That is silly. How did you do in that tournament, did you show them who's boss? Any 2016 Vegas plans?

I'm about to start my first online session in a long time. Today is a promotion on Stars where you get a bonus between $50 and $5k if you win two 180s in the next 24 hours. I'm gonna grind the 0.50s, 2.50s and 4.50s. Since I only play 12 tables simultaneously and only have 8 hours, I'm gonna need some solid rungood, but it sounds like a fun challenge. I'll keep you guys posted.

Meh. 3.5 hrs in and 4 FTs so far. 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th. Feel like I had my chance, not really psyched to grind till late still chasing two wins. I had hoped $4.50s regspeeds would go off, but it's really just grinding $0.50s and that's super boring. Don't really understand the appeal of grinding turbo 180s, respect for those players who play these day in day out.

Still, I'm up $70 in 3.5 hours, I'll take it.

I've cashed The last two years in that tourney. Think 300 ish this year

Will definitely go this Summer. There's a group from the live low stakes area of tpt who meet every year. Not sure when but likely 10 days early on in Series

Oops, double post

Picked up a few cashes in the last couple days. On Thursday I finished 3rd in the $25 game for $150. Declined an even chop fourway for $225 several times because the other three were really bad. I'd decided a while ago I shouldn't deal in exactly this situation, where I don't necessarily have a short stack and opponents are bad. Didn't work out this time, but in this line up I'm printing money.

Bust out hand:

Blinds 20k/40k
UTG (wild OMC chipleader 80% VPIP running really hot, playing really really bad) makes it 80k with 700k behind. I'm in SB with 400k with KQ. OMC has limped in most hands, an open raise is rare. Also, he has shown he likes calling off, especially against me. Earlier he limp-called a 7bb shove of mine with Q8. I think his range here is a lot of Ax that he will not fold pre, so I decide to call and evaluate flop where I have a better shot of getting him off a hand. Also, BB (250k) is very tight-passive. BB surprisingly calls too.

Flop JT6, pot 260k. Pretty good flop for me, but I know if I let OMC bet at it I'll have zero fold equity, so I donkjam for 320k. BB snap calls. OMC snap calls.

BB shows 77

OMC shows AK while screaming "I have nothing, I have nothing!!"

Turn K
River 2

So both of us bust and now OMC has ~90% of chips in play. Immediately he chops it even with the last player...


On Friday I bust the first game in an equally pleasurable spot:

Blinds 1k/2k
UTG (random) limps in. UTG+2 raises to 7.5k leaving 18k behind. He definitely has a value hand here. MP (young asian super LAG) calls. HJ (random) calls. BTN (tight MAWL) calls. I'm in SB with 45k and AQ. There is 35k in the middle now.

I'm way ahead of UTG; UTG+2 is committed with a value hand (99+, AJs+, AQo+); I'm way ahead of MP; I'm ahead of HJ's range, I expect him to fold a lot; BTN has a pretty big hand but will fold too much. Enough dead money, so I jam.

UTG (45k) calls, UTG+2 (26k) calls as expected, MP snapfolds, HJ (33k) tank-calls and BTN tankfolds.

UTG shows Q5 ("It's my favourite hand!"); UTG+2 has AK; HJ has 22 ("I called for value", he'd later claim). BTN folded TT.

Board runs out 34568 and 22 wins the main pot and Q5 wins the side pot.


In the second game I finished second for $205. There is a regular in this game who embodies the very definition of a drooler. He seems permanently drunk and plays awful. The only upside for him is that he spews, which sometimes helps him build a stack in the earlier levels that he'll inevitably lose when the stacks become shallow in the later levels.

On final table he has a big stack, but he's in for $75 after setting a rebuy record pre-add-on (starting stack is 100bb, rebuy stack in last level pre-add-on is still 50bb. It's quite difficult to bust this stack, let alone 5 times.) Then this beauty comes along:

Blinds 10k/20k, 6-handed.
UTG goes all in for 40k, I'm on BTN with 300k and KT. Drooler is in SB with about the same, BB has 25k total. I call, drooler burbles "This is one of my favourite hands" and calls, BB flicks in his last chip.

Flop 8K8, pot 145k. Drooler leads out in an empty side pot for 100k, leaving 150k behind. "Favourite" hands are so often suited one-gapper trash hands, so I think he has an 8 here a lot. I sigh-fold.

Drooler shows 75

UTG takes the lot with TT.


Eventually I get HU and when we're about even I lose against another one of those "favourite" hands:

Blinds 20k/40k, HU. We're about even with 500k each.
Villain raises to 100k. I have KQ and I jam. Villain turns to his GF by his side and says "Guess I have to call!" and calls with 64.

Board runs out 64Q94.


Lesson of the day: Pick a trash hand as a "favourite", call off for all your chips, print money.



Online bankroll: US $1500
Live bankroll: AU $6645

Gonna owe you guys a trip report, but I'm wrecked atm so I'll leave that for tomorrow. I just chopped the $100 WSOP satellite. We got HU dead even in stacks with $650 cash for 2nd and a $4400 package for 1st. To my surprise he snap accepted when I proposed he'd get the package, and pay me $1900 extra, so we'd both get $2500 worth. I definitely got the better end of that deal in terms of flexibility, but I'll most likely join this team anyway.

I did request that we both get our own personalized jersey for the trip, usually reserved for the satellite winner.

Very excellent performance Glad things are going so well for you! It's nice to contrast the comeback from "chip and a chair" for you versus my "fall from grace", donking off my big stack in a single blind level. I lacked the temperament/self-control required to crush pub like you :P And the rest of my day didn't go so well either, ended up dropping 1.2k from PLO later in the day

An interesting key hand in ur comeback was me doubling you back up to healthy. About our hand where I called ur 16bb shove with 33s (which I thought you only had 11), the more I think about it the less I liked the call I made. I did ask MangoBall and he thinks I should call small pockets v a <20bb 3b shove from BTN v CO (or late v late) if I 2.5-3x where I would need something like 40% equity. But I feel our assumption is based on the fact that you have a wide enough bluff range, which you might not actually. On one hand, in terms of online range its prob fine (+ ur the one person who would 3b near that range potentially), I feel given that fact that you know you have a BIG edge on pub players and are willing to not take a marginal spot, you might actually have less incentive to bluff light and wait for better spots. However, you were short-ish and given you know how tight the blinds were this would be a pretty profitable 3b jam given my light perceived opening range. This on top of the fact that old lady was tilting the **** out of me during the hand + top heavy structure induced me to making what is probably not a very good call against what is probably nutted range (u might even flat some suited combos that u bluff, given the pub table).

But yea well deserved given ur edge on the field. Might come to Vegas with u guys (I'll be 21 by then), but not sure. glgl Back to my own thread now :P

Oh my god - you really are just a destroyer!! Gratz!!

Just got through reading this entire thread. Thanks for keeping up with this. Really enjoyed it.

Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying it.

Be patient, and the rush will (sometimes) come

I rocked up to the $100 WSOP satellite 20 minutes early, so I had ample time to pick a good table. I opted for a table with 5 OMC/OLCs (Old man/lady coffee) which was bound to be juicy. I was clearly not the only one who figured that one out, because the seat to my left was quickly claimed by the spewster from this debacle of a hand from the $8k last month:

I didn't realize it was him until he reminded me of this hand. But according to him he had jammed 33 pre and I called with AJ! This was absolutely not the case and hilarious this is how he remembered it. Didn't bother convincing him how it actually played out, whatever makes him feel better at night I guess.

The two seats to my left got taken by Loki (2p2er, from the post a couple above this one) and a friend of him. I was quite surprised Loki opted to sit to my immediate right, no respect for my game clearly...


Off to a bad start

I started off firing, raising a few limpers on the BTN with A7 and betting flop and turn (big) on a 97362 runout but can't shake UTG who limpcalled with J9.

Twenty minutes later I lose some more when I call a MP open from an OMC with AT in CO. On the flop it gets checked to me, and percieving weakness I wind up firing all three streets on a KQ375. I get called down by original opener with AK.

One hour in and I've already lost half of my 25k starting stack. Times to change gears.


Overcompensating

I have thought quite a bit about why I've been so successful in these pub games this year. Rungood is an obvious answer, and it's hard to quantify to what extent that is the reason. I'd like to think I'm pretty good in surviving, which means I pass up on thin spots/edges to save chips to get paid off big in the really +EV spots that are bound to come along vs. these type of players. It's been argued to death whether you should pass up on any +EV spots at all, and I'm not claiming any answers here. I do now that I run deep a lot, because taking less thin spots also reduces variance, and I compensate by crushing opponents in late stage who are way too scared to commit to calling all ins. I realize that my play will suffer when faced with proper players, but so far so good, right?

Anyway, this approach means I sometimes make horrible mistakes because I overcompensate towards pot control, idolizing fold equity and opting to see flops:


Blinds 200/400, 8-handed
UTG (Loki's friend, competent) opens to 1000, Loki calls and I'm next to act with AQ. I raise to 2400 with 13k behind. Spewster to my left cold calls, so do UTG and Loki.

Flop JT9, pot 10k. It gets checked to me. Three players called my 3bet and this board hits their ranges. I don't want to bet-fold and also not really bet-call, so I check, so does spewster.

Turn 8, pot 10k. Again it gets checked to me and I level myself that these guys would check a made flush/KQ. They might, but there is so much in the middle and I have a strong hand. But again I can't figure out a sizing, and I check...

River 7. Loki bets 6k, everyone folds, and he shows 88 (vnh btw). Then I realize, **** sizing, I could've just jammed turn...


Blinds 400/800, 8-handed
HJ (seemingly competent MAWG) opens to 2k. I'm in BB with 66 and have 13k total. I tell myself HJ has not been out of line much, and I don't expect much fold equity. I call without a real plan.

Flop 378, pot 4400. I check, and HJ smoothly bets 3k. This is the kind of board that's pretty good for my hand, but I decide his sizing and comfort just screams strength, and I chicken out and fold...


Riding the rush

I pick myself up, tell myself that spewing off my last 15bb and going home sounds pretty good, but will inevitably result in regret. So I just sit down and fold. You never know, the tide may yet turn.


Blinds 400/800
MAWG UTG limps in, so does OMC in MP. I'm in CO with 11k and hold 44. I jam and everyone folds.

Very next hand it folds to Loki who opens to 2100. I'm next to act with KK. This is clear jam for me of course. Loki tank calls with 33 and I hold. This is what Loki had to say about that:

I think my shoving range here is AJo+, A9s+, KQ, 55+ and maybe some hands like T9s/JTs. It's definitely tighter than Loki assumed at the time, because a) I perceived his open as strong enough that I expected not not enough fold equity (also, friendly "spite"-calling) and b) I still have a fine shoving stack that most players on the table will fold too much against. Again, I value surviving and perceived fold equity quite a lot. So I think 33 should definitely be a fold, especially since losing left Loki with only 6k.


I now have 23k and start building:


Blinds 500/1k, 7-handed.
I'm first to act and have 44 and open to 2k. This should be a fold for sure, but alas. CO (OMC) calls and we go HU to flop.

Flop 2Q4, pot 5500. I want to keep him in at all costs but also want stacks in come river. I test the waters with a 2k bet, he calls.

Turn K, pot 9500. I bet 4k, he calls.

River Q, pot 18k. I take my time and then jam my remaining 15k. I have never seen anyone call that fast, he just snaps it off. I'm disgusted for a moment fearing KQ, but my hand is good against AQ.


Blinds 500/1k
The nagging whining OLC UTG limps in. UTG+1 calls and I'm on BTN with KJ. OLC has around 16k and I've seen her backraise jam ten minutes earlier. I have a playable hand in position, so I just call. SB completes and BB checks.

Flop T53, pot 10k. OLC checks and semi-competent UTG+1 bets 2k. I call, so does OLC.

Turn 9, pot 16k. Both check and I bet 6k. OLC only has 8k more and I don't want to lose her. She obliges and calls, UTG+1 folds.

River 4, pot 28k. OLC checks, I put her all in for 8k and she quickly calls. I table my hand and she mutters and whines to everyone around her and keeps it up while leaving the table.

I win some more hands and suddenly have 80k. By now Loki and the spewster have busted, and Loki's friend gets moved off the table. Things are looking up.


Keeping up the discipline

While I am in a very good position now, the card distribution shuts down as quickly it picked up earlier. I make some moves but hover around the same stack. Blinds go up, my table fills up with better players, so I have to restrain myself again. This is so key in these games. You might feel entitled to ripping the whole table a new one after gaining the table chiplead, but sometimes there are just no good spots and you have to sit on your hands. I feel like I'm pretty good at that, especially in these bigger games. Wait, and good things will happen:


4k/8k, 7-handed, F2T
MP opens to 23k and I'm next to act with KK. I have 72k total, so 49k more. I shove and it folds to MP who folds after some deliberation. I'm still on the fence about this, but I show my hand. I seldom do this, but I realize I shove much wider than this or anyone on the table and I think showing a premium mind keep their minds off that. I did shove A5 from BTN and 76 BvB earlier vs a tight player.


4k/8k, 7-handed
UTG opens to 25k (what is with this sizing...) and I'm in HJ with AK and shove for 105k total. Again everyone folds and I show my hand.


Final Table

I make final table with 150k at 5k/10k. I pick up some more chips opening and cbetting with 99 and AQ vs. single callers. Things are going smooth when suddenly I'm back down in the dumps:


Blinds 5k/10k, 8-handed
UTG+1 (friend of mine, TD of my regular games, not bad but does not have proper shove/fold strats) opens to 23k, leaving 69k behind. It folds to me in BB and I look down at AQ with ~210k behind. I grin at UTG+1 and jam. He quickly calls and his AK holds up. I'm back down to 120k.


8th place busts and we're ITM: 7th-6th: $100, 5th: $150, 4th: $250, 3rd: $350, 2nd: $650, 1st: package worth $4400.


This is that discipline/err on the side of folding that I talk about:


Blinds 7k/14k, 7-handed
UTG opens to 48k, I'm next to act with 88 with 160k behind. With the prize structure super top heavy ICM is less of a factor, which makes this more a shove. But that sizing, for this player, is so indicative of a strong hand and it also means I have less fold equity: I make a tight fold. BB winds up jamming AJ and draws out on UTGs AQ. Later UTG told me he sized it that way because he wants to shut it down and rather take the blinds than facing an all in vs hands like AJ. I mentioned that having 75% to double up is not something you want to avoid, but he's having none of it...


Blinds 7k/14k, 7-handed
I'm UTG with AJ and 120k behind. I jam, but I'm clearly in trouble when an OLC rejams immediately on the CO. Rest folds and she shows AK

Flop A78, pot 250k. Hey, at least I have backdoors...

Turn 6 ...which don't come in. In my head I'm mentally screaming for a jack, blurring my vision...

River J ...so it takes me a split second to realize that that paint is actually a J! I'm disgusted and elated at the same time. Jeez, such a rush!


Wrapping up

My second rush of the tournament begins and there is no stopping.

I increase my stack to CL when my river bet with K6 from the BB gets called by HJ (he open limped and bet flop) on the board AQ424.

A little later the former CL jams on CO for 180k at 10k/20k and I wake up with QQ, and hold vs. 66, busting him in 6th.

Five hands later I open AA UTG to 45k and call a 150k jam from BB who shows 99. Again my hand holds and he busts in 5th.

I pressure the two remaining short stacks (fourth player has a big stack, seems competent, and is to my left) as much as possible. I always surprises me when players in BB with a 4 BB stacks still find a fold. Eventually a 2bb short stack goes all in and I call in BB with 53. I beat his J8 when I river a 5.

Three handed, I have 700k vs 420k and 90k. Blinds 10k/20k. BTN shoves for 90k and I'm in SB with KQ. I call. BB calls. We check down on:
KQ8T5 and BB shows AJ for the nuts. We get HU with dead even stacks and I ask TD to stop the time to talk deal.


Deal!

With $3800 difference in value between 1st and 2nd a deal is a no brainer. However, the problem is the package consists of $1000 cash and $3400 worth of flights, accommodation etc. Quite difficult to chop that. Coming in to this tournament I had thought about this and figured I would try to leverage that cash is more flexible than the package so I would want more than half of the remaining value if I get the package.

However, last week I got word I've been granted observing time with a large telescope in Chile around the time the Vegas trip is happening, which means at least I won't fly from Australia. The other player wants the package too, so I mention that I have some difficult travel arrangements, and I would be more interested in cash with the intention of joining the team either way. I figure 50/50 is a good place to start the negotiations, fully accepting that I will have to give up a little. Surprisingly he accepts right away, and he wires me the remaining $900 right there. I do request that I'll be formerly part of the team too, despite not getting the actual package. This basically amounts to a sweater and bragging rights, but it's nice to be a part of something. The league-organisation are OK with this.

So I pick up $2550 for another huge pay day. Just unreal.


Closing thoughts

Throughout this post I have tried a little to make sense of what I do differently (or better) than the other few regs in these games who are also clearly good players, that makes me so successful in comparison. Given the sample, most of it is probably rungood, but by now I've come to accept that I can take at least a little credit for my results. I realize that I've advocated the "wait for a better spot" routine, which I don't really like. But in my experience these spots that are on paper close, feel not at all close to me when I add the live-playing aspect to it of mannerisms, player types and confidence/doubt, e.g. live reads. Again this feels like an easy way out for not taking +EV spots however thin they might be.

Maybe I'm really fooling myself and I'm just getting away with it because opponents are so incredibly bad, who knows. What I do know is making that tight fold means I get to play a bit longer in a game that I really enjoy, and that can't be all that bad.


Online bankroll: US $1500
Live bankroll: AU $9095

Nice one.
Consider playing the 550 at the Star on Monday? Should be a good turnout.

Loving the write ups! Keep it up man, seems like you're crushing. You'll run how you gonna run anyways so don't sweat that part too much

don't do this tho

Probably not. I'm not gonna play too much during my holiday, in particular potential 8+ hours grinds. If I do, it'll be a $105 this Saturday at Pittwater or a $55 on New years.

Thanks mate, I'm glad people are enjoying this, it always takes quite some time to write it up. And yeah, I should refrain from educating the fishes, but I like talking poker so much!

There's a sick value tournament at new market this sunday on the 27th. 55$ buy in and the TD said he expects it might get to 11k GTD which would be ridiculous.

I followed Loki's advice and played this tournament. It was a $8k gtd which is a really good guarantee for a $55 pub game, so everyone and their mother showed up to play. In total 261 players entered, which was twice as much as expected so there was a long queue with late arrivals and even 5 tables in the beergarden. For some odd reason there also was added money, since the total prizepool was $17k. This wasn't advertised or mentioned, I still have no idea what happened there.

I ran up a nice stack in the first four hours, but because the tournament needed to be done by a certain time a lot of blind levels were skipped. In particular the 5k/10k to 10k/20k to 20k/40k steps left everyone super short. This made for some awkward play:


Blinds 10k/20k, 6-handed.
I'm on the BTN with 190k and it folds to me. SB and BB are weak-passive old players, but I've seen BB call off a SB jam with A7o. Standard you'd think, but definitely not for this player type. I hold JT and I consider jamming, but conclude a min-open achieves the same thing and I'm comfortable seeing a flop with this hand vs. these players. If they shove, they'll always have a big hand that I wouldn't have folded out anyway. I open to 45k. BB (~400k) thinks a bit and calls.

Flop Q99, pot 100k. BB checks, and I bet 45k. I expect BB to only call with a Q, 9 or FD (and maybe some pairs) and fold the rest regardless of sizing. BB calls.

Turn 3, pot 190k. BB checks, I have 100k behind. Shoving seems reasonable here, but she won't fold much of the range I've given here. I have counterfeit outs vs small flushes and straight outs vs the rest. I opt to see a river,

River J. BB checks and I don't think I can get called by worse, or fold out better. I check. BB shows QT.


Blinds go up to 20k/40k and I get moved to another table. There are roughly 35 players left and 27 get paid. They announce mincash is $200, so 4x, which is pretty big. Still, with 2.5bb it's pretty tricky to fold your way to the money when we still need to lose 9 players.


Blinds 20k/40k, 8-handed
UTG shoves for 120k. I'm UTG+2 with 100k and hold QJ. I think about this one for ages and sigh-fold. Probably bad.


Blinds 20k/40k, 8-handed
Two hands later I'm UTG with A4 and go all in. OMC in MP calls off his remaining 70k. Folds to BB who is an absolute clown and he goes on a bit of a rant:
"Ohh, I have trash but I can bust two players here" (sooo..?)
"Nothing personal if I call man"
"Alright, I call!"

OMC shows KQ and BB has J7. Board runs out K4K99 so I lose main pot but win 60k side pot.


Blinds 20k/40k, 8-handed
Next hand I'm in BB for 2/3 of my stack. It folds to the clown in the SB who completes. I haven't seen my hand yet and I'm just about to flick in my last 20k until I realize who I'm playing against. Really, would it be possible?

Flop AK8, pot 80k. SB checks, and I look at my hand. I have 94 and I confidently go all in for my last 20k.

SB mutters a bit about making another bad call and folds Q7.

*Mind blown*


I fold for an orbit while other players bust out and get frustrated when TD is just eating dinner instead of announcing how many players are left. I have 2 bb and no idea if we're on the bubble or still a few to go. Eventually he gets off his ass and let's everyone know we're 29 now. I fold UTG and resign to my fate.

The next hand I post half my stack for the BB and I'm not looking forward to the decision between folding and most likely 4x mincashing (but not more) or calling off ATC and likely bust. Suddenly there is a bunch of excitement on another table where someone is standing up. No, not one. Two! Nice! Someone apparently made an outrageous call pre with 6-high and busted two players. I've been super short for a while now so a $200 mincash feels like running good.

BTN limps in. SB shoves. I have QJ and I get my chips in the middle happily. BTN calls with KJ, SB shows K7 and I triple up when the board runs out Q-high.


I chip up a bit more to 300k until my luck runs out:

Blinds 20k/40k, 6-handed
I'm first to act with A4. Four players on the table are weaktight who'll fold way too much. Nr. 5 has a big stack and a familiar face: Loki just got moved to my table. All in all seems like a good spot to jam, but I'm in trouble when Loki calls off. He shows 88 and his hand holds.

I finish 24th out of 260 players and cash for more than expected, so I'm happy. I also don't mind giving my chips to a mate and he uses them wisely: Loki winds up chopping for $1.7k which is a brilliant effort outlasting so many players.


Tonight I'll play my last game of the year and will do a wrap-up later this week with final results. Happy holidays everyone!

First of all: Happy New Year everyone!

2015 Wrap-up

Two days ago I had a short online session and with that my 2015 results are final. It has been a very successful year for me, in more than one way. Obviously poker has gone well, but at the end of the day that is (just) a hobby. I moved to Australia in pursuit of a PhD and the first year has been great: I discovered several supernovae this year and have been granted new observing opportunities next year in Chile and Hawaii, so between that and Vegas I'll be traveling around the world next year.

I set out on this thread with the goal to make $7.5k AUD before the start of WSOP 2016, figuring that would be enough for flights, accommodation and a bankroll to play $200-$300 daily deepstacks for a week. I still have 5 months to go and I've already surpassed that by quite a margin. The main portion has come from live play, something I did not expect at the start of the year. It's for the better though, because throughout the year I experienced online poker to be a poor source of enjoyment when you don't have the time for a proper grind. Just single sessions every now and then can (and have been) quite tilting when you won't have a chance to try again for a couple weeks.

Combined with some physical issues, live poker proved to be way more fun. I have made quite a few poker buddies with whom some poker nights have been a blast, independent of the actual poker we were playing. Furthermore playing live poker with it's live tells, odd characters and horrible level of play is so much more fun than online. Sure, you only get to play one game at a time so it's not the best hourly, but the social aspect definitely makes up for it for me. I'd recommend any online grinders to give it a go sometime for a change of pace. It probably helps if you sunrun right from the start though, since you won't get any kind of proper volume in


Live results (in AUD):

Net result: $9200

Games played: 132
Games cashed: 36
Games won/chopped: 19
4-figure scores: 3

ABI: 221%
ROI: $31.60
Hourly: $23.20

2015 graph:



Online results (in USD):

Net result: $1349





Plans 2016

Barring any unforeseen circumstances I will go to Vegas as part of the team of the league I frequent. Dates have not been set yet, but most likely we will go around early June. Hopefully that means we'll be there in time for the Colossus II. If not, I might just go early for a chance to play an actual WSOP event that I can afford. Depending on the results in the next 5 months, I might play another WSOP event. I'll know more when the dates are set and the schedule comes out. Also, it's not as if I'm rich, so if I continue running like I have and I wind up with a $15k bankroll come June, I might not fully use that as a budget. I mainly want to have enough money to enjoy Vegas to its full potential, but I'm not gonna play bigger games just because I can afford to. I wouldn't mind still having some $$ left when I go home. On a positive note: because I'm going to Chile for observing directly afterwards, most of my flights will be paid for!

In the next 5 months I'll probably won't play as much as I have past year. At the end of January my girlfriend moves to Sydney, and while she has no problems with me playing poker, I have more reason to spend my evenings in other ways. Given my online poker experiences lately, I'll probably skip that entirely. No point spending a day in pain/frustration if I can go surfing or climbing.
Still, doesn't mean I won't play at all or forget this thread. In the weeks that I'm in the country (I'll be traveling a lot) I plan on playing twice a week, prioritizing bigger games. In March we'll have the ANZPT here, in which I'll probably play one or two $300-$500 tournaments. I the next two months, I already qualified to two $100 league games. So still enough to look forward to and some opportunities for best my biggest live cash so far: $2700. No problem if that doesn't happen, we'll just save it for WSOP 2016 in Vegas!


Finally, thanks everyone for posting in this thread. I really appreciated it, even when it's just checking in. I will continue posting my results in this thread including my WSOP adventure, after that we'll see.

So far 2016 continues the trend of 2015: run pure and win $$. I mincashed my regular Tuesday game for $50 and shipped the Thursday game outright for $450. With a $200 between second and first usually these games end with deals, but I stuck to my plan of playing it out if the deal isn't favorable enough for me and got some fun HU action in.

In the first couple hours of the game last night I was running pretty cold in card distribution and had to resign to folding. I picked up some chips when this hand came along:


Blinds 200/400, 7-handed

UTG+1 (reg, prone to hero calls, friend of mine) opens to 1000 and it folds to me in SB. I have KJ and 22k behind. Usually I would fold here but I know villain will barrel into me too much because we're buddies and his range is pretty wide. I call, so does BB.

Flop KQ4, pot 3000. Checks to UTG+1 who bets 1800, I call, BB folds. This is a board that I intend to call down a lot, barring any poor run-outs or too confident triple barrels/sizing.

Turn 4, pot 6600. I check, villain bets 3200, I call.

River K, pot 13k. Villain is gonna kill me for this (he's lurking in this thread) but I did not register I actually filled up on river. I thought I had trips and wanted to check-call. Not that I would have led out otherwise, perhaps a small bet.
Anyway, he checks back and tells me "So sick if you have a king here..." and shows QQ. At this point I'm thrilled to have gotten away so cheaply, I kinda slowroll (you gotta slowroll your mates) my hand and not until then I realize I actually won the pot.


Flipping towards the win
From F2T onwards the pace picks up a bit in my favor and I win some small flips Q4 > KT on KJ8 blind vs blind and QJ > 33 all in pre to burst FT bubble.

On FT I win another flip AQ > 77 for a chiplead stack. By this time the rail is getting a bit vocal that I run too well. I tell them I can teach them to win flips if they want. We get 5-handed ITM and at this point I'm fairly certain I win another all in pre to bust 5th place, but for the life of me I can't remember how that played out.

Busting 4th I do recall:

Blinds 15k/30k, 4-handed
After building up a stack I've been pushing the action, picking up a lot of blinds. I'm in SB with JT and it folds to me. BB is villain from previous hand. He has ~180k so I jam. He calls quickly with QJ.

Flop Q84 and he basically starts packing up his stuff. The rail agrees that this is basically over now

Sure enough the turn rolls off a 2 and I send another one packing.


At this point I'm up against a Danish reg (not a bad player, but not solid: plays random unnecessary lines/sizings a lot) and a French dude who is also not bad, but clearly out of his depth shorthanded and shortstacked. To be fair, that is the case for almost all players in these games. I'm involved in almost all hands, mostly raising and getting folds and I'm clearly in the drivers seat. I sense that opponents are getting annoyed with me, which leads to busting third place:

Blinds 15k/30k, 3-handed

BTN (Danish guy) opens to 80k, leaving 300k behind. When either of these guys open-raise they will have a hand they like a lot of the time. So far 3-handed it's been rare; I've raised most hands and they just fold. I'm in BB with A9 with 700k. Given that they clearly are frustrated with me picking up all pots, I don't think BTN is overly tight here and will have a open-folding range. Also I would not be surprised if he calls off with a hand I beat. I jam and he instacalls with QJ. Again, I hold.


Heads-up
At the start of heads-up the Frenchman wants to deal it even, but I have 1.1M vs. his 500k. I tell him I can give him $50 (out of $200 price jump) but he declines.

So we play on and quickly it's clear that he's playing HU too tight. Folding a lot, giving up on flops when he misses and potting it when he hits, basically just playing fit or fold. Super easy to play against of course, but we're playing quite shallow so it'll depend quite a bit on card distribution too.

I grind him down to 350k and then jam A2 at 20k/40k. He tank-calls with KJ and the board seems to run out clean but I lose my first flip when he spikes a king on river.

We continue playing and I grind him down from 700k to 450k when he starts picking up hands. I have to fold KJ on 554 for a significant pot so he's back to 600k. I have 900k at this point:


Blinds 25k/50k
Villain is in SB/BTN and limps in. I wake up with KK and raise to 150k. He thinks for a while and then jams for 600k total and I snapcall. He curses loudly when he sees my hand but he's in better shape than I anticipated when he shows T9. Sure enough we have a sweat when it comes out:

Flop A4J

Turn 4

River T

Ship it.

By the way, a bunch of regs/friends are aware of this thread and are giving me good-natured flack for some of their villain-descriptions. I just want to mention that a lot of those are written before we got to know each other, but know that I do I want to rectify some of it. Here goes:

You are all a bunch of drooling idiot fish mouth-breathers.

That's all.

Some exciting news: It's now highly likely that the poker team that I'll be part of will fly to Vegas on the 2nd of June. This means we will be there in time for flight 2 & 3 of the $565 Colossus II. I will 100% play at least one flight and probably two. I'm really excited I get to play an actual WSOP event without having to spend >20% of my playing roll on it. Also very convenient it's at the start of my trip, so that I have the option of playing another WSOP event if I manage cash in the Colossus. I'll stay for ~10-12 days, so plenty of opportunity to run it up (or bust my roll ).

Also, I got told on Friday by a TD (learn to close, D.!) that over 2015 I topped the league for profit ($9830) not only in the smaller Northern region but for the East, where I seldom play but that has a lot more games, as well! This is not official or anything, but either way I'm pretty darn pleased with this.


Online bankroll: US $1349
Live bankroll: AU $9593

Bricked all my regular games this week. Last night was pretty exciting when a poker buddy got HU with a $1500 bounty still live, but he lost and turned out to be the bounty.


Today we had the $3k Monthly Final which I won last time. I got off to a slow start, but started picking up chips after a couple hours. I was fortunate to win a few flips and build up my stack to 200k (50k starting stack) when this hand occurred:


Making big folds


Blinds 4k/8k, 7-handed
UTG (solid player) opens to 20k leaving 70k behind. UTG+1 thinks for a bit and calls, leaving 85k behind. I'm on BTN with 200k and hold 99. I raise to 60k with the intention to call off both. I size it bigger to discourage smooth calls and getting weird flop dynamics, but I think 60k is too much.
Anyway, SB (solid enough, but definitely tight) jams for 155k. UTG folds, UTG+1 instacalls, and I tank-sigh-fold. SB is so nutted here, and UTG+1 still can have a monster here. I beat myself up over my sizing, but the 3bet and subsequent fold I don't mind. SB shows QQ, UTG+1 has AA. UTG folded 88.

Board runs out 56837 for a small needle.


I chip up a bit and I get in another read-dependent spot:


Blinds 5k/10k, 8-handed
I'm UTG with AK and ~180k stack. I open to 25k. UTG+1, a lady reg who is the embodiment of a passive nit, jams for 200k. It folds to me and clearly this is a easy call vs. anyone else. However, I play her a lot and she is insanely passive. She hates to play AK, AQ, AJ and AT. She opened and checked down a 4TJ5A board with AK earlier. She has zero idea about pot odds. It's bizarre.
So I'm close to calling but then I reason that she would never do this with anything other than QQ-AA, possibly AK. I'm convinced that she would never shove JJ/TT here. I fold and she shows AK. Would it not have been me, I'm not sure she would have shoved this, because she thinks I play "all of these random hands".


We get down to final 12 (out of 72) and I have 110k or 5.5 bbs. I got work to do, but again I have to make a big fold:


Blinds 10k/20k, 5-handed.
UTG (tight OMC) opens to 100k leaving 60k behind. CO (big stack, OMC but a bit more loose) thinks for a bit and calls. I'm in the BB with 110k total and 88. When I initially looked down to pocket eights I decided this was going in. Now, I'm not so sure. UTGs sizing just screams of strength for this player type, and the smooth call doesn't bode well either. I sigh-fold.

Flop T93, pot 230k. UTG jams for 60k, CO folds, and UTG shows KK.


FT bubble

Final 10 and I have been shoving into nits a lot. I now have 240k.

Blinds 15k/30k, 5-handed
CO, who has been shoving just as much as me, but has shown down a lot of legitimate hands, jams for 80k. I'm on BTN with 55. I rejam for 240k. Passive nit lady from hand 2 in SB talks for a bit how she can't fold here but that she really doesn't want to call either. Finally she calls off her last 170k. BB (320k) now looks disgusted and tank-folds. CO has KQ, SB has AQ and BB claims to have folded AQ. With so many outs gone my hand holds up and we advance to FT.


Final table

I make final table as a biggish stack with 600k. I call off a 220k jam at 20k/40k with KQ but can't catch up to AT. We lose a few players and are ITM, with blinds at 40k/80 and average stack at 600k. There is one massive stack, I'm second with 410k and short stack has 160k. Player with massive stack is not bad, but doesn't adjust enough to the size of the blinds. He is not very aggro, but doesn't like folding. The rest are weak-passive nits.

Blinds 40k/80, 5-handed
UTG folds and I'm next to act with KQ. I have 410k, BB has half his stack in the big blind. I would love to make a couple more pay jumps, but the table is super passive so I should shove a lot despite having to go through the big stack on my immediate left. KQ is an obvious jam.

Big stack wakes up with 88 and calls, BB delightedly folds away half his stack.

Flop runs out TJ837 and I finish in 5th for $250. A bit disappointing given how exploitable the table was, but not much I could do there.


I'm really pleased with my discipline in folding those big hands and not doing a "*** it" call, this gave me chance to make a bigger FT yet again. Since I'm so competitive I want to win every single tournament I play in, so getting this close and not making at least top 3 is always slightly tilting. I played well and just didn't win the last flip. I can't say I've been unlucky in flips lately, so I'll be over it before the end of the day.


Online bankroll: US $1349
Live bankroll: AU $9696

Hi all. It's been a while since my last update, which has not been due to running bad, I just haven't played much. My girlfriend moved to Sydney, so I have been prioritizing spending my time after work with her instead of playing. This month I have only played three games, but ran deep in two, so things are still looking up. I finished 4th out of 40 for $100 at the start of the month, and yesterday I made FT yet again of the $50 monthly, after a 5th last month and a 1st the month before I now finished 4th for $300. Some fun hands:


Blinds 300/600, 8-handed
UTG+2 (villain this hand) opens for 1600, very talkative poker-diarrhea spouting MAWG who plays pretty straightforward/nitty. I'm in CO with A9 and have 2x average. I call, so does BB.

Flop 959, pot 5100. BB checks, so does villain. I've been very active and picking up lots of pots without showdown, so I can easily get called by floats here. I bet 1800, UTG+2 calls.

Turn K, pot 8700. Villain checks, I bet 3800, he insta-raises to 10k. No way he has me beat here, apart from maybe a slowplayed 55. He does like his slowplays. I just call.

River 4, pot 29k. He checks quickly and I weigh my options. I have seen him check the nuts to the raiser on the river twice in the last 2 hours, so he's definitely capable of doing that. That's just 55 though, no way he's done that with KK. More likely is Kx or a missed draw. This leaves my sizing. I could overjam for 40k effective with my image, but if he has checked with a K intending to call that might just be too much and make him think. I opt for 13k and he snapcalls with a K. Probably should've sized it bigger.


Blinds 4k/8k, 7-handed, average stack ~120k
I'm UTG with 120k and I'm holding QQ. I open to 18k, only BB who covers me calls. BB is a simple player, nothing fancy, super boring.

Flop A62, pot 40k. BB checks, I check. I figure almost all non-A hands will fold here, apart from a club draw. We're just too shallow to expect too many floats, especially from this player.

Turn J, pot 40k. BB leads out 8k. This is just a weak bet and a weak hand, nothing else. He always has a weak A, a J, a flush draw or air here. I want to charge the jacks and flush draws, and set my own prize vs. an Ace. If I raise here he'll check all his weak aces that not have made two pair to me on river. I raise to 20k expecting calls from hand I'm beating, and intend to check back most rivers. He calls.

River K, pot 80k. BB leads out 16k, I fold. He has made his flush, caught two pair, or it might be a confused blocker bet with a weak Ace. A while later he tells me he had KJ.


Leading up to FT I'm mostly shoving and taking it down pre. I make FT with 225k, average is around that. One of my poker mates has also made FT two to my left and keeps telling me he can't wait to suck out on me.

The FT plays out quite dramatic with AK losing 5 or 6 times in a row all in pre: AK<A2, AK<J4, AK<A9, AK<A8, AK<K3. The last one saves me, after jamming 7bb on BTN with K3 and running into AK.

We get 5-handed and I have quite a ****ty position. My poker mate, let's call him ****show, is the only capable player left to my direct left, and the other three can't even tie their own shoes. Laddering up is difficult though when these other three are nitting it up, which means I can pick up a lot of chips, but always have to jam through ****show. He's basically salivating over busting me, and he will call off light.

We get four handed when BTN jams 280k at 40/80k and SB takes 3 minutes of pained looks and sighs until he manages a call with AQ...

I find a double when I jam 375k BvB with KQ and ****show snaps me off with K8. Next orbit I repeat the exercise with Q5 but get saved a call. I blind down a bit and jam for the third time BvB with K7 for 400k effective. This time ****show actually has a hand I lose to TT.

My final 175k go in two hands later but my deuces get cracked by A3. I cash for $300 and a third straight cash in the monthly final. With me gone ****show gets to run over the two droolers and takes it down outright. GG.



Online bankroll: US $1349
Live bankroll: AU $9883

Sigh.
They introduced a bounty to my regular games. If you're randomly picked as the bounty and ship the tournament you get the bounty pool, currently at $1000. I get HU and the bounty is still in. I get a bit lucky and ship the tourney for $425, but not so lucky that I'm also the bounty

Fun fact: we made a deal that if one of us binked the bounty, he would give the other $200. Which means I would've made more money had I lost...

Had a great poker session last night. Everything just clicked and I started writing down fun hands only half an hour in. I was having so much fun and felt so on-point that it didn't really come as a surprise to me that I got to play it until the last hand: we chopped it 4-way for $260 each. Usually I try not to chop, but I was short stack and it was late with a lot to do at work today. So I'm still fine with it.


Turning the tables
I took down a significant pot at showdown with J6 where I was the preflop aggressor. This might have influenced the following hand:

Blinds 75/150, 8-handed
UTG limps in, I raise to 400 with Q7. A little bit too loose to be fair, but we're super deep at 30k avg and the table is full of weaktight players apart from BTN, a young hyper-aggro reg. Sure enough, he 3bets to 1200. It folds to me and I call. He likes 3-betting a lot so I don't want to fold too often, and I like to battle with him.

Flop 953, pot 2850. I check, BTN bets 2100, I call. He bets big whether he has it or not, I'm obviously not folding here.

Turn 2, pot 7k. BTN has around 17k left and if I let him barrel big again, I only have ****ty options. I lead out for 3.6k, prepared to fold vs a shove (which he will do with almost all made hands), and leaving a pot sized bet on river when called. He tank-calls.

River J, pot 14k. I ask for a count, and shove for 14k effective. He either has a slowplayed monster here, or air. He snap folds. I'm really pleased with following through here and not chickening out.


I pick up some extra chips versus an OMC who plays super random and overall tends to call way too much. For example he called pot bets OOP on flop and turn with 89 on a QJ3A runout, but folds a J on a J-high flop vs. a single bet...
The hand were I chip up vs him he limpcalls on the BTN vs. my raise from BB. With KQ on a AK3TK runout I bet 6k pre, 6.5k on flop, 8.5k on turn and put him all in for his last 7k on river, after which he snapfolds.


Like taking candy from a fat old little kid

Blinds 500/1000, 7-handed
I'm in CO and open to 2500 with AA. OMC in BB, who always bets the value of his hand, super unimaginative, and an unlikable passive-aggressive sneering little man, calls.

Flop 975, pot 5.5k. OMC leads out for 3k. He does this a lot with middling hands, I think "to know where he stands". I raise to 11k.

He fidgets a bit with his chips, and says "alright, I'm all in!" and pushes in ~42k. I know he likes to overvalue hands and feels pushed around but "the kids" so obviously I snap call. He shows Q9 for a characteristic completely butchered hand. My hand holds.


A good spot to jam

Blinds 2k/4k, 8-handed.
UTG loose-passive player raises to 8k leaving 55k behind. I call on BTN with 66.

Flop AQ9, pot 22k. UTG checks, I figure he never has an ace here so I can pick up the pot here a lot, so I bet 12k. He thinks for a bit and calls.

Turn 7, pot 46k. UTG checks, I check.

River 5, pot 46k. UTG checks. He will have a vulnerable hand here, but so do I, and it's a shame to lose the pot to 9x or TT or something like that. He has around a pot-sized bet behind, and is clearly not holding an ace. I push all in. He folds.


Closing out

At this point I get moved to a more lively table. Action has been fast here with a couple of the more aggressive regs at the table. I have around 120k at this point (40k starting stack) but there are plenty of other bigger stacks. I've been enjoying playing immensely, it's been a while since I've had this much fun solely from the game. I can't suppress a grin during the next hand:

Blinds 3k/6k, 6-handed, dead SB
I'm UTG with A5. I open to 12k and it folds to my mate in the BB, who calls. He's competent, but has been away for a while and I don't have a strong read on him.

Flop 9J9, pot 24k. BB checks, and I bet 12k. I don't mind a float, have the flush draw covered, so no need to bet big. BB raises to 35k, leaving ~70k behind. Given my fairly small cbet sizing on a wet board, I wouldn't be surprised if he raises fairly light. I contemplate shoving, but I'm getting 2-1 in position with a strong draw and an overcard. I call.

Turn Q, pot 94k. BB checks, I check. I'm not too worried about river, and want him to catch up in case he has JT/KJ. Stack sizes are also fairly awkward, with ~70k effective. Any bet here will look strong I'd think.

River A, pot 94k. Pretty ****ty river to get value from. He checks, I tank and eventually shove, after which he folds with some consideration. He had 77, so the runout was pretty bad for him.


Blinds 4k/8k, 6-handed

CO (big stack, unknown, seems bet-happy) opens to 16k. BTN (villain from last hand) calls. I'm in SB with 170k and AJ.

I'm confident that CO's sizing indicates a middling hand, he doesn't seem the type that keeps his preflop sizing consistent. Surprisingly, this are very rare in pub poker. Sizing tells preflop are everywhere and I can pretty much call some regs their hands based on just preflop sizing.

I'm also well ahead of BTN, no way he'll just call AQ+ or pairs here. He has 80k so clearly (he must realize this) not enough for set mining small pairs, and he doesn't want to give free flops with 77-JJ. Once in a blue moon he has QQ+ here. To be honest, with his stack size, he shouldn't have a calling range here at all, but ah well.

I don't mind getting it in here, but I want to leave a little space for CO to give tells that he has a monster. Depending on tells, I may sometimes 3bet-fold here. I raise to 46k.
CO thinks a bit and folds. BTN shoves for 80k total. I call immediately (as if I have any other choice) which hilariously makes BTN squeal a bit.

I hold vs. KQ.


On final table I make some tight folds and this asian kid to my left keeps making dreadful calls and keeps sucking out on players. We get 4-handed, it's late, and I have <20% of chips, so I accept an even chop.


Great ****ing night. Then I realize it's my 5-year anniversary with my gf. Oops.



Online bankroll: US $1349
Live bankroll: AU $10397 (5-figure hype!)

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