First off, I had to take my 2000 Honda Civic in to get some body work done, because some hick decided that yield signs are optional, and PWNed my car’s front bumper. So I take it in to get fixed, and get a rental car. Numbnuts behind the desk at “discount rent-a-car” decides that it would be a good idea to give me the BIGGEST FUCKIN CAR they have.

My Car

Rent-A-Car

now, if you’re at all used to driving a small car, trying to maneuver something that seems like the size of an elephant on 4 wheels is no easy task. So I get in the car, and spark this lil hussy up. I wanted to hear what the engine sounded like but someone turned on a vacuum at the same time. OH……..WAIT…….that IS the engine……STELLAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I negotiate this massive vacuum out of its unnecessarily small parking spot, and down an unnecessarily narrow back lane. I get it on an actual road and start along my not so merry way. My next task was to get this baby into the left lane to make my first turn, and like any good driver, I do a shoulder check before doing so. This is where it turns interesting. Instead of seeing out a window, I’m greeted with about 6 inches of grey cloth, lining the frame of the door. Can’t see a GOD DAMN thing! So i contort my neck into an extremely painful position, just to make a measly shoulder check. After what seems like an eternity, I finally make it to my destination, where the only available parking, is on the street. SWEET. I get to try and paralell park this oversized vacuum elephant. Now, when I was 16, and taking, my drivers test, I nailed, paralell parking. I feel it is the strongest point in my driving repitoir. Was this any assistance to me??? HECK NO!! It took me a few minutes just to figure out if the space that I was going to make my attempt at was even big enough for ths behemoth. After carefully scouting out my potential parking spot, I decide to give it a try. I get the car lined up, and pop it into reverse, turn my head to see where I’m going, and “HELLO 5 inches of cloth!” SONOFAHBITCH! More neck contortion insued. About 5 minutes later, I was able to get this beast into the parking spot. Thank GOD, cause my neck was KILLING me. I put in my 8 hours of underpaid, and overworked labour, and make the jaunt out to my rent-a-car, only to find that some inconsiderate JACKASS decided to make my life even more dificult by parking his run down jalopy a foot away from the bumper of my elephant vacuum. SAAAWEEET. I hope Discount Rent-A-Car has an on staff maseuse.

After much cursing and ranting, which reflected the rantings of a tuff_fush video, I was able to get myself to my home.

And what’s my favorite activity after any stress-filled day? Well….POKER of course

I played about 600 hands. This is how well I ran:

Hand 1

Hand 2

And, to top it all off!!!!

Hand 3

I hate my life today. Looks like I’m moving back down to 200NL DAMN YOU POKER GODS!!!

This is a solo album by my good friend, Matt Goud.  Recorded mainly with just an acoustic guitar and Matt’s comforting vocals, it draws you in with that whole ’sitting around the living room listening to him playing as if he were there in front of you’ kind of feel.

I had a pretty swingy session today.  I started off really well.  I grinded myself up 2 buyins basically playing small pot poker.  I was playing well.  I then noticed that Andrew Wiggins was at one of my tables.  He was playing pretty standard and we didn’t really get caught up in too many hands together, but about 20 min later, he decided to play uber-aggressive.  He was 3betting/4betting a ton, and basically trying to push everyone around.  I was pretty much avoiding him, because there was a pretty big fish at the table, but then, I got caught up in a hand with Andrew:

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Seat 1: time4sumakshun ($845.80)
Seat 2: sarabo ($1,324)
Seat 3: 33Pool ($459.30) –
Seat 4: I Covert Ops I ($400) –
Seat 5: dan0055 ($96.60) –
Seat 6: Andrew Wiggins ($427)

PRE-FLOP:

I Covert Ops I posts small blind $2
dan0055 posts BIG blind $4
Dealt To: I Covert Ops I

RAISE Andrew Wiggins ($14)
FOLD time4sumakshun
FOLD sarabo
FOLD 33Pool
RAISE I Covert Ops I ($52)
FOLD dan0055
CALL Andrew Wiggins ($38)

FLOP:

Pot: $108
  

BET I Covert Ops I ($76)
CALL Andrew Wiggins ($76)

TURN:

Pot: $260
    

CHECK I Covert Ops I
BET Andrew Wiggins ($299)
CALL I Covert Ops I ($272)
UNCALLED Andrew Wiggins ($27)

RIVER:

Pot: $804
     

SHOWDOWN:
Andrew Wiggins:

I Covert Ops I:

Andrew Wiggins collected $801 from main pot with a straight, Ace high

SUMMARY:
Total pot: $804 Rake: $3

Final Board:
    

Seat 1: time4sumakshun didnt bet folded – Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 2: sarabo didnt bet folded – Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 3: 33Pool button didnt bet folded – Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 4: I Covert Ops I small blind showed [Kc Qs] and lost with two pair, Kings and Queens – Net Gain/Loss: ($-400)
Seat 5: dan0055 big blind folded before the Flop – Net Gain/Loss: ($-4)
Seat 6: Andrew Wiggins showed [Ts Js] and won 801 with a straight, Ace high – Net Gain/Loss: ($401)
 

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I realise that my play isn’t that great, but It really looked to me like he was just trying to push me off the hand.  I didn’t feel that he had much, with how insanely he had been playing up to this point.  I really think that his float is pretty terrible, considering how he had been playing, and how I have been playing him.

With that hand, and this next hand, I managed to finish my session down slightly.  Its rough when you grind for 2 hours, only to have all your hard work taken away from you in the last 10 min of your session:

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Seat 1: Ratboy x ($456)
Seat 2: I_shivagit ($870.30)
Seat 3: smithroger_777 ($400) –
Seat 4: I Covert Ops I ($396) –
Seat 5: spartan_19 ($574.65) –
Seat 6: thepimpyoda ($406)

PRE-FLOP:

I Covert Ops I posts small blind $2
spartan_19 posts BIG blind $4
Dealt To: I Covert Ops I

FOLD thepimpyoda
FOLD Ratboy x
RAISE I_shivagit ($14)
FOLD smithroger_777
RAISE I Covert Ops I ($46)
FOLD spartan_19
CALL I_shivagit ($32)

FLOP:

Pot: $96
  

BET I Covert Ops I ($70)
RAISE I_shivagit ($140)
CALL I Covert Ops I ($70)

TURN:

Pot: $376
    

CHECK I Covert Ops I
BET I_shivagit ($236)
CALL I Covert Ops I ($210)
UNCALLED I_shivagit ($26)

RIVER:

Pot: $796
     

SHOWDOWN:
I_shivagit:

I Covert Ops I:

I_shivagit collected $793 from main pot with a full house, Kings full of Sixes

SUMMARY:
Total pot: $796 Rake: $3

Final Board:
    

Seat 1: Ratboy x didnt bet folded – Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 2: I_shivagit showed [Qd Kd] and won 793 with a full house, Kings full of Sixes – Net Gain/Loss: ($397)
 
Seat 3: smithroger_777 button didnt bet folded – Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 4: I Covert Ops I small blind showed [Jc Jh] and lost with a full house, Jacks full of Kings – Net Gain/Loss: ($-396)
Seat 5: spartan_19 big blind folded before the Flop – Net Gain/Loss: ($-4)
Seat 6: thepimpyoda didnt bet folded – Net Gain/Loss: ($0)

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I really think I played this hand as good as I possibly could have.  Villan was 22/16/4 over 550 hands.  He struck me as a TAG player.  He called my 3bet pretty quickly.  Then when he minraised my bet on the flop, I really felt that he had a weak K.  KQ+.  I think he raises 66 more than min.  I figured that I had him crushed at this point, and I wanted to let him make a mistake, so I decided to call and check the turn.  The turn wasn’t the greatest card, because it gave him more outs, but it also basically guaranteed that he would go with the hand.  So I check and he shoves, and I call.  I gave him more than enough rope to hang himself with, and had the noose tied tight, but he managed to slither out of it.  Somehow, Sklansky bux are a little less fun to win

Currently Listening to: Dead and Divine – Like Wolves

This song is truley phenomenal (if you like Hardcore that is) Their new album is out today and I fully intend on picking it up. I’ve seen them live a couple times, and they’re truely amazing

http://www.cardrunners.com/members/index.php?option=com_mamblog&Itemid=29&task=show&action=user&id=11144 

I am purposefully not posting or looking at my stats for the session. I am still reviewing the individual hands tho.

The reason that I am doing this is that I am trying to make some much needed adjustments to my game. In order to do that, I need to play as I have been for 10 to 15K hands at the new limit. Then slowly from there, make some adjustments.

So I am trying to play about 15K hands this week. Am I insane? you ask? ABSOLUTELY. I’ve done it before, and I can certainly do it again.

I’m midway through already, and I’m noticing that I am making some small adjustments purely out of necessity.
400NL is SO VERY aggressive compared to 200NL. At 200NL I was able to pound on the blinds from the button/CO, and I’d rarely get played back at. Now it seems like anytime anyone raises the CO/Button, one of the blinds 3bets. To combat this, I’ve had to start 4bet bluffing a bit. I’ve also had to pay attention to players 3bet %, which isn’t in PAHUD, so I’ve started using a different HUD.

The nice thing is that the donkeys are the same. They’re still loose passive, and just turbo pot bet their big hands. I swear, that I’ve actually seen through their cards a couple of times.

I have been playing pretty well. I’ve made some good reads, and I think I’ve really opened up my game/ and really upped the aggression.

That said, the results are not showing. Generally, my sessions have gone really well. I’ve made good reads, good calls, and some decent bluffs.

I’ll grind my way up to a 200bb stack, and then…………
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Seat 1: Poker-on-tilt ($894.80)
Seat 2: childish games ($629.70) –
Seat 4: I Covert Ops I ($462) –
Seat 5: natedagreat ($648.70) Sitting Out
Seat 6: ftplo ($129.20) –

PRE-FLOP:

I Covert Ops I posts small blind $2
ftplo posts BIG blind $4
Dealt To: I Covert Ops I

CALL Poker-on-tilt ($4)
RAISE childish games ($18)
CALL I Covert Ops I ($16)
FOLD ftplo
RAISE Poker-on-tilt ($76)
CALL childish games ($58)
CALL I Covert Ops I ($58)

FLOP:

Pot: $232
  

CHECK I Covert Ops I
BET Poker-on-tilt ($232)
CALL childish games ($232)
RAISE I Covert Ops I ($386)
CALL Poker-on-tilt ($154)
CALL childish games ($154)

TURN:

Pot: $1390
    

BET Poker-on-tilt ($432.80)
CALL childish games ($167.70)
UNCALLED Poker-on-tilt ($265.10)

RIVER:

Pot: $1725.4
     

SHOWDOWN:
Poker-on-tilt:

childish games:

I Covert Ops I:

Poker-on-tilt collected $335.4 from side pot 1 with a straight, Ace highPoker-on-tilt collected $1388 from main pot with a straight, Ace high

SUMMARY:
Total pot: $1Main pot: $1
Side pot: $335
Rake: $2

Final Board:
    

Seat 1: Poker-on-tilt showed [Kh Ah] and won 1,723.40 with a straight, Ace high – Net Gain/Loss: ($1093.7)
 
Seat 2: childish games button showed [Js Jc] and lost with three of a kind, Jacks – Net Gain/Loss: ($-629.7)
 
Seat 4: I Covert Ops I small blind showed [6s 6c] and lost with three of a kind, Sixes – Net Gain/Loss: ($-462)
Seat 5: natedagreat is sitting out – Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 6: ftplo big blind folded before the Flop – Net Gain/Loss: ($-4)

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I know that my PF call looks a little strange, but Poker-on-tilt, ALWAYS, and I do mean ALWAYS, followed up with a pot bet on the flop, no matter what it was, and If I hit it right, I’d get a big pot.  I was also sure that childish games had a big hand too, and he’d probably be going with it.

Well I hit it perfectly.  I checked, knowing that he WILL bet, childish will either call or shove, and I’ll call/shove, and he’ll have to call getting a good price when I have both of them obliterated.

It worked out perfectly, I had both of them crushed and they BOTH sucked out on me

I generally don’t tilt, but I had to stop the session shortly after this hand because I was tilting pretty hard

Position Stats:

This graph below shows how much I bet on each street, and how much equity I have in the pot on each street. You want the equity to be higher than the amount that you bet.

So overall it looks like I’m betting too much on the turn vs my equity in the pot.

One thing that I’m really going to concentrate on for 400NL is getting better and analysing what range my opponent is putting me on. I’m getting to levels where the opponents are better, thinking players, and this is going to have to be a solid part of my game for me to be able to continue to make a profit

BR: $11,144.75

See it? Isn’t that EV graph a beauty. Here’s the hand in question:

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Seat 1: ki11321 ($200) Sitting Out
Seat 2: jth24 ($69.30) –
Seat 3: rafikandnancy ($169.90) –
Seat 4: cmorecrds ($331.55)
Seat 5: RalphBogart ($339.90)
Seat 6: I Covert Ops I ($313.70) –

PRE-FLOP:

jth24 posts small blind $1
rafikandnancy posts BIG blind $2
Dealt To: I Covert Ops I

FOLD cmorecrds
RAISE RalphBogart ($7)
CALL I Covert Ops I ($7)
FOLD jth24
CALL rafikandnancy ($5)

RalphBogart is 18/14 over 101 hands. His CBET % was 100. He had cbet 11 of the 11 flops he saw.

FLOP:

Pot: $22

CHECK rafikandnancy
BET RalphBogart ($18)
RAISE I Covert Ops I ($56)
FOLD rafikandnancy
CALL RalphBogart ($38)

I raise him here strictly because of his CBET %, expecting that if he had a hand, he’d reraise (because the board is draw heavy) , and he’d fold his missed hands.

TURN:

Pot: $134

CHECK RalphBogart
BET I Covert Ops I ($107)
RAISE RalphBogart ($276.90)
CALL I Covert Ops I ($143.70)
UNCALLED RalphBogart ($26.20)

He flatted my raise, which was the last thing i expected from a player this tight. This made me think that he was on a draw. Maybe a combo draw, but I was convinced that he would have Reraised the flop with a combo. So i put him on something like AQcc. I felt that my Top pair and 2nd nut draw were good enough to go with and BOY was I WAY OFF!!!

RIVER:

Pot: $635.4

SHOWDOWN:
RalphBogart:

I Covert Ops I:

I Covert Ops I collected $632.4 from main pot with a flush, King high

SUMMARY:
Total pot: $635 Rake: $3

Final Board:

Seat 1: ki11321 is sitting out – Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 2: jth24 small blind folded before the Flop – Net Gain/Loss: ($-1)
Seat 3: rafikandnancy big blind folded on the Flop – Net Gain/Loss: ($-7)
Seat 4: cmorecrds didnt bet folded – Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 5: RalphBogart showed [Jd Js] and lost with three of a kind, Jacks – Net Gain/Loss: ($-313.7)

Seat 6: I Covert Ops I button showed [Kd Qd] and won 632.40 with a flush, King high – Net Gain/Loss: ($318.7)

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So as you can see I was WAY off! Although I don’t hate my play, I failed to think of what he probably put me on. The most obvious answer was the same as I put him on. A draw, and probably a flush draw. In his eyes, I probably would have flat called a suited connector type hand and raised a flush draw in position. I think this is the reason why he just flat called my raise. He probably figured that I was aggressive enough to shove his Reraise preflop with a FD, so he just flat called, with the intention of getting it in on the turn. This 3rd level thinking is definately something i need to become more consistent at, but I’m glad this hand came up, to remind me that its something i need to work on, and the suckout was nice too

BR: $10,633.60

PokerEV is showing that I have gotten luck in my last few sessions, and although that is true, I feel it is for a reason. I’m a firm believer in staying positive, and its something that I strive for at the table. After all the bad beats and lucky draws, I feel that the players who are able to control their emotions, stay level-headed and positive are the ones who benefit. I’m not a firm believer in “luck” in the conventional sense of the word. I really believe that you make your own luck. I’ve really noticed that in this game (and in live in general) that when you are playing well, you tend to be “luckier”

With that said, today was a breakthrough session for me. I feel that I played some of the best poker I have ever played.  I had to make A LOT of tough laydowns, but I was rewarded by having almost every one of my big hands hold up.

Results:

BR: $9566.60
It was a fairly swingy session.  I won and lost a couple 200bb pots.  Mainly due to one donkey at the table.  His MO was to call almost any raise PF (VPIP was about 70) and then call every bet down to the river with as little as bottom pair.  If he missed he would fold.

I LOVE when they slow play themselves into oblivion!!!

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Seat 1: Freudian Bet ($209.15) –
Seat 2: I Covert Ops I ($209.85) –
Seat 3: awlin99 ($761.10)
Seat 4: JEROME778 ($212.45)
Seat 5: Agent 714 ($167.45)
Seat 6: GermanValley ($200) – PRE-FLOP:

Freudian Bet posts small blind $1
I Covert Ops I posts BIG blind $2
Dealt To: I Covert Ops I

CALL awlin99 ($2)
FOLD JEROME778
FOLD Agent 714
FOLD GermanValley
FOLD Freudian Bet
CHECK I Covert Ops I

FLOP:

Pot: $5

BET I Covert Ops I ($5)
CALL awlin99 ($5)

TURN:

Pot: $15

BET I Covert Ops I ($13)
RAISE awlin99 ($26)
CALL I Covert Ops I ($13)

RIVER:

Pot: $67

CHECK I Covert Ops I
BET awlin99 ($28)
RAISE I Covert Ops I ($176.85)
CALL awlin99 ($148.85)

SHOWDOWN:
I Covert Ops I:

MUCK awlin99

I Covert Ops I collected $417.7 from main pot with a full house, Sixes full of Queens

SUMMARY:
Total pot: $420 Rake: $3

Final Board:

Seat 1: Freudian Bet small blind folded before the Flop – Net Gain/Loss: ($-1)
Seat 2: I Covert Ops I big blind showed [Qs 6s] and won 417.70 with a full house, Sixes full of Queens – Net Gain/Loss: ($207.85)
Seat 3: awlin99 mucked [Kc Kh] – two pair, Kings and Sixes – Net Gain/Loss: ($-209.85)
Seat 4: JEROME778 didnt bet folded – Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 5: Agent 714 didnt bet folded – Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 6: GermanValley button didnt bet folded – Net Gain/Loss: ($0)

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Trying out PT3: (its fairly nice so far. Took me a minute to find everything)

Here is a hand that I fully intended on folding, until the amount of callers behind me gave me nice odds with a decent hand.

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PFR: VERY tight and quite aggressive.  He was 10/5/3 over 100 hands. My read was that he was basically sitting waiting for big pairs and then betting pot on every street.  I haven’t seen him go to showdown yet in the session.

Seat 1: AB King pro ($452.35)
Seat 2: Nocturnick ($210)
Seat 3: Freudian Bet ($256.45)
Seat 4: F4HSS ($226.40) –
Seat 5: a1992s ($131.40) –
Seat 6: I Covert Ops I ($200) –

PRE-FLOP:

a1992s posts small blind $1
I Covert Ops I posts BIG blind $2
Dealt To: I Covert Ops I

FOLD AB King pro
RAISE Nocturnick ($7)
CALL Freudian Bet ($7)
FOLD F4HSS
CALL a1992s ($6)
CALL I Covert Ops I ($5)

I’m getting slightly more than 4-1 to see a flop here.  Yes please!  Plus TONNES of implied odds if I get a hand.  With the PFR’s tight style, I’m looking for 2p+ on the flop, or an OESD
FLOP:

Pot: $28
  

YAY ME!!!  This is exactly what I’m hoping for.  It looks like a very harmless flop.  I decided to bet into him, because I was 100% confident that I would get raised, and that he was most likely holding a fairly strong hand.  He indeed does raise, although he tanks for a minute.  This kinda worried me a bit.  Normally he would act fairly quickly.  His tank made me think that he might have had an AK type hand and he was bluffing.  I thought for a minute and decided on calling, and intending to check any turn, because:
A. I think I can afford to let another card come off here.  If he has AK,  I have him crushed.  and if he has  an overpair, he’s drawing to  2 outs.  (if the turn is a J+, I’m still prepared to go all the way, but I just won’t be to happy about it)
B.  He’s aggressive enough to follow up with his bluff on the turn, and since he usually just bets pot,  it will end up being an all in call for me
CHECK a1992s
BET I Covert Ops I ($18)
RAISE Nocturnick ($55)
FOLD Freudian Bet
FOLD a1992s
CALL I Covert Ops I ($37)

TURN:

Pot: $138
    

CHECK I Covert Ops I
BET Nocturnick ($148)
CALL I Covert Ops I ($138)
UNCALLED Nocturnick ($10)

The turn is nice and safe, and he did exactly what I expected him to do.  I made an easy call, and he turns over what I was expecting to see
RIVER:

Pot: $414
     

SHOWDOWN:
Nocturnick:

I Covert Ops I:

I Covert Ops I collected $411 from main pot with three of a kind, Sevens

SUMMARY:
Total pot: $414 Rake: $3

Final Board:
    

Seat 1: AB King pro didnt bet folded – Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 2: Nocturnick showed [Ac Ah] and lost with two pair, Aces and Sevens – Net Gain/Loss: ($-200)
 
Seat 3: Freudian Bet folded on the Flop – Net Gain/Loss: ($-7)
Seat 4: F4HSS button didnt bet folded – Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 5: a1992s small blind folded on the Flop – Net Gain/Loss: ($-7)
Seat 6: I Covert Ops I big blind showed [8h 7s] and won 411 with three of a kind, Sevens – Net Gain/Loss: ($211)

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Something that I picked up from watching one of Brian Townshend’s CardRunner’s videos is:
“when you have the deck crushed, don’t be afraid to give your opponent a chance to make a mistake”

This is exactly what I was going for in this hand, and it paid off well for me.  In all honesty, if I reraised, the flop, he’s probably shoving on me anyway with his holding, but at that point in the hand, I wasn’t 100% sure that he had an overpaid, but i was 100% sure that if I flat called, and checked the turn, that he would bet, and probably commit himself to the pot.