Thanks hhyftrftdr, yeah, things are going very well. Too well. Ive had a lot of little wins and have had (ive not counted)...(ok, I will now...hang on) seven (cool, more than I thought) winning days on the trot. That is £167 in that time. Wow, thats really good for me. Ok, I cant quit work just yet but a hobby that actually makes you money is quite rare.
Now, this brings me on to my dilemma. Ive pretty much stayed at the same limits all the way through. Ive yet to play a £10 MTT even though my BR allows it. I will admit thats down to me not wanting to have a losing day (or days) and with my cash going well so far ive been able to win back and more my MTT entry fees. When I jump up this will be harder but I also sacrifice the ability to gain a big score. In GaryQQQ's thread he would have a lot of losing days (some of them quite big) but he would also ballance this out (and more) by gaining big scores.
So, do I stick with a winning formula or move up? Do I think I'm good enough? Yes. So why dont I? I cant answer that. I keep saying it, but I will move up soon. I think in the next few days.
Day 58
I felt a little better today but still not 100%. I had a little go at cash and thanks to this hand I finished +£10 after half an hour. I didnt want to push it as I still couldn't concentrate fully. MTT's are more formulatic and easier to coast in but you cant do that at cash.
Player
Action
Cards
Amount
Pot
Balance
pillip777
Small blind
£0.05
£0.05
£8.01
rob968313
Big blind
£0.10
£0.15
£13.45
Your hole cards
3
3
pod1
Raise
£0.30
£0.45
£22.33
CraigSG1
Call
£0.30
£0.75
£19.99
pillip777
Call
£0.25
£1.00
£7.76
rob968313
Call
£0.20
£1.20
£13.25
Flop
K
Q
3
pillip777
Check
rob968313
Check
pod1
Bet
£0.90
£2.10
£21.43
CraigSG1
Call
£0.90
£3.00
£19.09
pillip777
All-in
£7.76
£10.76
£0.00
rob968313
Fold
pod1
Fold
CraigSG1
Call
£6.86
£17.62
£12.23
pillip777
Show
K
Q
CraigSG1
Show
3
3
Turn
3
River
J
CraigSG1
Win
Four 3s
£16.29
£28.52
MTT's. Again I played the £2.30BH and the £5.75. I went up and down in each, being card dead for long periods but getting paid from most of the few hands I did get. In each I would get a big stack and then lose it before staying patient and getting it back again. I busted the final table bubble in the £2 when after doubling up against the big stack (and very call happy as well) with AQ v J10 I went out when I min raised (i was 3/7 at the time) with AKs and he 3 bet. I pushed and he snapped with KQo. A J10x flop had me sweating and he indeed spiked the 9 on the turn to knock me out 7/162. That stack was worth the chip lead so I was gutted. Another deep run though gained me £8+.
The £5BH I also cashed but went out when I 3 bet allin with AJ and got called by K7s (snap called I may add) and went out to a FH in 25/235.
Ive made a lot of deep runs lately with only a few good cashes. I guess thats the nature of MTT's. I may not gamble it up as much but I just try and always make the best decisions that will do me good in the long run and let the stacks take care of themselves.
Oh, yeah. Another milestone. I broke £600!!
BR £600.48 PP 530
Below is an example of why slow playing can get you into trouble. I make a standard blind steal on the button and take a small stab on the flop when checked too. On such a draw heavy board multiway the guy with the set should raise multiway and if he did I would have folded. By slow playing, which isnt terrible, his big mistake is to then just open shove allin. He scares away all the draws and weak made hands and noly gets calls by a hand that beats him or has very good equity.
Admittedly its the gin card for me but if I had had top pair or a decent PP or a lot of 2 pr hands I would fold here where by checking he keeps them all in AND thinking there the best hand. I have a better chance of pushing allin with these hands and then by calling we have a better chance of being ahead.
To reach £600 after only 58 days is mighty impressive. It appears you aren't getting over confident despite the recent success and are maintaing excellent disipline. This will hold you in very good stead if a downswing is just around the corner.
At the moment I'd say you're a massive favourite to reach the target by May. You're doing so well that even a losing month wouldn't be enough to stop you now.
As for me; I'm enjoying the freedom now my BR challenge is over. My MTT heater continued for a while once I reached the target. Since Christmas the MTT success has dried-up, however I've balanced that by running very well in HU STTs.
After running like doggie-doo in MTTs tonight I allowed myself a degen moment and took on an elite player in a £31.50 HU hyper, something I would have dreamt of doing while my diary was running. It was all over in two hands. I won and quit for the night
Bankroll has fairly jumped recently, very nice work.
What you could do is say I've won £40 quid today, tomorrow i'll have a go at a £10 quid mtt, and just look at it like a £30 quid profit day. Treat it almost like a freeroll, so win or lose, you are not adversely affected. So that afterwards whatever the outcome it wont affect you.
Might even get a nice wee bink to fastforward to 1k!
Definatly no harm in throwing in a larger buy in tournie every now and again.
Also maybe worthwhile playing a few sats for the main events.
Hi Gary, thanks for your words. I have been very disciplined for three reasons. 1) This being a public diary it helps me avoid going crazy and helps me focus on my goal 2) Success helps. With things going well I havent changed what Ive done and just let thinmgs progress and 3) your diary helped show me how important BR management is.
Like you when this is over I will relax and play bigger tournaments but I will also have learnt to be more disciplined. Its been a fantastic learning curve for me already.
Hi Larson, I will definatley think of doing that, I like that attitude a lot. And you are right, I do need to play sats more. Ive stated before that my game is definatley suited to this format and I just need to give it a go.
It had to end and it did. I finished down today. But, at the moment I'm happy and I wasnt a few minutes ago.
I'll start with cash. I had an hour this morning and nothing really happned and finished £4 down. In the afternoon I played for two hours on two 5/10 MC and for 15 mins on a 10/20 MC table. Things got off to a bad start, I lost a 3 way allin for all my stack with me having nut flush draw and a gutshot to the nut straight against two pair and a set! Allin on the flop and as usual my draw missed. I couldn't hit or fade draws and just kept losing. I lost another big pot when I folded flopped top two pair on the turn against two allins. I was behind to both.
So, coming to the end I was about £35 down cash wise. That was until I had a successful 15 mins at the 10/20MC, picking off a river bluff and then hitting a set and winning the shorties stack to finish £15 up. On my 2nd to last hand on my last 5/10 MC table I was dealt QQ and raised. A guy who had given me so much stick just shoved his entire stack allin (he had constantly reraised me big on rivers where I would love to call but after having very strong hands on the flop the board ran out a four flush and a four straight or overs to my hands on four occassions.) and I called. He turned over Q5s and I gleefully collected the pot to take me £6+ up on the afternoon.
MTT wise I played the two ££Bh's but in the first just couldn't get anything going. Lasted a long while and took one HP but eventually bust in a race. The 2nd BH I got off to a brilliant start, getting a HP and doubling first hand with AK. I raised big over limpers and got two calls. I continued on a A high flop with two spades. I got one call. The turn came a 3rd spade but I did have the K of spades and the nut draw. Normally I would bet but I had notes on this guy as basically a maniac so I checked. He quickly moved allin and I called. He had 85dd and 3rd pair. I made my flush for good measure and took him out. I then won a big pot next hand with trips but couldnt get the allin call on the river after he had showed so much strength. My demise came just after the break when I had KK against another big stack. After a big 3 bet got called a low flop saw me continue. I again had notes on this player and knew he probably had a decent PP that was an over pair to the board. I made another big bet on a low turn and then a river came that put a 4 card straight out there. The only hand that beat me realistically was 1010 but I had to bet river for value as JJ and QQ where all in his range. I got called and lost all but 500 chips which was gutting. I then got 55 and was called in 2 spots by 44 and A7 and both hands got there!
I played my biggest MTT of the challange so far, an £11BH but again I ran so bad. I made a few hands but couldn't get paid and missed out on four bounties (two at the same time when I suffered lagg and couldnt call the two shorties allin with a decent hand that would have won. I eventually busted when I was snap called allin when I had A9 against Q10. He obviously flopped trips and truned a full house.
If I look at it from the start of the weekend Ive added £54 to my BR so lets have that as a win! This day could have been far worse so i'll take that as another win.
Going well so far mate. Keep it up and you will have your target very soon. Was on your table for the BH and enjoyed myself. One word of advice if I may. Check stack sizes, when you called the oppo with the KK v TT hand when he rivered the straight, he left 22.5 chips behind. If you are going to call there you may as well raise to get his head if you win. It would be heartbreaking if he had QQ there and you got the chips but left him in for someone else to take out.
Going well so far mate. Keep it up and you will have your target very soon. Was on your table for the BH and enjoyed myself. One word of advice if I may. Check stack sizes, when you called the oppo with the KK v TT hand when he rivered the straight, he left 22.5 chips behind. If you are going to call there you may as well raise to get his head if you win. It would be heartbreaking if he had QQ there and you got the chips but left him in for someone else to take out. Keep up the run good mate Posted by cenachav
Hi, yeah. I noticed you, I wasnt happy to have you on my table Anyway, I admit I never noticed and that is one thing I always do look for. i was just concentrating on the hand as it was a very, very big pot and I was thinking of just checking the river but I thought that was too nitty as if he had JJ,QQ I would have cursed my self! I put 1010 as his very least as I didnt think he would call such big bets with it. I would probably have folded 1010myself!
In Response to Re: HOLIDAY CHALLENGE £127.. TO (£1000 THE GOAL) CURRENT BR £587.49 : Hi, yeah. I noticed you, I wasnt happy to have you on my table Anyway, I admit I never noticed and that is one thing I always do look for. i was just concentrating on the hand as it was a very, very big pot and I was thinking of just checking the river but I thought that was too nitty as if he had JJ,QQ I would have cursed my self! I put 1010 as his very least as I didnt think he would call such big bets with it. I would probably have folded 1010myself! Posted by CraigSG1
Snap lol. At least you had position on me Depending on who I was in the pot against with the TT hand, I would be folding or shoving the turn
If you think you're playing well and running well, then you wanna be hammering the MTT's whilst confidence is high. Your average £10/11 MTT is full of value, it might be double your usual buy in but the quality of opponents certainly doesn't double!
The 9.30 £3k BH might be worth working into your schedule. Reasonable tourney, some good sums up top, and a field that is patchy at best usually.
I think I'm playing well but not actually running well. I know the standard isnt that much better as I go up so hopefully there is a nice bink around the corner. I would like to play the 9:30BH but it starts a bit late for me. Maybe on a w/e I can give it a go if im feling awake enough!
Day 60
Played two MTTS, not getting much at all in the £2BH and busting after 45 mins. In the £5BH I got off to a good start and built a stack only to lose over half of it to a player who had called every raise pre (Mr X) and when I had QQ I raised big and got 4 callers! Mr X min bet out and I raised a low safe flop only for him to jam allin. My notes and his style told me he would jam any pair so I called only for him to have AA! I then lost my remainder to another calling station when me AK TPTK lost to his bluff allin only for him to hit runner runner trips and send me packing. Meh!
Cash wise I played two sessions, just playing TAG and finishing up both times. £9+ and £16+
I am still trying to find my style and method at nl10 as its much more aggressive than 4nl where I had a nice winning stragegy that doesnt translate at 10nl. Im adapting though so hopefully I will feel comfortable and play exclusively at this level for a while.
A nice new high ballance and above £600 again so feeling good.
I had a bonus session this morning with me being off work today as I had to go to hospital in the afternoon. I have had something wrong with me for a few months and had to have a very uncomfortable procedure to check on my treatment. Good news, things have improved very well and I can now stop worrying.
So, my bonus session went very well. I played for an hour and came away £37+. Mainly thanks to getting AA back to back and getting stacks in each time and more importantly holding! I played ok, suffered a few nasty hits early but managed to recover and then made my profit on the MC table.
I played another couple of cash sessions in the evening, winning £18+ and £7+. I think I played very well and managed to get my hands to hold in big and medium pots too. Ive started to define a style at 10nl and it paid off today. Wether it does long run we will have to see but I do have more than one style depending on my opponents.
So, my best cash day in this challange with profits on almost every table throughout the day and a grand total of £62+ for the day.
MTT wise though, things went the other way. I bust early in both early tournys. I couldnt do much in either. I had to call with QQ aipf when after i made in 60 the guy quickly jammed. I called and was up against AA! Then in the £5 I lost a big pot when my dominating A lost and then lost two others with PP against higher PP's.
I then played one of my favourites, the £5BH HU. I won the first fairly easily and then I was up against a much tougher opponent. Tougher because he was so aggressive and would often just open jam 75BB stacks or over bet from no where. But, after ten minutes of assessing his style I gained back my stack and then went ahead and a few times tried to maneuver him into his crazy moves. I finally got him 3rd time of trying and got him allin on the turn with Q8 2nd pair 8 with me A8. But as usual lately he hit the Q on the river. I was then left with 10BB and had 77 next hand. I shoved and got quickly called by J10 which then hit trips and turned a full house. I was pretty gutted as I had worked so hard to get him where I wanted only to be denied.
I really do think I can win a few MTT's in quick succession as a lot of the time my exit hands I am getting in ahead (sometimes by a lot) or getting plain coolered. Anyway, that dissapointment was offset by my good cash day.
Im really pleased with my progress so far and cant believe how far I've come and how quick. I have 3 and half months untill May so my first target is within sight now.
Tried my hand at 3 MTT's and wish I had not bothered. I ran awful and went out in early in each. Couldn't hit hands or dodge the maniac plays and lost every race, 60/40 etc. That didnt leave me in the best of moods and after about an hour and half of playing cash I just called it a night. It was a profitable session of almost £10 up so at least my cash game is going well at the moment.
Just checked and thats 14/15 winning sessions lately so thats a nice little bonus to leave and have a little break with.
Well, the break didn't come and I ended up playing. And for a long time I wish I had not bothered. I played two MTT's and despite lasting over an hour in each I was very card and situation dead and busted the £2BH with AJ v A8 aipf to a rivered 8 and busted the £5 after having just below an average stack I lost 3 pots in a row to one player who hit two flushes and then a turned an A to wipe me out in 3 hands.
Cash wise I played 3 hours and for the first hour I was again card dead. I then lost with QQ,JJ,KK and then AA in the next hour. The first three I was beat on the river each time after betting big but couldnt fade draws and in one instant running two pair. My AA loss was for a full stack on the MC table against a flopped full house. I was about £20+ down coming to the end and although disappointed I felt ok as I had had a lot of winning sessions.
But I finally got the run/luck I had missed all night when on the last rounds on each table I hit a set and got paid fully. I played my sets aggressively on the flop and got the money allin and managed to fade any redraw.
So, from wishing I had not bothered to glad I did in the space of a few minutes is a very nice way to go to bed. I won £20+ in the end and again have a new high balance.
Im glad things are going well in cash and surprisingly cash is the main reason my BR has shot up lately. My strength of MTT's are on a bit of a downer at the moment but I know its only variance the same way my current constant cash success is a good bit of variance.
Well, I guess it was bound to happen at some point and today was the day. Feeling a bit rubbish at the moment. I'll start with cash as that was my biggest loss today. I played a couple of hours this morning and finished +£2.50 down which was actually quite good as I was more down at one point thanks to some pretty sucky run.
Thinking that that would not continue I played another 2 1/2h tonight only to lose £44+. Running terribly doesnt come close. One £40 pot I lost on the river when with JJ on a low flop against a serial bluffer we got allin on the turn only to lose to a rivered A. I would flop trips and lose to runner runner flush and three occasions and not to mention one four way allin pot with me allin on the turn with an up and down straight draw and 2nd nut flush draw with a pair to boot. The flush came on the river only to see I came 2nd to the nut flush! Someone else had another flush and the fourth had just top pair.
So a pretty sucky night.
MTT wise I played one this morning only to bubble (allin with K10s I flopped top pair only to lose to running flush cards), coming 14/93. The other two I played this evening went bad also. I lost early again in a £5BH and then the HU's I lost first round. I was easily the better player and could have won twice only to end up chopping the pot twice when ahead allin. I eventually lost when stacks where shallow and I had to go with K high only to lose to an A.
Its gutting to lose such a big chunk and its time like this when you dont want your diary to be public. I even toyed with the idea of jumping into a £50 HU (and that lasted a while!) but thankfully Ive learnt my lessons and discipline and just logged out.
I was really hoping to cross the £700 barrier this weekend but I'll have to wait untill next weekend I guess! Hopefully this is just a blip and I can run it back up and beyond. I keep trying to remind myself how well I've done so far to take the edge off but for now I feel pretty....well, not good!
Not wanting to sound harsh or anything, but there was always gonna be a day when the poker gods wouldn't smile on you. Sessions when nothing goes right, can't get value from flopped sets, get outdrawn, people getting there etc etc. Just the nature of the beast.
This is exactly why, unless we have/use aggressive BRM, that we play within our means. You can take a rough day like today, lose a fair wedge of money but still have a very healthy roll for the levels you play. To make you feel better, just look at the bigger picture. Today will sting, but you wanted to spin a modest sum of money into a grand and you're already past the £600 mark. How many players would've gone busto or just tread water for weeks on end?
Your not sounding harsh and I know I should feel better than I do but I cant help but feel a little down. You sort of get on a roll and although you dont expect to win every night your dissapointed when you dont! I've played solidly now for longer than I have in along while (ill just look...), 10 days straight which is rare for me so I will try and take a couple of days off and recharge.
Well, thats what i'll try. Sometimes I just cant resist, especially now I have a challange and a goal to aim for.
Day 66
Another up and down and then up day. I played a cash session this morning of an hour and a half and took over £9.50+ profit. I then returned in the afternoon for almost 3 hours. I got off to a decent start, starting off the right side of AA v KK and being up on all tables.
Then it all went wrong again. ironically starting when I ran KK into AA! From their every time I got it in good I lost (eg QQ v AK and JJ v KQ both to rivers) and topped it all off with losing a £40 pot with AA to a a guy who raised every button and 60-70% of hands. He called a big 3 bet on the button and got there with 85. What can you do? I finished £26+ down.
I was going to give it up untill I though, what the ****. I have a good HU's game so I went to play a £21 HU. I played my game and actually won quite easily. That took me to a small days profit and as ive stated above I intend to have at least one day off if not two. Wether that happens I dont know. I know I could do with a recharge and a reset and hopefully that will clear my head a little and I can move on and up with my challange.
Another bad day at the office. PLayed cash for an hour and for most of it was doing ok, but then bad run hit me again. I lost a £30+ pot with QQ v KK on a short handed table I was about to leave. I also took a couple of hits, losing a big pot when I had to fold the turn with KK on a bad board with two opponents. One had a straight, the other a straight flush. That meant a night that was going to show a little profit ened almost £20 down.
Day 69
With confidence low I played two MTT's. I last over an hour in one not having many hands or spots. The table was very, very loose so bluffing was pointless a lot of the time. I did manage a double up and then I lost a pot that would have gave me a good stack when I got called down two streets on a low board when I held JJ. We got it allin on the turn with my opponent drawing to just a gutshot and one over card as he had KJo. He hit his gutshot on the river. In the other MTT I ran bad also, again getting light call downs that hit good river cards. When lowish I squeezed allin with A10s only to be snapped by a limpers QJo. He went on to hit a full house.
I'm on a downswing MTT wise and cant get anything going my way. I left both with no bounties. I did manage to finish one £300FR for £2.29. Ive been playing these every night but getting very frustrating beats in them. One a few nights ago with only five minutes left I lost a top 10 stack to the chip leader when my AA lost to his J8s aipf.
Cash wise I played for about three hours in two sessions and did manage to take a little profit of almost £7. Again, if it wasnt for a couple of big losses when again variance and the river got me (one QQ v AK aipf, another set to runner runner flush.I could add more but thats boring). What saved me was having AA v KK twice which is about the only fortune and coolering I have done this past week.
BR £607.57 PP 1153
This is my second really bad patch and I am trying to put it to a side and continue playing my game. It realy sucks when things go like this and you get the 'why do I bother' feeling. I dont think I've played bad but I know I havent played as good as I can, sometimes letting frustration bubble up a bit. I will say, though, that I felt some improvement in my temperment as I felt I made some good laydowns and didnt make as many bad calls I sometimes would have. The kind of calls you make just to show someone what you had and how unlucky you have been.
Ive been trying to add a bit more aggression into my game and I think tonight it worked more than it didnt. Yes, I know I lost some value at times but thats all part of the learning process and being consistent. You cant bet big when you have nothing and small when you have a strong hand as its too exploitable. But, saying all that, I know the extra aggression helped me get paid on a few more hands.
I really hope I can get out of this down turn soon and start my BR going up hill again.
Well, the bad patch continues. I'm trying not to turn this into a moan. So, all I wll say is that I donked myself out my first MTT (£2BH) and I have no complaints. Made a bad read and paid the price. In my 2nd (5BH) I got off to a good start doubling early but missing out on head prize by half a BB! I then suffered some bad run, getting a lot of chips in ahead only to lose on the river and I eventually lost squeezing over 5 limpers with 88 and got called by A6o who hit the A on river.
Cash wise I played 3 hours and finished £34 down. I'll keep this short but I hardly hit anything and when I did only got folds. I lost numerous pots to just bad preflop calls (eg J7s v AA. He flopped flush and I had over pair with nut flush draw and allin on the flop as he played every hand). There was many others. Basically, I didnt play bad I dont think. I was controlled aggressive it just happened that my value bets got folds and bluffs got called. I bet exactly the same when I had it to any bluffs it was just the way it went.
BR £574.10 PP 1273
In summary i'm trying to stay positive but it is hard when after a long run of good I'm now on a long run of bad. I'm pleased I never really tilted at all dispite the hits I kept taking. I dont remember any big hand holding actually for any sort of big pot. AA, KK and QQ (on a number of occasions) getting beat by very weak holdings. Its times like this I just want to quit and withdraw what I have which is what happens a lot. I get a good bankroll, have a bad few nights so withdraw everything back to £100.
I'm determined to complete this, though, dispite the big setback so far. I can always keep hoping that tomorrow will be a good day...
Comments
The heater continues, happy times
To reach £600 after only 58 days is mighty impressive. It appears you aren't getting over confident despite the recent success and are maintaing excellent disipline. This will hold you in very good stead if a downswing is just around the corner.
At the moment I'd say you're a massive favourite to reach the target by May. You're doing so well that even a losing month wouldn't be enough to stop you now.
As for me; I'm enjoying the freedom now my BR challenge is over. My MTT heater continued for a while once I reached the target. Since Christmas the MTT success has dried-up, however I've balanced that by running very well in HU STTs.
After running like doggie-doo in MTTs tonight I allowed myself a degen moment and took on an elite player in a £31.50 HU hyper, something I would have dreamt of doing while my diary was running. It was all over in two hands. I won and quit for the night
Well done on the successes.
Bankroll has fairly jumped recently, very nice work.
What you could do is say I've won £40 quid today, tomorrow i'll have a go at a £10 quid mtt, and just look at it like a £30 quid profit day. Treat it almost like a freeroll, so win or lose, you are not adversely affected. So that afterwards whatever the outcome it wont affect you.
Might even get a nice wee bink to fastforward to 1k!
Definatly no harm in throwing in a larger buy in tournie every now and again.
Also maybe worthwhile playing a few sats for the main events.
Anyway good luck on the path to 1k!