Saturday 31 October 2009

October Round Up

Unfortunately no more poker since that good night on Tuesday! I had courseworks in for yesterday which meant long days/nights working on them. Last night I went out for my first night at Ocean this year. Aside from the repetivive music, it was a great night!

As it is the 31st October and now the end of the month, here are the stats;

October:

Tournaments Played - 71
Profit - £702.48

Overall:

Tournaments Played - 122
Profit - £1214.49
ROI - 52%

Obviously pretty happy with these results, in regards to both volume and profit!

In November I aim to continue this good start of making monthly profits. I also plan on taking less trips to DTD as it seems to burn money for me. Maybe a few more good months online and I can start taking a few shots there again.

Tomorrow I will go through the accounts with Ben and we will get ready for November, with my first session being tomorrow night.

In other news, my MRI scan wasn't the most pleasant experience, but I expect to get my results for it soon. I have also started getting through season one of Prison Break. Good friend Phil suggested it to me and I am thoroughly enjoying it so far.

Good luck to all in November!

Bye!

Tuesday 27 October 2009

Biggest Ever Cash!

Bad times followed by good times! The DTD £100 did not go well, as I busted in the 3rd level on a hand that I could have played better, maybe the occasion got to me! Anyway, that day went from bad to worse as I dropped a smallish buyin on £1/£2 cash then bubbled a £20 tournament. oops. Online grinding wasnt going great either, but volume was the answer it seemed! Many hours ago went round Bens flat with Andi to grind together and it was pretty awesome. I found it really useful getting both their opinions on hands and watching how they played.

I only played four tournaments but ended up coming 2nd in the €10r on DTD for €1550 which is my biggest cash to date. I had a lot of run good when I needed it and it felt good to get out of make-up for October! Have to say a massive thank you to Ben and Andi who helped me out loads though.

Pretty tired as it is 6.20am so going to end the post here. But all in all, a bloody good evening!

Wednesday 21 October 2009

My October Downswing + Twenty20 Weekend

Played a session on Monday night which consisted of seven tournaments that I failed to cash in. Some of the beats I took were horrible and it's now safe to say that I am on a pretty bad downswing. The problem in October has been that all my deep runs have ended up with either a bubble, or with a 9th-15th finishing position, and that just spells disaster really because there is no money in these slots. I am close now to breaking even over September and October as a whole which is pretty annoying because I felt like September went really well and I would build on it this month. I guess there is still time to turn this around!

Went to DTD one night with close friend Dawesy, and busted earlyish in the £25. A couple of £10 sngs followed which are always a laugh but I failed to cash in either. Congrats to Dawesy though who took down on of these for £50.

The first ever Twenty20 weekend starts on Saturday with a £112 buyin. I was really keen to play so have sold action to Ben and Andi to help me fund it. I'm looking forward to it massively, and hopefully I run good and take it down!

Found out last night that I have my MRI scan on my knee next week. Hopefully that goes well...

Bye all!

Oh and I saw Forest vs Barnsley last night. Boring game but a last minute forest goal made it worth it. 1-0.

Saturday 17 October 2009

Overdue Update...

Last time I updated was Sunday. Oops. Hospital on Monday was not fun at all. 2 hours behind schedule, I finally got in to see the doctor, who explained I have torn cartilage and need an MRI scan in a few weeks. I think I played a couple of lunchtime tournaments when I got home and failed to cash in either of them. That night I saw Up at the cinema in 3D which was pretty cool as it's the first 3D movie I've seen.

Tuesday night I grinded hard and from what I can remember, I got one mincash, then a final table where I came 9th after shoving 99 into AA. Unfortunately that meant a loss for the day. I played another few tournaments the past few days but the same sort of luck, losing flips when playing for huge pots.

Hit DTD on Thursday evening with a lad who has never played in a casino before. That meant playing the beginners tournament which is a massive joke really. The structure is terrible but I did manage to work up a stack when I shoved 4 or 5 hands in my first orbit on a new table to steal plenty of blinds and antes. It makes me laugh how abused I get when this sort of thing happens, apparently I am ruining the game, hmm. Anyway, nearing the bubble I lost 99 to AT, meh.

Came home to Shropshire last night and after a huge sleep this morning, I booted up a couple of tournaments and ended up final tabling the €33 on DTD. Lost A8 to AK to bust in 9th for a small profit for the day.

I have now already put in the same amount of tournaments in October as I did in September, unfortunately the results are a lot worse. It seems when I do final table this month, I always bust pretty quickly in 8th-10th. This obviously sucks due to the steep payout structures. But the increased volume I am putting in means I will soon push through this downswing and start hitting ££.

Anyway, time to chill with the family. Bye all!

-------------

EDIT: Many hours later...

So while chilling with family/watching X-factor, I decided to boot up four tournaments. Busted 2 quickly, bubbled one, and found myself with a mssive stack in the $11 on bwin. This tournament had around 700 runners which is much larger than the fields I get on dtd. Anyway, with 12 left I found myself AIPF with A7 vs KQ. Q on the flop seals my fate and I stare at my cash of $55. It doesn't take long to sink in that the $55 cash I get for coming 12th/700 only just covers the buyin for the €27.50 on DTD that I played, which I imagine equates to roughly $50. That means I am down for the night.

It is quickly sinking in just how ridiculous the variance is in these MTTs because today I have broken even roughly, after coming 9th and 12th in two tournaments. If I won the A7 vs KQ I could have gone on to win $1600 and that would change everything for October. I am trying to stay positive though, so here are a list of positives at the moment to make me feel better:

- I am learning a tonne about tournament poker and am enjoying reading 2+2 atm.
- I am consistently hitting final tables/final table bubbles, which means a big score is on its way soon!
- X-Factor is now on both Saturday and Sunday meaning I get to see Cheryl Cole TWO NIGHTS A WEEK. RESULT.

Ah the joys of blogging, I am in a cracking mood now. Goodnight!

Sunday 11 October 2009

Fun @ Squash..

Had a night off last night to chill out with housemates, but did discuss my schedule with Ben and I should now be playing a few lunchtime tournaments, which will help me continue to put in volume as the workload at uni increases.

Went to play Squash today at the sports centre, it was really good fun but unfortunately it didn't end too well as I twisted my knee and ended up in A+E. After a pretty long time waiting and hobbling round the hospital, they think I tore some cartilage. Got to go back in again tomorrow to make sure...fun times!

Put in a tiny session tonight, consisting of three tournaments. It ended up with me on the final table of the €27.50 on DTD with a nice stack. However, I busted 9th after a couple of all ins that I couldn't avoid. Still, it was good for €107 which put me in profit for the night. I am still down about £250 for October but I am determined to claw this back.

Going to get an early night now as I have to be up early tomorrow for the hospital.

Gdnite!

Friday 9 October 2009

Ongame Troubles..

Last night I played a mini session and didnt fare too well, but did get another deep run in the 6max on bwin. However, tonight, I put in a full session, and my laptop wasnt happy about it! I started off really well, was running amazingly and had a few nice stacks, but as more tables were added on bwin (Ongame), it was becoming increasingly difficult to play as tables kept freezing left, right and centre.

It became too much for me when I folded AA UTG because the raise button just wouldnt react as I was jamming it.

On DTD however, I was doing pretty well! I approached the bubble in all four tournaments there, and managed to work it into a 10th, an 18th, and two bubbles. I booked a small win there tonight, but the night was a loss once again after the Ongame struggles!

I am going to fiddle around on play money tables on bwin tomorrow and see how many the laptop can handle. If it is only two/three then Ben and I will have to discuss a few changes to the schedule.

Really want to start turning this mini-downswing around! I am working pretty hard on my game; discussing hands with Ben/Andi, and posting on 2+2. This should transform into positive results, and it will! Just got to keep putting in that volume!

Gdnite!

Wednesday 7 October 2009

Bad start to the month..

Another full session last night that didn't go well. So far I am down about £210 in October and I am rushing to find an answer to why I am not winning. But its only been 18 tournaments over two nights, so its hardly anything to go on. In September I was down a greater amount than this and still pulled out a nice profit for the month, so thats the aim this time as well!

I am a little worried about my schedule, but I want to play it a couple times more before I start thinking of possible changes with Ben. I'm not sure if I am as good at multi-tabling as I thought I was :p

So last night I was doing pretty well, but my internet disconnected for 15 minutes and I came back to some damaged stacks. This did annoy me, but there is nothing I can do and its a rare occurence. I ended up cashing fairly deep in my smallest tournament of the night, and then doing well in the $22 6max yet again. Its such a brilliant tournament. Unfortunately last night I lost AQ to A4 AIPF to bust out about 12th for $75ish. I will win that tournament soon!

Sweated Andi on a final table for a while last night, he managed to get HU and win €1000 so that was sweet. At the moment I am enjoying learning about the game so I try and sweat people as often as I can. We went over a few hands after he busted which was pretty interesting as well.

Breesy got back in the game last night, and I think he is finally going to start obeying bankroll management, so GL to him.

Going to GO APE later today. Think its a case of me and my housemates running around trees and doing other cool things. Should be fun!

Bye all!

Sunday 4 October 2009

First session of October!

Hey all! Was pretty happy to end September on a high, and had a few days off to chill out. Went to the cinema on Thursday night to see Inglorious Bastards which has been out for a while now, it was a pretty sweet film which made me laugh in a lot of spots. Friday night I went to a comedy club for a mates bday, I've never done anything like that before but I wish I had! It was an awesome night and I was laughing uncontrollably at some of the acts. Last night I went to DTD and played the first ever £15 tournament (not very glamorous eh?). Managed to make it down to about 15, but lost a big flip to bust..was good fun though!

So after a day of chilling with my housemate Andy, who was 21 today, I decided to get back on the online grind.

First thing to do was sort out the accounts! To my surprise, I actually won £512 in September. Boss Media doesnt pay you your cash until a tournament is over and I had a crappy mincash in the €10 freezeout that was added to my roll after I had shutdown the site. Sweet.

That was £256 for my profit, which I am pretty happy with. Bens share of the profit (also £256) went onto an Ongame skin (bwin) so I could start grinding five nightly tournaments there.

7.20 - $11 rebuy
8.15 - $22
8.30 - $11
9.00 - $5.50
9.15 - $22 6max

With £400 left on DTD, and £256 on bwin, I got started on the grind and ran pretty terribly to start, busting the first 7 of 9 tournaments without any cashes, oops. Luckily I cashed in the final two tournaments of the night, but unfortunately they were both min cashes, leaving me down £100+ for night #1 of October.

One of these min cashes was in the $22 6max on bwin. I really loved this tournament, I felt I had a massive edge as people were playing way too tight for 6max. I was winning so much without showdown and thats what carried me to the cash. I'm looking forward to playing more of this tournament in the future.

Running out of things to say now! Night out tomorrow for Andys birthday celebrations, then back on the grind Tuesday hopefully! Lets hope I hit a big final table!

Bye!