Off to Vegas!

I leave for Las Vegas tomorrow morning. It is an extremely hectic trip and a lot of work. But, there is plenty of fun to be had! I will have my wonderful wife with me, which will make things pretty fun. I always go to this "work convention" without her, but I always wished she could make the trip with me. Well, this year she can! It will definitely be a nice little hiatus from work for her.

I will definitely be playing some live casino poker (finally). I am still trying to decide where to play and what limits. I really wish there was some lower limit triple draw games, but I guess that i'll have to grind it out on UB for a while for that. I think i'll try to play in some casinos that I've never played in before. There are now so many poker rooms that I can pretty much go anywhere and find a room. I might try out the Bellagio room for a while, just to say I played there and maybe even go up to Binions for a tourney on Friday afternoon.

Driving all day...

There are a few things that really piss me off with my job. I love my job, but one of the things that kind of sucks is having to be on the road all day long. In my territory there is without a doubt some of the worst traffic on the east coast. I have actually been told it is worse here than in New York City, and this came from someone with basically the same job as me that lives in Long Island. While I can actually deal with sitting in traffic because it really doesn't bother me that much, I cannot deal with commercials on the radio. There, I said it. I HATE THEM!! I now understand why there is satelite radio. I should probably invest in it. Here are the commercials that when I hear them I immediately turn them off:
Jewelry Commercials - you know these, they have a stupid little jingle and talk about how if you don't buy your wife something sparkly you really don't love her enough. Or the one with the South African guy and his whole family that actually dig the diamonds themselves - YEAH RIGHT!
Cell Phone Commercials - Seriously, they are all the same. We know this, so just give up!
Cable/Satelite Commercials - I pretty much hate Comcast. Always have.
McDonalds Commercials - This is a big one. I cannot stand there "I'm Loving It" campaign with that stupid little jingle...Bah Dah Bah Bah Bahhhh. McDonalds is gross anyway.
Geico Commercials - These are the commercials that try to be like "Crank Yankers"...you know call up Geico and ask them if they are a machine...ACK!

I guess that's all I can come up with right now. But you know what, this probably means those advertising executives have done there job. If I can remember all of these, isn't that what they wanted to accomplish. The problem is, if I want to buy jewelry, I go to an independent store. If I want a hamburger, I go anywhere BUT McDonalds.

On a poker note, Triple Draw has been kicking my butt recently. I have probably averaged a 15 BB loss in every session for the last week. I should've known that I would've been on a downward spiral when I proceeded to win $100 right off the bat in about 3 hands out of the first 10 or so since I sat down, then end the night losing $85. Thankfully, I have concentrated a little more to my SnG's and have made up for most of the losses with that and some NL cash games. Last night I played two interesting hands that one me one small pot and one huge pot:

Hand #1 - I suck out
$25NL (10 handed) - KJo in the cutoff. Two limpers in EP and MP. I raise it to 4.5xBB. EP calls. Flop is A T 9 w/ two hearts (i have K hearts). EP checks. I bet 3/4 of the pot. EP goes all-in. Of course I call because all he has left is .45, so pot odds cause me to make the call. He has QQ!! Yeah, nice play dude! You deserve the following - K on the turn, blank on the river. So I think I should've just taken the free card on the turn and given up the pot for a largish bet if I didn't pick up the Queen or King, although a Jack would've screwed me too! But seriously, limp in EP with QQ...HUH! Ding Dong's going on my buddy list!

Hand #2 - HUGE POT
$50NL (10 handed) - I have a pretty decent read on the table, mostly passive aggressive. I get AJs in MP. Two limpers in EP, I raise it to 4.5x BB, get one caller in LP and one EP player calls. Flop is A Q x. EP bets pot and I just smooth call. I don't put this guy on AQ or AK because of the limp, but I am a little worried about a two pair with whatever the x card was. The LP player folds and we see an 8 on the turn. He bets pot again and I just smooth call again. Now i'm thinking that I should've been raising here or on the flop, but I guess I got passive myself at this table. I do think that if I raise and he comes over the top of me I am really worried and might lay it down which is pretty weak-tight of me right? River is a blank and my opponent checks. I have him covered so I put him all-in. He took his whole time-bank to call and show A9s! I couldn't believe it, but from the way I played the hand, I guess he thought I was drawing or something. That was one of the biggest pots i've played in while and I was happy as hell to come out on the positive side.

I think i'll buy my new journal today for my record keeping. I slacked off yesterday, but I remember my sessions so i'll update it when I get home tonight. Mo and I are really working hard to eat better and exercise more. It is alot easier to do these things with a partner, and she really keeps me going. She makes me so happy and I love her so much.

What a Ding Dong!

Here's a great hand I played last night in a SnG. It is the first level, blinds 10/20. I get KQ of clubs on the button. Four limpers in front, and I limp as well (huh?). Small blind completes and Big Blind checks. Flop is K Q J with two hearts. Checks to a middle position limper that bets the pot (140) and I call (HUH?). Folds around and we are heads up to the turn card of an off-suit 8. MP limper bets 200 and I call (HUH?). River card is an off-suit 9. MP limper bets about 3/4 of the pot and I go all in (HUH?) he calls with JT of hearts and i'm down to 100 chips.

Let me count the ways I played this so freakin badly!! KQs on the button is a strong hand and I should've either raised to get rid of some of the limpers (or possibly take down the pot) or get it heads up at least. I remember thinking "ok, if I don't flop something good I can get away from it cheaply while still having plenty of chips." Whatever donkey! So I get the top two pair on the flop and one of the limpers bets the pot on a extremely coordinated board. I know I was thinking that he easily could've had AT...but that is where I stopped and didn't think about tthe range of hands that he could've had. So i passively call, while never taking control of the hand or gaining any information about what he may be holding. If I raise his bet a substantial amount, I am certainly going to here from a flopped straight/set, which are the only hands I am worried about. Then the turn I do the same exact thing. Of course the 9 on the river I deserved, but going all in? Uhhh, Why!!??

This is the occasional hand I play like newbie, where I think i'm getting cute, but am just bleeding chips. Duhh...

So far so good...

Well my first day of EXTREME record keeping is over and it worked out. I need to get a better journal though...At one point yesterday I was up about $120, until I had a real bad run in a SnG and a small loss in TD.

The SnG was interesting, and I wish I had the hand history to really analyze it, but will have to get it from UB to look at it more. Basically, I had a huge chip lead and went up against the second place chip leader. I had 55 he had QQ and I just continued to continuation bet until the river where I was thinking I made a value bet but it was like I just value bet it for him. Later on, there was a hand where I had AK and raised prf, he called (he was directly to my left). Ace on the flop I continuation bet about 75% of the pot he calls. There were two hearts on the flop (board was A Q x), blank on the turn, I bet the pot and he calls. River brings the third heart and I cannot remember if I checked or bet, but he ended up betting about 3/4 of my chips and I layed it down...I really felt like he might have had AQ here or a set since he just called my raise prf, but he sure played it like he was drawing...dunno...more on this SnG later...

Anyway, it was a positive sunday so thats good. I am seriously considering making a small deposit on PokerStars, but I really cannot decide.

Poker Resolutions and Goals...

With the new year I really want to make sure that I make some resolutions as far as my poker playing is concerned. It was a positive year, but with my bankroll, that I worked very hard in making, comes some possible conflicts. In poker, the old adage, "more money, more problems" comes to mind. With that being said, "they" also say you can't play with scared money. So I have to figure out if the bankroll that I have now is making me play scared. I never like leaving loser, but that is part of the deal. So I have to understand variance a better. For the past month I have been almost exactly even. I go up some and down some and right now I am pretty much back where I was after my blackjack debacle. So I have come up with a few things that I want to do for this year, some specific goals, and ways to make them happen.

1. Record Keeping.
2. Game Selection
3. Tournaments
4. Cash Games - Moving up in Limits
5. Goals

RECORD KEEPING
This is something that I tried to do here on this blog, but failed to keep track of enough. So I have started a physical journal to log my daily sessions of play. I will make note of the game I played, the amount I won/lost, who I played with, and specific game notes (ie. interesting hands, strategies used, etc.). I might have to ask some of the plus 1'rs how they keep track of everything and what they log if they do. I know there are some computer programs out there (besides Pokertracker) that may be of use to me. But for some reason, I feel like I can "make" myself physically write things down better than typing them in some program, but I will still look into it.

GAME SELECTION
This kind of goes hand in hand with my record keeping. By noting the games that I am playing and who I am playing them with I will be able to understand a little more about how I can maximize my winnings. I need to make sure that I have the necessary bankroll AND skill level to be playing the limits I play. I have no problem playing 2/4 limit games, although I have only played triple draw this high and not hold em'. I feel pretty confident that with my bankroll, this is the absolute highest I can play in LIMIT games. And, I still probably shouldn't play hold'em that high, but that is the risk factor and the gambler in me! It wouldn't be enjoyable for me if there wasn't some amount of risk. It's funny that I can sit down at the 25 NL table and play without a care about the $$. But as soon as I sit down at the $100 NL table, or even WATCH a $100 NL table, I start to sweat.
So right now I want to stick with the following game selection:
NLHE - No higher than $50 NL
LHE - No higher than $1/2 (I hardly EVER play limit holdem, so I doubt this will matter much)
TRIPLE DRAW - No higher than $2/4 (I should probably stick with $1/2 and .50/1, but it really doesn't matter as you pretty much have to take the game you get at the limit that people are playing at the time).
OMAHA (HIGH + 8/B) - The pot limit games are big enough at the $25 tables for me. I really want to work on this game and may try to play some of the micro-limit tables to gain more experience.
OTHER GAMES (Stud - for now) - I hardly ever play stud games, but if I do I will not play anything higher than the .50/1 games.

TOURNAMENTS
This is the area of my game that I feel I can really improve upon. I really want to concentrate on these and make some money along the way. Right now i'd say I am only an average multi table tournament player, but above average SnG tournament player. I have a good tight aggressive strategy that seems to work for me on UB. After reading all of "Kill Phil", I think I can put some of there strategies to good use in the MTT's. Also, with my bankroll, I can afford to play higher buy-in's. I probably shouldn't be playing any of the $100's just yet, but anything $10 and above up to $50 I would consider to be bankroll approved. I seriously need to try some of the TEC SnG's if I want to play any of the $100's. I like that idea. One thing I want to do is try the KILL PHIL strategy in one of the lower buy-in tournaments. I find it really hard to fold pocket jacks early in a tournament, but I seriously want to give it a shot. Who knows what will happen.

CASH GAMES - MOVING UP IN LIMITS
I guess my goal is to double my bankroll before I move up. I should be able to consistently beat the limits that I am playing in cash games and tourneys/SnG's. I would like to do this all by January 2007.

GOALS
I was looking back through my September archives because I know I had posted some of my specific goals that I wanted to accomplish. They were two-fold (shorterm and longterm)
Previous Short-term goals:
1.Deposit into 'Party and/or 'Stars - well I guess I could check this off with an asterisk...yes i won a lot of money on Party Poker, no I didn't do it by playing poker. Will I do it again? Possibly, but only for the cash games over there which are very juicy. I seriously cannot decide if I really want to play on another site. What's the point? Well, maybe I should try Poker Stars after all...I really like there setup as it seems very much like UB's as far as there tournament structure is concerned.
2.Move up to $20 SnG's. CHECK. No problem here, although I tend to play the $10's a lot more. I will stick with this and play both. My ROI on the $20's is probably pretty good, but again, this will all depend on my record keeping.
3.Buy Pokertracker. CHECK. I never use it...hmmm...maybe I should? Ok, yes, I WILL!!
Previous Long-term goals:
1.Win a MTT online or live. CHECK. So shouldn't this always be the goal!!
2.Bankroll at $2500. Not yet!
3.Buy-in for WSOP prelim. event. I don't like this idea actually. It's not that I wouldn't do it. I just don't see it as a goal anymore.

So I think since this is a new year, I'm going to make some new goals. These will be time based and achievable considering my current ability. My short-term goals will now be monthly goals. My long-term goals need to be more measurable goals that are concerned with moving up in limits.

Goals for January:
Keep track of EVERY session of poker.
Have a 40% ROI for SnG's.
Play at least one MTT a week with player pool under 200 (ie $20-$30 buy-ins)

Long-term Goals:
Consistently beat the $2/4 Triple Draw tables for 5 big bets an hour.
Move up to $100 NL tables
Move up to $100 buy-in MTT's.
Win entry into big-buyin tournament (WSOP/WPT/etc.)

A Friday Night In jamfreeks house!

Poker on a friday night!! And check out my sweet new slippers!

Pocket Queens have not been very good for me tonight...