Bad

Date: Thu, Jul 3, 2008 Internet

Not enjoying poker at the moment. Not playing at all well. This is a good example. Villain is a fish.

PokerStars Game #18565242677: Tournament #94368404, $10+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Level III (25/50) - 2008/07/03 - 21:32:04 (ET)
Table '94368404 1' 9-max Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: bosoxfan55 (1330 in chips)
Seat 2: ChiP0wer (1175 in chips)
Seat 3: FR Vessant (970 in chips)
Seat 5: Dolly W. (3935 in chips)
Seat 8: FALCONFOUR (1348 in chips)
Seat 9: Necabote (4742 in chips)
FR Vessant: posts small blind 25
Dolly W.: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to FR Vessant [Qd Ac]
FALCONFOUR: folds
Necabote: folds
bosoxfan55: folds
ChiP0wer: folds
FR Vessant: raises 100 to 150
Dolly W.: calls 100

Have to raise with AQ but don't really like it. Fish will call with practically anything, and if I miss the flop, I have to cbet with no real idea where I am.

*** FLOP *** [4s 6s 8d]
FR Vessant: bets 150
Dolly W.: calls 150

Oh dear.

*** TURN *** [4s 6s 8d] [9s]
FR Vessant: checks
Dolly W.: checks
*** RIVER *** [4s 6s 8d 9s] [Ks]
FR Vessant: bets 670 and is all-in
Dolly W.: calls 670

So I decide to represent the flush.

*** SHOW DOWN ***
FR Vessant: shows [Qd Ac] (high card Ace)
Dolly W.: shows [5d 5s] (a flush, King high)

No way is fishy folding her 5 high flush. Sigh.

***

In its way, this is also bad:

PokerStars Game #18565351499: Tournament #94371418, $10+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Level I (10/20) - 2008/07/03 - 21:37:56 (ET)
Table '94371418 1' 9-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: jr_michels (1630 in chips)
Seat 2: glenwood78 (1450 in chips)
Seat 3: jjms11 (1420 in chips)
Seat 4: YLF10 (1540 in chips)
Seat 5: Rodia (1480 in chips)
Seat 6: MrKirker (1500 in chips)
Seat 7: HitTrips (1500 in chips)
Seat 8: bdmast2002 (1500 in chips)
Seat 9: FR Vessant (1480 in chips)
Rodia: posts small blind 10
MrKirker: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to FR Vessant [Ks Kc]
HitTrips: raises 80 to 100
bdmast2002: folds
FR Vessant: raises 200 to 300

Standard reraise but I didn't notice who had raised. HitTrips is a multitabler and he knows I'm a good player. I won't get action from weaker hands if he plays well. He'll just fold them.

jr_michels: folds
glenwood78: folds
jjms11: folds
YLF10: folds
Rodia: folds
MrKirker: folds
HitTrips: folds

Rubbish.

beeyaaaatches

Date: Wed, Jul 2, 2008 Internet

I have to laugh. I am playing some tiny buyin things, off my head.

But the bitches will not leave me be! I play two tourneys and bust from both in QQ-related frenzy. First I have QQ, and TT flops a T; then I have KK, he has QQ and the flop is decorated with a third Q.

It's almost as though the poker gods were conspiring to make me lol at the madness of it.

Bad bluffs r us

Date: Tue, Jul 1, 2008 Internet

Hilarious. Same guy who had the T6 earlier:

PokerStars Game #18522543165: Tournament #94144547, $10+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Level IV (50/100) - 2008/07/01 - 23:53:48 (ET)
Table '94144547 1' 9-max Seat #7 is the button
Seat 1: FR Vessant (1420 in chips)
Seat 5: schpat (2085 in chips)
Seat 6: ImSlumPappie (4320 in chips)
Seat 7: dELmASTRO (2725 in chips)
Seat 9: cleaner05 (2950 in chips)
cleaner05: posts small blind 50
FR Vessant: posts big blind 100
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to FR Vessant [9c Js]
ImSlumPappie said, "ugggh"
schpat: folds
ImSlumPappie: calls 100
dELmASTRO: folds
cleaner05: folds
FR Vessant: checks
*** FLOP *** [9h 7s 9d]

Niiiiiice.

ImSlumPappie said, "runner runner"
FR Vessant: checks

No need to bet. He's sure to put money in on a paired flop. There are no realistic strong draws here either.

ImSlumPappie: bets 200
FR Vessant: calls 200

Just call and hope he tries again on turn.

*** TURN *** [9h 7s 9d] [3s]
FR Vessant: checks
ImSlumPappie: checks

Nope. Okay, we'll put in one for value on river.

*** RIVER *** [9h 7s 9d 3s] [8d]

Not a great card for us because it makes a straight for JT, but luckily we have a J, so that hand is pretty unlikely. 88 is the only hand he can realistically beat us with. You'd have to consider him unlikely to have slowplayed 33 and I can't see 77 slowing down on the turn.

FR Vessant: bets 400
ImSlumPappie: raises 1300 to 1700
FR Vessant: calls 720 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (580) returned to ImSlumPappie
*** SHOW DOWN ***
ImSlumPappie: shows [Ts Qc] (a pair of Nines)
FR Vessant: shows [9c Js] (three of a kind, Nines)
FR Vessant collected 2890 from pot


LOL.

Meanwhile, the curse of the bitches strikes again:

PokerStars Game #18522616249: Tournament #94144314, $10+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Level V (75/150) - 2008/07/01 - 23:58:06 (ET)
Table '94144314 1' 9-max Seat #8 is the button
Seat 1: profunds (1100 in chips)
Seat 3: TDSpecial (5955 in chips)
Seat 5: PJ SHARPIE (1620 in chips)
Seat 7: inteloutside (1275 in chips)
Seat 8: IWearPullups (2375 in chips)
Seat 9: FR Vessant (1175 in chips)
FR Vessant: posts small blind 75
profunds: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to FR Vessant [Ah Kh]
TDSpecial: folds
PJ SHARPIE: folds
inteloutside: raises 150 to 300
IWearPullups: calls 300
FR Vessant: raises 875 to 1175 and is all-in
profunds: folds
inteloutside: raises 100 to 1275 and is all-in
IWearPullups: folds
Uncalled bet (100) returned to inteloutside
*** FLOP *** [4c 7d 8s]
*** TURN *** [4c 7d 8s] [7h]
*** RIVER *** [4c 7d 8s 7h] [Qd]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
FR Vessant: shows [Ah Kh] (a pair of Sevens)
inteloutside: shows [Qc Qh] (a full house, Queens full of Sevens)
inteloutside collected 2800 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2800 | Rake 0
Board [4c 7d 8s 7h Qd]
Seat 1: profunds (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 3: TDSpecial folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: PJ SHARPIE folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: inteloutside showed [Qc Qh] and won (2800) with a full house, Queens full of Sevens
Seat 8: IWearPullups (button) folded before Flop
Seat 9: FR Vessant (small blind) showed [Ah Kh] and lost with a pair of Sevens


Of course I know that the minraise can be a big hand when a tight player makes it, but even if I knew he had QQ, I wouldn't fold.

Bleh

Date: Tue, Jul 1, 2008 Internet

I am so angry with myself. This is a real leak in my game. Not so much for me as for others, but it's not the first time (and won't be the last) that I've overvalued TPTK.

PokerStars Game #18521927716: Tournament #94144547, $10+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Level I (10/20) - 2008/07/01 - 23:19:03 (ET)
Table '94144547 1' 9-max Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: FR Vessant (1080 in chips)
Seat 2: molotov8 (1540 in chips)
Seat 3: YoungHickory (1380 in chips)
Seat 4: cesanded (1990 in chips)
Seat 5: schpat (1470 in chips)
Seat 6: ImSlumPappie (1480 in chips)
Seat 7: dELmASTRO (1570 in chips)
Seat 8: rmansieh (1360 in chips)
Seat 9: cleaner05 (1630 in chips)
ImSlumPappie: posts small blind 10
dELmASTRO: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to FR Vessant [As Jc]
rmansieh: folds
cleaner05: folds
FR Vessant: calls 20

I occasionally limp with AJ. Sometimes I just fold.

molotov8: folds
YoungHickory: folds
cesanded: folds
schpat: folds
ImSlumPappie: calls 10
dELmASTRO: checks
*** FLOP *** [Td Th Jd]
ImSlumPappie: checks
dELmASTRO: checks
FR Vessant: bets 60

I have top pair.

ImSlumPappie: calls 60

Either:

a/ so do I
b/ I don't believe you
c/ I has a ten, please bet again on turn.

dELmASTRO: folds
*** TURN *** [Td Th Jd] [5s]
ImSlumPappie: checks
FR Vessant: bets 120

I still have top pair and don't care that you called flop because you're a fish.

ImSlumPappie: raises 120 to 240

I has a ten, but look at those luvverly pot odds. Call this and let me take you to valuetown on river.

FR Vessant: calls 120

Okay. I'm too dumb to fold even though I know I'm beat.

*** RIVER *** [Td Th Jd 5s] [6h]
ImSlumPappie: bets 180

Pay me a bit more. It's not much.

FR Vessant: calls 180

Okay.

*** SHOW DOWN ***
ImSlumPappie: shows [Ts 6d] (a full house, Tens full of Sixes)

It's no good complaining about his awful limp preflop. They just will do that. Best way to stay out of trouble would be to fold my hand preflop. Lesson learned.

Bitching about bitches again

Date: Tue, Jul 1, 2008 Internet

I hate Queens. If I have them, they are always beaten. If they have them, they never are. The second hand, it's plain unlucky to run into them. The players behind me had been fairly tight and the guy who limped rather loose. I could expect all to fold most of the time. Interestingly, the second hand did not end my tourney. But check at the end of this post for the hand that did:


PokerStars Game #18520090119: Tournament #94134095, $10+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Level I (10/20) - 2008/07/01 - 21:43:36 (ET)
Table '94134095 1' 9-max Seat #7 is the button
Seat 1: roadster81 (970 in chips)
Seat 2: mysticseye (1410 in chips)
Seat 3: bigslickct (1220 in chips)
Seat 4: FR Vessant (1720 in chips)
Seat 5: CTMark98 (2470 in chips)
Seat 6: dcraddy (1470 in chips)
Seat 7: Mr CQuest (1470 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 8: frostcoma (1400 in chips)
Seat 9: MungoMogul (1370 in chips)
frostcoma: posts small blind 10
MungoMogul: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to FR Vessant [Qs Qh]
roadster81: calls 20
mysticseye: raises 40 to 60
bigslickct: calls 60
FR Vessant: raises 220 to 280
CTMark98: folds
dcraddy: folds
Mr CQuest: folds
frostcoma: folds
MungoMogul: calls 260
roadster81: calls 260
mysticseye: raises 1130 to 1410 and is all-in
bigslickct: folds
FR Vessant: raises 310 to 1720 and is all-in
MungoMogul: folds
roadster81: calls 690 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (310) returned to FR Vessant
*** FLOP *** [Jd 7s Ah]
*** TURN *** [Jd 7s Ah] [Th]
*** RIVER *** [Jd 7s Ah Th] [2s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
mysticseye: shows [As Ac] (three of a kind, Aces)
FR Vessant: shows [Qs Qh] (a pair of Queens)
mysticseye collected 880 from side pot
roadster81: shows [5h 4h] (high card Ace)
mysticseye collected 3260 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 4140 Main pot 3260. Side pot 880. | Rake 0
Board [Jd 7s Ah Th 2s]
Seat 1: roadster81 showed [5h 4h] and lost with high card Ace
Seat 2: mysticseye showed [As Ac] and won (4140) with three of a kind, Aces
Seat 3: bigslickct folded before Flop
Seat 4: FR Vessant showed [Qs Qh] and lost with a pair of Queens
Seat 5: CTMark98 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: dcraddy folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: Mr CQuest (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: frostcoma (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 9: MungoMogul (big blind) folded before Flop
PokerStars Game #18520722206: Tournament #94134015, $10+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Level V (75/150) - 2008/07/01 - 22:16:12 (ET)
Table '94134015 1' 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: thing93001 (1910 in chips)
Seat 3: buddylee2435 (4790 in chips)
Seat 5: FR Vessant (2295 in chips)
Seat 6: orlplayer (2650 in chips)
Seat 8: elias22 (1855 in chips)
elias22: posts small blind 75
thing93001: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to FR Vessant [8c 8d]
buddylee2435: calls 150
FR Vessant: raises 2145 to 2295 and is all-in
orlplayer: folds
elias22: calls 1780 and is all-in
thing93001: folds
buddylee2435: folds
Uncalled bet (440) returned to FR Vessant
*** FLOP *** [7d 6s 2h]
*** TURN *** [7d 6s 2h] [4h]
*** RIVER *** [7d 6s 2h 4h] [7s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
elias22: shows [Qd Qs] (two pair, Queens and Sevens)
FR Vessant: shows [8c 8d] (two pair, Eights and Sevens)
elias22 collected 4010 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 4010 | Rake 0
Board [7d 6s 2h 4h 7s]
Seat 1: thing93001 (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 3: buddylee2435 folded before Flop
Seat 5: FR Vessant showed [8c 8d] and lost with two pair, Eights and Sevens
Seat 6: orlplayer (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: elias22 (small blind) showed [Qd Qs] and won (4010) with two pair, Queens and Sevens

***

There are worse things though:

PokerStars Game #18520859840: Tournament #94136659, $10+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Level III (25/50) - 2008/07/01 - 22:23:20 (ET)
Table '94136659 1' 9-max Seat #3 is the button
Seat 2: FR Vessant (1605 in chips)
Seat 3: spurg2 (2205 in chips)
Seat 4: Scorpion62 (1130 in chips)
Seat 6: GARDOCK (2770 in chips)
Seat 7: Rory Boy (1465 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 8: sky07 (3170 in chips)
Seat 9: wildered (1155 in chips)
Scorpion62: posts small blind 25
GARDOCK: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to FR Vessant [Jh Ac]
Rory Boy: folds
Rory Boy is connected
Rory Boy has returned
sky07: folds
wildered: folds
FR Vessant: raises 100 to 150

Standard raise. SB is loose but I don't mind him calling with his huge range.

spurg2: folds
Scorpion62: calls 125
GARDOCK: folds
*** FLOP *** [3c 2h Jc]
Scorpion62: bets 100
FR Vessant: calls 100

Nice. I'm going to let him keep betting at me.


*** TURN *** [3c 2h Jc] [7c]

Not great if he has flush but I have a redraw, and his most likely hand is a worse jack.

Scorpion62: bets 150
FR Vessant: calls 150
*** RIVER *** [3c 2h Jc 7c] [7d]
Scorpion62: bets 250

Cannot put him on anything that beats me, so

FR Vessant: raises 955 to 1205 and is all-in
Scorpion62: calls 480 and is all-in


Uncalled bet (475) returned to FR Vessant
*** SHOW DOWN ***
FR Vessant: shows [Jh Ac] (two pair, Jacks and Sevens)
Scorpion62: shows [Kc 5c] (a flush, King high)
FR Vessant said, "omg"

Well, quite.

His play is awful on every street. He has a turbofold preflop. Leading with his draw on the flop is terrible. Checkraising allin might be decent but the weak lead is never making me fold anything I raised with. On the turn, he should check and let me bet at it. He's only ever making money if I'm unlucky enough to have either a big pair or precisely AJ.

***

This is bad in a different way:

PokerStars Game #18521228971: Tournament #94134015, $10+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Level VII (100/200) - 2008/07/01 - 22:42:24 (ET)
Table '94134015 1' 9-max Seat #3 is the button
Seat 1: thing93001 (3120 in chips)
Seat 3: buddylee2435 (1470 in chips)
Seat 5: FR Vessant (2185 in chips)
Seat 6: orlplayer (2145 in chips)
Seat 8: elias22 (4580 in chips)
thing93001: posts the ante 25
buddylee2435: posts the ante 25
FR Vessant: posts the ante 25
orlplayer: posts the ante 25
elias22: posts the ante 25
FR Vessant: posts small blind 100
orlplayer: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to FR Vessant [Qc 4d]
elias22: folds
thing93001: folds
buddylee2435: folds
FR Vessant: raises 1960 to 2160 and is all-in

BB is fairly loose, but has almost exactly 10BB. He should be calling pretty tight. It's a shove unless he calls more than 30%.

They call these pretty wide in regulars. It's the worst thing they do, because even if you told them you were pushing with Q4, they still shouldn't call with the hands they call with. Particularly so in a regular, in which you have a lot of donk equity. Sadly, you have the donk equity because these retards will get it in with crap hands and knock themselves out. You should call *more* tightly in a regular, not less.

Earlier today, a guy called a BvB shove with K3s. That's 35%. I couldn't believe it. It's understandable if the retards go "I has ace" and call. They think they have pot odds etc. They don't know that pot odds are only a tiny part of the ICM story.

So he calls with A3. And I'm exasperated and stupidly post "super bad call" in chat. And some other guy, who's played the tourney tight, so has learnt that much, says "it must be a good call if he has the best hand".

Which says it all, really. You have to fold sometimes when you are almost certain you have the best hand! The other guy could tell you what he had, you could clearly beat it, and you still have to fold.

Still, it's great to know that they suck, and why they suck, but it's a lot better to suck out on the fools, because they are losing, whatever, like 50c each time they make a bad call, but they pay it all at once when they bust, and you want them to do that against you.

orlplayer: calls 1920 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (40) returned to FR Vessant
*** FLOP *** [2h 2c 6s]
*** TURN *** [2h 2c 6s] [9s]
*** RIVER *** [2h 2c 6s 9s] [9d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
FR Vessant: shows [Qc 4d] (two pair, Nines and Deuces)
orlplayer: shows [3d As] (two pair, Nines and Deuces - Ace kicker)
orlplayer collected 4365 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 4365 | Rake 0
Board [2h 2c 6s 9s 9d]
Seat 1: thing93001 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: buddylee2435 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: FR Vessant (small blind) showed [Qc 4d] and lost with two pair, Nines and Deuces
Seat 6: orlplayer (big blind) showed [3d As] and won (4365) with two pair, Nines and Deuces
Seat 8: elias22 folded before Flop (didn't bet)

beeeeeeyatches

Date: Tue, Jul 1, 2008 Internet

It's true. I should openfold QQ:

PokerStars Game #18502846578: Tournament #94042762, $10+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Level IV (50/100) - 2008/07/01 - 04:41:14 (ET)
Table '94042762 1' 9-max Seat #3 is the button
Seat 1: FR Vessant (915 in chips)
Seat 2: dr.marinelli (2565 in chips)
Seat 3: Alpira1 (1055 in chips)
Seat 4: siddisen76 (1285 in chips)
Seat 5: SnakeD0ctor (1320 in chips)
Seat 6: chitown420 (1495 in chips)
Seat 7: wally1970 (1770 in chips)
Seat 8: pfull-pfrdle (1240 in chips)
Seat 9: DougieG20 (1855 in chips)
siddisen76: posts small blind 50
SnakeD0ctor: posts big blind 100
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to FR Vessant [Qh Qd]
chitown420: raises 200 to 300
wally1970: raises 1470 to 1770 and is all-in
pfull-pfrdle: folds
DougieG20: folds
FR Vessant: calls 915 and is all-in
dr.marinelli: folds
Alpira1: folds
siddisen76: folds
SnakeD0ctor: folds
chitown420: folds
Uncalled bet (855) returned to wally1970
*** FLOP *** [Tc Ad 5d]
*** TURN *** [Tc Ad 5d] [5h]
*** RIVER *** [Tc Ad 5d 5h] [Kh]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
wally1970: shows [Td Ts] (a full house, Tens full of Fives)
FR Vessant: shows [Qh Qd] (two pair, Queens and Fives)
wally1970 collected 2280 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2280 | Rake 0
Board [Tc Ad 5d 5h Kh]
Seat 1: FR Vessant showed [Qh Qd] and lost with two pair, Queens and Fives
Seat 2: dr.marinelli folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: Alpira1 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: siddisen76 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 5: SnakeD0ctor (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 6: chitown420 folded before Flop
Seat 7: wally1970 showed [Td Ts] and won (2280) with a full house, Tens full of Fives
Seat 8: pfull-pfrdle folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: DougieG20 folded before Flop (didn't bet)

June results

Date: Tue, Jul 1, 2008 Internet

So a bit of runbad caught up with me towards the end of the month, but June was okay. I played exclusively 10ers, and didn't have as much time for it as I'd hoped. I wanted to get 400 games in, and managed 160

                games   ROI     ITM    profit   rake    hours   $/hr
June 2008 160 38.1 54.4 $670.00 $160.00 69.9 $9.59 

54.4% is a ton to get in the money, but my results weren't close to as hot as that suggests. A look at my finish distribution shows why (1st to 9th):

13.8 18.8 21.9 9.4 13.8 8.8 6.3 3.1 4.4

A good distribution is 1>3>2=5>4

Mine is 3>2>1=5>4, which tells you that either I snuck into the money a few times with small stacks (true) or played relatively badly ITM and didn't turn decent stacks into firsts often enough (also true). So both.

As with the 5s, I'm looking to play 1K 10ers before drawing conclusions, so I have a way to go.

For July, I am going to aim again for 400, probably 300+ 10s and some 20s and 6.5s in the mix. Given that I aim in the long run to play more than 400 each week, you can see that I still have a mountain to climb.