Knowing enough not to complain

It always surprises me a little when poker players complain about bad luck. If you play long enough, and don't play like a donk, you're essentially guaranteed to receive as much good luck as bad. That's just how poker rolls. I know enough not to complain, or at least, not to complain much :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     242   63   192        0
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     307   81    67    81000

delta: $-19,000
2024 balance: $3,057,000
2024 blue distance: $238,000
balance: $15,866,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.59 (1254 of 3015)

2k 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.

This is an excerpt from my March 16, 2020 post. Yesterday I made 2k the hard way. This tied for my lowest profit session of the year. Be that as it may, a profit is a profit :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     322   81   158        0
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     275   72    51   102000

delta: $2,000
2024 balance: $3,076,000
2024 blue distance: $219,000
balance: $15,885,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.59 (1253 of 3013)

A set of fours

Yesterday, I only played one tournament. The most memorable hand was the one where I was dealt a pair of fours, hit a set on the flop, went to showdown against two opponents, and tripled up. That set me up (pun intended) to have a good shot at making the money, and I did.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     252   63    58    83000

delta: $33,000
2024 balance: $3,074,000
2024 blue distance: $221,000
balance: $15,883,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.58 (1252 of 3011)

Divided attention

Divided attention is bad for most pursuits, but turns out to be just fine for poker. Indeed, more than just fine - actively good. Last night, I played two tournaments simultaneously, and made the money in both. I've noted before that I seem to play better when I'm double tabling. I've come up with some theories about why this might be so. One of the simplest is that it's good not to spend too long on poker decisions, and you're forced not to spend too long on them when you have twice as many to make :-)

This is an excerpt from my February 14, 2019 post. In yesterday's session, though I wasn't double tabling, I did have divided attention - I was web surfing while playing. I made the money in all three tournaments I entered. I think I'll divide my attention again today :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     293   72    25   148000
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     358   99    44   129000
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     305   72    30   140000

delta: $267,000
2024 balance: $3,041,000
2024 blue distance: $254,000
balance: $15,850,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.56 (1251 of 3010)

DVexit

DVexit is my latest neo neo, and is shorthand for Deja Vu exit. Yesterday, for the second day in a row, I hit the rail on my last hand by losing to a magic flush. I'd been dealt AJo (ace jack offsuit), and paired my jack on the flop. I got all my chips into the middle, and was an 80% favorite after the turn, but it wasn't meant to be. The river put a fourth heart on the board, and I lost to an opponent who had a heart in his hand. I left with a hand to my heart :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     495  117    78   106000
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     389   72   113        0

delta: $6,000
2024 balance: $2,774,000
2024 blue distance: $521,000
balance: $15,583,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.50 (1248 of 3007)

Broadway and a wheel

The two most memorable hands from yesterday's session came in the second tournament I entered. In the first, I flopped Broadway (an ace high straight); in the second, I hit a wheel (a five high straight) on the river. I won nice pots both times, and was on my way to making the money. I finished two pay jumps higher than a min cash, and likely would have done even better had I not been magic flushed out of the tournament.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     327   81   151        0
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     311   81    58    95000

delta: $-5,000
2024 balance: $2,768,000
2024 blue distance: $527,000
balance: $15,577,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.50 (1247 of 3005)

A multitasking fingerfehler

There are many different varieties of fingerfehler. One of the most pernicious is the double-tabling fingerfehler. That is what happens when you're playing two tournaments at once, and just about to click on a button in one of the tournaments, but end up clicking a button in the other tournament instead because the PokerStars software has thrust the other tournament to the forefront of the screen at the very last second.

This is an excerpt from my July 31, 2018 post. The double-tabling fingerfehler is a subtype of a more general type, the multitasking fingerfehler. That is what happens when you have two apps running, and are just about to click on a button in one of them, but end up clicking a button in the other app instead because the input focus changed from one to the other at the very last second. I fell prey to a multitasking fingerfehler in the second tournament I entered yesterday. I was playing online poker and online chess at the same time, and an attempted button click in the chess app became an unwanted click in the poker app instead; the result was that I inadvertently called a bet I would have folded. I lost 300 chips I shouldn't have, and thereby harmed my chances of making the money. I didn't make it. Ouch!

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     246   63   121        0
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     283   72    89        0

delta: $-100,000
2024 balance: $2,773,000
2024 blue distance: $522,000
balance: $15,582,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.49 (1246 of 3003)

Sometimes one hand is all you need

Yesterday, in the second tournament I entered, I tripled up early on. That chip infusion lasted me all the way into the money, without me winning another hand. Sometimes one hand is all you need. I only min cashed, but I'll take it :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     340   81   120        0
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     204   54    49    80000

delta: $-20,000
2024 balance: $2,873,000
2024 blue distance: $422,000
balance: $15,682,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.52 (1246 of 3001)

The straight flush that wasn't

The most memorable hand of yesterday's session was the straight flush that wasn't. On a hand where I folded preflop, the flop came ? 4d 5d (I forget what the first card in the flop was). The turn was 6d, and the river was 7d. I took another peek at my hole cards at this point, and discovered that one of them was 8d. I don't feel cheated by hands like this, and actually enjoy seeing my phantom ships come in :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     422   99   272        0
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     348   81    59   107000
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     427  117   188        0
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     256   72    30   118000

delta: $25,000
2024 balance: $2,893,000
2024 blue distance: $402,000
balance: $15,702,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.51 (1245 of 2999)

The quad that wasn't

The most memorable hand of yesterday's session was the quad that wasn't. I'd been dealt pocket sixes, but folded them preflop because the action before me was too rich for my blood. A third six showed up on the flop, and the case six showed up on the river. Since I'd made the correct play to fold, I had no regrets.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     319   81    99        0
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     266   72    16   146000
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     489  117    71   118000

delta: $114,000
2024 balance: $2,868,000
2024 blue distance: $427,000
balance: $15,677,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.50 (1243 of 2995)

The cruelest game

Decades ago, I was interested in backgammon, and bought a book called "Backgammon: The Cruelest Game". Its awesome title has stayed with me all these years. I'm here to tell you that there are moments when poker usurps the mantle of cruelest game.

This is an excerpt from my October 2, 2018 post. Yesterday, in the first tournament I played, poker usurped the mantle again. I was dealt QTo (queen ten offsuit), and flopped Broadway (an ace high straight). All my chips went into the middle after the turn. I was up against two opponents, and was an 80% favorite. However, one of my opponents rivered either a flush or a full house (I didn't notice which), and I was gone in a New York minute.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     325   81   128        0
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     315   81   175        0

delta: $-100,000
2024 balance: $2,754,000
2024 blue distance: $541,000
balance: $15,563,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.48 (1241 of 2992)

Another kind of cinco

Yesterday, though my streak of in-the-money finishes ended at five, I achieved a cinco of another kind - I've now had five winning sessions in a row. My luckiest hand came in the second tournament I entered. I was short-stacked, and got all my chips into the middle with a holding of KTo (king ten offsuit). I was up against an opponent who'd been dealt rockets, so I was a 14% underdog. We both missed the flop, which didn't have a pair. The turn was a ten, the river was a king, and the pot was mine :-) My unluckiest hand was the last one of the session. I turned a flush, but my opponent rivered a full house. I knew I couldn't complain.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     327   81   112        0
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     403   99    40   145000
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     263   72    63    86000
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     235   63   156        0

delta: $31,000
2024 balance: $2,854,000
2024 blue distance: $441,000
balance: $15,663,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.51 (1241 of 2990)

Señor Cinco

Yesterday, I played one tournament and made the money again. I've now made the money in five straight tournaments. Just call me Señor Cinco :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     272   72    14   167000

delta: $117,000
2024 balance: $2,823,000
2024 blue distance: $472,000
balance: $15,632,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.49 (1239 of 2986)

The dreaded quatro's non-evil twin

Inherently good things can have evil twins. Looked at another way, inherently bad things can have non-evil twins. The dreaded quatro, inherently a bad thing, thankfully does have a non-evil twin. It's everything the dreaded quatro isn't, except for the number four. Let's call this non-evil twin the good quatro.

This is an excerpt from my March 13, 2015 post in another of my blogs, Fahrenheit 1451. In a poker context, the dreaded quatro is when you miss the money in four straight tournaments; the good quatro is when you make the money in four straight tournaments. Yesterday, I completed a good quatro.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     306   72    44   127000

delta: $77,000
2024 balance: $2,706,000
2024 blue distance: $589,000
balance: $15,515,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.47 (1238 of 2985)

Three bagger

Yesterday I played one tournament, and made the money in it. That makes three tournaments in a row where I've made the money, which is a rare enough occurrence to be worth celebrating. Yay!

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     290   72    32   133000

delta: $83,000
2024 balance: $2,629,000
2024 blue distance: $666,000
balance: $15,438,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.45 (1237 of 2984)

Some session stats

I often play two MTT NLHE tournaments in a session, and Sunday's session was no exception. I made the money in both tournaments, a nice turnaround from Saturday's session. This got me curious about my aggregate stats in such sessions. Here are the numbers:

0 money finishes: 138

1 money finish:   198

2 money finishes:  67

My MTT NLHE ITM percentage in these sessions is 41.19. What this shows is that the number of tournaments I play per session has no bearing on my ITM percentage. It would be weird if it did.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     442  117    63   118000
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     350   81    67    92000

delta: $110,000
2024 balance: $2,546,000
2024 blue distance: $749,000
balance: $15,355,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.43 (1236 of 2983)

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 in 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 :-)

This is an excerpt from my November 14, 2019 post. Since I don't have anything exciting to report from yesterday's session, I've decided to find something positive in my recent data, in the aggregate. Here it is: I've had more than a month by the lake without a 0th place. As a refresher, a 0th place is what I "award" myself with whenever I hit the rail before the late registration period of a tournament has ended. In these cases, the PokerStars client displays a hyphen in the place column for the player who has been ousted, since it's unknown what the actual place for the player will be until the late registration period ends. Since I never rebuy, I consider my tournament over whenever I hit the rail.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     363   99   164        0
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     300   72   130        0

delta: $-100,000
2024 balance: $2,436,000
2024 blue distance: $859,000
balance: $15,245,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.40 (1234 of 2981)

Two memorable bystander moments

The two most memorable moments of last night's session occurred in hands where I'd already folded, so I was merely an innocent bystander. In the first hand, I was dealt T6o (ten six offsuit), and folded preflop. The flop came two tens and a six. Had I paid to see the flop, I would've flopped a fatty. However, I made the right play; T6o is basically a garbage hand. In the second hand, one of my opponents made a straight flush on the river. It's fun to see that happen, even when it's not happening to you :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     251   63    85        0
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     268   72    58    88000
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     243   63   120        0
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     287   72    92        0

delta: $-112,000
2024 balance: $2,536,000
2024 blue distance: $759,000
balance: $15,345,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.42 (1234 of 2979)

What I miss the most, pokerwise

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.

This is an excerpt from my November 20, 2019 post. I'm coming up on the five year anniversary of not having hand histories. I miss them just as much as ever.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     193   54    62        0

delta: $-50,000
2024 balance: $2,648,000
2024 blue distance: $647,000
balance: $15,457,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.45 (1233 of 2975)

Distracted

At the end of the first tournament I entered yesterday, I became distracted by reading a New York Time op/ed on the election results. I momentarily forgot that I was playing poker, and suffered the consequences, narrowly missing the money. That'll larn me :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     322   81    86        0
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     293   72   142        0
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     414   99    96    72000
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     196   54    67        0

delta: $-128,000
2024 balance: $2,698,000
2024 blue distance: $597,000
balance: $15,507,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.46 (1233 of 2974)

Runner runner

The most memorable hand of yesterday's session came in the first tournament I entered. I was short-stacked, and got all my chips into the middle preflop when I was dealt K9o (king nine offsuit) and was one seat to the left of the big blind. I figured it was better to hitch my wagon to this hand now than to fold and hope for a better holding next hand, when I was going to fall in no matter what. K9o will be better than an unknown random hand most of the time. The poker gods rewarding me for making the right play; I paired my nine on the turn and my king on the river. Runner runner for the win!

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     237   63    20   109000
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     309   81   120        0

delta: $9,000
2024 balance: $2,826,000
2024 blue distance: $469,000
balance: $15,635,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.48 (1232 of 2970)

Mr. 71st percentile

My average percentile in MTT-Rs is amazingly consistent; for the last 75 tournaments, it's been locked in at the 65th. Considering that the average percentile for making the money is the 77th, what this means is that the only reason I'm making money playing MTT-Rs is that I have enough variance in my results, even though the average is so consistent. Variance is actually the lifeblood of poker :-)

This is an excerpt from my January 10, 2018 post. My average percentile in MTTs is also amazingly consistent; for the last 519 tournaments, it's been locked in at the 71st. Considering that the average percentile for making the money in MTTs is the 75th, what this means is that the only reason I'm making money playing MTTs is that I have enough variance in my results. Long live variance!

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     272   72    90        0

delta: $-50,000
2024 balance: $2,817,000
2024 blue distance: $478,000
balance: $15,626,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.48 (1231 of 2968)

The top of the bottom third

When you play in 6 player tournaments, you want to be in the top half all the time. The trouble is, you want even more than that. You want to be above the bottom third of the top half, i.e. above third place. So, not only do you want to avoid the bottom of the tournament, you also want to avoid the bottom of the top.

This is an excerpt from my October 28, 2012 post, in the days when I was playing sit and gos. In order to have a good chance of making the money in a multi-table tournament, the strategy is significantly different from the sit and go strategy. Since there are many more players in MTTs than there are in sit and gos, you can afford to have a more modest goal, and to play more patiently. I've found that a good objective in an MTT is to be at the top of the bottom third of the remaining players in the tournament, when more than half of the overall number of entrants have already hit the rail. It doesn't matter if your current position is greater than the number of paid places; all that matters is that you maintain being at the top of the bottom third. If you can do this, the tournament will essentially melt itself down until you're in the money. It almost feels like cheating :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     416   99   108        0
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     242   63    46    90000

delta: $-10,000
2024 balance: $2,867,000
2024 blue distance: $428,000
balance: $15,676,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.49 (1231 of 2967)

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.

This is an excerpt from my November 2, 2019 post. I disappeared into this poker year a while ago. That's not a bad thing, as long as you're net positive :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     200   54    67        0

delta: $-50,000
2024 balance: $2,877,000
2024 blue distance: $418,000
balance: $15,686,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.48 (1230 of 2965)

Saved by the cavalry

The best hand you can receive in hold'em is pocket aces, and the best time to receive them is when you're in the big blind. No one will credit you with having them. It's even better when your tournament life is at stake. Getting rockets in that situation, when you so desperately need them, is like being saved by the cavalry.

This is an excerpt from my January 4, 2018 post. Yesterday, in the first tournament I entered, I was saved by the cavalry again. I was so short-stacked at one point that a big blind caused me to fall in. Imagine my delighted surprise to be dealt rockets, when all hope had appeared to be lost :-)

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     369   99    64    99000
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     326   81    40   129000

delta: $128,000
2024 balance: $2,927,000
2024 blue distance: $368,000
balance: $15,736,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.50 (1230 of 2964)

Brexit

Brexit is my poker shorthand for brutal exit. I had a brexit in the final tournament I entered last night. On the final hand, the flop gave me a gutshot straight draw, and I filled it on the turn. I bet half the pot and got one caller. The river put three cards to a flush on the board, and my opponent bet big enough to put me all in if I called. I was pot-committed and made the call. He'd made a backdoor flush, and I was out in a New York minute.

style flavor buy_in  entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     255   72    97        0
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     232   63   164        0
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     386   99    85    79000
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     333   81   148        0
MTT   NLHE    44000   6000       9     277   72   168        0

delta: $-171,000
2024 balance: $2,799,000
2024 blue distance: $496,000
balance: $15,608,303
MTT NLHE ITM pct: 41.46 (1228 of 2962)