Raising Pots
Poker can be an emotional game, just look at Filippo Candio's reactions during this year's WSOP to realise that there are many highs and lows which need to be overcome in order to be a good player. Highs and lows which can only be successfully navigated by remaining on a level plain.
I'm tilted. This blog is gonna be short this week for that reason. With no disrespect to my readers I'm just in no mood to write. Following a really good week for all sorts of reasons (on and off the tables) this weekend has not been so great.
Let's get on with the tale of the tape then:
Hands: 5,409
Hours: 13.63
BB/100: 1.61
Total winnings: $8.69
Total Rakeback + Take 2 Bonus: $28.66
Total for the week: $37.35
I made a profit. Go me.
Lifting Weights
Didn't gym this week. Why not? Didn't want to. Any more questions? No. Good.
Come back mid-week for an October review which I promise will be more readable.
Sunday, 31 October 2010
Sunday, 24 October 2010
Live and Exclusive
Raising Pots
The slightly sombre mood of last week's post fortunately will not be rearing it's head in this week's post readers. Despite a very disappointing session on Sunday to start the week, the rest of the week turned out pretty well. As mentioned last week, the 'Take 2' promotion required me to play every night this week with only one day off (Wednesday) allowed. This was an exciting prospect and something I've never done before, that is to say, never had to put the volume in so regardless of how I ran I had to sit and play, which is good. It forced me to play through a patch that was becoming a little rocky at the end of last week. Anyway, I'm glad to say that as of today I have successfully completed the promotion and $25 will be deposited into my account. This will not feature in this week's tale of the tape as it will be paid today.
So, without much further ado, here's the all important tale of the tape:
Hands: 4,839
Hours: 11.28
BB/100: 3.11
Total winnings: $15.05
Total Rakeback: $5.28
Total for the week: $20.33
So, a much better week play wise. Not as much profit as last week, though actual poker winnings are significantly up from last week's dismal show.
So, how are things with my game? I feel a lot more confident in the way I play, I think previously my biggest leak was overplaying certain hands and being far too keen to bluff at pots, which when it backfired would result in a lot of tilt. My current game has a much more patient approach, sure it's frustrating when you're card dead but it is here that I am better at spotting areas to make some moves and pick up a few pots to keep me floating. So, for those in the know, you could call me a Steady Eddie - and I quite literally have the badge to prove it.
Lifting Weights
Oh boy is it cold in the mornings here at the moment! And no more so when you drag your sorry old bones out of bed to head to the gym before work. Well, yes that's what I did. Much like last week I had a steady three sessions at the gym this week (complete with notepad) and worked on my core exercises which consist on a lot of heavy squatting then free weight work hitting two body areas each time. So, for instance, on Monday I hit my arms and shoulders. I super-setted my biceps and triceps exercises with dumbbells then went straight to overhead military presses before back on the arms with cable machine work before finishing off with some pulls ups and free hangs.
It felt good, I really enjoy being in the gym and though it always feels like a chore to actually go, really it isn't and I love being in there. As stated last week, I just need to keep the ball rolling.
The slightly sombre mood of last week's post fortunately will not be rearing it's head in this week's post readers. Despite a very disappointing session on Sunday to start the week, the rest of the week turned out pretty well. As mentioned last week, the 'Take 2' promotion required me to play every night this week with only one day off (Wednesday) allowed. This was an exciting prospect and something I've never done before, that is to say, never had to put the volume in so regardless of how I ran I had to sit and play, which is good. It forced me to play through a patch that was becoming a little rocky at the end of last week. Anyway, I'm glad to say that as of today I have successfully completed the promotion and $25 will be deposited into my account. This will not feature in this week's tale of the tape as it will be paid today.
So, without much further ado, here's the all important tale of the tape:
Hands: 4,839
Hours: 11.28
BB/100: 3.11
Total winnings: $15.05
Total Rakeback: $5.28
Total for the week: $20.33
So, a much better week play wise. Not as much profit as last week, though actual poker winnings are significantly up from last week's dismal show.
So, how are things with my game? I feel a lot more confident in the way I play, I think previously my biggest leak was overplaying certain hands and being far too keen to bluff at pots, which when it backfired would result in a lot of tilt. My current game has a much more patient approach, sure it's frustrating when you're card dead but it is here that I am better at spotting areas to make some moves and pick up a few pots to keep me floating. So, for those in the know, you could call me a Steady Eddie - and I quite literally have the badge to prove it.
Lifting Weights
Oh boy is it cold in the mornings here at the moment! And no more so when you drag your sorry old bones out of bed to head to the gym before work. Well, yes that's what I did. Much like last week I had a steady three sessions at the gym this week (complete with notepad) and worked on my core exercises which consist on a lot of heavy squatting then free weight work hitting two body areas each time. So, for instance, on Monday I hit my arms and shoulders. I super-setted my biceps and triceps exercises with dumbbells then went straight to overhead military presses before back on the arms with cable machine work before finishing off with some pulls ups and free hangs.
It felt good, I really enjoy being in the gym and though it always feels like a chore to actually go, really it isn't and I love being in there. As stated last week, I just need to keep the ball rolling.
Sunday, 17 October 2010
Thick as thieves!
Raising Pots
I'm still here, still at $5NL. That's good right? Haven't had to drop back down in levels. Yep, still here and still enjoying the level but have realised I'm not invincible. I never thought I was but when you have a heater has hot as the one I was on since I started this level you can't help but begin to think you are. Heaters are great, every pair flops a set, every draw hits and you make loads of money. So what's the opposite. Well, a cooler obviously. I don't think I've been on a cooler this week, indeed I have done quite well, but there is definitely an icy front approaching, the last few sessions of this week have certainly been chilly. I even put the central heating on in Pokerlifter Towers to thaw this frost but it's coming...I just have to push through it. One good thing about it is I may be able to grind my way through as the next couple of weeks are going to say an exceptional number of hands registered. You see, those nice folks at Full Tilt Poker have repeated their 'Take 2' promotion from last year and all that needs happen is to play 9 out of the next 10 days and they'll give you a nice $25 bonus. So this means that I need to play every evening bar one this week until next Sunday to get it. Should be easy.
Got an interesting email on Friday from Full Tilt Poker telling me that:
'The Full Tilt security department has recently concluded an extensive investigation and we have determined that some of your opponents were in violation of our site terms. We have permanently closed all of the offending accounts. In cases of proven cheating, 100% of the confiscated funds are returned to the players that were victimized'
That's right! Someone has cheated Pokerlifter out of some of his money! $12.65 to be precise! So this was a nice little bonus and the forums were buzzing with people having got got the same email, some players receiving $1 or $2 whilst others got over $2,000. It would appear that FTP closed down a number of Bot accounts that were plaguing the site. Well done FTP! Really reassuring to see that the integrity of online poker is being maintained.
So, the all important tale of the tape:
Hands: 3,802
Hours: 9.12
BB/100: 0.38
Total Winnings: $1.45
Total Rakeback: $9.17
Reimbursement: $12.65
Total for the week: $23.27
A profitable week once again but a truly dismal amount of volume at the tables. Lowest volume since August 27th and no excuses really. To be fair, I knew the 'Take 2' promotion was coming and that I'd be able to get the volume in there so no big deal. Crucially though, $1.45 is the net sum of my week's poker profits. Not good. Not good at all.
Lifting Weights
Who's that chap in the gym writing notes. Why that's Pokerlifter. Yes, notebook in hand I have been gymming this week and really enjoying it. Sat here feeling pretty stiff and pleased with myself. I mean, I haven't done a 10k run in under an hour or anything amazing like that, but I have had a good week. Crucially though, I have decided to make notes about what I am doing. For the last few weeks I have too often gymmed with no real idea of progress or what I lifted last week/month. So, I've jotted some things down so that when I go next week I know what to lift. There are not a great deal of notes to combine into this blog post right night but I'm hoping there will be next week.
It's really time to get serious about this. Christmas is exactly 9 weeks away. 9 weeks is a great amount of time to truly get into some shape and make some progress. When I write my 2010 summary I will look back on this post with a smile, for today dear reader, is where things have really come together.
I may also be including something new into my week as a motivator and something a bit different. Very near to Pokerlifter Towers is a leisure centre that always has a banner outside advertising a Martial Arts class. This is something that I have always had an interest in and really enjoyed whenever I have done it, however I've never really been able to fit it in around work and my other commitments. However, this one is different as it is on a Thursday evening at 7:30pm or a Saturday morning at 10:30am. Either of which I could do, so watch this space next week as I may well be doing some Kung Fu fighting on here. Maybe it will help with my occasional tendency to go tilt monkey...
I'm still here, still at $5NL. That's good right? Haven't had to drop back down in levels. Yep, still here and still enjoying the level but have realised I'm not invincible. I never thought I was but when you have a heater has hot as the one I was on since I started this level you can't help but begin to think you are. Heaters are great, every pair flops a set, every draw hits and you make loads of money. So what's the opposite. Well, a cooler obviously. I don't think I've been on a cooler this week, indeed I have done quite well, but there is definitely an icy front approaching, the last few sessions of this week have certainly been chilly. I even put the central heating on in Pokerlifter Towers to thaw this frost but it's coming...I just have to push through it. One good thing about it is I may be able to grind my way through as the next couple of weeks are going to say an exceptional number of hands registered. You see, those nice folks at Full Tilt Poker have repeated their 'Take 2' promotion from last year and all that needs happen is to play 9 out of the next 10 days and they'll give you a nice $25 bonus. So this means that I need to play every evening bar one this week until next Sunday to get it. Should be easy.
Got an interesting email on Friday from Full Tilt Poker telling me that:
'The Full Tilt security department has recently concluded an extensive investigation and we have determined that some of your opponents were in violation of our site terms. We have permanently closed all of the offending accounts. In cases of proven cheating, 100% of the confiscated funds are returned to the players that were victimized'
That's right! Someone has cheated Pokerlifter out of some of his money! $12.65 to be precise! So this was a nice little bonus and the forums were buzzing with people having got got the same email, some players receiving $1 or $2 whilst others got over $2,000. It would appear that FTP closed down a number of Bot accounts that were plaguing the site. Well done FTP! Really reassuring to see that the integrity of online poker is being maintained.
So, the all important tale of the tape:
Hands: 3,802
Hours: 9.12
BB/100: 0.38
Total Winnings: $1.45
Total Rakeback: $9.17
Reimbursement: $12.65
Total for the week: $23.27
A profitable week once again but a truly dismal amount of volume at the tables. Lowest volume since August 27th and no excuses really. To be fair, I knew the 'Take 2' promotion was coming and that I'd be able to get the volume in there so no big deal. Crucially though, $1.45 is the net sum of my week's poker profits. Not good. Not good at all.
Lifting Weights
Who's that chap in the gym writing notes. Why that's Pokerlifter. Yes, notebook in hand I have been gymming this week and really enjoying it. Sat here feeling pretty stiff and pleased with myself. I mean, I haven't done a 10k run in under an hour or anything amazing like that, but I have had a good week. Crucially though, I have decided to make notes about what I am doing. For the last few weeks I have too often gymmed with no real idea of progress or what I lifted last week/month. So, I've jotted some things down so that when I go next week I know what to lift. There are not a great deal of notes to combine into this blog post right night but I'm hoping there will be next week.
It's really time to get serious about this. Christmas is exactly 9 weeks away. 9 weeks is a great amount of time to truly get into some shape and make some progress. When I write my 2010 summary I will look back on this post with a smile, for today dear reader, is where things have really come together.
I may also be including something new into my week as a motivator and something a bit different. Very near to Pokerlifter Towers is a leisure centre that always has a banner outside advertising a Martial Arts class. This is something that I have always had an interest in and really enjoyed whenever I have done it, however I've never really been able to fit it in around work and my other commitments. However, this one is different as it is on a Thursday evening at 7:30pm or a Saturday morning at 10:30am. Either of which I could do, so watch this space next week as I may well be doing some Kung Fu fighting on here. Maybe it will help with my occasional tendency to go tilt monkey...
Sunday, 10 October 2010
Up, up and away...
Raising Pots
Big week for Pokerlifter this week. Like a phoenix from the flames I raised myself out of $2NL and ascended to the dizzy heights of $5NL. That's right, grind after grind for the last few months culminated in my bankroll hitting $150 giving me 30BIs for $5NL! Yes, I've gone up in limits. Let me talk you through the events that led up to this. Following 2 big winning sessions on Sunday and Monday my BR total in my spreadsheet changed colour (the delights of conditional formatting) telling me that I was rolled for the next level. Cue excitement and trepidation in equal measure. So, I wasn't going to move up initially and I just going to continue at $2NL to ensure that it was my game improvements that had led me here and not just a big heater. However, following some posts on the wonderful cardschat.com I was told that staying at the lower limit was equally as stupid as playing a limit too high for you, so with a wobble in my step and a quiver in my voice I loaded up the $5NL tables and got stuck in. It was strange to see the pot sizes double what I'm used to and was scary at first and losing a few early pots really knocked my confidence. But Pokerlifter regrouped, told himself that he can do it and not focus on the sums of money. They're not important. Play your game and get your money in good and don't be nervous. So, I'm really happy with how the rest of the week panned out. I had some great sessions and played some big hands well (some not so well) but on the whole my fist week at $5NL has been highly successful. I'm keen to temper my enthusiasm with the realisation that I'm running ever so slightly ahead of EV and that there is always a downswing lurking around the corner. However, in the words of Doyle Brunson, "That's Poker folks". I just need to control my emotions at the table and avoid going tilt monkey.
So, the all important tale of the tape:
Hands: 9,173
Hours: 23.05
BB/100: 7.43
Total Winnings: $48.17
Total Rakeback + bonus: $0.87
Total of the week: $49.04
$49.04! Yes, you don't need to adjust your screens. I made a staggering $49.04 this week. $13.34 came from $2NL and $34.83 from $5NL. All this success at the tables resulted in something extremely important happening this week. Pokerlifter became a profitable player. That's right in my poker career since August 2009 I have played a total of 80,119 hands raking in profit of $60.32. This does only equal a very measly 0.96BB/100 however it's important to understand just how important this profit, however small, is. ~90% of players lose money. This blog and all the hard work I put in is to ensure that I am in, and that I remain in, that 10%. You can do this Pokerlifter. We believe in you.
Lifting Weights
I hit this week with renewed vigour for lifting weights. Vigour which is often hard to sustain by 2:30pm when you have woken at 4:30am for a 6am start. However, I was determined to book in my gym time and to start my 100 push-ups challenge. Shock horror I did both. Yes, I managed to get down the gym, albeit it with a lack of structure, and I managed to complete week 1 on the push-up challenge. What is this 100 push-up challenge you ask? Well take a look at this website (www.hundredpushups.com) and give it a go yourself. The idea is that you start of small, week 1 is fairly straight forward, and each week a few more are added as you get stronger. I did this earlier in the summer and did very well with it and the increased strength and definition in my shoulders was very noticeable. However, as is too often the case it fizzled out and after a few false starts at week 4 I decided the only way was to start from scratch. Week 2 starts on Tuesday as tomorrow will be a standard gym day and I'm not doing the gym and push-ups on the same day. So the gym this week revolved around my favourite compound exercises (Squats, Deadlifts, Military Presses, Bench Presses and Bent Rows) with the idea of just building and maintaing all round body strength. I need to get some structure in to my sessions so that I am able to actively record and monitor progress. Watch this space as it is on my to do list and should hopefully make this section of the blog a lot more readable.
Until next time...
Big week for Pokerlifter this week. Like a phoenix from the flames I raised myself out of $2NL and ascended to the dizzy heights of $5NL. That's right, grind after grind for the last few months culminated in my bankroll hitting $150 giving me 30BIs for $5NL! Yes, I've gone up in limits. Let me talk you through the events that led up to this. Following 2 big winning sessions on Sunday and Monday my BR total in my spreadsheet changed colour (the delights of conditional formatting) telling me that I was rolled for the next level. Cue excitement and trepidation in equal measure. So, I wasn't going to move up initially and I just going to continue at $2NL to ensure that it was my game improvements that had led me here and not just a big heater. However, following some posts on the wonderful cardschat.com I was told that staying at the lower limit was equally as stupid as playing a limit too high for you, so with a wobble in my step and a quiver in my voice I loaded up the $5NL tables and got stuck in. It was strange to see the pot sizes double what I'm used to and was scary at first and losing a few early pots really knocked my confidence. But Pokerlifter regrouped, told himself that he can do it and not focus on the sums of money. They're not important. Play your game and get your money in good and don't be nervous. So, I'm really happy with how the rest of the week panned out. I had some great sessions and played some big hands well (some not so well) but on the whole my fist week at $5NL has been highly successful. I'm keen to temper my enthusiasm with the realisation that I'm running ever so slightly ahead of EV and that there is always a downswing lurking around the corner. However, in the words of Doyle Brunson, "That's Poker folks". I just need to control my emotions at the table and avoid going tilt monkey.
So, the all important tale of the tape:
Hands: 9,173
Hours: 23.05
BB/100: 7.43
Total Winnings: $48.17
Total Rakeback + bonus: $0.87
Total of the week: $49.04
$49.04! Yes, you don't need to adjust your screens. I made a staggering $49.04 this week. $13.34 came from $2NL and $34.83 from $5NL. All this success at the tables resulted in something extremely important happening this week. Pokerlifter became a profitable player. That's right in my poker career since August 2009 I have played a total of 80,119 hands raking in profit of $60.32. This does only equal a very measly 0.96BB/100 however it's important to understand just how important this profit, however small, is. ~90% of players lose money. This blog and all the hard work I put in is to ensure that I am in, and that I remain in, that 10%. You can do this Pokerlifter. We believe in you.
Lifting Weights
I hit this week with renewed vigour for lifting weights. Vigour which is often hard to sustain by 2:30pm when you have woken at 4:30am for a 6am start. However, I was determined to book in my gym time and to start my 100 push-ups challenge. Shock horror I did both. Yes, I managed to get down the gym, albeit it with a lack of structure, and I managed to complete week 1 on the push-up challenge. What is this 100 push-up challenge you ask? Well take a look at this website (www.hundredpushups.com) and give it a go yourself. The idea is that you start of small, week 1 is fairly straight forward, and each week a few more are added as you get stronger. I did this earlier in the summer and did very well with it and the increased strength and definition in my shoulders was very noticeable. However, as is too often the case it fizzled out and after a few false starts at week 4 I decided the only way was to start from scratch. Week 2 starts on Tuesday as tomorrow will be a standard gym day and I'm not doing the gym and push-ups on the same day. So the gym this week revolved around my favourite compound exercises (Squats, Deadlifts, Military Presses, Bench Presses and Bent Rows) with the idea of just building and maintaing all round body strength. I need to get some structure in to my sessions so that I am able to actively record and monitor progress. Watch this space as it is on my to do list and should hopefully make this section of the blog a lot more readable.
Until next time...
Sunday, 3 October 2010
That was so sick...
Raising Pots
Week off from the day job this week so didn't plan on playing loads of poker though did hope to get a few thousand hands in. Met up with a very good friend of mine last Saturday which resulted in Sunday being a total wipeout (hence no blog, sorry readers) and no poker either.
So, a week off from work, fantastic! Time for some quality Pokerlifter time. Think again. Monday I woke up with that feeling you get when you know you're getting sick. I couldn't believe it. This seems to happen to me whenever I have some time off from the day job. So, practically my whole week off has been spent inside Pokerlifter Towers staring at the walls. I did play some hands though so I do have something to report on at least.
So, the tale of the week:
Hands: 8,433
Hours: 21.23
BB/100: 1.86
$/hour: $0.30
Total Winnings: $6.29
Total Rakeback + bonus: $20
Total for the week: $26.29
So, a tasty little profit for the week thanks in no small part to those generous folks at Full Tilt Poker giving me a $100 bonus of which $20 I managed to clear - this involved two 7am starts to catch early morning happy hour (whilst feeling unwell) to clear those vital FTP points.
As you will have picked up from my September update, I'm feeling very happy with my game at the moment and, though cautious with my optimism, feel like my understanding of the game has improved vastly. However, there is a cautionary note to my week and one that is good for Pokerlifter's ego to expel these demons. On 30th September, that's right the last day of a highly successful month, I went tilt monkey and donked off nearly half of September's winnings in one horrendous 80 minute session. It all started when calling a UTG raise on the button with KJs and hitting top two pair only for my donkey opponent (playing 39/36) to hit the nut straight!! Cue Phil Hellmuth (whom I met this week) style meltdown and a session graph that looked like this:
Week off from the day job this week so didn't plan on playing loads of poker though did hope to get a few thousand hands in. Met up with a very good friend of mine last Saturday which resulted in Sunday being a total wipeout (hence no blog, sorry readers) and no poker either.
So, a week off from work, fantastic! Time for some quality Pokerlifter time. Think again. Monday I woke up with that feeling you get when you know you're getting sick. I couldn't believe it. This seems to happen to me whenever I have some time off from the day job. So, practically my whole week off has been spent inside Pokerlifter Towers staring at the walls. I did play some hands though so I do have something to report on at least.
So, the tale of the week:
Hands: 8,433
Hours: 21.23
BB/100: 1.86
$/hour: $0.30
Total Winnings: $6.29
Total Rakeback + bonus: $20
Total for the week: $26.29
So, a tasty little profit for the week thanks in no small part to those generous folks at Full Tilt Poker giving me a $100 bonus of which $20 I managed to clear - this involved two 7am starts to catch early morning happy hour (whilst feeling unwell) to clear those vital FTP points.
As you will have picked up from my September update, I'm feeling very happy with my game at the moment and, though cautious with my optimism, feel like my understanding of the game has improved vastly. However, there is a cautionary note to my week and one that is good for Pokerlifter's ego to expel these demons. On 30th September, that's right the last day of a highly successful month, I went tilt monkey and donked off nearly half of September's winnings in one horrendous 80 minute session. It all started when calling a UTG raise on the button with KJs and hitting top two pair only for my donkey opponent (playing 39/36) to hit the nut straight!! Cue Phil Hellmuth (whom I met this week) style meltdown and a session graph that looked like this:
How does one stop this from happening? The truth is I don't know yet. I don't think I tilt like I used to but clearly it still exists in me, I think in some way it does in everyone. You just need to walk away from the computer and relax until you're clear. As I say, I think it helps to have these sessions to remind you how easy it is to put yourself back by a couple of weeks.
Lifting Weights
Clearly being unwell this week has resulted in no gym action. I have nothing to add further from September's update. Finally! A legitimate reason for no gym!
Friday, 1 October 2010
Pokerlifter's September
Raising Pots
Welcome to the second of my monthly updates and I'm pleased to announce that September's is a lot more positive than August's! I'm sure all of my avid readers will remember how August looked but for those of a more casual approach to my blog here's a quick reminder:
Hands: 16,871
Hours: 47.58
BB/100: -0.96
$/hour: -$0.14
Total winnings: -$6.48
Total rakeback + bonus: $26.02
Total for the month: $19.54
So, as we remember August was a positive month thanks to that lovely bonus at Full Tilt Poker and my 27% rakeback. Not a sustainable source of profit as August saw the end of my main "First Deposit" bonus so future profitability would have to rely on actually being a winning player on the virtual felt, something I was keen to improve upon. So improve I feel I did. The first thing I did was openly admit I was a losing player and not able to beat the lowest stakes online, Something that is true for approximately 90% of people playing online poker but not something easily admitted. It was time to check Pokerlifter's ego at the door and face some home truths. So I posted on that wonderful forum cardschat.com and got a ton of positive feedback. The best came from a certain American on there (identity shall remain private here) that offered to sweat me a session. We finally got one setup and arranged and it took place last Sunday. He sweat me for about 90 minutes and although we were cursed with a slow connection and a slight time delay over Skype we managed to get some important thinking points across to me. Not least the rather simple question "Why are you betting?". Easy question hey? I'm playing poker and I have a good hand. Not enough. So, every move and every decision I now make on the felt I can hear his West Virginian twang in my ear saying "Why are you betting here?" and that's not to say it's always the wrong decision, far from it. I just need to constantly justify my decisions to myself and this allows me to think clearer about my opponents range and what he is calling or raising me with. Finally the one thing I have also played carefully is position. Yawn, yawn. Yes, we all know position is vital in poker but how many of us truly utilise it? Well, I'm trying my best to play as few hands out of position as possible and really hammering those limpers that act before me, so far this has been a positive step. Third and finally this month I read, or should that be re-read "Harrington on Cash Games Vol 1". I say re-read because I got this book early in the year and read it and took in approximately zero information from it. So, I read it this month and really attempted to understand it and I found it thoroughly engaging and helpful. Easily dismissed I believe as being too conservative and not relevant to the micro stakes this book does have a lot of information that is relevant and applicable. Sure, the metagame stuff can be ignored for the time being but I still got something out of it. So, Volume 2 sits beside me dear reader as I write this and I shall delve headfirst into that in October. So, enough words Pokerlifter, tell us the tale of the tape...OK, I will and I'm very happy to do so:
Hands: 15,476
Hours: 40.35
BB/100: 3.61
$/hour: $0.55
Total winnings: $22.37
Total rakeback + bonus: $18.08
Total for the month: $40.45
Impressive hey? I think so. Except for going tilt monkey last night and losing $10 I did extremely well this month. Now, I'm not yet getting my Full Tilt Pro badge and challenging Tom Dwan to some heads-up action but nonetheless I'm feeling positive with my play and although officially being rolled for $5NL I'm sticking with $2NL until my play is proven as winning and not just a heater, as I am running slightly (very slightly) above EV.
Lifting Weights
I hate writing this section. Not because it's not relevant or because I don't like this section but because it's shameful and embarrassing. I know some of you love this section and berate me for writing a massive poker section and a small gym one (you know who you are...) but it's just words here. Read up, the poker section is quantifiable...I played this much, I won this much. Graphs, stats, pretty pictures if you want them. But here, it's just me saying I Must do better. Well, I really must do better. Here's the thing. Did I gym this month? Yes. My twitter followers know this. Ask them. It won't take long there's only three of them. But it lacked structure, badly. You can't just go in run, throw some weights around and progress but that's what I'm doing and far from regularly enough. So, here it comes...the big promise. I'm gonna train hard in October. I'm going to devise a schedule this week whilst at work (don't tell my boss) and stick to it. I shall likely begin with Rippetoe and then throw in a few challenges which I like, more than likely the 100 push up challenge which I shall start from week 1. Yes, that's what I'll do.
I shall end September's blog as I did August's with the following threat...
Come on October. What have you got? Back in a month
Welcome to the second of my monthly updates and I'm pleased to announce that September's is a lot more positive than August's! I'm sure all of my avid readers will remember how August looked but for those of a more casual approach to my blog here's a quick reminder:
Hands: 16,871
Hours: 47.58
BB/100: -0.96
$/hour: -$0.14
Total winnings: -$6.48
Total rakeback + bonus: $26.02
Total for the month: $19.54
So, as we remember August was a positive month thanks to that lovely bonus at Full Tilt Poker and my 27% rakeback. Not a sustainable source of profit as August saw the end of my main "First Deposit" bonus so future profitability would have to rely on actually being a winning player on the virtual felt, something I was keen to improve upon. So improve I feel I did. The first thing I did was openly admit I was a losing player and not able to beat the lowest stakes online, Something that is true for approximately 90% of people playing online poker but not something easily admitted. It was time to check Pokerlifter's ego at the door and face some home truths. So I posted on that wonderful forum cardschat.com and got a ton of positive feedback. The best came from a certain American on there (identity shall remain private here) that offered to sweat me a session. We finally got one setup and arranged and it took place last Sunday. He sweat me for about 90 minutes and although we were cursed with a slow connection and a slight time delay over Skype we managed to get some important thinking points across to me. Not least the rather simple question "Why are you betting?". Easy question hey? I'm playing poker and I have a good hand. Not enough. So, every move and every decision I now make on the felt I can hear his West Virginian twang in my ear saying "Why are you betting here?" and that's not to say it's always the wrong decision, far from it. I just need to constantly justify my decisions to myself and this allows me to think clearer about my opponents range and what he is calling or raising me with. Finally the one thing I have also played carefully is position. Yawn, yawn. Yes, we all know position is vital in poker but how many of us truly utilise it? Well, I'm trying my best to play as few hands out of position as possible and really hammering those limpers that act before me, so far this has been a positive step. Third and finally this month I read, or should that be re-read "Harrington on Cash Games Vol 1". I say re-read because I got this book early in the year and read it and took in approximately zero information from it. So, I read it this month and really attempted to understand it and I found it thoroughly engaging and helpful. Easily dismissed I believe as being too conservative and not relevant to the micro stakes this book does have a lot of information that is relevant and applicable. Sure, the metagame stuff can be ignored for the time being but I still got something out of it. So, Volume 2 sits beside me dear reader as I write this and I shall delve headfirst into that in October. So, enough words Pokerlifter, tell us the tale of the tape...OK, I will and I'm very happy to do so:
Hands: 15,476
Hours: 40.35
BB/100: 3.61
$/hour: $0.55
Total winnings: $22.37
Total rakeback + bonus: $18.08
Total for the month: $40.45
Impressive hey? I think so. Except for going tilt monkey last night and losing $10 I did extremely well this month. Now, I'm not yet getting my Full Tilt Pro badge and challenging Tom Dwan to some heads-up action but nonetheless I'm feeling positive with my play and although officially being rolled for $5NL I'm sticking with $2NL until my play is proven as winning and not just a heater, as I am running slightly (very slightly) above EV.
Lifting Weights
I hate writing this section. Not because it's not relevant or because I don't like this section but because it's shameful and embarrassing. I know some of you love this section and berate me for writing a massive poker section and a small gym one (you know who you are...) but it's just words here. Read up, the poker section is quantifiable...I played this much, I won this much. Graphs, stats, pretty pictures if you want them. But here, it's just me saying I Must do better. Well, I really must do better. Here's the thing. Did I gym this month? Yes. My twitter followers know this. Ask them. It won't take long there's only three of them. But it lacked structure, badly. You can't just go in run, throw some weights around and progress but that's what I'm doing and far from regularly enough. So, here it comes...the big promise. I'm gonna train hard in October. I'm going to devise a schedule this week whilst at work (don't tell my boss) and stick to it. I shall likely begin with Rippetoe and then throw in a few challenges which I like, more than likely the 100 push up challenge which I shall start from week 1. Yes, that's what I'll do.
I shall end September's blog as I did August's with the following threat...
Come on October. What have you got? Back in a month
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