November 2012 Review

I have really fought back this month after 4 months of crap results. I crushed NL50 for like a year before that downswing. Now I am back..!!

I made a few adjustments to my game and feel like I have played the best poker that I have ever played and the results have followed.

I have stuck with mainly ZOOM in November but that will have to change as I move up in stakes. At Full Ring ZOOM the highest level that runs is NL50 and if I want to stay with ZOOM then I will have to switch to 6max if I want to move to NL100.

I tried a bit of 6max and tbh I did really well but it was just too fast so I would prefer to just stick with FR and that will mean switching to the normal tables which will also mean longer sessions. I like ZOOM because I can play really short sessions and lots of them but with normal tables it takes time to start and stop each session so to be productive you must play longer. The advantage is table selection which you do not have in ZOOM.

I also have to clear the Deal Me In (DMI) bonus on Full Tilt Poker which is worth $750. I will download the trial version of TableNinjaFT and use it alongside HEM1 which is already working for FTP.

The final numbers for November are as follows:

209,124 Hands Played

22,036 VPPs

+$3,288 (Cash Game Winnings)
-$171 (Tournament Losses)
+$51 (Volume Pool Winnings)

--------------------------------------------------------------------

+$3,168 (Total Month)

The Ytd numbers are as follows:

1,427,824 Hands Played

185,320 VPPs

+$3,648 - Jan

+$3,213 - Feb

+$2,023 - Mar

+$2,072 - Apr

+$3,642 - May

+$5,120 - Jun

-$699 - Jul

+$664 - Aug

+$268 - Sep
+$1,175 - Oct
+$3,168 - Nov

--------------------------------------------------------------------

+$24,293 (Total YTD) 

During the month I was involved in a personal challenge to make 100 Stacks or Buy-Ins in a month which is something I don't think that I have ever done. I am pleased to say that I made it:

The final stretch for 2012 is upon us, GL..!!

October 2012 Review

4 months with more outgoings than $$$ coming in is tough to deal with.

You need to have back up funds for times like these and I'm glad I do.

I feel like a good piss up today or tomorrow or both to take the edge away.

I've got my back up against a wall and I'm gonna have go back to basics this month to get back to winning ways.

I do have a plan (future post)

The final numbers for October are as follows:

187,481 Hands Played

19,766 VPPs

-$1,038 (Cash Game Losses)

+$1,600 (FPP Cash Bonus)

+$600 (BOOM Player Bonuses)

+$13 (Volume Pool Winnings)

--------------------------------------------------------------------

+$1,175 (Total Month)

The Ytd numbers are as follows:

1,218,700 Hands Played

163,284 VPPs

+$3,648 - Jan

+$3,213 - Feb

+$2,023 - Mar

+$2,072 - Apr

+$3,642 - May

+$5,120 - Jun

-$699 - Jul

+$664 - Aug

+$268 - Sep
+$1,175 - Oct

--------------------------------------------------------------------

+$21,125 (Total YTD) 

GL in Movember..!!

September 2012 Review

I had lined up a few pictures of clowns that I was going to post in the September review instead of doing the normal numbers as poker has become something of a joke but I have manned up and will do a normal write up :)

I am still on the worst downer ever (in 7yrs of poker). Over the last 3 months I lost 60 BIs at NL50 only I recover it at NL25 (BIs that is not $$$) I then lost more and it is just very swingy now.

Over this 3 month period I am pretty much making no cash whatsoever. Its lucky that I have a few other small income streams in life to help me pay my rent / bills and also have a little saved for the future.

I will post a graph in bb now as it shows I won 32 stacks in the month which is ok. The problem is I lost a lot at the higher level (NL50) and crushed the lower level (NL25).

The final numbers for September are as follows:

126,008 Hands Played

11,864 VPPs

+$382 (Cash Game Winnings)

+$35 (WCOOP Re-load Bonus)

-$267 (Online Tourny Losses)

-$97 (Live Cash Game Losses)

+$215 (FPP Sunday Million Tkt)

--------------------------------------------------------------------

+$268 (Total Month)

The Ytd numbers are as follows:

905,211 Hands Played

131,654 VPPs

+$3,648 - Jan

+$3,213 - Feb

+$2,023 - Mar

+$2,072 - Apr

+$3,642 - May

+$5,120 - Jun

-$699 - Jul

+$664 - Aug

+$268 - Sep

--------------------------------------------------------------------

+$19,950 (Total YTD) 

So at least I finally won some $$ at the tables but the take for the month is so low. I will get a $1,600 bonus in Oct so hopefully some winnings can push the month over $2k at least. My target for the year including the 200k VPP bonus is to make at least $30k overall.

I plan to play NL25 for the first 5 days of the month before moving to NL50 for the rest of the month. In November I will move to NL100 and sometime at the back end of December I want to be mixing NL200 too ready for me to decide on whether or not I commence an SNE attempt in 2013. 

I went to the Stars VIP London meet which was quite interesting. I met a few random players from other games but no-one from my games. I had a few beers + bites and watched the footy on a big screen. They also had an arcade room with a few games which was quite good. Lee Jones introduced the new software which is coming out. It looks pretty good and it designed with the idea of making it as easy as possible for recreational players to get playing poker, which is good for all of us. I actually got called up in Jan and went into London to test the software but had to sign a NDA so I didn't mention it in this blog but as the secret is out I guess it's okay now.

Anyway peeps, GL in Oct..!!

August 2012 Review

Back to back losing months at the tables. Pretty unbelievable considering how the first 6 months went. I'm glad I didn't put down August goals as I had big plans for the month :)

I have only ever lost 3 months in a row once and that was in the first four months back in 2005 when I started playing. This is actually not a losing month overall so I won't be breaking that unwanted record.

The month ended with a night at the Vic where Luke Schwartz and John Duthie were in action. There was a dude at Luke's table sitting with around £100,000. First time I had seen those purple £1,000 chips before.

I pretty much beat up the table I was at but as it was a £1/£1 table I only made like $250 in 3hrs before I got bored and moved on to the roulette where I bagged another $50. Need to start moving up the levels but the fish at £1/£1 are cool. It is always good when just as you are taking your seat the dealer is explaining the rules to a player who is going to be in the next pot wit you :) Getting a straight flush 3-way helps too. Of course he paid me off and so did the other one.

I didn't realise how many hands I had played this month. It was probably the 2nd biggest volume month ever for me. That's about where the positive ends. The table summary was: crushed NL25 and got ass raped at NL50.


The final numbers for August are as follows:

188,050 Hands Played
17,760 VPPs

-$1,243 (Cash Game Losses)
+$1,600 (FPP Cash Bonus)
+$65 (WCOOP Re-load Bonus)
-$14 (Online Tourny Losses)
+$256 (Live Cash Game Winnings)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$664 (Total Month)


The Ytd numbers are as follows:

905,211 Hands Played
131,654 VPPs

+$3,648 - Jan
+$3,213 - Feb
+$2,023 - Mar
+$2,072 - Apr
+$3,642 - May
+$5,120 - Jun
-$699 - Jul
+$664 - Aug
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$19,682 (Total YTD) 

July 2012 Review

I have just had my first losing month in almost 2yrs.

I pretty much only played the last 10 days of the month due to being busy with real life stuff.

Still managed decent volume though. August will we see me attempt to bag 2 x $1,600 bonuses doing solid volume and to get back to winning ways.

The final numbers for July are as follows:

87,860 Hands Played
12,953 VPPs

-$699 (Cash Game Losses)


The Ytd numbers are as follows:

629,301 Hands Played
100,941 VPPs

+$3,648 - Jan
+$3,213 - Feb
+$2,023 - Mar
+$2,072 - Apr
+$3,642 - May
+$5,120 - June
-$699 - July
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$19,018 (Total YTD) 


Laters..!!

June 2012 Review

We are half way through the year as June comes to an end.

I have just missed out on having my best month ever. I briefly hit +$6.2k for the month (including bonuses) only to go on a downswing during the last week of the month.

My record therefore month still stands at +£5,745 which I got a couple of years ago.

I have recorded ZOOM hands for the first time ever since fixing HEM.

I have had a pretty decent volume month where I recorded the most hands so far this year. I won at 2.63bb/100.


The final numbers for June are as follows:

170,431 Hands Played
25,066 VPPs

+$1,628 (Cash Game Winnings)
+$200 (Stellar Rewards)
+$200 (Supernova Bonus)
+$3,200 (FPP Cash Bonuses)
-$108 (Tourney Losses)
 --------------------------------------------------------------------
+$5,120 (Total Month) 


The Ytd numbers are as follows:

629,301 Hands Played
100,941 VPPs

+$3,648 - Jan
+$3,213 - Feb
+$2,023 - Mar
+$2,072 - Apr
+$3,642 - May
+$5,120 - June
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$19,717 (Total YTD) 

I will be taking a fair bit of time off in July for a variety of reasons so volume will be very low.

GL Degens..!!

May 2012 Review

May is now in the books. I made a few dollars again this month so I am pretty pleased with that.

I played a bit more ZOOM again and I have just contacted HEM support to get my HUD/Hands sorted for this format of the game. The hands number is therefore again understated like the last few months.

Euro 2012 is on in June so volume is going to dip a lot as I will spend the whole month watching pretty much all the games and hitting the pub.

I am thinking about maybe having the whole month off normal games as I am working on other things too but I will definitely be playing a bit a ZOOM when I have a few minutes to kill here and there. I will also hit the live scene a bit more.

I am now just behind pace to hit 200,000 VPPs which is pretty slack but I like playing less tables and concentrating and making more in winnings. This is a little different from last year when I made most of my bucks through rakeback.

The final numbers for May are as follows:

68,695 Hands Played
13,830 VPPs

+$2,559 (Cash Game Winnings)
+$100 (Stellar Rewards)
+$160 (SCOOP Re-load Bonus)
+$823 (Tourney Winnings)
 --------------------------------------------------------------------
+$3,642 (Total Month) 


The Ytd numbers are as follows:

458,870 Hands Played
75,830 VPPs

+$3,648 - Jan
+$3,213 - Feb
+$2,023 - Mar
+$2,072 - Apr
+$3,642 - May
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$14,597 (Total YTD) 

GL in June..!!

April 2012 Review

Looooooooowww Volume Month....

I had a lot of 'real life' stuff going on in April and consequently my volume at the tables suffered.

HEM says that I have only played 31k hand which is the lowest in probably over 2 years although my ZOOM hands are still not being imported. I estimate around 15k zoom hands having been played.

I have been in email contact with the HEM guys who sent me the link to update but after I saw a few negative reports on 2+2 I am waiting another month or so before I install it. Playing ZOOM without a HUD is actually quite enjoyable as I am taking loads of notes on players and thinking a lot more.

HEM shows me up $1,300 this month but on stars my winnings are $1,800 which means that I have made 20 BIs playing ZOOM. This is really good as I only play ZOOM when I have less than 30mins to spare and don't want to start a proper session.

My win rate in the 31k hands is 7bb/100 which is very high but as the sample is so small it is not worth talking about. However, my ytd win rate is 3.24bb/100 which is excellent although mostly at NL50.

My VPP generation so far in 2012 would suggest that I will hit 200k by year end. I want to really push in H2 (Q3 + Q4) to try to get up to the 300k figure which I hit in 2011.

I cant believe that it is May already. Time is flying..!!


The final numbers for April are as follows:

31,366 Hands Played
8,144 VPPs

+$1,807 (Cash Game Winnings)
+$100 (Stellar Rewards)
+$80 (April 1st FPP Bonus)
+$90 (SCOOP Re-load Bonus)
 -$22 (Tourney Losses)
+$50 (Live Cash Winnings)
-$33 (Tournament Dollars)
 --------------------------------------------------------------------
+$2,072 (Total Month) 


The Ytd numbers are as follows:

390,175 Hands Played
62,045 VPPs 

+$3,648 - Jan
+$3,213 - Feb
+$2,023 - Mar
+$2,072 - Apr
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$10,955 (Total YTD) 

 Later and GL..!!

March 2012 Review

The first quarter of 2012 is now in the bag and I am off to a much better start than 2011.

I attempted to move NL100 and NL200 in March but was not really successful as I found the tables pretty reg infested and pretty bad. One of the problems a lot of people face when moving up is an immediate bad run which puts them off. This is happening to me.

A typical example was yesterday where my only 2 pots for stacks at the hundo were 1: where I hit middle set on a dry, low board IP and raise his double turn barrel only for him to have made a bigger set on the turn in a position where he will often stack off with an over pair and I can't get away. 2: I call on the button with AKo vs a utg raise and SB squeezes. SB is an aggro monkey who has double digit 3bet and squeeze numbers and he picks up QQ and holds AI pre. Just coolers I know but annoying when your trying to move up. Anyway, I won't be results orientated and just keep taking shots. I want to try again in April to move the majority and eventually all of my business to NL100.

I dropped NL200 completely in week 1 I think. My main stay is still the awesome NL50.

Zoom poker seems to be quite good for me but as I don't have a HEM1 upgrade I can't put up any numbers. However by rough estimates I seem to win more sessions than I lose and my overall winnings figure is greater the my HEM1 winnings figure so I'm definitely winning at zoom. Playing HUDless and only 4 tables seems to make me focues more which is something I like. The games at NL25 are also very good.


The final numbers for March are as follows:

111,184 Hands Played
18,680 VPPs

+$1,433 (Cash Game Winnings)
+$200 (Stellar Rewards)
+$215 (Sunday Million Ticket with FPPs)
+$180 (Tourney Winnings)
-$6 (SCOOP Tickets used)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$2,023 (Total Month)


The Ytd numbers are as follows:

358,809 Hands Played
53,901 VPPs

+$3,648 - Jan
+$3,213 - Feb
+$2,023 - Mar
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$8,883 (Total YTD)


GL in April..!!

February 2012 Review

February has finished as a pleasing month in the end as I recovered from being 28 BIs down to being 25 BIs up at close of play yesterday. That means I am on an upswing of over 50 BIs.

The bad thing about being on a downswing is that your play can deteriorate as you chase losses and you can spew even more. My tilt control in general is pretty good but I did spew around $500 bucks in stupid spots during the downswing which annoys me.

Being a shorter month and also due to the fact that I was on holiday at the start of Feb my volume is not great. I hope I can pick that up in March.

My pace spreadsheet shows that I up above pace to hit 200k VPPs but around 16 days behind pace for 300k VPPs. My tentative target will be 300k VPPs as I did last year although with the new WC method I will have to play a lot more hands as I lose around 25% in VPP generation.

I have used 8 of my WBCOOP tickets and have cashed in 3 events now. I am registered for the Main Event which is this Sunday. Sadly I am nowhere in the Leaderboard contest of which I finished as top UK player in 2011.

I had a bit of fun playing Razz and Stud at very small stakes this month just to try and learn the games. They aren't as fun and holdem though. I got in a few hands of omaha too.


The final numbers for February are as follows:

167,369 Hands Played
22,512 VPPs

+$1,293 (Cash Game Winnings)
+$100 (Pace Bonus)
+$250 (Stellar Rewards)
+$1,500 (FPP Cash Bonus)
+$25 (Stake Swap)
+$6 (Tourney Winnings)
+$39 (SCOOP Tickets Won)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$3,213 (Total Month)


The Ytd numbers are as follows:

247,625 Hands Played
35,221 VPPs

+$3,648 - Jan
+$3,213 - Feb
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$6,861 (Total YTD)

January 2012 Review

It ain't too long now before I will be on a flight to Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Its the first time that I will be visiting this region and I'm pretty excited.

It will be nice to get some decent weather as it is 7 or 8 Degrees C in London whereas its between 20C and 23C on the island.

In the centre of the island is the 3rd highest volcano (Teide) in the world which stands at 3,718 metres tall at its summit.

January has been a low volume month due to a few reasons. Firstly I took part in the mass protest against the rakeback changes. I was banned from playing for over a day for this. I then spent time with the missus doing a few day trips while she was off work. After that I got sick so my grind only began really around 12 or 13 days in. Now with the holiday I will miss around 5 days at the end of the month.

The worm looks like this:

I had some fun playing omaha even though I lost a little. I have played a little HU too and it is quite interesting as you try to figure out the villains game.

The final numbers for January are as follows:

80,256 Hands Played
12,709 VPPs

+$1,998 (Cash Game Winnings)
+$150 (Stellar Rewards)
+$1,500 (FPP Cash Bonus)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$3,648 (Total Month)


Finally I would just like to give a shout out to the Liverpool FC boys who have made it to the League Cup Final at Wembley. Even though it is the smaller of the Cups contested by the top flight teams it is a big deal to us as we have not won much in recent times, lol. I will try to get tickets to this one even though it won't be easy.

December 2011 + Full Year Review

Happy New Year All..!!

2012 will probably be remembered for more negatives than positives in the poker world.

For me it all began with an SNE attempt. Sadly it only lasted 5 weeks as for a greater VPP generation I decided to ditch what I had been doing well for 5 years and start to play the CAP tables (aka 50bb prior to being named CAP).

I'm yet to see many winners at these table and I was crushed which really hit my confidence and outlook for the year. I did manage to final table a WBCOOP event which was quite cool.

I then went back to 100bb poker in Feb/March but dropped down to NL50 to rebuild. I then moved back up to NL100 when Black Friday rocked the Poker World. I had 2 good winning months followed by 2 bad months at the Hundo. I then dropped back to down to NL50 to work on my game and have been winning ever since.

December has been an interesting month. Due to exam commitments I only played half a month. Even so I managed to get the most volume ever in a single month. If I had played the full month I could have played over 400k hands which is pretty good volume. I also had my biggest ever tournament score.

I was up over $600 in cash games at one stage and if I had been able to maintain that then I would have had my best month ever but 24 tabling to hit a milestone meant I was playing a 'C' or 'D' game at many times and I just managed to stay in the black.


The final numbers for December are as follows:

209,000 Hands Played
34,515 VPPs

+$142 (Cash Game Winnings)
+$890 (Tournament Winnings)
+$1,500 (FPP Cash Bonus)
+$2,800 (300k Milestone Bonus)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$5,332 (Total Month)


The full year numbers are as follows:

1,427,000 Hands Played
300,242 VPPs

-$1,214 - Jan
+$1,075 - Feb
+$722 - Mar
+$4,766 - Apr
+$3,278 - May
+$415 - Jun
+$1,334 - Jul
+$2,341 - Aug
+$1,833 - Sep
+$2,159 - Oct
+$1,837 - Nov
+$5,332 - Dec
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$23,878 (Total Year)



I am still planning for 2012 but there will be some big things happening so watch this space...

All the best.

Rosh

November 2011 Review

November has been a low volume month as expected due to being busy with my work on another project.

I had some fun this month learning how to play omaha (later post).

I not going to spend too much time with this months review as I have a lot of things on.

For December I will be busy for the first 15 days so and will play pretty much no poker at all. After that I will decide whether or not to mass grind the rest of the final month to try to get to 300k VPPs.


The final numbers for November are as follows:

63,000 Hands Played
14,936 VPPs

+$1,793 (Cash Game Winnings)
+$10 (Re-load Bonus)
+$15 (Stake Swap)
+$19 (Live Cash Winnings)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$1,837 (Total Month)


The Ytd numbers as at the end of November are as follows:

1,218,000 Hands Played
265,727 VPPs

-$1,214 - Jan
+$1,075 - Feb
+$722 - Mar
+$4,766 - Apr
+$3,278 - May
+$415 - Jun
+$1,334 - Jul
+$2,341 - Aug
+$1,833 - Sep
+$2,159 - Oct
+$1,837 - Nov
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$18,546 (Total YTD)



Later

October 2011 Review

Its all head in books these days... Learn Learn Learn.....

I played some of the micros stakes at the start of the month so there was some learnings to be had there in terms of figuring out the nuances at NL2, NL5, NL10 and NL25.

I then decided to read an Omaha book and learn some of the big points of this game. I can confirm that I hate this game. Omaha kinda goes like this:

Get AAxx, lose the hand
Get the nuts on the flop, lose the hand by the river
Get the nuts on the turn, lose the hand on the river.

The equity holdings of each player in the pot are a lot higher than in hold'em so that means people are rarely drawing dead and chase down combo draws and usually hit vs me. It is a high variance game and I won't playing much of this in the future.

Most of my time is now being spent studying for the December Exams.

I am playing my usual NL50 when I can and have got in a little bit of volume in October.


The final numbers for October are as follows:

136,000 Hands Played
12,716 VPPs

+$659 (Cash Game Winnings)
+$1,500 (FPP Cash Bonus)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$2,159 (Total Month)


The Ytd numbers as at the end of October are as follows:

1,155,000 Hands Played
250,791 VPPs

-$1,214 - Jan
+$1,075 - Feb
+$722 - Mar
+$4,766 - Apr
+$3,278 - May
+$415 - Jun
+$1,334 - Jul
+$2,341 - Aug
+$1,833 - Sep
+$2,159 - Oct
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$16,709 (Total YTD)


I still have ambitions of making 300k VPPs for the year but it is going to be very tough as my exams finish on December 15th. I will probably have virtually no volume in the next 6 weeks so I basically need to get 49.3k VPPs in around 16 days in December which is around 3.1k VPPs a day.

I will need to move up to NL100 and maybe NL200 to make this happen. It might not be worth the $2,800 bonus if I have a bad run at NL200 which could be a lot more than the bonus. Lets see how it goes...

September 2011 Review

It's been an another interesting month in the Poker World.

As the Full Tilt Situation seems to get worse by the day Pokerstars seems to be getting stronger with new software updates, talk of a RUSH poker type game and of course WCOOP which just finished. I didn't play any events this time around but I railed a few final tables which was fun.

My study course will now take centre stage till the middle of December so you will notice my volume drop this month and in the next 2 months while I work on this.

Unfortunately for those of you waiting to see me win my EPT event you will have to wait till next year as I was unable to attend due to other commitments arising.

In September I also got to meet some other Stars players from London as the cricket event was organised by Stars Rep Jonny. It was a good night and I hope there are more to come in the future.

I am planning to visit the Westernclub in October which is a poker club based in Park Royal, a few miles from where I live. Doyle Brunson is due to make an appearance there and I would like to meet him. I basically learned how to play poker from his 2 Super System books a long time ago.

I am also working on creating Coaching Packages for micro players. I now have a link on the right hand side pane with some details that are finalised and others that are still in progress. I would really like to become a coach and help others to improve and take their games forward. Some of my prices are listed and they are extremely competitive with most coaches out there. More to come on this once it is complete.


The final numbers for September are as follows:

110,000 Hands Played
15,783 VPPs

+$1,828 (Cash Game Winnings)
+$15 (Online Tourni Winnings)
+$105 (Live Cash Winnings, (80 + 25))
-$114 (Stake Buy)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$1,833 (Total Month)


The Ytd numbers as at the end of September are as follows:

1,019,000 Hands Played
238,075 VPPs

-$1,214 - Jan
+$1,075 - Feb
+$722 - Mar
+$4,766 - Apr
+$3,278 - May
+$415 - Jun
+$1,334 - Jul
+$2,341 - Aug
+$1,833 - Sep
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$14,550 (Total YTD)

August 2011 Review

Its been a roller-coaster month as per usual and I have failed to make what I would have liked. I was aiming to win around 40 BIs in August but have fallen well short.

It started so well being up close to 20 BIs within the first week so I thought it was on for the 40 BIs and maybe my first appearance in the UGL Top 50 for the month but then I lost it all, then won it all back, then lost a little..... blah blah blah

Anyway.....

The final numbers for August are as follows:

125,000 Hands Played
20,281 VPPs

+$646 (Cash Game Winnings)
+$23 (Online Tourni Winnings)
+$148 (Live Cash Winnings)
+$25 (Stake Swap)
+$1,500 (FPP Cash Bonus)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$2,341 (Total Month)


The Ytd numbers as at the end of August are as follows:

909,000 Hands Played
222,137 VPPs

-$1,214 - Jan
+$1,075 - Feb
+$722 - Mar
+$4,766 - Apr
+$3,278 - May
+$415 - Jun
+$1,334 - Jul
+$2,341 - Aug
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$12,717 (Total YTD)

July 2011 Review

Going downhill is the name of the game. My poker skills seem to be in decline. I review my sessions daily on HEM and leaks are creeping in.

This month has been the month of the spite call (calling when u know your beat just to see their cards)

I have also dropped down to NL50 while I deal with my new issues.

I am going to experiment with playing only 12 tables as a regular. I did this during the month only to go back up to 16 tables at the end of the month. I will mix different tables and stakes and hopefully find some composure. This seems to be my problem over last 2 months.

I am planning a total change of direction from Sept 1st onwards so watch this space for more on that one.

I plan a hard grind in August


The final numbers for July are as follows:

96,000 Hands Played
19,716 VPPs

-$1,724 (Cash Game Losses)
+$305 (Tournament Winnings)
+$53 (Live Cash Winnings)
+$100 (Deposit Bonus)
+$2,600 (200k VPP Bonus)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$1,334 (Total Month)


The Ytd numbers as at the end of July are as follows:

784,000 Hands Played
201,856 VPPs

-$1,214 - Jan
+$1,075 - Feb
+$722 - Mar
+$4,766 - Apr
+$3,278 - May
+$415 - Jun
+$1,334 - Jul
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$10,376 (Total YTD)

June 2011 Review

The less said about June, the better. I ended the month with a minus $600 session to finish a pretty meh month.

I started the month with great optimism, thinking that I could bank my first 5-figure month.

Having had 2 good winning months at the tables I thought that if I could replicate that again and potentially pick up 2 large bonuses then $10k in a month was on the cards.

Unfortunately I lost big on the felt and decided not to go for the second bonus (200k VPPs Milestone) this month.

I was also going for a 52k VPP target, but the bad beats put paid to that. I did get in decent volume but the games were just not good for me in June.

I did pick up my first $4,000 cash bonus which was needed to get me back in the black. I have learnt that you can not really make forecast in this game as that the tides can turn very quicker for the better and then for the worse.

So, my forecast for July is that I hope to work hard n play hard and maybe run good.



The final numbers for June are as follows:

134,000 Hands Played
33,558 VPPs

-$3,530 (Cash Game Losses)
-$55 (Tournament Losses)
+$4,000 (FPP Cash Bonus)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$415 (Total Month)


The Ytd numbers as at the end of June are as follows:

688,000 Hands Played
182,140 VPPs

-$1,214 - Jan
+$1,075 - Feb
+$722 - Mar
+$4,766 - Apr
+$3,278 - May
+$415 - Jun
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$9,042 (Total YTD)


Lets all get some run good going.......!!

May 2011 Review

The month could not have started much worse with a live cash game casino session that I lost.

I only lost one buy-in, but when the buy-in is £400 ($668) or close to 7 of your usual online buy-ins then it hurts..!!

I continued with my assault on the NL100 regs with a small addition of the odd 250bb table and on occasion a NL200 table or two.

The 250bb tables are extremely interesting and pose a different dynamic to the normal tables. With the antes there is more money in the pot pre and therefore more incentive for late position steals and late position 3bettting. There is also more scope to play more hands and widen your VPIP as you have greater implied odds with the bigger stacks. There seem to be a few regs that frequent these tables exclusively. Also there are lots of recreational players that only sit at these tables. I still need to develop a good strategy to play these but I am enjoying sitting at 1 or 2 each session.

I also played around 15,000 hands of omaha at PLO5. I have now seen enough hands of omaha to understand how tilting this games is. Time and time my nut hands got cracked by re-draws, some lucky, some played well. The value of re-draws in this game is greater than that of a made hands in many situations. This is usually the opposite in holdem.

I have made a small loss at omaha and have no database of hands to review. I can honestly say that is was fun but it is not a game I want to pursue. So, wrt omaha, I am done with it..!!

I had fun playing the VIP Supernova+ Quarterly $1m tourni and I was lucky enough to cash one of the smaller prizes

So, the cash games are going quite well. I have not got the volume that I wanted to but my win rate is good and my graph is pointing in the right direction. I have run way above EV too which is quite interesting and worrying at the same time, lol. Here are a couple of visuals that show May's story...

The final numbers for May are as follows:

95,000 Hands Played
26,245 VPPs

+$3,696 (Cash Game Winnings)
+$250 (Tournament Winnings)
-$668 (Live Cash Game Losses)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$3,278 (Total Month)


The Ytd numbers as at the end of May are as follows:

554,000 Hands Played
148,584 VPPs

-$1,214 - Jan
+$1,075 - Feb
+$722 - Mar
+$4,766 - Apr
+$3,278 - May
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$8,627 (Total YTD)


June is going to be my toughest month ever in poker as I attempt to make 52k VPPs at NL100.

I have made more VPPs than this in a single month before when I did it in Jan but that was done at the 50bb/CAP tables at NL200. The VPPs attainable at that level are much higher and can be done easily in 5-6hrs a day. At Nl100 I am looking at around 7hrs a day which is going to be a challenge.

Getting 52k VPPs will mean I hit the 200k VPP milestone which is worth $2,600 and I will also get my first $4,000 cash bonus in the process which will be nice. If I make the same cash winnings as I did this month I will have my biggest month ever and also make 5-digits in a month which will be awesome. Bring on the $10,000 month...!!

Today was an awesome day to end the month as I made around $650 and also had my biggest winning pot of the year. This was only a day after I posted my biggest loss hand of the year, lol. I had KK and got it in pre vs QQ and held for a pot win of $640.


The Fun Hand of the day was this one:

Poker Stars $100.00 No Limit Hold'em - 8 players

BB: $35.50
UTG: $100.00
UTG+1: $100.00
MP1: $120.40
MP2: $126.80
CO: $103.15
BTN: $106.20
Hero (SB): $111.35

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is SB with 5 4
2 folds, MP1 calls $1, 1 fold, CO calls $1, 1 fold, Hero calls $0.50, BB checks

Flop: ($4.00) 8 7 A (4 players)
Hero checks, BB checks, MP1 checks, CO bets $2.00, Hero calls $2, BB folds, MP1 calls $2

Turn: ($10.00) 6 (3 players)
Hero checks, MP1 checks, CO checks

Boooom, I hit my straight flush and only lose the 9T clubs for a higher straight flush.

River: ($10.00) 4 (3 players)
Hero bets $5.90, MP1 raises to $14, CO folds, Hero raises to $108.35, MP1 calls $94.35

When I get raised here I decide to just shove hoping to get calls from any flushes and hopefully A-high flushes. The shove looks so spewy that some 5Xs or 9T hands may call putting me on a pure bluff. The villain here was a casual player and not a reg which is quite important too as I think the call chances are greater vs this kind of opponent. He was not a fish and tanked to the very last second before showing the straight.

The funniest part was how he then proceeded to tell me how bad my play was even though he made the call and payed me off, lol. I duly apologised for being such a tard.

Final Pot: $226.70

MP1 shows T 9
Hero shows 5 4

Hero wins $223.70
(Rake: $3.00)


GL in June peoples....

April 2011 Review

For the Americans it was the month of Black Friday. The impact and repercussions are wide and affect all of us in one way or another.

For non-US players traffic has dropped significantly making it tough for many at higher stakes to find enough games. The effect on my games seems small and in most part it is Business as usual.

One thing I talked about last month was a bad tilt problem that I had picked up. This is now sorted and I am very relaxed making big lay downs and when I take bad beats. I think only 16 tabling had taken a lot of stress away. Game on.....

I have dabbled a lot in omaha this month, racking up over 3000 hands. This is a serious tilt inducing game. It's more complex than holdem and I am keen to develop my skills in this game as I continue to aim for 500k VPPs in 2011.

I want to spend May building really good notes on all the regulars at NL100. I have already got great info on many and have identified a few spew monkeys who seem to be gold mines. I will now step up my pace and target $3,000 in winnings with 160,000 hands next month

I didn't play any Tournis in April but with SCOOP starting next month I will play a few events as I have 3 tickets already. I also have a ticket for the Game Of Your Life promo. In addition I am going to try some live cash games. I haven't played live once this year but have been inspired by all the reports that are emerging on the forums from Americans who have switched. It seems that an online players ability should far exceed that of the average live player.

I am now away for the weekend so there will be no more play this month


The final numbers for April are as follows:

103,000 Hands Played
26,522VPPs

+$2,836 (Cash Game Winnings)
+$80 (April Fools Day Bonus $16 x5)
+$200 (Stellar Rewards)
+$200 (SCOOP Bonus)
+$1,500 (FPP Cash Bonus)
-$50 (Flippament on 2+2)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$4,766 (Total Month)


The Ytd numbers as at the end of April are as follows:

459,000 Hands Played
122,337 VPPs

-$1,214 - Jan
+$1,075 - Feb
+$722 - Mar
+$4,766 - Apr
--------------------------------------------------------------------
+$5,349 (Total YTD)


All the best to the new crop of live players....