Ring Games

I'm still on a mission to improve my cash play, and at the same time, trying to earn enough FPP's on Poker Stars to release a $50 bonus.
My game seems to be improving, in as much as the losses are smaller than before, but I've already lost $50 trying to earn the bonus and I have only half of the FPP's required.
I think the stats show where I am going wrong, I'm playing too many hands and my win percentage at showdown is still below 50%
I seem to have got over my previous problem of losing whenever I played for too long, or to put it another way, playing too long when I'm losing.
I managed a 2 hour session on Saturday and a three hour session on Sunday for a total loss of just $7 and no reloads required.
I feel now for the first time that I know what Im doing when I sit at a cash table, still a long way to go , but at least I can see light at the end of the tunnel.
Im still hot on the heels of a win in the Crypto £4k Gtd, played 4 times last week and only missed the money once when I had QQ and TT outdrawn in succesive hands.
I watched fellow Betfair forumite and ex-Blogger Wyld play in the Mansion $100k Gtd on Thursday night. he played really well before coming unstuck near the end with AQ v AK to just miss out on a final table placing, but did take home $1000 for 11th so congratulations Andy and very well played. Maybe another couple of wins and the Blog will be resurected.

Mansion $100k Gtd

Excuse me using my Blog to promote Mansion, but the $100k Gtd tournament which is on every night on Mansion Poker has been moved to 1800 GMT to suit European customers.
Anyone looking for value should make a beeline for this tournament which in recent days has been at 0300 GMT and aimed firmly at the American market.
Recent tournaments have been undersubscribed to the extent that Mansion have been putting up around $50k added in the tournament every day.
The entry cost is $100 with $90 of that going into the prizepool, the extent of the overlay, however, makes it the best value in online poker at the moment imo
How does $24k to the winner sound.
The tournament is on every night until further notice, so make hay while the sun shines

Stop Press

I forgot to mention Baretta won the second of the Mansion Staff freerolls for £1500

A Profitable Xmas

Well after a pretty bad run in December I was true to my word and had a few days off, coming back to play in the Mansion Invitational Freeroll for staff only with £5k Added and finishing 2nd of 108 for a nice xmas bonus of £925.
Deposited on Pokerstars soon after and played on there for most of the holiday period, with mixed success. I do like the site though, its possible to simplify the look of the tables and use big numbers on the cards for ease of use, must be a godsend if multi-tabling. The structures are good too, longer levels than Crypto, where I have been playing recently.
Followed up my second in the Mansion Staff tournie with a 10th place out of 110 in the second staff freeroll for £50, which coincidently was the buy in for the live tournament at the Casino on Wed 3rd Jan.
Managed another final table there too, agreeing a chop heads up for second place and £335 in Prize money to cap a profitable festive period.
I guess its the time of year to set out my objectives for 2007, so here goes

1. Firstly I think I will play less poker in general, look for value in Multi-table tournaments, and play at a highr stakes than in 2006

2. I'll set a profit target for the year of £2500 which is what I set out to achieve but failed last year.

3. I also need to address my cash game (If indeed I have a cash game) and try to at least generate a profit from it over the year.

4. I also want to make a profit from live play, as I managed in 2006

5. Maybe a final table on one of the larger Gtd tournies by the middle of the year and a win by the end of the year, or failing this to qualify via a satellite for a big live tournament

Well thats about it, thanks to all readers for looking in in 2006, and I hope you will pop in from time to time in 2007.

Wishing you all the very best of luck at the tables as well as in life

End of year accounts

I had a look back at Jan 2006 postings to see what progress I've made in the last year

My targets for 2006 were :

1. A profit of £200 per month £2400 for the year, enough to pay for a holiday

2. To win one of the evening guaranteed mtt's on Betfair

3. To progress my cash game, and to make an overall profit on cash games

4. To make the final table in a live game at the Casino at Teesside Park by the middle of the year and a top 3 finish by the end of the year

5. To play and qualify from sattelites for the £10k or £15k Gtd on Betfair and to make the final table on one of them

6. To win a big mtt on Partypoker, I like the $2 mtt at 2.45 pm but unfortunately, work does not allow me to play it too often, or maybe the $5 rebuy with a huge prize fund

My results against these are as follows :

1. Total online profit for 2006 £1600.09 total live profit for 2006 £298
Total profit for the year, just short of £1900, not quite on target but better than I expected mid-way through the year.

2. A win on the old $5k Gtd fits the bill here, achieved on 28th June

3. The lease said the better as far as cash games are concerned, still have'nt got to grips with ring games and lost $170 overall on the year

4. Teesside park is a bit to far away from Gib, but I have won a live tournament in Gib Casino for £750 so I guess I can tick this one off too.

5. I won entry into a few higher value tournaments, but no final table yet

6. I cant play on Partypoker from Gib so this one is a no no, but I have won mtt's on Betfair, Wm Hill, UKBetting and Paradise.

Overall 3/6 not a bad attempt but must try harder in 2007

Next posting : Targets for 2007

Running Bad

Im in the middle of one of those runs which makes you wonder why you bother with poker at all.
Yesterday I played 8 STT's and didn't make the money in any of them, in fact I think that I only actually increaded my chip stack beyond the original 1000 in one game.
I cant win a pot, never mind a tournament.
I have had AK run into AA, JJ into AA had AA busted by 44, it would be funny if it wasn't costing me money.
I keep thinking that my luck will turn soon, but it hasn't happened yet.
I played the challenge team Betfair tournament last night, had AQ on a Q high flop, pushed all in, only to run into AA again.
As I am typing this I have had top two pair beaten by a fish on a flush draw hitting on the river and top pair beaten by middle pair making trips on the river.
I think its time to follow my own advise and take a few days off from poker.
Work has a staff invitational freeroll on boxing day so maybe I'll sit out until then, see if I can come back refreshed

I know they pay you long term but........

How the hell can he call with A8

I know the raise with KJ is a bit dodgy but I was getting impatient

but what was he thinking ?
its calls like this that really get me down

I moved away from the £2 mtts to avoid this, and it happens in a £10 game

Game #2806691223: Hold'em NL (100/200) - 2006/12/17 - 11:50:26 (UK)
Table "1" Seat 1 is the button.
Seat 1: White029 (1960 in chips)
Seat 3: __data__ (8700 in chips)
Seat 4: Nick10001 (4505 in chips)
Seat 5: tiddles (6522.50 in chips)
Seat 6: redcar (2677.50 in chips)
Seat 7: Chas10 (2005 in chips)
Seat 8: Redan11 (2857.50 in chips)
Seat 9: Calcichew (7250 in chips)
__data__: posts small blind 100
Nick10001: posts big blind 200
----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to redcar [Jd Ks]
tiddles: folds
redcar: raises to 600
Chas10: folds
Redan11: folds
Calcichew: folds
White029: folds
__data__: folds
Nick10001: calls 400
----- FLOP ----- [8c Kc 5h]
Nick10001: checks
redcar: bets 600
Nick10001: calls 600
----- TURN ----- [8c Kc 5h][3d]
Nick10001: checks
redcar: bets 1477.50 and is all-in
Nick10001: calls 1477.50
----- RIVER ----- [8c Kc 5h 3d][8d]
----- SHOW DOWN -----
redcar: shows [Jd Ks] (Two Pairs, Kings and Eights, Jack high)
Nick10001: shows [Ad 8h] (Three of a kind, Eights, Ace high)
Nick10001 collected 5455 from Main pot

So near yet so far

Thats the story of the week this week, I always seem to be able to get past the first break, but as we creep towards the bubble, I always seem to find the wrong spot to gamble.
Im either unlucky and get outdrawn by a muppet caling with rags or I run into a monster.
It cant all be down to bad luck though, I must be doing something wrong. Im still having problems with mid pocket pairs, after two orbits of folding I always want to raise with them in any position. The problem then comes, after raising to 600 I think Im good on any flop but AKQ.
Especially out of position, any meaningful bet seems to get me pot commited and even if I'm ahead I end up losing.
I guess I'll just have to fold em in early position, and risk the death of a thousand cuts that is blinding out, Im trying to be more aggressive though and this does go against the grain.
Maybe I need to be more aggressive earlier on in the tournament to build a big enough stack to ride out losing a few pots later on.
I guess the truth is, there are so many bad players, even in the later stages of mtt's that its very difficult to read anyone.
Just because he called with 5 limpers before him, doesn't mean he can't hold pocket Jacks, and that big raise under the gun doesn't necessarily mean he has a PP or a Big Ace, sometimes you just have to put you tournie life on the line, and take the rough with the smooth