Scattered blogging! Weekend results (last weekend) and Quad Jacks

The Tropicana has been fun!  There was the grand opening, as can be read here, and on Stacey Lynn's Twitter (lots of pics @lasvegaspokers and http://lasvegaspokersource.com/ ) Tropicana Poker Room Grand Opening   Thank you Jennifer Newell ( @WriterJen ) for a great time!!   Jamie Gold has some classes with money back guarantee for $400 here http://www.troplv.com/casino/events/jamie-gold-poker-training-seminar   .. and if you get the chance to eat at the Tropicana and want excellent Italian, treat yourself to Bacio (with chef Carla Pellegrino ) you'll be glad you did!
Last Friday's report:  Started out with $200 bankroll, got up to $440 and cashed out at Trop, before heading to Planet Hollywood.. but got to play with Kathy Liebert aka @PokerKat as well the night before this, walked away with $100 profit. Paid for dinner at Bacio :) (excellent!) ... Wasn't feeling well, so I ate and planned on going home, but the games were good, and I felt better after I ate, so I played what ended up being all night at PH... Turned $300 into around $750 (pictured). Then planned on heading home, walked the strip down to Tropicana to cheer on friends. Bought some card protectors, a new hat, supplies at Walgreens on the way, etc.. 

Ended up playing Tropicana for the promotion money for 5 more hours. 32 hours, my longest marathon session, one I don't expect to break again for a LONG time, if ever ;) Total profit over $1440. $1260 after all expenses. (started with $200) ..time to get a 2/5 size bankroll ;)
I work a lot, so I haven't been playing as much as I'd like, but on the home front, playing online with my hit and run, no more than 1000 hands, often around 300 hand sessions, I have run my $40 deposit up to $102 for a fairly high winrate, though still in small sample range. That's ok, I'll take it ;) we'll see how long I can keep it going. I don't feel I'm running hot or running bad, it just all seems to be balancing out, the good and the bad both.
I'm playing a fairly lag style, but mixing it up. In general I've lowered my VPIP a little and raised my PFR but they are still a FAR cry from the old days of trying to shoot for 14/12 ... I'm more like 45/25 or so, and will adapt to whatever is needed on a per table/per player basis and use my image as much as possible. I find that I do better when not "showing" to try to induce action. If I show any more, it's usually with friends and for fun, or a really dead table trying to get action, but I'll rarely stay at such a dead table any longer.
I adjust play based on effective stacks.. normal TAG for 100bb stacks, and deepstack play for anything over 175bb or so.  35bb/100 combined at just over 2800 hands so far... this is on Merge, and I sure miss @PokerStars ! 

I played in the ShortStackedRadio play money tourney on Stars (they have prizes though from sponsors) and got 6th out of 46th. Plenty of bad beats, but was able to amass enough chips and the lead long enough I could absorb them for a while. some of the bigger losses were TT < AK all in pre (king on the river!) , 67 < 64 with both of us having trip 6's, getting it in (I had straight draw too) and he spiked a 4 on the river (huge loss), and then my final hand, i shoved for 11k with AQ into chipleaders 22k stack called after tanking with T9s .. and he won. Huge pot. out 6th. Was quite happy with my play, regardless.

(ShortStackedRadio tourney, a great bunch of guys you'll hear from a lot in the future, if you haven't already, found here http://shortstackedradio.com/ and you can listen on Ustream or Facebook) 

Oh yeah, let's not forget the fun hand. Shannon the Cannon and April (dealers at Tropicana and among my favorites anywhere) wanted me to knock out a floor and another dealer who were playing at my table. Ed was playing really tight, so i knew he'd likely have QQ+ or AK only when he played, and the chance came when I got JJ.. You'll rarely see me call 2 all-ins with JJ, but the Shannon and April said Please knock out the floor and dealer who were playing, and both were under $100 stacks, and I was sitting on $600+ .. so I obliged. One of the funnest hands in a while, I let out a "wooooooo!" like I was young Doyle Brunson.  The hand of the night.  Sorry Ed Peeples!

That's all until next time, which should be sometime this weekend.  Maybe we'll talk some strategy.. 

Happy Valentine's Day from the IRS! (you bastards!)

Deposited $40 on Carbon, from a giftcard visa I got from my family for Christmas.


After playing on RPM for a bit, off and on since November, I'm finally down approx. $110.  The number one lesson again is, know when NOT to play (but I think I already blogged about this).The new strategy on Carbon will involve more hit & run, playing at my peak ability for about 300 max hands per session, no more than 6 tables with my current setup.  I have not had the time to invest in a day full of SnG's yet, but will when I can manage it.  I've been working a lot, so low on time, and low on money because of the IRS tomfoolery.  The IRS audited me in 2006 (even though I did everything correctly) and I didn't find out about it until they were garnishing my wages this year, so they made off with $3000 of my wages, that should be all coming back to me, after I get the record I need (because I don't have the receipts 5 years later!The upside to this is it allows me to build up a bankroll all at once.I sure do miss PokerStars and I hear so many friends talking about the same thing.  Even though I'm in Vegas now, and do better playing Live, I'm often too busy with my busy work schedule to go to the Casinos and play.  I look forward to the return of online poker in the U.S.A.

Missing Poker but....

Getting mobile setup correctly for remote blogging :)

PokerStars PCA Final Table Live Feed!

(removed livestream feed after the event, look forward to the next one!)

I would have really liked a full broadcast of the PCA week, but at least we get the final table of the Main Event, and the final table of the High Roller event.

You can email the announcers at nuts@pokerstars.tv Joe Stapleton and James Hartigan

A pleasant distraction to keep your mind fresh.

Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.

One must balance one's life with a variety of activities. This caught my eye a couple months ago, and I decided to post it after a friend re-posted on Facebook.

Updates to my Poker Blog (among others), Live Poker, Vegas, Tournaments...

First, PokerStars has cancelled their Twitter and Facebook leagues.

Update Regarding Facebook and Twitter Poker Leagues 

Please be advised that we have cancelled all of these tournaments for the rest of the year and as such we ask that you remove any links pertaining to these league with immediate effect.

This probably has a LOT to do with Black Friday (when the major poker sites shutdown in the US market) but hopefully we'll see them re-emerge once PokerStars is back in the US.  My predictions are within a year, give or take 6 months.  Trust me, I'll be at the forefront of the pack as soon as they land, and you'll hear about it here!

I've updated my links, my banners for PokerStars, PokerStars.BE (Belgium), PokerStars.FR (France), and PokerStars.IT (Italy) ...  Sign up through one of the links and I will soon be able to translate this blog into more lanuages.

I was on Vacation for over a week, which is an eternity to a workaholic like myself, so I got to play several degen sessions over the past week! I played just about every game spread except for Stud this week, with sessions of 14 hours, followed by 27 hours, followed by 23 hours.  That's a lot of poker in just 3 sessions!  But believe me, there may be worse degens out there ;) (but not by much apparently)  Just because I CAN play for so many hours with a profit, it's TOTALLY not worth it, and I don't recommend it.  Personally, I will be enforcing good habits of a break every 3 to 4 hours at least.  Small sessions are often profitable, in my experience.  Having just moved to Las Vegas on Nov 1, I'm still developing my live poker bankroll management, and general battle plan.  Next up will be some Tournament scheduling....
I played at MGM, Tropicana, Aria, Bills, Planet Hollywood, Palms, and possibly other places if I dig through my memory enough ;)
Catching up on everything took a bit longer than expected, so I'll keep this short, and get into some detailed posts this week, if not crushed at work.  Programming is starting to take a front seat, and I have quite a few ideas for apps that will interest Poker Players overall. :)  See you all soon, whether it be virtually, or on the felts in Vegas!

Poker (and Life) Etiquette

Lots of news coming, but I'm going to post this while it's fresh in my mind...I didn't get there in time to take @Pokerati's money or give him anything to post about, but there will definitely be another chance for that ;)

I was playing at the Palms last night, when a couple players sat down who can be described as Obnoxious.  We'll call them Player X and Player Y, for professional reasons, and leave the Truth Speaking to @AsianSpa.

Player X was apparently an employee or family of one of the Casinos, but likes to talk like he's part of "The" family, the Mafia.  Somewhat drunk, or under the influence of something, or a combination both, most likely.  But definitely crossing more lines as the night goes on.  At first, I was wondering if he was overacting to get the action he was seeking, because he was playing just fine, even as he got more rude, his poker playing habits seemed well honed.  Our somewhat nitty table loosened up, and we even ended up getting almost everyone at the table a shot of something...

Player Y showed up with a young famous poker pro, whom is in the mega earnings category, and sat in obviously over-rolled for this $1/$3 game of NLHE.   He was more amusing in his obnoxious behavior, and the game certainly changed dynamics by a huge margin.  We suddenly went from nitty, mostly post flop play, to heavy preflop play with barely any flops seen.  It was like we suddently entered a Single Table Tournament (STT) with sit n go type final table action....

Although both played well, and I enjoyed playing with them for a time, it quickly degraded into the floor being called several times, as Player X showed less and less observance of boundaries, and any politeness went out the window as he went into downright rude and threatening statements, and louder and louder volume.  When Player X and Y started confronting each other, the real fireworks started, the action was crazy, with quite a few all ins.  Even though Player X racked out up a buy in or two.. he was eventually asked to leave after several warnings from the dealers and the floor.  Props to Floor, Stan, and the Dealers, for handling things professionally.

Player Y whom had been treading the line, but staying on this side of poker etiquette, degraded into what appeared to be a "doing this for attention" type of situation.  I started thinking of all the young, rich poker players, and the disparity between the maturity of a certain generation of players.  I certainly hope all the immature players will benefit from being friends with the class acts, so they learn how to act in public and why it's important to their career, and life in general.  I started thinking about how I can get along with so many types of players, because I understand so much more about human nature now that I am "older and wiser", as opposed to when I was a young, foolish, genius who thought he knew everything.  Perspective is a wonderful thing when you have it.  For some it comes naturally, and for some, it comes from experience.

Even when you have no good influence friends, which I highly encourage everyone to choose, you will still see examples all around you if you just open your eyes.  There's a whole world out there; learn from it.

WPBT, Vegas, Pokerati, Ftrain, TaoPauly, Epic, Palms, etc etc etc...

Who has time to blog when so many friends are in town, so many poker activities, satellites, tournaments, cash games, meeting new friends, working in between long hours.....

But somewhere I've got to make the time, too much has been going on NOT to share.  Now, however, is NOT the time... I've got to go try to knock out @AnnieDuke and @JoeUgly from an Epic poker satellite for their bootylicious bounties! Save me a seat @AlCantHang (boy he sure can HANG all night and day!)

topics in the near future:
Cash game notes
Donkadonk.org chat group and forums
FriendlyPoker.net chat group and forums
Pokerati game at the Palms Poker room (1 orbit NLHE and 1 orbit PLO, cycles)
WPBT and meeting "old friends" for the first time
Rio Final Table haze while being sick
Moving to Vegas and adjusting to my new home, and loving it (i have a social life again!)
Still loving my job and learning (business trip to Santa Monica on Monday)
Many new friends online and at the table from all over the globe
Merge online poker for US Players
Bodog breaking and fixing their issues
Poker Radio Shows ( have a lot of catch up here)
Balance and Moderation, the formula for Happiness

See you later, I'm off to aim for some bounties!

Resuming Live Play = Resuming Blogging and Moving to Vegas

It has been far too long since I've blogged on a regular basis, but that is all about to change.  I have been happily working at my day job, and will continue to be, but I am moving to Las Vegas this weekend.
Last weekend, I played a couple nights, booked some solid wins, looked at apartments, found a couple great ones, applied, put my deposits down from my winnings, and was approved before I got on my flight home.
This weekend, I'm moving.  I had my doubts about moving to the desert, as I hate the heat.  But after a year of living in San Francisco, where I'm always working and rarely outside, I've decided it won't be much different.  And, after visiting, and finding I can breathe better, I have decided it'll be perfect for my needs.  I'll still be working the majority of the time, as I have been, but when I have the time and energy to go play poker, I'll be just a few miles from the strip.  I've always been a bit of a night owl, and will enjoy being able to work late, and then still find a decent meal in the middle of the night :)
Many of my friends are in Vegas, or travel to Vegas on a regular basis, including long time high school friends.  I suspect I'll have a little bit better social life.
My brief stats from my 2 live poker sessions while I was there last week:

$535/$200 = +$335 first night I played at Planet Hollywood.. recognized one pro at table.
$665/$200 = +$465 .. or $800 total on the week.  Not bad for $1/$2 (4buyins) .. think I played against ManderButt!


Edit:  I had 2 more sessions after this that put me up to $2,000 up, but spent a fair amount on a REAL bed and move in costs, etc.  I'll have to dig in twitter to find the exact totals.

WSOP announced changes, MEDIA must read!

http://www.wsop.com/news/press.asp

Interesting changes from WSOP regarding media passes and rules...

I've got ok bankroll on PokerStars , 1/3 as much on UB and working on a bonus, and a few bucks on Full Tilt for misc tourneys, or a few mins of rush in downtime, which I always seem too busy for anymore!

Live tournament is tonight but not sure I'll have time to go, again.  I haven't been in over 6 months I think! maybe longer... and i'm itching to go play some Live poker for a change!  Lucky Chances and Artichoke Joes, Bay101 Shooting Stars is coming up.. I just missed the LAPC at the Commerce.  Next week is the NAPT in LA as well.

But I love my job, lots to learn and grow with, business is starting to boom, can't complain.

Speaking of which, time to get back to work!

I'll catch up on stuff like Isildur1 showdowns, the winner of the $1,000,000 Turbo Takedown, and other cool things going on in the poker world.. it's been a busy month!

Session results from this weekend on PokerStars

Posted some blogs over at www.friendlypoker.net where I hang out when chatting about poker, helping others, whining about my bad beats.. learning from people more consistent than myself, etc..


http://friendlyp.ning.com/profiles/blogs/good-couple-of-days
http://friendlyp.ning.com/profiles/blogs/more-fun-this-weekend

Played a large variety of from PSO tournaments, Shenanigans, Shanoobigans, and cash games, including 8game, HORSE, Mixed Hold'em, 10nl, 25nl, 50nl, and 100FL, full ring and 6max.
I think I have much more Zen approach to poker lately, as long as I don't play when I'm tired.  How many times have I said in my own blog, let alone forums posts elsewhere, that I shouldn't play too tired?  I actually play better drunk, than I do when too tired!  Go figure.  But knowing oneself is important in many areas of life.

follow the links to see graphs and stats in HEM... on the whole larger picture though, in the past week I am up 17% total, everything combined.  Remove the playing too tired, and this could easily be up 300%.  Food for thought.  And on that note, time to retire before another long week of work, with a little more balanced hours as part of my goal.

Phil Helmuth playing in San Fran and I missed it!

Prior to heading to Texas, Hellmuth had been competing in a high-stakes home game in California. He explained over Twitter, “Playing No Limit Hold’em in San Fran right now at @davidsacks house in my regular game + winning! No one will let me Tweet out their name!” He later updated his 58,000 rabid followers on his financial situation: “Yes! Finally booked a win in my home game, was down $27,000 after 4 plays playing w/Team Owners, Billionaires, + Celebs. Won $12,000 tonight.” Rough life.


I've got to find my way into this home game!!  It's not like I'll see him on PokerStars anytime soon...
..or will we?

Isildur1 vs Dan Cates,

http://www.pokernewsdaily.com/isildur1-to-face-dan-cates-in-pokerstars-superstar-showdown-17827/ from Poker News Daily
Isildur1 vs Dan "jungleman12" Cates... I think jungleman (aka "w00ki3z." on PokerStars ) will take Viktor to the cleaners!  You heard it here first.  Wookie love all the way!

<-- reminder to myself to buy some protectors for my phone!

What cool DROID apps do you poker players use??  I've been much too busy working to shop around :)

WBCOOP .. I scored an $11 SCOOP ticket and a ticket for the WBCOOP Main Event, but I will be spending the weekend with my kids for my daughters birthday.  (my priorities are straight, are yours?)

Good luck to all who are in, especially Chris Parsley, someone who like myself, livestreams from www.friendlypoker.net (the community Chiren80 started...)

I missed the Twitter Poker League Main Event!

Congrats to the winners in the Twitter Poker League today :)  (my tweet got eaten by Twitter so reposting here)
#tpoker congrats to brokecope 3rd, G->C4 2nd, and koenten82 1st in the Twitter Poker League today.. maybe i'll have time to play in 2 weeks!

There was also a Twitter Poker League Main Event that I dont' see a reminder about in Email, and I missed it!  It had been running about 3 hours when I logged on... oh well, always next season :)
Here are the top results for those who didn't miss it :) 

Islidur1 Signed by PokerStars!

PokerStars Signs Online Poker Icon ISILDUR1

Edit: It is in fact, Viktor Blom.

We are pleased to announce that one of the most mysterious online high-stakes players in the world “Isildur1” has joined Team PokerStars Pro. The enigmatic player, who has still yet to publicly reveal his identity, shot to fame in the poker world in 2009 when he took on and beat some of the biggest heads-up players in the game. But with a place on Team PokerStars Pro now confirmed, Isildur1’s real identity is set to be unveiled in the near future.

When asked what the deal means to him, Isildur1 said: “I chose to join PokerStars because it's the biggest site and it will be an exciting challenge. It means a great deal to be playing in a team alongside players such as Daniel Negreanu, Dario Minieri and Johnny Lodden. My goals now are to improve my live game for some upcoming events, continue to focus on heads-up no-limit Hold’em, but also try to develop my pot-limit Omaha game.”

In a bid to prove that Isildur1 is the best heads-up cash game player in the world, he will be playing a series of high stakes heads-up matches at PokerStars.com. The specially developed SuperStar Showdown format consists of a single session of 2,500 hands at stakes no lower than $50/$100. His first match will take place at 6pm ET on December 19, with the opponent to be named in the coming days. For more information please visit: http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/promotions/superstar-showdown/?source=PSP11498

Edit:  The unveiling at the PCA was uneventual, anticlimatic if you will, no Phil Helmuth dramatics here.  But hopefully the action on PokerStars will be fast and furious!  I look forward to seeing what poker players will be brave enough to venture over to PokerStars for the showdowns.

About time for a revamp!

It's about time I revamped both my poker playing, locations, hours, and my blog!

My last two sessions were my 2nd and 3rd worse in the history of my playing!  Down 12.5 buyins and down 6 buyins respecitvely, at 10nl stakes.  In both cases, I played late at night when my brain was already dead from working a lot, and this is probably one of the 'danger' times when I should avoid playing at all.

bwin Launches Real Money iPhone Poker App according to Poker News Daily.  I recall Annie Duke being involved in some poker app going live for mobile phones... and I have played Zynga's app on my Droid.  I think I heard or read that Full Tilt had Rush on the mobile market.  I'll have to look into that.  I haven't looked lately to see if PokerStars has made the jump yet.  I'll be curious to see how secure these apps are in the reviews.

Also over at Poker News Daily is this interview with Verneer, regarding his Charity Grind, where he turns $200 bankroll into $10,000 and donates it to charity.  I'm always behind anyone helping make the world a better place, and look forward to the positive effects this has on the poker world. 

PokerStars launched the Home Games.. and it's about time!  It's great when you have a group of friends that all want to join a tournament or cash game among mostly friends :)  I'll post a review about that after I've had time to play more in the 3 Home Game clubs I belong to.

I don't have much time for a full update, but do have a backlog of posts.  I shall do more spot posting between my busy work schedules.
Lynn Gilmartin having fun at the Aussie Millions, PCA stories to cover, WBCOOP is coming this week, Daleroxxu has started his adventure, Chiren80 has finally gotten to the project release date, and hopefully, we'll all be enlightened as to what he has been working on for so long!  Good Luck to all, on the tables and off!

WSOP Final Table is TODAY! and I wish I was there!

The November Nine is finally here, playing live since Noon PST (3pm EST) today.. (don't forget to set your clocks back for daylight savings time tonight!) 
Already out is Soi Nguyen in 9th for $811,823 and Matthew Jarvis for $1,045,743 in 9th and 8th, respectively.
The vibe at the theater is Great this year.. this will be an action final table, and I predict shorter than a lot of people expect, certainly shorter than I expected.  I had originally predicted Senti and Mizrachi in the top 3, but I'll have revise my prediction about Cheong and add him to the top 3 as well.. I just have this feeling when I see him on camera that he may end up in heads up reels for years to come...
I am certainly NOT rooting for Candio, he's just too wild.. and he may get paid off with that strategy, but it will not be as fun seeing someone win with a suckout, which is what I predict we'll see from him if he makes it to the top 3.
ESPN3 has a livefeed with 5 min delay, and no hole cards of course, with my favorite commentator from @PokerStars James Hartigan leading the commentary, and expect quite a few poker pro guest commentators..
I'm just going to make a short post for now.. I just watched Senti shove all in Blind vs Blind vs Cheong with K7o, obviously just making a move on the spot, and Cheong called with A9s (clubs).  Nice call by Cheong.
Jason Senti's is the dog in a 35% to 65% race for his tournament life, the flop is Jd-6s-3, turn is Ad, and the crowd starts cheering as he has a backdoor flush draw with a diamond on the river, @matthewjarvis is close with his prediction of the 9diamonds, as the river is the 10d for the backdoor flush in Diamonds, and Senti doubles up through Cheong!  This hand is a turning point for Senti ... mark my words!
The Twitter world is filled with live reporting of the action, espn.go.com is playing the livestream with a 5 min delay, and ESPN will air the broadcast with holecards on Monday or Tuesday evening.. good luck avoiding any spoilers during that time :)
A big shout out to all my friends live in Vegas, including BigFoot, as I wish I was there, but I started a great new job just last week.. see you at the next live event.
you can follow my tweets on the right of my blog or @thewookieway

First the Big Game, then The Million Dollar Challenge, and now the Big Game x2!

I have qualified again for the Big Game! Time to make that video with the improved resume ;)

New post coming shortly along with my Big Game Video :)  

The Winds of Change in Poker Media, Isildur1 vs Jungleman

The winds of change seem to be blowing strong this month.  @change100 and @writerjen   have been let go from @pokernews  .  @kevmath  meanwhile, has moved on from Pokerati to join Bluff 
There are rumors of other changes in the poker media coming soon as well... 

On Monday, Oct 4th, from approximately 3:30pm to 6:30ish pm, Isildur1 and Jungleman12 tangled for some 100/200 NLHE action, that few seemed to report about! well screw that, if someone else doesn't do the job right, do it yourself. 
I caught the action, put it on livestream (one of the 6 tables) and you can watch it here "Isildur1 vs jungleman" Oct 4th, 2010 .. I left the music playing because I'd have to reset to fix my microphone and wasn't sure how long they would be playing (plus I was playing in a couple tournaments at the time)
I'll let Dan "jungleman" Cates sum up the session in his own tweet:
"good session vs isildur--+10 bis even while being stuck 10 at one point :) . Meanwhile nutsinho continues to own me on stars... 6:58 PM Oct 4th via web"
My own poker playing has benefited from the shift to MTT and SNG away from Cash.  I still play enough cash grind up some FPP for VIP tourney needs and silverstar status at minimum, but overall, have not been grinding cash like in the past.  Playing less often, more when I feel like playing it, has helped me avoid tilt almost entirely if I avoid playing when too tired.  I've noticed I only realyl tilt when I'm home alone as well.  I am fine in a live setting or with others around at home.  Strange.

Stay tuned for more breaking news.

Aug21 Update 5 more cashes, 3 sats, and a few buys in Cash Grind

Just brief update before I sleep..
Aug 19  MTT Cash   58th of 3041
Aug 20  MTT Cash   14th of 1797, 153.2 TLB points
              2nd of 4 while sleeping! (thanks Pingu!)
              MTT Cash  328th of 2947 (NAPL?)
              1 Satellite
Aug 21  MTT Cash   250th of 2645, 43.98 TLB points
              MTT Cash   55th   of 393,  36.15 TLB points
              2 Satellites
And so far this week, in the Cash Grind: over 5k hands, I'm 30bb/100 at 2nl, 11bb/100 at 5nl, and 9.5bb/100 at 10nl, solid, and up about 4 buyins.  Good recovery from the previous weeks downslope.
Playing more MTT and supplementing with Cash has been working well for me, instead of the other way around.

Aug MTT update on PokerStars

ugh, i want my blog colors and setup but need to customize the format so i can change the width when i want to, but will have to spend some time doing that... -EV!!!

Since Aug 1, 2010, I have 46 emails from PokerStars support for MTT and Satellite winnings...the graph that doesn't fit below is TLB for the year.. and I have not yet begun to grind MTT like I can.  I've only played enough to verify that I am going to spend the majority of my time on SNG and MTT, and minority on Cash games.
Highlights: 15 Sunday 1/4 mil sats, 22nd and 10th in Twitter Poker League, 1st and 2nd in Shanoobigans, cashes in NAPL and PokerCast League, 12th, 10th, and 2nd for sizable cashes in large mtt's (2000 to 4500 entrants), etc...
I was going to type in all 46 results, but decided I'd condense with a summary here, and paste the TLB points below, but will still need to fix my blog to accept wider entries.

Better posts tomorrow ... btw, 3200 more hands of Cash to get my Zombie badge on PTR, it's the little things in life :P





Not all of the above points may count toward weekly, monthly or annual Leader Board standings. Only the 10 best results will be counted for the weekly rankings, 20 best results for the monthly rankings, and 100 best results for the yearly rankings. For more complete details, please visit:

http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/tournaments/leader-board/

Note: Ugly chart that doesn't fit my template will appear at bottom, will fix this later

Following in Boku87's tracks.. MTT and SnG successes on PokerStars

Long ago, I should have accepted that I am much better at tournaments than cash games, and not been so stubborn about making sure I learn to master cash as well. It's been a grueling 6 months in Cash, with taking shots and failing, doing well then being crushed in 1/10th of the time it took me to do well, etc.. Less than stellar results.
Upon returning my focus to Multi-Table Tournaments, and Sit and Go's, I have been doing very well. My ITM% is up to 24% over the past 4 months. My full tracking OPR it has gone up from 13% to 17%. I have cashed 2 to 6 times a day every day in August.
I happily play 6 to 10 tournaments at a time, and it's much more entertaining than the mundane and annoying roller coaster of grinding cash tables!
I'm a lot closer to being able to grind a volume that makes it worthwhile, but for now, trying to grind out an hourly that is worth it, just doesn't compare to playing tournaments and sngs.
More later.. Lot of topics to cover about the differences between Cash and Tournaments, and why people are good at one or the other but usually not both.

Burnout on PokerStars...

It's been a rough month in July. I started playing on Ultimate Bet, 4 tabling with great winrates. I played Rush week with no good results other than volume, but can play 1100 hands/hour there the easiest, so it's the best 'rakeback' farming spot. However, it feels more like a video game to me, than anywhere else becasue of my lack of stats on Rush players in Hold'em Manager. This will change as I get more info, but I'm not sure I'm collecting stats in hands where I quick fold, which will make my reliable stats grow more slowly than a Full Ring table where you always see the results. I started playing some Full Ring to fix my graph on PTR, as it'd be nice to have a current graph without past mistakes bogging it down.
I took a shot at UB.. took my $10 up to about $40, and then tried to Spin Up to a higher stake quickly. This involves risk and should be viewed as 'expendable' money, or similar to investing in volatile stocks. Only invest what you can afford to lose. It didn't work this time, but it will.
I took only my 3rd break from Poker in over 9 months. It was time, I was burning out.
The break was refreshing and I'm recharged and thinking more clearly, more "in the moment" which is necessary to play your A game.
I'll be checking out, and blogging about, the Poker School on PokerStars , and playing in the Twitter Poker League, along with Shenanigans and Shanoobigans tourneys from the 2+2 forums, and grinding cash on the #grindstream at Friendly Poker and my "TheWookieWay" livestream or Chiren80's on FP.

Come join me in any of these locations. See you on the felts.

Life is crazy~!! Running out of time to sleep, no room on my schedule ...

I've been playing a bit on Ultimate Bet, and grinding out some serious winrates (more than 50bb/100 avg for the month so far...) I needed this because I was running so bad at PokerStars for so long that I was beginning to worry too much about my game. I played some RUSH during Rush Week and Full Tilt, but it drives me crazy because you almost have to play by a formula until you get enough data in your database to know how people play.. it's very difficult to get reads and actually play "poker" while playing rush. Though I was easily able to play 1,100 hands/hour on 4 tables a LOT more comfortably than playing on PokerStars with 18 - 24 tables!

I've got a new job coming up that will make me choose a path in the crossroads regarding Poker and the 'rat race'. It's a dream job though, as Head of IT and Developer Support, with a path into programming which is probably where my best skills will be the most useful. So I of course will choose the JOB for now, with Poker on the side. But if anything happens to not work out, I will be in that "you must sink or swim" poker role... not the best of situations, but I often work better under pressure, or at least I did when I was younger....

Blogs to maintain, volume to put in, reading and learning never ends in poker, never ends in the tech world where things change so fast... I really don't have time to sleep! I work all day, everyday, til it's time to sleep, get back up and repeat. Obviously playing Poker while too sleepy is a BAD idea for anyone, as things become less and less efficient, and it only takes 1 big mistake to really cut into or eat ALL of your profits on a given day/session, so a balance must be maintained.
I have usually been an all or nothing kind of guy often, so it will be interesting to see how my scheduling works out :) I feel like a medicine in the cabinet though as I get older .. "keep in a cool dry place, avoid direct sunlight"

Some interesting hands, and a question that comes up a lot..

First, the big question... got in a long discussion with a friend about this, with no real math talk, which is part of my original question....
Here is a common situation, you bet for value on the river with a non nuts hand.. you get  min reraised (2x your bet).  Obviously people are losing value here by only min reraising if they have the nuts or near nuts, etc ... so my question is how does the math work out?  Are they losing value like I think they are?  What odds are they giving you by doing this?  Where is the breaking point for those odds as you increase the bet size in relation to the pot?  I see this every day while grinding and wonder if there aren't some people out teaching to do this, just min reraise to get calls...
Math guys welcomed to show the math in comments or direct us with a link to read about it.

Now, onto the interesting hands, 3 of these are winners, 1 is a loser, see if you can guess which is which? 

Hand #1

Poker Stars $0.02/$0.05 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - View hand 796714

The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter



UTG+2: $3.75
MP1: $4.03
MP2: $6.67
CO: $4.79
BTN: $11.75
SB: $3.40
BB: $15.89
Hero (UTG): $6.02
UTG+1: $5.19

Pre Flop: ($0.07) Hero is UTG with 6 6
Hero calls $0.05, 1 fold, UTG+2 calls $0.05, 3 folds, BTN raises to $0.30, 2 folds, Hero calls $0.25, 1 fold

Flop: ($0.72) 7 T 6 (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $0.90, Hero raises to $2.75, BTN raises to $11.45 all in, Hero calls $2.97 all in

Turn: ($12.16) Q (2 players - 2 are all in)

River: ($12.16) 5 (2 players - 2 are all in)

Hand #2
Poker Stars $0.02/$0.05 No Limit Hold'em - 8 players - View hand 796715
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

BB: $8.62
UTG: $6.77
UTG+1: $3.22
MP1: $2.39
MP2: $3.42
CO: $5.17
BTN: $7.43
Hero (SB): $5.00

Pre Flop: ($0.07) Hero is SB with J A
5 folds, BTN raises to $0.15, Hero calls $0.13, 1 fold

Flop: ($0.35) 8 A T (2 players)
Hero bets $0.25, BTN calls $0.25

Turn: ($0.85) 9 (2 players)

Hero bets $0.40, BTN calls $0.40

River: ($1.65) 7 (2 players)

Hero bets $0.05, BTN raises to $0.80, Hero raises to $3, BTN calls $2.20


Hand #3

Poker Stars $0.05/$0.10 No Limit Hold'em - 6 players - View hand 796716

The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

SB: $5.22
BB: $11.06
UTG: $12.21
Hero (MP): $10.00
CO: $11.31
BTN: $9.60


Pre Flop: ($0.15) Hero is MP with K K

UTG raises to $0.40, Hero raises to $0.80, 4 folds, UTG raises to $2.50, Hero raises to $10 all in, 1 fold


Hand #4

Poker Stars $0.02/$0.05 No Limit Hold'em - 7 players - View hand 796717

The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

SB: $10.16
Hero (BB): $5.90
UTG: $2.73
UTG+1: $10.89
MP: $7.28
CO: $8.62
BTN: $5.07

Pre Flop: ($0.07) Hero is BB with 2 T

1 fold, UTG+1 calls $0.05, 3 folds, SB calls $0.03, Hero checks

Flop: ($0.15) K 6 Q (3 players)

SB checks, Hero checks, UTG+1 checks

Turn: ($0.15) J (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $0.10, UTG+1 calls $0.10, SB calls $0.10

River: ($0.45) A (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $0.45, UTG+1 calls $0.45, SB folds

View all 4 hands

iCe (Whoever Psy Breaks Remix) by Whoever

iCe (Whoever Psy Breaks Remix) by Whoever

New Job, New results from grinding, something has clicked in my head

Some results from last nights epic session, I was running over 100bb/100 at 5nl for a while before falling gradually to 82bb/100 and 69bb/100 and finally dropping to 47bb/100 to end my session after 2 really foolish hands.  This has been a trend that will stop as I learn to just avoid those situations.

I am happy with anything over 15bb/100 at 5nl, as it's my unluckiest stake, but will try to post a few more sessions like this for all to see ;)

I have a new job coming up that will severely restrict my playtime/grindtime at poker, but I think this will actually work to my advantage, as I will be more focused when I play, and the shorter sessions will actually help me to play more efficiently.

July 2 Update Million Dollar Challenge: Qualified!

Earning    -$1,947        -0.97 BB/100
Hands    416,668

Stakes    Hands        Net    Winrate        Rake
2nl     164,920        $114    1.73BB/100    $270
5nl    88,365        -$212    -2.40        $274
10nl    115,542        -$277    -1.20        $629
25nl    37,373        -$1,269    -6.79        $605

BR =     $216.12
Stellar    1167
FPP=     209.54
VPP=     69.21  (11,167.97)
TLB =     2,342.09 (year)

4:28 AM 7/3/2010  Mostly tournaments, Razz, sats, $1 rebuy, and qualified for Million Dollar Challenge today!

Latest for #Grindstream #TheWookieWay on @PokerStars starting DAILY blog

Tao of Poker ... Paul McGuire has a new book! click here
Love his writing style.  Highly recommend it for the REALISTIC viewpoint of the side of poker that you don't see on TV.

I'm going to keep some daily stats on my blog from now on. (as close to daily as possible)  This will help me keep my eye on the actual averages of my playing, and progress so far.  I'll be keeping track of stakes, #of Hands, Net profit/loss, winrate in BB/100 (=2bb/100) , Rake paid; PTR stats for Earnings total, Total winrate, Total hands;  BankRoll, Stellar Reward status, FPP's, VPP's,

Here are the totals for the past 2 days..
Stakes    Hands        Net    Winrate        Rake
2nl     159,970        $120    1.88BB/100    $262
5nl    85,374        -$205    -2.40        $265
10nl    115,008        -$281    -1.22        $626
25nl    37,367        -$1,271    -6.80        $605

PTR
Earning    -$1,939        -0.95 BB/100
Hands    408,187


BR =     $220.65
Stellar    931
FPP=     229.83
VPP=     848.53
10:32 AM 6/29/2010  Horrible day, -$4.64 on the day 2191 Hands, 4 hours playtime.


Stakes    Hands        Net    Winrate        Rake
2nl     162,783        $116    1.79BB/100    $267
5nl    87,229        -$204    -2.34        $270
10nl    115,325        -$283    -1.23        $627
25nl    37,367        -$1,271    -6.80        $605

PTR
Earning    -$1,945        -0.96 BB/100
Hands    413,172


BR =     $215.40
Stellar    1098
FPP=     105.50 (spent 375fpp on $6 micro reward)
VPP=     1015.36
8:09 PM 6/30/2010  Great session so far, +$15 mostly 2nl, 5bb/100 @ 5NL and 39bb/100 @ 2nl, 2018 hands, 3hrs



I will often be found at www.friendlypoker.net livestreaming on what I have dubbed the #grindstream
this month for July, they have MicroMania and VPP bonuses, as posted in my previous post on this blog, so expect to me grinding every waking hour that I am able to.  I have a new job in the works, and some projects to work on as well, so it will be a struggle to balance the time.

PokerStars changes to Rake at micro stakes, and VPP changes for VIP program

I have all kinds of things to report about 2nl, 5nl, 10nl, maybe even 25nl at PokerStars (full ring) and some Rush 5nl and 10nl at Full Tilt (full ring) but first... 
We interrupt this very busy grinder (aka slave!) schedule to bring you info re: Interesting changes over at PokerStars.  Here is the 2+2 forums post


http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/28/internet-poker/midyear-2010-pokerstars-vip-program-change-micromania-july-817248/

PokerStars would like to announce the following changes to VIP Reward Bonuses effective immediately:

There is a new $25 VIP Reward Bonus available to all players, including BronzeStar VIPs, for 2,500 FPPs

The $50 VIP Reward Bonus has been reduced in price from 5,000 FPPs to 4,500 FPPs.

The $285 VIP Reward Bonus is now a $300 VIP Reward Bonus, for the same price of 25,000 FPPs.

PokerStars does plan to make any major changes to the VIP Program at the start of each year when feasible, but these changes indisputably benefit players so they were able to be made midyear.


The above changes are all permanent. In addition, PokerStars will be running a 'MicroMania' promotion in July to benefit those who play the smallest stakes on the site. This promotion increases VIP Club benefits in two ways:

Each player can purchase one $6 instant cash credit from the VIP Store for 375 FPPs between now and the end of July.

NL and PL Cash games up to including stakes of $0.05/$0.10 will offer 10x VPPs in July. All new tables created starting over 12 hours ago have been awarding 10x (as opposed to the usual 5.5x or 6x) VPPs at NL/PL tables up to and including $0.05/$0.10 stakes. A server restart early this week will ensure that all of these types of tables are awarding 10x VPPs before July 1st. VPP earning at these tables will return to normal after July 31st.

Additional MicroMania promotions not focused on the VIP Club will be announced over the coming week.

NOTE: this just in ...
Yes, and for MTT players as well.

From July 1st - 31st, 50-man $1 + $0.10 'Super Sit & Go' tournaments will be offered. Every player who wins at least one of these tournaments during the month will receive a share of $100,000, divided equally amongst all Super Sit & Go winners in July.

There will also be four daily $1 MTTs from July 1st - 31st, each with $1,000 added, taking place at 10:20, 13:20, 19:20, and 22:20 ET.

Last but not least, there will be four special $1.10 MTTs, each with a major tournament package (live) or entry (WCOOP) added, as follows:

July 4th: LAPT Florianopolis
July 11th: NAPT Los Angeles
July 18th: EPT London
July 25th: WCOOP Main Event
NICE!!!! 
 -----------------------------------------------------------
Over on 2+2 or on Friendly Poker, looking for Rake info for 2nl hands at PokerStars and Full Tilt for comparison!
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/78/micro-stakes-full-ring/survey-looking-ps-ft-rake-data-10nl-below-541081/#post19879644

http://friendlyp.ning.com/forum/topics/pokerstars-changes-to-rake-at

------------------------------------------------------------
Turbo Takedown on June 27th, 2010 
I didn't have 3000fpp to enter.  I satellited in for 500fpp.  Woot.
I cashed in Turbo Takedown, 1999 of 15,400 people, for $110.00
There is a promotion for consecutive cashes in TT's on PokerStars listed here:
http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/promotions/turbo/?source=PSP11498
particulary this:

Audi TT for EVERY Turbo Takedown winner

The player that wins the Turbo Takedown each month will be rewarded with a brand-new Audi TT*.

Bonuses for repeat cashes

If you cash in consecutive Turbo Takedown tournaments, you'll get a bonus with a super-fast 5x clearance rate, based on how many times you make the money. Cash in two consecutive tournaments and you'll get a $100 bonus. Make the money the following month and you'll get a $200 bonus and so on, all the way up to a maximum of $1,000. So if you think you are good enough to string together a few cash finishes, make sure you play every month to keep your good run going!

Team PokerStars Pro bounties

Every time a member of Team PokerStars Pro plays the Turbo Takedown, they'll have a $100 bounty on their head. This means that not only do you get to play alongside the biggest names in poker, you get to earn cash when you bust them.
Please note: Bonuses and bounties will be credited within 48 hours of the tournament's completion.

Slave to the Grind

Sometimes, we set goals for ourselves, that are not easy.  Sometimes, we become so focused on those goals, we lose perspective.  Sometimes, the only way through some obstacles in the way of what we want, is through lots of hard work.  Life, is one of those things you just got to find a way to balance.

My current goals are many, lofty, inspiring to some, and should be quite fulfilling in the end.  But for now, I am at a bottleneck.  Until I overcome my current obstacles, or find a way around them, all else is out of reach.  I am focused on overcoming any obstacles.  I am dedicated to this path, and the work required.  I will find the way. 

It is a shame the world revolves around money.  It is a shame that I must conquer these monetary goals now, as they are the gateway to allow me the resources and tools to apply my abilities in making the world a better place.  But it is my reality right now, and there is nothing else to do but move forward.

Apparently, this is also a walk a must make alone, for now.  So be it.

Upcoming posts: Redonkulous, smashing 2nl stakes, BIG GAME qualified!

Upcoming posts... listed in title.  Here are a couple hands from my session which I will comment on later..
But ACE ON THE RIVER says it all!  LOL! 

Hand #1

Poker Stars $0.01/$0.02 No Limit Hold'em - 7 players - View hand 712442

The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter



Hero (BTN): $3.28

SB: $1.73

BB: $0.34

UTG: $1.64

UTG+1: $2.74

MP: $0.84

CO: $4.80



Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero is BTN with 9 9

UTG calls $0.02, 1 fold, MP calls $0.02, CO raises to $0.06, Hero raises to $0.22, 4 folds, CO raises to $0.44, Hero calls $0.22



Flop: ($0.95) J 3 K (2 players)

CO bets $0.02, Hero calls $0.02



Turn: ($0.99) 9 (2 players)

CO bets $0.58, Hero raises to $2.08, CO raises to $3.58, Hero calls $0.74 all in



River: ($6.63) A (2 players - 1 is all in)



Final Pot: $6.63

Hero shows 9 9 (three of a kind, Nines)

CO shows A A (three of a kind, Aces)

CO wins $6.33

(Rake: $0.30)



Hand #2

Poker Stars $0.01/$0.02 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - View hand 712443

The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter



UTG+2: $2.90

MP1: $1.61

MP2: $1.90

CO: $4.84

BTN: $4.03

Hero (SB): $3.08

BB: $1.50

UTG: $0.65

UTG+1: $2.05



Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero is SB with J J

UTG calls $0.02, 1 fold, UTG+2 raises to $0.10, 4 folds, Hero raises to $0.32, 2 folds, UTG+2 calls $0.22



Flop: ($0.68) 6 6 6 (2 players)

Hero bets $0.50, UTG+2 calls $0.50



Turn: ($1.68) 9 (2 players)

Hero bets $1, UTG+2 raises to $2.08 all in, Hero calls $1.08



River: ($5.84) A (2 players - 1 is all in)



Final Pot: $5.84

UTG+2 shows A K (a full house, Sixes full of Aces)

Hero shows J J (a full house, Sixes full of Jacks)

UTG+2 wins $5.59

(Rake: $0.25)



View all 2 hands