Grinding in Paris

1st day in Paris

A very sad hand on my first session, where UTG raises to 6bb with AcKd (300bb deep), UTG+1 3 bets to 15bb with 10’s (75bb deep) then I 4 bet to 50bb with J’s (250bb deep) planning to fold if UTG goes all in and calling if UTG+1 goes all in, then the button calls my 4 bet with Ad9h (about 300bb deep as well), UTG flat calls my reraise, as well as UTG+1, then the flop shows 6h 6d 7d, giving me an overpair; UTG bets out 50 euros into a 400 euros pot, UTG+1 calls all in, and I have like 400 euros left, and it just looked to me as if UTG was on a flushdraw with 2 overcards like AdKd or may be AdQd, I didn’t have the Jd, so I just thought it was a good time to gamble, putting UTG to the test, so I decided to go all in (I didn’t even think care about the button, as I had already seen him making awful calls pre), then the button goes to the tank and finally decides to call and I’m like “wtf is going here!!!!!!!!”, UTG goes to the tank as well and finally calls, as they took a while to call I thought I was ahead and I was right, but then the turn brought the third diamond which I didn’t like at all, and the river was even worse bringing in the 10d, giving the board 4 diamonds, sure enough I lost the main pot with the rivered full house for UTG+1, and the side pot to the button with the rivered A high flush, and to my surprise he did call with A9 on the flop for a backdoor nutflush draw and UTG did call as well with AK for a backdoor 2nd nut flushdraw. When I got home, I was curious about the equities on the flop, and realized how big underdogs they all were and sucking out on me big time. The guy with 10’s that won the 600 euros main pot had just like 11% equity, and the guy that rivered the nutflush for the 1050 euros side pot had just around 6% equity. After that hand I simply walked away from the table being shocked by how things came up.

11-feb-11

Had my 2nd session yesterday, and sucked even more than the first one, this time I managed to burn 4.5 buy ins (bi from now on), won’t talk anymore in terms of eur, usd or mxp when talking about the game, just don’t wanna stress my parents with those figures. Got unlucky in many spots, but I did also played like f twat in some others. Just to give you a rough idea, lost 2.3 bi with A’s, J’s and Q’s, all of them putting my money in when I was good and having the villains as 2 to1 underdogs or worse for them, and them spiking their 30% chances. I changed table once, cuz the big fish (the one that sucked out on me twice)hit and ran, and there were just a couple of guys with +100bb and the rest had less than 50bb, so I realized I wasn’t gonna be able to win some decent pots there, so I changed to this table where seemed there was a lot of money, little did I know that there were at least 3 guys that knew how to play, and one other frenchie that for the 1st time I considered as a shark. Managed to get my money in pre with Q’s vs AQs, and of course he spiked the A on the flop, although the pot was just like 250 eur, it was enough for me to start being frustrated, and made a big mistake, tried to pull some stupid bluffs that didn’t work out, sure enough as my image at the table was as a losing tilted player (1.6 bi lost in those).

Then I was able to win a couple of pots, but not enough to make a come back, then I was just about to fall apart on a pot that I raised 6bb pre with QJs, and had 3 callers, the flop came AJx giving me the middle pair and a backdoor flush draw, it was checked to me and although I was 3rd to act I checked as didn’t think they would fold an A on the flop and me 3 barreling with my losing image was just disastrous, the turn was an A that paired the board and gave me the flush draw, and the sb (who was the shark) bet out 24eur into a 48eur pot, I decided to just to call (everybody else folded), cuz although I smelled a rat, him betting out into 3 guys had to mean something, so I would then reevaluate on the river, the river brought the suited 5 completing the flush draw and now he comes and makes a pot sized bet (about 88eur), I go to the tank knowing that folding is almost out of question, I certainly knew he was betting for value, so If I raised I wasn’t sure if he was bad enough to call with a 10 high flush or less, and if he then comes over the top I would’ve had to fold my flush which was just losing to a K high flush (trip A’s wasn’t anymore on his range, as he just wouldn’t bet that big with that river), I convinced myself that he wasn’t calling any raise so I just called and then he showed the 105s for a 10 high flush and I threw my cards on the table claiming the pot with the Q high flush, but as I was very excited one of the cards went off the table, so the shark started saying it was a mucked hand so he had won the pot, I for sure asked for the floor manager and luckily for me he gave me the pot but warning me that the next time it would be a mucked hand. From that point, I just didn’t get any cards, and realized I was just being outplayed in some spots.

Until now, didn’t think it was necessary to table select, but I will def start to avoid good or better players, it’s just so unprofitable to not sit at a table with guys getting it in with 2’s to 6’s or with suited A’s, or that their post flop play is just so straightforward. Unfortunately, I do have to change my strategy now, as I’ve lost  1/3 of my bankroll in just 2 sessions, I mean, the best thing would be to move down on stakes, but the problem is that there are no lower live games in Paris. I still have 17 complete bi, but I def can’t afford one of those sessions again. I’m considering buying in for 50bb, and just play solid poker, or may be change to freeze out Multi Table Tournaments (MTT’s) that have about a 50 eur buy in, or f* it being honest, changing my flight ticket has already crossed my mind.

In the mean time, I’ll try to hang out more with Miguel (a Mexican friend married to a French girl), the good new is that they’ve offered me to stain in their flat for 15 days, as they’ll be away from Paris from the next Tuesday. Also, I’ll try the “rando a Paris” for the 1st time this night, prob won’t last through it all but wanna give it a go at least.

18-feb-11

Another day in the office and another losing day. Haven’t played bad though for the last couple of sessions, at least that’s the way I think about it, but at the same time there must be wrong with my game. Seems like I have to learn that everytime I flop a big draw (at least 14 outs draw), I should remember it’s not a made hand and shouldn’t play it like a set, usually I like to put my money in on the flop where I’m a small favourite or pretty much a coinflip, trying to use my fold equity, but they must have a read on me or something as it seems I don’t have any, and of course I just seem to have those big draws against sets and it just doesn’t help that I’ve played 5 big pots (ie more than 200bb each, one of them for 600bb )pushing all in on the flop and not hitting any single time, and surely irrelevant but they’ve hit quads twice against my big draws rather than me hitting a 15 outs draw when still 2 cards to come. Somehow I deserve the results I’ve been having so far, as I really came thinking that the guys here were kind of stupid, and guess now who’s the sucker?

I just have 12.4 buy ins left  (already lost half of my br), practically I’m just about to abort the mission, one thing for sure, is def I don’t want to keep playing with less than 10 buy ins.

I’ve had 7 sessions so far, from which just one of them was a winning session, and the rest just a nightmare, having in average almost 3 los buy ins per session.

I have one goal for tomorrow, and that is apart from standard c-bets not to pull any 3 barrel bluffs, and to slow play all my big draws.