Banjacksed

When you're short stacked in a tournament and approaching the bubble, it never hurts to be dealt a pair; the bigger the pair, the better. I got jacks in just such a spot last night. I called all in, and successfully navigated the flop and the turn; the river did me in, however. My opponent hit a straight, and that was all she wrote.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6     109   30    36        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $23,521,768
2020 balance: $16,057,443
blue distance: $1,315,900
balance: $77,865,453

Another station 2

Last night, I rode the night train to station 2 again. That is, I outlasted the late registration period, and outlasted at least half of the field. Unfortunately, I didn't get to station 3 (making the money).

This is an excerpt from my October 26 post. It applies equally well to last night's session. Only two nights remaining in my quest for a tenth Full Monty this year.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      97   24    41        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $23,721,768
2020 balance: $16,257,443
blue distance: $1,115,900
balance: $78,065,453

007

Whenever I fail to outlast the late registration period in a tournament, I record that in my poker database as a 0th place. If I play two tournaments in one session, and fail to outlast the late registration period in both, that can be considered a double 0. That's what happened to me last night. I got curious about how many times that's happened in my MTT NLHE career. The answer? Seven. Just call me 007 :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000  13000       6      38   10     -        0
MTT   NLHE    87000  13000       6      56   15     -        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $23,921,768
2020 balance: $16,457,443
blue distance: $915,900
balance: $78,265,453

Lucky ladder up

On the final hand of last night's session, I was the runt of the litter. In other words, I had the shortest stack of the remaining players. Also, I was in 10th place. What's significant about that is that there is always a money jump from 10th place to 9th place in the midnight train tournaments I play. I had an outside chance of making that money jump, if I could just survive a couple of more hands. I couldn't survive the hand, but finished in 9th anyway, due to a player at another table hitting the rail before I did. That netted me an additional $78,000 in profit. Sweet :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      75   21     9   495000

delta: $295,000
MTT NLHE balance: $24,121,768
2020 balance: $16,657,443
blue distance: $715,900
balance: $78,465,453

No cause for complaint

Last night, I hit the rail on a cooler, but have no cause for complaint. Earlier in the tournament, I was on the good end of a bad beat. On the earlier hand, I was dealt pocket sixes and eventually called all in. My opponent turned over pocket queens, and I was a huge underdog. I spiked a six on the river, though, and got a new lease on tournament life. On the final hand, I was dealt A5o (ace five offsuit), and paired both hole cards on the flop. However, the flop was all clubs, putting a flush draw out there. I decided it was too unlikely that anyone had been dealt two clubs, and played accordingly, eventually calling all in. No club showed up on the turn or river, but none were needed by my opponent, who had indeed been dealt two.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      90   21    23        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $23,826,768
2020 balance: $16,362,443
blue distance: $1,010,900
balance: $78,170,453

Gunning for a 10th Full Monty

So far this year, I've had nine Full Montys. Here's an excerpt from the blog post I wrote on April 21:

Last night, I achieved my third Full Monty of 2020. I'm on a pace to get nearly ten by the end of the year.

It's a mark of my consistency that an extrapolation from over half a year ago has held up so well. I have six sessions remaining in the year, including tonight's. I'll really be going after that 10th Full Monty :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      88   21    49        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $24,026,768
2020 balance: $16,562,443
blue distance: $810,900
balance: $78,370,453

The end of a long losing streak

Last night, the midnight train went missing again, so I entered an 8-game tournament instead. For the first time in over a year, I made the money in an 8-game. The ended a 13 tournament losing streak. Out of curiosity, I checked the archives to see whether it was my worst streak of that kind. Answer? No. My worst such streak is a gaudy 18 straight :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   8-Game  45000  5000       6      52   12    11    58000

delta: $8,000
MTT 8-game balance: $798,170
2020 balance: $16,762,443
blue distance: $610,900
balance: $78,570,453

Stay of execution

The most memorable hand of last night's session was the one where I was a huge underdog but hit a straight on the river to survive. All my chips were in the middle at the time. That stay of execution paved my way to a min cash. I'll take it :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      92   24    23   320000

delta: $120,000
MTT NLHE balance: $24,226,768
2020 balance: $16,754,443
blue distance: $618,900
balance: $78,562,453

The once and future poker flavor

Last night, the midnight train went missing again. I avoided joining a 9max tournament, as I sometimes do when there's no midnight train, and opted to play an MTT 8-game tournament instead. All 8-game tournaments are 6max, and 6max is a must for me. Coincidentally, it had been almost exactly a year since I played my last 8-game. I'm sure my next 8-game hiatus won't be as long, as it's quite an enjoyable poker flavor.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   8-Game  45000  5000       6      44    9    14        0

delta: $-50,000
MTT 8-game balance: $790,170
2020 balance: $16,634,443
blue distance: $738,900
balance: $78,442,453

Caboose boy

For me, the most satisfying tournaments are not the ones where I crush opponents. Rather, they're the ones where opponents are crushing me, but somehow, improbably, I survive. Last night, I played just such a tournament.

This is an excerpt from my January 15 post. It applies equally well to last night's session. One thing I forgot to mention before is that there are some caboose boy tournaments where I not only have a strong presentiment I'm going to make the money, I'm convinced I'm going to make it under the lights. When that comes to pass, as it did last night, it doesn't feel improbable at all; in fact, it feels inevitable :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      80   21     5   946000

delta: $746,000
MTT NLHE balance: $24,106,768
2020 balance: $16,684,443
blue distance: $688,900
balance: $78,492,453

Failure to launch

Last night, I was dealt rockets twice in less than 100 hands, over four times their expected frequency. Unfortunately, they failed to launch either time. I'd gone all in with them the second time, so it was another instance of "aces out". I outlasted the late registration period, but failed to make it to station 2. All in all, a thoroughly mediocre session :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      78   21    41        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $23,360,768
2020 balance: $15,938,443
blue distance: $1,434,900
balance: $77,746,453

The Monty hierarchy

There's more than one Monty. Here's the hierarchy I've come up with:

Full Monty: a tournament where you make a profit of at least one million play dollars

Partial Monty: a tournament where you win at least one million play dollars

Half Monty: a tournament where you make a profit of at least half a million play dollars

Partial Half Monty: a tournament where you win at least half a million play dollars

Last night, I narrowly missed making a Partial Half Monty. Not a lot to crow about, but not chopped liver either :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      82   21    11   456000

delta: $256,000
MTT NLHE balance: $23,560,768
2020 balance: $16,138,443
blue distance: $1,234,900
balance: $77,946,453

Too late for the midnight train

As I've mentioned before, I like to warm up for poker by playing chess. I love both games. Last night, grinding out a draw in my final chess game caused me to be too late for the midnight train. I had to settle for a later, lesser train. It had two things going against it:

1. the buy in was half that of the midnight train

2. the field was smaller

This made the prize pool, and consequently the payouts, much smaller. Still, beggars can't be choosy :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000  13000       6      76   21    20   145000

delta: $45,000
MTT NLHE balance: $23,304,768
2020 balance: $15,882,443
blue distance: $1,490,900
balance: $77,690,453

nbcwh session

Last night, I had an nbcwh session. nbcwh is my latest neo neo, and stands for "no brain cells were harmed" :-) I paid minimal attention to what was happening at the poker table, choosing to spend most of my time surfing the web. This can be an excellent strategy for making a profit, since "long is wrong". I'll try it again tonight.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      62   18    15   323000

delta: $123,000
MTT NLHE balance: $23,259,768
2020 balance: $15,837,443
blue distance: $1,535,900
balance: $77,645,453

Self-sabotage?

Buttons can be dangerous things. They're all too easy to press accidentally. Once a button has been pressed, you must live with the consequences, whether you meant to press it or not. I'll never forget pressing a button on a phone during a call with a girlfriend who had broken up with me, who I was trying to win back. That action hung up the phone, abruptly ending the call and any slim chance of success I might have had. To this day, I don't know why I pressed the button. In other words, I don't know if it was an accident or not. If it wasn't an accident, it may have been a deliberate act of self-sabotage. What I do know for certain is that prior to that phone call, I had no knowledge of what that button did, or even of its existence. The end of last night's session brought that fatal button press to mind. On the final hand of the night, I was short-stacked and needed to fold after paying to see a flop which didn't help me in any way. An opponent made a bet, and I fully intended to fold; however, for some reason I clicked the call button instead. I honestly don't know why I did that. It could have just been a simple fingerfehler; on the other hand, it could have been an insidious act of self-sabotage. I want to believe it was the former, but I can't quite convince myself.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      82   21    38        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $23,136,768
2020 balance: $15,714,443
blue distance: $1,658,900
balance: $77,522,453

A fine fold

Last night, for the first time in a long time, the most memorable hand was one I folded. I was dealt the king and deuce of diamonds, and hit a flush on the turn. I made a medium sized bet and got one caller. The river put a fourth diamond on the board. I made a small bet, but was then raised big by an opponent who had me covered. It would have put me all in to call; I decided there was a decent chance my opponent had the ace of diamonds, so I had to fold. That left me the short stack at the table, but I was able to grind my way into the money, then kept on grinding :-) I got under the lights, finished in third, and registered another Full Monty. Sweet :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      93   24     3  1375000

delta: $1,175,000
MTT NLHE balance: $23,336,768
2020 balance: $15,914,443
blue distance: $1,458,900
balance: $77,722,453

A two by four to the head

The most memorable hand of last night's session didn't take me to the rail, but may as well have; it left my stack on life support. I was dealt a big slick, paired my ace on the flop, and paired my king on the river. I lost to a set of nines. This was eerily similar to the recent yet another always going broke hand, but my reaction this time was quite different; I felt like I'd taken a two by four to the head. I only lasted a couple of hands after that.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      87   21    51        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $22,161,768
2020 balance: $14,739,443
blue distance: $2,633,900
balance: $76,547,453

Station 3.5

In my poker train analogy, I've decided to add another station. Since it comes after station 3 and before station 4, I've decided to name it station 3.5 :-) This station is hit after you've made the money and have outlasted at least 80% of the field, but you missed making the final table. That's what I achieved last night. It was the 321st station 3.5 of my MTT NLHE career.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      66   18    13   344000

delta: $144,000
MTT NLHE balance: $22,361,768
2020 balance: $14,939,443
blue distance: $2,433,900
balance: $76,747,453

Bubble boy

Bubbling is never fun, but you have to expect it to happen to you now and again. Looked at in a certain way, bubbling is actually quite a lucky occurrence :-)

This is an excerpt from my November 16 post. Last night, I was the bubble boy again. Along the way, I was the recipient of at least three big slicks. Without that luck, I never would've bubbled :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6     109   30    31        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $22,217,768
2020 balance: $14,795,443
blue distance: $2,577,900
balance: $76,603,453

yaagbh

Last night, I recorded yet another 0th place when I hit the rail with yaagbh - yet another always going broke hand. I was dealt a big slick, paired my ace on the flop, and paired my king on the river. I lost to a set of sevens. The great thing about an always going broke hand is that you never feel bad about playing it the way you did :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      54   15     -        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $22,417,768
2020 balance: $14,995,443
blue distance: $2,377,900
balance: $76,803,453

House falls on man

In poker, there are no good times for a house to fall on you; there are only less bad times :-)

This is an excerpt from my August 18, 2019 post. Last night, on the final hand of the session, a house fell on me. I don't remember what I had, but I remember the details of the house - deuces full of jacks. Fortunately, I made the money just before getting flattened :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      86   21    20   329000

delta: $129,000
MTT NLHE balance: $22,617,768
2020 balance: $15,195,443
blue distance: $2,177,900
balance: $77,003,453

yaktth

It's high time for another neo neo. I submit yaktth for your consideration. It stands for "yet another kicker to the head". Last night, I hit the rail with a pretty decent holding - ATo (ace ten offsuit). I paired my ace on the flop, and hitched my wagon to the hand. In other words, I decided I was going to stick with it, come hell or high water. Result? Hell :-) I lost to an opponent who'd been dealt a big slick (ace king). His kicker beat the stuffing out of mine. To add insult to injury, he paired his king on the turn. Whatcha gonna do?

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      79   21    37        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $22,488,768
2020 balance: $15,066,443
blue distance: $2,306,900
balance: $76,874,453

A hell of a slump

I'm in a hell of a slump. In my last 13 sessions, I've lost an aggregate of $2,106,900. That clocks in as my 61st worst 13 session stretch, which places it in the 98th percentile. The worst such stretch? From October 5 through October 18 of last year, I lost an aggregate of $4,578,000. Of course, that was when I was still playing rebuys. Last night, I joined the tournament when there were only 8 minutes left in the late registration period, but only managed to last 4 minutes. Pitiful indeed. Still, I ain't afeared :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      82   21     -        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $22,688,768
2020 balance: $15,266,443
blue distance: $2,106,900
balance: $77,074,453

Ofer

Last night, for the first time in a long time, I registered an ofer. That is, I failed to win a single pot. Not surprisingly, I also failed to outlast the late registration period. Ofers are actually pretty hard to come by. You need a healthy dose of bad luck. The good news is, I'm due for a dose of the good variety :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      76   21     -        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $22,888,768
2020 balance: $15,466,443
blue distance: $1,906,900
balance: $77,274,453

My kingdom for an orbit

Sometimes, you know you're going to make the money in an MTT. Other times, you know you're going to just miss making the money. The closer you get, the more it hurts not to make it. It really hurts to know that it you could just drag your sorry poker carcass around for one more orbit of the table, you'd make it, but there's no way in hell to do it, since you don't have enough money for the blinds. ... My kingdom for an orbit :-)

This is an excerpt from my January 13, 2017 post. I've quoted from it before, and I'm sure to quote from it again. It fits last night's session to a nicety.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6     104   30    34        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $23,088,768
2020 balance: $15,666,443
blue distance: $1,706,900
balance: $77,474,453 

Special Janus percentile

I'm always on the lookout for numerical beauty in my poker data. It's especially nice to find it in a losing session :-) I failed to make the money in last night's tournament, but found some pretty numbers hiding in plain sight in the tournament data. My place was exactly half the number of entries, making my percentile a Janus percentile. On top of that, the number of paid places was exactly half my place, making the tournament statistics even more special.

This is an excerpt from my September 28 post of this year. Last night, I had the second special Janus percentile of my MTT NLHE career. That was the highlight. The lowlight? I hit the rail with a big slick, losing to a pair of fives which became a set on the flop.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      84   21    42        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $23,288,768
2020 balance: $15,866,443
blue distance: $1,506,900
balance: $77,674,453

Poker gods watching over me

My run to make the money in last night's tournament was so improbable that I was sure the poker gods were watching over me. Severely short stacked, I shoved with A5o (ace five offsuit) and made trip fives on the turn. I won the pot, and more than doubled up. A couple of hands after that, I was dealt pocket queens, and raked in a big pot. A couple of hands after that, I was dealt rockets, and raked in another big pot. To top it all off, I laddered up to the first money jump after making the money.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6     100   24    18   400000

delta: $200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $23,488,768
2020 balance: $16,066,443
blue distance: $1,306,900
balance: $77,874,453

Toy train

Last night, the midnight train went missing again. I had to settle for a toy train, a tournament with a buy in one twentieth the size of the midnight train's buy in. This attracted a much larger field, but the payouts were minuscule. I ended up making the money, such as it was. I fully expect the midnight train to be running tonight.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE     9000   1000       6     315   84    78    14100

delta: $4,100
MTT NLHE balance: $23,288,768
2020 balance: $15,866,443
blue distance: $1,506,900
balance: $77,674,453

Some nice round numbers

The night before last, I made the money in an MTT NLHE tournament for the 500th time. Last night, I played in my 1,200th MTT NLHE tournament. That translates to making the money at nearly a 42% clip, for a sustained period of time. Here's to my next 500 in the money finishes :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000  26000       6      74   21    31        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $23,284,668
2020 balance: $15,862,343
blue distance: $1,511,000
balance: $77,670,353