Tonight's Challenge: Limit Hold'em

Tonight, I am going to play $0.25/$0.50 limit hold'em. I am going to play two tables (9 players) and hopefully grind out a decent win. I'll keep track on here, until I get sick of it or I go on tilt.

First 111 Hands, Bankroll = $131.15

Screw this, I'm tired. I'm quitting earlier than planned. I've played a ton of poker today and I'm sick of it.


Final Results: 135 hands, +$1.60, Bankroll = $128.85

Another Marathon!

My plan was to spend much of the day doing yard work, but it is now raining. And it looks like one of those 'all day drizzles'. So, here I go again... this time, it's 20 heads up SNGs at the $5 + $0.25 level, but I can play any game that I want.

Match#1 vs. fiveaces17 (HORSE, bankroll = $112.25)

I OK for the hold'em and the first half of Omaha 8/b, but then I find my groove and dominate. I win about 3 hands into 7stud with queens up vs. nines up.

Match#2 vs. AUC_Doug (NLHE, bankroll = $117.00)

I play like a donkey and lose in like 5 hands. I bluff into AK with a King-high flop. Doh!

Match#3 vs. icanrefi (NLHE, bankroll = $111.75)

I lose this match. I don't play great and the cards don't help me either. I had one really bad hand where I called down through the river with middle pair. Doh!

Match#4 vs. glstone01 (PLO, bankroll = $106.50)

I win this one quickly against an over-aggressive donkey who bets into my king-high flush with air.

Match#5 vs. mgb66 (PLO8/b, bankroll = $111.25)

I don't know why I even play this game. I suck at it heads up. I had no chance.

Match#6 vs. Cipka (NLHE, bankroll = $106.00)

This donkey started out talking trash. I decided to play along. I make one bad play when I push all-in with bottom pair but he calls with a pocket pair (two overs). I then push all-in with A7 vs 22 and he wins the coin flip. I need a break.

Match#7 vs. you do not (PLO, bankroll = $100.75)

I'm a donkey, yes I am. Do-dah. Do-dah.

Match#8 vs. sruprecht (NLHE, bankroll = $95.50).

I play well and I grind my opponent down to nothing. I win with A3 vs A4 all-in preflop when I spike a three on the river. Had he won, he would still have only had about 400 chips.

Match#9 vs. DeVuono (NLHE, bankroll = $100.25)

I lose this match with an ace-high flush to a straight flush. No joke.

Match#10 vs. DeVuono (HORSE, bankroll = $95.00)

I win this easily. It ends on the last hand of Omaha 8/b. Perhaps I should stick to HORSE?

Match#11 vs. hujjari (HORSE, bankroll = $99.75)

This guy was ridiculously aggressive. He was four-betting every hand. I had him dominated until he started catching cards like a luckbox. I had him all-in in Razz and drawing to two cards, which he caught. He then proceeded to catch everything imaginable to win.

Match#12 vs. Poolabash (PLO, bankroll = $94.50)

I'm not exactly sure how I managed to win this one. My opponent was OK but I accidentally signed up for a PLO SNG and a HORSE SNG at the same time. My HORSE opponent was much trickier, but luckily I won that one soon enough to take down this PLO SNG too.

Match#13 vs. ? (HORSE, bankroll = $99.25)

This guy was a moron. First, he was over-aggressive, although not quite as bad as my last HORSE opponent. He kept complaining about how I would "chase", regardless of whether I had pot odds or not. Like I said, moron. I beat him during 7stud. I have no recollection of the details of this match because I was playing Match#12 at the same time.

Match#14 vs. delsolo (NLHE, bankroll = $104.00)

I play bad and lose. The final hand was my flush draw vs. his bottom two pair. He won. I suck.

Match#15 vs. Donk Fest (HORSE, bankroll = $98.75)

I started off terrible but I eventually won because Donk Fest is truly a donkey. He chased and chased and chased in Razz and gave up his sizable lead. I then destroyed him in 7stud when I caught good cards and he continued to chase.

Match#16 vs. HateToGamble (HORSE, bankroll = $103.50)

This was a tough match. I didn't play great and I took some bad beats, particularly in Razz. I somehow dominated Stud 8/b and then won in hold'em. The last hand was a total cooler. I flopped top pair plus a straight draw with KJ on a board of K Q T and he held QQ. I caught a nine on the river and took it down.

Match#17 vs. ? (bankroll = $108.25)

I win this match but blogger lost my notes.


Match#18 vs. ? (bankroll = $113.00)

I win this one too but blogger also lost my comments.


Match#19 vs. DanK2020 (PLO, bankroll = $117.75)

I win this match in a rather straight-forward manner.


Match#20 vs. augiedoggyx(NLHE, bankroll = $122.50)

I play well throughout this match and eventually take it down.

Final Bankroll: $127.25

So, in the end, I win a little bit again, just like my last "marathon". It's no coincidence that I've won the last 4-5 matches both times... my focus is bad, but using the "marathon" approach, I focus at the end to ensure that I make a profit.

Anyhow, I'm going to head out for now... perhaps I'll try something else later tonight.

Heads Up SNG Marathon!

My wife has left me at home alone this weekend. I am going to try and play 20 heads up SNGs, all no limit $5 + 0.25. I am going to keep track of each one on here. Hopefully, I'll play well enough to earn a profit.

Match#1 vs. LuckyHorse13 (bankroll = $102)

I play badly at first and get semi-short stacked. I pushed all-in with 66 on a board of 7 7 2 and he calls with 7 4. Doh!

Match#2 vs. msiekerka (bankroll = $96.75)

I play better after going to the bathroom (TMI!). I win when I flop a set vs. top pair and he fails to catch runner runner for a flush.

Match#3 vs. dazz58 (bankroll = $101.50)

This match lasts one hand. I raise with AKo and he re-raises and I push. He calls with A3o and we both miss, giving me the match.

Match#4 vs. zxs (bankroll = $106.25)

I lose quickly when my AA runs into his K 4 on a flop of K J 4.

Match#5 vs. BastardDHC (bankroll = $101.00)

I effectively lose when he catches two pair on the turn. We push all-in on the next hand and I lose. I need to play better. I need to stick to small ball.

Match#6 vs. ladyrebel1976 (bankroll = $95.75)

I lose again with AA when he flops a set with JJ. Shit!

Match#7 vs. rolledset (bankroll = $90.50)

I get lucky when I push with top pair plus flush draw against a made flush. Time for a break.

Match#8 vs. Unknown (bankroll = $95.25).

I have no recollection of this match, but apparently I lost.

Match#9 vs. tigerfan51 (bankroll = $90.00)

I win this match when my opponent shoves preflop with 88 and I call with KK. The flop is 2 2 8, but I river a king for the victory.

Match#10 vs. lillypads (bankroll = $94.75)

I lose yet again with AA. Preflop goes raise, re-raise, re-re-raise, call. The flop comes nine-high and he check-raises me all in, flipping over K9. The turn comes a nine and I lose.

Match#11 vs. cw2145 (bankroll = $89.50)

I manage to win this one. He pushed all in with AQo and I called with QQ and somehow managed to survive. I feel like I am generally playing bad but even when I play well that I am running bad.

Match#12 vs. redy2fitup (bankroll = $94.25)

I win this one in like four hands. He limps; I raise with Ad Jd and he re-raises; I call. The flop comes Ac 7d 2d and he checks. I bet and he calls. The turn is a diamond and I make a 1/3-pot sized bet and he check-raises me and I call with the nuts. He flips over AJo and is drawing dead.

Match#13 vs. Davester9 (bankroll = $99.00)

I lose when I flop top pair but the dude catches a third three on the turn. I'm tired. I need to go to bed.

Match#14 vs. lackro (bankroll = $93.75)

I lose yet again with AA when he chases and catches an inside straight draw on the river.

Match#15 vs. headrushn (bankroll = $88.50)

I somehow manage to win this one in spite of playing like a donkey. I got really short-stacked at one point, but I then one two coin flips in a row. I eventually took a 2:1 chip lead, but he widdled me down to about even. I then pushed all-in with J9s preflop (he had been raising a lot; it was a bluff) and he called with AKo. I caught a jack on the flop and won.

Match#16 vs. R3dBarOn (bankroll = $93.25)

I win this match, although I played only a little better than I have lately. I got semi-small stacked and I called an all in with KTs and won vs. A3o. I won the match when I flopped top pair and he called my check-raise all-in with 77. He caught an open-ended straight draw on the turn, but I faded that on the river.

Match#17 vs. R3dBarOn (bankroll = $93.25)

I win this mat


Match#18 vs. MRGGoose (bankroll = $98.00)

I dominate this match. It's easily the best I've played throughout this "marathon". I play tight-aggressive, making great reads. I win it all when I call an all-in on the turn with KQ vs. Q7 and the board reads Q J T X.


Match#19 vs. boudg (bankroll = $102.75)

I win this match easily, but not because of my stellar play but because of my stellar cards. I caught a bunch of cards on the turn, allowing me to win big pots versus his flopped top pair. I win the match with such a hand. I hold Kc 8c vs. his J8o. The flop comes jack-high with two clubs. I call his bet and catch a king on the turn and we get it all in.


Match#20 vs. jdg171 (bankroll = $107.50)

I play well one more time and I win again. The big hand in this match was my K5 vs. his 68. The flop came Kc 7h 5h and he called my bet on the flop, chasing his straight draw. I filled up on the turn and he still called. On the river, we got it all in when he caught his straight (9h). I eventually finished him off when we got it all in preflop (he was short-stacked) with my Ah 7h vs. his A8o. I made my flush on the river.

Final bankroll: $112.25

So, I made about $10 profit, generally playing very very badly. I must learn to focus. I liked this marathon/blog idea, so I might do it again tonight. Perhaps playing something other than NLHE, though.

Another fishing and poker update

I'll start with the fishing update...

I fished a couple of weeks ago on Green Lake with my brother-in-law. The fishing was slow but he managed to catch a nice largemouth bass (~3 lbs). Last week, I went out on the St. Croix River again, landing another 4 lb smallie. That's five of those monsters for the year. Very nice. A couple of days ago, I ventured out onto Mille Lacs for the first time in my life, managing to catch virtually no fish in 10 hours.

Poker. The poker was very good for awhile, as I built my stack up to $167 but then I played like a donkey and caught some bad beats (mostly a donk fest), dropping my bankroll down to $102. I've since re-built it to $132, mostly by playing heads-up SNGs. I did play some $0.05/$0.10 no limit hold'em cash games last night, doing very well. My heads-up play has me focused on position as the primary factor in playing each hand and that served me well in the cash game last night. Of course, I won most of my money in a single hand against a donkey who chased runner-runner for a queen-high flush, only to lose the hand to my king-high flush.

Busted but back in the game

This will mostly be a poker blog entry. After making a nice profit playing capped $0.05/$0.10 NLHE, I went on a serious downswing caused by suck-out after suck-out. In the end, I went bust.

About a week later, I reloaded with $100, representing the last $100 in my fictitious Neteller account. I promised myself to play at the proper level for my bankroll and I have done that for the most part. I've played $0.25/$0.50 limit hold'em and various no/pot limit games at the $0.05/$0.10 level. I've played poorly in spots, well in others. Yesterday, I started playing heads up $5 + 0.25 SNGs and I played really really well. My stack is now at $123 (I started the day at $80), although I won a $10 Horse SNG at the very end last night.

The really good news is that I played focused and well yesterday. I have not played that well for that long in at least six months, if not a year. It's not surprising that I have been a losing player all of that time either.

My new no limit heads up strategy is to grind grind grind. I am playing tightish-passive (i.e., tight for heads up) without the button and tightish-aggressive with the button. Most of my matches have been very long, allowing to out-patience my opponent. Most of them, I think, are recreational players who have no desire to grind through a 30 or 40 minute heads up match. After awhile, they start making mistakes and I have a big edge.

In other news... I haven't golfed much lately; I cut my foot open a few weeks ago and walking has been difficult.

I haven't fished much either -- it's the dog days of summer here and the fish in the lakes are pretty lethargic. I usually fish the rivers this time of year, except that: (1) I've been too busy traveling lately, and (2) the I-35W bridge collapsed just upstream of my favorite spot on the Mississippi River. I doubt that security will let me through and I am way too creeped out about the prospect of seeing a dead body. I watched a news report yesterday saying that they had found the car of a "missing person" but that there was no body in the car. That corpse, my friends, is undoubtedly drifting downstream, where it will likely be found by a fisherman. I don't want that fisherman to be me!