Bonus Whoring at Paradise Poker
I am going to write this blog entry differently than any of the others that I have written so far. I am going to write this one over several weeks (likely). It's about my latest round of bonus whoring at Paradise Poker.
To give the long-winded version of the story:
I initially signed up at Paradise Poker as part of a PSO promotion. I actually like the site; in fact, there are numerous sites that I like, but I can't play them all. Therefore, I try to stick to the sites that I like the best and the ones where I think I can win (i.e., everywhere except Poker Stars). Otherwise, I am playing where I think I can get the best bonus.
I did not play particularly well at Paradise Poker when I first played there and I essentially broke even. I actually lost with my poker playing but my initial deposit bonus kept me even.
Paradise Poker rarely offers reload bonuses, but they're quite nice when they do. Money is released in $10 increments, requiring 100 raked hands (minimum rake = $0.25). So, this reload bonus is similar to Party Poker's, but these bonuses are stackable and they never expire.
I don't recall doing this before, but apparently I had made a deposit at Paradise Poker during their last reload. When I logged in today to take advantage of their current reload bonus, I had $100 of bonus still waiting to clear. After my $400 deposit to get another $100 of bonus, I had $200 of bonus waiting to be earned.
After consulting bonuswhores.com, my plan is to play full-ring $1/$2 limit hold'em to clear the bonus. The bonus clears rather quickly at these stakes compared to the amount that needs to be wagered.
So, here begins my journal on clearing $200 of bonus at Paradise Poker, starting with a bankroll of $400.
29 June 2006, Session 1
I already had 93 bonus points on my account, so I needed to play only 7 raked hands to clear $10 of bonus. I sat down at a $1/$2 limit hold'em table and played tight-aggressive for two orbits. I folded every hand during the first orbit, but then picked up Ks Js on the button during the second orbit. A couple people had limped and so did I. The flop came As 8s 4s, giving me the nuts. I called on the flop, raised the turn, and bet the river, winning me a nice pot. I folded until I was UTG+2, when I limped with TT after both UTG and UTG+1 limped. Everyone else folded until the button, who limped. Four of us saw a flop that was jack-high; it was checked around. The turn was a seven, which gave me an inside straight draw in addition to my pair of tens. I called when UTG+1 bet out on the turn and on the river. I won the hand with my pair of tens (UTG+1 held K7). For the session, I won $16 plus cleared $10 of bonus.
Bankroll = $426 ($190 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
29 June 2006, Session 2
I just completed another session (2 tables, $1/$2 limit hold'em) in which I cleared another 100 raked hands for another $10 in bonus. I also won $21.25 my the poker, so the session was $31.25 at Paradise. Unforunately, I was simultaneously playing 2 tables at Full Contact Poker and I lost $20.70 there, so outside of the bonus... it was a break-even session.
Because I was playing 4 tables, I don't have many details from the session. I played very well. I had a bunch of costly hands where I had my opponent dominated pre-flop, caught a good flop, but s/he sucked out (AQ vs. AJ: flop an ace, jack on the turn; AK vs. K7: flop K 9 7; etc).
Bankroll = $457.25 ($180 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
29 June 2006, Session 3
Can you tell that work is not holding my attention today? Actually, nothing is holding my attention today. My mind is on the upcoming holiday weekend.
Anyhow, I just cleared another 100 raked hands. I cleared the first 40 or so playing a single table of short-handed (5-max) limit hold'em ($1/$2). I then two-tabled $1/$2 LHE (full-ring) until I cleared another 100 hands. I won maybe $10 playing short-handed and then played terrible while playing full-ring. I was down $20 or so until I caught a few big hands late. I think I ended the session +$7 or so.
Bankroll = $484.50 ($170 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
4 July 2006
After spending a long weekend traveling, I was very enthusiastic about playing poker again... but I was tired and not capable of playing well. Even so, I decided to single table a $1/$2 full ring game to clear some bonus before heading to bed for the night. Big mistake. I actually played well, but the cards were against me. I also misplayed several hands. Anyway, here are the hands that I remember.
Hand#1: I was the first raiser from middle position with TT. Only the big blind calls. The flop is A 8 3 (two hearts). He checks; I bet he calls. The turn is another heart: check-check. The river is the ten of hearts: check-check. He flips over Kx 3h and wins the hand.
Hand#2: I was dealt AA in early position. I raise; a donkey in middle position calls; and a super donkey re-raises from the button. I cap and both of them call. The flop looks good (I think): 5s 4s 4c. It gets capped on the flop. I put donkey on a flush draw (since he's merely calling) and super donkey on a big pocket pair, like queens or kings (since he's raising). The turn is a blank. The river is another spade, so I check. The first donkey bets; the second raises; and I fold. After it's all over, the first donkey rakes in a 34 big bet pot with Js 6s and the second flips over Ac 4d.
Hand#3: I am dealt AKo. I raise it up after someone limps from early position. The flop is A 6 2 (rainbow). He bets; I raise; he 3-bets; I cap; he calls. The turn is another six: he check-raises me. Skip the river... the dude held 6 6.
To make matters worse, I must have flopped sets in three or four different hands and got action on precisely zero of the them. The end of this bad session occurred when my daughter started screaming in her sleep, requiring that I quit my session after paying both blinds, forcing me to fold from the button and sit out the rest of the orbit. I think I lost $20 or so in the session.
Bankroll = $479.25 ($170 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
(note: I don't remember playing since 29 June... but clearly $484.50 - $20 is not $479.25... so, something is wrong with my math, but I am not going to complain).
5 July 2006, Session 1
On my lunch break, I decided to play a few orbits of short-handed (5-max) limit hold'em ($1/$2). I played very well, making almost no major mistakes. My opponents were difficult to play, however, as there was little logic to their play. I lost two hands when I played a legitimate hand aggressively against someone who held QQ. Because my opponent played the hand so passively, I had no idea that they were so strong. In another hand, my top-pair-on-the-flop got beat on the river by a donkey who check-called to the river with king high. And it wasn't all bad beats either -- I won a big pot with J7 after a flop of 9 7 2 with heavy betting. Both of my opponents, who called to the river, held AQo (unimproved). In the end, I finished the short session +$1.50 (hooray!) but I did manage to clear another $10 of bonus.
Bankroll = $489.75 ($160 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
5 July 2006, Sessions 2 and 3
I needed to take care of my baby daughter this afternoon while my wife worked. Because I was at my office, this actually involved letting my daughter sleep on my chest, giving me time to play poker online. I played extremely well (probably because I had nothing to do but play poker), winning a good chunk of change... maybe $30-$40. I played some 5-card draw, short-handed (5-max) limit hold'em ($1/$2) , and about 5 hands of 7-card stud.
Unfortunately, I decided to play again last night (I am writing on 6 July 2006) while I was trying to post an add to sell my car. I played short-handed, which was a doubly bad idea. I was not focused; I was tired; I didn't care. I did clear a bunch of raked hands, which wasn't enough to compensate for the fact that I donked away my entire $40 buy-in. Oh well.
Bankroll = $491.25 ($150 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
6 July 2006, Session 1
I am playing a short-session of full-ring $1/$2 limit hold'em before I go out to the lakes for work today. I initially played like a donkey call station, but luckily this was against over-aggressive donkeys who were betting with king-high. I won two big pots with this strategy before tightening up. To be honest, it was a boring session that netted +$14.25.
Bankroll = $505.50 ($150 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
6 July 2006, Session 2
When I started playing tonight, I immediately bought into a $1/$2 limit hold'em room at Paradise. I then started surfing the internet, eventually noticing that Party Poker has a reload going right now. Since these are always juicy and they have a time limit (unlike Paradise), I decided to play at Party tonight. Even so, I continued to play in the room at Paradise until I cleared another $10 of bonus. The session was an otherwise uneventful +$3 or so.
Bankroll = $519.25 ($140 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
8 July 2006, Session 1
After quickly clearing the Party Poker reload bonus, I once again returned to Paradise Poker to work on clearing their most recent reload bonus.
When I logged on to the site, there were rather long waiting lists for the full-ring $1/$2 limit games, so I bought in to a 5-max limit game. Before being dealt cards, I noticed that my table had a very loose-aggressive donkey at it, so if I could catch some hands, then I would make some money. My first hand I was dealt QQ and I won a nice pot. I also won a few other smaller pots. I then won a really nice pot when I tried to bully the LAG donkey with JTo from the button. He called my bets on the flop and turn (I caught a ten on the turn for second pair) but then raised me on the river. Given the pot odds, I made a crying call and he flipped over jack-high. Like I said, he was a LAG donkey. Soon after, I quit the table to play full-ring limit.
Once I reached the full-ring table, I won a nice pot with A8s against another over aggressive donkey who held 62o. Yep, that prize-winning hand 62o. Anyway, I flopped top pair and called his river bluff-raise and took down a nice pot. After that, I got sloppy and lost a few pots, before quitting a short session.
Bankroll = $543.50 ($140 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
8 July 2006, Session 2
I started by playing some short-handed $1/$2 limit and I did well. I think I won about $20 in about 3o hands. After that, I three-tabled full ring $1/$2 limit, which was a bad idea. I didn't get many cards and when I did... I got no action. It was just one of those days when I everything I did turned out wrong. For example, I raised from EP with KK. It folds to the blinds, both of whom call. The flop includes an ace, so I fold when the SB bets out and the big blind raises. Sadly, neither of them had anything better than middle pair (maybe they were colluding?) and I would have won the hand. Oh well... even with hindsight vision, I know that the correct play there was to fold. The best that I can say about the session is that I cleared some bonus cash.
Bankroll = $551 ($120 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
11 July 2006
My poker playing has lately been awful. Just awful. I played a bunch of hands in a short time period to clear a Party Poker reload bonus and, in the process, burned myself out on poker. Even so, I tried to clear a few hands for my Paradise Poker reload today... bad idea. I played maybe 20 hands and I played most of them like a donkey. In finally decided to quit when I won a large pot chasing runner runner to catch the idiot of a straight. I finished this session +2.75 but I could have easily lost $10-$20 (note: that's in only 20 hands)
Bankroll = $553.75 ($120 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
13 July 2006, Session 1
At lunch time, I decided to clear another $10 of bonus money at Paradise. I've played little lately, but I feel like my game is starting to come around. I quick session of short-handed limit seemed like just the trick. Speaking of tricks, I bought into two VERY tricky limit tables. They were both filled with maniacs would be bluff raise on the turn, call any raise preflop with any two cards, etc. Luckily, they were not very good players and I caught a few hands. I was initially worried when I was down $20 or so, but then I won a few nice pots. I eventually won a huge pot (at least 20 big bets), but the action was so fast that I can't remember the hand at all. I eventually lost a big pot with an ace-high straight to someone who held queens full. Oh well. I finished the session with more than $30 profit, plus another $10 in bonus cash.
One last thing: Today is my grandfather's birthday! He passed away a few years ago, but still... he was a huge influence on me and I miss him. Happy Birthday Gramps!
Bankroll = $596.25 ($110 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
13 July 2006, Session 2
I bought-in at three different $1/$2 limit tables... all three were extremely crazy tables (one was short-handed). I started great, winning a few big pots at the full-ring games when I was dealt KK back-to-back.
But then, the short-handed table got really crazy and I decided to mix-it-up with the donkeys, who were raising with crap like 92s. I lost a few pots on the river when I was pushing marginal hands in three-way pots. Oh well, it happens. I eventually settled down and started playing better. I had clawed my way back a bit at that table when I was dealt AT. The board was: K T 4 A T. Unfortunately, my opponent held KK and I lost a huge pot. In the end, I finished the session -$0.25. Yep, I lost less than a dollar during this entirely wacky session.
I have now cleared $100 of Paradise Poker bonus, half of the bonus that I am trying to clear. In addition, I have won $106 of real poker profit (53 big bets). I have played somewhere in the range of 1500-2000 hands, so my win rate (not including bonus cash) is 3.5 BB/100 hands (assuming 1500 hands) to 2.65 BB/100 hands. Not bad!
I am now going to cash out $206 (my bonus + profit) and try it all over again. To paraphrase Seymour Skinner from "The Simpsons". I am going to make a game of it. I am going to see how much money I can win while clearing $100 of bonus. Then, I am going to try and break that record.
Bankroll = $400 ($100 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
13 July 2006, Session 3
This was the donkey session from hell. I played seven-card stud, 5-card draw, Omaha 8/b, and short-handed hold'em, all $1/$2 limit. And I sucked at all of them. I lost my buy-in at least two different times and I was just a donkey. I think the only game that was profitable was Omaha 8/b. I am not going to say much else, except that I need to play better now.
Bankroll = $327.25 ($90 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
14 July 2006
I played a single session today, clearing another $10 of bonus. I mostly played $1/$2 limit, full ring, but I also played some Omaha 8/b. It was a rather short, uneventful session, but I won back some of my loss from my previous donkey session.
Bankroll = $348.05 ($80 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
15 July 2006
While playing at a private table at Party Poker with a bunch of guys from TPF, I played a single table of $1/$2 limit hold'em at Paradise. I played rather well, but I was lucky to not go bust. I kept catching good hands against better hands. I had a rather short stack (like $12) when I was dealt ATo on the big blind. The flop came KQJ (rainbow) and I eventually got my money all-in and tripled up. From there, I played a little better than break-even, finishing the session +$9.75.
Bankroll = $358.80 ($80 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
16 July 2006, Session 1
I woke up this morning and decided to finish off another $10 of bonus money. This was not a particularly ambitious goal -- I had only 16 raked hands to clear. I was tired and groggy, so I played a single table of $1/$2 5-max limit hold'em. I caught some cards, played them aggressively against call stations, and finished this short-session +$12.
Bankroll = $380.80 ($70 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
16 July 2006, Session 2
I need a break from poker. I donked away some cash at Party before switching to Paradise and donking away some more money. I won't go into details, but after a good start... a switch in tables (in broke up)... I lost my buy-in... the last hand I am dealt 99 in the small blind. The flop is 555 and I get all my money in against the big blind who had 53o.
Bankroll = $354.30 ($70 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
16 July 2006, Session 3
After deciding to take a break from poker, I took about an hour off and then decided to play at higher stakes. I am playing well below my skill level and my bankroll. So, I played a shortish session at $5/$10 limit at Party, which profitable. After a quick trip to the hardware store, I sat down with a beverage and decided to play a very short session at Paradise... playing $3/$6 limit. I won $25 in a short period.
Bankroll = $379.30 ($70 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
16 July 2006, Session 4
I seem to be playing numerous short sessions today. I started playing two tables of $2/$4 limit hold'em and one table of $1/$2 limit hold'em. I started out great on all three, winning some nice pots. And then, the donkey logic started to take over and I lost AJ vs. A8 on a flop of J 8 8 and KK vs. A5 (plus three others) when the donkey caught his inside straight draw on the river. I'm quitting the session after clearing another $10 of bonus in large part because I am incredibly frustrated right now.
Bankroll = $359.55 ($60 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
16 July 2006, Session 5
My fifth and final session of the day. This one was a longer session, enough to clear $20 of bonus. The problem, sadly, is that the cards did not cooperate. It seemed that I was always up against some donkey playing J5 and the flop would come AJ5 (and I'd hold AK). I was 4-tabling, and I think I won at only of these four. The good news is that was the $2/$4 table (the other three were $1/$2).
I must admit that I am merely going through the motions right now. I am clearing bonus to clear bonus. Looking at my play objectively, I seem to be losing about $10 per 100 hands, such that I am essentially breaking even. I need to find some focus so that I can win again. Maybe I should try playing no limit.
Bankroll = $364.55 ($40 of bonus to be cleared)
17 July 2006, Session 1
I have decided to stop playing limit and to try playing no limit at Paradise. In this short session, I initially bought into a $100 NL room and eventually into a $50 NL room as well. Once the $50 NL room was open, I quit the $100 NL room with $8 in profit.
Early on in the $50 NL, I busted the player to my left when I caught a full house on the turn while he hit his flush on the river. This sounds like great news, but the guy who replaced him was a COMPLETE maniac. He would raise 8x the big blind with any two cards. Normally this would be a good opportunity for profit, but considering that he was to my immediate left... I was in bad position.
Eventually, I won a few nice pots off of him but then I went bust with QQ against his AA went the money got in the middle preflop. I normally don't like to push with QQ but, like I said before, this guy was a complete maniac. He'd gone all-in preflop with AX and KJ at least three times prior to this hand, so I don't regret my push with QQ -- even after the fact.
Soon after that hand, the maniac left and I started attacking a very weak player two to my left. Unfortunately, he turned into a complete luck-box and he started catching cards. So, his stack when from $50 to more than $100 while mine went from $25 down to $6 (for the mathematically inclined, all of his profit was not against me).
I was now stuck almost $50 in the game; I could have bought in for more, but I needed to stop the bleeding, so I planned on playing a few more hands until I busted. But, I doubled up once and then won another nice pot, so that I had about $20 in the room. I then changed gears and started playing solid poker, grinding my stack back up near $30 before the luck-box busted and I had to get back to work.
Bankroll = $353.85 ($40 of bonus to be cleared)
17 July 2006, Session 2
This was another short session where I two-tabled two short-handed $50 NL tables. I initially was stuck a few dollars at one of the tables, but won it all back when I fired bets on the flop (call), turn (call), and river (fold) against an opponent who chased every flush draw in the book. I won a nice pot on the other table too when I caught my flush draw in a three-way hand. My short-term goal is to at least break-even for the second half of this bonus chase (i.e., lose $100 but get $100 of bonus...).
Bankroll = $371.30 ($40 of bonus to be cleared)
17 July 2006, Session 3
This session lasted about thirty minutes and it went quite well. I was two-tabling $50NL for the entire session.
At my first table, I won a few nice pots and built my stack up to $30 or so. I then was dealt TT and I raised it to $2 after the guy to my right limped. The small blind and the limper called. The flop was 7 3 3 and the small blind bet out, the limper called and I raised. The small blind then started spewing obscenties about me not having a three before he folded; the limper called. The turn was a blank but the limper check-raised me. I was pot-committed, so I called, leaving me with $0.25. The limper checked the river to me and I checked also. The pot (~$65) slid to me. The limper held K7. The small blind starting spewing more obscenities, claiming to have folded JJ.
I soon left that table and played at two other tables where I had a modest win (~$5). So far, it looks good for me to reach my short-term goal of finishing the bonus chase with at a net-break even. Perhaps I should have been playing no limit all along?
Bankroll = $422.90 ($30 of bonus to be cleared)
17 July 2006, Session 4
For whatever reason, I thought that it'd be a good idea to play some more at Paradise Poker. I played at crazy aggressive tables and I played poorly. In short, I lost about $100... I was a total donkey. All I needed to do was remain patient, catch some cards, and get paid. Instead, I tried to bluff donkeys willing to call all-ins with middle pair.
Eventually, I "smarted up" and I quit playing no limit. I was not on tilt, but I was frustrated by no limit donkeys (i.e., people who bet $6 into a $2 pot)... so I move to limit poker. I played short-handed $3/$6 limit hold'em. I made a great call with ace high and won a huge pot. I lost a huge pot where I flopped top two pair to someone who caught their flush on the river. In the end, I think I was +$25 playing a relatively small number of limit hands.
Bankroll = $352.65 ($20 of bonus to be cleared)
18 July 2006, Session 1
I hate Paradise Poker right now. I have pissed away virtually all of my profit as well as the bonus. At this point, I'll be lucky to break even for this bonus chase. I am tired, confused, and grumpy. I started this session playing $3/$6 limit (5-max) and I repeatedly got butchered by bad beat after bad beat. Flop top two pair? My opponent catches runner runner for a better two pair. Have an over pair on the flop? My opponent with top pair, seven kicker catches runner runner to back door a straight. It was brutal. I think I lost $100 in less than 30 hands. That's poker, I suppose.
At that point, I decided that it was best merely to drop stakes back to $1/$2 limit and merely close out the bonus chase, trying to lose as little as possible. I played some more 5-max and I broke even or lost a little at this game. I cleared another $10 of bonus, so I've got that going for me.
Bankroll = $233.15 ($10 of bonus to be cleared)
18 July 2006, Session 2
The only positive thing that I can say about this session is that it is the last one that I will play at Paradise Poker for awhile. The site is fine, but I really feel cursed right now -- to the point where I hate the site too. I promised myself that I would play well this session, no matter what happened with the cards. And with one exception, I played very very well. The exception hand was when I played TT aggressively against a guy who held KQ. The flop came queen-high and my best guess was that he caught a piece of the flop and that I was behind -- but I kept betting anyway. Stupid stupid.
My rationale for feeling cursed involved too many hands to count, but I'll give you two of the bad beat stories.
Cursed Hand#1: It's folded to me on the button where I hold AA. I'm already feeling unlucky, so I raise it up. A small pot will make me happy at this point, so there is no need to get cute. The big blind calls and the flop comes Q 6 4, one diamond. The action goes check-bet-call. The turn is a seven of diamonds. Check-bet-call. The river is the three of diamonds. I don't like a pair of aces against this board, so the action is check-check. He flips over Ad8d, for a back door nut flush. Shit!
Cursed Hand#2: I'm in the big blind, holding ATo. There is one limper but then the small blind raises (an over-aggressive donkey), so I call as does the limper. The flop comes A 8 4 (rainbow). A few hands earlier, I had previously smooth-called with AK a similar situation against the small blind. So, to mix things up as well as hopefully eliminate the limper, I raise when the small blind bets out. The limper folds and the small blind calls. The turn is a ten, giving me top two pair. The action goes check-bet-call. The river is a jack. After the donkey checks it to me, I actually consider the chances that this donkey has KQ -- I am feeling that cursed at this point. I figure there is no way that he called all the way to the river with that hand, so I bet. He raises and I make a crying call. He flips over KQ. FUCK!!!!
Anyway, like I said, it's over. That's the good news.
Bankroll = $210.15 ($0 of bonus to be cleared)
Summary
Mentally speaking, I split this bonus chase into two halfs. I won $206 during the first half and I lost $190 during the second half. Hence, for the entirety of the bonus chase, I won a whopping $16. That certainly makes me feel like a total donkey. While I certainly played better during the first half, I didn't play all that poorly in the second half. I caught some bad beats at some bad times. Also, I must confess to getting impatient and straying from my plan to bonus chase at $1/$2 limit, which was probably optimal for the rate of bonus chase versus the amount that needed to be wagered.
To give the long-winded version of the story:
I initially signed up at Paradise Poker as part of a PSO promotion. I actually like the site; in fact, there are numerous sites that I like, but I can't play them all. Therefore, I try to stick to the sites that I like the best and the ones where I think I can win (i.e., everywhere except Poker Stars). Otherwise, I am playing where I think I can get the best bonus.
I did not play particularly well at Paradise Poker when I first played there and I essentially broke even. I actually lost with my poker playing but my initial deposit bonus kept me even.
Paradise Poker rarely offers reload bonuses, but they're quite nice when they do. Money is released in $10 increments, requiring 100 raked hands (minimum rake = $0.25). So, this reload bonus is similar to Party Poker's, but these bonuses are stackable and they never expire.
I don't recall doing this before, but apparently I had made a deposit at Paradise Poker during their last reload. When I logged in today to take advantage of their current reload bonus, I had $100 of bonus still waiting to clear. After my $400 deposit to get another $100 of bonus, I had $200 of bonus waiting to be earned.
After consulting bonuswhores.com, my plan is to play full-ring $1/$2 limit hold'em to clear the bonus. The bonus clears rather quickly at these stakes compared to the amount that needs to be wagered.
So, here begins my journal on clearing $200 of bonus at Paradise Poker, starting with a bankroll of $400.
29 June 2006, Session 1
I already had 93 bonus points on my account, so I needed to play only 7 raked hands to clear $10 of bonus. I sat down at a $1/$2 limit hold'em table and played tight-aggressive for two orbits. I folded every hand during the first orbit, but then picked up Ks Js on the button during the second orbit. A couple people had limped and so did I. The flop came As 8s 4s, giving me the nuts. I called on the flop, raised the turn, and bet the river, winning me a nice pot. I folded until I was UTG+2, when I limped with TT after both UTG and UTG+1 limped. Everyone else folded until the button, who limped. Four of us saw a flop that was jack-high; it was checked around. The turn was a seven, which gave me an inside straight draw in addition to my pair of tens. I called when UTG+1 bet out on the turn and on the river. I won the hand with my pair of tens (UTG+1 held K7). For the session, I won $16 plus cleared $10 of bonus.
Bankroll = $426 ($190 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
29 June 2006, Session 2
I just completed another session (2 tables, $1/$2 limit hold'em) in which I cleared another 100 raked hands for another $10 in bonus. I also won $21.25 my the poker, so the session was $31.25 at Paradise. Unforunately, I was simultaneously playing 2 tables at Full Contact Poker and I lost $20.70 there, so outside of the bonus... it was a break-even session.
Because I was playing 4 tables, I don't have many details from the session. I played very well. I had a bunch of costly hands where I had my opponent dominated pre-flop, caught a good flop, but s/he sucked out (AQ vs. AJ: flop an ace, jack on the turn; AK vs. K7: flop K 9 7; etc).
Bankroll = $457.25 ($180 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
29 June 2006, Session 3
Can you tell that work is not holding my attention today? Actually, nothing is holding my attention today. My mind is on the upcoming holiday weekend.
Anyhow, I just cleared another 100 raked hands. I cleared the first 40 or so playing a single table of short-handed (5-max) limit hold'em ($1/$2). I then two-tabled $1/$2 LHE (full-ring) until I cleared another 100 hands. I won maybe $10 playing short-handed and then played terrible while playing full-ring. I was down $20 or so until I caught a few big hands late. I think I ended the session +$7 or so.
Bankroll = $484.50 ($170 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
4 July 2006
After spending a long weekend traveling, I was very enthusiastic about playing poker again... but I was tired and not capable of playing well. Even so, I decided to single table a $1/$2 full ring game to clear some bonus before heading to bed for the night. Big mistake. I actually played well, but the cards were against me. I also misplayed several hands. Anyway, here are the hands that I remember.
Hand#1: I was the first raiser from middle position with TT. Only the big blind calls. The flop is A 8 3 (two hearts). He checks; I bet he calls. The turn is another heart: check-check. The river is the ten of hearts: check-check. He flips over Kx 3h and wins the hand.
Hand#2: I was dealt AA in early position. I raise; a donkey in middle position calls; and a super donkey re-raises from the button. I cap and both of them call. The flop looks good (I think): 5s 4s 4c. It gets capped on the flop. I put donkey on a flush draw (since he's merely calling) and super donkey on a big pocket pair, like queens or kings (since he's raising). The turn is a blank. The river is another spade, so I check. The first donkey bets; the second raises; and I fold. After it's all over, the first donkey rakes in a 34 big bet pot with Js 6s and the second flips over Ac 4d.
Hand#3: I am dealt AKo. I raise it up after someone limps from early position. The flop is A 6 2 (rainbow). He bets; I raise; he 3-bets; I cap; he calls. The turn is another six: he check-raises me. Skip the river... the dude held 6 6.
To make matters worse, I must have flopped sets in three or four different hands and got action on precisely zero of the them. The end of this bad session occurred when my daughter started screaming in her sleep, requiring that I quit my session after paying both blinds, forcing me to fold from the button and sit out the rest of the orbit. I think I lost $20 or so in the session.
Bankroll = $479.25 ($170 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
(note: I don't remember playing since 29 June... but clearly $484.50 - $20 is not $479.25... so, something is wrong with my math, but I am not going to complain).
5 July 2006, Session 1
On my lunch break, I decided to play a few orbits of short-handed (5-max) limit hold'em ($1/$2). I played very well, making almost no major mistakes. My opponents were difficult to play, however, as there was little logic to their play. I lost two hands when I played a legitimate hand aggressively against someone who held QQ. Because my opponent played the hand so passively, I had no idea that they were so strong. In another hand, my top-pair-on-the-flop got beat on the river by a donkey who check-called to the river with king high. And it wasn't all bad beats either -- I won a big pot with J7 after a flop of 9 7 2 with heavy betting. Both of my opponents, who called to the river, held AQo (unimproved). In the end, I finished the short session +$1.50 (hooray!) but I did manage to clear another $10 of bonus.
Bankroll = $489.75 ($160 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
5 July 2006, Sessions 2 and 3
I needed to take care of my baby daughter this afternoon while my wife worked. Because I was at my office, this actually involved letting my daughter sleep on my chest, giving me time to play poker online. I played extremely well (probably because I had nothing to do but play poker), winning a good chunk of change... maybe $30-$40. I played some 5-card draw, short-handed (5-max) limit hold'em ($1/$2) , and about 5 hands of 7-card stud.
Unfortunately, I decided to play again last night (I am writing on 6 July 2006) while I was trying to post an add to sell my car. I played short-handed, which was a doubly bad idea. I was not focused; I was tired; I didn't care. I did clear a bunch of raked hands, which wasn't enough to compensate for the fact that I donked away my entire $40 buy-in. Oh well.
Bankroll = $491.25 ($150 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
6 July 2006, Session 1
I am playing a short-session of full-ring $1/$2 limit hold'em before I go out to the lakes for work today. I initially played like a donkey call station, but luckily this was against over-aggressive donkeys who were betting with king-high. I won two big pots with this strategy before tightening up. To be honest, it was a boring session that netted +$14.25.
Bankroll = $505.50 ($150 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
6 July 2006, Session 2
When I started playing tonight, I immediately bought into a $1/$2 limit hold'em room at Paradise. I then started surfing the internet, eventually noticing that Party Poker has a reload going right now. Since these are always juicy and they have a time limit (unlike Paradise), I decided to play at Party tonight. Even so, I continued to play in the room at Paradise until I cleared another $10 of bonus. The session was an otherwise uneventful +$3 or so.
Bankroll = $519.25 ($140 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
8 July 2006, Session 1
After quickly clearing the Party Poker reload bonus, I once again returned to Paradise Poker to work on clearing their most recent reload bonus.
When I logged on to the site, there were rather long waiting lists for the full-ring $1/$2 limit games, so I bought in to a 5-max limit game. Before being dealt cards, I noticed that my table had a very loose-aggressive donkey at it, so if I could catch some hands, then I would make some money. My first hand I was dealt QQ and I won a nice pot. I also won a few other smaller pots. I then won a really nice pot when I tried to bully the LAG donkey with JTo from the button. He called my bets on the flop and turn (I caught a ten on the turn for second pair) but then raised me on the river. Given the pot odds, I made a crying call and he flipped over jack-high. Like I said, he was a LAG donkey. Soon after, I quit the table to play full-ring limit.
Once I reached the full-ring table, I won a nice pot with A8s against another over aggressive donkey who held 62o. Yep, that prize-winning hand 62o. Anyway, I flopped top pair and called his river bluff-raise and took down a nice pot. After that, I got sloppy and lost a few pots, before quitting a short session.
Bankroll = $543.50 ($140 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
8 July 2006, Session 2
I started by playing some short-handed $1/$2 limit and I did well. I think I won about $20 in about 3o hands. After that, I three-tabled full ring $1/$2 limit, which was a bad idea. I didn't get many cards and when I did... I got no action. It was just one of those days when I everything I did turned out wrong. For example, I raised from EP with KK. It folds to the blinds, both of whom call. The flop includes an ace, so I fold when the SB bets out and the big blind raises. Sadly, neither of them had anything better than middle pair (maybe they were colluding?) and I would have won the hand. Oh well... even with hindsight vision, I know that the correct play there was to fold. The best that I can say about the session is that I cleared some bonus cash.
Bankroll = $551 ($120 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
11 July 2006
My poker playing has lately been awful. Just awful. I played a bunch of hands in a short time period to clear a Party Poker reload bonus and, in the process, burned myself out on poker. Even so, I tried to clear a few hands for my Paradise Poker reload today... bad idea. I played maybe 20 hands and I played most of them like a donkey. In finally decided to quit when I won a large pot chasing runner runner to catch the idiot of a straight. I finished this session +2.75 but I could have easily lost $10-$20 (note: that's in only 20 hands)
Bankroll = $553.75 ($120 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
13 July 2006, Session 1
At lunch time, I decided to clear another $10 of bonus money at Paradise. I've played little lately, but I feel like my game is starting to come around. I quick session of short-handed limit seemed like just the trick. Speaking of tricks, I bought into two VERY tricky limit tables. They were both filled with maniacs would be bluff raise on the turn, call any raise preflop with any two cards, etc. Luckily, they were not very good players and I caught a few hands. I was initially worried when I was down $20 or so, but then I won a few nice pots. I eventually won a huge pot (at least 20 big bets), but the action was so fast that I can't remember the hand at all. I eventually lost a big pot with an ace-high straight to someone who held queens full. Oh well. I finished the session with more than $30 profit, plus another $10 in bonus cash.
One last thing: Today is my grandfather's birthday! He passed away a few years ago, but still... he was a huge influence on me and I miss him. Happy Birthday Gramps!
Bankroll = $596.25 ($110 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
13 July 2006, Session 2
I bought-in at three different $1/$2 limit tables... all three were extremely crazy tables (one was short-handed). I started great, winning a few big pots at the full-ring games when I was dealt KK back-to-back.
But then, the short-handed table got really crazy and I decided to mix-it-up with the donkeys, who were raising with crap like 92s. I lost a few pots on the river when I was pushing marginal hands in three-way pots. Oh well, it happens. I eventually settled down and started playing better. I had clawed my way back a bit at that table when I was dealt AT. The board was: K T 4 A T. Unfortunately, my opponent held KK and I lost a huge pot. In the end, I finished the session -$0.25. Yep, I lost less than a dollar during this entirely wacky session.
I have now cleared $100 of Paradise Poker bonus, half of the bonus that I am trying to clear. In addition, I have won $106 of real poker profit (53 big bets). I have played somewhere in the range of 1500-2000 hands, so my win rate (not including bonus cash) is 3.5 BB/100 hands (assuming 1500 hands) to 2.65 BB/100 hands. Not bad!
I am now going to cash out $206 (my bonus + profit) and try it all over again. To paraphrase Seymour Skinner from "The Simpsons". I am going to make a game of it. I am going to see how much money I can win while clearing $100 of bonus. Then, I am going to try and break that record.
Bankroll = $400 ($100 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
13 July 2006, Session 3
This was the donkey session from hell. I played seven-card stud, 5-card draw, Omaha 8/b, and short-handed hold'em, all $1/$2 limit. And I sucked at all of them. I lost my buy-in at least two different times and I was just a donkey. I think the only game that was profitable was Omaha 8/b. I am not going to say much else, except that I need to play better now.
Bankroll = $327.25 ($90 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
14 July 2006
I played a single session today, clearing another $10 of bonus. I mostly played $1/$2 limit, full ring, but I also played some Omaha 8/b. It was a rather short, uneventful session, but I won back some of my loss from my previous donkey session.
Bankroll = $348.05 ($80 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
15 July 2006
While playing at a private table at Party Poker with a bunch of guys from TPF, I played a single table of $1/$2 limit hold'em at Paradise. I played rather well, but I was lucky to not go bust. I kept catching good hands against better hands. I had a rather short stack (like $12) when I was dealt ATo on the big blind. The flop came KQJ (rainbow) and I eventually got my money all-in and tripled up. From there, I played a little better than break-even, finishing the session +$9.75.
Bankroll = $358.80 ($80 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
16 July 2006, Session 1
I woke up this morning and decided to finish off another $10 of bonus money. This was not a particularly ambitious goal -- I had only 16 raked hands to clear. I was tired and groggy, so I played a single table of $1/$2 5-max limit hold'em. I caught some cards, played them aggressively against call stations, and finished this short-session +$12.
Bankroll = $380.80 ($70 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
16 July 2006, Session 2
I need a break from poker. I donked away some cash at Party before switching to Paradise and donking away some more money. I won't go into details, but after a good start... a switch in tables (in broke up)... I lost my buy-in... the last hand I am dealt 99 in the small blind. The flop is 555 and I get all my money in against the big blind who had 53o.
Bankroll = $354.30 ($70 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
16 July 2006, Session 3
After deciding to take a break from poker, I took about an hour off and then decided to play at higher stakes. I am playing well below my skill level and my bankroll. So, I played a shortish session at $5/$10 limit at Party, which profitable. After a quick trip to the hardware store, I sat down with a beverage and decided to play a very short session at Paradise... playing $3/$6 limit. I won $25 in a short period.
Bankroll = $379.30 ($70 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
16 July 2006, Session 4
I seem to be playing numerous short sessions today. I started playing two tables of $2/$4 limit hold'em and one table of $1/$2 limit hold'em. I started out great on all three, winning some nice pots. And then, the donkey logic started to take over and I lost AJ vs. A8 on a flop of J 8 8 and KK vs. A5 (plus three others) when the donkey caught his inside straight draw on the river. I'm quitting the session after clearing another $10 of bonus in large part because I am incredibly frustrated right now.
Bankroll = $359.55 ($60 of bonus remaining to be cleared)
16 July 2006, Session 5
My fifth and final session of the day. This one was a longer session, enough to clear $20 of bonus. The problem, sadly, is that the cards did not cooperate. It seemed that I was always up against some donkey playing J5 and the flop would come AJ5 (and I'd hold AK). I was 4-tabling, and I think I won at only of these four. The good news is that was the $2/$4 table (the other three were $1/$2).
I must admit that I am merely going through the motions right now. I am clearing bonus to clear bonus. Looking at my play objectively, I seem to be losing about $10 per 100 hands, such that I am essentially breaking even. I need to find some focus so that I can win again. Maybe I should try playing no limit.
Bankroll = $364.55 ($40 of bonus to be cleared)
17 July 2006, Session 1
I have decided to stop playing limit and to try playing no limit at Paradise. In this short session, I initially bought into a $100 NL room and eventually into a $50 NL room as well. Once the $50 NL room was open, I quit the $100 NL room with $8 in profit.
Early on in the $50 NL, I busted the player to my left when I caught a full house on the turn while he hit his flush on the river. This sounds like great news, but the guy who replaced him was a COMPLETE maniac. He would raise 8x the big blind with any two cards. Normally this would be a good opportunity for profit, but considering that he was to my immediate left... I was in bad position.
Eventually, I won a few nice pots off of him but then I went bust with QQ against his AA went the money got in the middle preflop. I normally don't like to push with QQ but, like I said before, this guy was a complete maniac. He'd gone all-in preflop with AX and KJ at least three times prior to this hand, so I don't regret my push with QQ -- even after the fact.
Soon after that hand, the maniac left and I started attacking a very weak player two to my left. Unfortunately, he turned into a complete luck-box and he started catching cards. So, his stack when from $50 to more than $100 while mine went from $25 down to $6 (for the mathematically inclined, all of his profit was not against me).
I was now stuck almost $50 in the game; I could have bought in for more, but I needed to stop the bleeding, so I planned on playing a few more hands until I busted. But, I doubled up once and then won another nice pot, so that I had about $20 in the room. I then changed gears and started playing solid poker, grinding my stack back up near $30 before the luck-box busted and I had to get back to work.
Bankroll = $353.85 ($40 of bonus to be cleared)
17 July 2006, Session 2
This was another short session where I two-tabled two short-handed $50 NL tables. I initially was stuck a few dollars at one of the tables, but won it all back when I fired bets on the flop (call), turn (call), and river (fold) against an opponent who chased every flush draw in the book. I won a nice pot on the other table too when I caught my flush draw in a three-way hand. My short-term goal is to at least break-even for the second half of this bonus chase (i.e., lose $100 but get $100 of bonus...).
Bankroll = $371.30 ($40 of bonus to be cleared)
17 July 2006, Session 3
This session lasted about thirty minutes and it went quite well. I was two-tabling $50NL for the entire session.
At my first table, I won a few nice pots and built my stack up to $30 or so. I then was dealt TT and I raised it to $2 after the guy to my right limped. The small blind and the limper called. The flop was 7 3 3 and the small blind bet out, the limper called and I raised. The small blind then started spewing obscenties about me not having a three before he folded; the limper called. The turn was a blank but the limper check-raised me. I was pot-committed, so I called, leaving me with $0.25. The limper checked the river to me and I checked also. The pot (~$65) slid to me. The limper held K7. The small blind starting spewing more obscenities, claiming to have folded JJ.
I soon left that table and played at two other tables where I had a modest win (~$5). So far, it looks good for me to reach my short-term goal of finishing the bonus chase with at a net-break even. Perhaps I should have been playing no limit all along?
Bankroll = $422.90 ($30 of bonus to be cleared)
17 July 2006, Session 4
For whatever reason, I thought that it'd be a good idea to play some more at Paradise Poker. I played at crazy aggressive tables and I played poorly. In short, I lost about $100... I was a total donkey. All I needed to do was remain patient, catch some cards, and get paid. Instead, I tried to bluff donkeys willing to call all-ins with middle pair.
Eventually, I "smarted up" and I quit playing no limit. I was not on tilt, but I was frustrated by no limit donkeys (i.e., people who bet $6 into a $2 pot)... so I move to limit poker. I played short-handed $3/$6 limit hold'em. I made a great call with ace high and won a huge pot. I lost a huge pot where I flopped top two pair to someone who caught their flush on the river. In the end, I think I was +$25 playing a relatively small number of limit hands.
Bankroll = $352.65 ($20 of bonus to be cleared)
18 July 2006, Session 1
I hate Paradise Poker right now. I have pissed away virtually all of my profit as well as the bonus. At this point, I'll be lucky to break even for this bonus chase. I am tired, confused, and grumpy. I started this session playing $3/$6 limit (5-max) and I repeatedly got butchered by bad beat after bad beat. Flop top two pair? My opponent catches runner runner for a better two pair. Have an over pair on the flop? My opponent with top pair, seven kicker catches runner runner to back door a straight. It was brutal. I think I lost $100 in less than 30 hands. That's poker, I suppose.
At that point, I decided that it was best merely to drop stakes back to $1/$2 limit and merely close out the bonus chase, trying to lose as little as possible. I played some more 5-max and I broke even or lost a little at this game. I cleared another $10 of bonus, so I've got that going for me.
Bankroll = $233.15 ($10 of bonus to be cleared)
18 July 2006, Session 2
The only positive thing that I can say about this session is that it is the last one that I will play at Paradise Poker for awhile. The site is fine, but I really feel cursed right now -- to the point where I hate the site too. I promised myself that I would play well this session, no matter what happened with the cards. And with one exception, I played very very well. The exception hand was when I played TT aggressively against a guy who held KQ. The flop came queen-high and my best guess was that he caught a piece of the flop and that I was behind -- but I kept betting anyway. Stupid stupid.
My rationale for feeling cursed involved too many hands to count, but I'll give you two of the bad beat stories.
Cursed Hand#1: It's folded to me on the button where I hold AA. I'm already feeling unlucky, so I raise it up. A small pot will make me happy at this point, so there is no need to get cute. The big blind calls and the flop comes Q 6 4, one diamond. The action goes check-bet-call. The turn is a seven of diamonds. Check-bet-call. The river is the three of diamonds. I don't like a pair of aces against this board, so the action is check-check. He flips over Ad8d, for a back door nut flush. Shit!
Cursed Hand#2: I'm in the big blind, holding ATo. There is one limper but then the small blind raises (an over-aggressive donkey), so I call as does the limper. The flop comes A 8 4 (rainbow). A few hands earlier, I had previously smooth-called with AK a similar situation against the small blind. So, to mix things up as well as hopefully eliminate the limper, I raise when the small blind bets out. The limper folds and the small blind calls. The turn is a ten, giving me top two pair. The action goes check-bet-call. The river is a jack. After the donkey checks it to me, I actually consider the chances that this donkey has KQ -- I am feeling that cursed at this point. I figure there is no way that he called all the way to the river with that hand, so I bet. He raises and I make a crying call. He flips over KQ. FUCK!!!!
Anyway, like I said, it's over. That's the good news.
Bankroll = $210.15 ($0 of bonus to be cleared)
Summary
Mentally speaking, I split this bonus chase into two halfs. I won $206 during the first half and I lost $190 during the second half. Hence, for the entirety of the bonus chase, I won a whopping $16. That certainly makes me feel like a total donkey. While I certainly played better during the first half, I didn't play all that poorly in the second half. I caught some bad beats at some bad times. Also, I must confess to getting impatient and straying from my plan to bonus chase at $1/$2 limit, which was probably optimal for the rate of bonus chase versus the amount that needed to be wagered.
posted by frazwood at 10:22 AM
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