Limited options

My current #1 tournament selection criterion is to choose only from tournaments whose late registration periods are at least two thirds over. In practical terms, this severely limits the tournaments I can join right away. I almost never want to wait around, and I definitely don't want to wait if it's late at night. These considerations caused me to do something last night that I've been studiously avoiding for a month - namely, entering a bounty tournament. It didn't end well. Although I made the money, I failed to make a profit. Note to self: if the only tournament I can join right away is a bounty, and it's late at night, just give poker a miss and go to bed :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT-B NLHE   174000 26000       9     137   36    27   156000

delta: $-44,000
MTT with bounties NLHE balance: $-1,736,820
2020 balance: $2,403,343
balance: $64,211,353

Bubbling the first money jump

I first used this blog post title on March 11, 2018. Here's an excerpt of what I had to say:

Just as there are different ways to exit a tournament, there are different ways to bubble. Bubbling the tournament itself is the least desirable, since there's no profit involved. I prefer to make a profit when I bubble :-)

Last night, I bubbled the first money jump again, so I min cashed. Once again, I entered the tournament with just one minute left in the late registration period. That's my new favorite way to join an MTT NLHE :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      94   24    19    84000

delta: $34,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,378,668
2020 balance: $2,447,343
balance: $64,255,353

Ninepins

In some tournaments, players are really in a hurry to go big or go home. Those are the kind of tournaments I love :-) When enough opponents are that impatient, they go down like ninepins, and actually make it hard for you not to make the money. That's the kind of hardship to go out of your way to find. I found it in the second tournament I entered last night.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      71   18    36        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9     143   36    12    99000

delta: $-151,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,344,668
2020 balance: $2,413,343
balance: $64,221,353

Successful failure

There are many kinds of success, and many kinds of failure. They all exist on the same spectrum. The good news about this is that when you fail, it's often the case that you didn't fail as badly as you might have done. Last night, I played three tournaments, and failed to make the money in any of them. That's certainly a failure. However, on the plus side, my percentiles were quite decent. That made me curious to see how last night's session compared to similar sessions. The findings:

- I've had 8 sessions in my career where I've played at least 3 MTT NLHEs and failed to make the money in any
- last night, my average percentile was 64.31
- that beats the average percentiles of 6 of the other 7 sessions, losing only to the 70.39 of my July 9, 2016 session

Successful failure like this is often a harbinger of success :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      88   21    29        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6     152   42    53        0
MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6     107   24    42        0

delta: $-350,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,495,668
2020 balance: $2,564,343
balance: $64,372,353

Two open shove exits

My win streak came to an abrupt end last night. I played two tournaments, and failed to make the money in either one. I hit the rail in the same way both times - by open shoving, getting one caller, and then getting crushed. Whenever that happens, it makes me feel a bit silly. Still, you need to be willing and able to pull the trigger, so I'm not disappointed with my aggressive play.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9     149   36    39        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6     120   30    57        0

delta: $-100,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,845,668
2020 balance: $2,914,343
balance: $64,722,353

A plethora of pairs

In hold'em, you should expect to receive a pocket pair once every 17 hands. Last night, in a short span of hands, I received a pocket pair three times. It was essentially every other hand. A plethora of pairs! They helped me survive on my way to the money. I've now made a profit four sessions in a row, and am officially in the sweetness.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6     112   30    13   120000

delta: $70,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,945,668
2020 balance: $3,014,343
balance: $64,822,353

Another personal first

Last night, I experienced another personal first - my first heart royal flush. I made the money for the third time in a row. I ran into some bad luck on my last hand. I'd been dealt cowboys (pocket kings), but lost to an opponent with snowmen (pocket eights), who hit a set on the turn. Whatcha gonna do?

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      71   18    12   432000

delta: $232,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,875,668
2020 balance: $2,944,343
balance: $64,752,353

Full Monty

Last night, on the strength of a Lord High Everything Else result, I achieved another Full Monty. It was the 61st of my career and 6th in MTT NLHE. Since I've made the money twice in a row at the $200,000 BI+EF level, I'm thinking that's my new favorite buy in. I'll give it another go tonight :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      52   15     2  1221000

delta: $1,021,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,643,668
2020 balance: $2,712,343
balance: $64,520,353

Back to the 90s

On PokerStars, to min cash an MTT NLHE, you have to achieve a percentile in the range of 75 to 80. To make a significant profit, your percentile needs to be considerably higher. Whenever your percentile cracks the 90 barrier, you can be pretty sure you had a load of apples coming in :-)  Last night, for the first time in eleven tournaments, I achieved a percentile in the 90s, just barely - 90.14, to be precise. I bubbled the final table.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      71   18     7   642000

delta: $442,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,622,668
2020 balance: $1,691,343
balance: $63,499,353

The peril of the shorter stack

Last night, I didn't outlast the late registration period of the one tournament I entered. On my final hand, I got my money in good, but it wasn't meant to be. I was dealt the ace and king of diamonds, and two more aces showed up in the flop. I went all in after the turn, which should have forced my opponent to fold, but he called. Granted, he had a flush draw, and had me covered, but he wasn't getting the right price to call. Be that as it may, he hit his flush, and I was out of the tournament in a New York minute. The problem with having a shorter stack than an opponent in a tournament is that shoving won't necessarily cause him to fold, even when it's the mathematically correct play. Despite that, I never regret shoving when it turns out I was the favorite. I was an 84% favorite after the turn in last night's scenario.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      71   18     -        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,180,668
2020 balance: $1,249,343
balance: $63,057,353

A $100,000 savings

The best thing I can say about last night's session is that I didn't lose as much money as I thought I had. I can hardly remember a thing about the session; the only hand that comes to mind was one I wasn't involved in, when two players went to showdown and chopped the pot when they each turned over A6o (ace six offsuit). For some reason I thought the second tournament I entered had a $200,000 by in, but in fact it was only $100,000, giving me a $100,000 savings :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9     103   27     -        0
MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6      85   21    59        0

delta: $-150,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,380,668
2020 balance: $1,449,343
balance: $63,257,353

You were never shovelier

I've used this blog post title many times before, and will use it many times again. Why? For the simple reason that the circumstances which call for using it will never stop recurring. A "you were never shovelier" scenario has the following characteristics:

- I'm short stacked
- the money bubble is near
- I've been dealt a pair

On Thursday night, on my final hand, I was dealt a pair of sevens, went all in preflop, and got one caller. He turned over a pair of queens, and that was all she wrote.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6     114   30    37        0

delta: $-50,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,530,668
2020 balance: $1,599,343
balance: $63,407,353

AK < AJ

As is often the case, the most memorable hand of last night's session was the final one. I'd already made the money, and was hoping to ladder up significantly. I was dealt a big slick, a premium hand. I paired my ace on the flop, and bet it heavily on each remaining street until I was all in. At showdown, I was dismayed to see my opponent turn over AJ, since the turn card was a jack. I'd never change the way I played the hand, however.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9      98   27    16    53000

delta: $3,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,580,668
2020 balance: $1,649,343
balance: $63,457,353

Stalking the wild sure thing

Every now and then, I come across a tournament in a delightful state, when there's oodles and oodles of dead money and not much time remaining in the late registration period. In such circumstances, your odds of making the money shoot through the roof. This is as close as poker provides to a sure thing. That's just the situation I found myself in last night, in the second tournament I entered. Unfortunately, there was a rush of late entrants, and I failed to make the money partially due to that. I certainly didn't regret being a late entrant myself. I'll continue to stalk sure things in the poker wild :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      95   24    26        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9     135   27    35        0

delta: $-100,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,577,668
2020 balance: $1,646,343
balance: $63,454,353

Minuteman

Last night, the only tournament in which I made the money was the one I joined with just one minute left in its late registration period. I doubled up on the very first hand and never looked back. Just call me a minuteman :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9     124   27    16    67000
MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6      97   18    27        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9      89   18    27        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      91   24    42        0

delta: $-183,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,677,668
2020 balance: $1,746,343
balance: $63,554,353

Saved by the river

There's nothing in poker quite like the feeling of being saved by the river, when you're all in for your tournament life. That's what I experienced last night. I was short-stacked, dealt a pair of tens, and hitched my wagon to them. I bricked the flop. Then I bricked the turn. Down to my last chance, I spiked a ten on the river. Bingo :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6     149   36     -        0
MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6     115   24    61        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       9     169   36    15    99000
MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      92   24    12   480000

delta: $179,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,860,668
2020 balance: $1,929,343
balance: $63,737,353

A counterfeit house

The most memorable hand of Friday night's session was the one where I was dealt cowboys (pocket kings) and flopped a full house of kings full of deuces. I had what I thought was a mortal lock on the hand, but the turn and the river card were the other two deuces left in the deck; that meant the board counterfeited my house. I chopped the pot instead of winning it. If my opponent had had an ace in his hand, I would have lost it, so I guess I should be thankful for small favors :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      78   21    47        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $8,681,668
2020 balance: $1,750,343
balance: $63,558,353

Everything I hate about cash

Last night, after failing to make the money in the two MTT NLHE tournaments I entered, I decided to try a poker variant recently introduced on PokerStars - no limit 6+ hold'em. 6+ hold'em is short deck poker - the deuce through the five of each suit has been removed from the deck, so that 6 is the lowest denomination in each suit (hence the name). I assumed it was going to be a tournament, but to my horror, it turned out to be a cash game. That forcibly brought back to me everything I hate about cash games:

1. there may be a rake
2. tables can quit on you
3. big stacks can bully you, and you're stuck with them
4. donkeys can bleed all the fun from the game
5. there's no natural ending point
6. bad luck will eventually bite you

I started the cash game with an initial stack of $25,000, at a table with 5 other players.  After about 15 minutes, only 3 of us were left, and one of them was sitting out. So I was left heads up against a big stack who was playing aggressively. We played for about half an hour, nobody else joined, the sitting out player never returned, and the big stack eventually quit on me. I lost $13,657. It was the least fun I've had playing poker in years. 6+ cash? Never again!

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6     107   24    34        0
MTT   NLHE    45000  5000       6      93   27     -        0

delta: $-163,657
MTT NLHE balance: $8,881,668
2020 balance: $1,950,343
balance: $63,758,353

Pulling the ripcord too late

It's all very well to have a ripcord to pull, but it does you no good if you pull it too late. That's what I did on Saturday night. I fell in love with a stealth two pair, and didn't figure out it was no good until the river. Even though I'd overspent to that point, it still made sense to fold there, so I did. I was up against two opponents and it was a virtual certainty that one of them had a straight. Since they both went to showdown, I was able to see that one of them did indeed have a straight - a Broadway straight at that. My stack was crippled, and I hit the rail shortly afterwards, an outcome I fully deserved.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      93   24    34        0
MTT   NLHE    45000 26000       6     121   30    71        0

delta: $-250,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,031,668
2020 balance: $2,114,000
balance: $63,922,010

My best poker January

It's always a nice thing to start a poker year off with a bang, and I did that in January. In fact, I had my best January ever. On the strength of a deep run last night, I edged out the previous January record-holder, $2,247,000, from 2018. My next goal is to get back into the blue; I'm "just" $1,957,400 away :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6      66    12    3   803000

delta: $703,000
MTT NLHE balance: $9,281,668
2020 balance: $2,364,000
balance: $64,172,010