Hi Gary, just had a read thru this diary from the beginning. It is what kind of inspired me to try my low stakes SNG grind. Impressive that youre maintaining a fairly even bankroll thru playing MTTs. Noticed at the beginning you were playing a few HU SNGs. Any reason why you dont play these (variance?). Also didnt see many DYMs which seem to be the SNG of choice. Why have you steered clear of these?
Always a pleasure to read your diary Gary as it is to play against you, as I'm constantly impressed by your abilty, consistency, and focus. I've referred a few people to this thread as a lesson in proper bankroll management and wish you all the best in finally crossing the finsih line. I've no doubt it won't take too much longer now. Posted by Slykllist
Thank-you very much, I'm always very pleased when I find competant regulars like yourself at my table; I know I'm going to get a decent game of poker and have to work hard for any winnings. I much prefer that than hoping I can get lucky in a bingo-fest.
Hi Gary, just had a read thru this diary from the beginning. It is what kind of inspired me to try my low stakes SNG grind. Impressive that youre maintaining a fairly even bankroll thru playing MTTs. Noticed at the beginning you were playing a few HU SNGs. Any reason why you dont play these (variance?). Also didnt see many DYMs which seem to be the SNG of choice. Why have you steered clear of these? Posted by mj8bs
Thanks a lot, it's very pleasing to know this has inspired you.
I've been mixing in HU Sngs throughout for one main reason; to ensure I earn at least 500 poker points each month, thereby qualifying for a C4P bonus. I only make small positive ROI in the HU games, it accounts for only a small part of the profit. But the £5+ per month earned in C4P has made a bigger difference, particularly in the early days when my bankroll was still very low. It's easy to run up quite a few points in not much time playing fast HU games, they accumulate more slowly when I enter MTTs only and it's a struggle to get to 500.
As for the DYMs. When I first joined Sky like many others I started off playing small stakes DYMs, attracted because I knew I could have a fun game for only a small risk. I thouroughly enjoyed them and for many months £1.15 DYMs were my game of choice. Then one day I somehow luckboxed my way to first place in a freeroll. The £41 prize seemed huge when I was used to fighting for 85p profit in the £1.15 games. That got me interested in MTTs, gradually I switched over and MTTs became my preference.
Since my DYM days my game has evolved, I now have a 'play to win style' and have no hesitation taking calculated risks that might give the opportunity of a first place finish. Obviously that style is incorrect in DYMs where a survive at all costs approach has more merit. When I go back to DYMs now I have trouble reining in my aggression. I tried a few near the start of this quest, I found I no longer enjoy them as much as I used to, and to be honest my results were pretty bad. These days I'm more at home in a game where I'm fighting to win all the chips.
It's a good read and nice to see evidence that you are enjoyig particular games. Poker is fun and sometimes people seem to lose that thought in a cloud of profit or loss, i find. Have you considered writing an article on playing BH's successfully along the lines of John Connors ABC for DYM's. Nice to see you felt you could move on to MTT's from playing DYM's once you lost interest. People seem to stick to situations/games for financial considerations more than contentment. I respect that.
Hi Gary It's a good read and nice to see evidence that you are enjoyig particular games. Poker is fun and sometimes people seem to lose that thought in a cloud of profit or loss, i find. Have you considered writing an article on playing BH's successfully along the lines of John Connors ABC for DYM's. Nice to see you felt you could move on to MTT's from playing DYM's once you lost interest. People seem to stick to situations/games for financial considerations more than contentment. I respect that. Posted by profman15
Thanks profman. Fun over profit any day for me, that's why you don't see me at cash tables. There are many better Bounty Hunter players than me on the site, but nonetheless with BHs being so popular a guide is an interesting idea. At the very least it would be useful for newbies. Once this quest is over I might have a crack at getting one written.
My plan was to take a day off poker today. However the torrential rain falling when I returned home from work persuaded me to postpone a trip out and I late registered for the 10-45 Bounty Hunter instead.
After only 5 minutes of play I wished I hadn’t bothered; my pocket AA doubling-up a short opponent with Q9o. I had now become the shortie at the table, though I soon won most of my starting stack back when my AT connected nicely with a ten-high flop. Then at the second attempt I managed to bust the Q9 guy with my AT outdrawing his pocket 44, that made me happier and I forgave the RNG for the AA<Q9 beat.
In level 5 I picked up pocket AA for the second time, a short opponent on the button open-shoved into me on the big blind. This time it held-up against KJ. I collected my second head-prize and found myself up to slightly above average with more than half the field already eliminated. My third bounty came an orbit later with AK>33, my opponent happy to get his stack in the middle on an A25 flop. By now I was up to 3rd/30.
Alas that was to be my peak. On the bubble with all stacks getting very shallow I pushed from the small blind into the big blind. It was a perfect ‘any two cards will do' spot as he could only call with a premium. Unfortunately he held AA and my 36s didn’t improve, also my table image went down the toilet! Down to only 4BB I got it in 2 hands later when I picked up AA again myself. With no fold equity I knew I was guaranteed to be called. It was the big blind I went up against with his 43o, the board ran-out 5T662 to give him a straight and I was out. The RNG went straight back into my bad books.
So I picked up pocket AA three times in this tournament, each time playing an aipf pot. It held-up against KJ, but lost against Q9o and 43o. Those three hands sum up how I’m running at the moment quite nicely.
That was my only game of the day, by the time I busted the rain had ceased and I went out for the rest of the afternoon.
I played a series of low-stakes MTTs this afternoon and evening. Once again I couldn’t find enough of that elusive late stages run-good to make a decent score.
In a small afternoon £3 rebuy I came second from nine with two spots paid, yet still managed to make a loss after accounting for rebuy and add-on expenses. It was essentially a sit-n-go with everybody playing for first place.
My best opportunity for a tournament victory came in a late afternoon £2.30 bounty Hunter. I held a commanding lead with only four players left. However, soon after my pocket AA doubled an opponent holding pocket QQ I lost aipf flips with AQ<99, then 88<A9. Those three hands meant I’d managed to sn@tch defeat from the jaws of victory and crash out in a disappointing third place.
The evening Mini Bounty Hunter was the most enjoyable game of the day, though after another promising start I eventually had to settle with a min-cash. After 90 minutes of play I was going well in seventh place. That turned out to be my peak; the tide turned when I lost a juicy pot with AQ<J3o. From there onwards I was below average and in danger. An A5>KQ aipf double gave me enough chips to get through the bubble comfortably. Soon after that my exit came when I open-shoved A8s from UTG at a 5-handed table, failing to improve against two callers with AK and AJ to finish 26/278. It was an unavoidable cooler with my short stack, I left fairly content with the result and pleased to finish in the money the second time in a row I’ve participated in a game that’s reported in my own ‘Tournament Results Thread’. As someone who rarely plays in the evening it’s not very often I get to post my own name.
It was standard Sunday stuff in the low stakes MTTs this morning; a big influx of players came onto the site who prefer wild gambling over thinking poker. The only way to deal with these guys is to keep it tight and play your strong hands hard. It didn’t work out for me today as I could neither pick up a premium nor connect with a flop.
In the 9-45 Bounty Hunter, when down to 12BB after an hour of play, I open-jammed JTs from the cut-off to exit against a caller in the SB with Q9o. In the 10-45 I went out very early after getting all my chips in the middle with a flopped nut-flush draw, I found two callers but didn’t improve.
That was me done for the day, I wasn’t enjoying the games and quit my session.
I’m off work this week, so I’ll be playing less poker than usual and popping up at unusual times.
After a day out today I decided to put in a rare appearance in the forum Monday DTD competition. If possible I’d support this great event every week, but unfortunately it’s played while I’m usually asleep.
I feel I put in a fairly good showing with finishes of 18/160, 3/201 and 40/118 in the individual tournaments. Overall I came 4th/75.
My first exit came in DTD3. Down to 10BB I found a good shove spot on the button with KQs after 2 players had limped-in. I knew I was in trouble when both blinds called (the limpers both folded), so it was a relief when they turned over their hole-cards; 66 and 9To. In my opinion calling off a shove and a call with 9To is an unwise decision, however the player concerned got lucky this time when he made trip 9s to scoop a big pot.
The second exit came in the DTD2 in which I jammed in my pocket 66 from the button but was unable to to dodge the 3 outs of a big stack with K6 on the BB. Arguably this was a bad-beat, but to be fair I was very short at the time and had no fold equity. If the places were reversed I too would have made the call with K6 had I been on the big blind.
My best chance of a very deep run came in DTD1. After winning a big JJ>AK flip on the bubble and busting a couple of short-stacks I found myself in the top 5 when the bubble went. A set back came when I faced an open-shove and a re-shove when I held AK on the big blind. The pot in the middle was worth the chiplead, with both the all-in players being relatively shallow-stacked I felt I had to make the call. My opponents flipped over A9 and 99. Obviously A9 was in big trouble, and with one of my 6 outs removed the 99 was favourite. The 99 held-up and I found myself back to average.
At this point the DTD scoring system affected my decision making for a while; with a respectable 18th place already in the bag it seemed wise to tighten-up and give myself a chance of winning the overall event. Soon after a big ‘what-if’ moment occurred; I held AQ on the big blind when a big stack who had me covered open-shoved, then an even bigger stack re-shoved. I feel AQ is always a fold there regardless; far too often one of them will show up with a dominating hand (AK, AA, KK or QQ). As it was I held overcards to their pairs and would have won a monster pot had I called, despite the result I still feel my fold was correct in the circumstances.
Not long after that hand it became clear it was mathematically impossible for me to win the DTD, so I loosened-up and played for the win. I made a run to the final table but ended up going out in third place in unfortunate circumstances. With AQ on the big-blind I reshoved over a button raise, the raiser chosing to call my shove with K9o. It was a questionable decision, but he spiked a 9 on the turn to eliminate me. A hold there would have given me 700K of the 1000K chips in play and a great chance of victory.
Despite the frustration of going out of all 3 games to inferior holdings I thoroughly enjoyed the DTD and will enter again whenever possible, it is a very friendly tournament played in great spirit. It was also pleasing to return a small profit on the day.
I made the final table of my first MTT today, a small lunchtime £2.30 Bounty Hunter, but my cards are still unwilling to hold-up in the crucial spots; my exit came with 55<A5 aipf on the bubble.
That hand set the tone for the first half of afternoon. The usual lack of MTTs severely restricted my options so I entered a few fast HU games. I soon went off the idea when it became clear I couldn’t win a flip to save my life. I even made a super-rare visit to a cash table, I finished a few pence up after a dozen or so orbits, but as is always the case I found this the most tedious of all ways to play poker.
Things started to look up for a while in the late afternoon when I won through a quarter final to The Open and enjoyed a great start in the 4-00pm £11 Bounty Hunter. Unfortunately neither bore fruit; I fell 3 spots short of the money (13th/88) in the Bounty Hunter, my exit coming in a blind vs blind A8<TT confrontation, and I failed to negotiate the Open semi.
In the evening I tried another three Bounty Hunter tournaments. In all of them I claimed a couple of bounties as consolation prizes, but really I’m playing to win these games, not scrape together a few heads, so overall I was disappointed in the results. I made the final table of a £5.75 game, but the two biggest flips of the day didn’t go my way. Firstly my flopped combo draw couldn’t improve to win a massive pot and two head-prizes on the final table bubble. Then I lost a 55<AK aipf race at the final table that would have brought me back in contention.
That result meant I ended the day slightly in profit, but nonetheless I was wasn't happy. I’m still finding it impossible to run well at the sharp end of these £5.75 games. If I’d run to expectation I feel I’d possibly have completed this quest by now. As it is it looks like I might go the distance without a single win.
Latest count in £5.75 Bounty Hunters since this quest began; played 135, final tables 28, wins 0.
I didn’t get online until the mid-afternoon when the now standard dearth of MTTs running at that time limited my options. I entered a £2.30 Bounty Hunter and a £2.20 Scary to begin. In both I ran like doggie-doo, unable to get anywhere as I suffered a series of outdraws and lost every flip.
The run-good arrived in the 5-05pm £2.30 Bounty Hunter. After three and a half hours play I was delighted to finish first from 65 entrants. This time several flips went my way, I also managed to inflict a suck-out rather than receive one; my AJs>AK aipf to win a crucial late-stages pot. Money wise this was only a fairly small bink. More importantly perhaps this victory as a much needed confidence boost, I’ve had a drought of first places finishes over the last month or two.
By the time the Bounty Hunter finished the Mini Double Stack was already underway. Contrary to its’ name the structure of this tournament is much faster than you’d expect.After a good start I spent most of the first two hours above average. However an unavoidable cooler busted me with the bubble looming. Holding AJ on the button I raised to isolate an UTG limper, planning to fold if he re-shoved. The limper flat-called my raise, he held 22, with effective stacks at only 20BB the A23 flop condemned me.
I’m away for a few days from tomorrow. I won’t be playing my next game of poker until Sunday afternoon at the earliest.
Hi Gary Well done on a good couple of days though. Hope to see you in some SNGs again. Posted by mj8bs
I bet you do after that game! Isolating an open-limper with my KQs on the button, only to end-up folding to his/her junk hand on the river back-fired. I was playing catch-up after that, I almost got back in the game, but when one of my frequent shoves got called the chips didn't go my way.
Returned to the tables this afternoon following a three day break, though only briefly as I didn’t have much time available to play poker. MTTs were out of the question, so I squeezed in a few fast micro-stakes HU STTs. Won 4/4 for a small profit.
Know u said you had trouble transfering your results from sharkscope to this thread. Have u tried clicking on the 'old site' link, which is at the bottom of the left hand side, on the new sharkscope site?
GAry, does your challenge allow you to play more expensive HU STT's? Looking at the results today maybe you should move up? Posted by Glenelg
My BRM rules allow me to buy-in to these up to £10.50 if I so wish. However these hyper games are variance, I didn't fancy exposing myself to the risk of a £42 loss for just a few minutes of play.
Hi Gary. Well done so far. Know u said you had trouble transfering your results from sharkscope to this thread. Have u tried clicking on the 'old site' link, which is at the bottom of the left hand side, on the new sharkscope site? GL Posted by DEL560
Thanks Del. No, I hadn't noticed that option, I'll take a look and may use it in future. Ater they upgraded the site it didn't take me long to find a quick work-around which I've been using ever since.
Comments
I've been mixing in HU Sngs throughout for one main reason; to ensure I earn at least 500 poker points each month, thereby qualifying for a C4P bonus. I only make small positive ROI in the HU games, it accounts for only a small part of the profit. But the £5+ per month earned in C4P has made a bigger difference, particularly in the early days when my bankroll was still very low. It's easy to run up quite a few points in not much time playing fast HU games, they accumulate more slowly when I enter MTTs only and it's a struggle to get to 500.
As for the DYMs. When I first joined Sky like many others I started off playing small stakes DYMs, attracted because I knew I could have a fun game for only a small risk. I thouroughly enjoyed them and for many months £1.15 DYMs were my game of choice. Then one day I somehow luckboxed my way to first place in a freeroll. The £41 prize seemed huge when I was used to fighting for 85p profit in the £1.15 games. That got me interested in MTTs, gradually I switched over and MTTs became my preference.
Since my DYM days my game has evolved, I now have a 'play to win style' and have no hesitation taking calculated risks that might give the opportunity of a first place finish. Obviously that style is incorrect in DYMs where a survive at all costs approach has more merit. When I go back to DYMs now I have trouble reining in my aggression. I tried a few near the start of this quest, I found I no longer enjoy them as much as I used to, and to be honest my results were pretty bad. These days I'm more at home in a game where I'm fighting to win all the chips.
It's a good read and nice to see evidence that you are enjoyig particular games. Poker is fun and sometimes people seem to lose that thought in a cloud of profit or loss, i find. Have you considered writing an article on playing BH's successfully along the lines of John Connors ABC for DYM's. Nice to see you felt you could move on to MTT's from playing DYM's once you lost interest. People seem to stick to situations/games for financial considerations more than contentment. I respect that.
Closing balance £714.97
(up 63p today)
My plan was to take a day off poker today. However the torrential rain falling when I returned home from work persuaded me to postpone a trip out and I late registered for the 10-45 Bounty Hunter instead.
After only 5 minutes of play I wished I hadn’t bothered; my pocket AA doubling-up a short opponent with Q9o. I had now become the shortie at the table, though I soon won most of my starting stack back when my AT connected nicely with a ten-high flop. Then at the second attempt I managed to bust the Q9 guy with my AT outdrawing his pocket 44, that made me happier and I forgave the RNG for the AA<Q9 beat.
In level 5 I picked up pocket AA for the second time, a short opponent on the button open-shoved into me on the big blind. This time it held-up against KJ. I collected my second head-prize and found myself up to slightly above average with more than half the field already eliminated. My third bounty came an orbit later with AK>33, my opponent happy to get his stack in the middle on an A25 flop. By now I was up to 3rd/30.
Alas that was to be my peak. On the bubble with all stacks getting very shallow I pushed from the small blind into the big blind. It was a perfect ‘any two cards will do' spot as he could only call with a premium. Unfortunately he held AA and my 36s didn’t improve, also my table image went down the toilet! Down to only 4BB I got it in 2 hands later when I picked up AA again myself. With no fold equity I knew I was guaranteed to be called. It was the big blind I went up against with his 43o, the board ran-out 5T662 to give him a straight and I was out. The RNG went straight back into my bad books.
So I picked up pocket AA three times in this tournament, each time playing an aipf pot. It held-up against KJ, but lost against Q9o and 43o. Those three hands sum up how I’m running at the moment quite nicely.
That was my only game of the day, by the time I busted the rain had ceased and I went out for the rest of the afternoon.
August poker points 242
6749361HNLB0.3GBPSkyPoker17/08/2012 13:38NL Hold'em £3 + £0.312/74£0.63
Closing balance £713.99
(down 98p today)
I played a series of low-stakes MTTs this afternoon and evening. Once again I couldn’t find enough of that elusive late stages run-good to make a decent score.
In a small afternoon £3 rebuy I came second from nine with two spots paid, yet still managed to make a loss after accounting for rebuy and add-on expenses. It was essentially a sit-n-go with everybody playing for first place.
My best opportunity for a tournament victory came in a late afternoon £2.30 bounty Hunter. I held a commanding lead with only four players left. However, soon after my pocket AA doubled an opponent holding pocket QQ I lost aipf flips with AQ<99, then 88<A9. Those three hands meant I’d managed to sn@tch defeat from the jaws of victory and crash out in a disappointing third place.
The evening Mini Bounty Hunter was the most enjoyable game of the day, though after another promising start I eventually had to settle with a min-cash. After 90 minutes of play I was going well in seventh place. That turned out to be my peak; the tide turned when I lost a juicy pot with AQ<J3o. From there onwards I was below average and in danger. An A5>KQ aipf double gave me enough chips to get through the bubble comfortably. Soon after that my exit came when I open-shoved A8s from UTG at a 5-handed table, failing to improve against two callers with AK and AJ to finish 26/278. It was an unavoidable cooler with my short stack, I left fairly content with the result and pleased to finish in the money the second time in a row I’ve participated in a game that’s reported in my own ‘Tournament Results Thread’. As someone who rarely plays in the evening it’s not very often I get to post my own name.
August poker points 278
6755589HNLB0.3GBPSkyPoker18/08/2012 20:28NL Hold'em £2 + £0.33/47£5.56755410HNLB0.3GBPSkyPoker18/08/2012 19:51NL Hold'em £2 + £0.335/69-£2.36755015HNLT0.3GBPSkyPoker18/08/2012 16:55NL Hold'em £3 + £0.32/8£10.26754439HNLB0.3GBPSkyPoker18/08/2012 16:49NL Hold'em £2 + £0.36/24-£2.36757100HNLT,HU0.1GBPSkyPoker18/08/2012 15:48NL Hold'em £2 + £0.11/2£1.96751888HNL0.0GBPSkyPoker18/08/2012 14:33NL Hold'em £0 + £019/194£0.56756224HNLSAT0.2GBPSkyPoker18/08/2012 13:37NL Hold'em £2.2 + £0.214/26-£2.46749361HNLB0.3GBPSkyPoker17/08/2012 13:38NL Hold'em £3 + £0.312/74£0.63
Closing balance £706.34
(down £7.65 today)
It was standard Sunday stuff in the low stakes MTTs this morning; a big influx of players came onto the site who prefer wild gambling over thinking poker. The only way to deal with these guys is to keep it tight and play your strong hands hard. It didn’t work out for me today as I could neither pick up a premium nor connect with a flop.
In the 9-45 Bounty Hunter, when down to 12BB after an hour of play, I open-jammed JTs from the cut-off to exit against a caller in the SB with Q9o. In the 10-45 I went out very early after getting all my chips in the middle with a flopped nut-flush draw, I found two callers but didn’t improve.
That was me done for the day, I wasn’t enjoying the games and quit my session.
August poker points 285
6758328HNLB0.3GBPSkyPoker19/08/2012 13:38NL Hold'em £3 + £0.369/78-£3.36758034HNLB0.3GBPSkyPoker19/08/2012 13:13NL Hold'em £3 + £0.328/79-£3.36760398HNLT,HU0.05GBPSkyPoker19/08/2012 11:08NL Hold'em £1 + £0.052/2-£1.05
(up £18.81 today)
I’m off work this week, so I’ll be playing less poker than usual and popping up at unusual times.
After a day out today I decided to put in a rare appearance in the forum Monday DTD competition. If possible I’d support this great event every week, but unfortunately it’s played while I’m usually asleep.
I feel I put in a fairly good showing with finishes of 18/160, 3/201 and 40/118 in the individual tournaments. Overall I came 4th/75.
My first exit came in DTD3. Down to 10BB I found a good shove spot on the button with KQs after 2 players had limped-in. I knew I was in trouble when both blinds called (the limpers both folded), so it was a relief when they turned over their hole-cards; 66 and 9To. In my opinion calling off a shove and a call with 9To is an unwise decision, however the player concerned got lucky this time when he made trip 9s to scoop a big pot.
The second exit came in the DTD2 in which I jammed in my pocket 66 from the button but was unable to to dodge the 3 outs of a big stack with K6 on the BB. Arguably this was a bad-beat, but to be fair I was very short at the time and had no fold equity. If the places were reversed I too would have made the call with K6 had I been on the big blind.
My best chance of a very deep run came in DTD1. After winning a big JJ>AK flip on the bubble and busting a couple of short-stacks I found myself in the top 5 when the bubble went. A set back came when I faced an open-shove and a re-shove when I held AK on the big blind. The pot in the middle was worth the chiplead, with both the all-in players being relatively shallow-stacked I felt I had to make the call. My opponents flipped over A9 and 99. Obviously A9 was in big trouble, and with one of my 6 outs removed the 99 was favourite. The 99 held-up and I found myself back to average.
At this point the DTD scoring system affected my decision making for a while; with a respectable 18th place already in the bag it seemed wise to tighten-up and give myself a chance of winning the overall event. Soon after a big ‘what-if’ moment occurred; I held AQ on the big blind when a big stack who had me covered open-shoved, then an even bigger stack re-shoved. I feel AQ is always a fold there regardless; far too often one of them will show up with a dominating hand (AK, AA, KK or QQ). As it was I held overcards to their pairs and would have won a monster pot had I called, despite the result I still feel my fold was correct in the circumstances.
Not long after that hand it became clear it was mathematically impossible for me to win the DTD, so I loosened-up and played for the win. I made a run to the final table but ended up going out in third place in unfortunate circumstances. With AQ on the big-blind I reshoved over a button raise, the raiser chosing to call my shove with K9o. It was a questionable decision, but he spiked a 9 on the turn to eliminate me. A hold there would have given me 700K of the 1000K chips in play and a great chance of victory.
Despite the frustration of going out of all 3 games to inferior holdings I thoroughly enjoyed the DTD and will enter again whenever possible, it is a very friendly tournament played in great spirit. It was also pleasing to return a small profit on the day.
August poker points 290
6764260HNL0.1GBPSkyPoker21/08/2012 00:33NL Hold'em £1 + £0.13/201£20.016740968HNL0.2GBPSkyPoker21/08/2012 00:23NL Hold'em £2 + £0.240/118-£2.26763268HNL0.2GBPSkyPoker20/08/2012 23:44NL Hold'em £2 + £0.218/160£1If only. My exit hand from DTD1 with 3 players left from 201;
PlayerActionCardsAmountPotBalanceTsaaaar Small blind 8000.00 8000.00 223416.64 GaryQQQ Big blind 16000.00 24000.00 325373.93 Your hole cards A Q archdigger Raise 80000.00 104000.00 352209.43 Tsaaaar Fold GaryQQQ All-in 325373.93 429373.93 0.00 archdigger All-in 352209.43 781583.36 0.00 archdigger Unmatched bet 90835.50 690747.86 90835.50 GaryQQQ Show A Q archdigger Show 9 K Flop 2 3 J Turn 9 River 8 archdigger Win Pair of 9s 690747.86 781583.36
Closing balance £732.00
(up £6.85 today)
I made the final table of my first MTT today, a small lunchtime £2.30 Bounty Hunter, but my cards are still unwilling to hold-up in the crucial spots; my exit came with 55<A5 aipf on the bubble.
That hand set the tone for the first half of afternoon. The usual lack of MTTs severely restricted my options so I entered a few fast HU games. I soon went off the idea when it became clear I couldn’t win a flip to save my life. I even made a super-rare visit to a cash table, I finished a few pence up after a dozen or so orbits, but as is always the case I found this the most tedious of all ways to play poker.
Things started to look up for a while in the late afternoon when I won through a quarter final to The Open and enjoyed a great start in the 4-00pm £11 Bounty Hunter. Unfortunately neither bore fruit; I fell 3 spots short of the money (13th/88) in the Bounty Hunter, my exit coming in a blind vs blind A8<TT confrontation, and I failed to negotiate the Open semi.
In the evening I tried another three Bounty Hunter tournaments. In all of them I claimed a couple of bounties as consolation prizes, but really I’m playing to win these games, not scrape together a few heads, so overall I was disappointed in the results. I made the final table of a £5.75 game, but the two biggest flips of the day didn’t go my way. Firstly my flopped combo draw couldn’t improve to win a massive pot and two head-prizes on the final table bubble. Then I lost a 55<AK aipf race at the final table that would have brought me back in contention.
That result meant I ended the day slightly in profit, but nonetheless I was wasn't happy. I’m still finding it impossible to run well at the sharp end of these £5.75 games. If I’d run to expectation I feel I’d possibly have completed this quest by now. As it is it looks like I might go the distance without a single win.
Latest count in £5.75 Bounty Hunters since this quest began; played 135, final tables 28, wins 0.
August poker points 331
6768368HNLB0.3GBPSkyPoker22/08/2012 00:19NL Hold'em £2 + £0.3142/343-£0.86768271HNLB0.3GBPSkyPoker21/08/2012 22:17NL Hold'em £2 + £0.381/174-£1.556768432HNLB0.75GBPSkyPoker21/08/2012 21:45NL Hold'em £5 + £0.756/92£16.926768633HNLSAT0.6GBPSkyPoker21/08/2012 19:29NL Hold'em £6.6 + £0.651/93-£7.26767729HNLB1.0GBPSkyPoker21/08/2012 18:54NL Hold'em £10 + £113/88£4.946765547HNL0.0GBPSkyPoker21/08/2012 18:16NL Hold'em £0 + £0290/303£06768673HNLSAT0.16GBPSkyPoker21/08/2012 17:13NL Hold'em £1.44 + £0.166/39£5.66767697HNLST0.2GBPSkyPoker21/08/2012 16:44NL Hold'em £2 + £0.229/34-£2.26769632HNLT,HU0.15GBPSkyPoker21/08/2012 15:56NL Hold'em £3 + £0.152/2-£3.156769629HNLT,HU0.1GBPSkyPoker21/08/2012 15:34NL Hold'em £2 + £0.12/2-£2.16766639HNLB0.3GBPSkyPoker21/08/2012 14:28NL Hold'em £2 + £0.35/27-£0.86769322HNLT,HU0.1GBPSkyPoker21/08/2012 14:11NL Hold'em £2 + £0.11/2£1.96769286HNLT,HU0.25GBPSkyPoker21/08/2012 14:04NL Hold'em £5 + £0.252/2-£5.25
nice to see you moving forwards again.
keep it up m8,
dev
Closing balance £757.20
(up £25.20 today)
Yay………..highest balance so far!
I didn’t get online until the mid-afternoon when the now standard dearth of MTTs running at that time limited my options. I entered a £2.30 Bounty Hunter and a £2.20 Scary to begin. In both I ran like doggie-doo, unable to get anywhere as I suffered a series of outdraws and lost every flip.
The run-good arrived in the 5-05pm £2.30 Bounty Hunter. After three and a half hours play I was delighted to finish first from 65 entrants. This time several flips went my way, I also managed to inflict a suck-out rather than receive one; my AJs>AK aipf to win a crucial late-stages pot. Money wise this was only a fairly small bink. More importantly perhaps this victory as a much needed confidence boost, I’ve had a drought of first places finishes over the last month or two.
By the time the Bounty Hunter finished the Mini Double Stack was already underway. Contrary to its’ name the structure of this tournament is much faster than you’d expect. After a good start I spent most of the first two hours above average. However an unavoidable cooler busted me with the bubble looming. Holding AJ on the button I raised to isolate an UTG limper, planning to fold if he re-shoved. The limper flat-called my raise, he held 22, with effective stacks at only 20BB the A23 flop condemned me.
I’m away for a few days from tomorrow. I won’t be playing my next game of poker until Sunday afternoon at the earliest.
August poker points 342
6772127HNL0.3GBPSkyPoker23/08/2012 00:43NL Hold'em £3 + £0.376/348-£3.36772265HNLB0.3GBPSkyPoker22/08/2012 20:26NL Hold'em £2 + £0.31/65£30.316774310HNLT0.1GBPSkyPoker22/08/2012 17:17NL Hold'em £1 + £0.15/6-£1.16772039HNLST0.2GBPSkyPoker22/08/2012 16:49NL Hold'em £2 + £0.218/34-£2.26774304HNLT,HU0.05GBPSkyPoker22/08/2012 16:31NL Hold'em £1 + £0.051/2£0.956771549HNLB0.3GBPSkyPoker22/08/2012 16:10NL Hold'em £2 + £0.39/21-£1.366773715HNLT,HU0.1GBPSkyPoker22/08/2012 14:21NL Hold'em £2 + £0.11/2£1.9
have a good few days away,
dev
Didn’t play
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Day 231 August 26th 2012
Closing balance £761.00
(up £3.80 today)
Returned to the tables this afternoon following a three day break, though only briefly as I didn’t have much time available to play poker. MTTs were out of the question, so I squeezed in a few fast micro-stakes HU STTs. Won 4/4 for a small profit.
August poker points 349
6793913HNLT,HU0.05GBPSkyPoker26/08/2012 18:01NL Hold'em £1 + £0.051/2£0.956793414HNLT,HU0.05GBPSkyPoker26/08/2012 15:40NL Hold'em £1 + £0.051/2£0.956793391HNLT,HU0.05GBPSkyPoker26/08/2012 15:29NL Hold'em £1 + £0.051/2£0.956793370HNLT,HU0.05GBPSkyPoker26/08/2012 15:25NL Hold'em £1 + £0.051/2£0.95
Know u said you had trouble transfering your results from sharkscope to this thread. Have u tried clicking on the 'old site' link, which is at the bottom of the left hand side, on the new sharkscope site?
GL