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