Ramblings of a distracted MTT (now with added cash game) player

As per usual I have not had a whole lot of playing time this week. I did fit in some SNG's and playing a few spin and goes now as it fits my time frame well most of the time, realistically I can manage tourneys Friday Saturday and Sunday.

Unfortunately my Poker Tracker 30 day trial has run out so I still don't have pretty graphs and hands to add but it was a fun couple days with a couple more final tables. There were a few of the worst bad beats I have ever suffered, knocked out of a tourney in 9th place being a 99.4% favourite to win the hand as the standout amongst them .

Now I was WAY behind at the start of this hand. The Button just kept raising me and I was completely card dead. he raises again and sick of it I shoved 63s, he of course flips AKo. Flop is 663 well now, freaking jackpot, and caught celebrating like an idiot before the hand was done. I turn my back and I talk to my son, turn around to see the "you've been eliminated" message. I go to the hand history to see he managed to catch running aces to make a better full house other than getting to the 2 final tables this was the sort of day it was lol.

I also have been treating the money I won at Cake sort of like play chips, earning some strategy points on money I will never see and playing tourneys a little above my typical buy in. So I buy into a $5.50 knockout tourney, only 39 players entered and in the end I took it down. So with 7 knockouts at $2 each and the "top" prize of $45 the bankroll of money I'll never see just keeps growing......played 5 tourneys at Cake now and won 3 of them 8).

Started an account with NetBet as well as I believe it to be one of few ipoker sites that allow Canadians. I guess I really should pick a room or two to play at but as an MTT player prefer to keep as many options open as possible.

So Bankroll total as it stands now
NetBet-$32.22
Pokerstarts $155.68
Full Tilt $120.13
Cake $159.40
888 $6.19

Total $472.62 = +$70.37

As usual even though I will explain I have refocused my poker this is still ramblings.........So I have changed my poker focus lately, while I really do love tournament poker life is just not permitting the time sink except occasionally on weekends, even then it's rare. I have been trying to work on my cash game skills instead as spins and SnG's are just boring me and I find the same problem with MTTSnG's in regards to time constraints. With my time/life limitations it is hard to sit at a table for long stretches so I am finding Snap/Zoom to fit my play style well. I can sit down play quick hands and exit as needed.

Shockingly to me over a very small sample and over several rooms I'm doing pretty well. But there's the other thing I really think I need to somehow pick a room. I like Stars and with huge traffic there are lots of fish, but everyone who plays for a while (mostly) wants to go play there meaning many more sharks potentially as well. Stars has the lowest rake by a fair bit but man sites like Netbet (horrid rake) and 888 (better rake, not tracked to PS) are just so fishy, I see people call the craziest stuff and run 4 bet air bluffs with 4 of a suit on board. Advice on settling on a room would be great if any were wanting to chime in. I will stick to Stars some for tourneys and am "practicing" at higher levels at Cake with real "play money" I won through a freeroll then another MTT win that I know I will never ever see. I am only playing at Cake for the said practice and strategy points to try to make gold and open new videos and articles.

My game needs tons of work and even though I have the funds online to play higher at Star I am playing low limits for now as there will be no replacing said funds atm. In the past, somewhat recently even to be honest I have been awful at cash games. I plan to move up as I feel more confident. I also have found going back to the basics, has helped a lot, while I feel I have been playing long enough to move from set beginner strategy a lot of the refresher in the articles and videos were great.

I am posting the hands from Pokerstars as they are freshest in my mind. I ended up up about $2 over 150 hands as that was all the time life allowed today and thoughts were fresher in my head. Could have played a little more but found myself updating this instead. I have about 1700 hands from Netbet and am up about $19 at NL2, but while I haven't had much of a chance to work through Pokertracker I haven't figured the graph posting yet, hands have a nice little button if the graph does, I' missing it. I'll find it when there's time...advice appreciated.

As I posted in another thread a very kind board member for some odd reason took pity and donated funds for me to purchase Pokertracker, as such I figure I better use it now. So here we have me making a bad flop reraise call and getting some luck on the turn. I know I played it bad but the would have folded turn without my fortune.

PokerStars - $0.02 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BTN): 99 BB
SB: 114.5 BB
BB: 563.5 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)
UTG: 185 BB
MP: 213.5 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)
CO: 67 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has J♠ J♣

UTG raises to 2 BB, fold, CO calls 2 BB, Hero raises to 8 BB, fold, fold, UTG calls 6 BB, fold

Flop: (19.5 BB, 2 players) A♠ 9♣ 9♦
UTG checks, Hero bets 6.5 BB, UTG raises to 13 BB, Hero calls 6.5 BB

Turn: (45.5 BB, 2 players) J♦
UTG bets 44 BB, Hero raises to 78 BB and is all-in, UTG calls 34 BB

River: (201.5 BB, 2 players) 8♠

UTG shows Q♥ A♦ (Two Pair, Aces and Nines)
(Pre 43%, Flop 92%, Turn 5%)
Hero shows J♠ J♣ (Full House, Jacks full of Nines)
(Pre 57%, Flop 8%, Turn 95%)
Hero wins 194.5 BB

Next was a hand I played bad, looking back betting flop was questionable 3 handed? and betting turn was worse.

PokerStars - $0.02 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 168.5 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 2)
SB: 113.5 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 1)
Hero (BB): 99.5 BB
UTG: 224.5 BB
MP: 57.5 BB
CO: 134 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has T♠ Q♦

UTG raises to 3 BB, fold, fold, fold, SB calls 2.5 BB, Hero calls 2 BB

Flop: (9 BB, 3 players) T♥ Q♥ 3♥
SB checks, Hero bets 5.5 BB, UTG calls 5.5 BB, SB calls 5.5 BB

Turn: (25.5 BB, 3 players) 8♦
SB checks, Hero bets 18 BB, UTG raises to 63 BB, fold, fold

UTG wins 59.5 BB

This last one I 3 bet pre as I was OOP and honestly I still find min raising weird after not playing for a while. Vilians betting/raising timing was weird if that makes sense, either way I am sure overall it was a bad call, he could have had 3 better kickers or hit K on turn but feel he would have 4 bet pre with QQ+. I wasn't buying it and feel I made a good call. I am sure I am wrong....

PokerStars - $0.02 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 120 BB (VPIP: 100.00, PFR: 100.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)
SB: 147 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 4)
Hero (BB): 120 BB
UTG: 115 BB (VPIP: 50.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 2)
MP: 51 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)
CO: 75.5 BB (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 3)

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has J♦ T♣

fold, MP raises to 2 BB, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to 6 BB, MP calls 4 BB

Flop: (12.5 BB, 2 players) 5♣ J♥ 8♦
Hero bets 4 BB, MP raises to 12 BB, Hero calls 8 BB

Turn: (36.5 BB, 2 players) K♠
Hero bets 33 BB, MP calls 33 BB and is all-in

River: (102.5 BB, 2 players) 7♠

Hero shows J♦ T♣ (One Pair, Jacks)
(Pre 72%, Flop 82%, Turn 86%)
MP shows 9♣ J♠ (One Pair, Jacks)
(Pre 28%, Flop 18%, Turn 14%)
Hero wins 99 BB

Sorry for the terrible writing style and ramblings.....I'll do my best to keep this updated.