I suck at this game...

I have been playing poker for more than three years now and I can count the number of tourneys I've won on one hand.
I managed to take 2nd in a £2 Headhunter tourney just now, but couldn't take it down.
Even though I made £35, it still really, really fucks me off. I was heads up for an age against an average foe who limp called everything.
I had him all in with A7 against my 9s, he rivers a second 7, and then I went seriously card dead.
FUCK,FUCK,FUCK...second feels worse than bubbling.

Dropped $20 on $5 rebuy on Stars, made $60 playing last night on cash, lost it this morning.

Food now and hopefully a calmer Marky when I return.

Punting on shares

I have been playing poker only sporadically since my last post, mainly becuase work is frantic, the visit of friend for four days, a short break in Italy with my new girlfriend and studying for an exam.

When I have played it has been mostly successful and I've made about $200 piddling around on Stars on the low limit tables.

I have tho made a decent return on backing my employer. I doubled my £500 investment in two days on a share price spike and then banked the profit. Easy!
A bit dodgy but there was no inside information, and it was a genuine conviction call on my part - akin to calling an all-in with K9s in the BB against a known bluffer...:)

Checking my bankroll numbers and I think I may be up to $5,000 - which would be mighty fine. I will update them when I get the chance.

Mo' poker

Since my last post, I have spent four days in Italy, been saved in my job, started studying in earnest for an exam next week and still managed time to play a little poker.

Its all been on Stars, all peewee limits but mostly profitable.
Ten bucks here, twenty there...couldn't get anything going on the half-dozen tourneys/multi-table SNGs, but made a fair chunk playing $50 NL cash again.

Last night I four-tabled for two hours, clocking in 350 hands and made around $70 profit, spread evenly between all four tables.
On one, I made around $15 inside 10 mins after being dealt Ks, Js and As in quick succession.
On another I identified a calling station and an aggro-donk on another, reaping some more from them.

Other than that not much else to report. Loaded Party Poker, which has an all-new table software and layout. If they offered a deposit bonus I might be tempted to have another crack there.

As it is, I'll be sticking with short sessions on Stars until my exam is over next Thursday.

Another small score

Had supper, watched the progress of my employer, almost bet £500 on their shares, decided that was stupid, so decided to play so some small stakes SNG instead.
Busted out of the $3 45-man Turbo after my 5th and 3rd (it was third not fourth as I wrote in my last post) but had more success in the 180 $2 turbo, finishing 6th for a huge $18 score!
The luckiest hand was hilarious, in SB with no stack to speak of, call all-in with 75o, my flopped str8 beats AA and K10s no problem...

I've now made $75 pissing around on a few of these things and kept the stress levels well below tilt levels :)

Lets just hope i've got a job in the morning...

Mini SNGs

My multi-table tourneys/SNGs have been going well but made not much as the buy-ins have been so low.
I've been grabbing an hour here and there so can only really play 45-manners or turbo 180s.
Played two $3 + 40c 45 man SNGs and come 5th and 4th for HUGE cashes!
Also busted out of 2 $2 180-man turbos early and won a $26 token on Full Tilt.

What is focusing my attention is the trials of the stock markets which are utter madness right now and might mean me out of a job.

I've only been working in the City five months and then this happens - the chances of me getting another similar job are slim to none.

This may mean back to journalism - we shall see - I don't want to say which company I work for, in case I get in shit when they realise I'm a poker fiend - but suffice it to say, we are right in the firing line!!!

Decent Score

Tonight was a strange very strange night of poker.

It started off with one of those evenings when nothing whatsoever was happening. No double ups, no pocket pairs, no str8, no flushes...nothing.

On a full ring it is mighty hard to do much when nothing hits...either bluff a lot (which I do only sporadically) or watch yr roll dwindle.

I was three-tabling at Bodog, both $25 and $50 tables and can't remember the number of times I was forced to top up. I was pleased to be just $50 down.

At 8pm, I saw a tourney with a decentish overlay and decided to have a go. It was a $7 + 70c, $1,500 guaranteed. There were only 188 entrants so there was a $230 bonus put in by Bodog.

I played with two other cash tables open and played ABC poker to start with. I doubled early with Qs, then went back to even with Qs again against a short-stacked 9s.

I didn't get Aces once but hit TPTK to bust an aggressive foe, and kept busted smallstacks when I had them dominated. I remembered I could play tournies last Sat in the Pokerstars $10 run, and this time I made it count.

I busted a similar size stack with 10 8s, flopping two pr to my foes A10 TPTK and I was suddenly 2nd biggest stack with three tables left. It then went a bit wrong as I got too aggressive and got caught twice raising pre with 72o and a5s. Had to fold to pushes and I was suddenly back in the pack.

However, every time the chips went in I was favourite and luckily they were standing up.

One from the final table I had my first HUGE stroke of luck. Five left on my table and I'm third biggest, I rose in MP with 5s, my foe in the BB who I knew was aggressive, re-raised. It was either push or fold, I push, he calls with the powerhouse hand of 10 7s. A ten on the flop and I am suddenly small stack, a flush draw on the turn for him before a nice 2-outer 5 on the river.

So nice when it happens to me for a change.

The final table was very slow going and was being dominated by one very, very large stack who was raising pre every third hand.

My miracle 5 had put my back into the top five, with roughly the same size stacks as 2nd through 5th. I then went v v card dead and folded, folded, folded.

With seven left I had a premonition that i would make it to the last four against the three most aggressive foes.

I then had my second big break. I call a minimum raise from the BB with A7clubs. Four see the flop which is a beauty J63 two clubs. The SB (who just has me covered) immediately pushes, I call, two folds and he turns over j7 for top pair. Turn blank, river Ace for another big pot.

Soon we were four-handed, then three-handed and again the big stack, who had had a roller coaster ride but was still being very aggressive.

It was tight but I went card dead again and busted out with A5o v JKo, J on flop and IGHN.

The prize was $175, my first three figure win for some time and profit for the night.

More of the same please...but I'm gonna keep playing at least one tourney while playing cash from now on.

Bodogging

Despite the recent troubles at Bodog, I just logged off a decent $120 winning session.
I started playing the $25 tables due to lack of traffic when I logged on at the $50 tables, and decided to keep going after running good.
I doubled up a fair few times and suffered no bad beats, no busted big pairs, it all just came together.
Finally I'm in profit there with around $30 bonus money to come.
Is this the start of something? :)

Quiet August

It was a really quiet August for me poker-wise and I went more than two weeks without playing a single hand.
I returned to the felt on Saturday, entering two $10 +$1 tournaments on Pokerstars.
The first was a 2000 man donkfest, with a fair chunk of cash up for grabs.
I ran well and was in the top 300 for most of the tournie until we got down to 400 (300-odd cashed).
I flat called an early position raiser to my right with Qs, a short stack immediately to my left pushed, it folded round and the 1st position raiser also pushed.
I had both covered, went on my instinct and decided to call. Up against AK and JJ, so I was a favourite…just.
A king on the flop, and jack on the river sunk me.
Should I have called…it’s a tough one but in hindsight, I could and probably should have folded.
I was crippled with a pee wee stack but managed to double up twice and be left with a shot before my AQo couldn’t beat Ks and I busted 10 places from the money.
Very annoying.
I also had another pop at Tao of Poker’s $10 Omaha tourney but bubbled the final table.

Since then I have returned to Bodog grinding and after dropping $150 there from my original $500 deposit, I am back to even again.

Littlewood’s still haven’t sent me my Ipod but an email last week said it was coming.

I have another exam coming up so will continue to play sporadically but will keep updating. So keep checking back to see my progress.
I feel I am close to a big score. Its gonna come dammit!

As for the US Dollar – for all you UK players, the rally will definitely be helping your roll. I forecast $1.70 to $1.75 – as I write it is $1.77!!!
It has more to go but I am contemplating cashing out some of my roll for the first time in two years.