Sit 'N Go Update

I've been playing quite a few sit and go's lately, trying to continue to build my bankroll. Sit and go's are a great way to build your bankroll and also to practice different tournament strategies. I started my bankroll with just an initial $100 deposit. I was playing $2 and $5 sit and go's, and was having very marginal success. That was the point where I decided I wanted to improve my game. Over time, I slowly built my bankroll up to about $300. At which point, I moved up to the $10 game. Back then, I didn't know much about bankroll management or recommended requirements for the different levels. I was playing well, but with scared money. So it took me a long time to continue to build my bankroll. Here's a little graph of how my bankroll has grown over time. I know there are more impressive stats out there. And I know there are players that have an ROI greater than mine. But I am still learning and growing as a player. I'll reach my goal in time.

I personally subscribe to the belief that you should maintain strict control of your bankroll. I see a lot of players, mostly losing players, buy into games that their bankroll can't sustain or jump from one limit to the next. Most of time, in my opinion, they do this to try and win back their losses. Always try to maintain a bankroll that will allow you to play at whichever level you are comfortable with. That was the lesson I learned the hard way. I was playing at a level that my bankroll couldn't sustain. I noticed that I was playing tentative, especially if I hadn't cashed in 2 or 3 tourneys in a row. So I have changed my standards and try to play in strict control, and have been trying to continue to build my bankroll.

Right now, I'm playing at the $10 level. However, my bankroll is almost sufficient to move up to the $20 level. If I cash in a couple of the next tourneys, my bankroll should be big enough to allow me to move up in levels. I try to keep about 80 times the buy-in in my bankroll. I do this to allow me to absorb any losing streaks or increased variance. Suckouts and bad beats are going to happen. So you need to give yourself a comfortable cushion that will allow you to play through these rough patches. Once I get my bankroll to the sufficient level to play $50 sit and go's regularly, I will then focus most of my attention on the multi-table tournaments. My belief is that if I have a positive ROI at the $50 level, then most of the multi-table tournaments will be freerolls for me. I'm probably rambling and not making much sense right now.

On a final note. I ran into the ultimate fish. He is the epitome of a LAG. He raised more hands than he should have, and played position poorly. He is like a lot of the lower limit players. They overvalue top pair, especially in a raised pot. Then complain when they don't win. I don't like to drop names. But if you find yourself up against him, play a solid, aggressive game. Here's his data. QUITE IMPRESSIVE.....HUH?

Home Game

We played our final home game for 2007 tonight. It was an interesting game, to say the least. A friend of ours brought a new guy. He was the ultimate calling station. He would call with almost any pair, and any kind of possible draw. Most of the hands he played were out of position, which simply magnifies how bad he played. The tournament went well overall though.

We started with 9 players, 6 of which I would consider good players. I went out in 4th, which really frustrates me. Especially since I was sitting second in chips when we got down to 4 handed. I didn't play bad all night long. However, the blinds got to 2000/4000 with a 500 ante, which basically forced the short stacks to start and gamble. I had about 40,000 and sitting in the big blind. The small blind shoved all in for another 21,100. At this point, I had to step back for a second and think about a couple of factors in the hand. First, what are my pot odds. I was in the big blind for 4000 and he completed the blind for 4000. With the antes there was about 10,000 in the pot. Now he pushed in for another 21,100. So there was 31,100 and it was costing me 21,100. So I was getting about 3:2 on my money. Next, you have to put him on a hand. When I saw him look at his cards, he didn't really show much strength and I knew he would push with almost any two cards. So, long story short, I called figuring I was up against a junk Ace or what I thought he would have, two low cards. I had Q9, he showed 23. The flop was good for me, A-J-10. The turn brought a 3 and a 2 on the river. I made a great call that didn't work out. So that pretty much made me the short stack and I was forced to go all in the next hand. If I didn't know the player so well, I would have definetly dumped the hand. But, like I always say, you can only get it in with the best of it. I'll take a 2:1 lead all day long.

So, my streak of winning our home game is over, FOR NOW. :) We won't be playing on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve. So it's time to get my head together and make 2008 a strong year for me.

Up and Down

It's been a funny up and down journey the last couple of days. Over the past few days, I've played in about 30 sit and go's. Out of all of these tournaments, the lowest I have finished was 7th twice and 5th twice. Other than that, I have cashed in about 60% of these tournaments and finished fourth in the rest.

Finishing fourth is the worst feeling in the world. But I would rather play aggressively and know that I either put it in with the best of it; or made the other player make a tough call. That is all you can do when you get close to the money. You want to continue to play position and your opponents. However, you also have to play the balancing act of not making the big mistakes. I will usually come in for a standard raise. If I get a lot of resistance, or I don't get help on the flop, there is really no need to bluff off all of your chips.

Last night was one of the worst nights of poker I have ever played. I played very well, and was playing very deceptively. Just to illustrate how bad it was; I lost with Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks, and Ace-King. Everytime we were four handed and I caught the other player making a big mistake. The first time, I was in the small blind and the player in the big blind was a LAG. I looked down and saw AA, and nobody entering the pot. I knew if I raised, all I would win was the blind, so I decided to give up some of the pre-flop expected value and take my chances that he wouldn't flop much. So I limped in. I had about 2400 with the blinds at 50/100, and he had about 3200. I couldn't have asked for anything more, he went all-in. I got what I wanted, I had him trapped for most of his chips. On a side note, I find it funny that so many players are willing to risk most of their chips and lose their minds. Not only will they risk their tournament on marginal situations, but will also play overly aggressive before the flop. They tend to risk a lot more of their chips then they should. The reasonable play would have been to make a standard raise, and if you get any resistance and don't have a good draw, dump the hand. But maybe I play way too tight....lol. So I call of course, and he shows 93 off suit. Exactly what I wanted. Long story short, he flops a 9 and rivers a 3. Gotta love the luck factor of the game. So, that was pretty much the way my night went.

It is like I have always said. You can only get the money in with the best of it. It's one thing, when you are playing deep stack poker, and you have some opportunities for making moves and playing the player. However, when the blinds get to a specific level and they are a large percentage of your stack; all you can do is get it in with the best of it. Of course, you will have to get lucky from time to time. Especially if someone makes a hero call. When I do get it in, and someone does get lucky, I don't get mad or upset. There's no need to call the other players donkeys or fish. Remember, I want these types of situations. All the money on the line and they are drawing really thin. That is the main reason why I finish high in a lot of tournaments. Sometimes it seems like your opponent is always getting there and drawing out. It can get frustrating, but try to keep your cool and just breath. Don't let the situation put you on tilt and multiply the effects and continue to make bad plays.

I personally love it when I lose a big pot to a lucky draw, then on the very next hand pick up a strong hand. When I raise, a lot of players will think I'm on tilt and just making a play to try and recoup my losses. Just to let you know, I don't really go on tilt. Well, not exactly, everybody goes on tilt. But I don't play with emotion and try to get even with any player at the table. I always try to play in the current situation.

Totally Obsessesed

I bought Guitar Hero 3 for my Xbox 360. I've never played any of the other Guitar Hero games before, and wanted to find out what all of the buzz was about. I have a bunch of friends that love playing, and have been talking about how addictive the game is. Well, after about a week of playing, I can see what they were talking about. I beat the game on easy in about 3 days. I got 5 stars on all of the songs, including the bonus songs. I also got perfect 5 stars on about 90% of the easy songs. A couple of days later, I had beaten the medium level. I 5 stared some of the songs, and got a perfect 5 star on 4 of the songs. The jump in difficulty is somewhat significant. But once you learn the fourth fret button, it gets a little easier. I'm still working my way up to the hard level. I've tried a few of the songs on the hard level, but it is very difficult. All 5 fret buttons, with some difficult combinations. It will definetly take a lot of practice to get the hang of the hard level. So that has been my obsession for the past week or so. I've been playing poker from time to time, and have had some decent success. I'm still working my way to becoming a great player. That day will come some time in the not too distant future.

Nice Run

So I've been playing a few sit 'n go's from time to time lately. I've had a great run so far. I've cashed in 9 of the last 10 tournaments I have played. It feels great to know that I am playing well and that the lucky draws and suckouts aren't getting there right now. Of course, the variance of the game is bound to hit me again. But while I'm running well, the game seems easy to beat. Here is a couple of graphs and tables of my recent results.

During these tournaments, I have tried to maintain a good chip position and keep the pots small. This is the principle of small ball. A lot of players try to hit a homerun or try to play large pots or make big bluffs. With weaker players, you should try to keep the pots small. By doing so, the skill of the game will pay you dividends. You will make smaller value bets and get more value for your marginal hands. Then when you do have an extremely strong hand, the weaker players will think that you are pushing with another marginal hand and will usually make a move at a pot. Over the past 10 tournaments I have also tried to stay to my mantra.

My mantra includes the following:

1. Don't go broke with one pair.

2. Don't overplay or overvalue a hand with only a primary draw (straight or flush)

3. If you have 15 or more outs, it's time to go to war.

4. Always value position more than starting hands.

5. Play small ball and make value bets and raises to protect hands and get information.

6. Be able to get away from a hand if you feel that you are beat.

So, I've had some success and will continue to build upon my poker strategy. I've read so many books and have browsed so many other resources. Here's a brief list of what I've gone through so far. Supersystem I & II, Ace on the River, Poker Mindset, Hold'em Wisdom, Little Green Book, Full Tilt Strategy Guide, Online Ace, Read'em and Reap, and Ultimate Guide to Poker Tells. I just bought Harrington on Hold'em I & II and have just started that series. So far it is a great book. It's not meant for beginning players. However, it has a lot of great information about tournament strategy. I would have to say, that so far, it is the ultimate book for tournament strategy. Dan Harrington is one of the best tournament players today, so he obviously knows what he is talking about.

Time to get back to the grind. Good luck at the tables, and hit me up with any questions you might have. I'll be more than happy to help you any way I can.

Running Bad

Over the past few days, I have been running incredibly bad. It's not due to playing marginal hands for raises out of position, or simply playing over my head or on tilt. Rather, the variance of the game is against me right now. I have dropped a number of sit and go's to suckouts and bad beats. I've had Aces cracked three times by smaller pairs and had Kings cracked a couple of times by unsuited connectors and smaller pairs. It can get very frustrating, but you have to understand that bad beats are a part of the game. It's not sexy and can really start to effect your confidence and your approach to the game. The worst thing you can do is play tentative hoping to not take another bad beat. However, if you do this, you are only inviting another one to happen. When you take a beat, you need to step back for a second and think about the hand you just played and if there was a way you could have played it differently. If you can't think of a way you could have, try to get your mind back on track and prepare for the next hand.

Here's a good example of what I'm talking about. I had JJ in the cutoff. The player under the gun raised three times the big blind. Everyone folded to me, and since I would have position throughout the hand, I decided to just call. There's no reason to get in a race with a medium or small pair. This is especially true when you have a stack of more than 30 times the big blind, which I did. I also had the player in early position covered by about 500 so it made simply calling that much stronger. I was either going to catch a flop that was favorable to my hand or get away from it. The flop came down perfect for my hand, J-6-4 with two hearts. He checked to me. My thought process when I flop a set is to not slow play it. You will make more money in the long run if you bet out your sets than if you try to slow play them. So I bet about 2/3 of the pot. I don't know what he was thinking, maybe I was stealing or what. But he decided to check-raise me all in. His check-raise was about 3 times the size of the pot. I knew that if he had an overpair, which I thought he had, he would be a substantial dog drawing to only two outs. If he had an underpair, he's an even bigger dog. If he had a hand like AK of hearts, he's about a 2:1 dog. I knew he was the kind of player that gets frustrated when he thinks people are stealing from him and will try to re-steal, even if he's out of position. Of course I called, and he showed a pair of 10's with the 10 of hearts. Sure enough, he got runner runner to catch the flush. This hand pretty much sums up the way I have been running over the past couple of days.

On a side note, I have started to multi-table sit and go's. One thing I have found is that when I play one table, my results have been mediocre at best. Mainly because of the run I'm on right now. However, all of the multi-table sessions I have played so far, I have cashed in both tournaments. It's probably because there is always a hand to play, and keeps me from playing a lot of marginal hands. It also keeps my mind off of any bad beats I take. When I took a beat, there was already another hand to play so I had to move on. I couldn't seeth over what just happened and had to get my game back on track. In sum, the best advice I can give you is to understand that bad beats are going to happen. Aces against a random hand will win about 76% of the time. That means that they will lose about 24% of the time. No hand is a lock, unless you flop the mortal nuts and can get someone to overcommit to the pot. And that's where bad beats come from. You flop a strong hand, and you get a weak player to overcall or make a move at a pot when they are a substantial dog and they get lucky. Don't fret or get upset about that player being a donkey or a fish. Those are the players you are going to make your money from. Don't teach them that they play poorly or they may start to learn how to play the correct way. I try to reinforce their behavior so they will pay me off in a big way later by thinking they are playing well. Statistically, if you keep getting your money in with the best of it, you will get paid off in a big way.

I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving.

First Final Table

I finally made my first final table since starting over. I played in the $17,5000 guarantee on Full Tilt on Thursday. It was a decent tournament with some pretty good players. However, there were quite a few very loose players who would call re-raises with some very weak hands out of position. But for the most part, it was a good tournament.

I got my hands on a few chips early, and by the fourth level I had around 6,000. So I was sitting pretty with the blinds pretty small. It gave me more leverage and a chance to steal the blinds a little more liberally. In the middle stage of the tournament, a key hand came up. I got moved to a very loose table. This table was the epitome of loose. Every hand was being raised and re-raised. And for the most part, the players were showing some very weak hands down. A very loose player opened the pot with a raise, and I looked down with 88. Against a tight opponent, it would be a marginal call. However, I knew this player was very loose and a re-raise would probably get him to fold and give me the pot right there. The blinds were 3000/6000, and he opened for 18000. I re-raised to 45000 with about 50000 left. The guy on the button re-raised all in and the small blind called. Thank god I had been paying attention to the table and knew that these two had been going at it for a while and they were both quite loose themselves. With only 50000 left, I was pretty much pot committed, especially since there was way too much in the middle to fold. So I called as well. I had 88, the re-raiser had A8 and the caller had KQ off. Nothing bigger than a 9 hit the board and I more than tripled up. I was sitting second in the tourney with 22 players left.

From there, I was pretty much cruising along. We got down to about 12 players left when I took a beat to a three outer. I had AQ in the small blind in a limped pot. The early limper was a tight passive player, and was known to limp raise with AA and KK. So I just wanted to see the flop instead of trying to play two card chicken with AQ. The flop was perfect for my hand QQ10. There were two spades, so I wanted to find out if there were any draws. I bet about 2/3 of the pot, and the early limper called. The 8 of spades came on the turn, and the early limper only had about 77,000 left and there was 96,000 in the pot. So I decided to bet enough to put him all in. He went in the tank and typed in, "Did you bet on the come?" I knew I had him when he typed that in. I said nothing, and with only a couple seconds left, he called off the rest of his money with KQ off. He didn't even have a spade in his hand. So that dropped me down to about 6th place.

For the rest of the tournament I played pretty well. I made one mistake with 10's in early position that left me short stacked at the final table. I went out in 7th place. All in all, I'm happy with the way I played and was just happy to have finally made a decent score since I started my journey. I have one token left, and will probably play it some time at the beginning of next week. To recap, in the four tournaments I have played so far, I have made the final table once and have finished in at least the top 25% each time. I am quite proud of that, especially since two of those tourneys I couldn't buy a hand to save my life.

Well, I leave you with that. In my next blog, I'll begin the lesson plan. As always, if there are any questions, or comments, drop me a line. Good luck at the table.

First of Many

Since my last blog, I've played in three tournaments. I played the $24,000 and twice in the $28,000 guaranteed tournaments. I didn't cash in any of them. I went out in the top 25% in each tournament, so I was pretty proud of that. Especially because after the second level, I went completely card dead in all of the tourneys. Out of 421 hands, I saw a playable hand about 7% of the time. By playable I mean a hand you would like to see a flop with. However, when the pot is raised and re-raised, those hands quickly shrink up. I might have been able to make a move if I knew that my opponents' were playing loose. However, the table was playing pretty tight and everyone else was showing down strong hands. So, I was unable to do anything about it and just had to wait for an opening I could try to exploit.

In the first tournament, I accumulated some chips pretty early. I had a pair of kings and got paid off on them by a player with jacks. I slowly grew my chip stack, and was playing really well. Then the tank went dry and the blinds went up. The best hand I saw in about an hour was A10. To me, it looked like aces. I was in late position, nobody entered the pot, so I decided that since I only had about 10 times the big blind, it was a good place to push all of my chips in. The guy on my left, quickly called off about 2/3 of his chip stack with AJ off. I got no help on the flop, and I was out.

In the second tournament, it was pretty much the same song and dance. I was staying above average, then couldn't get a hand better than J8 or K7. Almost an identical situation knocked me out of this tournament. I found AK in late position, and pushed all in for about 9 times the big blind. The player in the small blind called off about half of his stack with 10's and I was gone. In the third tournament, I was playing aggressive and fairly tight early on. We started with 3000 in chips, and I slowly built my stack to about 5000 by the third level. In the first three levels I saw AK, A10 off, KJ suited, 77 and 22. For the rest of the tournament, I didn't see any other quality hands. It was getting frustrating looking down and finding Q4, 73, 62, J5, for the next hour and a half. I was getting blinded off quickly and had to find a spot that I could try and exploit. Again, in late position, nobody entered the pot, so I shoved with KJ off. I only had about seven times the big blind. One of the chip leaders at my table called with 55. I didn't get any help on the board, so I was out in 361st place. Here's a snapshot of the starting hands I had to work with for the tournament I played in today, and the sit 'n go I won later that night. I'll give you a hint. I didn't get queens once during the multi-table tournament.

These tournaments were pretty interesting. The sheer number of know it all players and the level of loose aggressive tendencies was shocking. I don't know how many times I saw raise, re-raise, all-in with some very marginal hands at best. Then the ranting afterward about how the other player was an idiot and a donkey. One hand in particular was quite funny. One player made a small raise, and got two calls. The flop came J-10-9. The raiser bet the pot, the +2 called. A blank came on the turn, and the raiser bet twice the pot, enough to put the other player all-in. He called. The raiser had 10-9 and the caller had A-J. A jack hit the river and all hell broke loose. The complaining started and the insults were flying. First off, I think they both played the hand rather poorly. Sure two pair can be a powerful hand. However, it is quite easy to get counterfeited. One of the first things you should understand about bottom two pair, is that you have to play them very cautiously. Not only that, but with a flop of J-10-9, there are a lot of possible draws that are actually the favorite at this point. Why overcommit yourself to the pot when you don't have to. The blinds were small, he should have tried to make smaller value bets and see what happens at the river. When the jack hits the river, the only thing he can beat is a bluff, and he would have been able to get away from the hand.

For the most part, these tournaments had some very good, solid players. You can make moves and bluff players off of their hand. However, you have to have some quality hands from time to time as well. When you are playing at a tight table, the books tell you that you need to play more loose. However, when a tight player raises ahead of you, and you look down at 62, the only thing you can do is muck. That pretty much sums up my tournaments over the last couple of days. The few times I did try to make any moves, somebody would wake up with a better hand. That's poker.

So, one of the things I need to fix in my game, is to continue to play aggressively and switch gears when the table dynamics change. I am doing really well in the single table sit 'n go's. I have cashed in 8 out of 12 tournaments. However, in the multi-table tournaments, I need to work on my middle tournament strategy. I have accumulated chips well in the early stages. So I need to continue to keep the pressure on my opponents and play position whenever possible. If I notice that a player has made a weak limp in early position, and got a couple of calls, I should try to raise those players more often. The worst case scenario, is that you get re-raised by a player in one of the blinds. Well, I'll leave you with that for now. Good luck at the tables.

Lesson #1

I've finished reading quite a few books now. I just finished reading Ace on the River by Barry Greenstein and have started reading the Poker Mindset by Matthew Hilger. I've been taking notes and orgainizing a great basic strategy. I've been playing a few sit 'n go's from time to time, to try out new ideas and to get comfortable playing my particular style. Right now, I'm playing in the lower stakes, so that any losses won't be detrimental to either my bankroll or to my confidence. So far I've cashed in almost all of them. The results so far are quite encouraging.

One big lesson I have learned so far, is that small ball is the way to go. A lot of players try to hit the home run on almost every hand. They constantly bet the size of the pot, or want to push all their chips in the pot before the flop. Remember that poker is a game in which the best five card hand wins. I keep seeing players overplay their small pairs and a big ace, then get frustrated because players keep sucking out on them. Small ball is the style of play you will see most of the pros use. It consists of making small raises before the flop and getting maximum value from your hand. If you are not comfortable playing your hand after the flop, then I would recommend that you play the home run style. The small ball style relies heavily on being able to play well after the flop. I'll discuss the small ball versus long ball theory later on. That brings me to my first lesson for you.

There are two things you need to do before you begin playing serious poker. The first thing you need to do is devise a starting standard for yourself. Devising a starting standard is more than just play tight in early position, and loose in late position. You have to understand your playing style. If you are a conservative player, you will more than likely play the "standard" hands from each position. If you are a loose player, you will tend to be more creative and deceptive. Whichever style you play, you have to understand yourself and which style you are most comfortable playing. Think about what kinds of hands you play well and which ones you don't play very well. If you play suited connectors well, move them up in your starting standards. If you don't play small pairs very well or don't feel comfortable playing them, move them down in your starting standards. Your starting standards are just that, YOUR starting standards. Nobody can tell you that you should or should not play a hand from any position. If you find that you are losing a lot with certain hands, you will learn that you should probably not play that hand the way you have been playing it. Stay observant on yourself and keep track of what you do well, and what you need to work on. The biggest key to starting standards is position. You want to be playing your hands IN POSITION. Position is the key to No-Limit Hold'em.

The second thing you want to focus on is understanding your opponents. You want to find out if they are tight/loose and aggressive/passive. You will often find that certain opponents can not be bluffed out of a pot, no matter how much you bet. They are willing to call any bet when they have a weak or drawing hand. When you find these players, you will make a lot of money; and they will frustrate you because they are the ones that are more likely to draw out on you. However, as long as you are making the best possible decision, you will win in the long run. Once you know how your opponents are playing, you need to adjust your standards accordingly. If you are against a loose, aggressive player you want to tighten up a little bit and wait to trap them. A lot of people believe that you should play more pots against them. However, I believe that you should look to trap these players more often with stronger hands because they are likely to push against you with marginal hands. You don't want to take a knife to a gun fight. Against passive players, either loose or tight, you want to make smaller value bets to find out where you are at in the hand. Passive players will tend to check and fold to bets, unless they hit the flop. Against calling stations, don't even think about bluffing them. They will call any bet with any kind of a hand. You want to wait for a quality hand and make value bets throughout the hand against them.

Well, that should give you a little something to think about. Good luck at the tables. As always, if you want to discuss anything I might have a little knowledge on, drop me a line. You can e-mail me through my profile.

On a Different Note

I went and saw the play Spamalot this weekend. If you are a fan of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you have to see this show. It was one of the funniest plays I have ever seen. It has a lot of scenes adapted from the movie, but it is not a direct rip off. I am a huge fan of Monty Python, and if you are as well, you will find yourself quoting the show on the way out, and several days later. The first time I saw this show was in Las Vegas at the Wynn casino. The theater at the Wynn is incredible. There is not a bad seat in the house at the Wynn casino. On a final note, if you are looking for a funny movie, try to find Air Guitar Nation. It is incredibly funny.

Time to get to work. Hope you are finding the leaks in your game and staying aggressive. Well, selectively aggressive, not overly aggressive. I'll get into that topic in a future post. Good luck at the tables.

Testing the Waters

I played a few token tournaments tonight, to test out different tournament strategies. Some of the concepts I was trying to emphasize were starting standards and playing position. I played in 5 FTP token tournaments, and won 3 $26 tournament tokens. Not too bad, if I do say so myself. The first two were pretty easy. The last one had some pretty good players.

I have to give major props to Chrisfrost04. He was a good player, and tested me the whole way. I had him outchipped by almost 3:1 in heads up play. He limped on the button, and I woke up with 99. In a full ring game, this is a marginal hand. However, in a heads up game, almost any pair can be considered a great starting hand. The blinds were 300-600 and he only had about 2900. So, I raised enough to put him all in, and he quickly called with JJ. The flop came out all rags, 7 high. The turn brought a 9, and a brick on the river. If it wasn't for a lucky break on my part, we would probably still be playing. He was a great competitor and from his table presence and etiquette, I gained a lot of respect for his play.

That brings me to my rant for the evening. One thing I could not stand playing in these tournaments, was the sheer amount of complaining, bitching, and just outright rude behavior. Every poker player has taken and delivered a bad beat. There were a couple of times tonight, when I was short stacked, that I was trying to just steal the blinds and got called by a better hand and sucked out. That is a part of the game. But when a player loses their mind and starts complaining and calling the other players donkeys and idiots, that's when it becomes laughable. It's laughable because they usually are not as big a favorite as they thought. In fact, there was one hand in particular where the complainer was about a 2:1 dog, on the flop, even though the other player didn't even have a pair yet. But even when they are a big favorite, those are the situations every player wants to be in. Would you rather put all your money on the line on a coin flip proposition, or as a 80% favorite to win? I know that's a tough one, but you would be retarded if you said you would rather put your money on the line with only a 50% chance to win. Remember, all you can do is put your money in with the best of it. In the long run, if you keep making the right decisions, you should be a winning player.

I'll leave you with that for the night. If there is anything I can help you out with, drop me a line.

*UPDATE*
I played two more token tournaments, and won another token. Going into four handed, I was sitting in third place. The chip leader had over 8000 and was playing solid, but was chasing draws when he wasn't getting the right price. When I got to heads up play with him, he had me out chipped about 2:1. I caught a couple of hands and ended up doubling through. After the successes for the day, I am feeling quite encouraged by my results so far.

Encouraging

I've finished reading Super System 1 & 2, as well as Hold'em Wisdom for All Players. I have gained a lot of insight and have felt amazingly encouraged and refreshed. By relearning a basic strategy and some fundamental concepts, I feel that I am shaking the stagnant and frustrated feelings I was experiencing. So now it is time to build upon that and add more advanced concepts. The next books I am planning on reading are Barry Greenstein's Ace on the River and Phil Gordon's Little Green Book. I consider both of these books for experienced to advanced players.

I have read Phil Gordon's Little Green Book a while ago. I feel that it is a great book for poker players that have an understanding for the game. It lays out the content in a manner that is both concise and does not pander to beginning players. I would not recomennd the book to new players. The best part about the Little Green Book is that it gets right to the point. He does not write for ten pages to describe a single subject. He gives you only the information you need.

My plan is to continue to add concepts that do not go against my basic strategy. A lot of people would say that you should add as much to your strategy as possible. However, I feel that you should keep your basic strategy as simple as possible. Remember, this is your "normal" game. You want to be comfortable with your normal style and not have to overthink or get confused by five different strategies and concepts. You can add whichever strategy you like to your game. Just remember that you want to make sure that it is additive. Do not add overly complicated tools to your arsenal if you are not prepared to use them or do not understand when and where to use them.

A lot of players watch the WSOP or the WPT and see a player like Gus Hansen make a play that wins him a large pot. They see him raise with a junk hand, and they think that is the way they are supposed to play. What they don't understand, is that Gus Hansen has been setting up that play, or has a read on his opponents' that new players do not have. That is why you should keep your strategy simple when you are a less experienced player. Eventually, you will get to the point, where you will be able to make great plays on opponents, by knowing what they have and what the best play would be.

One last concept to think about. There are many levels to poker. Remember, poker is a game of people played with cards. In the first level, you simply think about what hand you have. All new and weak players are at this level. They only think about what cards they hold, and will only play their hand according to this. In the second level of poker, you think about what your opponent might have. In this level, you put your opponent on a hand, in relation to yours, and decide what the best strategy to use would be. In this level, you are putting your opponent on a hand, and if you feel they are weak, will play their hand against them. Many times, it doesn't even matter what cards you have, because you know that they cannot play back at you. In the third level of poker, you think what your opponent thinks you have. In this level, you have to think about what kind of hand your opponent thinks that you have. This is the part of the game that I love.

If poker was a game in which only the best hand won every time, it would be a boring game. Remember that poker is a game of people. You have to know your opponent and what their playing style and tendencies are. Well, time to get ready for our weekly game. Good luck to you at the tables. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to drop me a line.

Day One

I have been playing poker, both online and live, for a few years now. I have played all over; including the Commerce Casino in California, Bellagio in Las Vegas, local casinos, but play mostly on Full Tilt Poker and Pokerstars. My results have been decent, but I know there is a lot of improvement that could be made. So I decided to start this blog as an intorspective way to see what I am doing right, and what needs improvement.

One of the first things I noticed, is that I have about 15 different poker books that I have read. I started thinking, "Am I approaching the game the way I should? Do I have the skills necessary to succeed?" I have won several tournaments, both online and live; and am a regular winner at our weekly home game. However, it made me stop and think for a second. I found that all of the information I have learned over the years, has become stagnant or cluttered. So I am going to start over from the beginning. Take a little refresher course, if you will.

One thing you have to remember, is that if you don't have a good grasp of the fundamentals and basic strategy, you can't build upon that. It's just like math. If you don't know how to add and subtract, would you be able to understand the concepts behind geometry? I feel that this is the biggest leak in most players games. They will delude themselves or feel that most of the beginner books are not geared for them. Remember that most poker players have an extremely large ego. They feel that they know everything they need to know. This is where you can get a huge advantage on your opponents.

So, this is what my blog is going to be about. Hopefully I can teach you a little something about the game that I love. As with any game, there will be ups and downs. I'll try to keep this blog updated as much as possible, and give insights into what progress is being made. If you have any suggestions or comments, don't hesitate to drop me a line. Let's get to it...

Learning All Over Again

Where to begin? That is the question. In today's market, there are a plethera of sources. There are literally hundreds of different books and online sites that offer strategies and advice. One of the best places to start, in my opinion, is by reading Super System 1 & 2. This series is considered the Old and New Testament of poker. And I would consider it required reading for any serious poker player. So this is where I will begin my journey, again.

I decided to use this strategy as my foundation. From there, I will add information and strategies, but not try to over complicate anything. I believe this is where a lot of players make a major mistake. They read and study a lot of different material, and some of that material is counter productive to each other. One strategy is great for one situation; whereas, another strategy may not work in the same situation. I believe that you should have a solid foundation of both basic strategy and starting standards. From there, you can add more advanced strategies and reads. But you should try to understand one basic strategy and build from there. You also want to take your own playing style into account. You will have your "A" game and your normal playing style. These styles will vary from each other. At the beginning of a tournament, everybody is trying to play their "A" game. However, once they get comfortable and start to settle down, they will begin playing their normal game. You need to understand your normal playing style. Are you normally tight or loose? Do you crave action? Or can you be patient and wait for the positive expected value situations? This is why you need to understand yourself and your motivations.

A lot of players will consider Super System outdated and archaic. To some extent, I would agree. However, Super System is still a great source for learning a basic strategy for almost every popular poker game. The only reason why I would partially agree with the previous statement, is because so many people have read Super System. Super System 2 has some great information on other forms of poker, especially Omaha and Limit Hold'em. However, the No-Limit Hold'em section is a review of the original Super System.

Once I have finished reading the Super System series, the next book I will be reading is Daniel Negreanu's Hold'em Wisdom for All Players. I have been taking notes and devising my strategy as I go. I am doing this, so that I have a solid grasp of both basic strategies and starting standards. I have a lot of experience playing the game, so my strategy is not based solely on theoretical situations. I have taken just about every bad beat possible, and have had to suck out from time to time. So I have an understanding of how the game works and operates.

Well, time to get back to work. It will be a long and hard road. But I feel that once I am done, I will be a solid player that will continue to improve over time.