HMCS Dackbinder Versus The Table

Why do you want your own table.. lol? interesting

Glad to see a blog from someone else who needs to add 'avoid divorce' to their list of playing constraints, and is 'old and broken down'. I'll be following with interest.

I want my own table because it is seems like a nice, 'tangible' goal to shoot for. My lack of consistent success has been bothering me quite a bit, so this goal seems fun and attainable. With the previous challenge, I stopped having fun and I felt pressure. As long as I don't go broke, and make 50 FTP a day, I will feel successful. It's kind of like a trophy, albeit a pretty lame one meaning wise. It means, "You didn't lose everything!" At this point, I'll take it. But hey, I haven't done squat yet!

I'm not THAT old, well maybe I am compared to most people on this site. I am 33 but I have a myriad of health problems, nothing life-threatening but I am definitely broken. If I am only as old as I feel then I am 97!

Here's two misclicks for the ages in the same hand. I was playing 2 cash tables and 2 super turbo SNGs, the 4 tables tiled with the SNGs on the bottom and the cash tables at the top. In the ring game I got A 10 so I shoved, thinking it was a super turbo SNG. Imagine my horror when I got called. The other guy typed that he thought he was calling a standard raise and didn't notice that it was all in. I believe him because that happened to me a few times! I am sure glad I 'won' that hand!

Hand converted with online PokerStrategy.com hand converter:

Play hand

$0.05/$0.1 No-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)

Known players:

SB:

$10.00

BB:

$16.20

MP2:

$13.05

MP3 (Hero):

$7.50

CO:

$18.30

BU:

$15.89

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with T, A.
MP2 folds, Hero raises to $7.50(All-In), CO calls $7.50, 3 folds, 2 folds, BB folds.

Flop: ($15.15) 4, T, 3 (2 players)


Turn: ($15.15) 5 (2 players)


River: ($15.15) Q (2 players)


Final Pot: $15.15.
Results follow:

Hero shows a pair of tens(T A).
CO shows high card king(8 K).

Hero wins with a pair of tens(T A).
**********************************************
BR - $178
Medals - 15 (2 days till bronze, 7 days till silver @50 FTP a day)

I am planning on NOT doing the Ironman freerolls and just getting the bonus medals instead, since my goal is to get medals to get the table. Also, I just don't have the time for long tourneys.

So when I sit down to play, I always start off with Rush. I play Rush (despite my horrible stats) because I get points very fast (and rakeback). So I aim to get maybe 35-40 points playing Rush, and then I play a mix of super turbos and regular ring games. Every day, I seem to lose money playing Rush, yet my ring game stats at 5 / 10 are good. I seem to always be playing catch up. I made bronze today and timed how long I need to play 5 / 10 ring to get 50 points... too long. I don't think I can avoid Rush to help me achieve my goal unless I go on a run and manage to up the stakes of the ring game.

I have 5 more days until silver and then I will avoid Rush until the beginning of the next month when Ironman starts again. Rush is definitely difficult for me to play because I can't seem to nail down any patterns aside from "wait to flop the nuts"! So maybe I should start playing that way? Perhaps. But won't that feel like gambling, not playing? If I sound like I hate Rush it is quite the opposite. I love to 4 table it because it is so fast and exciting. But I feel like "playing poker" is not what makes a successful Rush player. Either that, or I really suck at "playing poker"! Or, the successful Rush players at 2/5 and 5/10 are REALLY on a different planet than me in terms of skill level. Like, not even close.

BR - 150
Medals - 15 (made bronze, 5 days till silver)

Hey hacks,

I tried rush and every time i win some i end up losing even more...

have you watched and read about Rush?

I believe its completly different to normal ring.

BR - $189 (rakeback is tomorrow so I should be past $200)
Medals - 15 (Bronze, 3 days till Silver)

I had a good day. I made profit at Rush (no easy feat for me) and I made a nice profit playing STTs. I still find it very weird that my record at $10 STTs is waaayyyy better than $5 or even $2. Oh well, I'm not complaining!

Anywayz, despite all this, I have not been able to stop thinking about one hand where I made a mistake. I didn't lose it all or anything like that, but it is these kinds of mistakes that add up and end up losing me money long term. It also came during an STT. An STT is the LAST place where you want to make any mistakes because they are brutally unforgiving by nature. Also, with the variance so high in STTs, you don't need to be fighting yourself as well.

The hand converter is broken I think so I apologize for the difficult read... I'll try to simplify it...

$10 + $0.50 Sit&Go (Sup Turbo) - 40/80

Seat 2: dackbinder (1,092)
Seat 6: Kawolk (708)
dackbinder posts the small blind of 40 and is on the button
Kawolk posts the big blind of 80

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to dackbinder [9c Qh]
dackbinder calls 40
Kawolk checks

*** FLOP *** [Ah Kh Jc]
Kawolk checks
dackbinder bets 80

Right here is the mistake. Why do I bet? I have weak draws and I will fold to a reraise. It would have been better to take a free card.

Kawolk calls 80

*** TURN *** [Ah Kh Jc] [5d]
Kawolk has 15 seconds left to act
Kawolk checks
dackbinder checks

*** RIVER *** [Ah Kh Jc 5d] [3c]
Kawolk checks
dackbinder checks

*** SHOW DOWN ***
dackbinder shows [9c Qh] Ace King high
Kawolk shows [Jd 2d] a pair of Jacks
Kawolk wins the pot (320) with a pair of Jacks

I ended up winning the tourney but this hand is still bothering me. Its weird because I've made waaayyyyyy bigger mistakes even today, but this one is like a splinter in my mind because I try to really be focused during STTs.

BR - $187
Medals - 15 (hit Silver Ironman, will now get one FTP for the next 4 days for the one-a-day bonus medals)

Didn't have the best day, but I think I played well without too many mistakes. But there was one due to a lack of focus...

Uh, I don't know what is going on with the converter...

Rush - $0.05/$0.10 - No Limit Hold'em
Seat 1: dackbinder ($9.87)
Seat 7: Hope4TMarie ($9.45) BTN

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to dackbinder [Ah Ad]
dackbinder raises to $0.35
Hope4TMarie calls $0.35

*** FLOP *** [7h As 4s]
dackbinder checks
Hope4TMarie checks

*** TURN *** [7h As 4s] [4h]

I have the best full house... I only get beat by quad 4s

dackbinder bets $0.40
Hope4TMarie raises to $1.20
dackbinder has 15 seconds left to act
dackbinder raises to $4.45

Here I screwed up. Why reraise? If the flush draws hit that is only GOOD for me. And by the way he bet that is probably what he has! I just gave him bad odds to call me on his draw. I should have just called and bet small/medium on the river. With a paired board and two draws showing, I am holding a sign that says "danger" and he would have to be an absolute moron, or hold quads, to call.

Hope4TMarie has 15 seconds left to act
Hope4TMarie folds
Uncalled bet of $3.25 returned to dackbinder
dackbinder mucks
dackbinder wins the pot ($3.04)

*********************************

Yeah, I won that hand but not really.

... and what could have been a REALLY profitable day.

I played 8 STTs, 6 handed

- 4 @ $10
- 4 @ $5

Results were 2 firsts and a second for a profit of about $5.

If these three RIVERS did not hit... Ah, what's the use in complaining? This is poker and THIS is variance. But 3 river busts out of 8 tourneys? Sigh.

#1 - I have AJo, he min raises and I call.
- The flop is J 8 7
- I shove, he calls, he has J10o
- he needs a nine for a straight and gets it on the river

#2 - I shove with A9s, he calls with A6o
- the river was a 6

#3 - late stages of tourney I am short stacked
- I shove with 86s, he calls with 33
- the flop pairs my 6, the river is a 3 and gives him a set

******************************************

But I am not complaining. I still had a profit when I might have otherwise tilted. Here is some Ike and Tina...

BR - $219
Medals - 15 (Silver Ironman, just waiting for medals and bonus medals)

Beyonce has got nothing on Tina back in the day.

Get it on

HORRIBLE downswing...

BR - $185
Medals - 15 (Silver Ironman, just waiting for medals and bonus medals)

I was down to $75 at one point. These Super Turbos are brutal. I enjoy them but they are a real bitch. I don't think I played badly. I was unlucky more times than I was lucky. And all the correct play in the world can't stop your opponent from hitting runner runner for a _____! But that is the nature of the beast. When I am busting, I am busting later and later overall. I think this means I am getting better. I feel like I play them competently. Now I just need to go on a run. I feel I'm 'competitive' in every one I play now.



I busted on the bubble so much it was comical. But I grinded my way back. I do think, however, that at the end stages I am too passive. I need to up the aggression on the bubble and when I'm heads up for the win. I had too many seconds and thirds. The bonus of STTs is that you can play many of them in a short amount of time and recover lost money quickly. The downside is that you lose money quickly too!



I tried Steps with my FTPs and managed to get to step 2 but then I busted early. I tried it again twice and busted both times. They were STTs. Since I am making so many FTPs I think I will use them to buy Steps tickets and then try to get to Step 3. At Step 3, I think you can use your ticket for any tourney at that price. My goal is to try the $26 Matrix 6 handed STT if I make it there via Steps. I also bought a $26 tourney ticket with my FTPs. I am waiting for a day where the wife and baby are away to use it. Maybe I will play that Matrix tourney or perhaps the 45 man SNG.

More Ike and Tina... Classic!

River Deep Mountain High

Hey Hacks,

i think variance wise normal SNG<turbo<super turbo

i went upto $430 and drop back down to 380 last night..

just cant seems to go over $500 mark!
its such annoyig..
I have decided not to look at my cashier until end of the week..
it might help my play little
coz i play much passive since this downswing

Ive also bought 2 step 1 tickets,

one i broke even, another i got step2,
once i get step 3 i donno if i should play normal SNG or i should play other games (eg, matrix or MTT)

not sure what will give me best return....

So I'm in an STT and it ends with a horrible runner runner for a straight.

Again, the hand converter is bizarre right now so sorry...

Full Tilt Poker Game #24333421151: $10 + $0.50 Sit&Go (Sup Turbo) (188307227), Table 1 - 40/80 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:55:25 ET - 2010/09/30

Seat 3: dackbinder (175)
Seat 4: DirtyErn33 (480)

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to dackbinder [Js Jh]
dackbinder raises to 175, and is all in
DirtyErn33 raises to 480, and is all in

DirtyErn33 shows [5c 5s]
dackbinder shows [Js Jh]

*** FLOP *** [6s Ks 3c]
*** TURN *** [6s Ks 3c] [7d]
*** RIVER *** [6s Ks 3c 7d] [4c]

When the 7 hit on the turn, I knew I was going to lose.

DirtyErn33 shows a straight, Seven high
dackbinder shows a pair of Jacks
DirtyErn33 wins the pot (470) with a straight, Seven high

*******************************
Anywayz...

I'm down about $10. The baby had just gone to sleep and I'm looking at the $26 token I bought with FTPs and I figure now's as good a time as any to cash it in. I'm not playing an MTT so its not like I need hours and hours. I decide to play the $26 Matrix, STT six handed. After all, I think that is my best game right now. Here's the results...



1st Place! Awesome! It feels good because I was starting to doubt myself. I wasn't moving forward but I felt I was playing well. You know what I mean, ONEPARK? I feel like I don't totally suck now. It was nice to get some $$$ out of those FTPs.



BR - $232
Medals - 15 - I should get this month's medals soon.

wow nice!! $60
congrat mate!


I still havnt decide what i should do with step ticket after i get to step 3..

but maybe matrix is good way..
not sure how to play one tho..
i gotta read through

So I didn't pay too much attention to the big news. Then I started playing. Is it all in my head or did I earn points a lot faster?

I think I did. I am going to try 125 points a day for 25 days to see if I can make gold Ironman and speed this up. Today I blinked and I was already at 50. Again, is this all in my head? I hope this will not get me divorced.



I'm looking forward to my sweat session with Onepark at... wait for it... 6 in the morning! Ah, time zones!

Had a good cash game day until I got stupid, made a mistake and then just pissed the buy in away, erasing my winnings. I'm getting better at NOT doing this but every now and again I lose my head. Oh well, at least the other guy was Canadian! I had a NICE STT session. I got lucky in one spot but you what, after the debacle of bad beats a couple of days ago I don't feel too bad about it. I had outs and they hit.



BR - $256
Medals - 95 (waiting on 15 more bonus medals)

Originally posted by hackbinder

Had a good cash game day until I got stupid, made a mistake and then just pissed the buy in away, erasing my winnings. I'm getting better at NOT doing this but every now and again I lose my head. Oh well, at least the other guy was Canadian! I had a NICE STT session. I got lucky in one spot but you what, after the debacle of bad beats a couple of days ago I don't feel too bad about it. I had outs and they hit.

lol

me 2..

hahaha see u in few hours hacks
looking forward to this

my tips for rush tek em or leave em lol

only ever play ak, aa, kk, qq out of position

goes without saying but dont get tempted to play those kq, qj, ace low kicker.

if noone else has called and your in late position its worth a blind steal with all of the above hands

dont slowplay pocket rockets etc i find that a big mistake on rush cos you tend to find most people fold anything other than pairs or ak obv your up on both of these hands, whereas slowplaying them some fool could have 23 and hit on the flop and your knackered.

thats it really using that general strategy i manage to make very good stats

i can make $25+ from $2 that way but then i get scared of losing it all lol and cash out but i just get straight back in there with another $2 haha

Thank you Teflon. I will try your suggestions strictly for a while. Frankly, any strategy at all would be nice right now because my cash game is crap at Rush!

I had a very nice session with Onepark. It was nice to discuss strategy in real time. I hope to get some more time so I can do this more often.

BR - $260
Medals - 95 (waiting on 15 more bonus medals)

Quick Update... @Teflon

- 1000 hands at 5/10 Rush
- up $20
- all this despite losing 3 BI with shoves (my QQ to his AA, my KK to his AA [twice])

Your advice is great! I am thankful, sir.

Hey hacks,

Yeah it was nice!


hope we do it soon again

only thing is that i can not give any advise on Super turbo..
lol

starting with 10BB i just don get what kinda strategy u should go with..

hope u r available next week, we can have another session

BR - $3 (Yep!)
Medals - 95 (waiting on 15 bonus medals)

Sigh...

After three brutal days, each worse than the last, I am down to 3 bucks and totally tilted. My rakeback is coming Friday so I'll try this again. I should be getting $30-$40.

I lost my head and when I hit a skid of bad beats on the bubble I went up in limits, chucked BRM out the window and tried to recover losses.

Here is Sharkscope SNG graph...



I was watching myself do it but it wasn't that I couldn't stop, I didn't WANT to stop. Some people, like myself, I think need to make mistakes and feel the consequences many times before they learn. I hope I learn some self control before I'm 90!

At one point I got back to $120, but I began today's skid at $160 so I didn't feel right until I got back THERE. And then I lost it all.



Re-evaluation

I can sit here and self-examine till I'm blue in the face (I seem to do this all the time) but the bottom line is that I cannot push away when things are bad. If I don't learn how to do this I will NEVER be a winning player.

But here are some thoughts...

1) Shooting for 125 points a month to make Ironman gold was a mistake. I know that I am most successful when my sessions are short. When I play longer, on average, I lose more than I win. When I play short sessions, I win more than I lose. But because I lose when I play long, by the sheer fact that I am playing more I am consequently losing more. Going for 125 points a day had me playing more.

2) Anyone reading this may assume that I am a gambler by nature. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I am a conservative, obsessive-compulsive planner who in day to day life would rather burn a five dollar bill for heat than use it on something where chance plays a big factor. I should not, therefore, play STTs, or Rush, because they are so volatile that my standard BRM rules won't help. Also, if I do indeed suck, then a 5% buy in rule is too high, maybe not for ring games but definitely for Rush and STTs. Playing such volatile games does not match my personality.

3) I lost most of my money on STTs. Its funny because when I was going good I MADE most of my money on STTs. I played $5, $10 and a couple of $20 STTs. I never really considered that at those stakes, there are people who are WAAAAAAAAYYYY better than me earning thousands. There's this one guy at $5 who has made thousands and he never dropped. His graph was a steady climb over tens of thousands of games. Mine is a zig zag, up and down, but sloping downwards most of the time. How can I compete? Clearly there is a large skill level difference.

4) I know what I should do. I was so happy for the last few months because this is the longest I've held a bankroll. I was happy to practice BRM. I guess the bad sessions, bad beats and tilt just got to me. This valley should have never put me below $150. I did it to myself because it hurt my pride to end a day, two days, three days without winning overall.

Moving forward

So here is the plan moving forward.

1) With the $3 I have left, I will play 1/2 until Friday until I get rakeback. Until Friday, I will earn 1 point a day and then quit. I need to earn at least a point a day in order to get the "one a day" bonus medals.

2) When I get my rakeback, I will play until I get 50 points a day and then quit for the day when I hit 50.

3) I will not play STTs until who knows.

4) I will not play 5/10 Rush until who knows.

5) I will play ring games (5% of BR), regular SNG (2-3% of BR), and 2/5 Rush.

6) Depending on my BR, I may need to cash in Medals and FTPs for entry into tourneys so I have a BR to actually make 50 points a day and get to silver this month.

How shameful.