August 26, 2010
I fold.
Real life has taken over. Mostly all my fault, but you know, stupid is as stupid does. It was a nice dream while it lasted.
Take care,
Shawn
Real life has taken over. Mostly all my fault, but you know, stupid is as stupid does. It was a nice dream while it lasted.
Take care,
Shawn
Poker Stars $0.05/$0.10 No Limit Hold'em $0.02 Ante - 9 players - View hand 827802
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
SB: $21.28
BB: $10.00
UTG: $21.57
UTG+1: $26.31
UTG+2: $20.40
MP1: $20.00
MP2: $19.64
Hero (CO): $38.15
BTN: $9.95
Pre Flop: ($0.33) Hero is CO with K
J
1 fold, UTG+1 raises to $0.30, 3 folds, Hero calls $0.30, 3 folds
Flop: ($0.93) T Q 5(2 players)
UTG+1 bets $0.70, Hero calls $0.70
Turn: ($2.33) A(2 players)
UTG+1 bets $1.30, Hero raises to $2.60, UTG+1 calls $1.30
River: ($7.53) 8(2 players)
UTG+1 checks, Hero bets $6, UTG+1 folds
Final Pot: $7.53
Hero mucks K J
Hero wins $7.18
(Rake: $0.35)
Absolute Poker No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t20/t40 Blinds - 2 players - View hand 827803
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
BTN/SB: t1805 M = 30.08
Hero (BB): t1195 M = 19.92
Pre Flop: (t60) Hero is BB with A
T
BTN/SB calls t20, Hero raises to t, BTN/SB calls t-40
Flop: A
J Q(2 players)
Hero bets t, BTN/SB calls t0
Turn: K(2 players)
BTN/SB calls t0
River: 5(2 players)
Final Pot: t0
BTN/SB shows K 8 (One pair, kings)
Hero shows A T (Royal flush)
Hero wins t2390
(Rake: t-2390)
This is why one shouldn't chat while playing...
Poker Stars $0.01/$0.02 Pot Limit Omaha Hi - 3 players - View hand 827400
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
Hero (BB): $3.27
BTN: $2.26
SB: $6.13
Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero is BB with T 3
2 3
BTN calls $0.02, SB calls $0.01, Hero checks
Flop: ($0.06) T A J(3 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, BTN checks
Turn: ($0.06) A(3 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, BTN checks
River: ($0.06) 3(3 players)
SB bets $0.03, Hero folds, BTN folds
Final Pot: $0.06
SB wins $0.06
It seems I don't like boats... maybe that's why I'm a losing player. ;)
"Life / Poker is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it"
  --  Charles Swindoll / Me ;)
Over the past two days I was fortunate enough to notice my A game had progressed to a new level. My reads in various situations were correct more often then not. I was getting paid off with my good hands, and I was finding good folds base on my reads. It felt fantastic. I had started working on a couple of key points in my game which I thought were weak for which i thought I could reap great benefits if I even improved the slightest.
Those two key points were developping reads and stop roboting. So I went down from playing 6 to 8 tables of 6 max, to playing only 4 and I was focused in the hands I was playing, but even more focused in the hands I wasn't. I think this last part is a very key concept that a lot of micro stakes, maybe even small stake players could improve on. Lots of players will try to build reads while they're in a hand versus someone and I think it's probably the worst time to do that. You should build your reads on someone while he's in a hand against someone else and then use those reads while you are in a hand against them. Another thing that's important to note is that you can build reads on two maybe three players at once if you pay more attention to the hands you aren't playing! That's definitely +++EV. +EV cause you're building reads, +EV cause you're building reads on more then one player and +EV cause it's not your money that's in the pot!
But unfortunately, with my new found A game, I discovered my TILT. I have a very specific kind of TILT. I don't get mad, I don't start screaming at the screen or start bashing my mouse. When I TILT, I simply just stop carring. I say "eff it" and then I just start playing poorly. I try and make my opponents fold what I know are better hands instead of simply folding my own hand. I try and trap players with good hands, which I think they actually notice since it's a big difference from my usual style of play. One good thing about this TILT situation is that I also discovered when I TILT. I rarely TILT when I get sucked out on, unless I've been sucked out on multiple hands in a short period of time. My main TILT situation which flips the A game switch off and the C game switch on is when I feel I played a hand horribly. I have such high standards when it comes to my game play that as soon as I do anything which I feel is a C game type play, I lose it. The worst thing about it, is that I know I lose it! But since I stopped carring I keep playing. That might actually be considered an F game. Knowing I'm playing my C game and not carring = F game.
Here's an example of what happens when I play a horrible hand and I TILT:
The hand in question was played vs a player that seemed good. I say "seemed good" simply because I hadn't seen him do anything out of line yet, but there were some moments where his lines didn't really make sense but since he didn't get to showdown I wasn't about to get a good solid read. He was playing 30/14 with 7% 3B but was only 3B from the blinds. Most of his aggression would come on the turn and he seemed to play most flops passively. I should have realised that his 3B on the flop was a sign of strenght and should have folded my hand.
Hand #1
Poker Stars $0.05/$0.10 No Limit Hold'em - 6 players - View hand 814816
The
Official DeucesCracked.com
Hand History Converter
BB:
$11.47
UTG: $10.51
MP: $9.04
CO: $6.44
Hero
(BTN): $23.60
SB: $6.56
Pre Flop:
($0.15) Hero is BTN with Q A
3 folds,
Hero raises to $0.40, 1 fold, BB calls $0.30
Flop:
($0.85) 4 T 7 (2 players)
BB bets $0.70, Hero raises to $2.10, BB raises to $4.30, Hero raises to $23.20 all in, BB calls $6.77 all in
Turn: ($22.99) Q (2 players - 2 are all in)
River:
($22.99) 7 (2 players - 2 are all in)
Final
Pot: $22.99
BB shows T T
(a full house, Tens full of Sevens)
Hero shows Q A (two pair, Queens and Sevens)
BB wins $21.85
(Rake: $1.14)
After that hand was over I started getting upset with myself. I basically turned my draw into a bluff and lost a stack because of it. There's no reason to play a hand this way at the micros. Most players will still pay you off when you hit your draw on later streets. I should have simply flatted his lead out flop bet and played the hand in position instead. C game move.
Soon after is when I started playing horrible. These 4 next hands litterally happened withing about 10 minutes of eachother.
Hand #1
Poker Stars $0.05/$0.10 No Limit Hold'em - 6 players - View hand 814815
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
UTG: $20.13
MP: $13.30
CO: $10.00
Hero (BTN): $11.93
SB: $4.25
BB: $12.54
Pre Flop: ($0.15) Hero is BTN with 3 3
1 fold, MP raises to $0.30, CO calls $0.30, Hero calls $0.30, SB calls $0.25, BB calls $0.20
Flop: ($1.50) 6 3 4 (5 players)
SB checks, BB checks, MP bets $1, CO calls $1, Hero raises to $3, SB folds, BB calls $3, MP folds, CO folds
Turn: ($9.50) 5 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $8.63 all in, BB calls $8.63
River: ($26.76) 7 (2 players - 1 is all in)
Final Pot: $26.76
Hero shows 3 3 (a straight, Three to Seven)
BB shows K Q (a flush, King high)
BB wins $25.45
(Rake: $1.31)
Hand #2
Poker Stars $0.05/$0.10 No Limit Hold'em - 5 players - View hand 814817
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
BTN: $11.61
Hero (SB): $10.35
BB: $10.34
UTG: $11.13
CO: $11.75
Pre Flop: ($0.15) Hero is SB with J K
UTG raises to $0.30, 2 folds, Hero raises to $0.90, BB calls $0.80, UTG calls $0.60
Flop: ($2.70) J 5 5 (3 players)
Hero bets $1.50, BB calls $1.50, UTG folds
Turn: ($5.70) K (2 players)
Hero bets $3, BB calls $3
River: ($11.70) 6 (2 players)
Hero bets $4.95 all in, BB calls $4.94 all in
Final Pot: $21.58
Hero shows J K (two pair, Kings and Jacks)
BB shows A A (two pair, Aces and Fives)
BB wins $20.53
(Rake: $1.05)
Hand #3
Poker Stars $0.05/$0.10 No Limit Hold'em - 6 players - View hand 814818
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
SB: $21.65
BB: $10.00
UTG: $12.16
MP: $4.35
Hero (CO): $11.80
BTN: $10.00
Pre Flop: ($0.15) Hero is CO with T T
UTG calls $0.10, MP raises to $0.30, Hero calls $0.30, BTN calls $0.30, SB calls $0.25, 1 fold, UTG calls $0.20
Flop: ($1.60) 9 2 J (5 players)
SB checks, UTG checks, MP bets $0.70, Hero calls $0.70, BTN raises to $3.50, SB folds, UTG folds, MP folds, Hero calls $2.80
Turn: ($9.30) 9 (2 players)
Hero bets $8 all in, BTN calls $6.20 all in
River: ($21.70) 8 (2 players - 2 are all in)
Final Pot: $21.70
Hero shows T T (two pair, Tens and Nines)
BTN shows Q J (two pair, Jacks and Nines)
BTN wins $20.64
(Rake: $1.06)
Hand #4
Poker Stars $0.05/$0.10 No Limit Hold'em - 5 players - View hand 814819
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
SB: $10.81
BB: $10.05
Hero (UTG): $10.30
CO: $10.00
BTN: $17.88
Pre Flop: ($0.15) Hero is UTG with A Q
Hero raises to $0.40, CO calls $0.40, 3 folds
Flop: ($0.95) J 2 A (2 players)
Hero bets $0.60, CO calls $0.60
Turn: ($2.15) 8 (2 players)
Hero bets $1.30, CO raises to $3.40, Hero calls $2.10
River: ($8.95) 5 (2 players)
Hero bets $5.90 all in, CO calls $5.60 all in
Final Pot: $20.15
Hero shows A Q (a pair of Aces)
CO shows A J (two pair, Aces and Jacks)
CO wins $19.17
(Rake: $0.98)
View all 5 hands
Fortunately for me I had been having a good day so I finished the day about down only 1.5 BI. But oddly enough, I still felt great about it for two reasons. I found my new A game and I found my source of TILT. Now all I need to do is be disciplined enough to do some right quitting.
EDIT: Read this blog post from FenderJaguar. He touches a lot on the importance of getting reads.
[Neo sees a black cat walk by them, and then a similar black cat walk by them just like the first one]
Neo: Whoa. Déjà vu.
[Everyone freezes right in their tracks]
Trinity: What did you just say?
Neo: Nothing. Just had a little déjà vu.
Trinity: What did you see?
Cypher: What happened?
Neo: A black cat went past us, and then another that looked just like it.
Trinity: How much like it? Was it the same cat?
Neo: It might have been. I'm not sure.
Morpheus: Switch! Apoc!
Neo: What is it?
Trinity: A déjà vu is usually a glitch in the Matrix. It happens when they change something.Â
Basically it's the same as my last 2 posts. 2 months nothing done... Go Me!
Whats up everyone. I can't believe it's already June! It's almost summer! For this reason, I'll post a few tracks which always seem to fall back on my playlist around this time of year.
Chicane - Autumn Tactics
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince - Summertime
DJ Food - The Crow
As I stated earlier, we're in the last leg of the first half of 2010 and unfortunately I'm nowhere near my goals that I had set for myself for this year. And it's not only pertaining to my poker goals but my life goals also. Because of this I started doing a little 'soul searching' over the past couple of weeks. I needed to find out why this was happening. There has to be a reason or multiple reasons why I keep falling short of the goals I set for myself. I've come up with a couple of items that I think are at the root of the issue and that I want to work on both on and off the tables.
- I have many goals but no plans
I know where I'm going but I have no idea how to get there. I don't workout all the steps I need to do before getting somewhere and this always seems to cause me to fall off the wagon. I need to start define the steps I need to complete to achieve those goals.
- I don't apply myself 100% to anything I do
Either be it planning a project for work or analysing DC videos to better my game. I don't do nearly enough of it, and when I do do it, it's always last minute and never as good as it could have been if I would have simply done it from the start.
- I always expect conflict
I always expect conflict in anything I do. Even when I think of simple every day things, I always expect things to wrong and that there will always be someone that will oppose me. At the tables, I always become hyper aggressive with marginal hands trying to push people off their hands even when I know I'm beat. Like the title of my blog says, "Sometimes you need to know when to fold your cards and take a rest."
At the end of March I had posted about doing session warm-ups. Unfortunately I never kept up with the habit but I feel it's something I really need to do to have a good session. Also, I think I will try to create the same type of habit for my work day.
I guess that's about it for today. Have a good day everyone.
Thanks for reading.
Sup peeps!
I’ll start off with a few tracks that have been in my track rotation since the last post:
Marilyn Manson – The Nobodies
Endymion – Abduction
Dashboard Confessional – Hands Down
Haven’t been updating much. I’ve had lots on my mind over the last little while and I’ve been writting more in my personal journal then anywhere else. Here are the cliffnotes:
I’ve noticed that after I load up a couple of tables and start playing, my minds starts racing thinking about 10000000 other things. I don’t have the focus I want at the tables. I also haven’t been putting my focus on studying one game which isn’t helping. I’ve been playing NLFR, NLSH, HUNLSNG, HUPLOSNG and PLO and watching random videos for each.
So my plan for the next little while is simply to Just fncking do it
I’m going to stick to NLFR and NLSH since the games don’t differ all that much.
What’s up peeps. Here’s a few tracks that have been on my grinding playlist since my last post:
Gary Jules – Mad World (SKC Feat. Munk & Falcon Remix) [Drum & Bass]
Emancipator – Soon it will Be Cold Enough to Build Fires [?Ambiant Downtempo?]
Lab 4 – Perfect Drug Remix [Hard Trance]
Goals for end of March
Goals for April
Poker Goals
I’ve always been a dualist at heart. Even back in my gaming days I preferred playing 1 on 1. That’s also where I want to move to within poker. I’m currently playing 10NL and, unfortunately, the 1 vs 1 tables on PS start at 50NL. So I have a long way to go. But I’ve still defined short and long term goals.
Short (within the next 4 month)
Long Term (before end of year)
