I moved some money over to Pokerstars for the first time. I entered a $55 buy in $70,000 guaranteed tournement and finished to 12th out of 1345 players for a nice $625 payday, but not as nice as it could have been. First place was over $12,000.
The key decision I made which prevented me from making the final table came with 20 players left.
I was in great shape with 350,000 chips and in 3rd place. There were just over 4,000,000 chips in play so I could have probably just folded my way to the final table if I wanted to get there as a small stack, which was not the plan. The blinds were 4000/8000 with a 400 ante and I had Ad 9d in the bb. Everybody folded until the button who only had 150,000 and would have been in about 16th place.. He went all in.
A 150,000 bet to try to pick up 16,000 is certainly an overbet. I knew he just wanted me to fold, but I figured he had a little something to take that risk when we were at 20 players and the prize jumped from about $375 to $450 when we hit 18. I also figured he did not have one of the big pairs or AK, AQ because he most likely would want to try to do more then pick up the blinds with a big hand, which was clearly the hope with his all in over bet.
If I just fold I keep my chip and stay in 3rd out of 20 players, if I call and win I move to 500,000 chips and would become the chip leader. If I call and lose then I would drop to 200,000 chips and would be in 10th place. So what should one do? First of all I had to put him on a range of hands. I already eliminated all the biggest hands, I thought he most likely either had a low to middle pair, or a weak Ace. A couple hands could have me dominated, like A 10, A J or 9 9, 10 10, anything better then that and I do not think he would have gone all in. he could have any pair from 2s [ 8s which would be a coin toss or he could have an Ace with a lower kicker then mine which would make me a 80% favorite, or he could just be buffing.
Overall I thought I would win about 60% of the time vs his range of hands. So the right move seems to be to call and play for 1st place instead of being more conservative and fold.
I called, he flipped over A 4 and I was a huge favorite until the flop came with two 4s. I did lose the hand but still had plenty of life, but the way I had to play with 200,000 was different then if I had 500,000.
A bit later I tried to steal a pot preflop with 55 when a player who had been raising a lot pre flop made yet another raise. He went over top of my 50,000 reraise and I felt I had to flop leaving me with about 150,000 chips. Then I went on a cold streak for a bit and folded about 25 hands in a row which brought me down to just over 100,000 with the blinds at 6000/12,000 and a 600 ante. This is where I would have down things much different with those extra 300,000 chips but we were down to 12 players I was in 12th place and the prize money did not increase again until the final table of 9. I had As 10s, a big stack raised to 36,000 and it folded to me in late position. with 400,000 chips I call and see a flop with 100,000 I either go all in or fold. My hand is pretty strong 6 handed and the raiser is a big stack who has been aggressive so I decided to go all in. Had we been at 13 players or 10 players, I think I would have folded. He flipped over 99 and it was a coin toss that I lost and was out. I was happy to have the $625 because I had been on a bit of a losing streak. The win brought me back up to $1600 overall, and since then I have increase that up to $2200 playing at the PLO tables.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Two Months In.
Yesterday marked the two month mark of my journey and it was a pretty uneventful month.
The last two week have pretty much been a write off. First I had my parents in from out of town, and then I had the hard drive on my computer crash. Overall over the past month I have lost $400.
After a strong start and moving close to $3000 during the first month things have not gone as well. I ended month one at $2000, dropped as low as $1000 during this month and sit at just over $1600 right now.
My records for the past month have been lost when my hard drive went so I do not have the day by day changes, but it has been pretty much a straight line for the past two weeks.
I have my computer back now and will get back to the tables to try to get things rolling along again.
The last two week have pretty much been a write off. First I had my parents in from out of town, and then I had the hard drive on my computer crash. Overall over the past month I have lost $400.
After a strong start and moving close to $3000 during the first month things have not gone as well. I ended month one at $2000, dropped as low as $1000 during this month and sit at just over $1600 right now.
My records for the past month have been lost when my hard drive went so I do not have the day by day changes, but it has been pretty much a straight line for the past two weeks.
I have my computer back now and will get back to the tables to try to get things rolling along again.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Quite Week
With my parent in town for the week, I did not play much poker since my last pot.
I will be getting back to the tables tonight and have one week left until the two month mark in my journey.
I still sit at $1700 and hope to make some progress over the next week.
I will be getting back to the tables tonight and have one week left until the two month mark in my journey.
I still sit at $1700 and hope to make some progress over the next week.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Well I am 5 hours into the Mini FTSOP event #16, after winning an entry in a satalite. It is a $109 buy-in no limit hold'em tournament with 6000 chips to start and 4011 players making for a $101,100 prize pool.
The top 450 cached I am am already there sitting at 253 of 402 with 38,595 chips. The average stack is 60,165 so I have some work to do.
We just hit blind level 23, 1400/2800 with a 350 ante. My chip stack has not changed much over the past 30 minutes, 38,095 sitting in 233 of 287 with the average stack being 84,146. I have had two playable hands, A8 sutied in late position, and KK in early position. In both cases I opened raised and everyone else folded. I only have 13.5 times the BB so I am getting close to the position where all in is pretty much my only move, but I can pick up 7350 chips fromt he blinds and antes if I can steal which would is about 20% of my stack.
With 35,000 chips left I got dealt AA in early position. I bet about 2.5 times the BB, one person called and then the BB went all in, which I of course called and the other guy folded. He flipped over JJ and I had him dominated with a 85,000 chip pot. A J came on the flop and I was out in 220 place wining $260, a very disappointing end as that pot would have moved me into 125th place and given me 25 big blinds to work with.
Overall I am now up to $1700.
The top 450 cached I am am already there sitting at 253 of 402 with 38,595 chips. The average stack is 60,165 so I have some work to do.
We just hit blind level 23, 1400/2800 with a 350 ante. My chip stack has not changed much over the past 30 minutes, 38,095 sitting in 233 of 287 with the average stack being 84,146. I have had two playable hands, A8 sutied in late position, and KK in early position. In both cases I opened raised and everyone else folded. I only have 13.5 times the BB so I am getting close to the position where all in is pretty much my only move, but I can pick up 7350 chips fromt he blinds and antes if I can steal which would is about 20% of my stack.
With 35,000 chips left I got dealt AA in early position. I bet about 2.5 times the BB, one person called and then the BB went all in, which I of course called and the other guy folded. He flipped over JJ and I had him dominated with a 85,000 chip pot. A J came on the flop and I was out in 220 place wining $260, a very disappointing end as that pot would have moved me into 125th place and given me 25 big blinds to work with.
Overall I am now up to $1700.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
turning $4.20 into $663.00
I went into a $2 rush turbo rebuys Pot Limit Holdem Tournament on Friday Night.
I was supposed to pick up my parent from the airport at 11:15pm and I check the airport website and found out the flight was delayed until 2:00am so I had a few hours to kill.
I figured the tournament should be over in time and if not, it was only a couple bucks.
Things got off to a good start and by 11:45 I was up to 14,000 chips doing very well, when the phone rang.
It was my parents and they were at the airport wondering where I was. Turns out I had the flight number wrong and they were on time, and I was late. I has A 2 3 K in front of me and someone had raised and had a couple callers so I went ahead and pot raised figuring I had nothing to lose. One guys called, three lows came on board and I went all in and he folded I I walked out of the tournament with about 20,000 chips and figured in the 40 minutes I would be away there was no way I would make it back before the blinds got me since they were going up every three minutes and it was a rush tournament.
When I got home I walked over the the computer and there I was blinds at 5000/10,000 and I was all in from the fig blind with about 7500 chips. one guys called and the sb folded and we split the pot giving me 10,000 chips. I looked around the table and everyone else had abut 200,000-300,000. I checked the standings and I was in 23rd of 23 and was already in the money for about $22. I am not sure what my next next couple hands were because this all went so fast, but I it folded to me and I went all in which was a couple chips more the the bb and only the bb called and I doubled up, then the next hand I think I had 1 3 4 6 so I went all in again, three people called and I ended up scooping the pot and was at 80,000. I was still only in19th of 21 with 8xs the bb but I hand some life. I ended up making the final table and finished in 2nd place overall for a prize of $663.00. Not bad for a $4.20 investment and missing a big chunk of the tournament.l Just shows you that sometimes luck does fall your way.
I am currently at about $1550.
I was supposed to pick up my parent from the airport at 11:15pm and I check the airport website and found out the flight was delayed until 2:00am so I had a few hours to kill.
I figured the tournament should be over in time and if not, it was only a couple bucks.
Things got off to a good start and by 11:45 I was up to 14,000 chips doing very well, when the phone rang.
It was my parents and they were at the airport wondering where I was. Turns out I had the flight number wrong and they were on time, and I was late. I has A 2 3 K in front of me and someone had raised and had a couple callers so I went ahead and pot raised figuring I had nothing to lose. One guys called, three lows came on board and I went all in and he folded I I walked out of the tournament with about 20,000 chips and figured in the 40 minutes I would be away there was no way I would make it back before the blinds got me since they were going up every three minutes and it was a rush tournament.
When I got home I walked over the the computer and there I was blinds at 5000/10,000 and I was all in from the fig blind with about 7500 chips. one guys called and the sb folded and we split the pot giving me 10,000 chips. I looked around the table and everyone else had abut 200,000-300,000. I checked the standings and I was in 23rd of 23 and was already in the money for about $22. I am not sure what my next next couple hands were because this all went so fast, but I it folded to me and I went all in which was a couple chips more the the bb and only the bb called and I doubled up, then the next hand I think I had 1 3 4 6 so I went all in again, three people called and I ended up scooping the pot and was at 80,000. I was still only in19th of 21 with 8xs the bb but I hand some life. I ended up making the final table and finished in 2nd place overall for a prize of $663.00. Not bad for a $4.20 investment and missing a big chunk of the tournament.l Just shows you that sometimes luck does fall your way.
I am currently at about $1550.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Mini FTSOP event 1
I played in this $22 buyin tournament with over 14,000 entrants last night.
With a 5000 starting stack and such a large field my plan was to play very tight and pick my spots carefully.
The first hand I play was one of the first ones dealt when I had JJ from the bb blind 10/20
The was a middle position raiser to 60 a late position caller and then I raised to 180. The first guys called the other folded and the flop had a Q and two low cards. I bet 320 into the 430 pot and was called. It was checked the rest of the way and he had KQ and I was down to 4500.
A few hands later I had 99 and once again raised to 180 after a middle position raise to 60 and was called the flop was two low cards and a J. Once again I lead out was called and then it was checked though. He flipped over J 5. Not sure why he called my reraise with such a crappy hand, but it worked out for him and I was down to about 4000.
The third hand I played was KK once again from the BB, blinds were up to 40/80 at this point and a late position raise was made to 240 the button called and sb folded. I raised to 750 and both guys called. The flop was A J 5. Once again one over card to my pair. I bet half the pot, the first raiser folded and the button went all in. I figured he had me and folded.
I was all the way down to 2000 chips when once again from bb I got a good hand. This time AK. The blinds were up to 60/120 there was a middle position raise to 360 and a call from late position. With almost 1000 chips in the pot already i wen tall in and was called by AQ and doubled up.
8 hands later once again from the bb I was dealt 10 7. Two people limped in and I got to see a free flop.
The flop came 10 10 10 and I hit quads. Now how do I wins some ships with this.
First to act I checked and so did they. The turn was a 2 and I check the next guys bet the pot the other folded and I called. The turn was a A. I thought the other guys limping from late position might have a weak A and a small pair both would be very hard to fold at this point especially since he had 25000 chips to my 3000 with the pot at about 1200. I decided to go all in to make it look like a overbet attempt to steal the pot thinking if he had any A or pair he would call me. He did call and I was up to a bit over 8000 which was just below average.
The next hand I played I the blinds were 150/300 and I had QQ on the button. An early position player made it 800 and late position player called and the pot was up to 2050 when it came to me. Two two player in I wanted to limit the field and would be happy with the 2050 which would put me over 10,000 and above average. Since any raise i made would pretty much pot commit me I just went all in, one call one fold and it was my QQ vs AK and I was a 55% favorite to get up to 17,000 and be in the top 20% of chip stacks.
The flop was three clubs including the K. With him having the Ac tht left me with just one out which I of course did not hit and I was out somewhere around 7800 place.
I think I played well. I got unlikely with my early pairs of JJ 99 and KK not holding up after the flop made the most of a couple good hands to get back in it and the lost a coin flip. Those situation are ones that you are going to have to win a few times to make it to the end of such a large tournament and I lost the first one I faced.
Overall I am now down to $1000.
With a 5000 starting stack and such a large field my plan was to play very tight and pick my spots carefully.
The first hand I play was one of the first ones dealt when I had JJ from the bb blind 10/20
The was a middle position raiser to 60 a late position caller and then I raised to 180. The first guys called the other folded and the flop had a Q and two low cards. I bet 320 into the 430 pot and was called. It was checked the rest of the way and he had KQ and I was down to 4500.
A few hands later I had 99 and once again raised to 180 after a middle position raise to 60 and was called the flop was two low cards and a J. Once again I lead out was called and then it was checked though. He flipped over J 5. Not sure why he called my reraise with such a crappy hand, but it worked out for him and I was down to about 4000.
The third hand I played was KK once again from the BB, blinds were up to 40/80 at this point and a late position raise was made to 240 the button called and sb folded. I raised to 750 and both guys called. The flop was A J 5. Once again one over card to my pair. I bet half the pot, the first raiser folded and the button went all in. I figured he had me and folded.
I was all the way down to 2000 chips when once again from bb I got a good hand. This time AK. The blinds were up to 60/120 there was a middle position raise to 360 and a call from late position. With almost 1000 chips in the pot already i wen tall in and was called by AQ and doubled up.
8 hands later once again from the bb I was dealt 10 7. Two people limped in and I got to see a free flop.
The flop came 10 10 10 and I hit quads. Now how do I wins some ships with this.
First to act I checked and so did they. The turn was a 2 and I check the next guys bet the pot the other folded and I called. The turn was a A. I thought the other guys limping from late position might have a weak A and a small pair both would be very hard to fold at this point especially since he had 25000 chips to my 3000 with the pot at about 1200. I decided to go all in to make it look like a overbet attempt to steal the pot thinking if he had any A or pair he would call me. He did call and I was up to a bit over 8000 which was just below average.
The next hand I played I the blinds were 150/300 and I had QQ on the button. An early position player made it 800 and late position player called and the pot was up to 2050 when it came to me. Two two player in I wanted to limit the field and would be happy with the 2050 which would put me over 10,000 and above average. Since any raise i made would pretty much pot commit me I just went all in, one call one fold and it was my QQ vs AK and I was a 55% favorite to get up to 17,000 and be in the top 20% of chip stacks.
The flop was three clubs including the K. With him having the Ac tht left me with just one out which I of course did not hit and I was out somewhere around 7800 place.
I think I played well. I got unlikely with my early pairs of JJ 99 and KK not holding up after the flop made the most of a couple good hands to get back in it and the lost a coin flip. Those situation are ones that you are going to have to win a few times to make it to the end of such a large tournament and I lost the first one I faced.
Overall I am now down to $1000.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Bankroll Management Revisited
I have not had much time to play the past few days, but when I have I have continued the decline in my bankroll. I now sit at $1200.
Looking at the fluctuations in my bankroll over the last few weeks I see ups and downs of 25-50% several times. This tells me that my bankroll management system currently in place is too aggressive. I do not want to see these time of swigns any more. They are great when they are on the way up, but the risk of going bust seem too high still.
I was allowing myself to bring up to a maximum of 10% of my bankroll to a cash game at one time and I often played at two tables at once so really 20% was at risk. I am going to cut that in half so no more then 5% will be brought to any one table.
the mini FTSOP is starting Sept 8 with a $22 buyin hold'em tournement which I am going to try to play. If I make it deep into the tournement I will start blogging about key hands. I may try a couple other events as well but this things tend to last a good 8 hours so it may be difficult to get more then one or two in.
Looking at the fluctuations in my bankroll over the last few weeks I see ups and downs of 25-50% several times. This tells me that my bankroll management system currently in place is too aggressive. I do not want to see these time of swigns any more. They are great when they are on the way up, but the risk of going bust seem too high still.
I was allowing myself to bring up to a maximum of 10% of my bankroll to a cash game at one time and I often played at two tables at once so really 20% was at risk. I am going to cut that in half so no more then 5% will be brought to any one table.
the mini FTSOP is starting Sept 8 with a $22 buyin hold'em tournement which I am going to try to play. If I make it deep into the tournement I will start blogging about key hands. I may try a couple other events as well but this things tend to last a good 8 hours so it may be difficult to get more then one or two in.
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