The best green hand

For some years now, I've used the PokerStars feature which displays each suit in a different color. This makes it much easier to recognize flush draws and flushes. Hearts are still red and spades are still black, but clubs are green and diamonds are blue. Since the best suited hand is ace king, the best green hand is the ace and king of clubs. Last night, I was dealt the best green hand straight out of the gate, but couldn't win with it. Being dealt a premium hand like AKs is a double-edged sword; you're more likely to win with it, but you're also likely to lose more than you otherwise would if you can't win with it. I lost about 300 chips on that first hand, and things didn't improve from there.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6      73   21    36        0

delta: $-100,000
MTT NLHE balance: $6,867,668
2019 balance: $15,323,750
balance: $61,858,010

Shot from guns

On Saturday night, I had a shot from guns tournament. On the very first hand, I was dealt baby cowboys (pocket jacks), flopped a set, went all in, got two callers, and tripled up. That was a harbinger of good things to come. I got under the lights again, and narrowly missed achieving a partial Monty.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      73   21     4   990000

delta: $790,000
MTT NLHE balance: $6,967,668
2019 balance: $15,423,750
balance: $61,958,010

House money

It's always nice to cash in the first tournament you enter in a session; when you do, you're playing with house money. You can reinvest that profit in additional tournaments, and potentially still come out with a profit, even if you fail to cash in any of the others. That's what happened to me last night. I made a minuscule return on investment, but it was still a return :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6     115   30    12   540000
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6     136   36    55        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      64   18     -        0
MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      39   10     -        0

delta: $40,000
MTT NLHE balance: $6,177,668
2019 balance: $14,633,750
balance: $61,168,010

A crooked straight

Every poker player who's being honest prefers playing with opponents with less skill than he or she has. However, not all such opponents are created equal. I much prefer opponents who are very nearly as skillful as I am. The really bad players are horrible to play against, since they'll make idiotic moves which sometimes pay off. Natural selection takes care of the really bad players in real money poker, but there's no such luck in play money poker.

Last night, I hit the rail when a bad player held out for his gutshot straight draw, even though I wasn't giving him the right price to call. That's what I call a crooked straight :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      95   24    19   330000
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      95   24    51        0

delta: $80,000
MTT NLHE balance: $6,137,668
2019 balance: $14,593,750
balance: $61,128,010

One selfie night

I used to take poker selfies whenever I had one of the top 10 stacks in a tournament. Nowadays, I only take one when I'm the chip leader. Last night, I took one after shooting to the top of the leaderboard on a hand where four players went to showdown. I'd been dealt a big slick, and hit a pair of kings on the flop. They held up :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      87   21    18   970000
MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      83   21    44        0

delta: $-153,000
MTT NLHE balance: $6,057,668
2019 balance: $14,513,750
balance: $61,048,010

Not a bountiful harvest

MTT-B NLHE is my very worst poker style and flavor combo. Last night, I lost another $150,000 on it, bringing my career MTT-B NLHE balance to $-1,592,820. I think it's high time to just say no to bounties :-) The longer I play, the more poker style and flavor combos I consign to the scrap heap.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6     117   30    33        0
MTT-B NLHE    44000  6000       6     143   36    66        0
MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      86   21    20   329000
MTT-B NLHE    87000 13000       6     187   45    76        0

delta: $-71,000
MTT NLHE balance: $6,210,668
2019 balance: $14,666,750
balance: $61,201,010

The dreaded quatro

I'm stealing another blog post title from myself, but it's not from this blog; it's from Fahrenheit 1451, a chess blog I abandoned four years ago. Here's an excerpt:

On Tuesday night, I set a personal worst. I lost the last four games of the session in a row. I call that the dreaded quatro. I should have quit sooner, but couldn't bring myself to. The imp of the perverse was at work yet again!

In a poker context, the dreaded quatro is losing four MTTs in a row, in a single session. That's what happened to me last night. For variety, I think I may play some bounty tournaments tonight.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      88   21    50        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      33    9     -        0
MTT   8-Game  45000  5000       6      56   12    25        0
MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6     103   24    47        0

delta: $-400,000
MTT NLHE balance: $6,131,668
2019 balance: $14,737,750
balance: $61,272,010

Saved by Broadway

It's amazing how far you can go in poker when all hope seems to be lost. Perfectly timed luck can turn your fortunes around completely. That's what happened to me on Friday night. I was short-stacked, and had to go all in on a Broadway draw (a Broadway is an ace high straight). If I didn't hit it, I was out. Mirabile dictu, I hit in on the river, and was back in business! I rode that luck all the way to a fourth place finish. That extended my streak of under the lights finishes to 4. Even though I was doing my best to win the tournament, I'm kind of glad I came in fourth. Why? For the simple reason that it was my third straight fourth place finish, a freakishly rare occurrence for MTTs. My probability radar tells me this is probably the rarest sequence of events of my poker career, and will almost certainly never be repeated. An outlier of outliers, if you will :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6      82   21     4   556000

delta: $456,000
MTT NLHE balance: $6,481,668
2019 balance: $15,137,750
balance: $61,672,010

A hell of a streak

Everyone knows it's silly to talk about a streak while it's still in progress, since you might jinx it. I've decided to be silly :-) Last night, I got under the lights again. That's 3 straight MTT NLHEs where I've achieved that, which is a new personal best. How sweet it would be to make it 4 straight tonight!

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      76   21     4   266000

delta: $216,000
MTT NLHE balance: $6,025,668
2019 balance: $14,681,750
balance: $61,216,010

A blizzard of snowmen

This is one of my favorite blog post titles. It refers to the happy circumstance of receiving more than your fair share of snowmen (pocket eights) during a session. That's what happened to me last night. I was dealt snowmen 3 times, and won with them each time. Moreover, I was dealt about 6 big slicks, but decided to feature the snowmen in the title due to the season :-) I double-tabled again, and made it under the lights in both tournaments.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      80   21     6   807000
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      68   18     4   257000

delta: $814,000
MTT NLHE balance: $5,809,668
2019 balance: $14,465,750
balance: $61,000,010

A nearly memory-free session

I remember almost nothing about last night's session. Other than that I failed to make the money, all I can recall are fragments of a single hand. I was dealt baby cowboys (pocket jacks), and briefly debated how to play them pre-flop. I decided to call instead of raise. That's it! Nothing else about the hand remains, including whether I won or lost it. I'll try to retain more of tonight's session.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      63   18    31        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $4,995,668
2019 balance: $13,651,750
balance: $60,186,010

Bad beat memory

Bad beats are easy to remember, when you're on the losing end. They're not as easy to remember when you're on the winning end, though. The reason? Poker ego. The more good luck figures in your success, the less credit you can take for it. If you want to take as much credit for your success as you can, you need to force good luck into as minor role as possible. What follows naturally from this is that you end up conveniently forgetting about some of the good luck that comes your way. I'm proud to say that the most memorable hand of last night's session was one where I was on the winning end of a bad beat. I was dealt pocket queens, but an opponent hit a stealth two pair on the turn. I spiked a queen on the river, meaning I hit a two outer. I felt suitably sheepish.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      97   24    37         0

delta: $-50,000
MTT NLHE balance: $5,195,668
2019 balance: $13,851,750
balance: $60,386,010

18 again

Last night, for the 11th time in my career, I came in 18th in an MTT NLHE. I made a profit in nine of those tournaments. Unfortunately, last night's tournament wasn't one of the nine. My percentile of 58.14 was the runt of the litter. In other news, I am so not missing MTT-R NLHEs :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      43   12    18        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $5,245,668
2019 balance: $13,901,750
balance: $60,436,010

Simulcash

Last night's session was yet another example of the power of double-tabling. Somehow, when I play two tournaments at the same time, they seem to prop each other up. I still don't know exactly why this happens, but the fact that it does happen is a good enough reason to continue the practice. I cashed in both tournaments last night; call it a simulcash :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      94   24    22    84000
MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6      64   18     8   250000

delta: $184,000
MTT NLHE balance: $5,445,668
2019 balance: $14,101,750
balance: $60,636,010

The one that got away

Last night, I failed to outlast the late registration period in either of the tournaments I entered. In both, at the time I hit the rail, there were only 10 paying places. Whenever the number of paying places at the time you hit the rail is greater than 9 but not divisible by 3, you know you had an early exit. The most memorable hand of the night was one I folded preflop. I'd been dealt pocket tens, but faced a decision for my tournament life when a loose player bet big enough to put me all in if I called. I did the prudent thing by folding. With hindsight though, I wish I'd called :-) Several hands later the same loose player bet big again when I had a suited ace. Action folded around to me, and there was no one else to act behind me. I called, and shortly hit the rail. I forget what the loose player had, but it doesn't really matter. I made the right play based on his playing style, even though it didn't pan out.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      38   10     -        0
MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      37   10     -        0

delta: $-250,000
MTT NLHE balance: $5,261,668
2019 balance: $13,917,750
balance: $60,452,010

Late regging and min cashing

The easiest way to min cash an MTT NLHE is to register with only a couple of minutes remaining in the late registration period, stay under the radar, win a couple of pots, and fold into the money. That's exactly the path I took last night. However, it was just a coincidence that there was so little time left in the late registration period at the time I registered; I didn't wait. If all I cared about was min cashing, I'd wait to register every time. However, that's not all I care about. I don't wait for 2 reasons:

1. I enjoy playing poker too much to wait before starting to play
2. I have a better chance of winning the tournament by entering as soon as possible

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      51   15    14   266000

delta: $66,000
MTT NLHE balance: $5,511,668
2019 balance: $14,167,750
balance: $60,702,010

Lightning strikes twice

Last night's session was virtually a carbon copy of the one before. Once again, I played a single tournament. Once again, it was an MTT NLHE. Once again, it was a $100,000 BI+EF. Once again, it was short (16 hands) but not sweet. And finally, once again, it was a twin killing exit. Lightning strikes twice :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6      45   12     -        0

delta: $-100,000
MTT NLHE balance: $5,445,668
2019 balance: $14,101,750
balance: $60,636,010

Twin killing exit

Last night's session was short, but not sweet. I hit the rail in an unusual way, as one half of a twin killing. The other half was a player who'd been playing very loose, which is why I decided to call his all-in bet. Unfortunately for me, a third player acting after me also called, and he had the goods.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6      21    7     -        0

delta: $-100,000
MTT NLHE balance: $5,545,668
2019 balance: $14,201,750
balance: $60,736,010

Two tournament milestones

Recently, I achieved two tournament milestones:

1. on November 12th, I played my 1,000th MTT-R NLHE
2. on November 29th, I played my 800th MTT NLHE

Even though I've made a killing playing rebuy tournaments, I don't enjoy them nearly as much as I enjoy regular tournaments. I aim to play way less MTT-R in the future, and way more MTT.

In other news, I got under the lights again last night. The most memorable hand was the one when I was dealt A5o (ace five offsuit) and made quad fives.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6      57   15     4   471000

delta: $371,000
MTT NLHE balance: $5,645,668
2019 balance: $14,301,750
balance: $60,836,010

KK < J9o

The most memorable hand of Friday night's session was the one which fatally crippled my stack in the second tournament I entered. I was dealt cowboys (pocket kings), but lost to an opponent who'd been dealt J9o (jack nine offsuit) and hit a magic flush on the river. He had the good grace to be sheepish and apologetic about winning the hand. I was double-tabling, and fared much better in my other tournament.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6      70   18     9   274000
MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6      26    8     -        0

delta: $74,000
MTT NLHE balance: $5,274,668
2019 balance: $13,930,750
balance: $60,465,010

Too many rockets

Is it possible to receive pocket rockets too many times in a session? Yes, indeed. Last night, I received them three times, hitting the rail the last time. The problem with rockets is that they're just too hard to lay down. As I recall, I lost to an opponent who hit a straight on the river. I think he must have had a flush draw as well, since the PokerStars client showed me that I was only a 60% favorite after the turn.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      73   21    21   279000
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      87   21    42        0

delta: $29,000
MTT NLHE balance: $5,200,668
2019 balance: $13,856,750
balance: $60,391,010

Microsession

I define a microsession as one which lasts 10 hands or less. Although I don't have the hand histories, I'm sure that last night's session qualified. I joined a bounty tournament with 2 minutes remaining in the late registration period, lost half my stack on the first hand, and hit the rail several hands later when my pocket tens couldn't hold up. I realized recently that perhaps the reason I haven't found any massives lately is that I'm not using the proper search criteria; I'll look for MTT NLHEs with dirt cheap buy ins tonight :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT-B NLHE   174000 26000       9     122   27    56        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT with bounties NLHE balance: $-1,442,820
2019 balance: $13,827,750
balance: $60,362,010

Missing the massives

2015 was the year of the massive. My definition of a massive is a tournament with more than 1,000 entrants. They were plentiful back then at the 1,000 BI+EF level. I really enjoyed playing massives, and miss them. These days, it's rare for me to find a tournament which attracts more than 100 entrants. MTT-B NLHEs seem to attract more entrants than MTT NLHEs, so I might start playing more bounty tournaments.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT-B NLHE   174000 26000       9     148   36    56        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      83   21    39        0

delta: $-210,000
MTT with bounties NLHE balance: $-1,242,820
2019 balance: $14,027,750
balance: $60,562,010

The rare zero bird

Last night, I had a sighting of the rare zero bird. That's a session where I break exactly even. In 2,982 career sessions, I've only had 2 such sightings. In terms of rarity, that's in between a full house and a four of a kind.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      89   21    18   100000
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9      41    9    25        0

delta: $0
MTT NLHE balance: $5,221,668
2019 balance: $14,237,750
balance: $60,772,010

The one bullet challenge

As I've mentioned before, I have a love / hate relationship with rebuy tournaments. They've given me the lion's share of my profit, but not the lion's share of my poker enjoyment. When I haven't played rebuys in a while, I start to miss them; however, as soon as I start playing them again, I get aggravated anew by the asinine behavior of the superdonks. To keep my aggravation down to a minimum, I've decided to issue myself this challenge - only to fire a single bullet any time I play a rebuy. We'll see how I do :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      84   21     7   730000
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      74   21    48        0

delta: $480,000
MTT NLHE balance: $5,171,668
2019 balance: $14,237,750
balance: $60,772,010

9 selfie night

I can't resist taking a poker selfie whenever I'm the chip leader in a tournament. On Friday night, I took 9 in the first tournament I played. Here are the numbers:

my chips remaining players

   3,993                36
  29,094                14
  29,114                 8
  38,495                 7
  41,685                 5
  67,410                 5
  77,976                 4
  89,948                 3
 104,004                 2

I ended up as Lord High Everything Else. To add a cherry on top, I had a royal flush on my way to that second place finish :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6     114   30     2   502000
MTT-B NLHE    44000  6000       9     210   45    65        0

delta: $352,000
MTT NLHE balance: $4,691,668
2019 balance: $13,757,750
balance: $60,292,010

Single bounty boy

Last night, for the first time in nearly a month, I played an MTT-B NLHE. I made the money, and also made a profit. With bounty tournaments, it's quite possible to make the money but fail to make a profit; that will usually be due to failing to win at least one bounty. Last night, I was a single bounty boy :-) Bounty tournaments are a lot of fun; I'll play another tonight.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT-B NLHE    44000  6000       9     129   27     6   141900
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      30    8     -        0

delta: $63,900
MTT with bounties NLHE balance: $-982,820
2019 balance: $13,405,750
balance: $59,940,010

A blizzard of snowmen

Last night, I received pocket eights, aka snowmen, three times in the MTT NLHE I played. That qualifies as a blizzard of snowmen :-) In my love/hate relationship with MTT-R NLHE, the pendulum has swung back to the hating side. I'm sick of the superdonks. I'll probably stick to just MTT NLHE tonight.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9      50   12    25        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      80   21    14   389000

delta: $89,000
MTT NLHE balance: $4,289,668
2019 balance: $13,341,850
balance: $59,876,110

86ed

Last night, I got under the lights again, and just missed achieving a Full Monty. In the MTT NLHE I  played, I was the chip leader for a significant portion of the tournament. I lasted more than 200 hands, and wound up in 3rd place. On the hand that took me to the rail, my ace rag lost to an eight six offsuit. 86ed :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9      54   12    31        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      70   18     3  1254000

delta: $954,000
MTT NLHE balance: $4,100,668
2019 balance: $13,252,850
balance: $59,787,110

Priced in

With no hand histories to help me, I'm reduced to writing about what I can remember about a session. As it turns out, what I can generally remember about a session a day after it ends is not a whole lot :-) This is both good and bad. The good: when you're playing well, you're so in the zone that you don't actually need to make conscious decisions; you can let your subconscious take over. When you achieve that level of play, you're not storing anything in long term memory. So it makes a lot of sense that you can't remember much. You can't remember because there was no need to remember. The bad: it's impossible to write very intelligibly about what you can't remember :-)

What I remember most about last night's session was a hand I was forced to call all in with since I was severely short-stacked and priced in. My holding was A6o (ace six offsuit). My opponent turned over his own A6o at showdown, and we chopped the pot.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      91   24    40        0
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9      55   12    34        0

delta: $-150,000
MTT with rebuys NLHE balance: $46,652,000
2019 balance: $12,298,850
balance: $58,833,110

Cowboys into the sunset

The most memorable hand of last night's session was the final one of the second tournament I entered, when I hit the rail with pocket kings. My cowboys rode off into the sunset when an opponent spiked trip queens on the river. I was a big favorite up until the final card. I can't complain, however; I'd been on the lucky side of a bad beat earlier in the tournament. Not surprisingly, you never hear players complain about winning a hand they should have lost; I don't do that myself. However, lots of players complain bitterly about losing a hand they should have won; I only do that once in a blue moon.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      82   21     -        0
MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      55   15    20        0
MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      45   12     -        0

delta: $-450,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,096,668
2019 balance: $12,448,850
balance: $58,983,110

Out with A9o

I can't overstate how much I miss the hand histories. Without them, it's almost as if I didn't play at all. I don't remember very much about last night's session, other than that I came close to making the money in the MTT-R NLHE I played. I do remember my holding on the final hand of the night - A9o (ace nine offsuit). I also remember that there was a nine high flop, giving me a little hope. However, three of us went to showdown and I was the runt of the litter. The winner spiked trip 5s on the turn or the river, and even it he hadn't, I would have lost to the other player, who had cowboys (pocket kings) in the hole.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6     115   30     -        0
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9      55   12    16        0

delta: $-250,000
MTT with rebuys NLHE balance: $46,752,000
2019 balance: $12,898,850
balance: $59,433,110

Trackpad fingerfehler

I haven't used a mouse in years. The reason? I haven't used a desktop computer for years. All laptops have trackpads instead of mice. Not all trackpads are created equal, however. Some have left and right "mouse" buttons, and others don't. My old laptop had these buttons, but my new one doesn't. To do a "left click", I need to click in the bottom lefthand area of the trackpad. To do a "right click", I need to click in the bottom righthand area of the trackpad. I find this annoying; I like physical buttons better. This is all to set the stage for an unfortunate incident that occurred in last night's session. At a critical time, I clicked on the "Fold" button in the PokerStars client by mistake. I had made a straight, and would almost certainly have won the hand had I called the river bet of an opponent. I was just trying to click on an innocuous piece of screen real estate to get rid of a PokerStars window I'd accidentally caused to appear, in part due to my lack of practice with button-less trackpads. So I guess that was two fingerfehlers, strictly speaking. I lost of huge chunk of my stack, and narrowly missed making the money in that tournament.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6      94   18    41        0
MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      60   15    17        0
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9      70   15    11   358000

delta: $-192,000
MTT with rebuys NLHE balance: $46,952,000
2019 balance: $13,148,850
balance: $59,683,110

In the presence of royalty

The most memorable hand of last night's session was not one that I won. It was one where another player made a royal flush in clubs. Royal flushes are rarer than hen's teeth, and it's an honor just to witness them. My very first royal flush was in clubs, so I'm partial to that kind :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      83   21     5   253000

delta: $203,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,896,668
2019 balance: $13,340,850
balance: $59,875,110

In the dark

Sitting down to write this blog post, I realize how utterly in the dark I am without the hand histories. Here's a partial list of what I've lost, due to the inferior client software I've been forced to use:

1. the number of hands I played
2. the hole cards of every hand
3. the betting actions on every hand
4. the hand delta of every hand
5. the showdown details of every hand which went to showdown

This is a catastrophe. If I can't get the better client back, I'll need to change the poker site I use.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      56   15     8   487000

delta: $287,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,693,668
2019 balance: $13,137,850
balance: $59,672,110

Back in business (sort of)

On Saturday night, I experienced a violent incident of poker interruptus - my laptop decided to turn off its screen as its first defensive reaction to discovering that it was overheating. My reaction was to turn the whole computer off without delay :-) At the time, I was double-tabling and doing well in both tournaments, so I was bummed out on several counts. On Sunday, I went to Best Buy and got a new laptop, which I'm using to write this post. It's taken me several days to get most of my old programs and tools set up on the new computer, but now I'm almost back in business.

I was shocked and pleased to discover that I actually wound up min cashing, in absentia, one of the two tournaments I'd been playing when the interruption occurred.

One unfortunate consequence of being forced onto a new computer is that PokerStars has made it much harder (if not impossible) for American-based players to get the full-featured version of the PokerStars client software if they don't live in a state where online poker is legal. As far as I can tell, only the play money version is available for such players, and it's severely dumbed down. There's no feature to save the hand histories! That's criminal. Loving my poker data as I do, I'm depressed that I'll be missing so much of it going forward. I tried writing their help desk an email, but they helpfully informed me that they no longer take help queries by email, and even more helpfully suggested I fill out a form on a site which couldn't be found by my browser :-(

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6     104   27    26    70000
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9      43    9    24        0

delta: $-80,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,406,668
2019 balance: $12,850,850
balance: $59,385,110

The power of two

Last night, I double-tabled, and made the money in both tournaments. Every time this happens, it strengthens my belief in the power of two. Somehow, the tournaments prop each other up. I don't fully understand why this should be, I only know that it is. I went super deep in the MTT-R NLHE I played; deep enough to register another Full Monty. That's my 20th Full Monty of the year, eclipsing the 19 I registered in 2017. Things are looking up :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6    78      96   24    13   112000
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9   116      35    7     3  1631000

delta: $1,593,000
MTT with rebuys NLHE balance: $46,944,000
2019 balance: $12,930,850
balance: $59,465,110

Swinging for the fences

It makes little sense to swing for the fences in a cash game, since there's no limit to the amount of money you could lose by doing so. It may make sense to swing for the fences in a tournament, however; the difference is that in a tournament, the most you can lose is your buy in. That may be an acceptable risk when weighed against the upside potential of reaching the huge payouts at the top of the pay table. Last night, nearing the money in the MTT-R NLHE I was playing, I decided to swing for the fences with a flush draw. I could have folded and had a chance to min cash, but I didn't want a min cash; I wanted big bucks :-) It didn't pan out for me, but I don't regret my decision. I made it with the full knowledge that hitting my flush was a long shot.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6    56     100   24    47        0
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    79      39    8    14        0

delta: $-150,000
MTT with rebuys NLHE balance: $45,413,000
2019 balance: $11,337,850
balance: $57,872,110

A month by the lake

Poker is the most relaxing thing I know how to do. Whenever I play it, I'm on vacation. I feel like I'm sitting on an Adirondack chair, with a beer on a table beside me and a novel in my hands, on the shore of a beautiful lake. I just want to stay there and never leave :-)

With last night's session, I've now played 32 consecutive nights. More than a month by the lake!

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6    25      59   15    20        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,374,668
2019 balance: $11,487,850
balance: $58,022,110

A two by four to the head

If there's anything worse than having your aces cracked, it's having them cracked with such vehemence that you're drawing dead on the river. That's what happened to me on the final hand of last night's session (which, by the way, was an extremely short one). It felt like taking a two by four to the head.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    12      46   12    34        0

delta: $-150,000
MTT with rebuys NLHE balance: $45,513,000
2019 balance: $11,687,850
balance: $58,222,110

The iceberg leaveth ... eventually

I had a nice change of fortune last night. I made the money in both of the tournaments I entered, and was Lord High Everything Else in one of them. The most noteworthy thing about the session had nothing to do with me, however; it had to do with a remarkable feat by another player in the first tournament I played. He built up such a huge stack that he was able to come in third after sitting out his last 88 hands! I've never seen such a thing before, and may never again.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6   204     140   36     2   579000
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    63      64   15    13   291000

delta: $720,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,574,668
2019 balance: $11,837,850
balance: $58,372,110

First two bullet futile century

Last night, I wasn't able to resist a return to rebuys. In my defense, the first available tournament was a rebuy, and I didn't want to wait any longer than I had to. Truth be told, though, I've been missing rebuys, even though I complain about them, and only needed a flimsy excuse to play one again. I'm glad I did, even though I didn't make the money, since I set another personal borscht - my first ever two bullet futile century :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9   101      52   12    17        0

delta: $-100,000
MTT with rebuys NLHE balance: $45,472,000
2019 balance: $11,117,850
balance: $57,652,110

11th bubble of the year

Last night, in the first tournament I played, I registered my 11th bubble of the year. That's one shy of my career high for a single year, set in 2017. Since I have plenty of sessions left to play this year, I seem destined to set a new career high. Once again, I had an ace in my hand when I hit the rail.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6    62      80   18    19        0
MTT   8-Game  45000  5000       6    50      43    9     -        0

delta: $-150,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,045,668
2019 balance: $11,217,850
balance: $57,752,110

Multibuster

It's always nice to have multiple ways of winning a hand. On the river of the final hand of last night's session, I had 3:

1. hit a club for a club flush
2. hit an ace for trip aces
3. hit a king or a seven for aces up

None of them panned out. I call that a multibuster. Despite that outcome, I'd play that hand the same way every time, and have no regrets.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6    30      68   18    22        0

delta: $-100,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,145,668
2019 balance: $11,367,850
balance: $57,902,110

Two anniversaries

I recently had a poker anniversary, and I'm about to have another. October 18th was the second anniversary of the last time I played a cash game. As I've stated before, I intend never to play cash again. November 25th will mark the 10th anniversary of this blog. In other news, last night I was the bubble boy once again.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6    48      77   21    22        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,245,668
2019 balance: $11,467,850
balance: $58,002,110

Top 10 power outage

It's hard to do well without getting your share of premium hands. Last night, in the MTT NLHE I played, I didn't get a single one in 73 hands. By rights, I should have received 3. As it turns out, that's the sixth longest power outage I've ever suffered.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   8-Game  45000  5000       6    11      49    9    29        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6    73      86   21    25        0

delta: $-100,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,445,668
2019 balance: $11,667,850
balance: $58,202,110

My current tournament selection criteria

1. just say no to MTT-R NLHEs
2. just say no to MTT-B NLHEs
3. just say no to 9-max
4. just say no to $200,000 BI+EF tournaments

What does that leave? $50,000 BI+EF 6-max MTT NLHEs and $50,000 BI+EF MTT 8-games.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6   113      71   18    12   111000
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6    62      38   10    20        0

delta: $11,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,495,668
2019 balance: $11,767,850
balance: $58,302,110

Pulling the sled

At this point in the poker year, I feel like a sled dog. I'm pulling the sled and racking up the miles. Every day feels much like the previous one, but I'm not bored by this; on the contrary, I feel content and at peace. I'm doing what I love to do, and doing it well. What's to complain about?

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6    87      81   21    26        0
MTT   8-Game  45000  5000       6    96      49    9    14        0

delta: $-100,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,484,668
2019 balance: $11,756,850
balance: $58,291,110

The incredible shrinking win rate

When I started playing online poker, I played cash games exclusively, and predominantly only one table a session. Nowadays, I play tournaments exclusively, and predominantly multiple tournaments a session, often two or three at a time. How times have changed :-) In my cash game days, a good session winning percentage was anywhere north of 66. A good tournament winning percentage is half that, or even less. The upshot of these changes is that I have a shrinking win rate, but my profit hasn't suffered. It's pretty amusing to look at the numbers:

 rate   wins  count    year

67.97     87    128    2009
63.46    132    208    2010
70.08    178    254    2011
48.87    280    573    2012
62.82    196    312    2013
50.93    247    485    2014
40.31    310    769    2015
39.68    467   1177    2016
32.79    220    671    2017
28.20    141    500    2018
26.44    138    522    2019

It's easy to see that 2012 was the year I started playing tournaments, since that's the first year where the count is greater than the number of days in a year.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6    43     134   36    63        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6    24      40   10     0        0
MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6    99      71   18    17   308000

delta: $-142,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,534,668
2019 balance: $11,856,850
balance: $58,391,110

yatt

Last night I achieved yatt - yet another top ten. I tied for third-most all-ins in an MTT NLHE tournament. Here are the top ten, plus ties:

14  2016-12-20a
12  2017-01-03d
10  2019-11-02b
10  2017-02-03a
10  2017-01-18e
10  2016-07-28b
 9  2019-09-13b
 9  2019-09-06c
 9  2017-04-11c
 9  2016-11-28g
 9  2016-10-14b
 9  2016-09-29b

You can't reach those kinds of numbers without both luck and skill. I was happy to have both last night :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6    57      77   21    24        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6   110     107   30    12   130000

delta: $-120,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,676,668
2019 balance: $11,998,850
balance: $58,533,110

Disappearing into the year

The deeper you play into a poker year, the more the accumulated data of the year outweighs whatever your current results are. In effect, you disappear into the year, and it takes a search party to find you. On the final days of the year, you're essentially invisible. This is to be expected, and I actually kind of like it. It makes you feel like you're playing with house money :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6    33     124   30    35        0
MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6    82      78   21    12   217000

delta: $67,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,796,668
2019 balance: $12,118,850
balance: $58,653,110

Yet another personal borscht

It's a given that the highest percentile you can achieve in a tournament where you failed to make the money is when you bubble the tournament. However, it's not a given that your highest career percentile in tournaments where you failed to make the money will come from a tournament you bubbled. Case in point: the MTT-B NLHE I played last night. It paid 45 places, and I came in 48th. I bubbled the bubble of the bubble, in other words :-) Despite not bubbling, though, I registered my highest career percentile in an MTT-B NLHE where I failed to make the money, clocking in at 78.18. Yet another personal borscht :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT-B NLHE    87000 13000       9    54     220   45    48        0
MTT   8-Game  45000  5000       6    57      49    9    20        0

delta: $-150,000
MTT with bounties NLHE balance: $-1,096,720
2019 balance: $12,051,850
balance: $58,586,110

A century above water

Last night, in the MTT NLHE I played, I registered another century. Not only that, I registered a century above water - at the end of 103 of the 118 hand I played, my stack was in the black. I thought that was a pretty big deal until I checked the archives - it was the 51st century above water of my MTT NLHE career. Ho hum :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6   118      90   21     5   275000
MTT   8-Game  45000  5000       6    45      33    6    17        0

delta: $175,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,729,668
2019 balance: $12,201,850
balance: $58,736,110

Evermore session

Last night, I had an evermore session - I lasted longer in each succeeding tournament. I made the money in the final tournament, where I registered another century. I had a big laydown on the river near the end of that tournament, losing over half my stack. Big laydowns aren't sexy, but they're essential to your poker health :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6     6     102   24    48        0
MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6    16      83   18     -        0
MTT   8-Game  45000  5000       6    65      50    9    22        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6   114      98   24    17   101000

delta: $-149,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,504,668
2019 balance: $12,026,850
balance: $58,561,110

A surprising century stat

Running some numbers while searching for an angle to this blog post, I came across a century statistic which really surprised me. The percentage of MTT NLHEs where I achieve a century has been climbing fairly steadily from the time I first started playing them. It reached its current all-time high of 11.66 with the first MTT NLHE I played last night. I don't expect it to go much higher, but I also don't expect it to fall back very far :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6   101     105   30     9   141000
MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6    34      92   18    51        0

delta: $-9,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,603,668
2019 balance: $12,175,850
balance: $58,710,110

One hand to rule them all

Looking at the bar chart of my stack size over the course of the MTT NLHE I played last night, one hand stands head and shoulders above the rest. I was dealt pocket queens, and ended up raking in a pot worth 4,734 chips, of which 3,196 were o.p. (other people's). I more than tripled up. That was on hand 39, and the following good things ensued:

- I achieved a century
- I made the money
- I made a profit on the night

I plan on more of the same tonight :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6   109      81   21    18   352000
MTT   8-Game  45000  5000       6    36      22    4     -        0

delta: $102,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,612,668
2019 balance: $12,184,850
balance: $58,719,110

Two min cashes

There are at least two very good reasons to play MTT NLHE instead of MTT-R NLHE or MTT-B NLHE:

1. because there are no rebuys, there are no superdonks
2. because there are no bounties, making the money ensures you make a profit

Last night, I played two 6max MTT NLHEs, and min cashed in both. Given my losses of late, I'll take it :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6    56      64   18    18   278000
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6    95     111   30    27    74000

delta: $102,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,460,668
2019 balance: $12,082,850
balance: $58,617,110

yaftb

Last night, I experienced yaftb - yet another final table bubble. It was my second final table bubble of the month. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make a profit on the night. From now until the end of the year, I'm going to focus on 6-max MTT NLHE primarily, on 9-max MTT-B NLHE secondarily, and will try to avoid rebuys completely. We'll see if I can stick to that :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT-B NLHE    87000 13000       9    24     255   54   109        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6   152     117   30     7   221000
MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6     5      42   10     -        0
MTT   8-Game  45000  5000       6    38      43    9    29        0

delta: $-179,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,358,668
2019 balance: $11,980,850
balance: $58,515,110

Superdonk-free

Last night, I enjoyed a superdonk-free session. The only way to do that is to avoid entering any rebuy tournaments. I didn't set out with that intention, but it happened organically. I wanted to double table, and no rebuy tournament was on offer at the time I started playing. It worked out well, as I made the money in both of the tournaments I entered. To be sure, I actually lost money on the bounty tournament, but still made an overall profit on the night. Tonight, I'll stay away from rebuys again, this time on purpose :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT-B NLHE   174000 26000       9    99     137   36    21   156000
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6   138      68   18     8   137000

delta: $43,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,387,668
2019 balance: $12,159,850
balance: $58,694,110

yadr

Last night, in the first tournament I entered, I suffered being on the losing end of yadr - yet another deluxe redraw. As a refresher, here's the definition (from my January 11, 2018 post):

In poker parlance, a redraw is when one player is ahead of another after the flop, the places get reversed on the turn, and then the places get reversed again on the river. In my parlance, a deluxe redraw is when one player is ahead of another before the flop, the places get reversed on the flop, the places get reversed again on the turn, and finally the places get reversed yet again on the river.

Before the flop, I was a 57.15% favorite. After the flop, I was a 20.20% dog. After the turn, I was an 86.36% favorite. Unfortunately for me, my opponent hit a straight on the river, and I lost over half my stack in a New York minute. This was on hand 17, and I went into grinding mode, finally hitting the rail 49 hands later.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6    66      74   21    30        0
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    30      61   15    33        0
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    68      55   12    15        0

delta: $-400,000
MTT with rebuys NLHE balance: $45,572,000
2019 balance: $12,116,850
balance: $58,651,110

Apples coming in

Last night, I achieved the 55th Full Monty of my career. Apples coming in! I'm hoping this is the start of a massive turnaround.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    33      52   12    17        0
MTT-B NLHE    87000 13000       9    17     179   36    52        0
MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6   194      81   21     2  1564000

delta: $1,114,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,500,668
2019 balance: $12,516,850
balance: $59,051,110

Worst 61 bagger ever

I'm now losing play money faster than ever before. My blue distance just topped 8 million, in only 61 sessions. Last year, when I set my career blue distance record, it took me 127 sessions to lose that much. Am I worried? No. Am I a bit bemused? Yes :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6    13      40   10     0        0
MTT   8-Game  45000  5000       6    61      52   12    23        0

delta: $-250,000
MTT NLHE balance: $2,136,668
2019 balance: $11,402,850
balance: $57,937,110

Double domination, all for naught

Some hands hurt more than others. The hand that took me to the rail in the MTT NLHE I played last night hurt a lot. I was dealt snowmen (pocket eights), hit a set of eights on the flop, and went all in. I got one caller, but three of us would be going to showdown since one of my opponents had gone all in preflop. I was an 88.1% favorite after the turn, which meant that I dominated both opponents, but it was all for naught. I couldn't beat either one; the river card gave one of them a straight, and the other three of a kind, tens. That's poker :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paidplace winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6    38      81   21   38        0
MTT-B NLHE    44000  6000       9    23     168   36   47        0

delta: $-250,000
MTT NLHE balance: $2,336,668
2019 balance: $11,652,850
balance: $58,187,110

Houdini-like escape

My laptop has been acting up for a while now. One if its recurring malfunctions is going through periods where it ignores trackpad input. This poses a deadly danger when I'm playing online poker, for it means there may be stretches of time where it's literally impossible for me to act, causing the PokerStars software to sit me out automatically. This points out a glaring deficiency in the PokerStars software itself - it should provide keyboard equivalents for all trackpad features, but does not.

Last night, near disaster struck. I was double tabling, the trackpad went AWOL, and I got sat out of both tournaments. It's a sickening feeling not to have any control over when you'll be able to make poker decisions again. It was looking increasingly likely that I'd be anted and blinded out of both tournaments before the trackpad came back. At the very last moment, my agency was restored to me. It was too late to salvage the MTT NLHE, but I made a Houdini-like escape in the MTT-R NLHE.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6    67     126   30    31        0
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    71      59   12    12   375000

delta: $175,000
MTT with rebuys NLHE balance: $45,922,000
2019 balance: $11,902,850
balance: $58,437,110

Worstfest

Lately, I've been setting a new personal worst every single session. It's a worstfest :-) The latest is my worst five bagger ever. Here are the top 10:

$-3,023,000 2019-10-14 2019-10-18 (0)
$-2,448,000 2019-10-13 2019-10-17 (1)
$-2,014,000 2019-10-11 2019-10-16 (1)
$-1,850,000 2018-05-22 2018-05-26 (0)
$-1,850,000 2018-02-24 2018-02-28 (0)
$-1,850,000 2018-02-23 2018-02-27 (0)
$-1,800,000 2018-07-28 2018-08-01 (0)
$-1,750,000 2019-09-25 2019-09-29 (0)
$-1,750,000 2018-07-27 2018-07-31 (0)
$-1,750,000 2018-02-25 2018-03-01 (0)

My blue distance is now within conversational distance of 8 million. I'm curious to find out where this freefall will end :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT-B NLHE    87000 13000       9    64     237   54    40   127000
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    39      57   12    27        0
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    59      58   12    19        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6     9      64   18     -        0

delta: $-323,000
MTT with rebuys NLHE balance: $45,697,000
2019 balance: $11,727,850
balance: $58,262,110

Third worst 57 bagger

When you're on a massive downswing, as I now am, it helps to know you've survived them before. Truth be told, you start to revel in their massiveness :-) The last time I was in the blue was on August 17th. I've played 57 sessions since then, and have lost an aggregate of 7,544,300 play dollars. As it turns out, that's only the third worst 57 bagger of my career. Here are the top ten:

$-7,707,000 2018-07-28 2018-10-02 (14)
$-7,639,000 2018-07-27 2018-10-01 (14)
$-7,544,300 2019-08-18 2019-10-17 (15)
$-7,143,000 2018-07-29 2018-10-03 (15)
$-7,052,000 2018-07-26 2018-09-30 (15)
$-6,957,000 2018-08-20 2018-10-29 (16)
$-6,862,300 2019-08-17 2019-10-16 (16)
$-6,757,000 2018-08-19 2018-10-28 (16)
$-6,751,000 2018-08-23 2018-11-04 (16)
$-6,657,000 2018-08-17 2018-10-27 (16)

Last night, I played reasonably well; my percentiles were all in the 60s. I know I'll bust out one of these days :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6    18      63   18    22        0
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    53      44    9    16        0
MTT-B NLHE    87000 13000       9    24     190   45    61        0

delta: $-500,000
MTT NLHE balance: $2,636,668
2019 balance: $12,050,850
balance: $58,585,110

Worst three bagger ever

Counting last night, I've now played 2,939 sessions in my online poker career. That translates to 2,937 three baggers. A three bagger is simply three consecutive sessions. Last night, I completed my worst three bagger ever. Here are the top ten:

$-2,200,000 2019-10-14 2019-10-16 (0)
$-1,559,300 2019-08-23 2019-08-25 (0)
$-1,450,000 2018-02-25 2018-02-27 (0)
$-1,438,000 2019-08-24 2019-08-26 (0)
$-1,300,000 2018-07-27 2018-07-29 (0)
$-1,300,000 2018-02-24 2018-02-26 (0)
$-1,255,000 2018-02-02 2018-02-04 (0)
$-1,250,000 2018-07-28 2018-07-30 (0)
$-1,250,000 2018-02-23 2018-02-25 (0)
$-1,247,000 2019-10-08 2019-10-10 (0)

As you can see, I trounced the second place finisher. In related news, my blue distance is now $7,044,300. I appear to be making a serious run at my all time blue distance high of $11,578,000 :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6    35      91   24    31        0
MTT-B NLHE   174000 26000       9    30     212   45    92        0
MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6    43      72   18    32        0
MTT-B NLHE    87000 13000       9    32     190   45     -        0
MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6    40      53   15    23        0

delta: $-900,000
MTT NLHE balance: $2,836,668
2019 balance: $12,550,850
balance: $59,085,110

A tale of three straights

The three most memorable hands of last night's session all featured straights. Unfortunately for me, I lost all three. In the first MTT-R NLHE I played, I lost with a straight two hands in a row - the first time to a better straight, and the second time to a full house. My equity after the turn was 75% for the first straight and 86.36% for the second one. In the second MTT-R NLHE I played, I hit the rail when my two pair lost to a straight. My equity after the turn was 90.91%. I couldn't win with a straight, but I sure could lose to one :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6    27      62   12    25        0
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    52      52   12    28        0
MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6    48      64   18    30        0
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    60      44    9    13        0

delta: $-800,000
MTT with rebuys NLHE balance: $46,197,000
2019 balance: $13,450,850
balance: $59,985,110

yaao

Last night, I suffered yaao - yet another aces out - in the only MTT-R NLHE I entered. It was my first aces out in over two months. After the flop, I was an 87.17% favorite, but it wasn't meant to be. I failed to make the money in any of the four tournaments I played. Once again, my blue distance has topped 5 million. I'd like to think there's nowhere to go but up, but that's not strictly true :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6    12      53   15     -        0
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    33      63   15    51        0
MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6    12      13    5     -        0
MTT-B NLHE    87000 13000       9    24     126   27     -        0

delta: $-500,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,736,668
2019 balance: $14,250,850
balance: $60,785,110

Big slick bonanza

Before last night, the most big slicks I'd ever received in a single MTT NLHE tournament was six. Last night, I received seven. Truly, a big slick bonanza! Strangely enough, I only won two of those hands. Despite that, I made it under the lights, enabling me to have a winning session at last. I'll take it :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6   146      68   18     4   502000
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    46      54   12    18        0

delta: $252,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,986,668
2019 balance: $14,750,850
balance: $61,285,110

Cold comfort

On Friday night, I had my seventh losing session in a row. The only positive takeaway I can come up with is that my losses are trending smaller. Cold comfort, but there it is.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT-B NLHE   174000 26000       9    39     171   36    26   234000
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    31      57   12    31        0

delta: $-66,000
MTT with bounties NLHE balance: $-229,720
2019 balance: $14,498,850
balance: $61,033,110

Lord Jim

It must be nearly 40 years since I read Joseph Conrad's classic novel "Lord Jim". What's stuck with me about it all this time is the miscalculation made by the central character and how it affected the whole course of his life thereafter. There's a little Lord Jim in all of us, with varying severities of consequence. The miscalculation I made about last night's session turned out to be benign. I was convinced my overall balance had fallen below another million dollar boundary, but was mistaken. I remembered I'd wagered 250,000 play dollars, but somehow managed to forget that I made the money in one of the two tournaments I entered. That may have been due to the fact that the money up top in that tournament was negligible. I admit it, I'm getting pretty jaded. If the money up top is less than a million, it's almost feels like it's not worth playing for.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6    83     109   30    17   103000
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    32      53   12    30        0

delta: $-147,000
MTT NLHE balance: $3,584,668
2019 balance: $14,564,850
balance: $61,099,110

yafftp

Last night, in the MTT 8-game I played, I suffered yafftp - yet another freefall from the peak. When I reached the peak, I was in fourth place, and in great shape. However, I didn't win a single hand after that. It was painful. To add insult to injury, I didn't outlast the late registration period, so I didn't get an official place. I know things will turn around, just not when :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    27      69   15    35        0
MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6     7      27    8     -        0
MTT   8-Game  45000  5000       6    47      37    9     -        0
MTT-R NLHE    43500  6500       9    53      66   15    31        0

delta: $-550,000
MTT with rebuys NLHE balance: $47,297,000
2019 balance: $14,711,850
balance: $61,246,110