I Hate the Bay Area

And by hate, I mean the cost of living here sucks. If I didn't go to school here, I wouldn't live here.

This brings me to the main point of this post. I am pretty much done with poker. All of my money is being eaten up by rent and other life-related stuff and poker is right now more stressful than it needs to be. I am going to go find a job instead so that I have a dependable source of income and I will set aside some money to start a poker fund. The only poker I will be doing is I saw the free $100 I can get at Absolute Poker and I will grab that and just play around with it to keep my game sharp. But I will not be putting anymore money if. I need to remember what made poker so much fun in the first place and I need to remove it as a big source of stress in my life. It has been affecting the rest of my life and I need to be at my best right now.

Of course, I will still frequent pokertips.org and keep up with everyone. I will even offer advice, even though I'm not sure how good it will be.

As for this blog, I will keep it updated though obviously the poker content will go down. I will probably come up with some new ideas about poker and write about them, though they will just be ideas since I can't really test them out right now. So you guys can take what you want.

On a final note, I've reach 1000 hits on my blog since I put up a counter about a month ago, so it's nice that people are reading this. Thanks everyone!

Rough Week

It's been a yo-yo week for me. In the last 2 days I made so many 2nd best hands that it was almost unbelievable. Hell, I just called down with AK on an AQx board and my bad feeling was right when the villain turned over AA. However, tournament wise I've been running well. I think I've won 80+% of my Headsup matches and done well in the SNGs. I also cleared my bonus on Stars, so I've been hurt, but no where near out. Of course, I withdrew almost half of my bankroll last weekend to pay for rent (Damn you Bay Area cost of living) so that hurt as well. I just need to be cautious.

Last night was a lot of fun for me. I saw a good friend of mine that I hadn't seen in a year and a half and we went out drinking with other friends. Man that was awesome, but it also reminded me of all of my friends that have left. I really miss them (though, oddly enough, almost all of them live in LA) and while my new friends are good guys, they just seem...inferior, I dunno. It's really tough because my one of my best and closest friends is in El Salvador (check out the blog link) and I will most likely not see him for 2 years when he's done with Peace Corp. I thought about doing PC for a bit, but I don't think I would like to be isolated like that from my friends and family. Of course I would make new friends, but it just wouldn't be the same.

I've moved around a lot in my life and I've been able to adapt to new situations fairly well and make new friends, but whenever I move, my old friends fall by the wayside. To be fair, a lot of this was before email had caught on, but I haven't talked to anyone from my highschool since I graduated...5 years ago. The friends I've made in Berkeley, however, I have been the closest to me and I just wish that we could all just drop what we were doing, and go grab a few pitchers again.

The Year of the HORSE

If I were Chinese, I would call this the Year of the HORSE. Not sure what year it actually is, but it would be funny if it actually was the year of the horse. However, I digress.

Seeing that PokerStars is offering a 20% bonus up to $120, I decided to withdraw my roll from Tilt and put it on Stars. I had withdraw a good chunk (about 30%) on it yesterday and today I took a little bit more off. On an aside, I would to give props to Full Tilt for having faster cashouts. Both yesterday's and today's cashouts took less than an hour to my Firepay account. I only wish Firepay made deposits to my checking account that fast. One of things I like about 'Stars is that they have the fatest cashouts (Average time for me is less than a minute), but after taking about 1.5 days before, I am seriously impressed with Full Tilt on this one.

Anyways, I decided to try out the HORSE ring games on Stars. I had played them for play money in the Beta, but they improved them here. The antes used to be really low, but now they are 1/8 of the small bet, which seems reasonable. The only qualm I have is that the bring-in is a big high, it being .5 small blinds instead of the .25 that I'm used to. The action is good though and I like how the rotation works.

So I played a little session and here is one hand that shows the play here:

PokerStars Game #6321935522: HORSE (7 Card Stud Limit, $2/$4) - 2006/09/17 - 17:53:30 (ET)
Table 'Byblis III' 8-max
Seat 1: Chase51 ($92 in chips)
Seat 4: CEspinosa ($61.75 in chips)
Seat 5: Parrot2006 ($61.25 in chips)
Seat 6: XA_Kid ($100.75 in chips)
Seat 7: RangerBob ($81.25 in chips)
XA_Kid: posts the ante $0.25
RangerBob: posts the ante $0.25
Chase51: posts the ante $0.25
CEspinosa: posts the ante $0.25
Parrot2006: posts the ante $0.25
*** 3rd STREET ***
Dealt to Chase51 [7h]
Dealt to CEspinosa [5h]
Dealt to Parrot2006 [Ad]
Dealt to XA_Kid [6s 5s 7s]
Dealt to RangerBob [Qd]
CEspinosa: brings-in low $1
Parrot2006: raises $1 to $2
XA_Kid: calls $2
RangerBob: raises $2 to $4
Chase51: folds
CEspinosa: folds
Parrot2006: calls $2
XA_Kid: calls $2
*** 4th STREET ***
Dealt to Parrot2006 [Ad] [Kc]
Dealt to XA_Kid [6s 5s 7s] [4s]
Dealt to RangerBob [Qd] [Qc]
Pair on board - a double bet is allowed
RangerBob: bets $4
Parrot2006: calls $4
XA_Kid: raises $4 to $8
RangerBob: raises $4 to $12
Parrot2006: calls $8
XA_Kid: raises $4 to $16
Betting is capped
RangerBob: calls $4
Parrot2006: calls $4
*** 5th STREET ***
Dealt to Parrot2006 [Ad Kc] [9c]
Dealt to XA_Kid [6s 5s 7s 4s] [2s]
Dealt to RangerBob [Qd Qc] [5c]
RangerBob: bets $4
Parrot2006: calls $4
XA_Kid: raises $4 to $8
RangerBob: calls $4
Parrot2006: calls $4
*** 6th STREET ***
Dealt to Parrot2006 [Ad Kc 9c] [Ac]
Dealt to XA_Kid [6s 5s 7s 4s 2s] [8c]
Dealt to RangerBob [Qd Qc 5c] [6c]
Parrot2006: bets $4
XA_Kid: raises $4 to $8
RangerBob: calls $8
Parrot2006: calls $4
*** RIVER ***
Dealt to XA_Kid [6s 5s 7s 4s 2s 8c] [Ah]
Parrot2006: checks
XA_Kid: bets $4
RangerBob: calls $4
Parrot2006: calls $4
*** SHOW DOWN ***
XA_Kid: shows [6s 5s 7s 4s 2s 8c Ah] (a flush, Seven high)
RangerBob: mucks hand
Parrot2006: mucks hand
XA_Kid collected $120.25 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $122.25 | Rake $2
Seat 1: Chase51 folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)
Seat 4: CEspinosa folded on the 3rd Street
Seat 5: Parrot2006 mucked [9h Kd Ad Kc 9c Ac 7c]
Seat 6: XA_Kid showed [6s 5s 7s 4s 2s 8c Ah] and won ($120.25) with a flush, Seven high
Seat 7: RangerBob mucked [Qs 7d Qd Qc 5c 6c Th]

Now I can't fault the trip Qs for how he played his hand (in fact, I wonder if I was ahead on 4th against the trips?), but the guy with the 2 pair just fed the pot. He had no business being there in a capped pot on 4th with only a pair of Kings. Any stud player worth his salt would have folded there.

I finished the session +60BB after going for 3 rotations (won another decent pot in Stud H/L with A hi) so things are definently looking up. If it wasn't for bills and other real life expenses (man living at home is sweet! lol), I would have a very solid bankroll right now, but as it stands, it's something I can work with.

Variance Strikes Back

But in a positive way! The last few days have been a nice rush for me and I'm making some good progress on rebuilding my bankroll. I am finally starting to crush the games like I know I can.

However, I'm now running into the problem of protecting my win. That doesn't mean I'm leaving the table early but when I'm done with a game, I really don't feel like playing for the rest of the day just so that I can have a positive day. It can sometimes be a struggle to search for a new game.

Still, I struggle onward!

Cap Game Strategy

Last week, Full Tilt Poker rolled out Cap NL games where you can only bet up to 30BBs per hand. I tried them out and I've formulated a strategy for them. I'm just going to line these out in bullet form and add more when I think of some.

1) AK is to be played harder preflop. If I can find a way to go all-in with it, I will. If there is 6+ BB in the pot, I will raise all-in.
2) Small pairs go down in value EXCEPT in the following circumstances.
A) It it limped preflop
B) With implied odd, you are getting 10-1 on your money. You can't take someone's stack with a flopped set, so you can't be calling big bets with them.
3) Mid pairs 88-TT can be played more aggresively. You can't get stacked if you happen to run into pair v. pair on a low flop.
4) Small-ball poker rules. Learn how to play small-ball allows you to pick up small pots and since you aren't playing any large ones, you are going to have to learn how to pick up the small ones.
5) Semi-bluffing goes up in value. You can make a large flop bet and not have to worry about being checkraised out of a pot.
6) Pay attention to the players. Cap NL is like Limit in the sense that the game is about little mistakes. Try to limit your while exploiting those players who do make the little mistakes. In regular NL, you can swap little mistakes for big ones, but you can't force anyone to make a big mistake here. Identify those players making the little mistakes and punish them. Most of these mistakes will be preflop.

Okay, that's it for now, I'll think of some others.

7)Bankroll: I'm thinking that 30 Caps (or 900 Big Blinds) would be a good bankroll. It's a bit more swingy than normal NL. I think that you could get away with 20 Caps for a longhanded game if you played a TAG style since that will have less variance.

So Very, Very Tired

Oh man Oh man Oh man…I think my body is about to give up. I don’t think I’ve ever been this exhausted. I feel like I could just crawl into a grave and sleep forever. But I have a lot of caffeine flowing throw me, so I am both awake and tired. I feel like I want to sleep but I can’t.

What brought this on? A little town called Vegas.

I’m flying home Monday night with a stop in Vegas. When I get there they announce that they overbooked the flight and were offering a refund plus $200 in flight vouchers, a free flight the next day and a free hotel room in Vegas. I figure that I have class at 2:30 the next day so if I take a morning flight I can catch my class. Of course, I still have a paper to finish for the class that’s due on Tuesday.

So I get to the Doubletree Inn, check in, and then catch the next shuttle to the MGM. I decided to have a plan of working my way through the limits. I start at 3/6 with $100 and when my name is called for 4/8, I’m at $180. And then the slaughter begins.

I should first point out that I was playing mostly great. There were times where I made a few questionable decisions and a few where I made some stupid ones, but overall I was outplaying everyone. Of course, with this run, outplaying means making big folds. Here is a prime example:

A guy in 2nd position limps, a TAG in the CO looks like he wants to raise, but when he sees the guy limp he decides to call, the SB calls and I see AA in the BB. I already put the TAG on a decently narrow range by his actions; he had a hand worth rising in late position, but not worth raising a limper. I was thinking QJ/JT, 88 and lower. I decide to not raise so that the other two players are easy to play with and maybe I can trap the TAG. The flop comes KQ3, 2 diamonds and I figure that this is a good flop to get the TAG to come along. I bet out, UTG+1 calls and the TAG raises. SB folds and I put UTG+1 on the diamond/straight draw (or maybe just a Q or something stupid) and the TAG on KJ. I opt to try for the check-raise on a safe turn and try to drive out the UTG+1. The turn is a blank and it’s checked around. Motherfucker, the TAG pulled a free card play. The river is a non-diamond A and I bet out. The UTG+1 calls and the TAG raises. I look at him for a second and fold face up. UTG+1 calls and the TAG shows JT. Those were the kind of hands and laydowns I was making. I didn’t make one incorrect laydown.

So I’m getting beat-up from suckouts and around 4 AM it gets to be 4 handed. The other players are horrible, but I just can’t get a break. When we got to 3 handed, I would get hands like A8 on the SB, button limps, I raise and everyone calls. Flop is J85 all spades (with no spade in my hand) and I bet on the flop, a J turn, and check fold a non-spade Q on the river. The button was calling all the way with KQ, no spade. That was the kind of play I was up against that the cards weren’t cooperating with me.

I eventually bust out when my Q8 can’t outrun another Q8 that flops a flush.

I will admit that I made some bad plays that cost me a few bets (I was on a few cups of coffee and a few Jack and Cokes), but I immediately recognized what I did and was able to mostly avoid my mistakes. There was one hand in a 3-way put when I flop a straight with Q9 on a KJT board where I should have just folded on the flop. I came very close to folding in several points in the hand and finally did when it came running 9s and saw AQ lose to pocket 10s. People even remarked that I looked like I wanted to fold before I actually did. The big mistake was calling a raise on the river when the board paired, but the pot was too big that I just thought that folding was a big mistake. I think that there were 20+ Big Bets in the pot at that point.

I could go on and on about hands that I ended up playing well or the adjustments that I made that no other player at the table would even consider (like stealing from a passive player who played tight post-flop, but like to limp when the BB played very TAG and would fold most hands to a raise).

So I’m tired and cranky and somehow I made it home today and finished my paper on the plane and found a place to print it out and went to class. And just to finish my bitchfest, my friend said he’d pick me up at the Airport but backed out this morning and I had to take public transportation. And I HATE public transportation when I’m tired.

Small Update

Just to keep the running total, I'm up $40 today. I lost $28 at PL Omaha Hi ($24 was to Aces losing to...Aces) but I came out well in 7 Card Stud and I turned $16 into $50 at a 9 handed 1/2 table. I think that sticking to 5% rule is working out well, even in Limit Games. I think that my rebuilding should go a bit more smoother since I have some more money put away for living and I shouldn't have to make any big withdrawls. So right now I'm at $350 and hopefully I can hit $1200 by the end of the month. The goal is to hit 10-15K by the end of the year which I think is doable. Of course, I could just be delusional. :)

What I really want to do is be able to play the $26 garuntee tournaments on Tilt and shoot for some big scores. I've been keeping my game sharp with SnGs and I'm ready to get back into tourney game.

Hello I'm a PC. And I'm a Mac

Here's a story about my laziness. I got myself a MacBook Pro (before I went broke) that has this odd problem. When I am running the Full Tilt Poker client, it will randomly freeze. Usually this lasts for 15 seconds, just enough to be very very annoying and some times timing me out of some key hands. I know that this is related to my Airport card and I have a good idea of how to fix it (reinstall the system software), but I just haven't gotten to it.

Here's the kicker: when I run Windows XP on my Mac through a dual-boot, everything works fine. Talk about your ironies, huh? The only problem is that for some reason, in Windows, my wireless card doesn't like to connect to a secure (i.e. passworded) network. So I usually just boot into Windows to play Full Tilt, but right now I am visiting my dad for Labor Day weekend and the house is on a secure wireless network. The point?

I decided to sign up for not one, but TWO turbo SNGs. A faster game would work well for a program that causes my computer to freeze, right? Somehow, I was able to avoid bad disconnects and get a 1st and a 2nd. I adjusted my game to be hyper-aggresive post flop when I think I have the best hand or if I flopped a nice draw. I wanted to avoid very costly disconnects where I commit half my stack, program freezes, and I time out. I was able to pull the chip lead fairly quickly in both games and was able to keep it. I ended one game at the 250/500 level and the other at the 200/400 level which for turbo is not slow.

So I ended up +$11 for the day after I had a bad run in Stud, but I'm not going to complain about any forward momentum.

Yeah, yeah I know 2 posts in 24 hours. Watch me not post for 2 weeks now.

Are You Ready For Some Football !!!

Because I'm not. After watching my Golden Bears embarass themselves at Knoxville, I feel sick. Like physically sick. Excuse me for sec...

Ok, I feel a bit better.

Speaking of games besides poker, I've started playing Chess. It's an interesting game, though it seems to be much more theory based than Poker. I've got a book and I'm reading through it. And damn are there a TON of chess books. I had a hard time choosing which one and I went for one geared towards children because it was the easiest to read. After going through it, I'd hate to see a book geared towards adults. I have to just reread pages to absorb the concepts being presented. I think that once I get some of the tactics down, I will be able to play a competitive game. I just sometimes get lost in the middle game and then screw it up.

On the poker side, I'm doing ok. Hopefully I can get some momentum going soon.