First blue days

As I've noted before, I've been on a lengthy sojourn since the last time I was in the blue. That was on August 17, 2019; I've played 199 sessions since then. I got curious to know when the first blue day of each year of my career occurred. Here's the answer:

2009-03-25       $104,242
2010-03-17       $345,393
2011-03-12     $1,057,758
2012-03-10     $3,468,129
2013-04-15     $7,186,833
2014-01-25     $7,841,092
2015-06-10    $10,354,379
2016-01-01    $10,824,004
2017-05-23    $13,334,655
2018-01-02    $45,720,260
2019-03-11    $54,810,510

It's certainly possible that I wind up with no blue days at all this year. That wouldn't bother me too much; what would bother me is if I didn't make a profit on the year. That's never happened to me before, and I intend to keep it that way :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      85   21    28        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,837,668
2020 balance: $1,815,343
balance: $63,623,353

My favorite way to min cash

Min cashing is not one of my favorite things. That said, I do have a favorite way to min cash. Not to keep you in suspense, it's to fold my way into the money when severely short-stacked. This requires some discipline, very little skill, and a fair bit of luck. You'll almost certainly fall in at some point before the money bubble bursts, and there's no telling how good (or bad) your hand will be at that moment. Last night, I survived my fall in, and that gave me just enough chips to fold into the money.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6     109   30    29   284000

delta: $84,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,037,668
2020 balance: $2,015,343
balance: $63,823,353

Set, game, and match

In tennis, the final point of a contest can be expressed succinctly as "Game, set, and match". I'm going to reorder the words slightly to describe what happened to me at the end of last night's tournament. I was dealt an ace and a small card, flopped a pair of aces, and called all in on the river when the board didn't support a straight or any hand stronger than a straight. My opponent turned over a pair of sevens; unfortunately for me, the river card was a seven. So he hit a set on the river, and it was game and match over for me.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6     168    42   91        0

delta: $-50,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,953,668
2020 balance: $1,931,343
balance: $63,739,353

Less is more

I had another slave wages experience last night. I hit the 95th percentile, but only made a small profit, getting just 1.26% of the prize pool. That got me wondering how that 95th percentile finish stacked up against all my other such finishes. As it turned out, it had the 6th worst prize pool percentage. The worst was .43% and the best was a whopping 18.5%. Looking at the numbers, I discovered an interesting fact - the fewer the number of entries, the greater the prize pool percentage. A fine illustration of the old adage that less is more :-)

 style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9     237   54    10   134000

delta: $84,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,003,668
2020 balance: $1,981,343
balance: $63,789,353

A busted flush farewell

I remember very little about last night's session. My least hazy memory is of the final hand. Isn't that often the way :-) I was dealt the ace of diamonds and a baby diamond. Two more diamonds showed up on the flop. The turn gave me a wheel (five high straight) draw in addition to the flush draw. An opponent bet big enough to put me all in if I called. I was short stacked, and felt I had to make the call. The river was a brick. No flush. No wheel. Nothing but my walking papers :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6     148   30    50        0

delta: $-100,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,919,668
2020 balance: $1,897,343
balance: $63,705,353

Jilted by an old girlfriend

I first used this blog post title nearly ten years ago, on March 31, 2010. Of course, that was back in my cash games days. Here's an excerpt of what I had to say:

I made one monstrously bad decision last night, and it took me down to the felt at the first table I joined. It was another case of falling in love with a hand, and letting my emotions rule. It was my favorite (but fickle) hand. I had another stealth two pair, and went all in with it, failing to notice the straight possibility on the board. I got beaten by a straight ...

Last night, I was jilted by the same old girlfriend again. On the final hand of the session, I flopped a stealth two pair, and lost to a straight made on the river. Despite failing to make the money, I played well.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9     283   63    74        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6     145   36    42        0

delta: $-100,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,019,668
2020 balance: $1,997,343
balance: $63,805,353

Shortest bubble bubble

I haven't mentioned it lately, but I really miss the poker data the PokerStars client no longer collects for me. One of the most basic items I've lost is the number of hands I've played each tournament. I could save this information manually, but that's labor-intensive and no fun, so I don't do it. After last night's abbreviated session, in which I narrowly missed the money, I took a peek at the number of hands I'd played. It was just 11, which is by far the least hands I've ever played when bubbling the money bubble.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9     218   45    47        0

delta: $-50,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,119,668
2020 balance: $2,097,343
balance: $63,905,353

Prize pool heaven

Both of the last two tournaments I played had top 10 prize pools. I'm in prize pool heaven. Now if I could just make the non-funny money :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6     194   48    61        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,169,668
2020 balance: $2,147,343
balance: $63,955,353

The new normal?

Covid-19 has changed what's normal. That's obvious when we're talking about the physical world, but it may also be true in cyberspace. Last night, for the first time I can remember, there were no tournaments in their late registration periods when I logged onto PokerStars. I would have had to wait over an hour to play the first available one. That's never going to happen. I logged off forthwith. I can't help but feel that Covid-19 had something to do with this. I'm not sure how or why, but I have a hunch, and as we all know, poker players have great faith in their hunches :-)

The only game in town

I've mentioned before my intention to avoid bounty tournaments like the plague. So why did I play one last night? For one simple reason; it was the only game in town :-) At the time I logged onto PokerStars, using my default search criteria, there was only one active tournament, and it was a bounty. I didn't feel like waiting around, so I entered it. I was glad I did, since it turned out to have the most monstrous prize pool of any tournament I've ever entered - $95,004,000. The first place payout was $13,232,000. I even made the money, though I didn't turn a profit.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT-B NLHE   174000 26000       9     546  117   106   153000

delta: $-47,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,369,668
2020 balance: $2,347,343
balance: $64,155,353

Last train to Clarksville

Playing in a poker tournament is a bit like riding a train, but there are some key differences :-) First and foremost, you can be chucked off the train at any time, with no advance warning. Also, you have no set destination in mind; your aim is simply to stay on the train as long as you can. Last night, I took the last train to Clarksville. Readers of sufficient vintage will recognize that as the title of a 1966 song by the Monkees. I joined the tournament when there was only one minute left in the late registration period. It's always a little nerve-wracking when you try to do that, since you can be shut out if you're unlucky enough not to have enough time to perform two mouse clicks. That's happened to me more than once before. Be that as it may, I was in time last night. This tournament had an unusually high number of entries - 349. The last time I played in an MTT NLHE with at least that many entries was way back on February 21, 2017, in a tournament which attracted 350. 349 entries doesn't qualify last night's tournament as a massive, but let's call it a mini massive :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6     349   84     9   329000

delta: $279,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,369,668
2020 balance: $2,394,343
balance: $64,202,353

Slave wages

Last night, I peaked too early. I became the chip leader with ten minutes left in the late registration period, and had a slow but steady decline after that. I bubbled the third money jump, finishing in 16th place for the paltry amount of $83,000. Considering I hit the 91st percentile, that's truly slave wages.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9     192   45    16    83000

delta: $33,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,090,668
2020 balance: $2,115,343
balance: $63,923,353

Apockalypse Now

On the final hand of last night's session, I was dealt pocket rockets. I soon got all my chips in the middle. Three of us were left in the hand; since two of us were all in, all three sets of hole cards were flipped on their backs. I got a sinking feeling when I saw that both my opponents had pocket pairs; one had kings, and the other had tens. It was another Apockalypse Now situation. I knew I was the favorite, but also knew that my tournament life was in significant danger. I would've loved to have seen one or both of my opponents lacking a pocket pair. My sinking feeling was prophetic; the river card was a king, and I was sent packing.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9      54   12     -        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6     104   30    41        0

delta: $-100,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,057,668
2020 balance: $2,082,343
balance: $63,890,353

The most annoying way to end a winning streak

My session winning streak just ended at three, and for the most annoying of reasons - I made the money, but it was funny money. As a refresher, a funny money tournament is one where a min cash doesn't pay enough to cover your buy in plus your entry fee. Such tournaments shouldn't exist, in my opinion. To make matters worse, it's not always clear when you join a tournament if it's going to be a funny money one or not. That all depends on how many entries there end up being. Despite the streak ending, I'm in a good poker groove.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9     144   36    35    46000

delta: $-4,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,157,668
2020 balance: $2,182,343
balance: $63,990,353

42k the easy way

Last night, I made 42k the easy way. Purely by chance, I joined a tournament which had two very desirable features:

1. it was a deepstack, meaning the initial stake was 5,000 chips instead of the usual 1,500
2. it required a lower percentile than normal to make the money

The high end of the percentile range for making the money on an MTT NLHE tournament on Pokerstars is about 80; the low end is about 70. Last night's tournament clocked in at 71.52. That's like taking candy from a baby :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9     158   45    36    92000

delta: $42,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,161,668
2020 balance: $2,186,343
balance: $63,994,353

18k the hard way

The hard way to make a profit for a session is to lose your first buy in. You're playing catch up at that point. That's what happened to me last night. I only lasted 7 hands in that first tournament. Pitiful! I did way better in the second, just managing to eke out a small profit.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9     105   27    54        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6     110   30    15   118000

delta: $18,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,119,668
2020 balance: $2,144,343
balance: $63,952,353

My favorite MTT NLHE buy in

For a while, I thought my favorite MTT NLHE buy in was $200,000, but now I know it's $50,000. There's a simple chain of logic: lower buy in tournaments attract more entries, more entries mean more fish, and more fish mean my chances of making the money are better. QED.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6     121   30     5   326000

delta: $276,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,101,668
2020 balance: $2,126,343
balance: $63,934,353

Gone like sixty

Last night, like the night before, I hit the rail with one minute remaining in the late registration period. Unlike the night before, I was a lot closer to making the money. One reason? The buy in. Lower buy in tournaments attract more entries than higher buy in tournaments. Why was I gone like sixty? At the time of my ouster, I'd outlasted 60.14 percent of my opponents.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9     143   36     -        0

delta: $-50,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,825,668
2020 balance: $1,850,343
balance: $63,658,353

One minute and counting

Several James Bond movies have classic countdown sequences. I think the best of the bunch is the one in "You Only Live Twice". The suspense ratchets up as the countdown winds down. A robotic, disembodied voice over a loudspeaker periodically intones "T minus [some number] minutes and counting", as mayhem is breaking out all over the enemy compound. The contrast between the chaos of the fighting and the regularity of the countdown is amusing. I used to try to imitate that voice, especially the quirky pronunciation of the final word - something akin to Khan-ting :-)

Last night, I wish I'd had the patience to wait until there was one minute and Khan-ting in the late registration period of the tournament I entered to join it. Instead, I hit the rail at that moment, gaining myself yet another 0th place.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   187000 13000       6      63   18     -        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,875,668
2020 balance: $1,900,343
balance: $63,708,353

The right way to hit the rail

There are many wrong ways to hit the rail in a poker tournament, but only two right ways:

1. when you got your money in good
2. when you ran into a cooler

Last night, in both of the first two tournaments I entered, I ran into a cooler on the final hand. In the first one, I was dealt pocket jacks and lost to pocket aces. In the second, I was dealt pocket fours, flopped a set, and lost to a rivered flush. I'd rather hit the rail the right way than make the money the wrong way :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   187000 13000       6      18    6     -        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9      43    9     -        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9     130   36    13   122000

delta: $-178,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,075,668
2020 balance: $2,100,343
balance: $63,908,353

One selfie night

Last night I took one poker selfie. The money bubble had burst, and I was the chip leader with 17 players left in the tournament. I made it under the lights, and finished in fifth. I achieved my 18th career Half Monty in MTT NLHE.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   187000 13000       6      74   21     5   875000

delta: $675,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,253,668
2020 balance: $2,278,343
balance: $64,086,353

A looser definition of MTT NLHE success

I've decided to loosen my definition of MTT NLHE success. Heretofore, it was achieving a percentile north of 60. As of now, it is finishing in a place which is less than double the number of paid places. By this new definition, I can claim to have played successfully last night - just barely :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      69   18    32        0

delta: $-50,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,578,668
2020 balance: $1,603,343
balance: $63,411,353

Pure futility

MTT NLHE tournaments have a gold standard for futility - failing to outlast the late registration period. The ignominy of hitting the rail in this fashion? You can't be assigned a finishing place at the time of your ouster. All the tournament lobby can show next to your name at this point is a double dash. In my poker database, I record this as a 0th place. Last night I had a pure futility session. That is, I only played MTT NLHEs, and I recorded 0th places in all of them. It was the sixth multiple tournament pure futility session of my career. Ouch!

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6      85   21     -        0
MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6      41   10     -        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,628,668
2020 balance: $1,653,343
balance: $63,461,353

Going like sixty

Tonight, I'm going to quote from an earlier post in which I quoted from an even earlier post. I'll have to use two different colors :-) Here's an excerpt of what I had to say on September 8, 2018:

The more blog posts you write, the easier it becomes to quote yourself. Here's what I had to say on June 20, 2016, in a post with the same title as this one:

To make the money in an MTT, you need to outlast roughly 75% of your competitors. Outlasting less than 50% of them would clearly be a failure. However, is there some percentage you could outlast, and still be able to consider it a success of sorts, even though you failed to make the money? I think there is, and I'm pegging it at 60. By this criterion, the first of the two MTT NLHEs I played last night was a success, since I outlasted 61.68% of my opponents :-)

I went like sixty for the duration of last night's session, though I failed to make the money. I have to believe better outcomes are coming my way.

Last night, I had a percentile of 61.84% in the one tournament I entered. As before, I have to believe better outcomes are coming my way.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      76   21    29        0

delta: $-50,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,828,668
2020 balance: $1,853,343
balance: $63,661,353

A much better bubble

Last night, in the second tournament I entered, I bubbled the final table. That was a much better bubble than the one I'd had the session before, when I bubbled the money. In other news, I hit the rail on the final hand of last night's session in an unusual way, losing to a full house. Sheer overkill :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9      40    8     -        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      77   21     7   173000

delta: $73,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,878,668
2020 balance: $1,903,343
balance: $63,711,353

999? nein

Last night, I ran into a cooler on the final hand of the session. On the money bubble, I was dealt pocket nines, and hit a set on the flop. I went all in and got one caller. It was a set over set scenario; the caller had been dealt pocket kings, and had hit a set on the flop. If that isn't the cruelest way to bubble a tournament, I don't know what is :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      77   21    22        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,805,668
2020 balance: $1,830,343
balance: $63,638,353

I hope I shall arrive soon

This is the third time I've used this blog post title. Here's what I had to say the second time, on September 17, 2019:

The longest sojourn of my career between blue sessions is 381 sessions. My current one is 28 and counting. The longer I'm out of the blue, the less I like it. I hope I shall arrive soon at my next blue session :-)

I'm still on the same sojourn; its current count is now up to 174, good for the fifth longest of my career.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6     104   24    61        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9      99   27    18    53000

delta: $-97,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,005,668
2020 balance: $2,030,343
balance: $63,838,353

The second cruelest uberflush

I wrote about the cruelest uberflush in my August 15, 2015 post; here's an excerpt of what I had to say:

Uberflushes are to be expected in Omaha; that's one of the many reasons I don't play Omaha :-) In hold'em, however, uberflushes are much less likely, and consequently inflict much more anguish when they occur. The cruelest uberflush is when you've made a king high flush with king x suited, and end up losing to the ace high uberflush.

Last night, my most memorable hand was one where I suffered the second cruelest uberflush. I had a queen high flush with queen x suited, and lost to a king high. Ouch!

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6     148   36    79        0
MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      77   21    47        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6     117   30    67        0

delta: $-300,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,102,668
2020 balance: $2,127,343
balance: $63,935,353

24k the hard way

On Wednesday night, I made 24k the hard way. After my first tournament, I was $15,000 in the hole, even though I made the money. It was another funny money tournament. In the second tournament, I fared better, finishing 3 money jumps up from a min cash. That enabled me to come out in the black for the session.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6     104   24    24    85000
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9     117   27    11    89000

delta: $24,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,402,668
2020 balance: $2,427,343
balance: $64,235,353