deliberating for maybe 2 minutes, he calls and proudly flips over his J6 thinking he was ahead. The bb surpisingly(to me) flips over the A6. The A on the turn seals the buttons fate, only being able to tie if the case 6 hit on the river. It didn't and he went packing. All the while thinking, i could have been that guy with 20k sitting there, what is he doing?
About 5 minutes later they bring another guy to the table and he has A LOT of chips. He has around 85k and is reallly in no danger considering the second biggest stack at the table is around 35k. Plus its the last level of the night, why would you want to get involved now, when you can come back on monday or tuesday and have a very healthy amount of chips, when you got a great night of sleep. Well of course this guy didnt wan't to do that. I should also mention he was a party poker qualifier. I brought my cousin over and pointed to his stack. In a low voice, he says "it will be gone in 30 minutes". Well it only took about 18. What this guy mistakenly did, was try to take over the table without gaining respect. Sure he has a lot of chips, but when you get moved to a new table, you have a fresh image. He procedeed to double the guy up 2 to his left, then doubled up the guy to his immediate left, then doubled up the guy immediately to his right. He could have gotten away from all of the hands easily, except for the last one when he flopped top two with AQ on an A Q 3 board , when the guy flopped top set with 3 aces. People dont understand that you CAN NOT win the tournament on the FIRST day.
Now it brings us to an interesting hand that i saw on cardplayer. I dont really understand this play, but it worked out for the guy and now he has lots of chips.
5-4 Kills Aces and Kings
The player in seat 1 raises to $3,000 from early position, and two players call the raise. Jon Lane re-raises to $20,000 from middle position, and seat 9 moves all-in for $35,000 total. Seat 1 calls the all-in, and action is folded to Lane. Lane calls the raise. The flop comes A73. Seat 1 tries to bet $20,000, but only brings out $10,000 first and is cited for a string-bet; Lane makes the call of $10,000. The turn is the 6, seat 1 bets $20,000, Lane moves all-in, and seat 1 calls for his last $21,000. Seat 9 shows KK, seat 1 has AA, and Lane has 54. Lane yells, "Don't pair the board!" and the 2 peels off on the river to secure Lane a huge pot and eliminate two players. Lane is now up to $350,000.
What do you guys think of that play?
And this brings us to our chip leader for the WSOP so far. His pokerdb *online* stats for MTT's are as follows.
Est Winnings: $0
Est Buy-ins: $ 900
Rake: $65
Est Profit: -$965
To his credit he has only played 5 mtt's. I say online because it looks like he is a live player. I dont know how he got his chips but it wouldnt surprise me if it was somehow like up top. The play has been less than stellar here at the WSOP. Hopefully as the event goes deeper, play will get better.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Day 5
Not much to mention today. The roads around vegas were so much more manageable then what it was like on the weekend. Although when i got to the poker room at the venetian i was number 16 on the waiting list.
They finally opened up a brand new table. This was ok because everyone started with the same amount of chips(usually $200). But play would be relatively tight in the early going.
I played for about 2 hours and was up $400 even and then went over to the rio to watch the ME for a little bit. Thats all for now.
Days in Vegas: 5
Net Winnings Today: $400
Net Winnings Total: $1517
They finally opened up a brand new table. This was ok because everyone started with the same amount of chips(usually $200). But play would be relatively tight in the early going.
I played for about 2 hours and was up $400 even and then went over to the rio to watch the ME for a little bit. Thats all for now.
Days in Vegas: 5
Net Winnings Today: $400
Net Winnings Total: $1517
Monday, July 31, 2006
Little bit of a hiccup
Im tired. 6:30am. Lost. ill cut to the chase
Day 4
Net Winnings Today - (-$185)
Net Winnings Total - $1117
Day 4
Net Winnings Today - (-$185)
Net Winnings Total - $1117
Sunday, July 30, 2006
The Venetian Poker Room
This is the only poker room I've played at so far this go around in Vegas. When you get to the main casino floor its only a few feet from the escalators. It's a very spacious room that accomodates 39 tables. Games run 24/7 with a variety of types of poker and limits to choose from. They have 6/12 mixed games, 9/18 limit, 1-3 NL and a few other limits that are a changeup from your regular games.
Even during peak times you dont have to wait very long to get on a table. The longest i waited, was the first time i went when it took about 10 minutes to get on one. Other than that i get there and go right to playing.
The staff there is great. They are very friendly and treat the players well. I haven't had nor seen 1 complaint since i have been there.
The dealers vary like any other poker room. Some get in lots of hands an hour while there are 2-3 of them who take a little bit of time to get the cards in the air.
Skill levels vary depending on what game you're playing. I've only played 1-2 so i cant comment on the higher skill sets. I did run into Jean-Robert Bellande last night, as i was cashing out. I asked what he was playing and he said 10-20 NL. I wished him luck in the Main Event and was on my way.
You're also able to get food orders sent directly to your table. There are waiters who give you a menu and you can order a variety of foods and they bring it to you in a good amount of time. The food is pretty good and its not really that expensive either.
The only real complaint that i would make, which the other players make a fuss about also is the amount of time it takes to get a cocktail waitress in the room. There usually is around 2-3 of them and they take forever to get.
Other than that i give The Venetian Poker Room an 8.5/10.
Even during peak times you dont have to wait very long to get on a table. The longest i waited, was the first time i went when it took about 10 minutes to get on one. Other than that i get there and go right to playing.
The staff there is great. They are very friendly and treat the players well. I haven't had nor seen 1 complaint since i have been there.
The dealers vary like any other poker room. Some get in lots of hands an hour while there are 2-3 of them who take a little bit of time to get the cards in the air.
Skill levels vary depending on what game you're playing. I've only played 1-2 so i cant comment on the higher skill sets. I did run into Jean-Robert Bellande last night, as i was cashing out. I asked what he was playing and he said 10-20 NL. I wished him luck in the Main Event and was on my way.
You're also able to get food orders sent directly to your table. There are waiters who give you a menu and you can order a variety of foods and they bring it to you in a good amount of time. The food is pretty good and its not really that expensive either.
The only real complaint that i would make, which the other players make a fuss about also is the amount of time it takes to get a cocktail waitress in the room. There usually is around 2-3 of them and they take forever to get.
Other than that i give The Venetian Poker Room an 8.5/10.
3rd session
Well tonight i again headed back down to the venetian around 8 oclock or so and got right to a table. I drew a nice table yet again and got great reads on players. I dont know what it is, but online im pretty much solely a tournament player. I can't play cash games at all. But live, i just shoot into some sort of mode. I will save all the specifics for another post but in an hour and a half i was up $602 dollars. Yes, this is 1-2 NL im playing. I am making nice reads on people and just playing very well. Tomorrow im going to put up a review on The Venetian and talk about the WSOP so far. The stuff i have seen is absolutely horrendous. I was just in utter shock at some of the plays that were being made.
Days in Vegas: 3
Net Winnings Today: $602
Net Winnings Total: $1302
Days in Vegas: 3
Net Winnings Today: $602
Net Winnings Total: $1302
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Day 2
I woke up around 1pm vegas time(4 est) and was just lounging around for a little bit. Grabbed a quick shower and went to get some groceries at Albertsons and got some lunch. My cousin had to go to the Rio at 6 for work so i thought i would leave a little bit before him and head on over and admire the debaccle they call the Main Event. Reading the updates in the morning they said they were going to have around 500 alternates each first day. That adds up to about 10k people, if the max of 2000 people was reached each day.
As i reached the Amazon Room i just happened to notice Layne Flack 2 tables from the rail. He had a very low chip stack and was looking very bored. He also didnt look to fond of the railers. A couple tables down, a table directly on the rail i found Minh Ly. He played a couple of hands when i was there and surprisingly got bullied out of all of them. I walked to the ESPN Feature table and Scotty Nguyen was there, but i just kept walking. And after about 30 minutes i was bored and wanted to play, so i headed over to The Venetian.
I sat down at another 1/2 NL table and recognized a kid that i played with last night and got into some chit chat with him. I was playin the same as last night and was gettin a feel for my table. 2 to my left was a laggy asian kid. He liked to 3 bet with nothing a lot, but stayed unpredictable and was quite crafty.
I wasnt winning any pots and had about $165 in my stack when i picked up AK in the sb. There were 5 limpers in the pot and i wanted to take the pot down right there since i was OOP so i made it $17 to go. The laggy asian kid(we'll use lak) was the only caller and we see a flop. It comes Ah 4d 6h. Nice flop for me. I bet out $40 into the $46 dollar pot or so and he flat calls. So im yelling black in my head. Turn comes 4c, which is a great card. I lead out and go all in, or so i thought. I forgot i had a $5 chip capped on my cards so i had 5 bones left over. After about a minute and a half he calls. The Qc comes on the river and i throw my last 5 in the pot and he goes "I think i just caught it". So im thinking he had QQ, well no he flips over AQ for the rivered better 2 pair....wonderful. So me being the person that i am, i threw a small fit about him calling 100 dollars on the turn with AQ. He kept saying sorry every 3 and a half seconds and i told him it was no problem to shut him up after a while.
Of course i reload to $200 to win my money back. Some interesting hands occured that i took note of. You always have to be paying attention. I picked up some great info on a player which later helped me rake a HUGE pot. This guy across from me in a yellow cap was just awful. But he was aggressive and was able to push people out of a lot of pots. There were 2 hands in particular. The one time he was on the button and the cutoff made it 15 to go. He re-pops to 40 and the cutoff pushes in for about $120 total. He calls after thinking for literally 3 seconds. The cutoff shows AA and he shows the J9o. Well i think we know whats coming. Flop 7 8 T. Yep you saw that correctly. He takes it down when the guy fails to catch runner runner. Another hand comes by where there is a 3 way all in and it is obvious the other 2 guys have AA and KK, which they did, but it has them both covered and shows A7s. Flops the 2 spades and gets there on the turn. I was dieing of laughter and could not wait to catch this guy.
Then it came. With 5 limpers i get AK in the sb yet again and make it $15 to go. The LAK folds and it goes to the Psycho who goes all in for $233 total. Everyone folds to me and im like, what is going on here. I tell the dealer im gonna need a few minutes because this was a huge pot. I start talkin to him to get some info and i ask what you have J9 again? He goes you have to pay to find out brotha. $233 is a lot of money for AK pre flop. This isnt a tournament its a cash game. He could have a low pp like 66 or 77. I thought at WORST i was a 60-40 dog. So after about 4 minutes of thinking i put my $233 in the pot(i had him covered by about 45 bucks) and he flips over Ah 7h. Flop comes 6c Qh 3d, Turn 6h, and at that point i say out loud, you have got to be kidding. River...8....spades. I didnt go nuts i said yessssss and said nh and sat back down. After that hand i finally got into a groove and ended the night up $185. From being down $225 and then fighting back and making a profit was great. It's 5:37am and its time for bed.
Days in Vegas: 2
Net Winnings Today: $185
Net Winnings Total: $770
As i reached the Amazon Room i just happened to notice Layne Flack 2 tables from the rail. He had a very low chip stack and was looking very bored. He also didnt look to fond of the railers. A couple tables down, a table directly on the rail i found Minh Ly. He played a couple of hands when i was there and surprisingly got bullied out of all of them. I walked to the ESPN Feature table and Scotty Nguyen was there, but i just kept walking. And after about 30 minutes i was bored and wanted to play, so i headed over to The Venetian.
I sat down at another 1/2 NL table and recognized a kid that i played with last night and got into some chit chat with him. I was playin the same as last night and was gettin a feel for my table. 2 to my left was a laggy asian kid. He liked to 3 bet with nothing a lot, but stayed unpredictable and was quite crafty.
I wasnt winning any pots and had about $165 in my stack when i picked up AK in the sb. There were 5 limpers in the pot and i wanted to take the pot down right there since i was OOP so i made it $17 to go. The laggy asian kid(we'll use lak) was the only caller and we see a flop. It comes Ah 4d 6h. Nice flop for me. I bet out $40 into the $46 dollar pot or so and he flat calls. So im yelling black in my head. Turn comes 4c, which is a great card. I lead out and go all in, or so i thought. I forgot i had a $5 chip capped on my cards so i had 5 bones left over. After about a minute and a half he calls. The Qc comes on the river and i throw my last 5 in the pot and he goes "I think i just caught it". So im thinking he had QQ, well no he flips over AQ for the rivered better 2 pair....wonderful. So me being the person that i am, i threw a small fit about him calling 100 dollars on the turn with AQ. He kept saying sorry every 3 and a half seconds and i told him it was no problem to shut him up after a while.
Of course i reload to $200 to win my money back. Some interesting hands occured that i took note of. You always have to be paying attention. I picked up some great info on a player which later helped me rake a HUGE pot. This guy across from me in a yellow cap was just awful. But he was aggressive and was able to push people out of a lot of pots. There were 2 hands in particular. The one time he was on the button and the cutoff made it 15 to go. He re-pops to 40 and the cutoff pushes in for about $120 total. He calls after thinking for literally 3 seconds. The cutoff shows AA and he shows the J9o. Well i think we know whats coming. Flop 7 8 T. Yep you saw that correctly. He takes it down when the guy fails to catch runner runner. Another hand comes by where there is a 3 way all in and it is obvious the other 2 guys have AA and KK, which they did, but it has them both covered and shows A7s. Flops the 2 spades and gets there on the turn. I was dieing of laughter and could not wait to catch this guy.
Then it came. With 5 limpers i get AK in the sb yet again and make it $15 to go. The LAK folds and it goes to the Psycho who goes all in for $233 total. Everyone folds to me and im like, what is going on here. I tell the dealer im gonna need a few minutes because this was a huge pot. I start talkin to him to get some info and i ask what you have J9 again? He goes you have to pay to find out brotha. $233 is a lot of money for AK pre flop. This isnt a tournament its a cash game. He could have a low pp like 66 or 77. I thought at WORST i was a 60-40 dog. So after about 4 minutes of thinking i put my $233 in the pot(i had him covered by about 45 bucks) and he flips over Ah 7h. Flop comes 6c Qh 3d, Turn 6h, and at that point i say out loud, you have got to be kidding. River...8....spades. I didnt go nuts i said yessssss and said nh and sat back down. After that hand i finally got into a groove and ended the night up $185. From being down $225 and then fighting back and making a profit was great. It's 5:37am and its time for bed.
Days in Vegas: 2
Net Winnings Today: $185
Net Winnings Total: $770
Friday, July 28, 2006
1st Session
Well after i got situated here at the apartment, we wasted no time in getting out to the rio. It's just like anything else in life. You start seeing people on TV and your awe struck. They started the Poker expo today and we saw numerous faces. First off, the amazon room is gigantic..i cant imagine all those tables being played at once. I saw Mickey Appleman, Greg Raymer, Kenna James, Howard Lederer, Phil Gordon, and Chris Ferguson. Tomorrow when the ME starts im sure that room will be electrifying.
I put in my first session over at The Venetian. We played for about 8 hours on 1-2 no limit tables. Right now im just going to give a report on what happened, ill post my review and hands at the end. I left with a Net Win of $585 dollars. My inital buy in was the max for $200 and i ran it up to $785. Not bad for my first 1-2 session. I actually think that is pretty impressive.
Anyway i didn't want to type too much cuz im tired as shit. Till next time.
I put in my first session over at The Venetian. We played for about 8 hours on 1-2 no limit tables. Right now im just going to give a report on what happened, ill post my review and hands at the end. I left with a Net Win of $585 dollars. My inital buy in was the max for $200 and i ran it up to $785. Not bad for my first 1-2 session. I actually think that is pretty impressive.
Anyway i didn't want to type too much cuz im tired as shit. Till next time.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Vegas Baby!
I just got to my cousins apartment in Las Vegas. Everything is all set up and we're about to head over to the rio to watch the FT of the $1500 NL Event. Wow this is going to be a show.
Viva Las Vegas
In about 2 hours im going to get in my car and head off to the airport...5 and a half hours later, ill be in the city that never sleeps..Las Vegas. I absolutely can not wait to get out there. I haven't been there since last year when i went for my 21st Birthday. Even though I wont be playing it, im still going to be at the Main Event living through friends that i know will be playing. I wish everyone safe travels and the BEST of luck going into the biggest tournament, not just of your lives, but the BIGGEST tournament man kind has ever seen. Fuck, now i want to play, anyone want to go half and half?
P.S. Home game tonight took 2nd in the $50 buy in end of the month tourney. Was heads up with a slight chip lead and got it all in with AK vs Q9(blinds were astronomical) and she spiked a Q on the turn. Still $270 bones isnt bad, but $485 would have been better.
P.S. Home game tonight took 2nd in the $50 buy in end of the month tourney. Was heads up with a slight chip lead and got it all in with AK vs Q9(blinds were astronomical) and she spiked a Q on the turn. Still $270 bones isnt bad, but $485 would have been better.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
2 weeks...2 Final Tables
For the second consecutive week i went deep in the CardPlayer weekly forum tournament. Last week i ran through 46 or so people and took 3rd. This week while getting all the money in with the best hand after the flop, i finished 2nd after a guy spiked an ace on the turn.
Nothing much else to talk about...gettin amped for vegas. Here is an updated picture of the way i 8 table with stars' new resizable table feature.
Nothing much else to talk about...gettin amped for vegas. Here is an updated picture of the way i 8 table with stars' new resizable table feature.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Telling a Consistent Story
I'm playing in a $5 MTT Freezeout right now and a hand just came up that i thought i would discuss.
The situation is that its fairly early in the tournament, i dont yet have an image, nor does any other player at the table. I don't recognize any of the people at the table and i dont have any notes on them. I havent been playing too many hands because i had to take out the dog and had to do something else. The blinds are at 25/50 and i have 1300 in chips. I'm in pretty good shape still and dont need to make any drastic plays. So we go to the hand..
Dealt to trixter23 [7c 5s]
dapper4: calls
EL CAP 2006: raises 50 to 100
trixter23: calls 50
dapper4: calls 50
So im in the BB and a guy from the cutoff mini raises $50 to $100. Even though i have a pretty crappy hand in the 7c 5s, its mathematically wrong to fold here. The other limper calls and we see a flop.
*** FLOP *** [2d 7h Jc]
trixter23: checks
dapper4: checks
EL CAP 2006: bets 50
trixter23: calls 50
dapper4: calls 50
I check and the mini raiser, makes yet another mini raise at the pot here to 50. What do you guys put him on here? If he had a set, i doubt he would be betting out on that board. Did he miss and is making a continuation bet? Does he have a Jack? I dont really know yet. But what i do know is he bet 50 into a pot of 300. With 2nd pair and those odds im not going anywhere.
*** TURN *** [2d 7h Jc] [Qc]
trixter23: checks
dapper4: checks
EL CAP 2006: checks
What was so special about this Qc that made him check? Did he finally hit something? Or did he give up at the fact that he still has nothing that he cant bet out.
*** RIVER *** [2d 7h Jc Qc] [4s]
trixter23: checks
dapper4: checks
EL CAP 2006: bets 250
trixter23: calls 250
dapper4: folds
So the 4s rattles off on the river. That couldn't have helped him. So when the Qc comes off he checks and the 4s comes he bets out again. Does he think we are afraid of the board and wont call here? Im not sure. Something about his play didn't make sense. If he bets the turn, i go away. I'll be convinced he has a better hand. I actually put him on a busted back door flush draw of some kind. The 2nd club comes to him on the turn, and he decided he wanted to take a free card on the river to see if he gets there. But most likely he isnt going to get paid off if he makes it.
*** SHOW DOWN ***
EL CAP 2006: shows [Ah Ks] (high card Ace)
trixter23: shows [7c 5s] (a pair of Sevens)
trixter23 collected 975 from pot
Well we werent right, but we werent wrong either. He shows AK for a weakly played hand on his part. We take down 975 chips, which is 475 or so net at the 25/50 level. Little pots like these do a lot for ya. For one, they boost your confidence. They also give you a great read on the player for the future. Not only in the same tournament, but other ones you may see him in. Take notes, or even post the HH from that hand in the note box. The more knowledge you have about a player, and how he plays particular hands will help you out in the long run.
Good luck to you all
The situation is that its fairly early in the tournament, i dont yet have an image, nor does any other player at the table. I don't recognize any of the people at the table and i dont have any notes on them. I havent been playing too many hands because i had to take out the dog and had to do something else. The blinds are at 25/50 and i have 1300 in chips. I'm in pretty good shape still and dont need to make any drastic plays. So we go to the hand..
Dealt to trixter23 [7c 5s]
dapper4: calls
EL CAP 2006: raises 50 to 100
trixter23: calls 50
dapper4: calls 50
So im in the BB and a guy from the cutoff mini raises $50 to $100. Even though i have a pretty crappy hand in the 7c 5s, its mathematically wrong to fold here. The other limper calls and we see a flop.
*** FLOP *** [2d 7h Jc]
trixter23: checks
dapper4: checks
EL CAP 2006: bets 50
trixter23: calls 50
dapper4: calls 50
I check and the mini raiser, makes yet another mini raise at the pot here to 50. What do you guys put him on here? If he had a set, i doubt he would be betting out on that board. Did he miss and is making a continuation bet? Does he have a Jack? I dont really know yet. But what i do know is he bet 50 into a pot of 300. With 2nd pair and those odds im not going anywhere.
*** TURN *** [2d 7h Jc] [Qc]
trixter23: checks
dapper4: checks
EL CAP 2006: checks
What was so special about this Qc that made him check? Did he finally hit something? Or did he give up at the fact that he still has nothing that he cant bet out.
*** RIVER *** [2d 7h Jc Qc] [4s]
trixter23: checks
dapper4: checks
EL CAP 2006: bets 250
trixter23: calls 250
dapper4: folds
So the 4s rattles off on the river. That couldn't have helped him. So when the Qc comes off he checks and the 4s comes he bets out again. Does he think we are afraid of the board and wont call here? Im not sure. Something about his play didn't make sense. If he bets the turn, i go away. I'll be convinced he has a better hand. I actually put him on a busted back door flush draw of some kind. The 2nd club comes to him on the turn, and he decided he wanted to take a free card on the river to see if he gets there. But most likely he isnt going to get paid off if he makes it.
*** SHOW DOWN ***
EL CAP 2006: shows [Ah Ks] (high card Ace)
trixter23: shows [7c 5s] (a pair of Sevens)
trixter23 collected 975 from pot
Well we werent right, but we werent wrong either. He shows AK for a weakly played hand on his part. We take down 975 chips, which is 475 or so net at the 25/50 level. Little pots like these do a lot for ya. For one, they boost your confidence. They also give you a great read on the player for the future. Not only in the same tournament, but other ones you may see him in. Take notes, or even post the HH from that hand in the note box. The more knowledge you have about a player, and how he plays particular hands will help you out in the long run.
Good luck to you all
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