Over the past few weeks there have been some investigations by some 2+2ers of allegations of a superuser account. I'm sure most of you are aware of the recent Absolute cheating scandal where an insider had a 'superuser account' allowing them to see other people's hole cards. The person involved was stoopid enough to make it very obvious and data was leaked from Absolute starting off a witch hunt. There is now a similar story brewing at Ultimate Bet (UB). This time involving cash games players.
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthread.php?t=99247
I think the 2+2 forums have some of the most intelligent people around. With the collaboration of so many clever minds, figuring out if this is true or not is only a matter of time. If it turns out to be true then who knows how many people have access to these kinds of accounts or software. The clever cheaters will be making a decent living from this, flying just under the radar to avoid suspicion but it only takes one idiot with a little too much greed to let the cat out of the bag.
I really do hope this turns out to not be true as it will damage the reputation of online poker for years to come and at a time where online poker is at its most fragile.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Poker Quotes
This was from Poker Denom last night.
Player x - "I'm all in." (huge overbet on the river)
Donkey - "Call. Im all in"
Dealer - "Ok. Turn em over. Pocket fives for player x and you have.... erm.... 10 high ?"
Donkey nods - "I thought he was bluffing"
EarCandy
Also while passing a couple I heard a classic line ".... yeah and she had diamante anal beads."
Where do you go from there...?
Player x - "I'm all in." (huge overbet on the river)
Donkey - "Call. Im all in"
Dealer - "Ok. Turn em over. Pocket fives for player x and you have.... erm.... 10 high ?"
Donkey nods - "I thought he was bluffing"
EarCandy
Also while passing a couple I heard a classic line ".... yeah and she had diamante anal beads."
Where do you go from there...?
Poker DeNom and a switch to Absolute
I played last night at the superb Poker DeNom in Darlinghurst. http://www.pokerdenom.com/ This is the exclusive drinking venue above Ruby Rabbit. This place oozes style and attracts the famous and the wannabees. The owner, Paul, has started a regular poker tournament every Tuesday. The tables are immaculate and the dealers very professional. Due to the Aussie Millions happening in Melbourne right now the list of players in Sydney with large enough bankrolls for the $1000 buy in is a little on the slim side so they started up a $100 (1 rebuy) two table event.
I will say that my table was the most fishiest I have ever sat down at. Apart from the guy to my right I did not notice anyone that had any real skill. Any raise 2x, 3x, 10x blinds were being called by 3-4 players, otherwise it was a 10 person limped family pot. We started with 8000 chips and blinds at 25/50 increasing every 20 mins which gave enough room to wait for some good starting cards. I doubled through with 33 vs JQ (he called my all in overbet preflop) and around an hour later I doubled up with 1 hand to go before the rebuy period finished with my AA vs QQ all in preflop.
I folded my way to final table while card dead. My evening came to a halt when the blinds were 2000-4000 and I had a stack of 19k left. With an M of just over 3 it was folded round to me on the button and I pushed with A7s. SB shortstacked folded and BB bigstack called with KTs. 10 on the flop and im out in 7th. The money spots started at 4th. Was this the right move ?
I wanted to think about this situation as it comes up a lot. I had found no previous spots where it was folded around to me with every pot being raise/reraised. I had been ready to push for the past 2 orbits if a good situation occured. I know chances are high that tight shorty to my left will fold and that I have only small fold equity against loose bigstack. I feel I will be called 80% of the time.
Against 2 random cards I am 61% according to pokerstove.
equity win tie pots won pots tied
Hand 0: 60.984% 59.39% 01.60% 1245678450 33504233.00 { As7s }
Hand 1: 39.016% 37.42% 01.60% 784885484 33504233.00 { random }
It actually turned out to be 58.5%
equity win tie pots won pots tied
Hand 0: 58.834% 58.56% 00.28% 1002708 4711.50 { As7s }
Hand 1: 41.166% 40.89% 00.28% 700173 4711.50 { KsTs }
This would probably be my last chance other than waiting another 5 hands when then blinds would chew up 4k of my 19k stack. I wasnt going just for the money placement, I was going for first and I believe this was a correct move to make under the circumstances. Any thoughts ??
Switch to AP (Absolute Poker)
I have been playing at Full Tilt for a long long time without RakeBack. I checked my stats on pokertracker and have paid almost $3000 in rake since August. While that might not be a huge amount for the pro's, I as an evening/weekend player consider that a nice lump of cash. If i had my rakeback set up i would have 27% of this back in my pocket. That is $810 of money I have given away for free. If you are playing regular cash at a site without rakeback you are giving money away by not having rakeback. I should have done this earlier but with my Pokertracker/PAHud setup and familiarity of FullTilt I was too comfortable. There's nothing like a slap in the face with $800 of your own money to wake you up and do something.
I have many accounts at various sites over the past few years as I have chased bonuses and not one with a rakeback deal. One of the only sites I hadnt got an account was AP. For the time being this will be my home. I will clear their $500 bonus and start to see my first ever rakeback hit my account.
I sat down and played a few tables while setting up the Pokertracker/PAHud for AP and had a nice result. Click the image below as I am still a dummy with pictures in Blogger at the moment.
Not a bad start. Lady Ryverrat is away soon so will be topping this up with hopefully 500+ hands an evening for a good solid 2 weeks. I will try to post some interesting hand histories good and bad. Ftops VII is also back in February so will be playing some satellites to get some of those cheaply. I had a good run at Ftops V last year so will want to try that again.
For anyone in Sydney reading this please check out http://www.dailyaddict.com.au/ for some cool things happening in town.
Ryverrat
I will say that my table was the most fishiest I have ever sat down at. Apart from the guy to my right I did not notice anyone that had any real skill. Any raise 2x, 3x, 10x blinds were being called by 3-4 players, otherwise it was a 10 person limped family pot. We started with 8000 chips and blinds at 25/50 increasing every 20 mins which gave enough room to wait for some good starting cards. I doubled through with 33 vs JQ (he called my all in overbet preflop) and around an hour later I doubled up with 1 hand to go before the rebuy period finished with my AA vs QQ all in preflop.
I folded my way to final table while card dead. My evening came to a halt when the blinds were 2000-4000 and I had a stack of 19k left. With an M of just over 3 it was folded round to me on the button and I pushed with A7s. SB shortstacked folded and BB bigstack called with KTs. 10 on the flop and im out in 7th. The money spots started at 4th. Was this the right move ?
I wanted to think about this situation as it comes up a lot. I had found no previous spots where it was folded around to me with every pot being raise/reraised. I had been ready to push for the past 2 orbits if a good situation occured. I know chances are high that tight shorty to my left will fold and that I have only small fold equity against loose bigstack. I feel I will be called 80% of the time.
Against 2 random cards I am 61% according to pokerstove.
equity win tie pots won pots tied
Hand 0: 60.984% 59.39% 01.60% 1245678450 33504233.00 { As7s }
Hand 1: 39.016% 37.42% 01.60% 784885484 33504233.00 { random }
It actually turned out to be 58.5%
equity win tie pots won pots tied
Hand 0: 58.834% 58.56% 00.28% 1002708 4711.50 { As7s }
Hand 1: 41.166% 40.89% 00.28% 700173 4711.50 { KsTs }
This would probably be my last chance other than waiting another 5 hands when then blinds would chew up 4k of my 19k stack. I wasnt going just for the money placement, I was going for first and I believe this was a correct move to make under the circumstances. Any thoughts ??
Switch to AP (Absolute Poker)
I have been playing at Full Tilt for a long long time without RakeBack. I checked my stats on pokertracker and have paid almost $3000 in rake since August. While that might not be a huge amount for the pro's, I as an evening/weekend player consider that a nice lump of cash. If i had my rakeback set up i would have 27% of this back in my pocket. That is $810 of money I have given away for free. If you are playing regular cash at a site without rakeback you are giving money away by not having rakeback. I should have done this earlier but with my Pokertracker/PAHud setup and familiarity of FullTilt I was too comfortable. There's nothing like a slap in the face with $800 of your own money to wake you up and do something.
I have many accounts at various sites over the past few years as I have chased bonuses and not one with a rakeback deal. One of the only sites I hadnt got an account was AP. For the time being this will be my home. I will clear their $500 bonus and start to see my first ever rakeback hit my account.
I sat down and played a few tables while setting up the Pokertracker/PAHud for AP and had a nice result. Click the image below as I am still a dummy with pictures in Blogger at the moment.
Not a bad start. Lady Ryverrat is away soon so will be topping this up with hopefully 500+ hands an evening for a good solid 2 weeks. I will try to post some interesting hand histories good and bad. Ftops VII is also back in February so will be playing some satellites to get some of those cheaply. I had a good run at Ftops V last year so will want to try that again.
For anyone in Sydney reading this please check out http://www.dailyaddict.com.au/ for some cool things happening in town.
Ryverrat
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
House of Poker
http://www.houseofpoker.com.au/
I went along on the Tuesday night to check this place out. The venue is the AB hotel in Glebe, Sydney. On arrival I registered for the $20 +$2 tournament and had a look around. This place has one of three floors devoted to poker. The room can only hold 5 or 6 tables but the quality of the tables and the felt are good. The atmosphere is friendly and even with ten players at a table you don't feel squashed.
The house of poker on a Tuesday night had 26 runners. A freezeout with 2500 starting chips and blind structure 25/50 doubling every 20 mins. Pretty much a turbo event. The prize pool is $750 guaranteed which equates to 37 players so a good overlay.
1st prize $450
2nd + 3rd payouts I cant remember
I think in live tournaments an experienced player can spot the bad players without even playing a hand. Good players can hide the look of experience but bad players stick out like sore thumbs. The nervous looks, the fumbling with chips, you can almost feel the beating of their hearts from across the felt. I could only spot one good player after 1 hours worth of cards. I played my third hand from the button after being folded to my 9Ts. I raised it up x3BB. Big Blind calls. KTx board, I Continuation bet and was called. Checked the turn and river to see Big Blind turn over K rag. Fair play but wont be bluffing this calling station. For the next 2 hours every raise was called by 2-4 people. There was no room for bluffing so I sat back and waited for some hands.
I doubled through AKs vs AQo all in preflop
Then won a large pot AKo on an AxxK board where villain folded to a 1/2 pot bet.
Card dead for the rest of the time. I couldn't find a spot to execute any blind steals. With 6 players left and an M of 4 I push all in early position with ATs and big stack and medium stack calls. Flop is KJx, both villains check, turn is a rag. Big stack bets and second villain folds 88. Big stack turns over KQs. Well played sir. Im out in 6th.
Overall happy with 6th place as I only played 4 hands all night and had a good shot at the money. The play is so loose there that any good hands get paid off. The players are friendly and the rules are quite relaxed. I will be going back.
Star City are running an Australia Day Holiday Tournament on Jan28th. $375 entry with an expected prize pool of $100,000. I will hopefully be playing in that as Mrs Ryverrat is away on holiday for a few weeks....
I went along on the Tuesday night to check this place out. The venue is the AB hotel in Glebe, Sydney. On arrival I registered for the $20 +$2 tournament and had a look around. This place has one of three floors devoted to poker. The room can only hold 5 or 6 tables but the quality of the tables and the felt are good. The atmosphere is friendly and even with ten players at a table you don't feel squashed.
The house of poker on a Tuesday night had 26 runners. A freezeout with 2500 starting chips and blind structure 25/50 doubling every 20 mins. Pretty much a turbo event. The prize pool is $750 guaranteed which equates to 37 players so a good overlay.
1st prize $450
2nd + 3rd payouts I cant remember
I think in live tournaments an experienced player can spot the bad players without even playing a hand. Good players can hide the look of experience but bad players stick out like sore thumbs. The nervous looks, the fumbling with chips, you can almost feel the beating of their hearts from across the felt. I could only spot one good player after 1 hours worth of cards. I played my third hand from the button after being folded to my 9Ts. I raised it up x3BB. Big Blind calls. KTx board, I Continuation bet and was called. Checked the turn and river to see Big Blind turn over K rag. Fair play but wont be bluffing this calling station. For the next 2 hours every raise was called by 2-4 people. There was no room for bluffing so I sat back and waited for some hands.
I doubled through AKs vs AQo all in preflop
Then won a large pot AKo on an AxxK board where villain folded to a 1/2 pot bet.
Card dead for the rest of the time. I couldn't find a spot to execute any blind steals. With 6 players left and an M of 4 I push all in early position with ATs and big stack and medium stack calls. Flop is KJx, both villains check, turn is a rag. Big stack bets and second villain folds 88. Big stack turns over KQs. Well played sir. Im out in 6th.
Overall happy with 6th place as I only played 4 hands all night and had a good shot at the money. The play is so loose there that any good hands get paid off. The players are friendly and the rules are quite relaxed. I will be going back.
Star City are running an Australia Day Holiday Tournament on Jan28th. $375 entry with an expected prize pool of $100,000. I will hopefully be playing in that as Mrs Ryverrat is away on holiday for a few weeks....
Monday, January 7, 2008
Poker Stigma
Stigma (Sociological theory)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stigma_%28Sociological_Theory%29
In sociological theory, a stigma is an attitude, behaviour, or reputation which is socially discrediting in a particular way: it causes an individual to be mentally classified by others in an undesirable, rejected stereotype rather than in an accepted, normal one.
Poker. The black sheep of card games. The scourge of gambling, played by degenerates and villains in basements filled with thick layers of cigar smoke. Really ????
It amuses me how narrow minded some people can be when they hear that a person plays poker. Some people approach with fascination..
"Cool. You play poker. I've always wanted to play. Ive seen it on TV."
Some people approach the subject with curiosity and genuine questions. Others will jump straight on their moral cart and label poker players as desperate gambling addicts.
"So you are a gambler then...."
Lets think about gamblers...
Casinos - I've gambled in my life. I used to hit the casinos once a week hoping to get lucky, believing my decisions at the blackjack table would put me close enough to breakeven to sometimes take some money away. That is gambling. Hoping to make money from odds that are against you. I was never dumb enough to play roulette. Those desperados that track historic numbers to see a trend or to overload a number that hasnt come out ALL NIGHT are f*cking retards. They are gamblers. I met a guy in Vegas last June that said he had given up his job to become a professional high limit slot player. Give me a break !! Are you kidding me ? Roulette, Blackjack, Video poker, Slots, Pai Gow, Carribean Stud any place to put a chip is a losing play. Casinos are there for fun. If you believe you can beat a casino you are a retarded gambler.
Horseracing / Dog Racing - I think we can all agree on this one as an obvious form of accepted gambling and as it can be a social event this is not frowned upon. Its fun gambling.
The UK National Lottery - Hands up how may people play the lottery. Gambling. A friend of mine quoted "But it only costs me 5 pounds a week" and "Someone has to win it" I have no problem with people playing the lottery if they are playing knowing they will lose money. The odds are rediculous. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Lottery There is a upside to this type of gambling though. 28p of our pounds goes to good causes. Since 1994 over 20 bln pounds has been raised. That alone shows the odds of losing money....
The Stockmarket - Who has ever invested in the stockmarket ? One of the biggest casinos ever created. I work on the stockmarket and outside of the big banks, the fund managers and the rocket scientists I honestly believe the people that make money are the ones with privileged information and the ones that receive the tasty IPO's. The average 'high street investor' doesn't stand a chance. Do you really think that you are the first to think about a products future or the state of a ceratin economy. Get real, there are people that are 6+ months ahead of you, with tons of research and their fingers on the button. Unless you are a genius at your chosen subject you cant compete against these guys. This form of gambling makes you look rich and smart. No bad stigma.
Bingo - A softer form of gambling for the wrinklies..
Now if I were a betting man I would say that the poeple who have the 'moral' feelings against the game of poker have dabbled in atleast one of the above.
Lets now look at the game of Poker. Let me put one thing straight, I believe that are harmful ways of gambling which can include poker in the same way that there are harmful ways in most hobbies and social things we like to do. Moderation and control is always the key.
I play poker. "So you gamble money ?" In a way yes. In a way I try to put my money in the pot when I believe I am ahead in % of winning a hand. Poker has an element of unknown along with any card game that has an unturned card. This some people call luck and I will accept that for this post. There is also a large element of skill involved. This skill can put you in profitable situations. I will go out on a limb and say a player with a lot of skill against a player who just knows the basics will have a higher % chance of making money than any of the other forms of 'gambling' mentioned above. Poker is a competitive game where your outcome is decided by your decisions. There are so many situations that occur in poker that these decisions can take a long while to show. Its estimated that if you play online you need to play around 20,000 hands to see how you are playing at your current level.
Golf is sometimes compared to Poker where you can play your A game and still not win as one slight gust of wind could miss you your perfect shot. This along with others are variables that the golfer has no control over but over the long run the player with the most skill will win more than the person with lesser skill.
There are charity events, famous people, tv stars, celebrities play poker to raise money. Poker is also a social game, it's a good game. What is wrong with some guys and girls getting together and playing a competitive, mental stimulating game for stakes that are not going to affect anyones livelyhood? Why is a proven skilled game of cards shunned by the uninformed into a lowlife form of gambling? Some people tar the name of poker by playing out of their bankroll and digging deeper in debt. These are the minorty of idiots that create this uphill struggle for us that enjoy the game. I believe poker should not be allowed to be played with any type of credit. This is unfortunately out of the card room/internet site hands. Most people dont do this. Most people play with cash they can afford.
So I sum up that Poker is a skill based game with an element of luck with a higher rate of winning for the skilled player than any forms of gambling mentioned above. It is a very competitive, social game that is easy to learn but hard to master. There is an unfair stigma attached to the game which I hope, one day, will be removed.
Good luck at the Ryver..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stigma_%28Sociological_Theory%29
In sociological theory, a stigma is an attitude, behaviour, or reputation which is socially discrediting in a particular way: it causes an individual to be mentally classified by others in an undesirable, rejected stereotype rather than in an accepted, normal one.
Poker. The black sheep of card games. The scourge of gambling, played by degenerates and villains in basements filled with thick layers of cigar smoke. Really ????
It amuses me how narrow minded some people can be when they hear that a person plays poker. Some people approach with fascination..
"Cool. You play poker. I've always wanted to play. Ive seen it on TV."
Some people approach the subject with curiosity and genuine questions. Others will jump straight on their moral cart and label poker players as desperate gambling addicts.
"So you are a gambler then...."
Lets think about gamblers...
Casinos - I've gambled in my life. I used to hit the casinos once a week hoping to get lucky, believing my decisions at the blackjack table would put me close enough to breakeven to sometimes take some money away. That is gambling. Hoping to make money from odds that are against you. I was never dumb enough to play roulette. Those desperados that track historic numbers to see a trend or to overload a number that hasnt come out ALL NIGHT are f*cking retards. They are gamblers. I met a guy in Vegas last June that said he had given up his job to become a professional high limit slot player. Give me a break !! Are you kidding me ? Roulette, Blackjack, Video poker, Slots, Pai Gow, Carribean Stud any place to put a chip is a losing play. Casinos are there for fun. If you believe you can beat a casino you are a retarded gambler.
Horseracing / Dog Racing - I think we can all agree on this one as an obvious form of accepted gambling and as it can be a social event this is not frowned upon. Its fun gambling.
The UK National Lottery - Hands up how may people play the lottery. Gambling. A friend of mine quoted "But it only costs me 5 pounds a week" and "Someone has to win it" I have no problem with people playing the lottery if they are playing knowing they will lose money. The odds are rediculous. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Lottery There is a upside to this type of gambling though. 28p of our pounds goes to good causes. Since 1994 over 20 bln pounds has been raised. That alone shows the odds of losing money....
The Stockmarket - Who has ever invested in the stockmarket ? One of the biggest casinos ever created. I work on the stockmarket and outside of the big banks, the fund managers and the rocket scientists I honestly believe the people that make money are the ones with privileged information and the ones that receive the tasty IPO's. The average 'high street investor' doesn't stand a chance. Do you really think that you are the first to think about a products future or the state of a ceratin economy. Get real, there are people that are 6+ months ahead of you, with tons of research and their fingers on the button. Unless you are a genius at your chosen subject you cant compete against these guys. This form of gambling makes you look rich and smart. No bad stigma.
Bingo - A softer form of gambling for the wrinklies..
Now if I were a betting man I would say that the poeple who have the 'moral' feelings against the game of poker have dabbled in atleast one of the above.
Lets now look at the game of Poker. Let me put one thing straight, I believe that are harmful ways of gambling which can include poker in the same way that there are harmful ways in most hobbies and social things we like to do. Moderation and control is always the key.
I play poker. "So you gamble money ?" In a way yes. In a way I try to put my money in the pot when I believe I am ahead in % of winning a hand. Poker has an element of unknown along with any card game that has an unturned card. This some people call luck and I will accept that for this post. There is also a large element of skill involved. This skill can put you in profitable situations. I will go out on a limb and say a player with a lot of skill against a player who just knows the basics will have a higher % chance of making money than any of the other forms of 'gambling' mentioned above. Poker is a competitive game where your outcome is decided by your decisions. There are so many situations that occur in poker that these decisions can take a long while to show. Its estimated that if you play online you need to play around 20,000 hands to see how you are playing at your current level.
Golf is sometimes compared to Poker where you can play your A game and still not win as one slight gust of wind could miss you your perfect shot. This along with others are variables that the golfer has no control over but over the long run the player with the most skill will win more than the person with lesser skill.
There are charity events, famous people, tv stars, celebrities play poker to raise money. Poker is also a social game, it's a good game. What is wrong with some guys and girls getting together and playing a competitive, mental stimulating game for stakes that are not going to affect anyones livelyhood? Why is a proven skilled game of cards shunned by the uninformed into a lowlife form of gambling? Some people tar the name of poker by playing out of their bankroll and digging deeper in debt. These are the minorty of idiots that create this uphill struggle for us that enjoy the game. I believe poker should not be allowed to be played with any type of credit. This is unfortunately out of the card room/internet site hands. Most people dont do this. Most people play with cash they can afford.
So I sum up that Poker is a skill based game with an element of luck with a higher rate of winning for the skilled player than any forms of gambling mentioned above. It is a very competitive, social game that is easy to learn but hard to master. There is an unfair stigma attached to the game which I hope, one day, will be removed.
Good luck at the Ryver..
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Variance is a Bitch
I had another bad run at the tables at the weekend. Down another few buyins in, not the best start for my blog.The money in ahead, the result negative, setting up hands to see them drowned at the river.
http://weaktight.com/71524
I had a semi loose image at the table so i can understand he thought i was bluffing a Q. The image was right, the betting was right. damn that 2 outer. He was a solid player and at least he apologised... grrr
I am determined to keep playing in exactly the same way. Analysing my Pokertracker stats, reviewing big wins/losses. Making sure the decisions were right.
I read this once before and firmly believe that the more bad beats you see, the better you are playing. If you are seeing a bad beat, it means you were ahead. Rinse, lather, repeat. There is no such thing as a level of luck. Luck is just a historical view of results in probabability. Poker is a long term game.
There is a relatively new card room opened in Sydney. http://www.houseofpoker.com.au/ This place looks quite decent. They run tournaments every day. Not sure if there is any cash tables down there yet but will take a look soon. I feel like Sydney is going through the start of real interest in poker. The same sort of feeling that London had about 3 or 4 years ago. The are showing more WSOP on Fox, more advertising is seen in bars for real money tournaments, Star City casino is rammed with players (The waiting list is ridiculous). I think in a few years poker will be a very popular game here. Shame i wont be here to relish in it. They also have the Aussie Poker League which is a joke. I played one of these events earlier in the year. You play all night in one of their chosen venues (bars/clubs). These are freerolls and you win points which go towards an overall league with a prize at the end. You can imagine with these freerolls being in a bar that you get some ridonkulous play. Dont get me wrong i'm all for playing bad players, thats where our money flows from but to have a shot at the APL prizes you have to play these games around 2-3 times a week, devoting these evenings to play donk freeroll turbos against muppets who dont even know the hand ranking chart. Not for me.
http://weaktight.com/71524
I had a semi loose image at the table so i can understand he thought i was bluffing a Q. The image was right, the betting was right. damn that 2 outer. He was a solid player and at least he apologised... grrr
I am determined to keep playing in exactly the same way. Analysing my Pokertracker stats, reviewing big wins/losses. Making sure the decisions were right.
I read this once before and firmly believe that the more bad beats you see, the better you are playing. If you are seeing a bad beat, it means you were ahead. Rinse, lather, repeat. There is no such thing as a level of luck. Luck is just a historical view of results in probabability. Poker is a long term game.
There is a relatively new card room opened in Sydney. http://www.houseofpoker.com.au/ This place looks quite decent. They run tournaments every day. Not sure if there is any cash tables down there yet but will take a look soon. I feel like Sydney is going through the start of real interest in poker. The same sort of feeling that London had about 3 or 4 years ago. The are showing more WSOP on Fox, more advertising is seen in bars for real money tournaments, Star City casino is rammed with players (The waiting list is ridiculous). I think in a few years poker will be a very popular game here. Shame i wont be here to relish in it. They also have the Aussie Poker League which is a joke. I played one of these events earlier in the year. You play all night in one of their chosen venues (bars/clubs). These are freerolls and you win points which go towards an overall league with a prize at the end. You can imagine with these freerolls being in a bar that you get some ridonkulous play. Dont get me wrong i'm all for playing bad players, thats where our money flows from but to have a shot at the APL prizes you have to play these games around 2-3 times a week, devoting these evenings to play donk freeroll turbos against muppets who dont even know the hand ranking chart. Not for me.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Tournament Succes 1 Cash Games 0
The Good
I saw this $5 about to start and Chip Jett was registered so i jumped in and hoped to play against him sometime down the line. I played really well considering ' The Bad' (See later in post). Final hand saw this :-
http://weaktight.com/70695
When the money went in -
Board: 8h Qc 7c
Dead:
equity win tie pots won pots tied
Hand 0: 76.768% 76.77% 00.00% 760 0.00 { KsQd }
Hand 1: 23.232% 23.23% 00.00% 230 0.00 { 7d6h }
A nice 3 hour tournament to fall down on the final hand a 3-1 favourite.... still 2nd place is good for me.
The Bad
Did i have a run at the cash tables last night. I've not seen this volatility in my bankroll in such a short space of time for a while. In 2 hours I had been up 2 buyins then down 4 buyins and finished down 3 buy ins. Tilt ?? I think so. After being sucked out in a big pot by a river chasing fish i managed to not think straight. I lost 2 buyins alone on calling an all in with AQo and another pushing an Ace flop with AQo and running in to AKo. Both i would not normally do but at the time i said to myself i wasnt on tilt. TILT is evil. You can think at the time you are playing your a game still but when you reflect back you can see moves that you would not have done if you had just sat down to start your session. I suppose this is like sinking 3 or 4 beers and saying that you are sober then wobbling a little when leaving the pub. TILT. Lesson learned.
I am definately one to stick to my bankroll management. I have a very specific chart drawn out that i keep at my desk.
30 buyins move up
10 buyins move down
dont spend more than 1% off your bankroll to enter a tournament.
Lets see where this takes me. I am starting with a current balance of just under $1500. This puts me squarely in $0.50/$1 cash games and $10 tournaments.
Good luck me !
I saw this $5 about to start and Chip Jett was registered so i jumped in and hoped to play against him sometime down the line. I played really well considering ' The Bad' (See later in post). Final hand saw this :-
http://weaktight.com/70695
When the money went in -
Board: 8h Qc 7c
Dead:
equity win tie pots won pots tied
Hand 0: 76.768% 76.77% 00.00% 760 0.00 { KsQd }
Hand 1: 23.232% 23.23% 00.00% 230 0.00 { 7d6h }
A nice 3 hour tournament to fall down on the final hand a 3-1 favourite.... still 2nd place is good for me.
The Bad
Did i have a run at the cash tables last night. I've not seen this volatility in my bankroll in such a short space of time for a while. In 2 hours I had been up 2 buyins then down 4 buyins and finished down 3 buy ins. Tilt ?? I think so. After being sucked out in a big pot by a river chasing fish i managed to not think straight. I lost 2 buyins alone on calling an all in with AQo and another pushing an Ace flop with AQo and running in to AKo. Both i would not normally do but at the time i said to myself i wasnt on tilt. TILT is evil. You can think at the time you are playing your a game still but when you reflect back you can see moves that you would not have done if you had just sat down to start your session. I suppose this is like sinking 3 or 4 beers and saying that you are sober then wobbling a little when leaving the pub. TILT. Lesson learned.
I am definately one to stick to my bankroll management. I have a very specific chart drawn out that i keep at my desk.
30 buyins move up
10 buyins move down
dont spend more than 1% off your bankroll to enter a tournament.
Lets see where this takes me. I am starting with a current balance of just under $1500. This puts me squarely in $0.50/$1 cash games and $10 tournaments.
Good luck me !
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
How i turned profitable and 2008 Goals
Its said the journey of a poker player goes through many stages as they learn the game. I certainly have gone through a path that some readers may find similar. I want to set these out and also mention what helped me turn into a profitable player.
I used to play poker. I designed a picture of a Jester and got it tattooed on my arm because I thought i was good at cards and well it does look kinda cool. The fact is i thought i was good at cards !!! I knew nothing, i was riding the train of luck and playing players that were not ' great' players. The illusion that i could win money at this game took me into my first card room. The Stakis Casino in London. I played a 50 pound tournament, about 50 runners and i remember calling down to the river with K high thinking the guy was bluffing me. Duh! scratch 1 lesson in tournament poker.
The home game i used to play was run by a guy who I will name Tighty McNuts. I don't remember him ever playing a hand. He never lost much money and didn't win much either. I thought he was boring. Where was the bluffing, the excitement associated with poker. He lent me a book. Harrington on Holdem. My bible for the next few years. I started reading. Then I read some more. I realised i knew nothing about the game of poker.
Preflop Hand ranking, Position, Pot Odds, M Theory, Continuation bets.
I became a knowledgeable player. I started to apply this to my already profitable home games and to my new online hobby. I started losing.. Knowledge made me lose ? I couldn't make sense of it. Online must be rigged right ? My home games i must just be unlucky.
I was tight aggressive. This was the optimal strategy to be winning right? I knew the concept of position and was tightening up in my early positions. What i didn't have was the ability to lay down 2nd best hands. You can play as tight aggressive (TAG) as you like but if you don't know when to make big lay downs you will be a losing player. You are playing less hands than the unpokereducated but when you do play you play them too hard and fast.
So i learned the ability to lay down when i felt i was beat. I stemmed the flow of $ out of my account and became break even online and winning at my home games.
I read more. SuperSystem2, Caro's book of poker tells, Phil Gordon's little Green and Blue books, Tom Mcevoy's championship no limit holdem. My brain couldn't get enough of reading.
I was Breakeven !
In the past year I have discovered a few things that have turned me into a winning player.
http://doubleas.blogspot.com/ i read from post one and really got me on track. Scott if you ever read this Thankyou. Doubleas strategy posts were gold.
http://hammerplayer.blogspot.com/ - Hoy made me stop and think about situations, he is a great writer if sometimes controversial and argumentative but that's why i like reading. Thankyou Hoy.
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/ - A wealth of information about any subject regarding poker. If you have a hand you were unsure post it and ask help. Strategy for cash/MTT's/SitnGo's, software, rakeback, everything. Gold!
Pokertracker & PAhud - For any cash game player online this is a must. I cant stress this enough.
Cardrunners - I joined this site in May. There videos are well worth the monthly subscription. They cover a lot of levels and game types.
Pokerstove - When you analyse your play this tool is good to see if you did get your money in when ahead. Its free and very useful.
Bankroll Management (BRM)- I learned this the hard way. I had to redeposit many times in previous years but this year has not seen 1. Variance is a bitch and if you hit a long bad run you need to be moving down in limits. Ill save the detail for another post. But mapping out a good not too aggressive BRM I can stand the swings of variance.
I turned my small winning/breakeven TAG style to a be able to switch between LAG/TAG depending on situations,table conditions and players.
I still have so much to learn but the continuous reading, analysing and playing are making more and more decisions easier. The more decisions that become automatic mean the more you can concentrate on learning and playing the harder more difficult situations correctly.
2008 goals
- I am currently at $.50/$1. My plan is to be at $2/$4 by the year end. This should be achievable.
- I want to play in another large live buy in event. I played a WSOP event this year and feel i can definately hold my own. I will be playing qualifiers. I have qualified for 3 FTOPS events cheaply and also won 2 tournaments to give me a shot at the Aussie millions package. Basically i had a 1 in 24 shot at $18k for $24.
- I want to make 5000 pounds live. I know where the games are and i made more than this live when i was living in London. I move back there in June so will have 6 months to make this. I believe this is achievable.
Ok that's 2 posts today, don't expect this many every day.
Good luck at the tables.
Ryverrat
I used to play poker. I designed a picture of a Jester and got it tattooed on my arm because I thought i was good at cards and well it does look kinda cool. The fact is i thought i was good at cards !!! I knew nothing, i was riding the train of luck and playing players that were not ' great' players. The illusion that i could win money at this game took me into my first card room. The Stakis Casino in London. I played a 50 pound tournament, about 50 runners and i remember calling down to the river with K high thinking the guy was bluffing me. Duh! scratch 1 lesson in tournament poker.
The home game i used to play was run by a guy who I will name Tighty McNuts. I don't remember him ever playing a hand. He never lost much money and didn't win much either. I thought he was boring. Where was the bluffing, the excitement associated with poker. He lent me a book. Harrington on Holdem. My bible for the next few years. I started reading. Then I read some more. I realised i knew nothing about the game of poker.
Preflop Hand ranking, Position, Pot Odds, M Theory, Continuation bets.
I became a knowledgeable player. I started to apply this to my already profitable home games and to my new online hobby. I started losing.. Knowledge made me lose ? I couldn't make sense of it. Online must be rigged right ? My home games i must just be unlucky.
I was tight aggressive. This was the optimal strategy to be winning right? I knew the concept of position and was tightening up in my early positions. What i didn't have was the ability to lay down 2nd best hands. You can play as tight aggressive (TAG) as you like but if you don't know when to make big lay downs you will be a losing player. You are playing less hands than the unpokereducated but when you do play you play them too hard and fast.
So i learned the ability to lay down when i felt i was beat. I stemmed the flow of $ out of my account and became break even online and winning at my home games.
I read more. SuperSystem2, Caro's book of poker tells, Phil Gordon's little Green and Blue books, Tom Mcevoy's championship no limit holdem. My brain couldn't get enough of reading.
I was Breakeven !
In the past year I have discovered a few things that have turned me into a winning player.
http://doubleas.blogspot.com/ i read from post one and really got me on track. Scott if you ever read this Thankyou. Doubleas strategy posts were gold.
http://hammerplayer.blogspot.com/ - Hoy made me stop and think about situations, he is a great writer if sometimes controversial and argumentative but that's why i like reading. Thankyou Hoy.
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/ - A wealth of information about any subject regarding poker. If you have a hand you were unsure post it and ask help. Strategy for cash/MTT's/SitnGo's, software, rakeback, everything. Gold!
Pokertracker & PAhud - For any cash game player online this is a must. I cant stress this enough.
Cardrunners - I joined this site in May. There videos are well worth the monthly subscription. They cover a lot of levels and game types.
Pokerstove - When you analyse your play this tool is good to see if you did get your money in when ahead. Its free and very useful.
Bankroll Management (BRM)- I learned this the hard way. I had to redeposit many times in previous years but this year has not seen 1. Variance is a bitch and if you hit a long bad run you need to be moving down in limits. Ill save the detail for another post. But mapping out a good not too aggressive BRM I can stand the swings of variance.
I turned my small winning/breakeven TAG style to a be able to switch between LAG/TAG depending on situations,table conditions and players.
I still have so much to learn but the continuous reading, analysing and playing are making more and more decisions easier. The more decisions that become automatic mean the more you can concentrate on learning and playing the harder more difficult situations correctly.
2008 goals
- I am currently at $.50/$1. My plan is to be at $2/$4 by the year end. This should be achievable.
- I want to play in another large live buy in event. I played a WSOP event this year and feel i can definately hold my own. I will be playing qualifiers. I have qualified for 3 FTOPS events cheaply and also won 2 tournaments to give me a shot at the Aussie millions package. Basically i had a 1 in 24 shot at $18k for $24.
- I want to make 5000 pounds live. I know where the games are and i made more than this live when i was living in London. I move back there in June so will have 6 months to make this. I believe this is achievable.
Ok that's 2 posts today, don't expect this many every day.
Good luck at the tables.
Ryverrat
Introduction
Hi all,
This seems a bit weird as I am speaking to absolutely no-one at the moment but I have gone back and read blogs from their starting post before so someone, someday may read these words. To be honest there isnt anything useful that will be written in my first EVER blog post. Just an introduction of me and where I will be taking this blog for the future.
I am currently living in Sydney and have been playing poker as a hobby for around 5 years. I think i read my first poker book 4 years ago and applied this to the home games I played. I made a decent amount of cash, not due to any real skill but the lack of skill of some in the game.
With the buzz of the game and the lack of weekly games i turned to online poker and lost. I reloaded and lost. Online poker is rigged right ? Haha I always remember seeing a player on my table R.E.M. from Essex on Pokerstars. I would think it unreal how there were so many tables on Stars but he would randomly be sitting at mine. Well played mr R.E.M. for chasing down that fish. me!
Zap forward now 4 years later and im doing ok. I wont say doing well as im always wanting to improve my game and im not making the regular income that I want to at present. I have accounts at most of the main sites under various names. My main site to play is Full Tilt.
I spent most of my time previous to 2007 playing SitnGo's and MTT's. I play MTT's $5+1-$24+2 buyins with medium success. My largest MTT win has been $1900.
Since July 2007 I switched to cash games. On Full Tilt I play $.50/$1 and make a steady profit.
My aim for this blog is firstly a personal diary to myself, something to look back and reflect on whether i run good or bad. I want to capture my mindset at the time and my attitude towards poker. I will document my journey with the utmost honesty. I can accept losing, that is poart of poker, I am self critical and will build on mistakes not linger over them. Losing is part of winning in poker, players that cannot accept a loss and that cannot see poker for the 'correct decision not results orientated' plays can not be winning players.
I want to also use this as a forum for any readers to comment, criticise, congratulate hand analysis, tournaments etc. This should be a two way thing and it will be nice ot know that someone is out there listening to me drivvle.
Ok thats me in a nutshell. Thats the plan for now. Its New Years day so a belated Happy New Year to you all. Sydney feels like the best place to be in for New Year. Im as happy as a pig in sh*t.
Good luck at the tables.
Ryverrat
This seems a bit weird as I am speaking to absolutely no-one at the moment but I have gone back and read blogs from their starting post before so someone, someday may read these words. To be honest there isnt anything useful that will be written in my first EVER blog post. Just an introduction of me and where I will be taking this blog for the future.
I am currently living in Sydney and have been playing poker as a hobby for around 5 years. I think i read my first poker book 4 years ago and applied this to the home games I played. I made a decent amount of cash, not due to any real skill but the lack of skill of some in the game.
With the buzz of the game and the lack of weekly games i turned to online poker and lost. I reloaded and lost. Online poker is rigged right ? Haha I always remember seeing a player on my table R.E.M. from Essex on Pokerstars. I would think it unreal how there were so many tables on Stars but he would randomly be sitting at mine. Well played mr R.E.M. for chasing down that fish. me!
Zap forward now 4 years later and im doing ok. I wont say doing well as im always wanting to improve my game and im not making the regular income that I want to at present. I have accounts at most of the main sites under various names. My main site to play is Full Tilt.
I spent most of my time previous to 2007 playing SitnGo's and MTT's. I play MTT's $5+1-$24+2 buyins with medium success. My largest MTT win has been $1900.
Since July 2007 I switched to cash games. On Full Tilt I play $.50/$1 and make a steady profit.
My aim for this blog is firstly a personal diary to myself, something to look back and reflect on whether i run good or bad. I want to capture my mindset at the time and my attitude towards poker. I will document my journey with the utmost honesty. I can accept losing, that is poart of poker, I am self critical and will build on mistakes not linger over them. Losing is part of winning in poker, players that cannot accept a loss and that cannot see poker for the 'correct decision not results orientated' plays can not be winning players.
I want to also use this as a forum for any readers to comment, criticise, congratulate hand analysis, tournaments etc. This should be a two way thing and it will be nice ot know that someone is out there listening to me drivvle.
Ok thats me in a nutshell. Thats the plan for now. Its New Years day so a belated Happy New Year to you all. Sydney feels like the best place to be in for New Year. Im as happy as a pig in sh*t.
Good luck at the tables.
Ryverrat
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