A GRIM MONTH

Neteller: Last week $437; Current $437 (-)
PokerStars: Last week $54; Current $47 (-7)
Full Tilt: Last week $60; Current $57 (-3)
Inter: Last week $31; Current $31 (-)
Big Slick: Last week 155; Current 141 (-13)

Total = $717 (-23)

Loss on month = $106

Profit for year = +$155

Well, the merry month of May hasn't been very merry for my poker. That must be the worst monthly setback on my roll for a long time.

This definitely calls for a rethink. I will try another month of SnG's and if I don't get the bankroll heading north again, I'm going to have to change my game.

It's difficult to know if it's my play or if I am just having a "bad trot". There is plenty of evidence to support the "bad trot" theory. I went out on the first hand of the Blogger when I went all in with KK v AK - he hit his 3 outer. I had AA beaten by AJs hitting the flush. A6s v A3 he hit a 3. AA v AK, he hit a straight. QQ v K7s he hit a flush. "Read 'em and weep" as they say.

So, retrench and like Robert the Bruce, try, try again I suppose.

BREAKEVEN

Neteller: Last week $437; Current $437 (-)
PokerStars: Last week $41; Current $54 (+13)
Full Tilt: Last week $60; Current $60 (-)
Inter: Last week $31; Current $31 (-)
Big Slick: Last week 168; Current 155 (-13)

Total = $740 (-)

Well it's better than losing as I have been recently. Not much point in a breakdown as some of my play has involved cash games (for the first time in ages and not particularly successfully).

The positive side came from a couple of tournaments that I finished well up in: 2nd in a 45 man one and 3rd in a 27 man one.

Bad beat of the week came when my 10 9 suited hit a flush on the flop only to be beaten by the mighty Q4 off making a full house. SIGH.

So, I might continue with the odd multi-table sng on Stars. I'll also have another go on Big Slick but I haven't had much luck there so far.

A DISAPPOINTING WEEK

Neteller: Last week $352; Current $437 (+85)
PokerStars: Last week $41; Current $41 (-)
Full Tilt: Last week $60; Current $60 (-)
Inter: Last week $31; Current $31 (-)
Big Slick: Last week 221; Current 168 (-53)

Total = $740 (-53)

Played

$11 10 Man SnG's: Played 7; 3rd = 1; 5th = 3; 6th = 2; 8th = 1.
$5.5 6 Man SnG's: Played 2; 2nd = 1; 4th = 1.
$5.5 30 Man SnGs: Played 1; 5th.

League game: 4/7.

A very disappointing week's Poker all round. After coming 3rd in the first game of the week, I couldn't make progress in any of them. That 3rd would have been better had it not been for the cooler of the week. I had 77 v 66. The flop came 76Q. Turn 10; River 6!!!! Come on...his one and only out. That set the tone. I wasn't able to hit a flop to save my life for the rest of the week.

Come the league game on Friday night, morale was low, so I was unsurprised that I was overtaken at the death by kenn. Funny enough the key hand was one I had nothing to do with. Like myself, with 5 folk left, kenn was shortstacked and he went all in on the button with A6s. It looked curtains for him, when he was called by A10 but a 6 on the river saw him double up and he went on to finish 2nd while I was 4th. Good fun though and like General McArthur - I will return! I like playing these games as the standard is good, so there is a sense of achievement in doing well in them.

That is an interesting point. I'm having trouble winning outright in the face to face game at the local cricket club. I cash regularly but winning is difficult. The problem is that the standard of the other players varies from dreadful to, well "a bit average". Two or three of the "a bit average" players tend to be able to double up and again, against the dreadful ones, which makes them difficult to catch up with when I am only playing a quarter of the hands they are. I'm going to have to think out a strategy to cope with this. I think I'm going to have to try a loose aggressive game early on, which isn't my normal style at all. I usually play very tight aggressive early and then open my range as the blinds get higher. I need to adapt my game to the people I am playing against. Obvious really.

BUBBLING UNDER

Neteller: Last week $592; Current $352 (240 to BS)
Virgin: E88; E88 (-)
PokerStars: Last week $47; Current $41 (-6)
Full Tilt: Last week $60; Current $60 (-)
Inter: Last week $36; Current $31 (-5)
Big Slick: Last week 240; Current 221 (-19)

Total = $793 (-30)

Played

10 player $10+1 games: 9; 1st = 1; 2nd = 1; 4th = 3; 5th = 2; 6th = 2.

10 player $5.5 game: 4th = 1

$4,000 guaranteed: $10+1 71/547 for +$3.5

Bloggerment: 6/11

RtR League: 3/5

The most notable (and irritating) feature of poker this week has been the number of times I've lost on the bubble when I've been in with the best hand. If those hands had gone my way I'd have been in for a comfortable profit instead of a modest loss. I lost with KK beaten by 10 10 on the river; A10s beaten by A5 and 99 beaten by A10. On one of my 5th places my AK v 55 hit an Ace on the flop only for a 5 to appear on the river. SIGH. You have to expect these runs and I expect to see things going positive again soon (well, I hope so anyway).

I had a punt on the $4,000 guaranteed on Friday night after the RtR game. This was an interesting experience. I had made decent progress to be in the money when my all in with AQs was speculatively called by the chip leader with 86 off. He hit an 8 and that was that. Annoying but I'll definitely be back - this was very soft and I'm sure I'm +ev there.

The RtR league game was another tight, if short handed, affair. I eventually lost out in third leaving BurnlyMik and Kenn to fight it out. If Kenn won he's probably gone into the lead, so I'll need to finish ahead of him next week in the final game.

FALLING OUT OF LOVE WITH CD

Neteller: Last week $40; Current $592 (-)
Virgin: E88; E88 (-)
PokerStars: Last week $47; Current $47 (-)
Full Tilt: Last week $60; Current $60 (-)
Inter: Last week $0; Current $36

Total = $823 (+1)

Profit for month = $57
Profit for year = $261

I've played the following this week:

$10+1 10 player SNGs = 5: 3rd = 1; 4th = 1; 5th = 2; 10th = 1.
$5.5 6 player SNGs = 6: 1st = 2; 2nd = 1; 3rd = 1; 4th = 2.

I started the week playing $10 games on CD as planned but the beggars didn't weigh in with the bonus and tournament tokens they had promised, even after I emailed them to point out their non-appearance. They said wait 3 days. I waited 6 and still nothing. That being the case I've bailed out from CD and I'm opening an account on "Big Slick" (another ipoker skin) where Raisetheriver.com have a good deal going.

In the meantime Interpoker had offered me $20 to make a comeback there, so I thought I may as well. That proved profitable in the "sixpack" games and made up for the losses I had on CD.

I was a bit annoyed with myself in the game I finished 10th in. I let a maniac I had position on irritate me. He'd doubled up and a bit more betting on air and I couldn't resist calling his all in on the button against my big blind when I had 88. He had K4 off and hit a King on the river. A wicked bad beat, but I shouldn't have been in the hand so early on (and I knew it when I played it...SIGH).

Meanwhile I finished 2nd to BurnleyMik in the RtR league game to hold on to 1st place with 2 more games to go. However any one of three players could still beat me if they get the right run of results. Tense stuff :-)