I had another tilt at some SNGs and tourneys this weekend on Full Tilt.
Four tables, all NL, all less than $10 buy-ins.
I was watching the tennis with one eye at the same time which is my excuse for busting out of all four, out of the money ;)
The closest I came to cashing was bubbling a $10 18-man SNG in fifth when I found Ks but my foe had As. Earlier I had doubled up a short stack with 2s v his QJo, pushed on turn and he made the call with two overcards, duly spiking a Q on the river…this would have put me in a comfortable chip-lead but it wasn’t to be.
Got deep-ish in the others but actually found four tables too many to properly concentrate on, couldn’t get reads on the other players when I switched tables.
My girlfriend dumped me this weekend which sucks very, very badly. I went to Glastonbury last weekend for five days and left her some very smelly skunk that I had left over.
I came back and in her dope induced state she decided to end it.
I was totally into her and it is hurting. Trying to think of the positives – I’ll be richer as she was stony broke and I paid for everything; and more poker, I spose…
Anyway back to the grind of City life
Monday, July 06, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
A win!
Well sort of...
I played my first weekend morning session for a long time. Its the only time I really have to play tourneys. Woke up hungover, tired but unable to sleep so fired up some tables.
I kept four going most of the time, three tourneys and some cash games. The tourneys were a $10 killer and $24 + $2 on FTP and a $5 45 man on Poker stars.
I went deep in the one that counted, the $24 FTP tourney which attracted 400 odd peeps for a $9k prize pool.
I played solid poker throughout, sometimes aggressive and then sometimes like a total pussy, but I felt comfrotable...was chip leader with about 20 left, and made it to the final able with ease.
I write this slightly worse for the wear after a nite out and its funny but i only remember the suckouts. Once with qk v aq, when i rivered a j for a straight, and once with aj v aq when i rivered a jack.
I stopped playing aggressively twice, once near the bubble, and again on the final table...I ended up 7th for a $320 odd score but the winner, who was very beatable, got $2500. Busted with AKs v 10s for a standard flip, the only all-in flip I had all game.
wasnt to be tho, but def has got me thinking about poker again...
On the personal front I have started seeing someone finally after three years of singledom which is another reason for less play. She is away now which is why I can spend a morning playing.
Not my finest post but v v tired....see ya
I played my first weekend morning session for a long time. Its the only time I really have to play tourneys. Woke up hungover, tired but unable to sleep so fired up some tables.
I kept four going most of the time, three tourneys and some cash games. The tourneys were a $10 killer and $24 + $2 on FTP and a $5 45 man on Poker stars.
I went deep in the one that counted, the $24 FTP tourney which attracted 400 odd peeps for a $9k prize pool.
I played solid poker throughout, sometimes aggressive and then sometimes like a total pussy, but I felt comfrotable...was chip leader with about 20 left, and made it to the final able with ease.
I write this slightly worse for the wear after a nite out and its funny but i only remember the suckouts. Once with qk v aq, when i rivered a j for a straight, and once with aj v aq when i rivered a jack.
I stopped playing aggressively twice, once near the bubble, and again on the final table...I ended up 7th for a $320 odd score but the winner, who was very beatable, got $2500. Busted with AKs v 10s for a standard flip, the only all-in flip I had all game.
wasnt to be tho, but def has got me thinking about poker again...
On the personal front I have started seeing someone finally after three years of singledom which is another reason for less play. She is away now which is why I can spend a morning playing.
Not my finest post but v v tired....see ya
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Exam blues
It has been a week since my exam so I thought I would post something on it.
I was studying for the CFA ((chartered financial analyst). It is most prestigious exam in the investment world but is an absolute nightmare.
Three levels, taking a minimum of 2.5 years, and a frightening 35% pass rate for Lvl 1 – the exam I took.
It is not actually uber-hard material wise, anyone with a decent brain can master the concepts, it is the volume of work that sucks.
Six big fat text books to plough through covering accounts, equity and bond analysis, economics, portfolio management, alternatives, corporate finance…the list goes on.
I basically attacked the thing all wrong – I decided back in Jan that I needed to take notes from the books, which I duly tried to do for the next four months.
I then discovered you could buy notes online for £50 which are very usable and they come with access to hundreds of past questions.
Taking notes is fine if you have time to learn them. I didn’t.
In the last week I ended up looking at two of the sections for the first time and ignored economics ‘cos I thought my A-level in it would get me by. (a mistake!)
It was a very strange exam day. Last Saturday at the Excel centre. And 8,000 people sitting the exam. Yep, 8,000!
I reckon about 75% were non-native English speakers. You have never seen a bigger conglomeration of geeks in your life. Maths geeks from China, India, Saudi, France, Russia – you name it – all trying to tap into the financial dream.
I hardly heard a single English accent and when I did they were posh as hell.
The majority were massive cocks in my opinion, but then again, I s’pose I’m doing the same – sucking corporate cock for fat dollar. I like to think I had a life first tho’ – three years bumming round Europe and five years as a hack – and didn’t decide aged 8 that I would tailor my entire life in getting a City job.
Anyway, I learned a lot during the studies, and despite the tone of the entry, I really made an effort for. I understand the markets better and if I failed, I reckon I will get it in Christmas.
Played one session of poker since the exam when I was steaming drunk.
I have cashed out $5k – so still only playing the $50 tables, fired up four on Mansion, and tried to get the tables on tilt by typing “Drunk Jimmmmmyyyyyyy!!!!” (which is my name there) after winning any hand. Kept raising.
It kinda worked but being the target on all four tables was tough to manage. I was getting pissy too, and started abusing some Finnish bloke for being depressed. I promised to send him a lightbulb in the post to cheer him up when I beat him to one hand. Usual crap.
I had about $20 left on that table and announced I would raise all-in every hand and either double up or bust.
I did, again and again and again, and no-one had the balls to call. $20! Come on!
Anyone, the Finn finally called with 10s v my 74o and I donated my money.
His parting shot was “Don’t play bingo here” – I wanted to tell him how little $20 compared to what I have won…but left with my head held high :)
OK, thats's all folks!
I was studying for the CFA ((chartered financial analyst). It is most prestigious exam in the investment world but is an absolute nightmare.
Three levels, taking a minimum of 2.5 years, and a frightening 35% pass rate for Lvl 1 – the exam I took.
It is not actually uber-hard material wise, anyone with a decent brain can master the concepts, it is the volume of work that sucks.
Six big fat text books to plough through covering accounts, equity and bond analysis, economics, portfolio management, alternatives, corporate finance…the list goes on.
I basically attacked the thing all wrong – I decided back in Jan that I needed to take notes from the books, which I duly tried to do for the next four months.
I then discovered you could buy notes online for £50 which are very usable and they come with access to hundreds of past questions.
Taking notes is fine if you have time to learn them. I didn’t.
In the last week I ended up looking at two of the sections for the first time and ignored economics ‘cos I thought my A-level in it would get me by. (a mistake!)
It was a very strange exam day. Last Saturday at the Excel centre. And 8,000 people sitting the exam. Yep, 8,000!
I reckon about 75% were non-native English speakers. You have never seen a bigger conglomeration of geeks in your life. Maths geeks from China, India, Saudi, France, Russia – you name it – all trying to tap into the financial dream.
I hardly heard a single English accent and when I did they were posh as hell.
The majority were massive cocks in my opinion, but then again, I s’pose I’m doing the same – sucking corporate cock for fat dollar. I like to think I had a life first tho’ – three years bumming round Europe and five years as a hack – and didn’t decide aged 8 that I would tailor my entire life in getting a City job.
Anyway, I learned a lot during the studies, and despite the tone of the entry, I really made an effort for. I understand the markets better and if I failed, I reckon I will get it in Christmas.
Played one session of poker since the exam when I was steaming drunk.
I have cashed out $5k – so still only playing the $50 tables, fired up four on Mansion, and tried to get the tables on tilt by typing “Drunk Jimmmmmyyyyyyy!!!!” (which is my name there) after winning any hand. Kept raising.
It kinda worked but being the target on all four tables was tough to manage. I was getting pissy too, and started abusing some Finnish bloke for being depressed. I promised to send him a lightbulb in the post to cheer him up when I beat him to one hand. Usual crap.
I had about $20 left on that table and announced I would raise all-in every hand and either double up or bust.
I did, again and again and again, and no-one had the balls to call. $20! Come on!
Anyone, the Finn finally called with 10s v my 74o and I donated my money.
His parting shot was “Don’t play bingo here” – I wanted to tell him how little $20 compared to what I have won…but left with my head held high :)
OK, thats's all folks!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
More play and the stock market
I played another short one-hour session over the Bank Holiday weekend, making another $40 to leave me $90 to the good.
I've realised that my bankroll data is nearly six months out of date, which shows how the love affair with the game has dwindled somewhat.
If I get the chance in the next week or two I will try to update it but I doubt it is much more than the stated total of $5.5k.
I thought I would tell you a bit about why now is a very good to invest to pump some money into the stock market.
In the time I have been following the markets (first as a journalist and now as an analyst), it is clear that the entry level is the most important ingredient to making money.
You can pick the best company in the world, which will survive a downturn and profit during boom times, but what matters more is what price you got in.
I bought JJB a month ago - partly after doing a little work for my friend in his share tipping contest I wrote about a few posts ago.
It is up 125% since then. I have bought Lloyds at 60p, Taylor Wimpey (Britain's biggest housebuilder) at 45p, Enterprise Inns at £1.30. The list goes on.
All are shit companies, that were priced to go bust. They didn't and I profited. I used to own Lloyds at £6. JJB was a fiver not so long ago.
With the FTSE 100 at 4,300 it is a fantastic to put some money away for a couple of years, take the dividends and cash out for a healthy profit.
I now have almost all my personal wealth in equities, and will keep it there until I can afford a house - the market still fears armageddon and is cheap, cheap, cheap. Armageddon has been and gone, Lehman's went bust, Lloyds, RSB and Barclays nearly went bust. But they were saved, the Government is printing money like no-one's business but we will survive.
Buying stocks and shares, you are basically backing capitalism to my mind. There has been a bounce and a lot of the dross that I bought has topped out for now but on a two to three year view it is a win-win situation. Back capitalism and profit!
Rant over :)
I've realised that my bankroll data is nearly six months out of date, which shows how the love affair with the game has dwindled somewhat.
If I get the chance in the next week or two I will try to update it but I doubt it is much more than the stated total of $5.5k.
I thought I would tell you a bit about why now is a very good to invest to pump some money into the stock market.
In the time I have been following the markets (first as a journalist and now as an analyst), it is clear that the entry level is the most important ingredient to making money.
You can pick the best company in the world, which will survive a downturn and profit during boom times, but what matters more is what price you got in.
I bought JJB a month ago - partly after doing a little work for my friend in his share tipping contest I wrote about a few posts ago.
It is up 125% since then. I have bought Lloyds at 60p, Taylor Wimpey (Britain's biggest housebuilder) at 45p, Enterprise Inns at £1.30. The list goes on.
All are shit companies, that were priced to go bust. They didn't and I profited. I used to own Lloyds at £6. JJB was a fiver not so long ago.
With the FTSE 100 at 4,300 it is a fantastic to put some money away for a couple of years, take the dividends and cash out for a healthy profit.
I now have almost all my personal wealth in equities, and will keep it there until I can afford a house - the market still fears armageddon and is cheap, cheap, cheap. Armageddon has been and gone, Lehman's went bust, Lloyds, RSB and Barclays nearly went bust. But they were saved, the Government is printing money like no-one's business but we will survive.
Buying stocks and shares, you are basically backing capitalism to my mind. There has been a bounce and a lot of the dross that I bought has topped out for now but on a two to three year view it is a win-win situation. Back capitalism and profit!
Rant over :)
Saturday, May 23, 2009
online play
Played my first bit of online poker in a long, long time tonight.
I only wanted to play an hour after a day's study but the magic is still there ;)
Fired up four $50 NL tables at Stars and apart from letting a couple of pots go with weak play in position, I played decent poker. Came out $50 up, mostly down to one hand...
PokerStars Game #28535104923: Hold'em Pot Limit ($0.25/$0.50) - 2009/05/23 15:37:47 ET
Table 'Holmia V' 9-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: QuanticFive ($65.25 in chips)
Seat 2: hockey59 ($16.55 in chips)
Seat 3: kevorkallin ($3.90 in chips)
Seat 4: irishguy2005 ($40.65 in chips)
Seat 5: przemol ($50 in chips)
Seat 6: darg0r ($50 in chips)
Seat 7: Steve8Taylor ($27 in chips)
Seat 8: -Jenna88-<3 ($38.20 in chips)
Seat 9: Henck123 ($36.05 in chips)
hockey59: posts small blind $0.25
kevorkallin: posts big blind $0.50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to QuanticFive [Qh Qc]
irishguy2005: folds
przemol: folds
darg0r: folds
Steve8Taylor: raises $1 to $1.50
-Jenna88-<3: calls $1.50
Henck123: folds
QuanticFive: calls $1.50
hockey59: folds
kevorkallin: calls $1
*** FLOP *** [4s 9c Qd]
kevorkallin: checks
Steve8Taylor: bets $1
-Jenna88-<3: calls $1
QuanticFive: calls $1
kevorkallin: folds
*** TURN *** [4s 9c Qd] [Qs] - Bingo!
Steve8Taylor: checks
-Jenna88-<3: checks
QuanticFive: bets $3.50
Steve8Taylor: calls $3.50
-Jenna88-<3: raises $4.50 to $8 - As soon as he did this I knew he had a set!!
QuanticFive: calls $4.50 - Flat called just in case I scared him off
Steve8Taylor: calls $4.50
*** RIVER *** [4s 9c Qd Qs] [7c]
Steve8Taylor: checks
-Jenna88-<3: bets $27.70 and is all-in - On queue
QuanticFive: calls $27.70
Steve8Taylor: folds
*** SHOW DOWN ***
-Jenna88-<3: shows [4d 4c] (a full house, Fours full of Queens)
QuanticFive: shows [Qh Qc] (four of a kind, Queens)
QuanticFive collected $85.65 from pot
OK, quads over set is very lucky, but I got that 'I love poker' feeling I have been missing the past few weeks.
The way he played his set, letting the clock go right down, was how I used to play my sets every time - now I tend to lead out if I don't have position and then check further down to induce the bet.
Anyway, cya...
Monday, May 18, 2009
Study and work
The exam pressure is really starting to kick in - two weeks until the big day now - so I have had to say no to the next home game, which kinda sucks.
It was at Artem's house - who we have christened Bank of Russia - and would have been like when the Viking's came over to England the first time, a mass rape and pillage session.
I think they are postponing it so I will be involved next time.
The study is going badly actually - I have discovered I don't get financial accounts. It is incomprehensible and more importantly, boring as shit so every time I start reading about it I fall asleep. Not great preparation...
My life is being dominated by the study so no real online play to speak of either.
The only wisdom I can impart is on the dollar again...which I will surmise as SELL IT! We are at 1.50 and it will be 1.70 by the end of the year. Could be wrong but that is my call.
Knocking this out from work so better get back to it.
CYA!
It was at Artem's house - who we have christened Bank of Russia - and would have been like when the Viking's came over to England the first time, a mass rape and pillage session.
I think they are postponing it so I will be involved next time.
The study is going badly actually - I have discovered I don't get financial accounts. It is incomprehensible and more importantly, boring as shit so every time I start reading about it I fall asleep. Not great preparation...
My life is being dominated by the study so no real online play to speak of either.
The only wisdom I can impart is on the dollar again...which I will surmise as SELL IT! We are at 1.50 and it will be 1.70 by the end of the year. Could be wrong but that is my call.
Knocking this out from work so better get back to it.
CYA!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Home games
Well its been a while...
Probably the longest spell of no updates since I started the blog.
The lack of updates reflects my lack of play really - I no longer log on after work as a matter of course and my play now is limited to weekend tilts at the tables and home games (hence the title of this post).
The online play is still profitable but I have withdrawn $4,800 from all the sites, leaving $250 in Stars, FT, Party and Mansion.
This is enough for my levels, four-tabling $50 - as long as I don't go busto!
The home games are no a regula occurence and I'm killing them in the main. I feel a bit bad as some of them are good mates but they really have no clue.
It is mainly with unemployed ex-bankers with loads of cash and spare time.
We play cash, PL hold'em with pee-wee 10p,20p blinds but as no-one knows how to fold we often get up to £70 to £100 pots.
An example of how shitty the play is:
Six-handed, I have 75s in MP. A raise before me and everyone calls to the BB who pots it for about £4. Everyone calls except me!
Flop comes A,K,x - BB bangs it, everyone calls, another A comes, then a blank and four of them end up all in.
The pot is around £75. They flip them and there is QQ, KK, JTs and 82o!
The guy who played 82o is a Russian unemployed derivatives trader who literally has no idea but is immense fun to play with. He has left down around £60 to £100 every time and he doesn't give a shit. Perfect!
I've made about £100 from three games with these guys...should have been a more except for this hand at 4am (eight hours into our session) when I was utterly arseholed.
Early position raises, and two call. I am on button with 66.
Flop A, 3, 5 (rainbow) - they check to me and I bet out 2/3 of the pot. Both call.
Turn a 6 (gin!) and I put £5 down after they check to me again.
The early position raiser is an old mate Dan (a lawyer who earns a shitload of cash but is utter garbage at poker). He basically cant fold and duly calls, the other player folded after giving me the stare-down - lol.
River 7. Dan then bets out the pot which was £22. I have about £65 in front of me and Dan has been getting lucky and has about £20 left...
I couldn't see anything to beat me...he doesn't have the gumption to slow-play and I figured A7 at best.
I push, he calls and I know I am sunk...he flips over 77!
We wrapped up a few hands later with me down £15 instead of up again a load.
I'm really loving these games tho as the banter is superb and the play worse than any online game you could find. They think they are figuring me out but I know I will win it back.
Apart from this I am studying for my chartered financial analyst exams on June 6 - hardest exam I have ever taken (and its only level one of three). This is basically taking up all my poker time and then some.
When they are over tho I plan to party like an absolute banshee, already booked tickets for Glastonbury and Big Chill and will head over to Prague in June too for some alcohol therapy.
Happy gaming!
Probably the longest spell of no updates since I started the blog.
The lack of updates reflects my lack of play really - I no longer log on after work as a matter of course and my play now is limited to weekend tilts at the tables and home games (hence the title of this post).
The online play is still profitable but I have withdrawn $4,800 from all the sites, leaving $250 in Stars, FT, Party and Mansion.
This is enough for my levels, four-tabling $50 - as long as I don't go busto!
The home games are no a regula occurence and I'm killing them in the main. I feel a bit bad as some of them are good mates but they really have no clue.
It is mainly with unemployed ex-bankers with loads of cash and spare time.
We play cash, PL hold'em with pee-wee 10p,20p blinds but as no-one knows how to fold we often get up to £70 to £100 pots.
An example of how shitty the play is:
Six-handed, I have 75s in MP. A raise before me and everyone calls to the BB who pots it for about £4. Everyone calls except me!
Flop comes A,K,x - BB bangs it, everyone calls, another A comes, then a blank and four of them end up all in.
The pot is around £75. They flip them and there is QQ, KK, JTs and 82o!
The guy who played 82o is a Russian unemployed derivatives trader who literally has no idea but is immense fun to play with. He has left down around £60 to £100 every time and he doesn't give a shit. Perfect!
I've made about £100 from three games with these guys...should have been a more except for this hand at 4am (eight hours into our session) when I was utterly arseholed.
Early position raises, and two call. I am on button with 66.
Flop A, 3, 5 (rainbow) - they check to me and I bet out 2/3 of the pot. Both call.
Turn a 6 (gin!) and I put £5 down after they check to me again.
The early position raiser is an old mate Dan (a lawyer who earns a shitload of cash but is utter garbage at poker). He basically cant fold and duly calls, the other player folded after giving me the stare-down - lol.
River 7. Dan then bets out the pot which was £22. I have about £65 in front of me and Dan has been getting lucky and has about £20 left...
I couldn't see anything to beat me...he doesn't have the gumption to slow-play and I figured A7 at best.
I push, he calls and I know I am sunk...he flips over 77!
We wrapped up a few hands later with me down £15 instead of up again a load.
I'm really loving these games tho as the banter is superb and the play worse than any online game you could find. They think they are figuring me out but I know I will win it back.
Apart from this I am studying for my chartered financial analyst exams on June 6 - hardest exam I have ever taken (and its only level one of three). This is basically taking up all my poker time and then some.
When they are over tho I plan to party like an absolute banshee, already booked tickets for Glastonbury and Big Chill and will head over to Prague in June too for some alcohol therapy.
Happy gaming!
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