"CHANGING MY SKIN"

Neteller: Last week $358; Current $140 (-$218)
PokerStars: Last week $185; Current $202 (+17)
CD: Last week $236; Current $249 (+13)
Titan: Last week $-; Current $259 (+$259)

Current Total: $850 (+$55)

Loss on month = -$16

Profit on year = +$720

Well, I had a good look around different sites and the offers going with them and in the end plumped for another iPoker skin, Titan, because there was a really nice offer for that room from a website I found offering freerolls, extra bonuses and the regular bonus, which is already pretty sound. The nice thing about it is that it's just the same as playing on CD since it's from the same stable, so I'm used to the general standard on the tables.

Progress on those tables meant that I ended the month only $16 down which didn't look likely in the middle period.

So the plan currently is to carry on playing cash games throught the week and S&G's and Tourney's at the weekends when I have a bit more time.

Three months to go, so hopefully I should reach the $1,000 mark for the year which would be a good objective to achieve.

"QUIET TIMES"

Neteller: Last week $358; Current $358
PokerStars: Last week $217; Current $285 (-32)
CD: Last week $236; Current $252 (+16)

Current Total: $795 (-16)

I haven't played a lot this week - I don't think I've had a night in all week, which can't be a bad thing really. I won a little at the cash games on CD, but lost that and a bit more playing Sit and Goes on Stars on Friday night - I kept finishing on the bubble or 5th, which was irritating. The only time I finished in the money was in the "Raise the River" league where I came 2nd out of 8.

I got down to being heads up with "Resdent Evil" and thought I was going to take it down when I had a significant chip lead on him on couple of occassions. However both times we went all in, he copped a card and eventually it came down to a hand where I made a small raise with QQ and cheered when he took the bait and went all in with A6off. Im approximately 70% v 30% here but, of course, an Ace hit on the flop and just to rub it in he got a 6 as well. Sigh.

That's the trouble with this format - you are very much in the lap of the poker Ghods most of the time. You can play really well to get deep into the thing and then lose a face off when you were big favourite and find yourself out. It works both ways of course, sometimes you get lucky when you are the underdog. Anyway, they are good fun, but not worth a major investment.

I'm looking into another site to play cash games on and am open to suggestions. Full Tilt is one I'm considering - does anyone have any experience there?

"A BIT OF SITTING AND GOING"

Neteller: Last week $358; Current $358
PokerStars: Last week $208; Current $217 (+9)
CD: Last week $230; Current $236 (+6)

Current Total: $811 (+15)

I decided to play mainly "sit and goes" this week just to see how I would get on. I played 9 - placing in the money 3 times, one 1st, one 2nd one 3rd. Not bad, but hardly a way to fame and fortune. My win was down to hyper-aggression when "in the money" - I was easily the shortest stack going in but aggression put that right and I got lucky on the big showdowns, as you need to. The second and third placings were down to losing coin flips. I also went out on the bubble a couple of times - caught stealing on one occassion, but you have it to do.

Good fun, but I think I'll go back to playing mainly cash games with Sit and Goes and tourneys for the weekends.

"...so it goes..."

Neteller: Last week $358; Current $358
PokerStars: Last week $220; Current $208 (-12)
CD: Last week $288; Current $230 (-58)

Current Total: $796 (-70)

I didn't play much this week and what I did play, didn't get very far...until Friday night. I played the "Raise the River" league tournament and finished 6th. Poor play at the end. I went all in with AJ in early position and was called and beaten by AK as I deserved to be...poor concentration I should never have been in the hand.

I followed that with a very poor session on CD where I in the space of an hour I lost with AA, KK and QQ.

BAD BEAT STORIES WARNING

The AA one was the worst. I was beaten by 87 suited when he hit a straight on the river. I was in the Big Blind and he raised 4x ($2) on the button. I raised him by $10 and he called?? The flop came Q92 rainbow and he called my all in??

Then we get a 10 on the turn and a Jack on the river. What can you do?

On Saturday I decided to play some tournaments for a bit of light relief. In the CD No Limit 300 player points tournament I finished 19/429. The sad part was that I thought I'd made the final table. In my last hand I had AA in the big blind which I raised all in. I got two callers from bigger stacks. I was counting my chips when an Ace hit on a rainbow flop only (you guessed it) for one them to hit a runner, runner flush on the river. Pissed off? Me? Too right I was!

Meanwhile I had inadvertently (again, SIGH) entered a Limit tournament on Stars. I made the money there too (20/639). They are a funny business Limit tournaments. Early doors, they are very easy. You just sit there until you have a hand and then bet it like hell when you do. No problem. Once you get into the serious blind levels however, you have to change mentality completely, as it becomes much more like a No Limit tourney with blind stealing, bluffing etc. The trouble is it takes 2½ hours to get to the interesting bit! I had to pack it in and just let myself be blinded out at 12.45 in the morning, when it was obvious it was going to take another hour or more to sort the thing out. Now if I could start one of these early enough there might be money to be made here - this was a free to enter $1000 jobbie and I'm sure I would have made the final table if I'd been able to play on. One to think about.

"NICE FINISH TO THE MONTH"

Neteller: Last week $358; Current $358
PokerStars: Last week $222; Current $220 (-2)
CD: Last week $212; Current $288 (+76)

Current Total: $866

Profit for month = +$193

Profit for year = +$736

I haven't played too much this week, but what I have played, mainly $50 buy in No Limit, has been profitable.

Most of the profit came from one hand where I found myself calling in late position with Q 10 clubs. The flop came AK2 - all clubs! I'm thinking - how do I coax as much profit as possible out of this one? Then the big blind comes at me with a $5 raise. Helpful. I call and the turn is a blank. BB raises $10 this time. I double it and he goes all in, which of course I call. The river is another blank - and thank you very much. It transpired he had J3 of clubs. It's so nice when someone gets a second best hand which can't improve to beat you.

I seem to be settling into a rhythm of cash games through the week and MTT's and SnG's at the weekends when I have a bit more time.

The home game last Sunday was fun. I managed to win (as my greater experience suggested I should) despite the host, Ged, plying me with significant quantities of rather fine whisky! Mind you he plied himself with it too, so nobody had an advantage.