Quick Update

Finally have good news to write home about!  I popped up an hour's worth of sesh on Friday before the holiday weekend, and pulled in solid profit.  I decided to 12-table again and found myself in a great zone. I'm probably going to be 12-tabling regularly, as it feels a lot better than four tabling Sit-N-Go's, and I really think I'm a better cash player than tournament player anyways.

I still might switch over to Sit-N-Go's at later levels if I think I can constantly beat them, but I still don't have enough SNG strategy knowledge to make it a full time thing yet.

I'll probably play again tonight, and hopefully end up with some good results again.  I honestly think I can beat the cash games, even though I'm currently short stacking.

OPERATION: ROBUSTO - Session 10

Gain/Loss: +$9.80
Tournament Gain/Loss: $0
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Total Bankroll Increase/Decrease: +$6.67
Total Bankroll: $46.67

Starting to See

Well, after a rough couple of sessions I've really seen a few things.  Things have happened to me that I've never had happen to me in such short succession.

I've been out flopped, out flushed, out sucked, and out fucked.
I've been turned over, bent over, turned inside out, and torn a new one.
I've been out setted, out straighted, out played and no longer feel straight.

My view on poker right now is far different than it was a week ago, and that alone shows significant improvement of my understanding of the game.  I've been focusing on single table sit-n-gos, but I'm still not sure I have them figured out.

Session 6 was pretty rough, with a 5 buy-in downswing.  I thought I was playing well, but just didn't have the timing or the moves to make consistent cash.

I spent a few days over the weekend trying to find a set sit-n-go strategy, and was almost positive that I'd have a great week.  The first two SNGs I played after my brain sesh I took first-first, and felt pretty good.

After that, again, things went sour.  Granted, not as sour as they had gone during Session 6, but still not very well.  In these instances, however, I felt that I was playing well.  I felt I had control over the games, and things simply hadn't gone my way.  I started understanding a few things about the game of sit-n-go, as opposed to my only real experience, which was cash game poker.

Over Session 7 and 8 I'd lose 60 cents and 70 cents respectively.

Coming into Session 9 I once again felt focused, ready, and willing to let good things happen.  Four tournies in that all changed.  Again.  I started feeling antsy, felt like people were making just the worst moves the world had ever seen, and I was starting to feel like I was owed something.  When I started this "challenge" last week I knew I wasn't going to be able to be a constant winner if I let my emotions get in the way.  And already, in my eighth session, I was getting that way.

After taking a break, I decided I either: didn't know enough about SNG strategy, or I simply am still not disciplined enough to make it work.  So, as any reasonable gambler would do when losing, I switched games...

I popped up four $.01/.02NL cash games on Stars, and bought in for a small stack of $1.  Normally I only like playing cash games with 100BB, but in this scenario, where I'm trying to limit my buyins comparative to overall bankroll, I didn't have a problem playing with only 50BB.

After a few rounds of nothing really happening, I had my first chance to double up, getting it in on an Ace-high board with AK:
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Poker Stars $0.01/$0.02 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

Hero (SB): $0.78
BB: $0.76
UTG: $1.69
UTG+1: $3.94
UTG+2: $1.82
MP1: $1.13
MP2: $2.84
CO: $2.00
BTN: $2.39

Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero is SB with A K
1 fold, UTG+1 calls $0.02, 5 folds, Hero raises to $0.12, 1 fold, UTG+1 calls $0.10

Flop: ($0.26) 4 A 8 (2 players)
Hero bets $0.20, UTG+1 raises to $3.82 all in, Hero calls $0.46 all in

Hero shows A K (a pair of Aces)
UTG+1 shows T A (two pair, Aces and Tens)

Turn: ($1.58) J (2 players - 2 are all in)

River: ($1.58) T (2 players - 2 are all in)

Final Pot: $1.58

UTG+1 wins $1.53
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A similar hand happened on another table, and just like that my mentality was in the toilet.  All over again, I felt dejected.  Run down.  Beat up.

I felt like I had to keep my head down, and just pushed through the beats.  Instead of shying away I charged full steam ahead into the crap that kept blinding me.  Instead of playing four tables, I did something I've never done before.  I went to six tables, which I've done a couple times.  And then, out of nowhere, I got a wild hair to jam up my monitor to 12 tables.

When I've played online in the past, it's been for decent money and money that meant something.  I've never thought of playing this many tables, even though I know a lot of online poker gurus do this all the time at all levels.  Not only do they play twelve tables, but even triple that amount.  For me, though, this was a new experience.



























I finally understand the reason for multicolor decks...

I ended up just buckling down, finally playing straight, and ended up almost even on the night, after a half day struggle to gain ground.

I think I might stick to short stacking cash games for now, just until I can truly get a grasp of what's going on.  I see now that there's so much less poker going on in an SNG than there is in a cash game, and in order to consistently beat those I'll have to really internalize a specific strategy and stick to it.  I still have some learning to do for STTs, and while I brush up on that I'm almost positive that I'll be mega multi tabling cash games for a bit.  I know that short stacking isn't the right thing to do, but if I want to gain ground in my bankroll self-challenge I'm going to need to stick to strict BR percentage buyins.

Right now it feels like I know nothing about this game.  This game, that I've won and lost thousands of dollars from in the past, that I've spent years of my life talking about, thinking about, and playing, and sharing.  This game that I've loved and hated and loved and hated again.  It feels like I know not a tick of knowledge.  It feels like I should be winning, but I'm not, and there must be something to that.

But I'll keep myself in the game, I'll learn, and I'll play more.  And more.  I'll eventually gain enough to up my buy-ins, and eventually be playing the $25s with a full bankroll by December...hopefully.

OPERATION: ROBUSTO - Session 9

Gain/Loss: -$0.13
Tournament Gain/Loss: -$0.30
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Total Bankroll Increase/Decrease: -$0.43
Total Bankroll: $36.87

Can't Run Any Worse

After a fun Friday session of one-table sit-n-gos I was feeling pretty good going into today's games. I had just come out of two final exams for my first semester back as a full-time student, and things were feeling pretty good. Session 4 had raised my bankroll up to $42.85, and I was ready to play some cards. Unfortunately, cards were not ready to be played.

Over the hours of play I put in at single- and multi-table sit-n-gos, the pokerverse exacted every two-outer it could muster up. Here's just a couple:

Poker Stars $1.00+$0.20 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t100/t200 Blinds - 5 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
SB: t3380 M = 11.27
BB: t685 M = 2.28
Hero (UTG): t5155 M = 17.18
CO: t1550 M = 5.17
BTN: t2730 M = 9.10

Pre Flop: (t300) Hero is UTG with K Q
Hero raises to t600, 2 folds, SB raises to t3380 all in, 1 fold, Hero calls t2780

SB shows T Q
Hero shows K Q

Flop: (t6960) 2 Q T (2 players - 1 is all in)

Turn: (t6960) 7 (2 players - 1 is all in)

River: (t6960) J (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: t6960

SB wins t6960
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Here's my final hand of that tournament a couple minutes later:

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Poker Stars $1.00+$0.20 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t200/t400 Blinds + t25 - 3 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

BTN: t4235 M = 6.27
Hero (SB): t1875 M = 2.78
BB: t7390 M = 10.95

Pre Flop: (t675) Hero is SB with K A
1 fold, Hero calls t200, BB raises to t2000, Hero calls t1450 all in

Hero shows K A
BB shows 6 A

Flop: (t3775) 2 7 4 (2 players - 1 is all in)

Turn: (t3775) 6 (2 players - 1 is all in)

River: (t3775) 5 (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: t3775

BB wins t3775
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On this next one I know I should have put him in on the flop, but I had so many tables flashing at me I got all discombobulated.  It's gonna take me a bit to be able to smoothly function with more than four games open.

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Poker Stars $1.00+$0.20 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t25/t50 Blinds - 7 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

Hero (UTG): t2210 M = 29.47
UTG+1: t2430 M = 32.40
MP: t1705 M = 22.73
CO: t2905 M = 38.73
BTN: t1575 M = 21
SB: t2375 M = 31.67
BB: t300 M = 4

Pre Flop: (t75) Hero is UTG with 4 4
Hero calls t50, UTG+1 calls t50, 2 folds, BTN raises to t200, 2 folds, Hero calls t150, 1 fold

Flop: (t525) 8 4 J (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets t250, Hero raises to t500, BTN raises to t950, Hero calls t450

Turn: (t2425) 6 (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets t425 all in, Hero calls t425

Hero shows 4 4
BTN shows K K

River: (t3275) K (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: t3275

BTN wins t3275
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I also decided to create a new User ID to create a new image, both on the tables and in my own head.  I figured I'd create the new account and transfer everything over.  There'd be a couple days' wait on the transfer, so I added an extra $10 to my new account to finance another round of sit-n-gos for the session.  This brought my total bankroll contribution amount from $30 to $40.

Feeling good and refreshed, with a new User ID and added bankroll, the beatings continued.

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Poker Stars $1.00+$0.20 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t75/t150 Blinds - 7 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

SB: t960 M = 4.27
BB: t9170 M = 40.76
UTG: t4508 M = 20.04
UTG+1: t3267 M = 14.52
Hero (MP): t2670 M = 11.87
CO: t3100 M = 13.78
BTN: t3325 M = 14.78

Pre Flop: (t225) Hero is MP with A K
1 fold, UTG+1 raises to t360, Hero calls t360, 2 folds, SB raises to t960 all in, 1 fold, UTG+1 raises to t3267 all in, Hero calls t2310 all in

SB shows T Q
UTG+1 shows Q J
Hero shows A K

Flop: (t6450) 6 6 8 (3 players - 3 are all in)

Turn: (t6450) 4 (3 players - 3 are all in)

River: (t6450) Q (3 players - 3 are all in)

Final Pot: t6450

UTG+1 wins t3420
UTG+1 wins t3030
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And although this isn't so bad to deal with, it was surely a fitting end to the night.

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Poker Stars $1.00+$0.20 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t100/t200 Blinds - 4 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

BTN: t3865 M = 12.88
SB: t3630 M = 12.10
BB: t4285 M = 14.28
Hero (CO): t1720 M = 5.73

Pre Flop: (t300) Hero is CO with J K
Hero raises to t600, 1 fold, SB calls t500, 1 fold

Flop: (t1400) T K J (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets t1120 all in, SB calls t1120

SB shows Q K
Hero shows J K

Turn: (t3640) A (2 players - 1 is all in)

River: (t3640) 3 (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: t3640

SB wins t3640
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There were about 25 other hands like this throughout my sessions, and perhaps I should have realized that it "just wasn't my day" a tad earlier than my 20th game in.  Now that I've had some time off from the game, my whole mentality has changed.  I'm taking the beats less emotionally, I'm looking at things more subjectively, and on the whole I'm trying to be less superstitious.

I definitely realize that when I first started getting into poker, I took everything super emotionally.  Even if it was just the luck of the draw, I held vendettas against people and against the cards themselves, which lead to me trying to force plays that had no business even being thought about.  In live play I didn't experience this so much, but I can't even count all the wasted dollars I stacked off after taking four beats in a row.

If I'm going to succeed in trying to build a bankroll, as trivial as my challenge seems, I'm going to need to play with a level head.

After going through what I did today, I think I'll stick with the less emotional and subject approach to the game, but perhaps next time I get a superstitious feeling...I'll trust it.

OPERATION: ROBUSTO - Session 5

Bankroll addon: +$10
Tournament Gain/Loss: -$7.90
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Total Bankroll: $44.95 
Total Bankroll Increase/Decrease: +$4.95