grinding 10nl

well i got in the mood to play 6-max 10nl today/tonight. did very well. i went back to playing my style as opposed to the style i have seen in the vids. i do incorporate elements of the styles i have seen. i also don't rely on the HUD as much. i try not to just "get it all in" and did well. i played almost 1000 hands. only 4 tabled. like i said before i know playing more than 4 and i go to shit.

i only got it in bad i time and i drew out(fruuush). i guess it is better to try to play all the streets and go with my gut. i do feel like i got pushed off a few hands but they weren't very strong i was just up against a few maniacs. and i didn't realize it till after i checked my HUD. thats fine though. i put their names in my search so i will look for them next time. i am getting quit the list of names so that will help.

i watched the 1st episode of high stakes poker tonight also. love that show. great mix of players in the game. only wish they would muck BENZA & KAPLAN. so anoying. possibly worse than Norman Chad.

well heres my graph for tonight. wOOOOT!

retract that

just looked at my stars account today. lol i am still a silver star! they must have applied the new standards to this past month. cool. i didn't play at all yesterday. but i plan on playing some tonight later. that's it.

good bye silver star

well this being the shortest month of the year and all i missed keeping my silver star by less than 200fpp's. :( oh well. the good news is that stars lowered the level for it now you only need 1200fpp's as opposed to the 1500. cool. i haven't played alot this past week. mostly SNG's. started off good then went down hill back to even. tonight(Saturday) i played the DON(double or nothings) played. 14 $10.40 started off great! 6/7 then went 9/14 total. then i played 3 $20.80 1/3 got KK cracked on the river real late by A/J/os. i actually like playing them mindless till the very end. i watched a few deuces cracked videos about ICM this week. so i started thinking about that much more and when i should be folding and pushing. it amazes me how many players still limp with less than 10BB. knowing what i know now makes me see thing much differently. i really enjoy the bubble play on these and the reg SNG's.

i am probly gonna download the free trail version of SNG WIZARD Sunday afternoon. and i think i might try playing a few trnys and satellites.

i fully realize that i can't stay playing the same game constantly. especially when i start to lose. i know this is hurting me in learning the games better but if i am going to be hating it i just can;t see trying to keep grinding away. i was very excited to try playing tonight.

oh yeah, i am on vacation for the next 16 days. so all i plan to do is grind online, watch 24, play some video games (new MLB '09), go see the WATCHMEN movie, and go play a couple of live cash games. one of buddies from MD is coming up this week so that will be cool to have someone to shoot the shit with about poker and such.

cash on sundays

i am officially done trying to play cash games on Sundays. i either don't adjust well to the players or i am just str8 up unlucky. i decided to cut down the amount of tables i play back to 2-4. i was trying to multi table 12 full ring tables i just can't do it. i do much better focusing on a few tables. i also decided to search for players that i have been winning against or that just plain old play badly.

this is what i mean.

***** Hand History for Game 25233722467 *****
$25.00 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Sunday, February 22, 02:22:29 ET 2009
Table Retsina II (Real Money)
Seat 3 is the button
Seat 1: fpso ( $25.00 USD )
Seat 2: BA32106 ( $28.95 USD )
Seat 3: d.sastar ( $33.95 USD )
Seat 4: Whitecaps2 ( $17.25 USD )
Seat 5: themerk08 ( $24.70 USD )
Seat 6: Belhalhar ( $25.60 USD )
Whitecaps2 posts small blind [$0.10 USD].
themerk08 posts big blind [$0.25 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to themerk08 [ Jd Jc ]
Belhalhar folds
fpso raises [$1.00 USD]
BA32106 folds
d.sastar folds
Whitecaps2 folds
themerk08 raises [$2.25 USD]
fpso calls [$1.50 USD]
** Dealing Flop ** [ Js, 8h, Td ]
themerk08 bets [$3.25 USD]
fpso raises [$8.25 USD]
themerk08 raises [$18.95 USD]
fpso calls [$13.95 USD]
** Dealing Turn ** [ 9c ]
** Dealing River ** [ 3c ]
themerk08 shows [Jd, Jc ]
fpso shows [Ad, Qs ]
fpso wins $47.05 USD from main pot

and this.

***** Hand History for Game 25236304303 *****
$25.00 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Sunday, February 22, 03:22:45 ET 2009
Table Alstede (Real Money)
Seat 4 is the button
Seat 1: StnBuddha ( $25.35 USD )
Seat 2: themerk08 ( $37.90 USD )
Seat 3: xXBambi82Xx ( $15.00 USD )
Seat 4: El Patron49 ( $25.55 USD )
Seat 5: iceman74713 ( $20.95 USD )
Seat 6: Mareccc ( $35.45 USD )
iceman74713 posts small blind [$0.10 USD].
Mareccc posts big blind [$0.25 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to themerk08 [ Qc Ac ]
StnBuddha folds
themerk08 raises [$1.00 USD]
xXBambi82Xx folds
El Patron49 folds
iceman74713 calls [$0.90 USD]
Mareccc calls [$0.75 USD]
** Dealing Flop ** [ Jd, 5d, Qs ]
iceman74713 checks
Mareccc bets [$2.00 USD]
themerk08 raises [$5.75 USD]
iceman74713 folds
Mareccc calls [$3.75 USD]
** Dealing Turn ** [ 7c ]
Mareccc checks
themerk08 bets [$12.50 USD]
Mareccc calls [$12.50 USD]
** Dealing River ** [ Ks ]
Mareccc checks
themerk08 checks
Mareccc shows [9d, Kd ]
Mareccc wins $37.60 USD from main pot
themerk08 doesn't show [Qc, Ac ]

and i ran bad. (coolers) ran AK/s and AQ/s into AA 2x flopping the case ACE each time.

i don't want sundays to affect me mentally and then stsrt playing badly due to it so i will maybe play trnys or SNG's on sunday's. i did do well last night. but lost almost 4 buy-ins today.

got another vacation coming up the first 2 weeks of march. i don't however think i am going to make silver star this month. i just haven't been able to put in the hours and with it being a shorter month that hurts. almost have my bonus unlocked so that is good.

deep stack

well i played the deep stack trny today on stars. i actually went to bed early so i could get my lazy ass out of bed to play this. i have played this 3 times before. but, it has been like 2 years since i have played it. i believe i final tabled 2 of those 3 times. i feel as thought this was my best outing and perhaps the best trny i have ever played. it is a delicate balance of aggression and Patience. i did draw out a few times. but in my defense i was betting and they were calling. i had 2 critical hands late. one of them would have propelled me to 145k in chips when only 1 player had 100k all in on flop my KK v AQ no AQ on flop or draw. i trapped him perfectly. until he wriggled away on the rivered ACE. UGH!!!!! well this is how it turned out for me.

PokerStars Tournament #14048777 1, No Limit Hold'em
Buy-In: $20.00/$2.00
243 players
Total Prize Pool: $4860.00
Tournament started 2009/02/16 8:15:00 ET


Dear themerk08,

You finished the tournament in 12th place. A $85.05 award has been credited to your Real Money account.


very disappointing. i fully expected to win this.




well i played a little cash game action. i watched a D.C. video today that got me to be more aggro. it felt odd.like i was playing on the verge of insanity. this ****** though played 95/20 !! and i have not encountered a player quite like him. i searched him on more tables but he is on block search. :( gonna look for him though from now on.


PokerStars Game #25030667751: Hold'em No Limit ($0.10/$0.25) - 2009/02/16 22:25:32 ET
Table 'Stavropolis' 6-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: Raph222 ($42.75 in chips)
Seat 2: PIERTAM ($58 in chips)
Seat 3: krupnugz ($24.65 in chips)
Seat 4: shindoe ($37.50 in chips)
Seat 5: themerk08 ($44.25 in chips)
PIERTAM: posts small blind $0.10
krupnugz: posts big blind $0.25
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to themerk08 [Qc Ac]
shindoe: folds
themerk08: raises $0.50 to $0.75
Raph222: folds
PIERTAM: calls $0.65
krupnugz: folds
*** FLOP *** [5s Qs 6h]
PIERTAM: bets $0.25
themerk08: raises $1.75 to $2
PIERTAM: calls $1.75
*** TURN *** [5s Qs 6h] [8s]
PIERTAM: bets $7
elTriberium is connected
themerk08: raises $10 to $17
PIERTAM: calls $10
*** RIVER *** [5s Qs 6h 8s] [Qd]
PIERTAM: bets $38.25 and is all-in
themerk08: calls $24.50 and is all-in
Uncalled bet ($13.75) returned to PIERTAM
*** SHOW DOWN ***
PIERTAM: shows [2c 4s] (a pair of Queens)
themerk08: shows [Qc Ac] (three of a kind, Queens)
themerk08 collected $86.75 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $88.75 | Rake $2
Board [5s Qs 6h 8s Qd]
Seat 1: Raph222 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: PIERTAM (small blind) showed [2c 4s] and lost with a pair of Queens
Seat 3: krupnugz (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 4: shindoe folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: themerk08 showed [Qc Ac] and won ($86.75) with three of a kind, Queens

motivation

i need motivation. i just have been tired from work or when i start to play i just don't "feel it" i have played about 5k hands this past week. but probly 1/2 have been +EV hours. my bankroll is still sitting around the $750 mark.

i have tried to play some other games to get me wanting to play. but, i still just don't feel it. i have been doing this for about 2 months straight. so far if it wasn't for my trny wins. trading in my FPP's and winning trny tickets and winning 2x or nothings. i would be down more. not sure what i should do.

i have been watching D.C. videos, looking at my sessions afterwards. i have been playing full ring tables this past week. i think maybe if i play tighter i will win. looking at my graph i DO grind up some wins then i get it all in and lose. when i hit sets i don't get paid off. when others hit sets i have big hands(AA,KK,QQ) and can't get away.

the office cpr

i found it. no idea how long it will stay active for. funniest scene ever.



www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ecbjo2J5auM