Vegas Summary and June Stats

Here's the Overall stats for my Vegas trip. I started out okay with the Mirage 6/12, as I struggled for some cards and had a fairly low winrate. Tuesday I ran very well in my first time playing 8/16 at the Bellagio. By Tuesday night I had my entire trip (flight and hotel) paid for. I thought for sure I was going to make some serious money on Wednesday, but I struggled mightily all day and played a loooooong session where I eeked out a win, but it left my BB/Hr winrate looking absolutely terrible. I'm lucky to have won some money, because I think I started playing bad toward the end. Thursday was a much better turn around and Friday was just icing on the cake as I won $205 playing 1/2NL simply fucking around with Josh (WC) and Todd. I will definitely blog about each individual session, and probably "go back in time" and set the date as though I blogged about it the day it happened. For example, since the first night I played was at the Mirage 6/12 on Monday Night (6/25), the date on this blog when I talk about that session will be 6/25, even though I am blogging most of my sessions tonight or tomorrow.

Mirage 6/12: TP = $311 TSP = 9Hrs 30 Min BB/Hr: 2.73BB/Hr
Bellagio 8/16: TP = $810 TSP = 23 Hrs BB/Hr: 2.2BB/Hr
Hooters 1/2 NL: TP = $205 TSP = 2 Hrs $/Hr: $102.50/Hr :)
Overall: TP = $1326 TSP = 34 Hrs 30 Min $/Hr: $38.43/Hr


June Stats

Here's my graph for June. I apologize for the "largeness" of the picture. Believe me, I screwed around with re-sizing it for a good fifteen minutes and I still get the same picture. I don't care...it doesn't really matter.

4/8Kill: TP = $968 TSP = 42 Hrs BB/Hr: 2.88BB/Hr
Mirage 6/12: TP = $311 TSP = 9Hrs 30 Min BB/Hr: 2.73BB/Hr
Bellagio 8/16: TP = $810 TSP = 23 Hrs BB/Hr: 2.2BB/Hr
Hooters 1/2 NL: TP = $205 TSP = 2 Hrs $/Hr: $102.50/Hr :)
Vegas Overall: TP = $1326 TSP = 34 Hrs 30 Min $/Hr: $38.43/Hr
June Overall: TP = $2294 TSP = 76 Hrs 30 Min $/Hr: $30/Hr

My 4/8K stats fell off considerably during this month, most likely due to the fact that I didn't have any 500+ days like I did in the month of May. It's all good though, I still averaged well over 2BB/Hr, which is all I can really ask out of myself. I did have a lot of stuff going on this month (Final papers, Finals, Graduation) so I knew my 4/8 stats wouldn't be that impressive. My week in Vegas really carried my overall stats this month as I made more in five days while I was in Vegas than I did for the entire three weeks before that.

Who knows what July has in store for me. I'm feeling very confident after my 8/16 run in Vegas, and I will probably try the 9/18 game at Capitol before the end of July. Wish me luck.

Session No. 23 Hooters 1/2 NL (6/29)

Hooters 1/2 NL: TP = $205 TSP = 2 Hrs

Well I hadn't planned on playing at all on Friday, considering it was my last day in Vegas and I had played a ton of poker throughout the trip. Todd had played a 14 hour session himself Wednesday after chopping the Venetian $330 Deepstack tourney for $2800, so he said he was done with poker for the trip (he's leaving Monday). I figured I'd spend the day kicking it with Todd and meeting up with Josh (WC) for lunch.

We had been talking to Josh about meeting up at Hooters for lunch since the day before, but somehow Josh's phone took a shit on him after we had been making plans to meet up at Hooters. Long story short, he didn't get our messages until about 3pm and we met up with Josh much later in the day. I decided I'd have Todd drop me off at Hooters and I'd kick it with Josh for a couple hours playing 1/2 NL before catching a cab to the airport.

I sat down with the max buy-in ($200) and was immediately dealt QQ UTG. I just about shit my pants and couldn't wait to see how I could find a way to stack off on my first hand of 1/2 NL. I raised to $12 and I got the poster and blinds to fold. Woot...$5 profit.

I limped around here and there after that and really felt uncomfortable for the first couple of orbits. Finally I got a big hand with AJ vs. a flush draw that whiffed and I was up $80. Later on Todd ended up swinging back around as his deal to get an I-Phone fell through...

My second and final big hand came up when I was dealt AJ of diamonds. A solid player who had been way too nice with his opponets so far min-raised from EP. I just called and was hoping to flop a big hand or get out of the way. A couple more players called and then the BB made it $10 to go. Really small re-raise if you ask me, but four players called his bet and now there was $50 in the pot.

The flop came AJ5 with two clubs. Yikes...I'm gonna stack off here I guess. The BB led out for $25, the original raiser folded, and I looked at my other two opponents. The SB, who had been playing pretty fishy all day, looked eager to make a call. I decided to play my two pair fast and take down the $75 in the pot. I made it $100 to go, the small-blind deliberated for a loooong time before finally folding, and the BB decided to call. The turn was a non-club 4 and the BB checked to me. I figured he had AK and maybe he had me on a club draw. I pushed for about $170 more into a pot of $250. He was taking a long time, so I definitely wanted a call at this point. I did my best to just sit there and not really attempt to look scared or strong. He flashed an Ace and folded and I took in a nice sized pot. Oh well...too bad he didn't have me on a club draw, but then again, he might have hit his King-kicker and I would have been fucked.

After this I actually dodged losing a lot of money after flopping TP vs. a flopped straight. I almost made a terrible call, but thankfully I didn't...

After this Todd gave me a ride to the airport, where my flight was delayed 45 minutes, a solid 45 minutes I could have spent still playing. Oh well, I'm actually going back in a few weeks, and I can't wait.

Session No. 22 Bellagio and Mirage (6/28)

Bellagio 8/16: TP = +$215 TSP = 3 Hrs 30 Min BB/Hr: 3.84BB/Hr
Mirage 6/12: TP = +$155 TSP 3 Hrs BB/Hr: 4.31BB/Hr

I rolled out of bed around 2pm and decided to make my way back toward the Bellagio and redeem my poor session from the night before. I was about eighth on the 8/16 list and unfortunately there was only one table running. I thought about walking to the Mirage, but decided to just wait it out as I noticed a couple donks from the previous session sitting in the game. About an hour later my name was finally called and I was ready to play again...

This is the last session I need to talk about...will do it later...I'm starving
____


Alright well I finally got to me seat after an hour of waiting and playing a 25c BJ machine...lost $5...Blackjack is fucking rigged! Anyway, I sat down and only recognized one donk from the night before. He called open-limped a ton in MP-LP and cold-called raises alot. He was not a very good player.

Anyway, my very first hand of the table the not so good player raised Pf from MP, and was called by three people after him. I looked down at AQos and decided to simply call and evaluate after the flop. The flop came Q-High and I decided to CR the original raiser. However, the action went: SB checked, I checked, original raiser checked, Hijack bet, Button called, SB folded, Hero raised, original raiser folded, 2 calls. The turn and the river end up blanking out and the Hijack called me down with middle pair. Good start.

I won a few small pots after that and I was starting to roll. I love picking up momentum at a table, especially a live one. The next hand I was in I was dealt 99 on the button. It gets open-limped somewhere in early position, the Cutoff, who has been playing very aggressively, raised, so I chose to cold-call. The BB and open-limper called and we were 4-Handed to the flop.

The flop came J54 with two clubs. It checked to the cutoff who bet, and I decided to raise and isolate the aggressive player. He only called my raise and I decided he did not have a big PP or the club draw, or else he probably would have 3-Bet OOP. The turn was a 7, he checked, I bet, and again he called. I decided before the river card even came out to check-down the river unless I improved to a set of nines. He may have a pair of tens here and think I have a pair of Jacks or a club draw, so he is in check/call mode. The river was a Queen, the cutoff checked and I checked behind. He showed AK and I took down the pot.

The rest of the time at the table was alright, as I ran my KK into a set of Jacks, but an orbit or two later I cracked KK myself when I turned a set of Queens. I started to get hungry, and slowly but surely some good players made their way into the game, making the game a rock garden. I decided to be smart and cash out my $215 and meet up with Todd for dinner.

After dinner at the Ventetian (tons of hot girls btw, def go to the Venetian at night if you have the chance), we headed to the Mirage 6/12 game. When I sat down I found myself between a couple of talkative asshats who thought they were God's gift to poker. They seemed like solid players though.

The first hand I played I was dealt ATs hearts in the Cutoff. It gets folded to me, so I raised it. The guy on my left thought I was stealing so he called, as did Todd in the BB. The flop came out 8-High with two spades. Checked to me, I bet, the button raised, Todd called, and I decided to call. I was talking a lot at this point with the asshats, in a way to sort of stay friendly but to also try and better get a feel for how they were playing. I told the guy I thought he was on a flush draw and I was pretty sure I was ahead of him, but Todd was actually the one I was worried about.

The turn was an Ace of spades. I wasn't sure who that card hurt. Todd could have called two with the flush draw, but I wasn't sure. He checked, either with the intent to raise or fold, so I checked behind him. The button fired again and Todd shook his head and folded. I looked at the button and told him his flush was good and mucked my cards. I didn't want him to know I folded an ace there, so I obviously didn't show and I was prepared to lie and say I had 99 there or something. He opted to show KT of spades though and told me I made a nice fold. Probably a bad fold in the grand scheme of things, maybe I should have thought about folding that flop if I was only going to be happy with a non-spade ace or ten on the turn, but whatever, it felt good to be right.

Quickly after that another interesting hand took place. A drunk kid in seat 1 decided to straddle, making it a Live 12. Of course I get AK UTG+1 so I raise it to 18. I love the look at people's faces when they straddle and I make it 3-Bets to go almost immediately. It's this shock/disgust/anger look that always stays with me...I love it.

It folds to the BB who decided to call and the straddle obviously called. The flop came QT3 with two hearts. The turn was another blank, so I bet out again and the BB called again. Shit. After I bet I immediately noticed he only had $5 left after his turn call so I knew he was tied to the pot. What a doofus though...why didn't he just raise all-in? The river was a non-heart four, he checked, so I checked, figuring he's calling off with anything at this point. The donk turned over 74 of hearts and his rivered pair of fours was good enough for the pot. Errrrrrrrrrrrr...everyone at the table had a lot of fun making fun of Mr. 74 suited for the rest of the night. Awesome pre-flop call by the way...

After those first couple of hands though I ran fairly well as a couple of my big pairs held (KK in a four-way pot) and I ended up cashing up $155. After a terrible Wednesday, my Thursday was pretty good and I was ready to go home content with my Vegas play.

Session No. 21 Bellagio 8/16 (6/27)

8/16: TP = +$180 TSP = 13 Hrs BB/Hr: .87B/Hr :(

This was easily the longest session of the trip, and I ran absolutely horribly. It seemed like every donk at the table had my number for awhile. If I opened with AK, they'd call with A7 and outflop me. If I flopped two pair, they'd have a set. If I played back at them pre-flop with QQ after they'd been opening with A8os and K9s, they'd have KK on a T-High board. Shit like that was soooo frustrating. These donk players were combining their forces like the Power Rangers, and I couldn't beat them...

I was down $300 at one point, but I grinded my way back up and eventually eeked out a small profit of $180 over a 13 hour session. I was actually in the room for about 14 hours, but I know I took at least an hours worth of bathroom and food breaks. I was there from 2pm to 4am...

This was a good wake-up call for me though, as I was reminded I can't run gooooooot all the time, something I was joking around with Todd about for the entire trip. He commented on how I always seem to run well, and me saying "learn how to run like the Santi" was my favorite line throughout the entire trip.

Session No. 20 Bellagio and Mirage (6/26)

Bellagio 8/16: TP = +$415 TSP = 6 Hrs 30 Min BB/Hr: 3.99BB/Hr
Mirage 6/12: TP = +$44 TSP = 1 Hr 30 Min BB/Hr: 2.44BB/Hr

After lunch with Todd on Tuesday, I decided to step up to the 8/16 game over at the Bellagio. My first impression of the game was that it was a 4/8 game, except everyone had at least 300 in front of them (I bought in for 400). My first couple playable hands at the table were winners, as I raised pre-flop twice with AQ. The first hand the flop came Q-High and I got paid off, the other I completely whiffed the flop, but took the pot down with a c-bet.

My first really big hand was two black Aces UTG. I raised from UTG and all fold to the dealer button who was this older Asian woman with extremely red hair. The BB followed along and we were three-handed to a flop that came K-High with 2 clubs. I bet and they both called. The turn was a blank, I bet, red-haired lady called, and the BB folded. The river was a red King. Pretty much the most terrible card in the deck for me (besides a club). I checked, hoping to draw out a bluff from a couple clubs or call down someone who had top pair and now has trips. Sure enough the older woman bets and I call. She has K3 of diamonds and takes down the pot...ahhhh I felt like I was back at Cache Creek again. After this hand I knew I'd have a good session.

The next hand I'll talk about was after about an hour and a half at the table. The villain was a guy I played with at the Mirage 6/12 the night before. He was a bit of a donk, and I had watched him get cute pre-flop an orbit before this raising with 76 suited. It folded to the villain in the Hijack who raised, the cutoff folded, and I looked down at 98 of spades. I opted to call and attempt to out-play the villain after the flop. The small-blind and big blind both called and we were four-handed going to the flop.

The flop came out 9:c:8:h:6:c:

Boom. It gets checked to the villain in the hijack who bet out, I raised, the small-blind cold-called two cold, the big blind folded, Villain three-bet, I cap, small blind called two more bets, and the villain says, "so that's where you're at" and called. Wow...lot of action here. At this point I wasn't entirely sure where the Hijack was in the hand, as that three-bet made me think he had a big pair, AK of clubs, or maybe even the same hand as me. At this point I was almost positive the small-blind had some sort of club draw as well, so maybe they had each other's outs.

Thankfully the turn and river blank out but I still got paid off by both players. The small-blind had 77 and the Hijack had 97 of diamonds. That was a really good flop for him as he flopped top pair and an OESD...too bad we didn't get a 9 on the turn and then a 7 on the river haha...

Almost directly after this hand I was dealt AQ of spades in MP. The Villain from the previous hand was now UTG and open-limped. I raised and was called by the cutoff, an adorable but loud-mouth Thai dealer from the Orleans, and the button, the old red-haired Asian lady. The BB also came along for the ride and the UTG villain called completing the action.

The flop was: A:c:9:d:8:s:

Checked to me, I bet, cute girl called, old lady called, BB folded and UTG called. The turn was a Q:d:. Things were looking good...checked to me, I bet, both women called, and the UTG player called again. I remember thinking "deuce, ace or queen" as a lot of other cards left to come would make a straight...

The river was the two of diamonds. Boom...I got my deuce that I asked for...except UTG led out. Wtf? I flashed a glare at him and said "this is disgusting if you have the flush." The other two players called and UTG flipped over T8 of diamonds. :PUKE: Ugggggh........what a huge pot that could have been...

I remember saying "that's terrible" but all he could say was "I love my suited connectors...err semi connected suiteds..." Yeah shut the fuck up asshole. Keep playing those from UTG and see what happens. In retrospect I guess I don't mind his catch all that much. He was getting a billion to one on the flop to take another card off and then he was getting a good price for his flush draw on the turn, but still, that was just ugly for someone in my spot.

Another thing that semi-pissed me off was that the Thai girl had AJ (could have raised the flop) and the older Asian woman had Q9 (could have raised the turn) and simply got this guy out of the hand for me. That's how a lot of these players are though at this level. They're only raising with the nuts, or close to it, and they're calling down with cards that could be possible winners...

The rest of the session was cool, I hit some good hands and ended up coming up $415 in my first ever 8/16 session. 4BB/Hr at this level is really good and I was extremely pleased with how my session went. After I cashed out I met up with Todd for dinner and then we played the Mirage 6/12 for about an hour and a half before the game broke. At this point my trip had been paid for and now the rest of the trip could be focused on making some profit off of Vegas...I couldn't wait to get back to the 8/16 game the next day.

Session No. 19 Mirage 6/12 (6/25)

6/12: TP = +$112 TSP = 5 Hrs BB/Hr: 1.87BB/Hr

So after meeting up with Todd (+1 member, friend from UC Davis) and getting all of our shit settled at the Flamingo (not a bad place to sleep and shower ftr), we decided to head out to play some 6/12 at the Mirage. Within the first few orbits I was feeling pretty comfortable and knew this was a game I could beat. Four orbits go by or so before this hand comes up between me and Todd. This would be the only hand of the trip where him and I actually clash.

Hero is in the SB with T9os, Todd is UTG with 88.

To start the action off, Todd open limped from UTG. After playing with Todd at Cache Creek for a long session and numerous discussions about limit hold 'em, I knew that the most likely holding for Todd at this point was a smaller pocket pair. He had been very aggressive (as he should be) so far at the table, so I remember thinking he had 66 or 77. It gets folded around to someone in LP who limped behind Todd. I looked down at T9os and completed. The BB checked...

The flop came out QJ8 rainbow. I flopped the absolute nuts on a rainbow board. It was rather unfortunate there was only four players in at the time, as five or six players to a flop was normal for this table, but oh well. I opted to check and see what would develop. The BB checked, Todd bet out, the guy in LP called, I called, and the BB folded. I wasn't sure if Todd had the set at this point or was simply playing aggressively, but I figured Todd would bet the turn again and I'd be able to CR the turn and hope to trap the player in LP for a BB.

The turn was a seven. I checked, Todd bet out again, the player in LP folded, and I check-raised. Todd immediately looked at me and said 3-Bet. I couldn't help but smirk as I pulled my chips back and stacked ten red chips in the middle of the felt. I said "48" without hesitation as Todd looked in utter amazement.

Todd: "This is really sick..."
Me: "I can see that..."
Todd: "I know what you have..."
Me: "I know what you have...don't pair the board please"

I remember almost betting the river dark, but that would have been completely stupid, especially since I knew I was screwed if the river paired. I knew Todd had ten clean outs to make a boat, and all I remember thinking was "please put up a deuce, please put up a deuce." I didn't get my deuce, but a trey was good enough and I bet out the river with the nuts. Todd had to call and I showed him my flopped straight and he showed his bottom set of eights. Both of us played the hand exactly how the other would have played it, and I was simply lucky to be on the winning side of this situation. I just found it funny that by the time Todd three-bet the turn I knew what his hand was and by the time I four-bet he knew what my hand was. What a sick hand.

Session No. 18 Saturday Evening (6/23)

4/8 Kill: -$145 TSP = 5 Hours BB/Hr:
Overall 4/8K (since 4/14): +$3208 TSP = 95 Hrs 30 Min BB/Hr: 4.2BB/Hr
Overall (since 4/14): +$3124 TSP = 97 Hrs 30 Min $/Hr: $32.04/Hr

Booo...my first losing session since fucking April. I simply remember juicy tables but not being able to hold...

Oh well, can't win them all. The streak stopped at 16.

Session No. 17 Friday Evening (6/22)

4/8 Kill: +$140 TSP = 5 Hours BB/Hr: 3.5 BB/Hr
Overall 4/8K (since 4/14): +$3348 TSP = 90 Hrs 30 Min BB/Hr: 4.62BB/Hr
Overall (since 4/14): +$3269 TSP = 92 Hrs 30 Min $/Hr: $35.34/Hr


Started off on a heater...
Mid-way through I was getting crushed...
Final hour and a half brought me back...

Q7 suited won me a huge pot in a kill pot. Hooray for flush draws, kill pots, and the ability to hit my diamonds :)
______


Okay update time before I go crash. I started off the night winning my first three or four pots. I don't remember the hands anymore, as my brain is completely fried, but I know I was up $100 within five minutes.

After that it was hell on Earth...or a poker table. Some donk in seat 9 continually sucked out on the entire table and he ran Santi-like (yet with terrible cards) for a loooooooooong time. When Tommy and I first showed up to the table he was our whipping boy, but he had a sudden change of luck and was owning the table with gems like T2 and Q7os.

Well fast forward a couple hours and I find myself down $90 after being up $100, and feeling like posting a blog the night before about "how I run soooo awesome" was probably not the greatest idea in the world. I decided to get up for an orbit and grab a bite to eat...

I came back fully charged and bought both of the blinds on my return. I ended up raking in a huge pot and found some confidence as I was now only down $40 or so. This takes me to the big hand of the night...

We're nine-handed I believe and it is a kill pot on my BB. I look down at Q7 of diamonds...Limped around to me, I complete, and the Kill button checked his option. I believe we're 5 handed or so..

The flop comes A:d:J:d:8:c:

It was a limped pot, so I wasn't expecting to face to much resistance if I led out with my second-nut flush draw. I bet, one fold, and then seat 4 raised. Seat 3 hadn't shown me too much impressive stuff so far, and a couple of his raises earlier in the night simply spelled out top=pair. But then, seat 6 re-raised. Uh oh...set or two pair? Maybe...but seat 6 was a bit of a Lagtard and had been playing somewhat suspect for the couple of orbits I had seen him play. Come to think of it, both were relatively new to the table at the time, but my reads on them were not very flattering.

After some deliberation and someone questioning whether seat 6 string-raised or not, I decided to cap it with my Q-high flush draw. I felt like folding was out of the question against these two and just calling would give away way too much information on my hand. I didn't put either of these guys on the K-HighFD or even a set, so I think I made the right play...but you be the judge. Both players call and seat 3 even lets out a big "ayaaah?? cap?"

The turn is a 7:d:

Did I mention I run goooooooot? I bet, and seat 3 deliberated for a long time and eventually asked, "You're still betting on that turn?" He showed Tommy (seat 2) AK and laid it down. Impressive...except a PF raise would have been more impressive. He was UTG+1 and was scared apparently.

Seat 6 looked about ready to raise, as he had a stack of yellow (20 chips) in each hand, but he eventually just called. Oh well...at least I know he doesn't have the K-High Flush...

The river was a blank. I fire another 16, and again seat 6 has a stack of 20 in each hand. I quickly thought about what I should do if he did in fact raise me. He was a donktard and the K-High flush is only a small part of his raising range here...

He ends up just calling and said "You better have the flush..."

I flipped the winning hand and he showed A7 for two pair (yikes!) Three-betting the flop with A7?! AK was ahead on the flop...but we both ran him down on the turn. Nice pot yeah?

After that I won a couple more hands I can't recall and ended up $140 and some change. I went from +$100 in five minutes to down $90 and back up again. I definitely respect variance a little more after today...I forgot what really running bad felt like, but these last few sessions have had some ice cold runs included in them.

Thanks for reading, sorry for the shitty post, but I'm exhausted. Oh yeah, probably heading out again tonight (Saturday)

Wish me luck

Two Month Evaluation

Well it's been a little over a couple months now since I started playing consistently live again, and it has been one hell of a run. I'm a little scared to talk about it, but who am I kidding? I'm not overly superstitious nor is my ego big enough to get ahead of myself, so I'll just say it: I'm running way too good right now.

The bottom line is this: I am running at 4.5BB/Hr+ over the course of almost 90 hours and have now had 15 straight winning sessions. For the record, I know this is an upswing and I know this is a low sample size, so I'm just going to enjoy it while it lasts. I'm happy with the amount of hours I've been playing lately, as school is finally out and I can play a lot more hours now. I've been averaging about 11 hours a week over the last two months, but expect that number to rise dramatically.

In other news, I've been running really well :) Haha anyway, I think I do have to give myself some credit. There have been sessions where donks are rivering me and I'm frustrated to no end, but my steam control has been unbelievably strong throughout my entire run. Seriously, I have not let bad beats or even sick runs get me out of my hand ranges (based on table and image) I have designated for this game. It's a fairly wide range of playable hands, but I know a lot of people think I'm a rock, and that's okay. A lot of times I hear "play your rush" or something similar, and I just shrug them off. In the long run, playing 57os is a leak, so I don't do it, end of story. I treat every hand of every session as though I am playing one long lifetime session. If a call isn't profitable today, it won't be profitable tomorrow, so I try not to do it. "Playing my rush" is a donk's way of sayiing "I'm up $200 right now so I can gamble a little bit." Wrong, you're wrong. You save that money for when you run badly. People blame their losses on set over set or four-outers, when in all likelihood it's because of "I'm on a rush" or "It's only $4."

I think the biggest factor in my success thus far (aside from the hand selection and steam control) is my aggression. I'm playing select hands, but they're being played strongly. I can't stress aggression enough. AQ suited and there's a billion limpers? Raise! Of course you're not going to drive anyone out, it's 4/8 for christ sake! You know what you are going to do? Build a huge pot that is yours a large percentage of the time. A friend of mine asked me why he's not winning as much as he thinks he should be, even though he is playing a really good pre-flop game now. My response was "Maybe you're not getting enough out of the pot when you win." Think about that for a second. If you're missing raises and value-bets, it's the same as bleeding off chips pre-flop with 72os. Get the money in there when you can.

Enough lecturing for now. I worked graveyard last night and I'm fairly tired/retarded at the moment and probably didn't even make sense in my ramblings up there. Whatever, it's my blog, I'll do what I want.

Vegas in a few days. I'm metting up with my friend Todd from +1/UC Davis and I'll either have a free place to stay or we'll go halves on a cheap/shitty room I'll use for showering and sleeping. The trip will consist of poker/food/poker, and in that order. I'm starting at 6/12 and hopefully going up from there. Next Monday would be a terrible time to start running bad...I should be fine, but ya never know.

That's all for now, expect an update late tomorrow night or Saturday afternoon, I'm pretty sure I'm going to play cards tomorrow night (Friday) from around 4p to 10p and then going to work at midnight.

Thanks for reading, wish me luck

Session No. 16 Tuesday Evening (6/19)

4/8 Kill: +$280 TSP = 6 Hours BB/Hr: 5.83 BB/Hr
Overall 4/8K (since 4/14): +$3208 TSP = 85 Hrs 30 Min BB/Hr: 4.69BB/Hr
Overall (since 4/14): +$3129 TSP = 87 Hrs 30 Min $/Hr: $35.76/Hr


No time to write...work in 30 mins....I ran gooooooooooooooooot

QQ in huge pot
AK in kill pot
99 set in kill pot
99 first hand I won...played it really well


Okay well I'm updating now. Tommy took off from work early and I only got about four hours of sleep so we could hit up Cache for a decent sized session. Six hours was pretty nice, but I really didn't want to leave...ahhh fuck work.

So I get to my table and an old man from the day before recognized me as I took the number one seat. He joked about how our spots were switched the day before, and I laughed about it with him. NIce guy from Winters, retired, fishes and plays poker now...must be fucking nice. I can't wait to retire...

While I'm talking to the old man Tommy gets seated at the other table. Sounds like he ran pretty bad over there and only started winning pots once he was moved to my table four hours later.

Anyway, the action started out pretty fast for me and I found myself playing my first four hands at the table...all losers. Set mining with 6s, raised AJ, and then playing my blinds bled my stack a little bit...which immediately reminded me of the tale end of my last session where I dropped $215 in my last two hours. Was this the beginning of a cold streak? Fuck...

That all changed though when I was dealt 99 in the cutoff. A few players limped, so I opted to limp behind and set mine. It was still early and I didn't know how people were playing yet, so I didn't want to gorge the pots just yet. The blinds end up completing and we're six handed to a flop of...

Flop: 8 :c: 6 :d: 3 :h:

The small blind led out, Utg raised, and all fold to me. I elect to 3-bet it to see where I'm at. This could easily be Top-pair leading out into top-pair with a better kicker, and I want to put Sb to the test. Sb ends up folding and Utg calls, which tells me I'm very likely to be in the lead.

The turn was a 2:h:

Very nice card. She checks, I bet, and she calls. She only had $6 left at this point, so I'm not sure why she just didn't raise all-in at this point.

The river paired the 3 and she led out for her final $6. I was a little confused and was really hoping I didn't have to reach over and choke her for staying in all the way with A3. Thankfully for mine and her sake she had 77 and I raked in my first pot.

As is the case with most of my sessions lately, I found myself floating in between even and +~$40 or so for the first few hours. I remember thinking coming up $100 would be nice for this session, as I simply couldn't put a good run together. Well, as you can tell from reading my initial post, things would start to heat up.

The start of my big run started out with my Aces getting cracked for $100. I raised pre-flop from the BB after 5 limpers, building a nice pot in case I won. The flop was ridiculously ugly for my black aces.

Flop: 6:h:7:h:9:h:

Wow...sb checks, I bet, a couple players fold, one guy raises, and the rest fold to me so I call.

The turn was a T:d:

I check, he bets, I call.

River was a blank. I check, he bets, I call. He shows T:h:3:h: for a flopped flush, successfully cracking my aces and earning me $72 profit from the hand. I've never been happier to lose to T3-suited...

After that hand the Aces cracked promotion ended and again I was dealt Aces in the BB. I get semi-pissed at the timing, but was ready to maximize. To my delight, Romeo, a regular arch nemesis, raised after one limper, all folded to the sb who called, and I 3-Bet. Everyone calls and we're 4-handed to a flop of...

Flop: K:h:T:d:3:d:

Sb checked to me and I led out, hoping Romeo had AK so he could raise me. Unfortunately he only called, as did the sb.

The turn was a J:h:

Sb checked to me again, and again I bet out, but this time I was somewhat worried. Romeo would play his Jacks just like this against me (he's a bit of a calling station and knows I'm solid), so a set of either J's or T's at this point could be likely. Romeo ends up folding, as does the sb. Weird...I wonder what Romeo had...

The next hand I was dealt Q6 of clubs in the sb. After four people limped in, I opted to limp and hope I find a flush. Instead I flop two pair and win another pot. Kill pot!

Ahhh, I'm rolling now and I have the Kill button on my dealer button! So sweet...I was thinking about popping this pre-flop if given the opportunity because of my image and the fact that I look like I have been straight steamrolling people for the last couple of orbits. I'm getting ancy so I look down at...74os. Weak. No one raise please. The opposite ends up happening as five people find themselves in the pot including me. I obviously check my option and pray for a miracle...

Flop: 7:h:7:c:6:c:

Wow...uhh...thanks? It gets checked to me and I bet out. I get two callers...one is Romeo and the other is an older asian woman who could have been Mimi Tran's sister. Romeo is a complete donk, so he could have anything here, except a seven. He almost never slowplays. Mimi is another story...she has been playing ~solid (for a Cache Creek Player) and has shown the ability to CR.

The turn was a 5:c:

Ugh...disgusting. They both check to me, and I almost check behind. However, Romeo is capable of calling with something other than a flush-draw on that flop, and Mimi probably would have led out with a flush draw on that flop and in LP. I bet and hope for no CR. They both call...phew...

The river was an 8:d:

Ugggggggggh....so freaking weak. Both players check...and I think about betting for a nano-second before I realize I have the ass-end of a straight and no one is calling me with a worse hand...so I checked. Mimi immediately flipped over A:c:9:s: for a higher straight. Freaking donk. Romeo then flipped over 9T for the nut-straight...*sigh* I snapped "what are you guys calling with on that flop?!" and Mimi quickly says "I had the ace of clubs." Yeah, a 3-Flush on that paired flop is sooooo money obviously...I quickly shut my mouth after that as I didn't want to verbally abuse anyone any further. I was playing with donktards and I knew it...so no reason to try and make them play better. Romeo didn't say a word as he stacked the humungous pot that could have been...

I sit around for awhile after that, picking spots here and there, but floating around +$160. Tommy eventually gets moved over and we talk about leaving soon. I fall off a little bit, but quickly caught back up after flopping a couple small sets (44 and 22) and getting paid off nicely. This leads up to a final awesome run.

I get dealt two Red Queens somewhere in MP and I raise. Apparently no one respects me anymore as I get called in five places (wtf?!)

The flop is 9:s:7:s:2:c:

It gets checked to me and I bet. I get one caller (seat 3), absolute donktard calling station. Then seat 4 raised it up. This guy has been playing everything super aggressively, and I knew I was so far ahead of most of his range here. Three players call his raise (wtf??!@!) and I three-bet. Fuck you seat four, you're not running me over. I'm Nik Santi and if I'm not ahead now, I fucking will be later, cause I run goooooooooooooooot. All call.

The turn was an 8:h:

Ugh...gross card. Checked to me, I bet, EVERYONE calls (WTF does everyone have?!).

The river was a 2:d:

Ha! Eat shit bitches. Checked to me, I bet. Donktard calling station in seat 3 calls, everyone else folds. I show QQ and take in a monster.

After that I won a small pot with KJs after raising pre-flop, then another small-ish pot with AK on my Kill-blind, raised three limpers, and then took the pot down on the flop when it came Ace-High.

Nothing too exciting after that...and I dropped around $40 before finally leaving. It's always fun leaving up $280 when you only expect to win about $100 or so. $600 week so far, and I'm either going back Friday or Saturday. Wish me luck.

Session No. 15 Monday Evening (6/18) Part II

Alright well the towers have begun rising and it is only the beginning. Soon after those hands I win a huge pot with a pair of Kings with a jack kicker, fading off five opponents that called my turn bet (wtf?!)! The next hand is only the second time I've won the Aces cracked promotion at Cache.

I'm in the CO with a couple limpers, I limp (yes, I limped, I get $100 if my Aces get cracked), and the rest of the players calls or check or whatever. The flop comes KTJ and I'm pissed because I probably have the best hand. It gets checked to me so I have to bet and I get called in three spots.

The turn is a 9. Sweet. Some guy leads out of the blinds, a cool Mexican cat named Marco (he plays terribly most of the time). I call and tell the dealer "No Queen." The river is a 7 and Marco leads and I call and ask if he cracked my Aces. He says yes and flips over QQ and rakes in a decent sized pot, but I think I made more than he did ($76 profit). He thought it was funny I yelled for no queen, but it honestly worked out the best way it could for both of us. Sarah, the floorwoman, asked me if I wanted red chips. I laughed and said "yellow please" and she rolled her eyes at me and said, "fine you can build your towers." She wanted it...

After this little rush I actually level off for a little while and am left watching this middle-aged black woman (named Debbie) take over for me in destorying the table. She wins her first three out of four hands at the table and the oafy cowboy even remarks, "man, she's coming after your chip lead." I just smiled and said, "I can tell..."

Debbie proceeded to destroy the table until she had $400 in chips in front of her (she came with $120) and I had somewhere in the neighborhood of $560 (bought in for $200). People kept making comments about how they couldn't beat our side of the table, as I was in seat two and she was in seat 3.

I remember my chips falling down a little bit as I played out of my blinds or whiffed with some overcards, but when I eventually did win a pot, my tower grew even higher than it was before. In contrast, I saw Debbie's stack swing up and down, up and down, and it eventually stopped growing. She played aggressively, but she also paid off with a lot of marginal hands. I was able to maintain my stack and keep it growing, whereas most bad players can hit that rush and accumulate chips, but will give them back eventually. The table started to get to a breaking point, as we played seven-handed for a while. I had initially taken a lot of money from these players, but Debbie had knocked a few out, and I was in danger of having my table broken.

So we played short-handed for a good half hour or so, and this is where my final rush took place. One hand I re-call from this final rush was K:c:Q:d: in the SB.

Four limpers, I end up only completing, and Debbie checks. We're six-handed out of a possible seven players.

The flop came: K:d:T:h:6:d:

I check, 2 checks, Marco bets out, call, call, I raise, Debbie calls, 1 fold, Marco calls, 2 more calls.

Ugly. I was trying to CR some middle-pairs out and who knows what else...I played this hand weird, but Debbie cold-called two and everyone else called as well. Whatever, I was building a nice pot for someone.

The turn was a 2:d:. Not a bad card, as I had the second-nut flush draw now. I lead out and am called by only Debbie. The river is a Queen and I bet and she calls. I show two pair and she shows K9 as I rake in an awesome pot for a seven-handed table.

After this I win a couple more small-ish pots and people finally get fed up and leave. We're down to three players so we opt to draw for the the two seats in the other 4/8 game. In case you're not aware of this, I'm terrible at drawing for seats, and I pretty much told the ladies they might as well go over there now. The first lady flips up the K:c:. Great. Debbie flips over the A:d:. WTF?! I peek really closely and flip...the 3:c:. I'm fucking lame....

So Im left to rack up my chips and talk to Louis the dealer about crushing the table for $535 over a course of five hours. Louis is a cool guy...a little obnoxious at times, but I like his humor and overall demeanor. He ended up helping me cash out my five extra racks as I saved my other two for the next table.

Session No. 15 Monday Evening (6/18) Part I

4/8 Kill: +$320 TSP = 8 Hours BB/Hr: 5BB/Hr
Overall 4/8K (since 4/14): +$2928 TSP = 79 Hrs 30 Min BB/Hr: 4.6BB/Hr
Overall (since 4/14): +$2849 TSP = 81 Hrs 30 Min $/Hr: $34.96/Hr

So I woke up kinda early yesterday and finally made my way out to Cache Creek at around 1:30. I got on a table at about 2:30 and went from there. The table was very loose/passive when I first got there, and I was usually the only player folding or raising a hand...in that order. I was floating around even for most of my first two hours, as C-bets took down some small-ish pots and then I'd either get run down or miss my set. Floating and being bored...

Finally a couple big hands came up that really propelled me upwards. The first hand is QJ of hearts in a kill pot. I was in the hijack with the kill blind on the button, so I didn't want to get too fancy. There were three limpers to me, I limp, Sb and BB complete, and the kill-blind checked. 7-Handed and a ton of chips in already...

The flop came: 68T with one heart

There's a check, someone in EP bets, call, fold, fold, I call, with a couple more callers. I know I'm not getting exactly the right price here, but I did have a backdoor flush draw and I liked my position on the guy that bet out. Maybe if I hit my straight and I can get him to lead out again.

The turn is a 9 that puts two spades up on the board. Beautiful...and I am a luckbox. I don't call for gutterballs hardly ever and when I do, I actually hit. It gets checked to me, which is a bummer, but the board is now 689T so I guess I should've noticed that it might be hard to get paid off if I do hit...whoops. I bet $16 and I get called by two players.

The river is a non-spade 7, making a straight on the board. Both players check to me and I fire $16 again. One player looks at me and talks it out and thinks I have a Jack. The last player calls and I show QJ to take the down entire pot.

My next big hand came up with pocket fours. I limped behind some EP limpers in MP and the button raised. He was somewhat new to the table and had been raising alot. I think it was six or seven handed...

The flop came 249 with two hearts. It gets checked to me, and I opt to donk bet (something I almost never do) because I've seen the villain check the flop with AK quite a few times, especially if there is a gross number of players seeing the flop. My biggest fear is that this thing gets checked through with two hearts on the flop and I end up missing some bets or having a heart kill my hand on the turn. Anyway, I fire, and get called in five spots.

It doesn't look like the villain has any overpairs at this point, so I'm thinking I need to dodge a heart. The turn is an 8 of spades and I bet again and get called again by all five players. At this point I'm praying to pair the board or for some sort of blank to hit...

The river is a Queen of hearts. Ugh...rigged. Checked to me and I check, as I have three villains after me. Eventually this oafy dude wearing a huge cowboy hat bets out. He is obviously a new player and has been agitating me a little with his dumb catchphrases, but in the end he turned out to be a nice guy. I call his bet and a girl behind me calls. I say "the flush is good..." He says, "no flush, just two pair (queens and nines)" and I flip my cards over and take the monster of a pot.

Two quick hands and I'm up a ton. The building of "Awkward Heights" was under way...

I Need to Play!

Alright well it's been almost a full week now since I've played cards...I'm getting ancy. School finals went well...I hope...and I should be graduating in about 4 hours or so. I might go play tonight now that I think about it...

Work has been pretty cool...graveyard shifts have been so much better than day shifts and I have adjusted fairly well to the sleeping patterns. Now that school is out, I should have plenty of time to go and play cards during the day. Also, I am going on vacation next week, which leads me to...

Vegas! I was going to wait until late-July, but fuck that, I'm going June 25th and staying for four or five days. My friend Todd is staying with one of his buddies up there, and I guess Todd worked it so I could have the couch for a few days soooo...score! I'll be looking to start off with some 6/12 and hopefully just cruise my way up through the stakes. I should be fine, as I have plenty of money in the roll and Vegas players tend to be really fishy. I just want a chance to play all day and all night for some higher stakes than what I'm used to...you know...to test myself or whatever.

That's all for now, sorry for the lack of some updates. In return, I'm gonna post an older rant/article I wrote a loooooooong time ago. I know T-Fong likes it, and Tony should remember it well too :)

I'm Still Steaming (Old CP Article)

Oh wow it's been awhile since I have been this upset when playing cards, but today was just one of those days. I'll start off by saying I was playing 3/6 Limit Hold 'Em at Cache Creek. I arrive at my table and meet the villain almost immediately. I'm about to sit down at the only open seat at the table, when he says to me from his spot on the immediate left of my open seat, "Hey bud, I was going to move there." Alright, no biggie, people like to change seats all the time, and he was pretty cool about it, so I didn't mind that at all. All this told me was that he was one of those "superstitious players" who actually thinks a seat runs hot or cold.

So, my very first hand, I get KJ suited. I limp with it and flop top pair. A couple people check, and the villain who just took my seat bets out. I raise it up, get a couple of callers, and the villain calls. The turn brings a harmless deuce. So now the board looks like this J-8-4-2. I think I'm still good, and it gets checked to me, I bet, get a few callers. The river is another harmless looking card, a 4. It pairs the board, so I bet out, and only the villain calls. I show him my KJ, and he flips up A8. He says, "damn guess I shouldn't have moved, I knew you had that Jack I knew you had it" Wow, okay, thanks for calling me down with middle pair there buddy. Not only did you allow me to win my first hand that I sit down with, you then decided to pay me off with middle pair. Much thanks :)

Anyway, the night played on as usual for me. I wasn't getting involved in too many pots, but the ones I did get involved in I either won, or lost only a little amount of chips. I was running rather smoothly and feeling pretty good. I was having a good time as the table was loose and fun, except for the villain. This guy was on my immediate right still, and he would not shut up. Talking about how he likes to play alot of hands, and after hitting runner-runner straights, telling me how "they call me gambler." Okay buddy, whatever you say.

Alright well all this builds up to the hand I go crazy on. I had been running kind of cold, so I was ready to play a hand. Not only that, but the villain had just stolen a couple of pots by raising pre-flop and betting out on the flop. Both of his last wins were uncontested, so I knew he was going to raise again this hand. I look down and see Pocket Eights.

A couple players fold, one player limps, the villain raises (Just like I knew he would) and I re-raise it making it three bets to go. Now usually I would respect a player and maybe just cold-call the two bets and try to get players to stack on behind me, so if I hit a set, maybe it would be profitable. But this time, I wanted everyone to fold. I knew the villain had crap, so I wanted everyone else out of the hand. I wanted to isolate this guy with his bad hand, and take down a small pot. Anyway, my pre-flop plan works almost perfectly, as everyone behind me folds, as do the blinds. That leaves only the original limper and the villain, they both call.

The flop comes out 8-3-2 rainbow. I just flopped top set, the absolute best hand at the time, and very likely to hold up against a limper and someone who raised pre-flop. But, I knew the villain could have a wide range of cards, so I took no chances. They both check to me, so I bet out with the absolute nuts. Usually people will check there to try and trap people in, but I find that three-betting Pre-flop and then checking the flop is stupid. I bet out, the limper calls, and then the villain utters some gibberish. "I'm gonna play this hand crazy...we're going to have a crazy hand..." or something stupid like that.

So the villain check-raises it. Hmm, check-raises me while I have the best hand? Works for me. Usually I just call here and let him lead the turn, and then raise it then, but I was tired of this guy trying to run people over. I three-bet it and forced the limper out of the hand so I was just heads up with "gambler." He just calls, which makes me start to wonder what he has. I'm thinking maybe a big pair, maybe AK, maybe 23os, to tell ya the truth, I was kind of lost at this point. All I knew was that I was way ahead of almost every hand he could have held.

The turn brought us a Ten of clubs. Harmless. He checks, I bet, He calls. The river brings out a four. The Villain looks at the dealer and asks,"Is it on me? I bet..." Hmmm...warning bells go off in my head just a little bit. Why is this guy "donk-betting" into me? I have shown nothing but strength trhoughout this entire hand, and now this. Did he just make a set of fours? All I know is that I need to raise it up at least one time. I raise, and then he three-bets. What the fuck? I look at him, and he is staring at me like a freaking psycho. Oh I forgot to mention that throughout the entire hand, this guy was staring me down like he wanted to take a bite out of my neck or some shit. My good friend Tommy says it was one of the funniest things he had ever seen. I'm thinking that my total lack of respect for his raises was pissing him off something rotten, and he was trying to intimidate me. I was looking at the board the entire time, generally just trying to avoid this guy's stare and hide the fact that I had a monster hand. Anyway, I look at him and I go into vintage "I'm pissed off because you just hit a fucking four outer on me" mode.

"I can't believe you ran me down with A-5 man. You hit a four outer on me, didn't you?" I just call, and the luckbox holds his cards high up and says, "are you ready for this?" and shows me 56 of spades. Five-six of freaking spades. I knew he rivered a straight, dammit, I hate being right. The guy wanted to do something crazy, so he check-raised me with a gutshot straightdraw and hit it on the river.

For those of you who know nothing about poker, let me crunch some numbers with you real quick. After the flop, I was 85% to win the hand, because all I had to do was dodge four remaining fours left in the deck. When the ten of clubs fell, I was 91% to avoid a four. That is called being in "very good shape."

I guess what I'm upset most about was that I caught this guy red-handed, yet he still ended up winning the pot. Kind of reminds me of the post I just made about playing a hand perfectly but still losing. Let's start at the very beginning. I had watched this guy for the entire time we had been playing together. I knew he was loose and crazy, and I knew that the previous two hands before this he raised pre-flop with junk. So, I did my homework on this guy. He raised pre-flop, I three-bet it so I can get heads up with this guy. Beautiful play, if I do say so myself...Nik Santi 1 - Luckbox 0

Then, I flop top set on the guy. He tries to check-raise me and intimidate me, and it might have worked, had I not known this guy was full of shit and that I had the absolute nuts. I three-bet it and charge this donkey more to see the turn card, no way I am slowing down for this guy...Nick Santi 2 - Luckbox 0

The turn he misses, I bet, he calls while he is only 9% to win the hand from here. He is making a losing call, as on average, he is getting nowhere near the proper odds to call for his gutshot straight draw. Nine times out of ten, I am getting a free six dollars here because of a terrible call...Nick Santi 3 - Luckbox 0

Ahh the river...He bets out, and in hindsight, I guess I could have called. But he's such a bad player, he could be betting out a lower set, a low two pair, AA - JJ, so I raise because I feel it's the right play. Dammit, he three-bets and now I know I just lost to a straight. By the way, I put him on A5, so I lose there too...Nick Santi 3 - Luckbox - 1

I'm satisfied knowing this guy was just donating money to me nine times out of ten there, but it sure would have been nice for that to hold up today. That was a very nice sized pot, and it really cost me alof of chips and alot of sanity. I was very obnoxius after the pot, and kept commenting on "Captain Four-Outers" brilliant style of play. I'm usually good about not berating the bad players, but tonight I kind of lost it. Bad Nik :(

Oh and my favorite dialogue of the night...

"I told you it was going to be a crazy hand, that's why they call me gambler..."

"I'll just call you a bad player. You gotta teach me how to suck-out a four outer like that though, that was pretty nice."

Poor moron probably didn't even know he was behind so far and he probably went home tonight thinking he made a great play. That's okay, that's how I want those players to think. They'll be there next time, and so will I.

Thanks for reading

Session No. 14 Sunday Night (6/10)

4/8 Kill: +$48 TSP = 6 Hours BB/Hr: 1BB/Hr
Overall 4/8K (since 4/14): +$2608 TSP = 71 Hrs 30 Min BB/Hr: 4.56BB/Hr
Overall (since 4/14): +$2529 TSP = 73 Hrs 30 Min $/Hr: $34.41/Hr

Pretty tired, so I might update tomorrow. I ran bad early on, and even had to re-buy (probably the first time I've re-bought in about two months). I clawed my way back up though, stole a couple kill pots when it got SH, made a couple hands, had some hands get cracked, then had AA hold vs. KK and two other random hands to put me up for the session.

I really thought today was the day the streak would end, but it looks like I'm at 13 straight winning sessions. Thanks again Tony for driving, and sorry you only came up $2 at the end of the night :)

Hand 1:
Hero has A:s:7:s: in the SB; 7-Handed
Limped in a few spots, hero completes, BB checks

Flop: A:c:6:c:2:d:
Hero bets, called in three spots

Turn: 7:c:
Hero bets, 2 calls, LP raises, Hero 3-Bets, 1 fold, Villain calls, LP calls

River: 5:d:
Hero checks, Villain bets, LP calls, Hero calls

Villain had 4:d:8:d: for a straight :XXXXX


Hand 2:
Hero is in the BB with A:c:A:d: 8-Handed

1 fold, Old man raises, Romeo 3-Bets, 2 folds, Button calls, SB folds, Hero Caps, 3 callers

Flop: 8:c:7:s:7:h:

Hero bets, two calls, 1 fold

Turn: 2:d:

Hero bets, one fold, Romeo calls

River: 10:c:

Hero bets, Romeo calls

Hero has AA
Romeo has KK

Damn Romeo for not being a little bit more aggro :(


Quick Re-cap:
KJ < JJ (He rivered his set)
AK loses twice
55 flopped set
JTos Steal
A7 < 84s
KK < AA
AJ > T8
AA > AK
67 = A7 :(

Wish I could remember more...but my brain is shot...been up for about 28 hours straight now. GG me...time to sleep.

Some Studying

So my friend Chris on Cardplayer pointed me to Izmet Fekali's blog, and I must say, a lot of this stuff seems pretty interesting and is making a lot of sense.

Here's his link:

http://www.fekali.com/izmet/playing-with-the-fish/

That is basically the title page, and the articles below it have been good reads so far. Check them out.

Here's a little tidbit I liked so far:

"Hold’em is my game, sir, I do not dare giving advice on 7stud. On hold’em, I’m confident enough to offer the following to be brain munched:

When you get some experience, study Abdul’s Preflop Openers (http://www.posev.com/poker/holdem/strategy/preflop-abdul.html). This should help tremendously with your preflop game. It will make you understand the underlying mechanics of the game. Learn the preflop game well. It’s a rare occasion to call correctly preflop, it’s usually much better to raise of fold. Play tight.

Take a look at http://www.fekali.com, you’ll find more material on low limit hold’em there as days go by.

Play, play, play. When starting out, play a solid straightforward game, do not waste time with bluffs, slowplays, banks, good laydowns. Do not let them push you off your hand if you started good. Fight. Fight with raises, not calls. Learn when to run. When there’s a good (but not 100%) chance of holding the best hand, throw your chips at opponents like there’s no tomorrow. Aim for the forehead with a solid swing. Let them fear you.

Try not to call if you cannot raise. It’s OK to raise with speculative holdings, but it’s a disaster to routinely call with second best hands. You simply have to have a hand to call.

Call when drawing. Even then it pays to stick ‘em with a raise sometimes. Know your basic drawing odds down pat. What are your chances with a four flush on the flop? What are your chances of hitting your kicker? What are the chances your kicker is good? Is it smart to chase this pot with a gutshot? What are your chances of drawing dead? For thorough discussion on drawing, again see Abdul’s Theory of Sucking Out at http://www.posev.com/poker/holdem/strategy/outs-abdul.html.

It’s not an easiest read, but it surely is the most relevant advice published on the subject anywhere.

When surrounded with fish, learn to ram and jam. See http://www.fekali.com for this concept.

When raised, stop, think, reevaluate. A raise is an incoming message. What is the sender trying to communicate? Does he have something to say or has he just pressed a wrong button at the wrong time? Bets and calls are often automatic, not so with raises. When in doubt, fold. If you like winning, you’ll have to do lots of folding. Flea and live to tell.

Try to know your players. The correct poker move at any point is a function of the opponents. What are their tendencies, what are their motives, what are their habits? Who is the best player at the table? Who are the suckers? Who is having fun? Who is losing? Who is the village idiot? Who seems always to flip over a solid hand at the showdown? Who hit a gutshot-gutshot straight on the river? Who will you run from, who can you run over?

Examine your motives for playing. Some people play for money, some for fun, some for the excitement, some for the punishment. These are all valid reasons to play poker. Respect the losers, they have their own reasons for playing. They are usually getting what they need from the game. It’s OK to be a loser if that is what you need (I’m not speaking with tongue-in-cheek here, this is a fact. Self punishment is the underlying reason for most weird behavior in life). If so, be a loser in moderation.

Know yourself, play within your means, be aware of your motives. Have fun at the tables, there’s not much point in doing anything if it’s not fun, IMHO.

Build a bankroll. Treat it as a funny money. Have enough to withstand challenges of fate. Do not spend the winnings. After a while, if the game is good to you, buy yourself something out of the bankroll. A shiny gambler’s watch maybe. A little token of pride. A mark of achievement. You will feel good about yourself, that’s never a bad thing.

Think about the game. Listen to pros, listen to losers. You can learn both ways. Make your own opinions. Make your own mistakes. Re-evaluate. Post. State your opinions. Ask. Comment. Disagree.

Be comfortable at the tables at all times. If not, leave. The game of poker never breaks it just suspends for a moment. You can return whenever you are ready again. Take a fresh start. Maybe a kiss from a woman in love is all you need to come back with a vengeance. There are no blinds to worry about when away from the tables.

Be gracious at the tables. Win with flair, lose with style. Have pride, have strength. Do not steam, cuss, offend, whine, cheat, grunt or sneer. Do not masturbate. I’ve seen that too.

Be happy if you break about even after a few months. You proved yourself better than most, you have beaten the house. Not everybody can.

That’s off the top of my head. Have fun and learn. I hope you’ll be giving me advice soon."

Izmet

Session No. 13 Tuesday Night (6/5)

4/8 Kill: +$300 TSP = 6 Hours BB/Hr: 6.25BB/Hr
Overall 4/8K (since 4/14): +$2560 TSP = 65 Hrs 30 Min BB/Hr: 4.89BB/Hr
Overall (since 4/14): +$2481 TSP = 67 Hrs 30 Min $/Hr: $36.76/Hr

So I guess I ran good...what else is new? Lol...

I'm soooooo frigging tired...but quick re-cap

99 < 66 vs Tommy in a Killpot
KQs raises in the BB = no luck, even with K:s:Q:s: on a K:c:9:s:6:s: flop
KK > AK and three others when I flopped a set...3-Bets/5 players on the flop
AK comes up big in a kill pot
Aces cracked promotion finally pays off
T9s flops straight vs. Tommy's aces...he got them cracked twice tonight


Wow...I'm having a really hard time remembering my other hands...maybe tomorrow? We'll see...

Session No. 12 Saturday Night (6/2)

4/8 Kill: +$25 TSP = 6 Hours BB/Hr: .52BB/Hr
Overall 4/8K (since 4/14): +$2260 TSP = 59 Hrs 30 Min BB/Hr: 4.75BB/Hr
Overall (since 4/14): +$2181 TSP = 61 Hrs 30 Min $/Hr: $35.46/Hr


Well I definitelty feel mortal again. I ran hot at some points and ice cold throughout others...it was definitely a roller coaster of a night. I rolled out around Midnight with Tommy and my friend Todd from school and the +1. This was my first time ever playing live with Todd, and unfortunately he ran really bad in the hands I saw him play. He missed AK and got drawn out on a ton...I know how those days are, and they are not fun.

My session started off really well, as I went up $100 early when my TT held up in a Kill-pot and I won with a couple smaller hands. After that though the hands went ice cold and I could barely play any hands out of the blinds. I was faced with some tough decisions with AK and AQ in four hands or so, and I remembered just how hard it was to play those hands when you're missing your flops.

Eventually I picked up some nice pots with hands like KJ and QJ (hands I don't normally play), but it was short-handed and I played them pretty aggressively. I ended up losing a big capped pre-flop pot on my last hand or I would have came up slightly more...I think it went something like this:

54 of spades > JJ (me) > 99 (Tommy) > AK (random villain)

The 54 of spades girl had to call 2 bets cold pre-flop when it got back to her, and I was noticeably going to cap it. The flop was 558 and the rest is history. I think a Ten was the highest card on the board and she played her hand ridiculously slow (didn't bet or raise once). Ughhhh...

I'll come back later and put up some HHs...maybe...I know I'm getting bad at not putting those up. Sorry ahead of time.