Big Deal

2012-01-01T18:45:00.000Z

2011 ROUNDUP

Online poker: +£315 (-131): CC game: +£157 (-11): APAT: +£200 (-)

Matched betting this month = +£112; This year = +£1462

Profit on Month = -£30 Profit on Year = +£2132

It is interesting to look back at the targets I set in the review blog at the end of last year and consider them in the light of events subsequently. I have totally changed my thinking since they were written.

Basically I am playing an awful lot less than I used to on-line, mainly because I have absolutely no desire to "grind" my way to winning money at poker. I'd rather just keep it recreational, so I just play the odd tournament or sng when the spirit moves me. I imagine that is how I will carry on now.

Highlight of the poker year has to be captaining the team from Edgworth Cricket Club that won the APAT UK Pub Poker Championship back in June or so. That was really good fun.

I enjoy the APAT tourneys and will certainly be having a bash at anything within reach next year. I wouldn't mind playing in some other "bricks and mortar" games if I can find something suitable. The best one I've found is a Sunday afternoon tournament at the G in Manchester, but I often have other commitments on Sunday afternoons, so I've only been a couple of times.

Matched betting has been a "steady earner" all year and I've easily made most of my profits from that. More of that will definitely be called for.

I'm not sure - given the limited amount of poker I am playing - whether I'll carry on with this blog - time will tell.

2011-12-02T21:16:00.000Z

THE JOY OF SPREADS

Online poker: +£446 (+121): CC game: +£168 (+27): APAT: +£200 (-)

Matched betting this month = +£272; This year = +£1350

Profit on Month = +£420 Profit on Year = +£2162

I'm still moving along nicely on the $15 x 18 man sit and goes on Stars. The usual variance of course but Sharkscope has me on 17% roi on there now and I'm actually better than that as those stats will be including games I played on Stars before my recent return there. So - happy with that.

I have hardly played a tournament. Certainly the only memorable one was an APAT $50 entry jobbie which crashed and burned in a horrible fashion. At 50/100 and with a full stack I 3x raised in mid position with QJ clubs. 2 callers. Flop comes QQJ 2 hearts! BINGO I thought. Guy bets into me. I call. The other guy folds. Turn comes a blank. Half pot bet into me and I call. River is 9 of hearts. Great I'm thinking. If he has Ax Hearts I'm going to clean him out. Half pot bet into me. I go all in. He calls and has K10 hearts of course for the straight flush. That's the second hammering from a rivered straight flush I've had this year. It's about time one of them came my way.

Meanwhile with the matched betting I've been working my way through the spread betting sites, which has gone nicely for around £250 profit. With a bit of study some of these spread markets look to be "arbable" as well, so I'm going to leave my money in the sites and have a look at that one. Happy days.

2011-10-29T20:26:00.000+01:00

...AND SOME MORE STEADY PROGRESS

Online poker: +£315 (+173): CC game: +£141 (+43): APAT: +£200 (-)

Matched betting this month = +£211; This year = +£1078

Profit on Month = +£427 Profit on Year = +£1746

Poker has progressed very nicely this month with the 18 man sng's on Stars a particular highlight. I've been slaughtering these games this month at a rate I know will be impossible to maintain. Enjoy it while you can before the inevitable variance monster bites, I suppose. The big bonus for me has come in the heads up part. I've had 6 heads up scenarios and won 5 of them. The minute I have an opponent who does something like fold on the button, I know I have a very good chance of a winning outcome :-)

I've also returned to quietly cashing regularly again in the cricket club game. I've got a read on the new loose/aggressive players in particular and I'm really making it count by picking them off at the right moment.

Matched betting has also been fun, with a poker mate who is also an experience matched bettor, helping me work my way through the spread betting sites with referrals and advice. I made some money on a recent Barcelona v Levante game which had an interesting outcome. With a £100 "free bet", I had "sold supremacy" on Barca and laid off the other outcomes for a nice £60 profit whatever happened. However, the game itself finished 0 - 0 with 8 yellow and 2 red cards! If anyone had been on the spread for "sell cards" for that game it would have cost them a fortune. It just goes to show -

DON'T GAMBLE folks!

I've given up trying to explain matched betting to friends. They just don't "get it" and think that I'm an unreconstructed gambler, which of course couldn't be further from the truth. What I am doing is taking the gambling out of it! However, as with poker, to the uninitiated it just seems like punting. Anyway it keeps me entertained on wet Saturday afternoons and I'm building up a nice "Christmas Bonus" for my daughters. :-)

2011-09-30T21:59:00.000+01:00

QUIET PROGRESS

Online poker: +£142 (-27): CC game: +£98 (+37): APAT: +£200 (-)

Matched betting this month = +£112; This year = +£867

Profit on Month = +£122 Profit on Year = +£1317

Back to work again and poker is inevitably taking a bit of a back seat. I'm mainly playing a few $15 18 man sng's on Stars at the moment and that is going nicely. The minus in the on-line poker return is due to a bad trot on the $11 tournaments on 888. These are soft enough, but a run of bad beats has knocked me back a bit there - inevitable in these this sort of thing.

My one cash in these did come about as a result of a pretty amazing piece of luck going my way. I was short stacked on the bubble and caught AT suited in early position. All in of course.

Two all in callers behind. This didn't sound like good news and it wasn't looking too clever when they revealed AA and KK. The flop came QQQ.

Hum, I thought, I have a one outer to a split pot! Turn Q...Boom!

Matched betting continues to boost the bankroll nicely. I've lined up some referrals to work my way through the spread firms next.

My next live outing won't be to poker, but to the European Diplomacy Championships, which are being held in Derby in November. Should be good craic meeting up from old adversaries from the Dip world and the odd game of poker is also mooted.

2011-08-31T00:18:00.000+01:00

Doing a bit of thinking :-)

Online poker: +£169 (+153): CC game: +£61 (+7): APAT: +£200 (-106)

Matched betting this month = +£127; This year = +£755

Profit on Month = +£181 Profit on Year = +£1,195

Online things have gone nicely enough this month. I had a good final table finish in one of my regular 888 tourneys which bumped me up there and the 18 man sit and goes I've been playing on stars after any early tourney exits have been going really nicely. I've been working on my final table technique there and the results have been very positive.

The matched betting with my roll continues to be a steady earner and I've picked up lots of "start of the football season" bonuses this month. Now for a bash at the spread sites I think.

The APAT world amateur championship at Dusk till Dawn in Nottingham was good craic, made even better by the fact that it was eventually won by Dave "No Shoes" Garden. To be honest, he totally crushed it, following up on his recent big tournament victory against a lot of the top pros. Well done that man.

From my perspective the APAT was very interesting, as I came away with a lot of ideas on how to improve my tournament game. I went fairly deep (57th of the 200+ starters on day 1b) but I am now sure that I need to play with a lot more selective aggression in earlier phases of tournaments if I want to do real damage regularly. I'm going to use the tournaments I regularly play on 888 to work out some of the ideas I've had and see if they improve my overall results over time. I'm a profitable player doing what I do currently, but I think I can do better. You have to have a go. As Bob Dylan put it, "he that's not busy being born is busy dying".

2011-07-31T20:58:00.000+01:00

Quiet times.

Online poker: +£16 (-33): CC game: +£55 (-7): APAT: +£326 (-)

Matched betting this month = +£114; This year = +£628

Profit on Month = +£64 Profit on Year = +£1,014

After the excitement of last month there is little or nothing to report on the poker front for July. I've hardly played, being either too tired before the end of term, or away on holiday after it. We finally got the trophy for the UK Pub Poker championship win which was great.

Next major feature on the poker front is the APAT world amateur championship in Nottingham at the end of August. Should be good craic and a lot of folk I know are going.

I have had time to experiment with arbing horses using the B365 4/1 offer and a few minor horse sign ups, which is where the matched betting profit has come from. I hope I don't get gubbed there as I have actually started winning a few times after a long run of "losers". Still - happy days and the football returns in a couple of weeks time so there should be lots more to go at then.

2011-06-28T20:21:00.000+01:00

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!

Online poker: +£49 (+26): CC game: +£62 (+23): APAT: +£326 (+300)

Matched betting this month = +£64; This year = +£514

Profit on Month = +£413 Profit on Year = +£950

That couldn't have gone much better! The APAT pub poker tourney turned out to be a total gas.

Before the tournament kicked off I stressed to everyone that the most important thing was that as many folk as possible made the "last 50", which is when the team points kicked in. This was the main lesson I have learned from playing in previous team tournaments. Well. Did they listen? Yes they most certainly did!

Come the "50 players left" point, we had 7 out of our 8 man team still in the event, which was 2 more than any other team. As the night wore on we were steadily eliminated but we were scoring points and come the end of Saturday night we were massively ahead on "points in the bag", with 2 men still running. Sadly, I was the last man eliminated on the Saturday, in 25th place out of the 128 starters. (A5 suited, called by the deadly 96 suited hitting a nine - as it does).

So, with 24 left, we went into the second day with Phil (Bullmeister) in second place with a massive stack and Andy low, but not desperate. Andy worked out that if he finished 17th or better we couldn't be beaten so he played to that and we were home and hosed by 4.00 in the afternoon. The APAT guys told us they could never remember anyone getting 7 out of 8 players in the points in a team tournament.

Meanwhile Phil was playing an absolute blinder. He isn't a regular tournament player, so he was finding the sheer length of the thing difficult to come to terms with, but on he battled, eventually finishing second when the winner hit a run of top hands at the heads up stage. A great effort.

The tournament was very well managed by APAT, as usual, the only disapointment being that they had "lost" the trophy somewhere in the system. Ah well, we can live with that.

Another entertaining feature of the weekend, was that I played a £15 rebuy on the Sunday while railing Phil and Andy and came 5th for £120. :-) I only took one rebuy, after I lost with AK suited hitting a flush on the river - to a straight flush. I "got him" about an hour later.

I've only played odd games on line but a couple of minor cashes have kept me nicely in the black there too.

Matched betting saw quite a few small offers from books trying to keep the punters interested after the end of the football season, so I've mopped those up. Next up will be horse specialist books when I have the time in the summer holidays and then the spread firms once the football is back.

Happy Days.

2011-06-01T19:00:00.000+01:00

FOUR FLUSHED

Online poker: +£21 (-23): CC game: +£39 (+7): APAT: +£26 (-37)

Matched betting this month = +£69; This year = +£450

Profit on Month = +£16 Profit on Year = +£537

I haven't played much in May - too much on at work and too tired come the weekend most times. I did play in one of the APAT online championships and was going very nicely until a horror show came along. I had a nice medium stack with about half the field gone. A big stack in eary position went 3BB's and I called on the button with JJ. The flop came 3d 8d Js. My opponent bet half the pot - I raised and he went all in, which obviously I called. He showed AdAc. The next two cards were diamonds and it was "good game me". All you can do is go in with the best hand, but that sort of thing does hurt. Needless to say I am waiting patiently to have a similar piece of action in my favour some time soon.

The next poker highlight should be the APAT pub poker tournament which is taking place in Blackpool later in June. The Cricket Club have entered a team. There is a team from the West Midlands that looks very strong on paper, but it should be a good laugh.

Matched betting continues to tick along. I had lots of nice little ones as offers on the Champions League final and so on, which I cleaned up on. I even found an arb on William Hills on Barcelona - I didn't go too daft on it though, as I wanted to keep the account. I've now finished Bet365 with my daughter - so I will be getting all my money back shortly. She gave the bookies an awful pasting, but it wasn't too clever for my Betfair account :-)

Things will probably go a bit quiet on that front now that the football season has finished. Either that or I will have to diversify into tennis or cricket.

2011-05-01T14:49:00.000+01:00

A NICE PROFITABLE MONTH

Online poker: +£44 (+225): CC game: +£32 (-5): APAT: +£63 (+113)

Matched betting this month = +£43; This year = +£382

Profit on Month = +£381 Profit on Year = +£521

It's been a fun month poker wise. I came 5th in an on-line APAT tournament which has put that into the black there and set me up nicely for the "Home International" tournament in Newcastle.

This was great craic and played in a very good spirit throughout the two days. I was playing for Ireland A. We started ok and I was second in one of the sit-and-goes, but it went downhill from there for the team except for young Ger Smith who kept us in the hunt with some sound performances. We went into the final tournament in 7th place of the 8 teams, but we did know that a good performance in this could still see us in contention. By the half way stage, with 16 of the field of 32 gone, we were the only team along with the Welsh A team who still had 4 runners.

Two of our team were then knocked out, so with 10 left, there was our team captain, John Murray (good stack) and me (short stack) left. The Welsh A team still had 4 runners, so they were home and hosed but we could still come 2nd if we could both finish ahead of the remaining England B player. That ambition came to an end in an amusing (in retrospect) fashion. Five handed I went all in with AQ suited. No callers round to John in the big blind. He has a long think and decides to call with 5 2 off suit (to chip me up, so that we could have a bash at the remaining England player). Needless to say he proceeded to four flush me with his 2! Oh how the England team laughed and indeed we had to ourselves it was so ludicrous. Right move - wrong result. Such is poker. Anyway we finished in 3rd place for the bronze medals. The Welsh team were very deserved winners and this was emphasised when one of their team won the UK tournament at the weekend (which I didn't play in - 2 days was enough for me).

I've also got the on-line poker in the black now thanks to a third place in the $3,000 guaranteed tournament on 888. I was pleased with my play in this. With about 50 of the 300+ starters left I became chip leader when I was all in with AA against KK and 88. A King came on the flop but a glorious Ace made an appearance on the turn and I was off and running. I managed to keep a +15BB stack and more all the way to the final table. My exit hand was a tad unfortunate really. Three handed I had AJ suited on the button. I raised and the chip leader three bet me. He had been chipping up through light 3 betting all the way through and I had marked him for this, so I went all in and he called with K5 off. I wasn't too surprised but less than thrilled when he hit the 5 and knocked me out.

I haven't done a lot of matched betting on my own account because I have been using my roll to see my daughter through the Bet365 £200 offer and a nice Betclic one for £100. Ticking over nicely thanks to dutching on Pinnacle mainly.

The "trading" experiment on the golf was intersting. I went for McIlroy, Stricker, Kaymer, Donald and McDowell in the end. Stricker, McDowell and Kaymer failed to show but Donald was well placed and of course McIlroy was winning by the end of day 3. It was a bit tempting not to lay off the bet on McIlroy because he looked a shoo in at this point, but I knew he was flakey on the final day of tournaments (even the two he has won he nearly contrived to lose) so it was a "no brainer" to make sure I laid them off. This meant that I was guaranteed a modest profit on the venture. I'll definitely have another go at this on the US open. Luke Donald in particular I think has a big win in him.

2011-04-01T21:28:00.000+01:00

A QUIET MONTH.

Online poker: -£181 (+22): CC game: +£37 (+24): APAT: -£50 (_)

Matched betting this month = +£78; This year = +£339

Profit on Month = +£46 Profit on Year = +£67

I haven't played a lot of poker this month, but at least what I have played has been profitable - mainly 18 man sng's on Stars. I haven't really had time for many tournaments but I minor cashed in a couple of those too, so I seem to be getting past my "bad trot".

The thing I am looking forward to this month is the APAT "Home International" tournament which will take place in Newcastle in 3 weeks time where I'm going to play for Northern Ireland. Should be fun and a chance to meet up with some old mates in Geordieland while I'm there.

In the matched betting I've now completed the "partner friendlies" along with the all the accessible British facing books. Ones like "Jetbull", which require a lot of work, I've just passed on.

I've been thinking about what direction to take off in next with this. There are some European's I still have to do, but basically I'm thinking of going into American facing books. This requires a change of style as you need a big roll to complete the wagering requirements, but I do now have enough for that. The best method seems to be dutching books against each other. It quite interests me getting into different sports like basketball too.

I've also started looking at "trading", with an experiment in next week's Masters Golf my first venture. Nothing serious - a couple of quid each on Donald, Kaymer, Harrington, McDowell and Fowler and then looking to lay them off after the end of the 3rd round. It will be interesting to see how it works out. If a couple of them are "in contention", then I should be able to engineer a profit.

2011-02-28T20:31:00.000Z

COINFLIPS AND HOW TO LOSE THEM...

Online poker: -£203 (-39): CC game: +£13 (-22): APAT: -£50 (_)

Matched betting this month = +£134; This year = +£261

Profit on Month = +£73 Profit on Year = +£21

Poker continues to be a serious struggle at the moment - I can't win a coinflip to save my life and of course that is not a good status report when you are playing mainly tourneys and the odd sng. It's very waring indeed. What the sort of trot I have had since the New Year must be like for someone who is seriously involved in playing poker for a living is horrible to think about.

BUT. I have Matched Betting to save the day. It continues to go swimmingly and as a result I am now marginally up on the year betting wise.

The trouble with having a sustained bad run when you are playing poker is that you start to question the verities that gave you a winning game in the first place and then you get caught out all over again. I'm fully aware of this and am battling to control it, but it's not a lot of fun.

The Cricket Club game the other night had a classic. I was eliminated on the bubble (3 way coin flip - ahead before the flop - lost) and went to join the "cash game" that develops from the losers. Second hand. 4 players. I have AKoff in the BB. Fold, Fold, call from SB. SB I know to be a very loose player, so I raise 5x. Call. Flop 962 rainbow. I go all in. He calls and shows K6 off suit. To add insult to injury, another 6 comes on the turn and that is that. When you are running bad, you are running bad...and players as bad as this make a profit...sigh.

So, a bit out of love with poker at the moment, but I know this will eventually end. At least I finally cashed in a tournament last night, even if it was before the serious end of the money and, inevitably, to a bad beat - four flushed with AQ v AJ.

2011-01-30T22:11:00.000Z

AN UNHAPPY START TO THE NEW POKER YEAR

Online poker: -£164

CC game: +£35

APAT: -£50

Matched betting: +£127

Profit on Month = -£52 Profit on Year = -£52

I've had little joy at the virtual tables this month, with a losing sequence of 24 games before I finally won something. Since the vast majority of these were tournaments, a losing streak like this isn't the greatest surprise in the world - the variance in these things is so great that a sequence like this is inevitable. However as well as the usual bunch of suckouts I also think I was playing badly a lot of the time. Too much messing about calculating lays for matched bets in European bookies rather than concentrating on my games!

I've cut that out and I've also decided to try to run up another winning sequence of sng's before I go back to trying tourneys again regularly. Discipline needed.

The matched betting continues to tick along nicely - I've virtually worked my way through the British and Irish ones now and I'm moving into the Europeans. I've also started experimenting with "dutching" using "asian handicaps" and other such exotica.

Highlight of the month was playing with the Raise the River folk in the APAT team tournament in Bolton. Sadly there were lots of drop outs for various reasons. Still it was good to meet up with Cogs, Amatay, DoV, Ant and Jakattack from the RtR games. Bully and BurnleyMik turned up in the evening. Because of the dropouts my mate Steve from the Cricket club game got a run out. He enjoyed the experience of playing against decent players in a good atmosphere. Sadly we failed to cover ourselves in glory, finishing about 15 of 25 in the end I think. I lasted till about 9.30 in the evening, mainly thanks to Aces holding up against Kings. With only 7x big blinds left I felt I had to go with an all in with tens against a big stacks early position raise. He showed AQ and hit both of his cards so it was "good night Vienna".

Unhighlight of the evening was the buffet. This featured a beef stew that was seriously awful. There were any number of plates distributed round the restaurant area with little cairns of this seriously inedible beef!

2010-12-28T17:39:00.000Z

A bink for Christmas!

Absolute: Last Month $1607; Current $2661 (+1054)
Poker Stars: Last month $123; Current $104 (-19)
Full Tilt: Last month $118; Current $ (+19)
888: Last month $828; Current $723 (-105)
Total = $3,486 (+949) = £1,937
Profit in the month = -$949 Profit in the year = +$2,999
B&M = £199 (+23)
Betfair = £1,290 (+221)
Total = £1,486 B&M Profit in year +£1,327.

TOTAL PROFIT FOR YEAR = £3,264

Normally on Christmas Eve we go round to a friend's house for a gathering, but this year it wasn't possible because so many of the family were poorly with one bug or another. So I fired up a tournament qualifier on Titan (that a very nice Chinese lady called Honey had phoned me to say was available) and another $15 tourney on Absolute. Damn me if I didn't turn round an win them both (my first ever outright tournament wins and both within half an hour of each other). The Absolute win meant that I could up "Dad's Christmas Poker Bonus" to my two daughters to £400 each, which was enthusiastically received.

The tournament qualifier was a good laugh. There were two "tokens" available as prizes ($320 entry into a $200K Guaranteed Tournament). When we had got down to the last three I had about 20K in chips and the other two guys had 120K each. Not promising. However, I went all in with 77 and they both called me with overcards - clearly hoping that one of the two of them would take me out and that would be the end of proceedings. However the flop came 345 rainbow and the turn was a glorious 6! They muttered away in chat about the iniquity of this for some time. Meanwhile I hit a couple more hands took one of them out and that was it. Nice.

Sadly the tournament itself didn't amount to much for me. I went all in with QQ against 77 and was four flushed. Sigh.

It is interesting to look back at what I posted as my objectives in December last year. These were...

a) Basic game on-line: $11 then $22 SnG's with a profit on year objective of $1,000.

B) Play some MTT's on Stars when I have the time (good for practicing tourney technique).

b) Play on-line games on Blue Square in the APAT leagues. (I'll put $200 into Blue Square to set that up).

c) Play some more B & M tourneys (especially APAT) when they are available. (I'll set aside £200 to fund that).

For the first half of the year I played the sng's as my main game and ground out a steady profit (that is where most of the Absolute bankroll came from). I moved to turbos and never played more than 2 at once (basically because I couldn't be bothered). I moved up to 22's and had some wins there too.

However, over the summer when I had a bit of time, I tried out a few tournaments and, because I was initially successful I decided to put most of my efforts in that direction. Again, I haven't been going mad with it - just two at a time and then some multi-table sng's if I bust out early. These have been profitable and I have a 100% roi for the ones I regularly play on 888.com (Pacific). I like these as they have just the right number of players so that they don't last for ever and there are plenty of donks willing to double you through if you hit something tasty early on. Sadly I haven't actually managed to bink a Pacific one yet, though I have finished 2nd, 3rd and 4th! Anyway - profit overall in the year has been nearly treble my $1,000 objective, so I am well pleased with that.

The main improvement in my game? Definitely it is making a point of NOT calling big bets unless I am holding a serious made hand. I have a "post it" that I put below my screen that reads "big bets = big hands". I still make mistakes (indeed I did in the renewed Bloggerment the other weekend when I called a river bet with a flop of QQx when I was holding KK)...but I don't make as many as I used to.

I've been taking a bit of a liking to the $11 x 45 man scheduled games on Absolute and the $6 x 90 man games on Full Tilt. Both are very soft and provide a good option if I've been eliminated from tournaments. I have the bankroll and the mental attitude now to be able to see off long runs of losing games, which are of course inevitable when you are playing tournaments and multi-table sng's.

I played some of the APAT league games but didn't always remember to sign up. The first division ones are quite tough. I only managed to final table once and that was when I played in the second division by mistake! I've played a couple of the online APAT's as well but no joy there so far.

The cricket club game that I play in on a Thursday night is ticking along nicely now - we regularly get 13/14 players and once got up to 26. My roi is 84%, so I can't complain :-)

Nearly 40% of my winnings this year have come from "matched betting". This is a wonderful method of boosting the Betfair bankroll using my poker funds and the good news is that I still have lots of British bookies "to do" before I move on to the Euros, American facings and then Aussies. A nice little earner for about an hour a week's work.

So what are the plans then?

a) Carry on with the mix of tourneys and sng's as my basic on-line games. Since I should set something that is in the jargon "challenging but achievable" I will go for an in year profit of $5,000+ for the on line play.

b) Play some more b & m tournaments using the matched betting roll to fund them. Let's say 5 including APAT if any of them are adjacent.

c) Play the APAT on-line tourneys and final table at least one of them (again funding this via the Betfair matched betting roll).

A Prosperous New Year to all my readers!

2010-11-28T21:31:00.000Z

TURNING IT ROUND.

Absolute: Last Month $1607; Current $1607 (-)
Poker Stars: Last month $123; Current $123 (-)
Full Tilt: Last month $118; Current $118 (-)
888: Last month $101; Current $828 (+727)
Total = $2537 (+727)
Profit in the month = -$727 Profit in the year = +$1,949
B&M = £173 (+16)
Betfair = £1,069 (+309)
Total = £1,242 B&M Profit in year +£1,106.

The horrible run of the previous month ended almost immediately into November. I've played 20 tournament games on Pacific and final tabled 3 of them including a 2nd place along with 4 other cashes. My roi on there is now just over 150%. The second place came last Friday and it meant that I was playing until 2.30 in the morning, which I didn't really want to do since I was going to the APAT Coventry event the next day. Glad I did though as I very nearly binked the thing and was ahead in the heads up several times - it went on for half an hour. All my sng experience definitely came in useful - it was just a coin flip which went wrong that cost me in the end.

The APAT Coventry was good craic but ultimately unsuccessful. It was good to meet up with Ant and Mair again. One of Ant's friends, Michelle, was beside me at my first table. She was eliminated very early on, with a horrific "bad beat", when her 55's on a flop of 533 were eventually called all in by...33 of course.

It turned out to be no bad thing for her, as she then joined the £250 pro game and came 2nd in it. I would have tried that tourney myself, if eliminated early as there was a big overlay on it with only 11 players and a £1,000 GUKPT seat for the winner in addition to the prize money. Indeed we were discussing this option just before her exit!

It was one of those tournaments where my big hands weren't called early on (since I was playing very tight and making heafty raises this wasn't too surprising). Then in the middle part I was totally card dead for 3 levels and didn't do anything but fold. Of course I then had to start making some moves and they held to get me back into the thing. At around 11.00 I went all in with QQ was called behind by AK and he hit a King on the flop and that was that.

If I'd won that I'd have been right in the mixer, but that's how tournament poker goes. Anyway I enjoyed playing and there was a good atmosphere about the whole thing.

Mind you I could have done without the ABBA tribute band in the concert room next door. I loathed ABBA when they first appeared and nothing I heard suggested I should change my opinion!

Meanwhile the "matched betting" goes from strength to strength, building up the roll in Betfair. I'll use it to play some live tournaments next year, with some of the side events in the GUKPT having an appeal.

2010-10-30T00:19:00.000+01:00

SUFFERING TIME.

Absolute: Last Month $1737; Current $1607 (-130)
Poker Stars: Last month $123; Current $123 (-)
Full Tilt: Last month $118; Current $118 (-)
888: Last month $190; Current $101 (-89)
Total = $1,810 (-$219)
Profit in the month = -$219 Profit in the year = +$1,222
B&M = £157 (-)
Betfair = £760 (+268)
Total = £917 B&M Profit in year +£682.

It has been a truely vile month for my poker. I can't win a game to save my life and it has been horribly fascinating to watch it unfold. First up in the horror show - Aces. I've had them beaten by Q4 off, Q9 off (10 minutes later in a different game) and QJs and the usual motley assortment of pairs hitting trips. It got to the stage where I was looking forward, with interest, to see what could beat them next. I couldn't even win when I reverted to my regular sng's. I shudder to imagine BurnleyMik's response to the run I've had. :-)

In the Cricket Club game I had a classic. I had KK and raised (like you do), 1 caller. Flop comes 88K. Raise. All in from caller. I call. She has 88. SIGH. It's been that sort of month. Ok, I've got that off my chest now, so no more bad beat stories.

The Cricket Club game has actually got quite interesting for me, in that I am struggling to win at it, as I used to. There is a cash game afterwards, which I regularly recoup any losses at, but the game itself is quite challenging because there are so many very loose players currently.

Last night was a classic. I made a big bet with AQs and was called (as expected) by one of the loosies. Nothing flop. I go all in. He calls and turns over A4. 4 on the turn. You couldn't make it up. I am going to experiment with a more laggy approach myself, because there are too many of these players and one or two of them always seems to get chipped up and then dominate the table with big stacks. I'm going to have to adjust to win I think.

Because my MTT career got off to such a massive start I am still very much up of course and I knew that a correction was coming - I just wasn't expecting such a horrible one. You live and learn.

Anyway, I'm still up on the month thanks to the wonderful "matched betting". This is going swimmingly and am taking in +£50 a week from this source. I've now started doing the same for my eldest daughter, laying off the bets for her on my Betfair account. A nice little earner for her.

I'm looking forward to my next live poker experience - the APAT European Amateur tournament in Coventry at the end of November. Let's hope I can keep up my live APAT event record - time to turn things round!

2010-09-26T19:07:00.000+01:00

MOVING OVER TO TOURNAMENTS.

Absolute: Last Month $1577; Current $1737 (+160)
Poker Stars: Last month $123; Current $123 (-)
Full Tilt: Last month $118; Current $118 (-)
888: Last month $0; Current $190 (+190)
Total = $2,029 (+350)
Profit in the month = +$350 Profit in the year = +$1,441
B&M = £157 (+11)
Betfair = £492 (+203)
Total = £649 B&M Profit in year +£414.

I've now moved most of my online poker playing over to playing tournaments now with only the occasional Sng when I don't have time for a tourney or I've been knocked out early. My "regular" is the $1.5K Gtd. on Absolute but I've also been playing the $2K Gtd on 888 and a $3.5K Gtd on Betfair. They are all $11 games. The nice thing about them is that, not only are these games soft, but they don't have the huge fields that you have to plow through on the likes of Tilt and Stars - that is much more to my taste.

I've played 29 games, cashing 11 times and final tabling 8 for a total profit on these of $976 over the last couple of months. Still no outright win so far - the best I've done is 3rd, but it surely has to come.

The main improvement I've made to my game, which lies behind these results, is developing significantly tighter calling ranges against bets late in these tournaments. I worked out that I was giving myself far to many "coin flips" with hands which were quite good, but not enough to guarantee domination. It's better to pass and retain the fold equity of the first bet all in, when in the later stages of these things. It's certainly been working well for me so far.

Meanwhile the matched betting has been jogging along nicely and I've still not attacked the big ones yet. This is building up a nice stash in Betfair where I'm going to have a bash at some of their higher level tourneys with the dosh accumulated.

I'm also plotting going to the APAT European tourney in Coventry in late November. It will be good to meet up with some of the Raise the River folk again, as I expect quite a few will be going.

2010-08-27T22:01:00.000+01:00

A BIT OF MATCHING.

Absolute: Last Month $1416; Current $1577 (+161)
Poker Stars: Last month $110; Current $123 (+13)
Full Tilt: Last month $151; Current $118 (-33)
Total = $1,679 (+141)
Profit in the month = +$141 Profit in the year = +$1,091
B&M = £146 (+36)
Betfair = £289 (+151)
Total = £435. B&M Profit in year +£200.

What with being on holiday, although I haven't played as many games as I usually would in a month, I have played more tournaments - mainly the $1500 Guraranteed on Absolute at 7.00 PM. Of the 9 I've played this month I've final tabled three times and this has been the source of my profits. I've run poorly on my regular sng's, otherwise the profits would have been greater - just one of those things. I've been getting my MTT game nicely grooved now and definitely managed to improve my play. I'd like to find some more tournaments starting at 7.00 PM with 150 or so runners.

The main source of interest has been the increase in the Betfair wedge. This has been achieved by doing some "matched betting" by signing up for the bonuses at betting sites and then laying off the qualifying bets and "free bets" on Betfair. I read about it in "The Guardian" here and one of the sites recommended in the article can be found here.

It has worked nicely and I've been picking off two betting sites a week and made £151 so far. There are one or two wrinkles to look out for. Some of the sites (Paddy Power and Betfred so far) don't like you putting your money in via Neteller or Moneybookers. They won't actually tell you why, but they have things in their terms and conditions about it - so always check those out in advance. I've also found that "Betclic" (and possibly others) won't let you withdraw money without photo ID (irritating to have to do, but not a problem as I have a scanner - but not necessarily easy for everyone). If any of you want to do this via an introduction from me, that would be nice as some sites (like Betfair and indeed as is common with poker sites) have introduction offers. The person introduced gets a better deal too. A nice little way of boosting the poker bankroll and I intend to use the money raised to enter a much higher stakes live tournament than I would usually manage, some time in the not too distant future. Of course it's also fun taking money off bookies!

Big news of the month was "Mair" from the Raise the River forum, making the final table of the UKIPT event in Edinburgh where she finished 8th and won £2400. Well done that lass!

2010-07-26T23:45:00.000+01:00

STEPPING UP

Absolute: Last Month $1146; Current $1416 (+270)
Poker Stars: Last month $98; Current $110 (+12)
Full Tilt: Last month $164; Current $151 (-13)
Total = $1,538 (+128)
Profit in the month = +$269 Profit in the year = +$950
B&M = £111 (-13)
Betfair = £138 (-)
Total = £249. B&M Profit in year +£49.

The main news this month is that I have stepped up to playing $22 sng's (well actually $20 + $1.80 on Absolute) as my regular game now. Things have gone
ok, the standard isn't appreciably better that's for sure. Meanwhile, with it being the school holidays, I've had a bit more time and played a couple of
tournaments - the $1,500 Gtd. on Absolute. I came 3rd in one for $180 and 4th in the other of $152, which is the main source of profit for this month. These seem pretty soft to me, so I'll have a bash any time I have the evening to spare.

The sad news is the demise of the rakeback tournaments on Sunday evenings on FT. These were a nice little earner, giving me a bit of a wedge on FT. However FT seem to have changed their criteria and because I don't actually have rakeback from them, I can't play in it any more - sigh. The rakeback
site are going to organise something else for non FT rakeback members, but its a shame nevertheless as it was a soft game with a very good "overlay".

I played in a tournament at the G in Manchester on Sunday afternoon. Sixty five starters and I finished 23rd. Wide range of ability to put it mildly!
There was a Vietnamese woman (with a broad Manchester accent) beside me. She was a wildly loose player - on one occassion, which staggered the entire
table, she went all in on the flop on a KKQ rainbow board having already accidentally turned over the 4 of spades. There was one player already all in and another to play. He called her and she won with Jack high, when the board paired again! Didn't last too much longer though. I'd play there again as I think I was getting a feel for it.

Meanwhile after reading an article in "The Guardian", I have a "matched betting" thing going utilising free bets on sports betting sites and Betfair. If it works out as planned, I'll let folks know more about it. Could be a useful "bankroll booster".

2010-06-27T21:32:00.000+01:00

...FOLLOWED BY AN INDIFFERENT MONTH

Absolute: Last Month $1112; Current $1146 (+34)
Poker Stars: Last month $105; Current $98 (-7)
Full Tilt: Last month $184; Current $164 (-20)
Total = $1,408 (+7)
Profit in the month = +$7 Profit in the year = +$681
B&M = £124 (+11)
Betfair = £138 (-)
Total = £262. B&M Profit in year +£62

This month started well with a win in the Cricket Club game and a successful transition to $20 + 1.80 turbo sng's on Absolute. The standard in the 20's is no better than the 10's or 11's as they are now for some reason. As string of 8 cashes in succession saw me +$220 on the month, but things have gone totally pear shaped since then. I've had a horrible run of 10 losing games interspersed with one 3rd place to see me more or less back where I started. Runs like this are nothing unusual of course but it's irritating just the same. At least four of those were on the bubble as well - SIGH.

Meanwhile I couldn't win anywhere else either. I've had a go at some $5.5 tourneys on FT in a Raise the River syndicate and failed to cash in any of them - close on a couple of occasions but no cigar.

I was quite surprised after the trot I've had to find that I was just above breaking even. It can't be all bad if you can achieve that while running bad.

Meanwhile I'm casting around for a bricks and mortar tournament to go to during the summer holidays. Anything up to £100 buy in considered. If anyone knows of any likely candidates in the north west/Yorkshire areas please let me know.

2010-05-29T16:30:00.000+01:00

A DECENT MONTH

Absolute: Last Month $1065; Current $1112 (+47)
Poker Stars: Last month $118; Current $105 (-13)
Full Tilt: Last month $0; Current $184 (+184)
Total = $1,401 (+218)
Profit in the month = +$218 Profit in the year = +$674
B&M = £113 (-)
Betfair = £138 (-£9)
Total = £251. B&M Profit in year +£51

After having a consistent run in the Cricket Club game since Christmas, where I only failed to cash once, I've now lost two on the trot. Both were to "bad beats" where I went in best and guys sucked out on me with unlikely river cards...so it goes. Finished third this week though.

The main story this month has been the re-establishment of a roll on Full Tilt. The first $75 of it came from a rakeback company freeroll on FT, which is held there every Sunday night at 8.00 PM. I'm going to be a regular in this, as I'm sure it should prove to be lucrative. There are usually about 240 runners and the top 45 are paid with the smallest prize $30. This is much better than the average tournament where only the top 10% are paid and serious amounts don't appear until the final table. 1st is $600. They have my full attention. It's a turbo 6 man format, but hey, I'm not complaining.

I used the money to speculate on some .1/.25 Rush poker. I'm not bankrolled for it, but I thought I'd give it a go using the strategy described in the last post. Initially this went great and I had spun the 75 up to 200 after just three 1 hour sessions. Since then something approaching normality has set in (ie. variance). I've been up to 317 but then had a run of losing sessions to take me down to 187. In retrospect I realise that I went on tilt after one hand in particular where I was all in pre with AA against heavy betting from two other players. Only one called my final all in and he had KK. He hit a king on the river. The pot was $84 - massive for this level. I thought I was handling this ok, but realised later that I was deviating from my strategy and calling and chasing things that I normally wouldn't consider, thus costing me more.

Wierd really, because the same thing in a SnG (hell, 27 off sucking out against AA in a SnG) wouldn't phase me for more than a few minutes - it's such a regular feature of those games - in both directions. Different game, different psychology. In fact something similar happened last night in a couple of $5 tournaments I played on FT. I had AA beaten by KK in one and KK beaten by AJs in the other. I just shrugged and moved on.

2010-05-23T14:38:00.000+01:00

The official Krostdat .1/.25 Rush poker strategy.

This has been working for me so far, so I thought I'd put it out there and invite comments.

For me the obvious advantages of Rush Poker are that you can't really use tracking software on it and self-evidently you can get through a serious volume of games without having to multi-table.

My strategy is designed to take advantage of high volume of players who are "quick folding" anything remotely requiring thought.

The only hands I bother with in early position are AA; KK; QQ; JJ; AKs; AQs. Middle I open up to AJs ATs and pairs 7's up. Late it's any pair and any suited Ace. All of these I open for a 3xBB raise. I fold to any raise in front of me, except with the premium hands (naturally) and where I have a pair and think I can stack off a "big stack" with a pair hitting trips (there are no "implied odds" with a small stack).

When I get callers I always bet the pot as a continuation bet if it is checked to me regardless of whether I've hit or not. Most people are playing "fit or fold" and will move on unless they have a hand. If I get a call, I back off unless I've actually hit something big style myself. There are few players doing anything sophisticated here, so a bet almost always means what it says - he has some sort of hand. In practice my continuation bets are taking down these small pots (usually around 7xBB $1.75) about 80% of the time, so they have to be good value. They keep me "ticking over".

What I am really looking for is hitting sets or nut flushes when I can stack people off. This sort of approach would be pretty tedious at a slow pace, but at the Rush Poker pace you can get the right sort of situation frequently enough to make it worth waiting for. The big pairs play themselves, but I have lost an all in with AA to AK hitting a straight, but that sort of thing is going to happen 20% of the time.

The other key principle I try to keep in mind (it's on a "post it" on my monitor!) is big bets = big hands. I lost a hand I should have folded the other day when my AJs hit a flop of AJ6 rainbow. I let myself get sucked in and lost two thirds of a buy in when the guy turned out to have AA. If the betting is getting large you need at least trips to still be hanging in there. Very few people are bluffing.

That's it...ABC poker and so far it seems to be working. Comments and thoughts most welcome.

2010-05-19T20:13:00.000+01:00

"IN A BIT OF A RUSH"

I won $75 in a tournament run by the rakeback site I'm with. It happened to be on Full Tilt, so that meant I suddenly had a bit of a wedge on that site again.

So...I thought I'd have a look at "Rush" poker - the speed version of a cash game which they've invented where you can quick fold and move on to a completely new table in seconds. Not having a lot of experience as a cash game no limit player, I wasn't expecting much, but blow me if I didn't quickly find myself up $80 after three quarters of an hour ... and that after I'd lost a full $25 buy in when my AA was beaten by AKs which hit a straight on the river.

I could get to like this, I thought and went back for another half hour later surprising myself by winning another $45 taking my roll on FT to $200. Not bad considering it didn't exist 6 days ago!

All I did was play ABC poker, but I have to admit I did "run good", in terms of my good hands holding.

I've just had another bash tonight and dropped $28 due to AA being rivered when up against QQ. But it's certainly a good alternative when I don't have the time to sit down for a series of SnG's.

2010-05-15T14:51:00.000+01:00

"THE POKER MINDSET"

Lots of folk on the Raise the River forum have recommended "The Poker Mindset" by Ian Taylor and Matthew Hilger. I've managed to get myself a copy (via Amazon, but sent from the USA) and I have to say that I would rate it alongside Collin Moshman's book on "Sit and Go Strtegy" as one of the best poker books I have read. I'm sure it is one that I will go back to time after time.

There is nothing in it that is earth shattering, it just very simply and concisely sets out the poker verities around variance, "bad beats", tilt, bankroll management and the like. The fundamental point is that, if you are a winning player, you need to maintain all the positive aspects of your game that got you there, through the inevitable tilt inducing periods of losing sequences. We've all been there, or if you haven't you soon will be.

Funny enough the things I've most taken to heart are the bits least related to that. These are the need to constantly seek to improve your game ("he that's not busy being born is busy dying") and the chapter on analysing and reading other players. I think I've been a tad lazy with my poker development and settled into a bit of a "comfort zone". I have an roi of 20%+ at $11 SnG's and the temptation is to just plod along at that. However I really want to develop an effective tournament game, so I'm going to put a bit of work into that.

I've also been unfocussed around analysing and predicting other players when I'm in live games. I need to learn to do this more and my little weekly game at the Cricket Club is an ideal spot to practice this.

I had an unusual early exit in that game this week. I had about 12xBBs when I raised 3xBB in middle position with 88 and got called by one of the best regular players in the big blind. The flop came Qh 8h 6h. Big blind who has a smaller stack than me, goes all in. I can't pass that - even if he has the flush, which I doubt, I have the chances of a boat. So I call. He shows Qs 9s. Turn 5. River a 7...giving him a straight. He hadn't even seen it himself. Sigh. As the "Poker Mindset" would have it, you can only keep making the best plays.

2010-04-30T20:48:00.000+01:00

ROYAL FLUSH !

Absolute: Last Month $1000; Current $1065 (+65)
Poker Stars: Last month $137; Current $118 (-19)
Total = $1,183 (+46)
Profit in the month = +$46 Profit in the year = +$456
B&M = £113 (+£19)
Betfair = £147 (-£18)
Total = £260. B&M Profit in year +£60

I've been playing online poker for about six years now and a couple of nights ago I had my first royal flush (making it also my first ever straight flush)...and what's more I scored with it. It was in the mid section of a sng and my AT diamonds hit a flop of KdJd3c. A guy went big (33) and with all those outs I went all in. He called and I hit the Qd on the river. He was a bit peeved actually, but I wasn't folding that draw.

I've carried on playing the turbo sng's and seem to have them fairly well sussed. The variance is a bit higher (I started the month with a $77 downswing) but it's nice to get more games in without multi-tabling. I can multi-table, but after a day's work it feels a bit too much like more work - I don't need it.

During the downswing I found myself getting sucked into playing too many hands early on. It's so easy to do and such a major mistake. One laggy player in particular really got my goat. Early in the game I standard raised three times with big Aces. Each time he called me and hit two pair (he showed), forcing me to fold to his bet on the flop the first two times. The third time I had AK, hit a K on the flop and just couldn't believe he could have done it again. He damned well did - he'd hit his K3 off and put me out. A lesson re-learned. Early on, play these hands really big from the start, if you play them at all.

Meanwhile I can make nothing at all of the APAT league games. In the latest run out I finished 31/101, which is actually my highest finish so far - not impressive stuff. To get that far I had to luck out with 88 v QQ. I suppose I shouldn't moan. These games are definitely harder than the general $10 games - eventually a good run in one will come.

Certainly I continue to fancy the $11 36 man sng's on Absolute. Unfortunately they've been running a promotion on $11 tournaments this month, which seems to have attracted away all the regs from these sng's. I've only played one this month but I finished 4th in it and felt very comfortable throughout.

Meanwhile the Raise the River guys are away for a team event in Newcastle over the bank holiday weekend. Sadly I couldn't make it to defend my "last longest" title, but dD has vowed to nit up and give it a go. Now it is inevitable that drink will be taken, so I just hope that Dave "No Shoes" ( see post on the APAT team event in January) doesn't go native and end up minus his shirt in the Bigg Market on Saturday night.

2010-04-23T23:10:00.000+01:00

The old and the new.

When I first played poker in the 1960's we basically played 5 card draw with some variations like "Southern Cross" (don't ask) and "Seven Card Stud" thrown in for interest. 3 card "Brag" was another popular game, which used to get quite ferocious with the "betting only finished when there were two players left" rule. I look back now and shudder. I didn't have the blindest notion what I was doing back then, but I think I can safely say that neither did anyone else in our group, since somehow I contrived to be a winning player!

When I started playing again some five years ago, after a lapse of, let's just say a few years, the game that was all the rage was of course Texas Hold'em - easy to learn and equally easy to lose money at. The big difference was that, thanks to the internet, there was no lack of instruction available on how to play effectively - the only real task was to sort the wheat from the chaff. Nothing stands still of course and now the "coming game" is "Pot Limit Omaha". This is a particularly evil variant, full of temptations, where very high hands can appear from all angles.

If the spirit of adventure is with you, you could do a lot worse than look here for some guidance on how to play Pot Limit Omaha. And if you want to take a trip down nostalgia boulevard, you could try here for instruction on how to play Seven Card Stud.

2010-04-20T20:19:00.000+01:00

A TALE OF TWO RIVERS

I had a go at the £20 (+5) game at the G Casino in Bolton. Early doors I had a nice double up when my 99 hit a flop of 9h6c5c. The other guy bet the pot, I doubled it and he called. Ten on the turn. He checks, I bet pot, he calls. Ten of clubs on the river, giving me the full house. I go all in, he calls. He had 78 for the flopped straight. He said he thought I had to have the flush or house and shouldn't have called the river bet. Correct. If he had gone all in early doors, I would have too, so neither of us could have got away from the hand really.

I was then totally card dead for 3 levels and then had to make some moves as the blinds increased, which went ok. Then, with about half the field gone, and a 12xBB stack I got TT in middle position. Big bet from me, after one limper - two callers. Flop comes 455 two clubs. Guy who called in early makes a half pot bet and I go all in and he calls. He shows 66 including a club. The turn...8. River a xxxxing 7. Still, at least I got home in time to get a good night's sleep. Did I regard that as a consolation?

Mary's charity game went ok, with ten players. It ended up with BurnleyMik and me heads up, with Mik winning. That makes it 1 - 1 in our recent heads up matches...I'll get him next time :-)

2010-04-10T22:48:00.000+01:00

COME AND JOIN A GAME IN A GOOD CAUSE

Next Sunday, alongside the "Bloggerment" which I regularly play, there is a game on PokerStars in aid of a cancer charity. This has been organised by "Mair", one of my regular (and best!) Bloggerment opponents. Do try to get along and join in. The details are...

Pokerstars
Sunday 18th April
8.30pm
$10 Buy In
password: Mair38 (it's a capital "M")
Tourney Number: 261128458

Be there or be square...

2010-03-31T19:35:00.000+01:00

Get in!!

Absolute Bet: Last month $646; Current $1000 (+354)
Poker Stars: Last month $168; Current $137 (-31)

Total = $1,137 (+323)

Profit on the month = +$323

Profit on the year = +$410

B&M = £94 (+£34)

Betfair = £165 (-£35)

Total = £259.

Profit on year + £59

I'm updating the end of the month stats because I had a really nice couple of wins last night. I decided to give the Turbo's a go. I came second in a $5.5 one. Having decided I liked the format I then went for an $11 one and won that.

Following on the priciple mentioned in my last post, I then had a go at a $11 36 manner and won that too for $133 ($174 on the night). This is easily my biggest
on line win. I thought I had the beating of these and it's nice to prove the point so quickly.

2010-03-27T18:19:00.000Z

A WHOLE NEW POKER CONCEPT!

Absolute Bet: Last week $646; Current $841 (+195)
Poker Stars: Last month $168; Current $153 (-15)
Total = $994 (+180)
Profit on the month = +$180
Profit on the year = +$267

B&M = £94 (+£34)
Betfair = £165 (-£35)
Total = £259.
Profit on year + £59

Some more fine entertainment at the Cricket Club game. We've had another influx of young players from the club, displaying I think it is safe to say a broad spectrum of ability. One of them was in a pot with a regular. Early doors, the reg goes 3xBB and the new guy calls. K42 rainbow - Reg bets pot. New guy calls. Turn 8. Pot bet; called. River J. Pot bet: called. Reg turns over AK. The new guy shows 10 6 off. One of his mates asks him, "What was that all about?" "I was bluffin'!"

It's a whole new poker concept folks - the bluff call!

Meanwhile I've continued to do quite nicely in the game - I've cashed every time I've played, bar one, since Christmas. Even then it's not a write off as there is a "cash game" full of LAG's that you just have to wait for a hand to get paid off in.

I've lumped that little wedge in with the Betfair/APAT stuff, as it is all geared towards playing in a live High Stakes Poker Tournament at some point in the year. The Manchester team is in there pitching in Division 1 of the APAT league, but I have yet to make a significant contribution - hopefully this weekend will see that put right.

My "bread and butter" $11 SnG's on Absolute have been going nicely. 27 games played with 7 1st places making the big difference from earlier this year. I had been playing the odd $11 tournament (the "$1200 Guranteed") but these seem to have disappeared now. However I have spotted some soft looking 36 man SnG's (1st prize $144). I didn't cash in the two I've played but I'm sure I can. The current "cunning plan" is to play one of these every time I make a 1st place in a $11 SnG. We shall see.

2010-02-24T20:56:00.000Z

INTO THE BLACK.

Absolute Bet: Last week $527; Current $642 (+115)
Poker Stars: Last month $144; Current $168 (+24)

Total = $810 (+139)

Betfair: Current £200

Profit on the month = + $139

Profit on the year = + $60

B&M money = £60 (+ £14)

I've managed to turn round my bad start to the year and get the bankroll heading north again. I worked out what the main leak in my game was - it turned out that I was making too many negative equity ICM decisions. Once I had identified this my results improved quickly. I've also played the $1200 guaranteed $11 tournament on Absolute three times. I fancy this one, as it starts at 7.30 and usually has fewer than 200 runners - so if you run deep there is a realistic chance of getting to bed at a reasonable time. Close to the money on two occasions, but no cigar so far. One of them was an exit in the first ten minutes - amazing for me. I ended up all in with AK of diamonds on a board of Ah 6d 4d...Turn Jh...River 8d. He had 5d7d for the straight flush...SIGH.

I've put a couple of hundred from the B&M money into Betfair so that I can play some of the APAT games. I had set it aside for entries to the live games but sadly none of them are anywhere near the north west of England - Aberdeen, Swansea, Dublin and Luton don't cut it for me I'm afraid. The next local one is the team tourney I played in last month, which will be held in Bolton in January next year. It seems a long way off. There is a one day event at Dusk to Dawn in Nottingham in the summer which I might try to get to - Nottingham is doable in a day. Meantime I'm going to have a punt at some of the online APAT games, which is why I put a wedge into Betfair. Horrible software though.

Games at the Cricket Club continue to make a small but steady profit. The scene has settled down into a regular 12 - 16 players. There are about 4 of us who play a tight/aggressive game, a similar number of weak/tights and the rest are serious loose/aggressives. They tend to dominate early on with one or two usually eliminating a couple of their number and getting big stacks they try to boss the table with. Most weeks the game comes down to two or three TAG's hunting down a LAG and usually the TAG's win, which is why playing poker is clearly a game of skill. :-)

2010-01-26T21:53:00.000Z

SWINGS, ROUNDABOUTS, VARIANCE AND DONKEYS HEADS!.

Absolute Bet: Last week $600; Current $527 (-73)
Poker Stars: Last month $150; Current $144 (-6)

Total = $ 672 (-79)

Profit on the month = -79

Profit on the year = -79

B&M money = £246 (+46)

Life online has been very trying this month. I've played 30 $11 SnG's and ended up down $73. Despite doing well in the Bloggerment, I'm also down a little bit on Stars, as I managed to get sucked into some cash Pot Limit Omaha. I'm a long way short of having a game plan there, so I'll give that a miss in future.

In my "bread and butter" SnG's, it's all the usual "bad beat" type stuff, being sucked out on in key hands where you were ahead etc. The worst run was 7 games without a cash - nowhere near my record, which is twice that. I didn't have an outright win until the 28th game. That is the real cause of the problem. Turning a healthy percentage of cashes into wins is vital. Anyway, hopefully things will turn round and I will get into the black again. I've been here before.

I've certainly turned things round at the cricket club where I cashed in both games played.

However, by far the best craic was the APAT UK Forum Team Championship at the G Casino in Manchester, where I played for the "Raise the River" team. I finally got to meet lots of folk off the forum that I regularly play in the "Bloggerment", including Mair, Hammerheid, Bullmeister, Ant, DoV, dD, Lou Saban and Gorvacorfin in addition to the motley crew I'd met up with in Bolton, BurnleyMik, Snakeyes and NoCash. I certainly took dD by surprise - he wasn't expecting someone even more ancient than himself! :-)

Hammer, Snake and Mik were well up there in the drinking stakes but the prize (to nobody's great surprise I suspect) has to go to NoCash, who woke up the next morning minus his shoes!? Well done that man. The Norn Irish and the Geordies provided some stiff competition for service at the bar too - more of them later.

I was back to back at my table with Ant at the next one. For the first 3 levels we competed very effectively with each other to see who could play the fewest hands - yes, I won :-). I had AQ raised, hit the Q on a two spade flop, bet the pot and got called. Blank on the turn. Overbet the pot, got called. Spade on the river. Bet from opponant - fold. He had the flush of course. Sigh.

Amazingly the first player out was last year's winner, Mair. Glory is fleeting and all that.

For the remainder of the day (it finished at 2.00 in the morning) I played 5 more hands, winning all of them. However, mostly I only took the blinds, as nobody took me to a showdown. Given the ultra tight way I had been playing, that was hardly surprising. The rest of the RtR team were gradually whittled away, until there was only BurnleyMik and myself left.

I was left with a stack of 46K to start the second day with Mik on about 37K. Somewhat surprisingly there were no huge chip leaders among the 31 players (of 160) left - even the biggest only had about 30xBBs. So we were almost all in with a shout. Players were gradually whittled away but I was totally card dead and had to make the odd all in blind steal just to stay with a stack that could realistically make people fold. With antes as well as escalating blinds this tactic is vital to survival. Eventually I had to make a move with about 7 BB's left and went all in with a pair of 6's against a big stack. He called me with a big Ace but a six came on the flop and I was chipped back into it again.

When his table broke up Mik ended up on mine, two places to my right with one of the Irish guys between us. He was getting to the stage when he had to make a move and went all in on my Big Blind. I had A10. Cue major trance as I thought things through. If I called one of us was going out and therefore we would have no chance of going deep in the team tournament (we both needed to figure high on the final table to even have an outside chance). Also, he wouldn't have put me in this situation (for the same reason) unless he had a strong hand. I folded and he showed JJ. Phew - nice pass Brian! However it was all in vain, as Mik was evicted when he raised the Irish lad from the small blind and was called. With two low spades and two on the flop, which included 2 jacks, he checked. So did the Irishman. Blank on the turn. Mik went all in and was insta-called. Irish lad had 2 Jacks for Quadzillas and it was goodnight Mik.

Gorvacorfin from the forum was the last player left that I knew. He was on my left now and just to be friendly I nicked his blinds a couple of times - you have it to do as they say in Lancashire. Players were being slowly but steadily eliminated and we were down to 5 handed when I found myself short stacked again and ready to make a move. K10 told me it was time to shove and in it went - call from a big stack with AJ. AQ on the flop giving him the lead and me 3 outs...but no Jack came and I was out in 12th place, three off the money. SIGH. Sadly, Gorv was the next out, missing out on the money too.

It was great to go deep and have a shot at making the money again. Actually I did make some as I was in a "lasts longest" for a tenner each with the other guys, so at least I got my entry back and £20. All that and two grand day's of entertainment too. Great craic and I will be back for more. Well done APAT.

The Geordies? Grief but they made a noise ("drink had been taken" as my mother would have put it). There was particularly raucous support for a player they insisted on calling "Chipmonk", though he didn't seem to appreciate this moniker himself. He did eventually finish 2nd, so well done. The donkey's head he put on when he went all in a couple of times was entertaining too - as he put it himself - try getting a read on me past that!

2010-01-10T20:26:00.000Z

I'm going to have a bash at this along with some of the other Raise the River folk...

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker! Bloggers can register for to play for free in the WBCOOP, if you don’t have a PokerStars account you can get your Poker Download here.

Registration code: 089359

2010-01-04T19:29:00.000Z

This lovely little fellow has arrived because I've crashed out first in the Bloggerment (for the first time I can recall). The cause - very poor play and nothing else. So it goes :-(

2009-12-24T11:57:00.000Z

A GREAT POKER YEAR

Ultimate Bet: Last week $453; Current $637 (+184)
Poker Stars: Last month $113; Current $149 (+36)

Total = $786

Profit on the month = +$220

Profit for the year = +$580

B&M money = £2,389 (-9)

Profit for the year = £2,389

It's been a grand final month to finish a great poker year - with $184 profit on the $11 games on Ultimate Bet and $36 on a few games on Stars. The SnGs work out at the totally awesome roi of 74%, which is even better than my previous monthly best - the September figures. According to Sharkscope my roi overall is 23%. Very acceptable.

I'm very comfortable with $11 games, so I'm going to look towards getting the Cereus bankroll up to $800 and then moving up to $22 games. I'm going to take out the Ultimate money and transfer it over to a new account on Absolute, so that I can get rakeback (30% seems to be available from a number of sources). It looks as if I will be playing enough hands at a sufficiently high level to make rakeback worth taking into account in future.

I re-opened the Stars account to play in the Bloggerment with the RaisetheRiver folk (Stars private tournaments 9.00 PM on Sundays - good craic). As hoped, my luck on there has improved (poor old "Weegem" certainly thinks so after last week when my all in with TT against his Aces hit a flop with two tens - sorry mate). I've now come 2nd twice. "Mair" has won for the last two weeks running and seems in fine form.

The hoped for improvement in results at the Cricket Club hasn't emerged yet though - looks like I will have to tough that one out.

All in all I am very pleased with the way my game has developed. I now have a winning game at SnG's which I've managed to successfully transfer to tournament scenarios. There is still plenty to work on, but I'm enjoying playing which is the main thing. It's a hobby not an occupation.

So, time to set out the poker plans for next year.

a) Basic game on-line: $11 then $22 SnG's with a profit on year objective of $1,000.

B) Play some MTT's on Stars when I have the time (good for practicing tourney technique).

b) Play on-line games on Blue Square in the APAT leagues. (I'll put $200 into Blue Square to set that up).

c) Play some more B & M tourneys (especially APAT) when they are available. (I'll set aside £200 to fund that).

A prosperous New Year to all my readers!

2009-11-28T19:30:00.000Z

BACK TO THE QUIET LIFE

Neteller: Last week $113; Current $113 (-)
Ultimate Bet: Last month $442; Current $453 (+11)

Total = $566

Profit on the month = +$11

B&M money = £2,398 (+£14)

Well, with the very able assistance of my wife and two daughters, I've managed to be a one man antidote to the recession and spend the APAT money. I'm now the proud possessor of a new wide screen plasma telly, nice big monitor for my computer, an iphone for daughter one, a lap top for daughter two, and a fine selection of new clothes for the wife and I. Buy shares in Curry's now.

On the actual poker front it has been a case of up, down and then a minor recovery. On the $11 games I shot up to 537 in 8 games and then went into a tailspin with only one miserable 3rd place in 14 games. Three wins in my last 5 games has pulled me into a position where I have made the grand profit of $11 on the month. Downswings like that are to be expected, but they are still tedious to bare. However I don't take it too seriously. Basically I know I am a winning player at this level and I have the bankroll to see out things like that.

I haven't been able to do much at the Cricket Club lately either. I am regularly in the last 3 or 4 but I haven't won outright for a while. Some new young players have been joining and a couple of them have learned quickly and developed decent games. This means that we have about 5 players with tight/aggressive games and the remainder are very Laggy. Inevitably some of the LAG's get lucky and chip up early and then bully with big stacks. One of them did me the other night - calling my all in on the flop with 44 against my QQ - he hit the 4 on the turn of course. Still it's fun and I'm sure I can start winning again soon.

Meanwhile, since I was in Nottingham for the night, I went down to the "Dusk till Dawn" club - the largest in the country. Very nice set-up. I had hoped to play in a £25 freezeout but got there too late. I played some .5/£1 No Limit Cash and won the princely sum of £16. There were a couple of seriously poor players who donated nicely (what is it about the Chinese that makes them such wild gamblers?) but sadly I never had a hand to go up against them with myself.

It's good to see the Bloggerment tournament on PokerStars back again too. (9.00 on Stars "private tournaments" - password "donkament"). That is basically where I learned how to play tournaments. No luck so far though. I've had folk sucking out against me with flush draws I hadn't given them the odds to call for the last two weeks - again, my turn will come :-)

2009-10-28T20:19:00.000Z

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Neteller: Last week $113; Current $113 (-)
Ultimate Bet: Last month $517; Current $442 (-65)

Total = $555

Profit on the month = -$65
B&M money = £2,386 (+£2,334)

The APAT English Amateur Championship tournament in Bolton turned out to be totally awesome, with me finishing in 2nd place for a prize of £2225!

Day 1.

I met up with two of the Raise the River guys, at the Odessa Cafe in the centre of Bolton, "Snakeyes" and "NoCash". "BurnleyMik" turned up later at the casino. Before the tournament started, we set up a £10 a head "who goes deepest" prizefund of £100 for 10 of us, held by Kevin from Blackburn. Then we were off.

I was on a table in the corner, which turned out to be a thoroughly good thing. With over 220 folk all crammed into quite a confined space the heat in the centre of the room was mega, so it was useful to be near an exit.

We quickly found a "table captain" in a guy from Halifax. He bullied the table something rotten and over the first couple of hours took out several players. Certainly there seemed to be more cries of "Man down" from our table than anywhere else. He had position on me which made things difficult. Basically I took down a couple of blind steals and that was it. Mainly I was trying to come to terms with casino rules such as keeping your cards on the table and avoiding "string bets". All new stuff to me. I was totally card dead, so my 10,000 starting stack was slowly depleting as time went on, but I hadn't reached a 10xBB situation which would make an quick all in necessary.

The table broke up and I ended up in the centre of the room. This was bad news as the heat was dreadful there and I was downing water like a fish! However, my luck changed with regard to cards. I had AA twice and the first time I just took down the blinds and an original raiser who folded to my all in. On the second occasion however I opened with a 3xBB bet and was followed by an all in from one of the few female players. Naturally I called. She had KK. Nothing untoward happened and I'd doubled up nicely. BurnleyMik told me afterwards that she had crippled him earlier with 99 hitting trips against his 1010. A tough break for the lass, but I needed it.

I went card dead again for the next couple of hours, just making the odd blind steal, against players I thought wouldn't shove back at me (reads were good).

At the very end of the day (about 1.30 in the morning) I was moved to a new table. A couple of hands are played with no action and I look down at AQ of Spades. We are nearly at the end of the level and everyone left will go through to the next day. I put in a 10,000 bet (a quarter of my stack). A Welsh guy, Gary Phillips, goes all in with a stack similar to my own. A big stack thinks long and hard and folds. I go into a trance and eventually decide he has to have a big pair to make that move at this stage of the day, so I fold. Gary, very decently, shows his KK to confirm my read.

Day 2.

I'm still in, but in 26th place of the 30 left. I've worked out what I'm going to do before I even get to the casino. The new blind levels and antes are going to slaughter me so I'm going to make a move on the first two laps with the first reasonable hand I get and with air if it's getting close to the second set of blinds. First lap I shove with A9o and collect the blinds. That gives me another couple of laps. Then I get AA and shove - no callers. Collect the blinds again. My stack is dwindling as the level is coming to a close - I have to make a move and shove on the blinds with A5. Call from the Ian Burnett in the big blind with A10s. I'm on my feet ready to shake hands and leave. A 5 hits on the river!! Ok - we still have a game folks.

Then comes what will be the main hand of the tournament for me. I look down at QQ. A guy in early position with a stack smaller than mine makes a 4xBB move. I go all in over the top. The guy after me (who has shown every sign of being a good player) goes all in over me with a bigger stack. The original raiser calls. The guy to my left has AA (damn). The original raiser has AhJc (why was he still in the hand?). The flop comes Q93 all hearts. Yippee - I've lucked out trips. (Damn - there's a flush draw). Two blanks and I've trebled up!! I felt sorry for the AA guy, who had only done what anyone would and he exited shortly afterwards.

I now had a stack of something like 240K. Folk were exiting steadily and I was "in the money". I now went totally card dead again. For something like two levels I only made the very odd blind steal and watched the others at the table. A young chap called Andrew McCloud made a very strong impression as did Ian Burnett, who was a couple of seats behind me. It turned out that he knew "Mair", who my wife told me was giving me a lot of support on the APAT website along with some of the other RtR folk.

I decide not to make any more blind steal moves as there are so many guys ready to go over the top and put you to the question. Besides, I didn't have too, since I was comfortably more than 10xBB and antes. Gradually players were eliminated and we were down to the final table.

The last 9 players were all treated to a very pleasant meal. They all seemed a really decent bunch of folk (and no sign of the autistic types I remember from my Chess Congress days!).

I went into the final table with the second smallest stack, so I knew I would be making a move fairly early on and it would have to hold. Early doors, Tony Trippier (who was chip leader at the end of day 1) puts in a big bet ahead of me. I go all in with QQ and he shows AJ. The Queens hold (I'm really beginning to like Queens). Things are now really aggressive all round and I'm only really looking for all in moves. I end up all in with Andrew McCloud with QQ (again) against 1010. He hits a 10 (damn) but I river a straight!

Then one of the key hands of the tournament and I'm not in it. Andrew makes a big bet and John Kay goes all in over him. Andrew has a long think and makes a great call when he finds his AJ up against A7. However a 7 comes and no jack so Andrew is out in 4th. (Tough that).

Ian Burnett finishes 3rd when his A4 is beaten by John Kay's K10. I'm second - hooray! Now for a shot at the title. I'm .5M chips v 1.5M chips. First hand I get A4 and put in a big bet. John goes all in. Odds must be my A is ahead and I'm level on chips if I win. I call. John shows 109 hearts. Four blanks ... and a 9 on the river.

John rode his luck, but then so did I, so I can't complain. I was saved on the river 3 times in the course of the day.

A great exciting day and very well run by the APAT folks. Many thanks to Steve at the casino and the RtR folk for their support (my wife was amazed at the positive vibes I was getting). I will return, but I doubt if I can ever run as well as that again. As Pete Birks put it to me, the best poker advice I can give is "run good". Amen to that.

Oh, I've had a crap month at the $11 SnGs. Now ask me if I care!!!

2009-09-27T18:46:00.000+01:00

FUN AND GAMES

Neteller: Last week $68; Current $113 (+45)
Ultimate Bet: Last month $317; Current $517 (+200)

Total = $630

Profit on the month = +$200
B&M money = £52

Hilarious times at the Cricket Club face-to-face game recently. One of the regulars at the bar decided to join in for a game - having watched proceedings for the last few months. Result - carnage. The man could do no wrong - although he was committing just about every "wrong" in the poker bible.

He was in just about every hand (he won the first five of the night) and totally dominating my table. I was quietly observing and doing damn all as usual at this stage, when I looked down at KK. He called as per normal and I put in a 4xBB bet. He called. Nothing flop. I bet the pot. He called. Nothing Turn. I go all in. He called...and he then showed AA!

The first "proper" hand he had had. SIGH. I got lots of jeers and catcalls, since it is a rare event indeed for me to play a hand in the first hour, never mind go out with it!

Well - this carried on for the rest of the evening. Whatever he went with, hit, and he won the evening in record time. It was amazing (if a tad depressing) to watch. Needless to say, he was first out the following week.

I've closed down the Stars account, as I hadn't used it for months.

Meanwhile the on-line poker has been a roaring success. I've had a really nice winning run at the $11 games and pushed the roll over the $500 mark much quicker than I'd expected. Sharkscope puts me on an roi of 31% (though they haven't got all my 5.5 games by any means). However my roi for the 30 games I've played this month is an awesome 54%! I've cashed in 19/30. I even played a $22 game, following a win in a $11 game and came 2nd in that. The standard was just as bad.

There are one or two decent players that I've clocked and I've got "notes to avoid" on them - no need to make things more difficult than they need to be. One of them looked so useful with his big stack "bullying on the bubble" tactics that I googled him and found that he had an roi the same as mine but for 10 times as many games! A real shark and now a marked man as far as I am concerned. Funny enough in the next game I played there was another player trying the big stack bully on the bubble stuff. He was nowhere near as good at it though and eventually he was the one who bubbled out.

Meanwhile next month sees the the APAT English championship in Bolton, which I've managed to get an entry to, using £75 from the money I've won at the Cricket Club. I've never played a face-to-face tournament in a casino, so it should be an interesting experience, especially since BurnleyMik and another couple of the RaisetheRiver guys will be there too. I thought I may as well record the money position in b&m games - I've £52 left after paying the entry for the APAT thing.

2009-09-27T18:45:00.000+01:00

FUN AND GAMES

Neteller: Last week $68; Current $113 (+45)
Ultimate Bet: Last month $317; Current $517 (+200)

Total = $630

Profit on the month = +$200
B&M money = £52

Hilarious times at the Cricket Club face-to-face game recently. One of the regulars at the bar decided to join in for a game - having watched proceedings for the last few months. Result - carnage. The man could do no wrong - although he was committing just about every "wrong" in the poker bible.

He was in just about every hand (he won the first five of the night) and totally dominating my table. I was quietly observing and doing damn all as usual at this stage, when I looked down at KK. He called as per normal and I put in a 4xBB bet. He called. Nothing flop. I bet the pot. He called. Nothing Turn. I go all in. He called...and he then showed AA!

The first "proper" hand he had had. SIGH. I got lots of jeers and catcalls, since it is a rare event indeed for me to play a hand in the first hour, never mind go out with it!

Well - this carried on for the rest of the evening. Whatever he went with, hit, and he won the evening in record time. It was amazing (if a tad depressing) to watch.

Needless to say, he was first out the following week.

I've closed down the Stars account, as I hadn't used it for months.

Meanwhile the on-line poker has been a roaring success. I've had a really nice winning run at the $11 games and pushed the roll over the $500 mark much quicker than I'd expected. Sharkscope puts me on an roi of 31% (though they haven't got all my 5.5 games by any means). However my roi for the 30 games I've played this month is an awesome 54%! I've cashed in 19/30. I even played a $22 game, following a win in a $11 game and came 2nd in that. The standard was just as bad.

There are one or two decent players that I've clocked and I've got "notes to avoid" on them - no need to make things more difficult than they need to be. One of them looked so useful with his big stack "bullying on the bubble" tactics that I googled him and found that he had an roi the same as mine but for 10 times as many games! A real shark and now a marked man as far as I am concerned. Funny enough in the next game I played there was another player trying the big stack bully on the bubble stuff. He was nowhere near as good at it though and eventually he was the one who bubbled out.

Meanwhile next month sees the the APAT English championship in Bolton, which I've managed to get an entry to, using £75 from the money I've won at the Cricket Club. I've never played a face-to-face tournament in a casino, so it should be an interesting experience, especially since BurnleyMik and another couple of the RaisetheRiver guys will be there too. I thought I may as well record the money position in b&m games - I've £52 left after paying the entry for the APAT thing.

2009-08-27T19:40:00.000+01:00

MOVING ON UP

Neteller: Last week $108; Current $68 (-40)
Full Tilt: Last week $45; Current $45 (-)
Ultimate Bet: Last month $198; Current $317 (+119)

Total = $430

Profit on the month = +$79

I started the month with a couple of wins at $5.5 which put me over $200. Since then I've only played $11 games and I've found them very much to my liking. I've played 22 for a profit of $67, which is a "roi" of 27%. Very tidy I reckon.

The standard is not noticably better than in the $5.5 games, which surprised me a little bit. It is a rare game that isn't down to the last 4/5 players by the time we reach the 50/100 level, which is where the serious blind stealing has to start.

I've cashed in 10 of the games, so I still seem to be running close to cashing 50% of the time as I was consistently at $5.5. My heads up game seems to be running ok too, as I've won 4 with 2 seconds.

I bunged in another $40 from Neteller to get some bonus going. It's not a lot but I may as well have it.

I'm only playing one game at a time at the moment. I'm going to have to have a look at multi-tabling. I'll make multi-tabling the target once I have over $400 I think.

2009-07-29T20:36:00.000+01:00

UPS AND DOWNS

Neteller: Last month $108; Current $108
Full Tilt: Last month $45; Current $45 (-)
Ultimate Bet: Last month $188; Current $198 (+10)

Total = $341

Profit on the month = +$10

A weird month for poker, this one.

It started really well. A series of decent cashes saw me over $200 so I had a punt at an $11 game and duly won that. Get in. Up to 258 now. Some more cashes (1st in a 6.6 and 3rd in another 11) get me up to 274.

Then … nothing! I couldn’t win a game for love nor money and lost 13 on the spin – 1 ahead of my worst ever losing sequence. Nothing would go right for me. You name it, I’ve had it. AJ v A7 on the bubble – he rivers me with a straight. AA v JJ on the bubble – he rivers me with a J. KQs v J8 – rivers a straight.

But my absolute “all time favourite” came a few nights ago. QQ on the bubble – I raise 3x and get called one guy. The flop comes 733 rainbow. I bet the pot and he went all in and obviously I call and lose. He shows 34 off. He said in the chat that the call of my initial bet was a mis-click. When you’re running bad, you’re running bad I guess.

I’ve subsequently had a win and a 3rd to break the sequence but it was no fun while it lasted.

I’ve notice that the APAT English Championship tournament is at the Grosvenor Casino on Bolton in October. I think I might have a go at that – using the money I’ve won at the Cricket Club for the entry fee - £75. I’ll need to run a bit better than I am on line though!

2009-06-27T20:45:00.000+01:00

ANOTHER STEADY MONTH

Neteller: Last week $108; Current $108
Full Tilt: Last week $45; Current $45 (-)
Ultimate Bet: Last month $140; Current $188 (+48)

Total = $341

Profit on the month = +$48

I've played 30 games this month for a profit of $48, which gives me a "Return on Investment" (roi) of 29%. Not as good as the 50% last month, but that was hardly something I was likely to be able to keep up. I cashed in 16 of the 30 games I played which seems to be my consistent figure and one I am happy with.

I had several $6.60 games, which are certainly no harder than my normal $5.5 ones, but you don't get a field for them so often - more's the pity.

When I get over $200, which looks to be coming up next month, then I'll have a dabble at the $10 +1 games.

The game at the Cricket Club is getting a bit embarrasing. I've finished 1st in 3 of the previous 5 and second in the one this week (and should have won that too in all honesty). One of the regulars, a long time friend, is still utterly convinced that there is no skill in poker, saying "it's all down to luck". When I point out to him that I am winning an awful lot more than the 1/12th of the time that pure luck would indicate he just claims it's because I get good cards near the end of the game. He just can't recognise why I am always at the end of the game or see that the way I play then is totally different to the way I play at the beginning. Oh well, it's not my problem and I did manage to explain pot odds to him.

2009-05-26T19:58:00.000+01:00

STEADY PROGRESS

Neteller: Last week $108; Current $108
Full Tilt: Last week $45; Current $45 (-)
Ultimate Bet: Last month $100; Current $140 (+40)

Total = $293

Profit on the month = +$40

I've played 13 $5.5 "sit and goes" this month for a profit of $40, which is of course very encouraging. That makes a "roi" (return on investment) of 56%, which would be pretty awesome if I could keep it up (which I doubt if I could). Anyway it does encourage me to have a go at some $6.6 games which are also available on Ultimate. I'll look at $10 + 1 when I get to $200.

I like the slow build up of the games on UB as it suits my style very well. There are 4 low blind levels, so you have played 40 minutes before you get to the 50/100 mid blind level. This gives the non-thinking players lots of scope for getting all in and therefore out of the game. There is also a fair chance of being able to limp in with low pairs or suited connectors and double up if you hit.

Playing only when it suits me - rather than trying to chase bonuses, "points" and the like - is also a plus I think. My wife certainly appreciates it.

BurnleyMik was asking about the game at the local Cricket Club. That's going very nicely. Because I tend to do so little early on, I am given a lot of respect for my raises later in the game, which is very useful when you have air but need to make a move! We regularly start with 2 tables now and I can see us having 16 plus players in the Autumn when we will go back to a league format again.

2009-04-26T20:51:00.000+01:00

A BIT OF A RECOVERY

Neteller: Last week $108; Current $108
Full Tilt: Last week $45; Current $45 (-)
Ultimate Bet: Last week $119; Current $100 (-19)

Total = $253

Profit on the month = -$19

A nineteen dollar loss on the month might look less than thrilling but it actually represents a significant recovery. I played some more .5/1 Limit and had a dismal run which saw me down to $47 left on the site at the worst point. I decided,
since I was no longer rolled for the Limit anyway to change back to $5.5 SnG's and see what that brought me. On reflection I shouldn't really have been playing Limit, since I am not putting in the hours needed to overcome the variance. Seduced by a desire to work off the bonus I'm afraid.

Anyway my SnG game seems to have returned and in the 25 games I've played this month I've made a profit of $53. Not overly exciting in itself, but a significantly good roi which has cheered me up a bit.

The face-to-face game at the local Cricket Club continues to go nicely with 14 players quite often now. I'm running a very steady profit here, helped by the fact that one of my main competitors turns up less frequently since he's become romantically involved - ah the follies of youth!

The best poker news this month was nothing to do with me. Old "Diplomacy" (the board wargame) mate and long time Poker player (he's mentioned in Tony Holden's first book) Pete Birks won $1,000 and an all expenses paid entry to a big tournament in Monte Carlo from Full Tilt. Pete's regular game is $200 No Limit at which he is very successful. It will be interesting to follow his progress. There is a link to Pete's blog on the sidebar.

2009-03-28T17:22:00.000Z

AN INDIFFERENT MONTH

Neteller: Last week $108; Current $108
Full Tilt: Last week $45; Current $45 (-)
Ultimate Bet: Last week $169; Current $119 (-50)

Total = $272

Profit on the month = -$50

Not much joy online this month. I had a miserable run on the 9 man $5.5 SnG's with a sequence of 12 games without cashing, 6 of them 4th places...SIGH. I couldn't even find anything that I was doing that was particularly poor - I just kept getting caught in key bubble all in situations with someone having a big hand they could call me with and then not getting lucky. I also suffered from the reverse syndrome of having good hands called by big stacks and them getting lucky (my unfavourite being AA called by QJ off which hit a straight on the river). Having had a run of 8 games where I cashed every time previous to this dismal experience at least helped offset it a bit. Not fun though.

Meanwhile the Thursday night game at my local cricket club is going from strength to strenght. We have 10+ regularly now which is great. Talking of statistical anomolies, we had an amazing night last Thursday - quads 4 times in the evening. We had Aces, Kings and 8's twice. What's more I had the Kings and one of the 8's! The odds on that in one night must be incredible. I still only finished 2nd though as one player chipped up hugely near the end when (and I kid you not) 24 suited was called by J9 off. For the record the J9 off, held!

2009-03-01T20:20:00.000Z

A bit of a rethink.

Neteller: Last week $108; Current $108
Full Tilt: Last week $85; Current $45 (-40)
Ultimate Bet: Last week $150; Current $169 (+19)

Total = $318

Profit on the month = -$15

I continued my losing run at Limit on LuckyAce so I packed the site in (since there was no bonus or rakeback). I signed up at UltimateBet and didn't have much success at Limit there either. I had to come to the obvious conclusion, which was that I wasn't remotely bankrolled for the level I was trying to play at (2/4) so the variance was killing me. It's a shame, as the standard was very weak (40%+ seeing the flop sometimes and always 30+ tells you that) but a couple of bad beats could be totally killing.

That being the case I thought that I might as well go back to playing SnG's. I didn't really want to get back into Limit grinding for bonus money anyway. It worked out pretty well. I played 6 games this week, cashing in 5 of them, to put me into profit on the site.

The $5.50 SnG players are distinctly weaker than those at the same level on Full Tilt (who aren't that great), so it looks like I've found something I can start winning regularly at again.

Meanwhile Laddies bunged me a tenner to go and play there again. Sadly it's totally hopeless. Every game I tried to play the software kept crashing, even after I followed the instructions from the support staff. Still very little traffic too. Laddies looks dead in the water to me.

2009-01-31T17:24:00.000Z

The variance monster takes another big bite.

Neteller: Last week $108; Current $108
Full Tilt: Last week $109; Current $85 (-34)
LuckyAce: Last week; $299; Current $201 (-98)

Total = $333 (-132)

Profit on the month = +$45

What a shame that a month that started so well should take a major nose dive at the end. I had the FT wedge up to 330, but then hit a major run of "second best handitis" which cost me dearly. I was only seeing 14% of flops against a table average

of 35%+ but when I did hit a hand someone else always seemed to either have or hit something better. I had Kings v Aces, Jacks v Queens, a flopped flush beaten by a full house on the river - the whole nine yards. I've got to expect such a hammering to come along at 2/4 and I managed to take it without going completely on tilt. I should have got away from the Jacks v Queens hand though since I knew the player I was up against was decent and had to credit him with something good.

So it goes.

No luck on FT either. The games there were a bit nitty and I found myself breaking my "no playing sub 30% seeing flops" rule. I won't do that again.

We battle on.

2009-01-25T19:19:00.000Z

...followed by the predicted variance monster...SIGH

Neteller: Last week $108; Current $108
Full Tilt: Last week $111; Current $109 (-2)
LuckyAce: Last week; $299; Current $248 (+51)

Total = $465 (-53)

So, right on cue it happened. The usual story, sad to say. I was sucked out on right left and centre. On the 2/4 game on Lucky Ace I couldn't hit a hand to save my life and on the few occasions when I did I was collared on the river by flush chasers and paired middle card chasers. Still, I stuck to my guns and managed to battle back up from being -100 at one point. I have the experience behind me to know that really I want to be playing with these people - I shall return.

Nothing doing on Full Tilt either, when I couldn't get a decent game on LA. Similar problems, though I played very cautiously and managed to break even.

2009-01-16T23:35:00.000Z

A NICE STEADY WEEK

Neteller: Last week $108; Current $108
Full Tilt: Last week $111; Current $111 (-)
LuckyAce: Last week; $195; Current $299 (+104)

Total = $518 (+104)

A very pleasant week's poker. I played about 8 hours of either 1/2 or 2/4 Limit on LuckyAce. These games are very loose so

the standard strategy of playing very tight but very aggressively when given a good hand in position works nicely. I've also been taking the occasional punt on low pairs and suited connectors when the table conditions are right (i.e. lots of calling but little raising pre-flop). This helps project an image looser than I really am as well of course.

Another contributory factor in recent Limit success is being very ruthless about table selection. I will only play on tables with 30%+ seeing the flop and I leave if the table tightens up or numbers decline. Simple basic discipline really.

LuckyAce has some very loose players. Some of them have lost $100+ in a session. Sadly there aren't a lot of them though and I can't always find a game that fulfills all my criteria.

Of course, I'm under no illusion. The variance monster will hit me with a thump any day soon!

2009-01-11T17:59:00.000Z

A BIT OF CONSOLIDATION

Neteller: Last week $6; Current $108
Full Tilt: Last week $60; Current $111 (+51)
LuckyAce: Last week; $140; Current $195 (+55)

Total = $414 (+106)

I have wiped out the Stars and Laddies accounts because I wasn't playing there. LuckyAce has been running nicely when I can find the right game. Almost all of the profit was made on one two hour session of 1/2 Limit. Over 40% flops seen - several of these guys were seriously awful and one lost over $100 in an hour. All I had to do was sit there an wait to be paid off. Sadly these games are few and far between on the site though, so I'm going to ship out when I've worked off the bonus.

Meanwhile I played an evening of 1/2 Limit on FT and ran up a nice profit there too. I don't have any bonus/rakeback there though.

I might take a look at Cardoza where Raise the River have some sort of deal.

I've kept on Full Tilt for the occasional SnG as much as anything. I like SnG's, but to make any real money at them you need to be multi-tabling and I just can't be bothered with that any more.

2008-12-28T19:32:00.000Z

REVIEW OF THE POKER YEAR

Neteller: Last week $6; Current $6
PokerStars: Last week $82; Current $82 (-)
Full Tilt: Last week $75; Current $60 (-15)
LuckyAce: Last week; $140; Current $140 (-)
Ladbrokes: Last week; $22; Current $20 (-2)

Total = $288 (-17)

Profit on the year: $358

Still not playing much. I lost a little bit at Limit with a bad run, some of which I've won back playing $5 SnG's. However, compared to what I used to play, I'm not doing much - maybe 3/4 hours per week.

It is instructive to look back at the previous year end review. At that time, I had just moved from 1/2 Limit to SnG's and was looking to see if I could move up the ladder. I've subsequently had a feel around at a few things including tournaments, but in the end I think I like the SnG format best at the moment.

Highlights of the year were running the dreaded "Kenn" damned close in the Raise the River league series and winning the first of the face-to-face league finals at the local Cricket Club.

The latter continue to be good fun. I'm currently running 2nd after 6 of the 10 league games. I'm going to have to develop a strategy to counter the current leader though - he's running ahead of me using a loose aggressive approach with a good appreciation of the styles of the players he is up against. Still, having a very tight image (as I do) has its advantages.

Early in the latest game, I was heavily committed with a set on the flop when another player hit a low flush on the turn. My subsequent big bet convinced this normally congenital caller to fold, convinced I had the flush too with an Ace. I didn't disabuse him :-)

2008-11-12T21:19:00.000Z

VICTORY! :-)

Neteller: Last week $6; Current $6
PokerStars: Last week $94; Current $82 (-)
Full Tilt: Last week $112; Current $75 (-37)
LuckyAce: Last week; $140; Current $140 (-)
Ladbrokes: Last week; $0; Current $22 (-)

Total = $312 (-37)

I have continued to only play spasmodically - donking off some money on S&G's on FT. Not on my "A game" there I'm afraid, but I made some of it back playing some Limit.

The victory came in the League Final of the game at the local Cricket Club. We played for 5 hours last Sunday and I eventually took it down. It was a bit hairy around the bubble, but my greater experience at Head's Up play made all the difference in the end. Good fun too and we are going to have another one finishing during the Christmas holidays.

2008-10-21T19:46:00.000+01:00

IT'S ALL GONE QUIET OVER HERE.

Neteller: Last week $6; Current $6
PokerStars: Last week $94; Current $82 (-12)
Full Tilt: Last week $93; Current $112 (+9)
LuckyAce: Last week; $140; Current $140 (-)
Ladbrokes: Last week; $0; Current $22 (+22)

Total = $352 (+19)

Profit on month: $19

Profit on year: $375

I haven't posted on the blog for a few weeks because there has been very little to report. Because of various changes in circumstances (playing more with my folk group being one of them) I haven't played much poker this month. What little I have played hasn't actually been bad.

I won the "Blogger" tournament on Sunday for the first time in ages. It was made more interesting by the presence of a couple of players we didn't know. They turned out to be very loose ... but lucky. I made it to the Head's Up stage against one of them with about twice his stack. Given his penchant for going large with any Ace (he got away with this on a couple

of occasions) I just waited for him and he duely obliged by going all in with Ax when I had AKs. X didn't hit the spot thank the poker Ghods! This was a welcome little boost to the Stars wedge which had been slowly declining.

Ladbrokes has reappeared because I had $2 left there. I played a $2 sng and won it and then a $5 sng and won that too so I can now afford a few of the $4 tourneys again when (if) I ever have the time. Interestingly I had an email from Laddies today saying they were lowering their rake to 5%. I wonder if this will generate them any more action. It is certainly very slow on there at them moment.

The face to face league games at the local cricket club have become quite entertaining. There are three of us who play "properly" (I'm currently running a close 3rd of them at the top of the table). A couple more guys are too loose, particularly early on but give some thought to what they are doing. One friend of mine is too weak/tight and always "waiting for cards". Nothing I say can persuade him of the error of his ways. He is unlikely to change soon since last week he finally got a huge run of cards and won! Some of the others are now beginning to see the importance of preserving chips to reach the later stages and acting on it. The "League Final", where we start with 5000 chips and 100 for each place in the final league table, should be interesting.

I'm off on holiday next week, so that's it for October!

2008-09-27T14:23:00.000+01:00

PATIENCE

Neteller: Last week $6; Current $6
PokerStars: Last week $115; Current $94 (-21)
Full Tilt: Last week $93; Current $93
LuckyAce: Last week; $102; Current $140 (+38)

Total = $333 (+17)

Profit on month: $89

Profit on year: $356

A minor Limit downturn, losing the blogger and bunging the $5 for the entertaining looking RaisetheRiver tournament saw me take a little drop on Stars. This was more than offset by some winning Limit on LuckyAce. In preparation for the RtR tourney I played a 6 man SnG and won it, so I'm fired up and raring to go :-) "Team Sensible" all the way!

The good Limit session on LuckyAce exemplified that most important of poker virtues, patience. I played 83 hands before I did anything more than see the odd flop from the Big Blind and fold. Then I hit a few hands, made some money with them and left.

I played a couple of small tournaments but went out in both to my current bete noire, QQ being called by Ax and hitting. My day will come.

2008-09-20T12:15:00.000+01:00

A NEW SKIN

Neteller: Last week $104; Current $6
PokerStars: Last week $106; Current $115
Full Tilt: Last week $93; Current $93
LuckyAce: Last week; $90; Current $102

Total = $316 (+11)

I bunged the $90 from Neteller into LuckyAce, a Pacific skin. I haven't had the time to play much there much, but at least when I do I'll be getting some bonus eventually. There isn't a lot of activity, certainly compared to FT or Stars.

A lot of the Raise the River folk complain about Stars, but I seem to run ok there. A few of us got together on Friday night to play an $8.80 tournament and see who could get the deepest. We all struggled but I managed to come through. At around the first break I had about 7xBB and went all in three hands running with 44, AQs and KK. Nobody called me, SIGH. Then finally I did get called with KK, tripled up and I was away and running. I was "in the money" when I went out 89th (of over 1,100). Some guy bet 3xBB, I went all in with my KK and got 3 (count them the beggars) callers. AK, JJ and rubbish. An Ace came on the flop and my tourney was over. Sad, as if I'd held on that one I'd have had a good chance of the final table and some decent money. So it goes.

Meanwhile I'm still running 2nd in the Thursday night face to face game. The hand that killed me was irritating. I was dealer, raised with KJ and got 1 caller. The flop was J 6 3 rainbow so I went all in. Called by KQ. Predictably, he hit a queen on the river. I still had a few hundred chips so I went all in without looking on the next hand...checked it out... AA! Same guy who rivered me hit a straight. I love the game really. :-(

2008-09-13T12:46:00.000+01:00

A NICE LITTLE EARNER

Neteller: Last week $8; Current $104
PokerStars: Last week $103; Current $106
Full Tilt: Last week $93; Current $93
Ladbrokes: Last week; $17; Current $2

Total = $305 (+53)

I had a really nice little session at .5/1 Limit on Stars this week which saw me win $66 like shelling peas. Lovely it was. 35% seeing the flops, callings stations to a man and I hit enough hands to make it pay. Just to highlight the difference, everything else I played this week was break even, usually for lack of hands to play with.

I also had a few punts on tourneys on Laddies, but no joy. There is little action there for anything other than the tourneys, so I'm off. I've closed the Inter account as well, so that, with $60 from Stars, I can build up a little roll to open an account on another site.

Since I'm playing Limit a fair bit, I may as well be clocking up some bonus money as well. I'm sizing up "LuckyAce" which is a Pacific skin (I've already had a Pacific account). This will also allow me to get the "poker indicator" software that is the equivalent of "tournament indicator" which I use for sit-and-goes. It seems to have everything I want in terms of real time info on opponents. I'm not bothered about getting something like Poker Tracker or Poker Office (which I used to use) as I couldn't be bothered doing the analysis that gets the best out of the software. I'm a recreational player.

Meanwhile the second week of the face-to-face league games produced exactly the same 1,2,3,4 as previous week. The chap who has finished ahead of me for both weeks has been milking the weakest player very effectively - I'm going to have to work on that :-)

2008-09-07T13:42:00.000+01:00

Not a lot of change.

Neteller: Last week $8; Current $8
PokerStars: Last week $102; Current $103
Full Tilt: Last week $82; Current $93
Inter: Last week $31; Current $31
Ladbrokes: Last week; $21; Current $17

Total = $252 (+8)

Back at work with a vengeance now and predictably less time for poker as a result. I played a bit of limit, but had a downswing after being up about $40 or so. The usual variance thing, where everyone started sucking out on me. AK v A7, he hits the 7, that sort of thing. So it goes.

Only one tournament, my by now regular $4.40 on Laddies which I lost when my 99 was called by A10 and he hit everything ending up with a full house. I think I really need to find another couple of 200 or so player tournaments that I can play at the same time. Failing that perhaps a 180 man sng donk on FT? Funny enough I had a similar exit in the blogger on FT last weekend when Zagga called my 6's with A10 and hit a full house.

The face to face game on a Thursday night has now gone into a league format with a final on a Sunday in 10 week's time, which should be fun. I came 2nd in the first one, so not a bad start.

I got off to a good start (unusual for me, I normally barely play a hand in the first hour) when my 88 hit a 10 10 8 flop. Two punters had 10's and fortunately the board didn't pair, which was the thing that worried me.

I got slammed later though when my two K's were called by two players (despite a 6x BB raise) and Aces appeared on the flop. Predictably both callers had Ax. However, I know that's how this game goes.

2008-08-30T15:29:00.000+01:00

Tournaments

Neteller: Last week $598; Current $8
PokerStars: Last week $96; Current $102
Full Tilt: Last week $78; Current $82
Inter: Last week $31; Current $31
Ladbrokes: Last week; $9; Current $21

Total = $244 (+22)
Profit on month = $80
Profit on year = $267

Since it wasn't doing anything, I've taken $590 out of the Neteller account and invested it in some furniture!

This leaves me with more or less my profit for the current year, which is enough to bankroll what I am playing.

I didn't play much Limit this week, hence the minimal movement there. I did have time to play some tournaments on Laddies though...3 x $4.40 $1,000 guaranteed and 1 $6.60 $2,500 guaranteed. I finished 15th of 262 in one of the $1,000 ones and 28th of 392 in the "$2,500 one. I definitely think my game is improving at tournaments and that a serious final table
position should come. (I'll spare you the full "bad beat" tale from my 15th place, but suffice it to say that the charm of 65 off is wearing a bit thin with me currently!).

The trick is to find tournaments with around 200-300 players I think as I don't want to be up all night playing these, which is what happens in the big money ones on Stars and Full Tilt. So for that purpose Laddies is fine - especially as I'm playing with their money!

It's amazing to see how much Laddies has deteriorated since I started playing there some 3 years ago. It used to be full of mad Scandies punting furiously on the Limit and No Limit cash games, but now there is a virtual desert there. The only players they have seem to be for the tournament games - fine by me since that is what I want at the moment. Hence the desperate attempts to lure back former players I suppose. The site can't exactly be a licence to print money at the moment though I wouldn't have thought.

2008-08-23T15:39:00.000+01:00

ON THE UP

Neteller: Last week $598; Current $598
PokerStars: Last week $64; Current $96
Full Tilt: Last week $56; Current $78
Inter: Last week $31; Current $31
Ladbrokes: Last week; $14; Current $9

Total = $812 (+49)

I haven't played a lot of poker this week (a nice trip away to Whitby) but what I have has been successful, with progress on both Full Tilt and Stars.

I've only been going on this routine for three weeks now, but already I think it is the right thing for me. I am just finding nice loose .5/1 Limit tables on FT and Stars and waiting for my time. So far it's been working like a charm.

I'm going to use up the few dollars I have in Laddies and Inter on tournaments and see how it goes thereafter.

Meanwhile the face-to-face game at the cricket club is going on a league basis from September with a final tournament on a Sunday in November. Should be good fun.

2008-08-17T21:07:00.000+01:00

TILT!

Neteller: Last week $598; Current $598
PokerStars: Last week $31; Current $64
Full Tilt: Last week $56; Current $56
Inter: Last week $31; Current $31
Ladbrokes: Last week; $23; Current $14

Total = $778 (+24)

Well, I have pretty much achieved what I set out to do this week, poker wise. I played a bit of Limit through the week and made a profit at it, bumping up my Stars account and at the weekend I played a couple of tournaments on Laddies.

I played two $4.40 $1,000 guaranteed tourneys and went quite deep in them, but on both occasions I went out before the cash. Looking at them afterwards, my play was sound, I just got unlucky at the wrong times...such is the way with these things.

I blew my "player points" on BigSlick on a $2,000 tourney and my play on that did annoy me on reflection. There were a very large number of sit outs on the tournament and I picked my way through this quite nicely with a decent stack just as the sit outs were being eliminated. However on the table there was a player who had irritated me with the irrational bets he was making followed up by irritating comments in the chat box. I ended up going all in with top pair, top kicker over his bet on a 3 flush flop. He called and had the flush and I was out. Daft - and that's exactly how I felt.

Let that be a lesson learned - switch off the chat box!

2008-08-09T17:17:00.000+01:00

A SIMPLE PLAN

Neteller: Last week $437; Current $598
PokerStars: Last week $35; Current $31
Full Tilt: Last week $63; Current $56
Inter: Last week $31; Current $31
Ladbrokes: Current $23

Total = $754

I've been refining my plan over the holidays and decided that what I am going to do is play .5/1 Limit on Stars through the week and use half of any profits (!) to play tournament/SNG poker over the weekend. I'm hoping this will suit me as, when I am at work, I tend to be a bit tired in the evenings and don't seem to be able to play sharp enough poker for SNGs / tournies (at least not enough to make a consistent profit).

I've also ditched the iPoker network sites, as they are much tighter than Stars at the .5/1 Limit tables for some reason. I've got some "player points" on them that I can use for tournaments, but after that I'll leave them out.

Laddies has reappeared above because the sent me a gratuitous $10 and a seat at a $1000 guaranteed tournament. I finished 10th of 633 in the tournament for $20 which was nice.

Two hands of note. Right on the bubble I was lying 15th of 61 with a decent stack. I'm dealt QQ in the Big Blind. Under the gun (TAG with shortish stack) makes it 2xBB to go. Small blind, who has a medium stack goes all in. Tempting, but I fold as I don't want to be racing against AK or even worse a higher pair. Small blind wins with AA v AJ.

The hand I went out with I was 8th of 10 on the final table with 55K chips and blinds 5K/10K. Mid position player (no reads - hadn't played him till now) makes it 20K to go. I have 66 on the button. I went all in. He called and showed A10 off. He hit a 10 on the flop and I was out. On reflection I think this was a poor all in by me. I don't think I should have gone over the top of a raise but waited for a hand where I was the first aggressor to go all in. I was marginal favourite but I think I'd have been better off waiting on reflection.

Meanwhile the face-to-face game at the cricket club on Thursday nights continues to be good fun. I had a very fortuitous win on the last hand this week when we were down to 3 with the top two chip counts cashing. There was nothing much between the three stacks but I was marginally 3rd and in the big blind. 2nd biggest stack went all in (with A3 it transpired), top stack folded in the small blind and I insta-called with...er...58. The flop came A69. Turn is a 3. The dealer looked at me and said, "the 7 of hearts" and damn me if that's not what he turned over!

2008-07-21T09:40:00.000+01:00

A SCOTTISH TRIUMPH!!

Neteller: Last week $437; Current $437 (-)
PokerStars: Last week $35; Current $31 (-4)
Full Tilt: Last week $57; Current $63 (+6)
Inter: Last week $31; Current $31 (-)
Big Slick: Last week 246; Current 236 (-10)

Total = $851 (-8)

My poker highlight of the week has nothing to do with me.

Mary ("mair") on the Raise the River forum has won the individual prize at the APAT inter-forum tournament in Blackpool. This was an absolutely superb effort in a tournament with 200 starters, played over two days. I followed this along with Paddy Harrington's progress in the open - making it a double. Sadly I didn't have any money on Mary however (though I did on Paddy). An honourable mention also to Lou Saban who went out 10th (on the bubble) when her A10 was felled by the mighty 98, hitting two 9's on the flop.

The Raise the River team did really well too, finishing 2nd overall to Bristol (out of 20 teams). So - great stuff all round.

Meanwhile what poker I have played personally has been sadly less thrilling. I've come to the conclusion that I'm not going to make my fortune as a sit-and-go player. I am +ev at them, but not at a rate that means I can win anything much. Basically I need to concentrate hard to do well in them and I haven't the energy after a day at work.

Sooooooooooooo.

I'm going to investigate another strategy. I'm going to multi-table some limit to make a bit of dosh during the week and use some of it to play small tournaments. I know I can win at low level limit with very little need for concentration. Then, when I have the time and energy, I'll have a go at some tourneys at the weekend. These are much more fun and lucrative too if I can be successful. It's a plan.

2008-07-06T22:07:00.000+01:00

I BLAME ANDY MURRAY!

Neteller: Last week $437; Current $437 (-)
PokerStars: Last week $45; Current $35 (-)
Full Tilt: Last week $57; Current $57 (-)
Inter: Last week $31; Current $31 (-)
Big Slick: Last week 264; Current 246 (-18)

Total = $861 (-18)

Stats for the week make less than thrilling reading...

Played = 15.

1st = 2; 2nd = 1; 4th = 3; 5th = 2; 6th = 2; 7th = 3; 8th = 1; 10th = 1.

I started the week well enough with the two good cashes coming in the first 5 games, but I then hit a losing run of 7 (the longest I can remember for a good while). They also included going out very early in a number of games (10th is inexcusable). The reason was very simple. I was playing and watching Murray's games on the BBC at the same time. This is not conducive to good poker and I proved it. This is a mistake I don't intend to repeat. However I managed to end this run with a win and this put me back up near some sort of respectability for the week.

Still, I was on a winner with Spain in Euro 08 - a fiver at 5/1, converted very nicely by Mr Torres.

I also won my face-to-face game for the 3rd week out of 4, so I suppose cash wise I'm up for the week. I'm doing my best to try to up the standard here - telling folk about good websites and passing on poker books etc. The standard of some of the other players is definitely improving. It's good to see more players than just me picking off the calling stations.

I have to admit to a huge suck out on my final hand though. I ended up heads up against one of the most improved players with a 5 - 1 stack advantage to me. I was grinding him down when I copped 88 in the small blind, raised 3BB and he went all in and I called. He showed AA. The flop came 567 rainbow! Turn...Q. River...9! To his credit he took it better than I would have done!

2008-06-28T14:59:00.000+01:00

A WIN AT LAST

Neteller: Last week $437; Current $437 (-)
PokerStars: Last week $35; Current $35 (-)
Full Tilt: Last week $57; Current $57 (-)
Inter: Last week $31; Current $31 (-)
Big Slick: Last week 247; Current 247 (+17)

Total = $879 (+17)

Profit on the month = $157

Profit on the year = $312

The poker week went pretty much like the previous one. I bobbed along neither winning or losing much with 2nd's and 3rd's offsetting losing games until, finally, glory be, I won one! Therein is my profit for the week = happiness :-)

The stats read...

10 man $5.5 games = 16

1st = 1; 2nd = 2; 3rd = 5; 4th = 2; 5th = 2; 6th = 2; 7th = 2.

So, I seem to be able to cash about 50% of the time, which has to be reasonable. The trick is to turn more cash spots into first places - I will put in some work on that aspect of the game.

If I can put in another profitable month at $5.5 games then I'll have a think about moving up to $10 games. I don't think they are especially tougher but obviously the swings in bankroll are liable to be larger. In the last month my longest losing sequence was 4 and my longest winning sequence was 4 also. Sharkscope has me at an roi of 15% at Big Slick, which is quite good considering it contains my big downswing in May.

Onwards and upwards!

2008-06-21T14:56:00.000+01:00

"A pair of sixes."

Neteller: Last week $437; Current $437 (-)
PokerStars: Last week $45; Current $35 (-10)
Full Tilt: Last week $57; Current $57 (-)
Inter: Last week $31; Current $31 (-)
Big Slick: Last week 249; Current 247 (-2)

Total = $857 (-12)

Pretty much standstill stuff on the week, mainly due to being sadly unable to convert any of my cash finishes into a 1st.

The stats go...

$5.5 10 man games.

Played: 12; 2nd = 2; 3rd = 4; 4th = 2; 5th = 1; 6th = 1; 7th = 1; 8th = 1.

$5.5 6 man games.

Played: 2: 4th = 2.

One game where I finished 4th was particularly irritating. With the blinds at 150/300 I went all in with QQ, got called by AA and lost. I battled my way back into it, went all in with JJ and was called by Aces again. No way back that time...SIGH.

Still at least I am still cashing 50% of the time, so I should make progress if I continue playing to the same standard.

The headline refers to an amusing little incident at the local cash game the other night (I won again). One of the novice players called down someone placing big bets on every street. The bettor shows top pair top kicker (AK) and the caller announces "a pair of sixes"...(Bettor looks triumphant and reaches for the pot)..."to go with that one there!"

2008-06-14T12:33:00.000+01:00

ANOTHER GOOD WEEK

Neteller: Last week $437; Current $437 (-)
PokerStars: Last week $45; Current $45 (-)
Full Tilt: Last week $57; Current $57 (-)
Inter: Last week $31; Current $31 (-)
Big Slick: Last week 141; Current 249 (+108)

Total = $869 (+108)

The improvement in results since I refocussed my game has continued with another excellent week. I concentrated completely on $5.5 10 player SnG's. From the 19 I played the results were:

1st = 3; 2nd = 6; 3rd = 2; 4th = 1; 5th = 1; 6th = 3; 7th = 2;10th = 1.

Cashing in over 50% of games played, especially with a high concentration of wins and seconds is just what is needed. I was particularly pleased with the way my heads up play worked in the games I won, as I was behind in all three of them when the final phase started. It's a vital part of the game. Still work to be done there though, as I lost twice as many as I won.

The 10th place finish (funny how you remember the bad beats best) was a tough one. My limped pair of 9's hit a third on the flop. I went all in over a minimum raise and he called me...and hit a backdoor straight. So it goes.

Meanwhile the change of tactics in the live game at the Cricket Club paid off with a win. I limped a lot more hands early on (since there is very little pre flop raising - except from me), picking up a couple of nice pots with decent flops. In the middle and late phase I picked off the calling stations mercilessly and that was enough to see me home.

2008-06-07T16:05:00.000+01:00

TURN AROUND IN FORM

Neteller: Last week $437; Current $437 (-)
PokerStars: Last week $47; Current $45 (-2)
Full Tilt: Last week $57; Current $57 (-)
Inter: Last week $31; Current $31 (-)
Big Slick: Last week 155; Current 141 (+46)

Total = $761 (+44)

The week started with my lousy run of form in the Blogger continuing when my AK ran into AQ and was beaten by a four flush on the river.

I then decided to put in a bit of work on my game, rereading the Moshman book on mid-blind play in particular and it paid immediate dividends with a decided improvement in results.

I only played 8 ten man $5 games but the results were...

1st = 2; 2nd = 2; 3rd = 1; 5th = 3.

One of the reasons was that I was able to ride out bad beats such as AA losing to J10 off hitting a straight and KQs losing to K10 hitting a 10 on the river, because they happened when I was sufficiently ahead to have some chips left to play with. I ended up winning the KQs game for instance.

The main things I am doing better are noting the passive players so that I can attack them at the mid and higher blind levels and going over the top of mid and high blind limpers. This is putting me in a much better position in games.

2008-05-31T21:46:00.000+01:00

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.

2008-05-24T15:36:00.000+01:00

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.

2008-05-17T21:19:00.000+01:00

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.

2008-05-10T18:38:00.000+01:00

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.

2008-05-04T19:33:00.000+01:00

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 :-)

2008-04-26T14:38:00.000+01:00

A BIT OF SHUNTING ABOUT.

Neteller: Last week $40; Current $394 (+354)
Virgin: E88; E88 (-)
PokerStars: Last week $149; Current $47 (-102)
CD: Last week $37; Current $233 (+196)
Full Tilt: Last week $243; Current $60 (-183)

Total = $822 (+73)

Since there is a lot of stuff out there saying that the iPoker network is very soft for SnG's, I decided to play some $10+1 games on there and compare them with the FT games I have been playing this year. The results from only 4 games were decisive. While I only managed four games, I won two of them at a canter and there is no doubt whatsoever that they are much softer than the games on FT. In fact I would say that they are directly comparable to the standard on the $5 games on FT (i.e pretty poor - my roi on these is 20%).

That being the case, the decision was easy. I had to change my focus to playing on iPoker. As it happened CD sent me a reload bonus offer including some tokens for tournaments, so that made my decision easier. I've closed the Titan and Littlewoods accounts, moved money out of FT and Stars and reloaded on CD. The RaisetheRiver folk have a useful sounding rakeback type deal with another iPoker skin, so I'll probably move to that after I've done what I can with the CD bonus.

Games played were:

90 player $3.3 games = 2; 37/90 and 13/90. Close but no cigar.
9 player $5.5 games = 5. 1st = 1; 2nd = 1; 3rd = 1; 4th = 1; 5th = 1.
10 player $10+1 games = 4. 1st = 2; 7th = 1; 9th = 1.

Despite the fact that I had a good week, you tend to remember the bad beats most vividly (though when you're winning overall they are much easier to bear). I had KQs all in late on beaten by K5o hiting a 5. I then had about 400t$ left and caught AA. My all in was called by the same player with 96 off and he beat me with a straight. Oh how I laughed :-(

Nastiest one I saw though was one I wasn't in, thank goodness. A guy hit quad 8's on the flop and was then beaten by quad Queens! Now I wouldn't have wanted to be his cat.

I only finished 3rd in the RtR league game this week, which was won by kenn. He played very well, especially with one hand when we were down to three, kenn, myself and hammerheed. Sadly kenn (who had a big stack from the start due to taking out dD with Aces) had position on me. This told when I raised heavily with AK to try to take out the short stacked hammer and kenn then went all in over the top of me. I couldn't call because in icm terms it was ridiculous to do so, which of course kenn knew. Hammer gave him a damned good fight in the heads up though, despite being short stacked to start with.

2008-04-19T13:31:00.000+01:00

BACK ON TRACK

Neteller: Last week $40; Current $40 (-)
Virgin: E86; E88 (+2)
PokerStars: Last week $149; Current $149 (-)
Titan: Last week $105; Current $105 (-)
CD: Last week $32; Current $37 (+-)
Littlewoods: Last week $87; Current $87 (-)
Full Tilt: Last week $210; Current $243 (+33)

Total = $749 (+35)

A much better week to report this time. Despite being above $200 I decided to keep playing $5 SnG's, since my roi was much higher than on the $10 ones. This seems to have paid off.

9 player $5.5 games: Played 8: 1st = 2; 2nd = 2; 3rd = 1; 4th = 1; 5th = 1; 6th = 1.

18 player $5.5 game: 5/18.

2 player $2.25 head's up games: 4: 1st = 4.

As an experiment I also played some head's up games and I won all of them. I'm not going to make my fortune from $2 games, but it is interesting to play these and sharpen that part of my game. It looks like there is going to be a challenge on Raise the River for the best score in 20 of these, which will be a good laugh.

Meanwhile in the Raise the River league game I finished 3rd this week, but the winner was the player in joint 2nd place behind me in the table, Mair, so she is now very close behind me in points. The next four weeks look like being an exciting battle.

Mair deserved to win last night as she was on very good form, building up a big stack and then trying to break players by calling their all ins around bubble time. She suffered some setbacks but battled back, still firing away. I lost out when my all in raise with 55 was called by hammerheed, one of whose two high cards hit (so it goes). The dangerous BurnleyMik was out first, so it is unlikely he can catch us now. That takes a serious contender out of the picture.

Meanwhile in my face to face game at the cricket club I was beaten late on in the same way by the same player as last week - my big pocket pair (queens this time) is called by Ace/rag and an Ace falls. Give me strength...or a return to statistical normality!

2008-04-12T19:42:00.000+01:00

A WEEK TO FORGET

Neteller: Last week $40; Current $40 (-)
Virgin: E86; E86 (-)
PokerStars: Last week $166; Current $149 (-17)
Titan: Last week $105; Current $105 (-)
CD: Last week $32; Current $37 (+5)
Littlewoods: Last week $87; Current $87 (-)
Full Tilt: Last week $252; Current $210 (-42)

Total = $702 (-54)

It's been one of those weeks where I could do no right. They happen.

I've played:

7 x 9 player $10 + 1 games.

2nd = 1; 5th = 3; 6th = 1; 7th = 1; 9th = 1.

Blogger 10th/20.

...which says all that needs to be said really. I hit nothing all week. In the game where I came 9th, I went all in with KK and my opponent had AA. In the very next game I walked a flopped straight into quads.

I got so fed up I went and played some limit for a change, but just broke even.

I even lost in my local game at the cricket club when my all in late on with KK was called by A4. He hit the A on the turn.

You just have to roll with the punches and hope the turn around comes soon.

Meanwhile I came 3rd in the latest RtR league game after an epic battle with BurnleyMik, kenn, and Mair. Mair was very unlucky when her AK lost to Kenn's AQ (hitting two of the ladies no less), but kenn had already come back from the brink of death to be there at all, winning all in after all in with total air. Mik took it down to come into contention with the other two. Good fun, but we could have done with more players.

2008-04-04T23:43:00.000+01:00

LEAGUE LEADER!

Neteller: Last week $90; Current $40 (-)
Virgin: E72; E86 (+14)
PokerStars: Last week $171; Current $1 (-17)
Titan: Last week $105; Current $105 (-)
CD: Last week $43; Current $32 (-11)
Littlewoods: Last week $87; Current $87 (-)
Full Tilt: Last week $248; Current $252 (+4)

Total = $756 (-10)

Best result of the week was winning the friday night League game on "Raise the River", which puts me top of the league after 4 games of 10. Nice one. It was the usual tough battle and came down eventually to Mair, Kenn, BurnleyMik and myself. Kenn was the short stack but he outlasted Mik before eventually succumbing. In the heads up, it was all over in two hands where my AK and then Ax (higher) held up for the win. It will be hard to stay there, as I know they will be gunning for me :-).

I had a go at the 6 player limit games again, but met better opposition than the one I played last week. So it goes.

I managed to go deep in most of the $3 donkaments I played but sadly, no cigar. I was winning the one I finished 12th in, when I made a poor play - calling an all in from a guy with half my stack with an open ended straight draw. I didn't hit, needless to say, and the result put me in trouble. Made hands every time, late in these things - never draws. I know that, but failed to act on it, since I had been running so well. You live and learn.

6 player $5.5 games = 2: 1st = 1; 4th = 1.
6 player limit 5.5 games = 2. 3rd = 2.
9 player $5.5 game = 1. 4th.
9 player $10+1 games = 5: 2nd = 1; 3rd = 1; 6th = 1; 7th = 1.
90 player $3+.3 games = 4: 12th, 13th, 18th, 45th.
18 player $5.5 game = 1: 6th.
Bloggerment: 5/15
RtR league: 1/10

2008-03-28T22:28:00.000Z

SOME NEW PASTURES DISCOVERED.

Neteller: Last week $90; Current $40 (-)
Virgin: E66; E72 (+6)
PokerStars: Last week $190; Current $171 (-19)
Titan: Last week $105; Current $105 (-)
CD: Last week $28; Current $43 (+15)
Littlewoods: Last week $87; Current $87 (-)
Full Tilt: Last week $197; Current $248 (+51)

Total = $766 (+50)

Profit this month = $48
Profit this year = $204

Some profitable $5.5 9 player games bumped me over $200 so I played a $10+1 game and won that. Since I had some time this week, (holidays) I had a look around for longer games and found some $3+.3 90 player "headhunter" donk fests on FT. I came 3rd in the first one I entered (+ 8 "heads") which bumped me up nicely. I went deep in the other 3 I played, but didn't make the money. However "heads" claimed meant that I spent almost nothing on entry. Definitely worth revisiting when I have the time as I am surely +ev on these.

I made another discovery totally by accident. I had an hour to kill before going out one night and thought I'd play a quick 6 manner on CD for a change. I found I'd entered a Limit turbo by mistake. I adapted quickly, dusting down my old limit game and won the thing at a canter. The play of the others was atrocious. I just played ABC poker and they were calling down my bets with overcards, bottom pair and damn all. Amazing. I must go back and see if they are this bad all the time or I just got lucky with the table.

I tried a few games on Stars to see if I could bump my roll there back over $200, but no joy. Still, you can't have everything.

9 player $5.5 games = 6. 1st = 1; 3rd = 1; 4th = 2; 6th = 1; 7th = 1.
9 player $10+1 games = 2. 1st = 1; 4th = 1.
90 player $3+.3 games = 4. 3rd, 16th, 25th, 45th.
6 player $6+.6 game = 1. 4th.
6 player (limit) game = 1. 1st.
Bloggerment: 12/33
RtR league: 2/7

2008-03-22T18:04:00.001Z

HAUNTED BY JACKS.

Neteller: Last week $90; Current $40 (-50)
Virgin: E50; E69 (+19)
PokerStars: Last week $199; Current $190 (-9)
Titan: Last week $105; Current $105 (-)
CD: Last week $28; Current $28 (-)
Littlewoods: Last week $87; Current $87 (-)
Full Tilt: Last week $195; Current $197 (+2)

Total = $716 (+12)

A bit of a standstill sort of week. It started well, with a 2nd place finish in the first of the new "Raise the River" league games on Friday nights. These are on Virgin and priced in Euros (I couldn't be bothered translating into dollars). The game went well and I had a long head's up battle with "Kenn", but he got me in the end.

Following that I was looking forward to the blogger on Sunday night but despite playing pretty well, I was shafted by Jacks. First I was rivered by Zagga's Jacks v my Kings. I fought back from that and reached the final table only to have my own Jacks beaten by J10 off which made a straight. So it goes.

I just broke even on the SnG's, but at least I won a couple. It was a shame to go out on the bubble in my one $10 game - my all in with QJ on the button with an M of 7 was called by J10. He rivered the 10 and then added insult to injury by querying my play. I said nothing - no point in trying to wise up the ignorent.

1 x 5.5 18 player game: 6/18.
1 x 10 0 player game: 4th
9 x 5.5 0 player games: 1st = 2; 2nd = 1; 4th = 2; 5th = 2; 7th = 2.

2008-03-14T20:34:00.000Z

Running bad.

Neteller: Last week $90; Current $90
PokerStars: Last week $206; Current $199 (-7)
Titan: Last week $105; Current $105 (-)
CD: Last week $34; Current $28 (-6)
Littlewoods: Last week $87; Current $87 (-)
Full Tilt: Last week $216; Current $295 (-21)

Total = $704 (-34)

A poor week, which started with and 8 game losing sequence - my longest ever. The usual thing - key hands on the bubble when KJ beat my AJ with a king on the river; AQs v AJ where he hits 4 of a suit, that kind of crap. I started playing a few 9 player games just to break things up a bit and eventually turned things round. I was -52 on the week at one point, so finishing -34 almost seems like success.

These things have to be expected of course but the result is that I am back playing $5.5 games again which is a bit of a shame.

Still, discipline is everything and I will stick to my plan and wait until I am above $200 on FT before I move up to $10+1 games again.

Stats for the week:

1 x $10+1 6 player: 4th.
6 x $5.5 6 player: 2nd = 1; 3rd = 1; 4th = 1; 5th = 3.
7 x $5.5 9 player: 2nd = 2; 3rd = 3; 4th = 2
1 x $5.5 10 player: 7th.

Conclusions? No wins is poor. Perhaps I should be playing 9/10 man games. I'll ruminate on it.

2008-03-07T20:02:00.000Z

Ups and Downs

Neteller: Last week $90; Current $90
PokerStars: Last week $189; Current $206 (+17)
Titan: Last week $105; Current $105 (-)
CD: Last week $34; Current $34 (-)
Littlewoods: Last week $87; Current $87 (-)
Full Tilt: Last week $215; Current $216 (+1)

Total = $738 (+20)

The poker week started really well, with two wins and a second in my $10+1 6 max games on FT. Sadly this was then followed by a downswing when I hit my biggest sequence of losing games so far...5. The net result was that I ended up more or less back where I started.

Stats for the week go:

Played 11: Won = 2; 2nd = 2; 3rd = 1; 4th = 3; 5th = 3.

I'm a bit disenchanted with 3 x 5th places, however on one of these I had the horrorshow bad beat of a flopped full house - losing to quads, also flopped! I defy anyone not to get shafted in those circumstances. Other memorable exits were KQs losing to KQ when he hit 4 clubs and in one of my second place showings I would have won if AK had held up against A10 (10 on the river). So it goes. Needless to say I sucked out myself in some cases, but these don't stick in the memory quite as much.

I played three longer games on Stars winning a $5 18 player and losing the other two.

The RaisetheRiver gang are organising another league on Friday nights this time at Virgin. I dare say I will join in as I enjoy these games - though I don't really need another poker site!

Meanwhile I won our weekly face to face game at the local cricket club. Memorable hand of the night was folding QJ under the gun and then looking at a flop of QQQ! Two guys had boats. I could have saved myself a lot of work there!

2008-02-29T18:54:00.000Z

A CANNY MONTH

Neteller: Last week $90; Current $90
PokerStars: Last week $204; Current $187 (-)
Titan: Last week $105; Current $105 (-)
CD: Last week $34; Current $34 (-)
Littlewoods: Last week $87; Current $87 (-)
Full Tilt: Last week $284; Current $215 (+31)

Total = $718 (+31)

Profit for month $150
Profit this year $156

Not a lot of poker this week but what has been played has been profitable.

8 x 6 5+.5 6 player games: 1st = 2; 2nd = 2; 3rd = 3; 5th = 1.
1 x 10+1 6 player game: 2nd.
1 x 5+.5 9 player game: 4th.

Sharkscope tells me I have now played 93 games with an roi of 26%.

The game in which I came 5th was interesting in that I ended up down to only 340 chips at the 30/60 level (caught by slow played trips) battled my way back to parity and there were still 6 folk playing at the 80/160 level - unprecedented in my experience up to now. I lost a race with 66 v AK.

In one of the games where I came third, I was proud of myself for laying down KK when a third flush card appeared on the turn along with an all in from my opponant. I'd denied him the odds up to then but felt I had to believe him. The same player busted two other players with underpairs hitting his two outers both times. He eventually busted me when he called my all in with QJs with A2 and hit A22 on the flop. You just have to shrug your shoulders and move on. I wish I'd sharkied him, as I'm sure he must be a loser long term.

So the current thinking is to establish myself at the 10+1 level on FT and use some of the other accounts for playing longer games when I have the time.

2008-02-23T19:19:00.000Z

...and I knew it couldn't last...

Neteller: Last week $90; Current $90
PokerStars: Last week $204; Current $187 (-17)
Titan: Last week $105; Current $105 (-)
CD: Last week $34; Current $34 (-)
Littlewoods: Last week $87; Current $87 (-)
Full Tilt: Last week $212; Current $184 (-28)

Total = $687 (-45)

Everything went so swimmingly last week that I knew it couldn't last and it didn't.

I went out in the Bloggerment when a player (who will be nameless) called down my AA with Axs despite being denied pot odds to do it. He hit on the river and that left me weakened and I went out later, (7th of 25 I think). I'm not used to that sort of play in the Blogger.

My six handed games started with one second in 7 games before I made a comeback with two wins and two seconds, but a run of three losses left me down on the week there.

Stats went:

3x10+1 games: 2 x 3rd and 1 x 4th.

12x5.5 games: 2 x 1st; 3 x 2nd; 3 x 3rd; 3 x 4th; 1 x 5th.

One of the games I won was interesting in that I went heads up with 580 v 8420 chips and won it. I was feeling positive about my heads up game, so I joined in the rtr heads up tourney on Stars on Friday night. I had a good battle with The Cloud, who got me in the end when his 3's held up against my AK. Honour was satisfied when he went on to win the thing - well done.

Good practice for an important part of the game.

2008-02-16T15:21:00.000Z

A ROCK ON WEEK!

Neteller: Last week $90; Current $90
PokerStars: Last week $193; Current $204 (+11)
Titan: Last week $105; Current $105 (-)
CD: Last week $0; Current $34 (+34)
Littlewoods: Last week $22; Current $87 (+65)
Full Tilt: Last week $171; Current $212 (+41)

Total = $732 (+151)

I've had a really good poker week, probably because I've been on holiday and therefore I've not generally been tired when I've been playing.

I've broken through the $200 mark playing 6 player sng's on Full Tilt. My agreement with myself was that, once I'd achieved that (doubling my starting stake on the site) I would have a punt on $10 games (dropping down to the $5 games if I go below $200). I came second in one of the two $10 games I played and would have won it, but for losing a coin flip. Stats for the week go...

FT 6 player sng's.

$5 = 7 games. 1st = 2; 2nd = 4; 3rd = 1.

$10 = 2 games. 2nd = 1; 4th = 1.

Sadly I played well in the Bloggerment, but after an awesomely long bubble session with Maujz, Hammerheid and Weegem, I went out when Weegem called my all in with 5's with K's (like you do). This meant that my Stars roll dropped below $200, so I played a 9 man sng there and rectified things a bit by winning it.

Meanwhile CD (which I'd quit playing on) offered me $15 to come back - so I did and won some money there too.

My little local game at the cricket club has now gone weekly and I won there too. Hand of the night had to be my poor chess playing mate Alan's. He had had a miserable run of cards all night and got to the stage where the blinds meant he had to go all in with any two - in his case, inevitably, the two were 72 off! One chap calls him and the flop comes 723. Turn 2! River 9. Alan proudly turns over his 72 for the full house. Then the other guy turns over (you guessed it) 2 9's! If it happened on Stars they would say it was rigged.

Finally, to cap an excellent poker week, I won the Raise the River League final game on Littlewoods. It was the expected harum scarum stuff as Ricky Rosa and BurnleyMik battled it out to see who would win the league, while kenn was his usual bash'em all self. Ricky was beaten on the final table to hand the title to Mik and eventually it came down to a final three battle between Kenn (big chip leader thanks to rivering Zagga with a pair of deuces) Mik and myself.

The crucial hand came when my Aces held up all in against both of them all in and then Ax did for Kenn's Kx in the subsequent all in hand. Not a big win financially but a major boost to the ego to finish ahead of so many strong players - I've definitely got a much better handle on how to play these things.

So good fun and I made some money - couldn't be better.

2008-02-09T19:28:00.000Z

MORE 6 PACKS.

Neteller: Last week $190; Current $90
PokerStars: Last week $199; Current $193 (-6)
Titan: Last week $105; Current $105 (-)
Littlewoods: Last week $22; Current $22 (-)
Full Tilt: Last week $152; Current $171 (+19)

Total = $581 (+13)

Poker was simple this week. I played the bloggerment on Sunday night and finished 5/24, which was ok, except that it was out of the money and so a tad disappointing. I'm going to have to put in some time on Stars soon to get the bankroll going in the right direction again.

I played 13 six player games with the following results...

1st = 2.
2nd = 4.
3rd = 4.
5th = 2.
6th = 1.

It's easy to see where the improvement needs to come. There is no excuse for going out 5th or 6th in these things, though I did have the excuse, such as it is, of having good hands each time it happened. Disappointing also not to convert more bubbles into the money, but so it goes. My notes tell me that on three occasions I went out to coin flips where my overcards didn't hit against a small pair.

My best run is 4 games of these consecutively in the money and my worst run is also 4 games without scoring in the 25 I have now played.

2008-02-01T21:04:00.000Z

Playing short handed.

Neteller: Last week $190; Current $90
PokerStars: Last week $204; Current $199 (-5)
Titan: Last week $105; Current $105 (-)
Littlewoods: Last week $22; Current $22 (-)
Full Tilt: Last week $132; Current $152 (+20)

Total = $568 (+15)

Profit for month $6.

This week I made my main format the 6 player $5 games on FT. Results were:

Played: 11; Won 4; 2nd 1; 3rd 4; 4th 2 for a profit of $28.

I played 6 x 9 player games finishing 2nd twice for a loss of $8.

I seem to have a good feel for the short handed sit and go's and I was particularly pleased at winning 4 out of 5 of my head's up situations. The watchwords in these are patience and aggression. Wait for a hand in the right situation and then go for it vigourously seems to pay dividends for me.

I've only made $6 on the month but I'm not bothered, as this has been a learning experience for me. I think the most significant point is that I have made +52% on the stake I put into Full Tilt and I am running with a positive expectation at this style of poker. The plan now is to get to $200 in FT and then up the stakes I play for and see if I can still run positively. Lose and I drop back down again.

2008-01-26T16:59:00.000Z

"A Chip and a chair".

Neteller: Last week $190; Current $90
PokerStars: Last week $209; Current $204 (-5)
Titan: Last week $105; Current $105 (-)
Littlewoods: Last week $22; Current $22 (-)
Full Tilt: Last week $110; Current $132 (+22)

Total = $553 (+17)

I had a hilarious experience heads up in a 9 player sit and go early this week. I went into the heads up part of the contest with just over 3000 chips v 10,000+. We battled away,until I had a slight chip advantage and my opponent called my big blind and I checked with 35. The flop came 346. I went all in with my pair and open ended straight draw. He called with AJ and hit the J, while I missed all of my outs. This left me with 240 chips to his 13,260.

Since we were at 200/400 blinds I was all in automatically in the next hand and won it. I then went all in without looking for the next three hands until he finally cracked and called the third one, which I won with total air. My chips were at least now numbered in the thousands again and I went to war going all in with any 7 or bigger in the small blind and going over the top all in if he called my big blind (which was a big habit he had). I could feel the tilt all the way from Texas and eventually he cracked when I had gone into the chip lead and called my all in when I had A10. He had 95! Nothing hit and I won. I wouldn't like to be his cat. :-)

As Cogsgoine on RtR commented, his non-calling of my early all ins was nothing short of criminal.

Anyway I was happy with that one, when along came another last night. I was down to 25 (count them) chips with 5 players left and the blinds 100/200 and managed to get back into the game sufficiently to finish 3rd and was at one point level with the other 2 after the bubble burst.

The vital importance of constant aggression during the bubble period was fully demonstrated in both cases. I definitely think I am getting the hang of what is required for these.

Played this week:

2 x 18 player SnG's: Lost both; -11
8 x 9 player SnG's: 1st=1; 2nd=2; 3rd=2;Lost 3. +19
1 x 6 player SnG: 1st=1; +14

So, I'm not making a fortune, but as my game improves I expect to increase my roi and I will also move up to $10 games.

2008-01-19T19:32:00.000Z

BACK ON TRACK AT FT

Neteller: Last week $190; Current $90
PokerStars: Last week $220; Current $209 (-11)
Titan: Last week $105; Current $105
Littlewoods: Last week $27; Current $22 (-5)
Full Tilt: Last week $77; Current $110 (+33)

Total = $536 (+17)

I played 7 x 18 player $5+.5 games on FT, winning one and coming second in one. I final tabled all of the games I lost with a 5th, 3x6th and a 9th. The usual bad beats for and against were registered. I was in a strong position in one game when my KK was beaten by at 1010 that hit. In another game my KK was beaten by A7 hitting. However I got my revenge on that beggar
when my 88 v his Aces hit a straight! You just have to live with this sort of thing. It's going to happen and you have to convince yourself that so long as you are making +ev decisions it will come out right in the long term.

I also played a $2 x 18 player and won that as well.

Mind you my more aggressive style in the RtR league game came unstuck when, with 6 from 16 left I went all in with Q8s after an early position limper posted. Two better hands called me and that was that. Oh well, you have to try.

2008-01-12T13:05:00.000Z

FULL TILT - AN APTLY NAMED SITE.

Neteller: Last week $190; Current $90
PokerStars: Last week $223; Current $220 (-3)
Titan: Last week $105; Current $105
Littlewoods: Last week $44; Current $27 (-17)
Full Tilt: Last week $100; Current $77 (-23)

Total = $519 (-43)

I decided to open an account on Full Tilt as they were reputed to have a good structure for Sit and Go's, as indeed they do. It is indeed a nice gradual affair. The only problem is that I haven't been able to make much of an impression there. The record is Played 9; Won 0; 2nd 2; 3rd 0; Lost 7. Not good to put it mildly.

I'm not entirely sure why, as I don't think I've been playing badly. Still, it's hardly a massive sample, so I'll bash on and see if I can turn things round.

None of my other games played on Littlewoods or Stars went particularly well either - it's just been that sort of poker week.

I'll take a break and hopefully return to form soon.

The RtR League game ended quickly and ignominiously too, when I went all in with JJ against Kenn's AQ and he hit one. A coin flip of course, but I shouldn't have gone there really, early on, and normally I wouldn't. That "all in" button is so tempting!

2008-01-05T14:54:00.000Z

A BIT OF REORGANISATION OF THE BANKROLL.

Neteller: Last week $190; Current $190
PokerStars: Last week $223; Current $223
Titan: Last week $105; Current $105
Littlewoods: Last week $44; Current $44

Start of Year Total = $562

I've taken some money out and reorganised the bankroll to start the new poker year. I had too much money sitting in sites I wasn't playing at. For the time being I'm going to concentrate on Littlewoods and Stars.

Poker highlight of a week when I didn't play much (too busy with other things) was the League game at Littlewoods with the RtR folk. I eventually finished 3rd (in the money) but could have done better had a couple of key hands gone my way. As the winner BurnleyMik commented my more aggressive play made a significant difference I think. Trapping Mair with a set gave me a good stack going towards the bubble but that phase seemed to take forever due to the shortstack's hitting their hands repeatedly. A good game where, for once, I can't remember a particularly bad error.

So objectives for the year...

1. $1,000 profit for the year.
2. Reach the final table in 200+ player tournament.
3. Play $10 + $1 Sit and Goes with a return on investment of +15%.

Achieve the second two and the first one won't be a problem!

2007-12-29T16:06:00.000Z

END OF YEAR REVIEW.

Neteller: Last week $0; Current $0 (-)
PokerStars: Last week $262; Current $235 (-27)
CD: Last week $249; Current $243 (-6)
Titan: Last week $202; Current $202 (-)
DTD: Last week 232; Current 232 (-)
Inter: Last week 98; Current 103 (+5)
Littlewoods: Last week 29; Current $29 (-)

Total = $1047 (-28)

Total for month = +$54

Total profit for year = +$917

I have been half expecting a reversal of fortune, since the SnG play had been going so well and it duely arrived this week. I only played 2 18 player SnG's, 2 9 player SnG's and a 10 player on CD and lost the lot. I played ok but just ran into good cards at the wrong time or bad beats. The worst of the bad beats came in the 10 player game. My 3xBB raise at 100/200 level was met by an all in from the Big Blind which I called. He had A 10 and hit the 10. Oh well, I still had 800 chips or so and went all in to win the blinds with 88. The same player calls me with (wait for it) 10 6 off. Needless to say he hits another 10 and a 6 for good measure! What can you do? I've also had a go at some $6 tourneys on Party, one with the_Cloud from RtR. Total donkfests, but no cigar, sadly.

Anyway, let's have a look at the year's progress...

There were a number of major changes to my poker playing in the course of last year. I started the year still grinding away at 1/2 limit, making a small profit on the games, but mainly building the bankroll via bonuses and rakeback. It was taking a lot of playing time to achieve this and fundamentally it wasn't a lot of fun. Since I am a strictly recreational poker player, I wanted a bit more entertainment, so I decided to investigate No Limit.

I did a little research and decided to adopt a "tight passive" approach rather than the more conventional "tight aggressive". (There are a number of places where you can see this type of strategy described and the rationale behind it: www.freeholdemstrategy is one and there is a
short stacked approach which isn't dissimilar on www.donkeydevastation). I managed to make this work effectively and it mainly involved multi-tabling at $25 and $50 buy in levels. The problem with No Limit however, is that you can't make anything like the same rakeback and bonuses as at Limit, since the average pot is much smaller. When you get a big one it can be
very big, but most pots are small.

Around the middle of the year "Juice" introduced me to the "RaisetheRiver" site and the "bloggerment" on Sunday nights (9.00 on PokerStars, private tournaments, password "donkament" - everyone welcome!). I enjoyed the craic here and decided that I'd better find out how to play these things, since it was very apparant that most of the folk playing were pretty skilled at it and I certainly wasn't. Tournaments, with their escalating blind structures, are very different animals from cash games. After a while I worked out a strategy that was at least passable and I've even won some tournament games on a couple of occasions. There are quite a few very skilled players here and I have learned a lot from playing them (without losing much money, since it is only $5.5 entry).

From there, I decided to take a look at Sit and Go games, which are essentially little "pick up" tournament games with shorter numbers than full blown tournaments. As can be seen from the results over the last 6 weeks or so, I've made a succussful venture into this form of the game. It suits me very well as you can get an interesting game, which is over in a reasonable period of time (9/10 player games often take less than an hour). Basically, compared to where I was last year, I am playing a lot less, enjoying what I do play a lot more and still making a similar profit at it. You make very little in terms of rakeback / bonus payoff from SnG's at the level I'm playing ($5.5) but I don't really mind that. The rakeback/bonus system is designed to get you playing as much as possible, which is fine for the sites but not necessarily healthy for the players. If I can play profitable poker without rakeback making much contribution, then that will do for me.

So - objectives for next year.

Well, I'm going to take some dosh out of the bankroll to contribute to my wife's "kitchen refurbishment fund". That will leave me with around $500 or so. If I continue to be profitable at $5.5 SnGs (and currently I am running at 28% "Return on Investment" according to "SharkScope") then I will move up a level to $10 + $1 and see how I do there. Since I have made the best part of $1,000 this year I think a "challenging but achievable" target is $1,500 profit for next year!

A Happy Poker New Year to all readers!

2007-12-22T17:38:00.000Z

BATTERED BY KINGS

Neteller: Last week $0; Current $0 (-)
PokerStars: Last week $262; Current $263 (+1)
CD: Last week $249; Current $249 (-)
Titan: Last week $202; Current $202 (-)
DTD: Last week $232; Current 232 (-)
Inter: Last week $103; Current 98 (-5)
Littlewoods: Last week $35; Current $29 (-6)

Total = $1073 (-10)

Played.

11 x 9 player $5.5 SnG's: Won 2; 2nd 0; 3rd 2; Lost 7; +$4.5

1 x 10 player $5.5 SnG's: 3rd; +$4.5

1 x 10 player $11 SnG's: Lost; -$11

2 x 18 player $5.5 SnG's: 1=3rd; 1=4th; +$16.5

2 x $5.5 MTT's: Lost both: -$11

Total = +$3.5

The small negative score is due to minor losses in a couple of cash games.

Not a thrilling week poker wise, mainly due, as the headline implies, to getting bad results following getting a pair of Kings early on. I have the following notes: "All in KK v QQ early. Hit a Q on the river." "Overplayed KK on a AA9 flop" (poor effort that).

I was learning by the time this happened..."Dealt KK early. Player called my 7xBB raise (2 limpers previous) with Q5off. He hit 2 Queens. Didn't get stacked and finished 3rd."

Then..."KK early. Raise 6 x BB and called by 10Joff. He hits a straight on the flop. Didn't get stacked off but lost later". I was pleased that I managed to avoid getting stacked off on two occasions, but I really feel I am due a run of success stories with the cowboys.

I played one $11 game. I didn't play particularly well and the all round play was definitely better - nobody gone when we reached 100/200 level.

The 18 player games continue to go well. I could have done even better if one luckbox hadn't hit his 3 outer when he called my all in with AKs with A5. So it goes.

Meanwhile Party have dontated me $30 to play there again. I don't like the site, but I'll see if I can turn their money into something I can withdraw.

2007-12-15T15:49:00.000Z

MORE SnG PROGRESS

Neteller: Last week $40; Current $0 (-40)
PokerStars: Last week $209; Current $262 (+53)
CD: Last week $249; Current $249 (-)
Titan: Last week $208; Current $202 -6)
DTD: Last week 232; Current 232 (-)
Inter: Last week 103; Current 103 (-)
Littlewoods: Last week 0; Current $35 (+35)

Total = $1083 (+40)

All the good results have been on Stars this week. The breakdown goes:

Sit and Go's

5 x 18 player SnG's. Buy ins: $27.5: 1st 0; 2nd 1; 3rd 1; Lost 3; Profit/Loss +$17.5

1 x 20 player SnG. Buy in: $5.5: Lost: Profit/Loss -$5.5

1 x 9 player SnG. Buy in: $5.5: Won: Profit/Loss +$18

Tournaments

Bloggerment: Buy in $5.5: 2nd of 14: Profit/Loss +$10.5

RtR League: Buy in $5.5: Lost 8/16: Profit/Loss -$5.5

2 x Inter "Points Tournaments" Buy in 120 pts: Lost both.

The players definitely aren't as good on Titan as on Stars (particularly those that get to the later stages) but I actually prefer to play the rather better players. The reason is that I have a better read on what they are going to do, whereas some of the guys on Titan are best described as unpredictable. Around or after the bubble, guys on Stars are not particularly likely to call your all in blind steal with A2 off. On Titan some of them probably will. You can adjust for this sort of
thing of course but it's actually easier to play the more predicatable types.

The 9 player turned out to be an interesting game. We were up to 100/200/25 ante before the bubble finally burst. At this point I was chip leader but the others were only 1000 or so behind me. There was lots of really cagey stuff for the best part of ½ an hour before I finally brought it home. Good fun.

The 18 player I came 2nd in, could easily have been a first place also. Heads up, we were pretty much level on chips and I was mixing it up between all ins and min raises. I got 77 in the big blind and min raised it, hoping he would go over the top of me. He did and I duely followed him all in. He had Q2 off...and hit a Queen on the flop. SIGH. Too clever for my own good.

The Bloggerment was fun and I was running nicely all the way through. However when it came to the heads up with "teaulc" I knew I was beaten before I started - he started, from being nearly out, on an amazing run of cards and I wasn't surprised to lose to him. The league game ended when someone hit a gutshot flush against me when I was ahead. So it goes.

2007-12-08T23:10:00.000Z

Still on the up.

Neteller: Last week $40; Current $40 (-)
PokerStars: Last week $164; Current $209 (+45)
CD: Last week $249; Current $249 (-)
Titan: Last week $208; Current $208 -)
DTD: Last week 232; Current 232 (-)
Inter: Last week 98; Current 103 (+5)

Total = $1043 (+50)

Here is the breakdown on the week.

Tourneys...

$2,500 g'teed. ($5.50 entry) 59/612: +$5
$300 300 Player points. 222/597: $0

Sit and Go's...

Played = 10. Won = 2; 2nd = 1; 3rd = 1; Lost = 6. +$45

The positive score is mainly due to winning a 27 player S&G on Stars, as I was just +$11 on the (very quiet) week, until then. It was a very pleasing game as I felt in control of the thing all of the way through, which is not something you can often say in these tourneys.

I do believe I might have found my best form of poker. The most important aspect seems to be that you have to accept the fact that you can make a series of positive equity value plays and lose every damned one of them. In the long run it doesn't matter. If you keep making decisions to that standard you will win the "meta game". Still only a very small sample, but it's looking good.

I had hoped to be able to go and watch Mair, from the RtR site, playing in the British Amateur Poker Championship in Manchester today, but sadly my car developed an affliction which I had to sort out (SIGH). I hope Mary kept up her recent run of fine form.

2007-11-30T19:03:00.000Z

APPROACHING THE $1000 MARK

Neteller: Last week $40; Current $40 (-)
PokerStars: Last week $135; Current $164 (+29)
CD: Last week $249; Current $249 (-)
Titan: Last week $212; Current $208 (-)
DTD: Last week 202; Current 232 (-)
Inter: Last week 70; Current 98 (+28)

Total = $993 (+57)
Total for month = +$120
Total for year = +$863

The end of November sees the bankroll approaching the $1,000 mark. The switch to playing tournaments and sit-and-goes has certainly worked very well with $120 profit on the month, all from those types of games.

This week I played ...

4 x 6 player SnG's: Won 1; 2nd 1; Lost 2. +$8
1 x 18 player SnG: 2nd. +$21.5
1 x 9 player SnG: 2nd. + $8
1 x 120 player $500 points tournament: 23rd (out of money)
1 x 73 player $200 points tournament: 4th +$20

Conclusions? Well, the points tournaments are obviously good news and I still have nearly 600 points, which will keep me going in these for a while. The improving tournament skills showed up well in the 18 player sng. When I have the time to invest (about an hour for one of those, if I remember rightly) those are the ones I'll go for. The other possibility is to move up to the $10 level. That will definitely happen if current trends continue.

The book on Sit and Go Strategy that I mentioned last week is by Collin Moshman (not Mossman). It is very good. Everything the SnG player could want is there - early, middle and late blinds play, steals and resteals, "Indepedent Chip Model" etc with lots of good practical examples of when and, just as improtantly when not, to use these concepts. I strongly recommend it, as I already feel that it has helped my play considerably.

2007-11-24T15:38:00.000Z

SECOND PLACE IN MY FAVOURITE TOURNAMENT

Neteller: Last week $40; Current $40 (-)
PokerStars: Last week $145; Current $135 (-10)
CD: Last week $249; Current $249 (-)
Titan: Last week $212; Current $208 (-)
DTD: Last week 202; Current 232 (+30)
Inter: Last week 12; Current 70 (+58)

Total = $934 (+78)

Thank you for participating in the tournament "$250 MPP Freeroll 5900165", on Nov 23 2007 11:21PM GMT.
Congratulations! You placed 2nd and won 50.00 USD!

Good luck at the tables,

Ryan Hartley
Manager - InterPoker

The $250 player points tournament that I have been playing on Friday nights came up trumps again when I managed second place out of 73 starters. This tournament suits me really well as there isn't a ridiculous number of entries which makes my equity value pretty good, especially since a lot of the opposition is fairly poor. I have the points for 15 more entries in this so I'll be farming it for a while I reckon.

Heads Up at the end was a bit sad though. First hand I went all in with QJ suited and he called me - he had Kings. Still, I wasn't complaining. I usually do pretty well heads up - in fact (note to self) I must start keeping stats on it.

That has been pretty much it for poker this week. Apart from the win in the DTD tourney, I played 4 six player sit and goes and came second in two and lost the other two.

In the meantime I've acquired Colin Mossman's book on single table sit-and-goes. It looks pretty useful - I'll do a review when I've finished reading the thing.

2007-11-18T23:23:00.000Z

A PLEASING WIN

Well, would you belive it - I've just won the last of the RTR league games to qualify to represent the forum in Nottingham at a live event. I don't think I'll be able to make it, but it was certainly a lot of fun to play.

What especially pleased me was that I ended up heads up against "Cogsgoine" who thumped me when down to the final two in the first game of the series. I can't say I didn't have a bit of luck, but hey, you have to get that in this sort of thing. Mine came in the very last hand, which sealed the win, when I went all in on a 3 spade flop with my two nines hitting a third. He followed me all in - as he would, since he had two spades for the flush. Well, what do you know - the case nine fell on the river!

There were only 14 players, but it was much more satisfying to end up top of the heap against them than any 100s+ player tourney, since all of these guys (and gals) can actually play.

2007-11-17T15:04:00.000Z

THUNDROUS STUFF

Neteller: Last week $40; Current $40 (-)
PokerStars: Last week $145; Current $145 (-)
CD: Last week $249; Current $249 (-)
Titan: Last week $212; Current $208 (-)
DTD: Last week 212; Current 202 (-10)
Inter: Last week 3; Current 12 (+9)

Total = $855 (-1)

I played my $250 points buy in trourney on Friday night again. I was doing nicely, middle sized stack on level 5, when I got Kings and went all in over a 3BB raise. He had Aces - end of tournamnet. SIGH.

I had $3 left in CD so I decided to mess around with it and entered some $2 "Thunder" six player trounaments. I came 2nd in a couple and lost a couple so I went for a 10 player one and won that. These are totally hilarious. The blinds go up every 5 hands, so there is no time for any "proper" poker. You get a hand - you go all in and hope it holds up. That's it. Somebody always calls.

By the bubble in the 10 player one, the BB was virtually your stack, so you had to go all in with whatever you had. Some folk didn't grasp this and actually folded hands to my "all ins" and this is what won me the thing. I ended up with the biggest stack when we were down to the last three and could actually sustain losing a hand and still have something left to play with. A bit of a laugh but not something you'd want to do regularly if you don't like bad beats. I took one guys AK down with 34 that hit a 3 for example.

Meanwhile the more sanely paced "sixpack" sit and go's on DTD started well and I was up $28 at one time, but a run of 9 games with only one win at the end of the week dropped me back to -1 for the week on them. Played 17; Won 3; 2nd 3; Lost 11. I like this format though, as I can play for short periods of time and you get a bit of action at some point whatever happens. I think I'll stick with them until I can win regularly. I never thought I'd say it, but I've gone right off cash games for the time being. It just takes too long (for me anyway) to grind out a profit at the levels I can comfortably play.

2007-11-10T11:38:00.000Z

A LESSON LEARNED

Neteller: Last week $40; Current $40 (-)
PokerStars: Last week $151; Current $145 (-6)
CD: Last week $249; Current $249 (-)
Titan: Last week $212; Current $208 (-4)
DTD: Last week 202; Current 212 (+10)
Inter: Last week 20; Current 3 (-17)

Total = $856 (-17)

After eviction from the Bloggerment and League games last week (both with Queens getting beaten, by in one cases Aces and the other Kings - I'm really going off Queens) I played three 6 player S&G's. I won one came second in one and lost the other.

The win was hilarious (for me anyway). I found myself playing with 5 real cavemen so I just sat back, kept clicking the fold button and watched the mayhem. We got down to 4 left and all three of the others ended up all in together. This left me in the money without having voluntarily played a hand! However I was left with 800 chips or so to the other guys 5,200. Oh well - off we go. I started after him with repeated all ins which he kept refusing to see. Great and up to 1,600 or so when he finally cracks and sees me. I hit and he doesn't. I'm now marginally chip leader. Now I start getting slightly more selective about the all ins. He raises, I go all in with A7. He calls with K8 and nothing hits so I take it down. He must have wondered what had hit him!

Sadly, since then I have played another 6 and only won one of them for an overall profit of $1 - good or what! :-) I didn't play particularly badly in any of them - just lost crucial coin flips at the wrong time.

The Friday night Inter $250 tourney did see me make a silly mistake though. I was chugging along nicely about 3 levels in having doubled up twice with the only hands I'd played. Getting a pair of jacks in middle position I went for a 3BB raise and was reraised 5BB. I had a look at the respective stacks and thought that even if I lost a 50/50 I would still be in reasonable shape so I went all in. He had Kings and neither of us hit. I could have kicked myself afterwards. He had to have a hand and I had no reason to risk my good stack like that and eventually was eliminated out of the money when my all in with AK missed.

2007-11-03T15:39:00.000Z

A BIT MORE SITTING AND GOING.

Neteller: Last week $40; Current $40 (-)
PokerStars: Last week $151; Current $151 (-)
CD: Last week $249; Current $249 (-)
Titan: Last week $221; Current $212 (-9)
DTD: Last week 178; Current 202 (+24)
Inter: Last week 0; Current 20 (+20)

Total = $873

Total for October = +$23
Total for Year = +$743

I've finally got my system back together again and reloaded all the programs etc. A few wrinkles (as ever) but I think I'm through through the worst now.

Last Sunday I could only play on DTD on my daughter's computer, so when I got knocked out of the league game (rather unluckily as I recall) I had a look for some S&G's and found a 6 player ("Sixpack") game needing just one more. So I joined it and won. I enjoyed that, like you do, so I played another one and won that as well.

Naturally after that I decided to give the format a bit of a run. In the end that is what I played for the week and I finished with Played 10; Won 4; Second 1; Lost 5. A small sample of course, but I seem to have a positive equity value at this format. I've found some useful articles on the correct strategies for this type of tourney at www.donkeydevastation.com and www.sitandgoplanet.com Check those sites out if you are interested, as there is useful stuff there.

I've also checked in at Inter again as I still have some player points there from my limit grinding days. They run some nice $250 player points tournaments each evening which seem to attract only about 60 or so players. I thought I would probably have a +ev there and proved it by finishing 5th for $20 in the one I entered on Friday night. I think I'll factor them in over the next few weeks and see how I get on. I've 830 player points which is enough for 16 of these so it will be interesting to see how much I make out of them.

Meanwhile we are going to have a poker night at my local cricket club on a Tuesday night every so often. Playing face to face over a few beers is a good laugh made better by the fact that I tend to win (as I should being more experienced than the others playing).

2007-10-28T21:18:00.000Z

"You win some..."

Neteller: Last week $40; Current $40 (-)
PokerStars: Last week $151; Current $151 (-)
CD: Last week $249; Current $249 (-)
Titan: Last week $260; Current $221 (-39)
DTD: Last week 94; Current 178 (+84)

Total = $839 (+45)

As it turned out I came second in the tournament game last week and I'm playing this week's event as I write this. I caught a good hand early on which doubled me up and was able to get to the later stages with a decent stack without taking any risks. 88 holding up against Acorn's 44 bumped me up again. Then I started getting lucky - I had a couple of wins when behind one of them when my pair of deuces tripped up on the river. That was enough to get me in the money which was great because the site were adding an overlay to the stakes. Sadly I was never going to get a blow in when heads up with Cogsgoine for the number one spot - he had a huge chip lead and the blinds were quite low so I couldn't even try to get lucky with some all in plays. I battled on for a long time but eventually lost out. Good fun though.

Sadly my cash table play through the week was less successful. I don't think I did anything particularly wrong - just had the 2nd best hand at the wrong time on a couple of occasions. So it goes.

Meanwhile my computer continues to play up - random crashes. Hopefully I can get it sorted later this week.

2007-10-21T20:45:00.000+01:00

"Dusk till Dawn"

Neteller: Last week $140; Current $40 (-100)
PokerStars: Last week $157; Current $151 (-6)
CD: Last week $249; Current $249 (-)
Titan: Last week $2240; Current $260 (+20)
DTD: Last week 0; Current 94 (+94)

Total = $794 (+8)

I've opened an account with "Dusk Till Dawn" in order to play in the Raise the River league tournaments being held there. It will be interesting to see how I get on. The prize at the end of the 5 weeks the league is running is participation in a live tournament in Nottingham. There is no way I could actually make that, but if I qualify (very doubtful) I will have made some money in the process.

Meanwhile I've been playing cash games on Titan. I was doing very nicely until my all in with Aces was beaten by Kings that flopped trips. Never seems to go my way when I find myself up against Aces with Kings, SIGH. That mishap wiped out most of my winnings for the week but still - going in the right direction.