The Adventures of the HUD less Chicken

Hi msp3101,

Welcome to the blogs, and to our Get Rich or Die Tryin' challenge!

It's always exciting to see some new guys step into the ring. Looks like you already have everything you need to get started, but just let us know whenever you need some advice or anything. It seems like you already have a tracked account as well, so there should be no shortage of training material anytime soon.

This should be an interesting journey, best of luck!

Hi msp3101,

welcome into our challenge... well, your challenge! I am looking for your weekly updates & obviously also some nice hands to post!
Are you new to Poker? If so, check out the other blogs, our video section and maybe our live coaching sessions on Twitch!

CU SvenBe

So begins the first day of the rest of my life challenge....

Just to inform that I normally rise from my slumber at 5.45am and reach my place of work around 6.15am which is the local police station (part-time employment from Monday - Saturday)

Happy to report none of the cells were occupied over the weekend so I had a relatively sedate morning of mopping and spray buffing the hard flooring.

Arrived home at 10.00 am work finished!

Now the hard work begins!

Yesterday I downloaded the free 10 day trial of PokerSnowie and being a technophobe this is going to be a tough challenge to get to grips with.

This morning I've sussed out how to get the info on the number of weekly hands played on Ladbrokes. Phew.

So as there is no timescale to complete the bankroll challenge and to protect it from going busto before the end of May, my spare time for recreational poker will be using the 'Paretto effect' for time management;

80% study & 20% playing.

Have a nice day

I

Yesterday I received a great bit of advice from Harrier88 ...

'Our Overview of No Limit Hold'em lessons should be a good place to get started. There is also a popular series on 6-max cash games by our coach w34z3l, the forum thread can be found here, and the videos here.'

Equilab doesn't seem daunting now

I also received an invite from Ladbrokes to participate in a first depositors freeroll for the next four Mondays.

To cut a long story short, I got in with 20 minutes of late reg remaining. Got lucky and trebled up early. Others played bad in the middle parts and gave away their chips. I got towards the business end and found myself in unknown territory and played bad?(:(

Fortunately I luckily managed to win a share of the prizepool.

I played a few hands of cash after and I luckily learned from the training video to use auto top up which allowed a full double up on the UK one penny / tuppence 6 max table.

Who said 'I don't like Mondays?'

I'll guess I should just stick to a weekly report every Monday.

Have a nice week and cheers

Bankroll Challenge on Ladbrokes Poker

Week 1
Monday:
Started to watch Weasels instructional videos for 6 max microstakes.
Completed the beginners’ strategy section and started on the holdem no limit section.
Reading Jonathan Littles’ ‘Secrets of Professional Tournament Poker Volume 2’ during toilet breaks (when sitting comfortably).
Collected daughter from playschool then later the 2 boys from junior school.
Wife upstairs in the study all morning / afternoon working on her college assignments.
Invited by Ladbrokes to participate in their first depositor freeroll series on Mondays.
Made dinner then joined the freeroll as a late registrant around 7.15 pm. Got lucky early and trebled up with the ace from space. Others played bad in the midde periods and donated their chips. I later reached uncharted territory and got unlucky in a couple of spots but made a terrible blunder with the exit hand.
Received a share of the prizepool being sixty euros.
Played some cash from 11.03pm and used the auto top for max buy in as advised by Weasel. One notable hand being I iso-raised EP limper from CO with AK.
All behind fold and limper calls (notes taken as advised by Vonki)
Flop K high raggety rag.

Villain checked, hero 50% pot CB. Villain minimum check-raised and hero 3bet.
Villain 4bet all in and hero called villains’ ace high with 3 kicker.
Wow a full stack double up and off to bed at 11.55 pm.
Wife still working away in the study!

Cash hands played: 110
Time from/to & (spent): 23.03 – 23.51 (48 minutes).

Subscribed.

Tuesday:

Wife dropped off our daughter Ysabelle (pronounced ee – sah - bell) to her mother after dropping off Eoin (pronounced o - en) and Aaron (who prefers to be called Ron ) so she can carry on with her college assignments at home in the study.

After returning from work I spent most of the morning going over most of Weasel’s other training videos.

Collected the boys from school and we went to the mum and dads for dinner.

Returned in the evening and after the children were snug in bed I flipped up the laptop while the wife returned to the study.

Initially I sat in a full ring 20 nl table with my new found wealth and a 6 max 2nl.

Is 20 nl considered micro stakes?

One notable hand from 20 nl; UTG+1 with a stack of €8.43 limps and hero raises x3 with JK off suit from the CO. All fold from behind and limper calls (notes taken).

Flop JTx

Villain checks. Hero 50% pot CB. Villain minimum check raises. Mmmmm.

Hero calls?

Turn drops a K.

Villain checks. Hero bets 60% and villain check raises all in with rest of his loose change.

I suspect a slow played monster or over par to the flop.

Hero calls.

J floats down the river.

Villain flips over John Terry (JT) for a flopped top 2 pair.

Off to bed and my wife Aisling (pronounced Ash – ling) has almost completed her college assignment.

Cash hands played: 276
Time from/to & (spent): 21.07 – 23.19 (2 hours 12 minutes).

Wednesday:

I finish work early and take the boys to school. Aisling takes along Ysabelle to college to drop off the hard copy of her assignment.

I start a diary in Microsoft Word to make it easy for self-motivation. I can then copy and paste daily to the PokerStrategy.com blog forum.

Sent an email to Ladbrokes support to ask why no starting capital has made its way into my account.

Watched pre-recorded Channel 4 show – EPT Malta

Collected the boys early from school at 1pm. Homework and early dinner done then at 2.30 we’re off to cricket training for the rest of the afternoon.

Arrive back at 7.30pm to make toasted sarnies for us boys and settle down to watch the champions league soccer match Manchester City versus Real Madrid.

Aisling & Ysabelle return home via her mums during half-time. Ysabelle has been feeling under the weather and they both say good night see you all tomorrow. Kisses all round xxx.

Well before full-time the knackered boys toddle up to get ready for bed.

Dad fires up his lap top with one eye on Television. Tut tut.

A couple of notable hands from each of the two 2nl 6max tables.

Find AJ off in the CO and raise it to 6 cents. It’s folded to the BB who goes into the tank…timer runs down and almost out before pumping it up to 10 cents.

mmmmmm….looks dodgy but hero decides to call the extra 4 cents with some concern.

Flop comes JTx

Villain CB 12 cents. Hero flat calls.

Turn brings another T. Checkety check it rhythmically goes.

Brick on the river in the guise of a duck.

Villain eventually dangles a bet of 34 cents. I know I’m beat facing an overpair. Can I fold?

I now suspect Villain’s got the weapons of mass destruction. Well the rumbling in my gut told me so. So I pay 34 cents to find out the truth.

I should have listened to my gut but I paid for the information to confirm the pre flop bet timing tell.

On the other table I employed a tactic championed by Weasel in showing some muscle from the word go. I read something similar somewhere about ‘Fear Equity’.

Hero on button with A3 suited in Shamrocks and raises first in to 6 cents. SB folds and BB quickly makes it 20 cents in total.

Hero has a brainstorm and timing tell says it’s a re-steal. Or is it?

Hero promptly makes it 58 cents in total and quicker than quick the BB folds.

Wow. I couldn’t believe I actually made that play!!

Feeling tired after only a short time playing – that time out today in the open country fresh air has taken its toll.

Early night

Cash hands played: 61
Time from/to & (spent): 20.38 – 21.01 (23 minutes).

Looks like things are going quite smoothly overall so far, well done!

Congrats on cashing in those freerolls as well, those tournaments are a good way to build up your bankroll in the beginning. We actually have an older article that specifically focuses on playing freerolls, but the content may be a bit outdated by now, so I wouldn't necessarily follow the guidelines about ranges to the letter. The general advice towards the beginning should still apply today, though.

Let me know if you're interested in more content about tournament poker. But you may also want to focus on polishing your cash game strategy for now, I'll leave that up to you.

By the way, you mentioned something about taking shots at NL20. Are you already properly bankrolled for this limit? What exactly are your guidelines?

Thursday:

Aisling contacts me at work to inform that Ysabelle, who usually attends playschool on Monday & Thursday, is not going there today as she has got Chicken Pox and the boys have been dropped off to school.

A short time after getting home from work, Aisling takes the twenty-five minutes’ drive to Wexford town to collect Aaron’s 9th birthday present from a buy & collect catalogue style department store.

We live in a small town called Enniscorthy which is situated within County Wexford on the sunny south east corner of the Republic of Ireland.

Wexford town is where I attended college (Institute of Technology Carlow, Wexford Campus) and is where Aisling currently attends as a first year ‘Professional Social Care’ mature student.

I graduated two years ago with a Bachelors Honours Degree in Business.

I can now chuckle to myself that I left secondary education in 1980 at age 16 with no qualifications, but I have very happy and sad memories of my tough and rough Brixton (South London) teenage days.

Wednesday was half day in Brixton market and the afternoons, for a couple of years anyway, were spent playing stripped deck 3 card brag for a 50p ante and one could raise blind to £5 (quite big for 1982 standards) and is a game where a flush loses to a straight!

Whilst Ysabelle watches ‘Blaze and the Monster Machines’ on the TV, Dad watches and listens to the final Weasel Walkthrough video lessons with just the one earphone in .

Aisling returns from Wexford town and I leave early by myself to collect the boys from their normal finishing school time of 2.40pm.

I park up just after 2pm and continue to read my school collection run book:
‘Decide to Play Great Poker’ by Annie Duke & John Vorhaus. I’m just past it’s half way mark.

I’ve heeded Weasel’s advice to use the four coloured deck and the black clubs have become the green shamrocks.

In considering Weasel’s bankroll management rule of twenty-five buy ins, going forward I shall play both 4nl and 10nl per session but drop back to just 4nl if I lose one whole buy in at 10nl.

One hand of note at 10nl is from the second hand in on the SB where I’m given American Airlines. Woo hoo I’m ready for take-off!!

Raised up to 30c from MP where it’s folded round to Hero who bumps it to 90c. BB off a stack of €1.95 flats it and MP who has hero covered decides to follow suit.

€2.70 in pot.

Flop comes T high xx with two shamrocks.
Hero fires a CB at just under 50% pot with a €1.30 bullet.

SB under calls and is all in. MP tanks but then decides to just flat call.

Another shamrock pops up on the turn.

Grrrrrrr ……… FFS.

Hero checks and MP checks behind.

Brick on the river.

Hero checks and MP lobs a €4 grenade into the €6.35 pot.

Hero folds.

SB flopped a set with TT and MP turned the nut flush with the AK of shamrocks.

Phew methinks and I lose €2.20 instead of possibly losing the whole buy in!!

Cash hands played: 344
Time from/to & (spent): 19.07 – 22.48 (3 hours 41 minutes).

Friday:

The boys have an official day off school. Dad gets home from work and mammy takes Aaron & Eoin into town to buy the necessities for Ron’s 9th birthday party tomorrow.

Ysabelle’s chicken pox has developed and while she’s occupied with kids’ morning shows on the big screen, dad 100% completes ‘Beginners’ Basics’ and 48% ‘Beginners’ No Limit Hold’em’ which is 100% allowable with my ‘Silver Status’.

A quiet relaxing afternoon was had with intermittent ‘Let’s see what the score is…’ regarding the Indian Premier League cricket match shown on Sky Sports and the other Cartoonito type channels.

Dad and the boys are off to watch the evening ‘League of Ireland’ soccer match held at Ferrycarrig Park situated on the outskirts of Wexford town.

Wexford Youths FC are up against the boys from Donegal, Finn Harps FC, and the match ends 1-1 leaving our beloved ‘Youths’ second from bottom in the Airtricity League Premier Division.

The league operates during the summer and ends in October so it’s early days yet!

At the end of the 2014 season, the ‘Official Supporters Club’ held a social and awards night in the clubhouse and included a €5 Texas hold’em tourney which I directed but didn’t play.

There were 2 tables with 13 adult entrants plus Eoin and Aaron. Aaron got to heads up with a slight chip lead but when his 99 called the villain’s all in move with T8 it seemed the trophy and cash prize had found it’s home but villain spiked a T on the turn and the rest is history.

On to the Ladbrokes poker tables where I played a 4nl full ring and a 4nl 6 max. I was feeling confident with my 28 full buy ins available at this level and things started off good but ended up all going pear shaped.

On the 6 max UTG with KK raise to 12c and villain on my left calls and the BB calls too.
Flop comes Q high xx with 2 diamonds.

A few hands before I RBI with AK and villain calls with the two blinds calling too. On a T high connecting flop it’s checked to villain IP who bets pot and the table folds.

Back to the KK hand. BB checks and Hero checks. Villain bets pot which now stands 74 centsish. BB folds and Hero CR with an all in overbet.

Villain snap calls off his stack of €2.72 with QT but it doesn’t improve.

Now to the full ring table where that ugly monster variance comes out from under that bridge like a troll on fire.

Hero RBI from the middle section with AA. 3 calls behind plus both blinds. 6 take the flop of 9 high x x with 2 spades.

Roughly 70 cents in pot and SB leads at it with 20 cents. BB folds and Hero raises €1 and it’s folded back to SB villain who 3 bets all in €2.66.

Hero calls and villain flips over 9-5 in shamrocks. Lol. But the river brings a 5. FFS grr….

Instead of going back over gory details I lost a whole starting stack in a RBI pot with AK when villain (playing from a smartphone) flopped bottom pair but turned 2 pair with J2 off suit. WTF lol.

And the straw that broke the camel’s back for the night was same again like previous hand. My overpair of JJ to the flop was no match with villain’s T7 off suit that flopped top 2 pair.

A BIG LOSING SESSION!!

So with a bad ending to the night I decide to have a break from Ladbrokes poker until next Monday’s first depositor freeroll.

Cash hands played: 172
Time from/to & (spent): 22.32 – 00.09 (1 hours 37 minutes).

Report for WEEK 1

Starting bankroll: €35
Cash hands: 963
Current bankroll: €99.93

Almost triple up BR in a week must be considered a good week...

Saturday:

Hard morning cleaning work/exercise at police station and then at home in preparation for Aaron’s 9th birthday party/family get together.
Nothing to do with poker day 

Cash hands played: 0

Sunday:

Miserable wet morning weather wise.

Ysabelle’s Chicken Pox is still causing her irritation.

Aisling spent most of the afternoon and evening revising for her first college exam.

I’ve now finished reading Jonathan Littles’ ‘Secrets of Professional Tournament Poker Volume 2’ during toilet breaks in the downstairs cloakroom / library.

Decided to go over the disastrous Friday session hands that cost the loss of 3 whole buy ins at 4nl.

I was thinking I had played all the hands terribly wrong with massive blunders with over betting / oversizing pot raises / playing too aggressive in certain spots / risking stack.

Entered hands into equity calculator software.

It seemed clear enough that I had forced opponents into making the mistake of putting chips into the pot without having enough equity and the correct odds.

The villains in hindsight got lucky and won the Friday night battle but I am determined to win the war of attrition.

With the loss of those 3 + auto top up buy ins, I am now 7 cents short in my bankroll to resume at 4nl as I have dropped below the 25 buy ins for 4nl level as prescribed in the strategy section.

I have also commenced reading tournament play for beginners’ in the strategy section.

The battles will resume on Monday with the second instalment of the first depositor freeroll series and then back down to two 2nl with 49.965 buy ins.

Cash hands played: 0

Bankroll Management Challenge Week 1
963 Cash hands
x1 New Depositor Freeroll
BR €35
+ €64.93
€99.93

Bankroll Management Challenge Week 2

Monday:

Bank holiday Monday.

No school and no work but use work’s car park on town visit to collect foam spray from the chemist that’s open for a short period today. As I’m there, I can’t resist popping in to work to empty the police station’s kitchen bins!

The boys are out playing within the housing estate and Ysabelle seems to be in much less discomfort from the chicken pox now, thanks to the magical foam spray.

Aisling upstairs in the study enjoying her revision time.

On the cash games I end up dropping my bankroll by a few buy ins at 4nl after getting back up from 2nl.

A couple of notable hands. At 2nl, RBI 6 cents on the CO with 99. BB calls.

Flop brings KT3 rainbow.

Villain in BB checks and Hero 50% CB.

Villain calls.

Turn brings a 2.

Villain checks and Hero fires a 2nd bullet 70% TCB.

Villain calls.

Hero is reminded of his vasectomy and is firing blanks. Lol.

River brings the 5 of shamrocks.

Villain checks and Hero gives up with showdown value hoping Villain does have a busted OESD with QJ.

Villain has rivered a set of 5’s …. muahaha..lol. One just has to smile .

Doing ok for a period at 4nl full ring and 2/4 cent FL 6 max.

I then decide to risk €4 or a full buy in at 10nl whichever comes first.

I join a full ring table. 4th hand in and I’m in the CO with 78 suited in shamrocks.

There’s an UTG+2 limper and hero makes it 30 cents but button defends with 99 and the villain makes it 50 cents in total.

Both blinds fold and the limper follows suit.

78 suited is playable and hero is not going to fold for another 20 cents.

Flop floats down and I have to double check. I remove my glasses and give them a clean.

Check flop again and it’s 6-9-T… with 2 diamonds.

Check – bet – check-raise – 3bet – 4bet – both all in … woo hoo

Hero is a 65% favourite with the nut straight (after checking on an equity calculator).

But the 9 of shamrocks on the river gives the nice villain quads.

Busted out early in the new depositor freeroll tournament.

Not a very good evening but it wasn’t disastrous.

Tuesday will see hero back down amongst the 2nl tables…Grrrrrrr!

Cash hands played: 797

Tuesday:

It’s OK shamrocks…all is forgiven; the motto of the day.

Late home from work due to a detainee leaving cell number 2 in a stinking mess. Had to get the heavy artillery out to make light work of heavy soiling.

After dropping the boys to school, Aisling took Ysabelle to her mum so she could continue her revision in peace at home.

I looked through some tournament strategy articles and caught up with some pre-recorded WPT television show.

I collected the boys from school and went straight to their grandparents. Aisling met us there for dinner.

Returned home to have one eye on the champions league match between Bayern Munchen and Atletico Madrid and the other eye on Ladbrokes poker.

Not many hands played as compared to yesterday but clawed back some 2nl buy ins. I played one full ring 2nl and a 6 max 2c small bet and 4c big bet fixed limit.

The fixed limit really is no fold ‘em poker. Stack size was really up and down literally like the proverbial yo-yo. Finished the session 6 big bets up.

One hand of note from the 2nl full ring. Previously I noted a couple of players who would limp in EP then spring a 3 bet to any raise behind.

One of these noted players’ limps in UTG off a stack of €1.80. Another limper joins the bus in MP and hero likes the look of his 6-8 of shamrocks on the button and jumps on to the back of the bus. SB completes and BB checks his options with a stack of 70 cents.

The rainbow flop exposes an Ace in the shop window with a 7 and a T.

Hero has a gutshot and a rear entrance flush draw.

Surprisingly it’s checked all around and hero is tempted to represent with a positional bet but happily takes the free card on offer.

Turn card blooms the 9 of shamrocks.

Bingo! The nut straight with a flush draw.

After SB checks, BB decides to lead at the pot of 10c with a bet of 12c and UTG calls but MP folds.

Hero raises making it 28c in total. SB folds but BB and UTG both call.

Pot stands at 94 cents.

River is a breeze block.

Both charming villains check and hero fires an oh look I missed my flush on the river bluff bet of 50 whole rounded off cents.

BB calls off his remaining 40 cents and UTG overcalls the 50c.

I’m back in love with the shamrocks.

On checking the hand history, UTG slow-played AK and BB, ignoring the age old adage of don’t go broke in an unraised pot, called off with A8.

A small glass of red wine will do for a night cap methinks.

Cash hands played: 285

Wednesday:

All quiet on the western front.

Aisling revising.

Ysabelle getting better.

Daddy visits artist to get old tattoos modified.

Not much action going on the virtual felt.

No hands of note to report.

Still running at a few 2nl buy ins down.

One eye on Real Madrid versus Manchester city.

Cash hands played: 295

Thursday:

Finished work early to take the boys to school so Aisling can leisurely prepare for the afternoon’s psychology exam.

Ysabelle not fully recovered from chicken pox so it’s no morning playschool for her.

I spend a little time on the fixed limit strategy section and find the starting hand chart to be beneficial.

Ysabelle accompanies daddy to collect the boys from school. We have early dinner / supper as the boys have an early evening away fixture soccer match.

Aisling feels confident on her exam performance.

The boys perform confidently in their soccer match with a 3-6 on the road win.

The lads watch premier league darts on Sky tv and daddy has one eye on Ladbrokes poker.

One 6 max 2c/4c fixed limit and one full ring 2nl are operating.

Due to extreme tiredness, not many hands are played although 8 big bets are gained at fixed limit and there is one notable hand at 2nl.

A few hands ago on the previous orbit at this table, hero has A4 on the BB in a limped pot. Checked around on flop and checked around on the ace turn.

The river completes are very soaking wet boardwalk so hero fires a 4 cent I’ll nick the 10 cent pot bet.

The EP villain pretends to think and then goes all in for 74 cents. All fold around to hero who pretends to contemplate on calling but slowly folds.

The notable hand. It’s folded around to hero on the CO with KK and makes it 8 cents and the button folds.

The villain is now in the SB and calls. The BB folds.

The flop is Jack high x x with 2 hearts.

Villain checks with the possible view to check raising?

Hero over bets the 18 cent pot with an all-in move to pretend on the semi bluff flush draw move.

Villain doesn’t pretend to think and snap calls 76 cents all-in with JQ.

Villain doesn’t improve and hero claws back a little bit of this week’s losses.

Only another 87 SP’s before the first €5 bonus is released. Woo hoo!

Cash hands played: 73

Friday:

Why can’t one find a spanner when one needs one?

Home early again to take the boys to school.

A relaxing morning and I read over the fixed limit strategy articles.

Aisling takes Ysabelle to collect the boys and then on to Wexford town to let Aaron spend some or all of his 9th birthday money.

I take the opportunity for an afternoon nap.

While the rest of the family eat out, dad makes do with what is found in the fridge.

At the Ladbrokes tables I experience a little downturn but it’s not all doom and gloom.

At the 2nl full ring table it seems that I’m only being dealt a bag of spanners all the time.

Then suddenly, like a bolt of lightning from heavens above, an apparition appears in the form of KK .

Hero open raises to 10 cents. It’s folded to the devil on the button who 3bets to 28 cents.

Haha hero cheers and recognizes a positional raise when he sees one.

Hero 4bets to 76 cents and the devil 5bets all-in €1.20.

Perhaps not a positional raise after all methinks.

Hero calls the devils final bet expecting to see the Angels of Armageddon which duly oblige.

Out of the gloom comes a little ray of sunshine.

At the 6max 2/4 cent fixed limit table, I leave with a profit of 16.5 Big Bets.

Perhaps over the weekend it may be wise to just stick to the fixed limit tables until Monday?

Evening television and quality unwinding wine time with the wife was most welcome.

Cash hands played: 260