Started today's s 1/3 session stuck $300 after I raised to $50 in straddled pot with TT over two limpers and straddler called, first limper/V l/rr AI $400, I called, straddler folded, V had JJ. We would have been set over set on the flop anyway so same result even if we played it out. Too bad I couldn't find the fold pre.... V thought it was a good idea to fist bump me after he took $400 off of me. Not funny, dude.

Over next few hours slowly grinded it back up to even, ending up $187 on the day in 6 hours. Switched tables twice, first time after the TT/JJ hand, second time a few hours later after my new table went dead and a seat at a crazy action table (read: 2/5 disguised as 1/3) opened up. To promote the action I straddled once and got AKo. There was a UTG+1 open to $25 and three callers. I jammed for $500 and everyone folded.

Then got AKo in MP, 3! an EP open to $25 to $60, BTN called, raiser called, I c-bet $100 on a K-high flop and took it down. That's pretty much it.

Bed time now. Nice thing about jet lag is it has reset my sleep schedule to normal.

BR: $4,730.

Good six hours today again at MGMNH. Got on the 2/5 list because it was shorter. Bought in for min $300 and got 77, 99, AJcc, missed with all three. Got AQo, $25 pre with one limper, cbet flop and called 1/3 pot river bet on K-9-7-5-Q runout; he called flop after limp/calling pre. He had KTo. :/ So stuck $200 in 2/5 in about 2 hours. Put myself onto 1/3 list pretty quickly after that AQ hand.

Switched to 1/3 (in for $100) where I started at an amateur but nitty table. Little action, and I was card dead = no one to pay me off when I finally got a premium hand. So I table changed.

Next table had some live ones. Folded for about 45 minutes until finally got AA in straddled pot. Three limpers and I made it $40 with $100 behind (I had won a couple small pots before or something). I got FIVE CALLERS. Jammed Q-J-7r flop and everyone folded. Phew.

A little later 3! AKo to $65 over an EP $15 raise and a MP fish call. Vs called. Flop A-4d-5d, fish donk jams $130, I re-jam $230, other V folds, fish shows 34ss for bottom pair and I scoop. Last big hand I limp/call same fish's $18 open with three other callers and A8ss. Flop nut flush draw on J-high board. Fish cbets $65, I call. Turn: brick. Fish continues for $125. I call. River: 10s. I check, fish bets $160, I jam $270, fish tank folds, claims had AJ.

Started reading Janda's Applications for Advanced Players. Good stuff so far. Will probably invest in PIO at some point. Wonder if it's worth it....

Ended up $633 in 1/3 and -$200 in 2/5.

Bankroll: $5,090. Hourly: $24 (8bb/hr.).

So I just added up my poker winnings since I started playing last November and with my win last night I breached the $10K mark (excluding promotions). A decent accomplishment for a relative beginner. Woohoo!

Now if only I can get my bankroll up to $10K before my trip to Vegas....

Goal: Bankroll up to $10K by November 4.

No MGM today. Went to freeroll tournament in VA in the afternoon and won, took home $100 check. Hosted a 0.5/0.25 home game in the evening. We played mixed games until 5:30AM. My sleep schedule is whack again. Only made $45. But the point was to have a good time with my friends, so no biggie.

Up $145 today.

Tonight was interesting. Bought in for $100, limp TT UTG to l/rr, but half the table limps instead. Flop 9-3-5dd, I lead pot ($15), three callers including BTN. I check a 3 ott and BTN bets $50 (a little under pot). Seems like he's protecting his 9 from overcards and it's tough to put him on a 3, so I CRAI $75 he calls and I hold. A couple hands later there are four limpers in a straddled pot and I make it $56 with AQo in SB and take it down pre. Very nice result to win $33 uncontested and not raked with a mediocre hand. No, I didn't want any callers.

At this point, I top off to around $300 so I'm not playing an awkward stack size.

Later get KsKd in SB and 3! a shorty's open (one caller in between) to $45. They both call. Flop 8s-8d-3s, I jam, only shorty calls with JTss, turns flush, but I river better flush.

Then I get a little frisky and 3! light a TAG UTG open to $50 (one caller in between) with A4hh in MP. TAG 4! $100 with $180 behind. I flat and we GII on 5x-6x-7h flop. 8 ott for the straight and crack his QQ. Can't be results-oriented and I got a lot of flack in the strat forums for this hand so I don't recommend this line.

It wasn't all run-good though. Not long after I lose against a shorty ($45) who decided to jam with 68dd over my l/rr with AKhh and he went runner-runner 2p to beat my K otf.

That was pretty much it for the night. Up $429 in three hours at good old 1/3.

BR: $5,640. Hourly: $26 (8.5 bb).

I think you would massively increase your winnings it you stopped short stacking.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Hey! Thanks. I am just more comfortable ss for now until I have a real BR. $5.6k is good but not great for buying in max $500. Maybe once I reach $15k I will start buying in full. Plus I've learned how to ss well and deepstacked is a whole 'nother ball game.

I'm not convinced of this at all (which is why I've stopped sitting at 100bbs and instead now sit at 66bbs). Quite a lot of the HHs posted here become monsterly more difficult to play if there are much larger stacks behind postflop.

Gitdepends,imoG

3! squeeze for the win!

List for 1/3 was way longer than 2/5 list so I played 2/5 for a couple hours. Bought in min $300. 3! AKo $95 on BTN against HJ open to $30 and took it down pre. Checked my option with TT in BB and 4 limpers. Flop 9-8-4r, UTG limper bets, I call. Turn: 10. I donk, he folds.

Later UTG raises $15 (weak sizing), four callers, I have K8hh in BB and squeeze to $90. UTG calls with $175 behind, everyone else folds. Flop: 8-5-4ss. I jam he snaps, MGIH. Ended up $294 in about 1.5 hours. Also won lucky table promotion for another $100.

Switched to 1/3 a little later. Bought in $100 (min). Raised $30 over limpers with TT and AK, took down the blinds and limpers' money both times. Got a bluff through with K-high and won a $75 pot. Called a HJ open with AJo in BB and bet with air flop and turn, he called and donked river on an A and I snapped and was good. Then won a bunch of small pots by raising and taking it down pre for the most part.

Ended up $160 at 1/3 in 1.5 hours.

So far September has been really good. Shorter sessions, mainly because I had to be home to take care of the dogs while parents out of town, but making lots, $75/hr.

Bankroll: $6,100. Hourly: $27 (8.9 bb).

Today's session was long and meh. First table was terrible and only got worse once the big fish at the table (who'd coolered two people in set over set over set) left. Once I l/rr QQ in EP over HJ open and he folds for $70 more with (he claimed) TT. Wtf table image do I have? Not a good one here.

I changed to a better table with a few recs. Got it AI pre with one such rec for $100 with AKo against QJcc and flopped broadway with royal redraw. He rivered a boat. :/

Then in BB with T6ss, turned flush, other dude who limped BTN turned nut flush with K4ss and stacked me for another $80. Off to a great start.

Won a l/rr pot with AK, then nothing for hours until I l/rr QQ from EP against the aforementioned rec played who jammed over my 3! for about $125. I river a set and he mucks. Then limp KK UTG (limps around...) and flop nuts, other dude raises my bet otf, I call. I c/r turn and bet river with boat he calls with KQo. I left 30 minutes later up only $67 for my efforts in 9 hours. (I'd lost a few small pots throughout the session.) At least I booked a win. Paid for the Dumbo T-shirts I bought today.

Saw Childish Gambino in concert tonight. Pretty entertaining. After that, went to poker room.

Bought in $100 at a great table due to one V. First hand dealt QQ and I 3! $50 over V/MP $12. V calls, I jam K-x-x, he folds. This V was raising way too wide I soon noticed. I later 3! AQcc against him and he called again. I checked A-4-4 in position. T turn, I bet 1/4 pot, he CRAI, I snapped and MHIG against A9o. 3! him again 30 minutes later with KK and one caller in between. He calls again (pattern?). I check A-x-x, this time my checking range is protected due to the previous AQ hand. Phew. Checks down on an A-Q runout and MHIG again.

Later check 55 in BB and GII on 4-5-7r flop against two shorties and hold.

Couple good regs sat down in position and it was time to leave.

Left up $322 in just under 3 hours.

Bankroll: $6,511. Hourly: $28.

Well I was due for a "bad" session. I swear every table I played at tonight was a nitfest. I got little to no action with my big hands. I switched tables three times and every table was the same. Very tight pre, very hard to get any action. Could never l/rr because there were very few raises to begin with. Only couple fish I saw gave their money to other players, not me.

Bluffcatched with AK HU and lost $60 to 87dd after V bet just $15 on each street with middle pair. That was my biggest loss. Called it a night after that. The rest were small losses (calling raises and missing a few times).

Ended down $115. Very meh! Very unfair! Grumble grumble....

1/3 was whatever today. Never got too much going until made nut flush against trips and top pair and stacked a couple people. Then lost about $150 to AJ versus my AK on A-9-7-J-2 runout. Ended up just $170 in nine hours.

MGM spread 1/2 PLO tonight and I got in on the action for a few hours before heading home. First big hand I limped AcJcKd9s and turned nut straight with nut flush redraw, re-potted it putting V all in. He called with middle set and boated on river. Made up for it a couple hours later when I set over setted someone with AAKT double suited. Ended up $260 in PLO in three hours.

Also won lucky table promotion for $300. Super tired after being in casino for nearly 12 hours. Longest session in a while. I can't believe I used to play this long nearly every session. Insanity indeed!

BR: $7,100.

Very bad session. Worst in many months. Pulled an all-nighter trying to get unstuck but alas to no avail. Mix of run bad and play bad.

Run bad: turn second nut flush, jam, V rivers nut flush. -$100. AI pre QQ, run into AA and KK. -$120. Flop a set and V flopped a weak flush. -$90.

Mix of run and play bad: Call raise on BTN from MP with KJcc and we both flop top pair, he with AK. -$80. Call raise with A2ss in BB and GII otf with nut flush draw and bottom pair against overpair TT. Don't improve. -$100. 4! AI pre AK over 3!, can't outdraw QQ (one K exposed preflop so I had only five immediate outs so questionable whether jamming was correct). -$180.

Definitely play bad: raise MP with A8hh, four callers, aggressive SB 3! $85, I jam $120, his AQo holds up. This was just spew. -$120.

Flopped four sets but did not get paid off on any of them. :/ Vs had nothing, not even a draw.

Did not get dealt AA once.

Add the usual raise and miss, call raises and miss, and lost $938 in 22 brutal hours. Bankroll $6,100. Hourly: $20. Methinks it's time for a break.

This is a pretty significant leak, unless you are 100% sure you retained a major edge at the table. Playing tired and stuck usually leads to bad things.

Had a great 3-hour session tonight even though I was card dead the entire time (best hand: AQo, 3! SB versus BTN open, missed flop, folded to EP limper's bet on K-J-3 flop).

Lost only $65, mostly just getting blinded out. Pretty happy all things considered, actually. Needed this session to refocus and regroup. Stuck to my A-game and folded all the trash I got. Just nice not to lose heaps.

BR: $6,030. Hourly: $21 (went up somehow? don't ask).

Taking the night off after seeing the ball game with a poker buddy. Drank too much beer, not feeling anything but poker videos and sleep.

Will go to MD Live tomorrow (will be in nearby Baltimore during the day for unrelated thing).

Before heading out, wanted to post a little reflection on my recent bad session. A few leaks contributed (although they were not the only problem . . .some things you just can't control):

1. As Garick commented above, playing all night is not a good idea. Tired = mistakes. Also, it just became a miserable experience after hour 15 or so. I was cranky and unhappy. Why would I want to put myself through that? I used to do that on a routine basis, but I used to lose a lot more often, too. Now I'm a winner, damnit!

2. I did not leave after I lost my third buy-in, which I had set as a stop loss.

3. To compound matters, after losing BI #3, I bought in for more than $100, which also deviated from my plan of playing ss.

4. I kept playing after some early session runbad, so I was probably somewhat tilted, conscious of it or not.

5. I started raising too wide OOP, again deviating from my strategy.

6. I started calling raises with hands I normally would not (A2ss, KJss), and did not 3! hands I normally would (AK).

Everyone goes astray once in a while. I'm just glad this time I am analyzing the situation instead of blindly moving forward without a plan. Hope it prevents me from repeating these mistakes.

Dumbo shirts arrived today. Sweet.

One of my major ah-ha realizations leading me on my current tight-is-right-and-tighter-is-righter path is that it if you never played a single hand at a 1/3 NL 10 handed table (at 30 hands an hour) it would take you this long to blind out a 100bbs BI:



Ggoodluck!G

Played all over MD today. Started in Horseshoe Baltimore where I ran QQ into AK AI pre and lost the flip (he rivered nut flush). Then raised a straddle with AThh only to get trapped by AA. T-high flop . . . that's all she wrote.

Then off to MD Live where I ran my raised KQ into a limp/called AK on K-high flop. Finally, in the coup d'grace, I flopped a set of 9s against top two (AJ), we GII OTT, and he rivered aces full. :/ Womp-womp.

But fear not because the night was still young. Headed to the faithful MGM where I ran it up and made $311. So overall a $180 loss on the day.

Still on losing streak, but at least is has slowed down. The win tonight at MGM was a psychological booster for sure. Will keep doing my thing and it will work out.

The downswing continues. Made a couple bad calls pre, but most of the losses came down to three hands. Hand 1, raise straddle to $20 with AQss, flop Q-8-5r, delay c-bet turn, V check min-raises and bets $50 on the river, has set of 88s.

Hand 2: 3! AKo, V on BTN cold calls, I c-bet, he min-raises J-8-2 board, I fold and he shows set of 88s.

Hand 3: I limp AKo in EP, loose BTN raises $11, SB 3! $40 (these Vs had been going at it against each other all night), hero 4! jams $220, BTN re-jams and has AA. :/

Tomorrow's a new day. -$300 today.

See, this is the issue with short-stacking. It can make money, but the variance is high because you end up at the mercy of the deck often.

Ha, in spite of results with the AK limp/jam, I like the play (I just responded to the HH in the forum). Cooler in these conditions, imo.

I think G is also right that shortstacking does carry some high variance. I'm currently ~780 hours into my new Super Nit (tigher-is-righter) approach which also spends a lotta time revolving around a ~shortstacking strategy, and while I'm doing ok at ~6 bb/hr, I did experience a tied-for-worst-ever ~950bb downswing. The good news about that is that I'm thinking my overall winrate using this approach is likely better than currently being indicated thanks to having spent 1/4 of my time going into / digging out of that downswing and yet still producing an ok winrate overall. The bad news is that I suffered a 950bb downswing using this method, so, yeah.

GprosandconstoeveryapproachG

Finally a good session. Won all three pots I was involved in in two hours.

1. Call raise on BTN with A2cc. Flop: 3c-4d-10c. I jam, both Vs call, I turn nuts, scoop.

2. Call HJ raise in CO with AJcc. Flop the nut flush. Call flop, raise turn, V jams AI, scoop.

3. Limp 66 in EP, flop A-10-6r. Short stack donks, V min-raises, I raise to $20, shortie folds, V calls. Turn: 5. V checks, I bet $25, V c/r $60, I jam $400, V calls with AT and I scoop.

Up $795.

Decent session (for a Saturday night anyway). Got it AI versus a shorty for $85 with QQ against her KTdd and held. Won a couple pots by raising and c-betting. Then made a bad fold in a huge pot with JJ as overpair on T-8s-4s flop when preflop raiser made it $85 on the flop, I put him on QQ+ or AKss and laid it down after some thinking. He mucked on an Ah-5s runout and a short stack won it with a pair of 8s. Although it was a bad laydown, if I had called and seen the bad news I would have been even more pissed off than I was when I saw I had the winning hand.

Up $100 tonight in just over 3 hours. Slowly getting back on track.