Last Friday night, my stack underwent a smooth and steady descent at the first table I joined; if the table hadn't up and quit on me, I'm sure I would have hit the felt. As it was, I only had $5,526 left of my starting stack of $40K when everybody left. The thing is, despite the descent, I felt I wasn't actually playing all that badly. Good play is not always rewarded.
At the next table I joined, I was able to redeem myself via a truly monster hand about 25 hands in. It recovered what I'd lost at the first table, plus a nice (albeit small) bonus. Here's how it went down:
Table 'Crimea VI' 9-max (Play Money) Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: Seat 1 (65935 in chips)
Seat 3: Seat 3 (72600 in chips)
Seat 4: Seat 4 (2468 in chips)
Seat 8: neostreet (46100 in chips)
neostreet: posts small blind 100
Seat 1: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to neostreet [2h 2s]
Seat 3: calls 200
Seat 4: folds
neostreet: calls 100
Seat 4 leaves the table
Seat 1: checks
*** FLOP *** [As 4h Td]
neostreet: checks
Seat 1: bets 200
Seat 3: folds
neostreet: calls 200
*** TURN *** [As 4h Td] [2c]
neostreet: checks
Seat 1: checks
*** RIVER *** [As 4h Td 2c] [8d]
neostreet: bets 1000
Seat 1: raises 1000 to 2000
neostreet: raises 5000 to 7000
Seat 1: raises 5000 to 12000
neostreet: raises 25000 to 37000
Seat 1: calls 25000
*** SHOW DOWN ***
neostreet: shows [2h 2s] (three of a kind, Deuces)
Seat 1: mucks hand
neostreet collected 75000 from pot
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 70 hands and saw flop:
- 11 out of 15 times while in big blind (73%)
- 12 out of 17 times while in small blind (70%)
- 31 out of 38 times in other positions (81%)
- a total of 54 out of 70 (77%)
Pots won at showdown - 9 of 16 (56%)
Pots won without showdown - 5
delta: $9,026
balance: $880,864
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
One and done
Last night, I had an awesome hand straight out of the gate; I was dealt the king and eight of spades, and flopped a flush. I slow played it for one street, then bet the pot on the turn and got one caller. I wasn't happy to see a fourth spade pop on the river, but knew I could only lose to one card (the ace of spades) and that it was pretty unlikely my caller had been gambling to hit the nut flush. When he bet $5K on the river, I just called; there was no sense raising there, since there was already sufficient money in the pot and why risk that he had the ace? I won a pot worth $48,100; $27,200 of it was other people's money (mostly the caller's). I called it a night without hesitation.
delta: $27,200
balance: $871,838
delta: $27,200
balance: $871,838
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Two risers
When you only play poker about once a week, and you're in the habit of waiting to post until the next time you play, it's not too surprising if you don't remember a whole lot about the session you're posting about. Prior to doing some research, all I remembered about last Friday's session was that I had a decent gain; I had to dig into the archives in order to come up with an angle for this entry.
Looking at the bar chart of my stack size over the course of the session, it's easy to see I had two big gains, and every other gain and loss was small. Let's call these big gains "risers". Let me look into the hand histories...
On the first riser, I won a pot worth $21,200 with an ace high flush; $14,200 of that was other people's money.
On the second riser, I won a pot worth $20,500 with three of a kind, jacks; $16,500 of that was other people's money.
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 28 hands and saw flop:
- 3 out of 5 times while in big blind (60%)
- 4 out of 4 times while in small blind (100%)
- 13 out of 19 times in other positions (68%)
- a total of 20 out of 28 (71%)
Pots won at showdown - 5 of 10 (50%)
Pots won without showdown - 0
delta: $20,000
balance: $844,638
Looking at the bar chart of my stack size over the course of the session, it's easy to see I had two big gains, and every other gain and loss was small. Let's call these big gains "risers". Let me look into the hand histories...
On the first riser, I won a pot worth $21,200 with an ace high flush; $14,200 of that was other people's money.
On the second riser, I won a pot worth $20,500 with three of a kind, jacks; $16,500 of that was other people's money.
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 28 hands and saw flop:
- 3 out of 5 times while in big blind (60%)
- 4 out of 4 times while in small blind (100%)
- 13 out of 19 times in other positions (68%)
- a total of 20 out of 28 (71%)
Pots won at showdown - 5 of 10 (50%)
Pots won without showdown - 0
delta: $20,000
balance: $844,638
Friday, December 10, 2010
Saddle up and let's go dancing
I've been missing playing poker lately, as you may have surmised. I started a new job last month, and my commute time has increased by almost two hours a day. Not only that, I have to get up earlier in the morning, so it's a double whammy. This week, I decided to just go to bed early every night, so I wouldn't get into sleep debt. I foresee only being able to play poker one or two nights a week now, which is a bummer. Oh well, at least that's better than nothing!
The title of this post comes from a car commercial of some odd years ago; I don't remember which type of car. It was spoken by an actor with a raspy voice and a slight country twang. It could very well be a regional saying which the ad agency appropriated, but I hadn't heard it before. I'm using it to refer to the cowboy attitude I had during the last hand of last Friday night's session. There was a lot of action at the table, and I decided to go all in on a flush draw. It didn't pan out. Here's how it went down:
Table 'Acubens II' 9-max (Play Money) Seat #6 is the button
Seat 2: (20700 in chips)
Seat 3: (42100 in chips)
Seat 4: (86500 in chips)
Seat 5: (101982 in chips)
Seat 6: neostreet (36000 in chips)
Seat 7: (11800 in chips)
Seat 8: (6200 in chips)
Seat 9: (20050 in chips)
Seat 7: posts small blind 100
Seat 8: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to neostreet [Ks 7s]
Seat 9: calls 200
Seat 2: calls 200
Seat 3: calls 200
Seat 4: raises 1100 to 1300
Seat 5: folds
neostreet: calls 1300
Seat 7: calls 1200
Seat 8: folds
Seat 9: calls 1100
Seat 2: calls 1100
Seat 3: calls 1100
*** FLOP *** [9s 2d Js]
Seat 7: checks
Seat 9: bets 4400
Seat 2: folds
Seat 3: calls 4400
Seat 4: raises 21200 to 25600
neostreet: calls 25600
Seat 7: folds
Seat 9: calls 14350 and is all-in
Seat 3: calls 21200
*** TURN *** [9s 2d Js] [2c]
Seat 3: checks
Seat 4: bets 59600 and is all-in
neostreet: calls 9100 and is all-in
Seat 3: calls 15200 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (44400) returned to Seat 4
*** RIVER *** [9s 2d Js 2c] [Kh]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Seat 3: shows [5s 2h] (three of a kind, Deuces)
Seat 4: shows [Ad Ah] (two pair, Aces and Deuces)
Seat 3 collected 12200 from side pot-2
neostreet: shows [Ks 7s] (two pair, Kings and Deuces)
Seat 3 collected 47850 from side pot-1
Seat 9: shows [Jd 8c] (two pair, Jacks and Deuces)
Seat 3 collected 83000 from main pot
It was pretty foolish of me, but I was playing a hunch.
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 18 hands and saw flop:
- 1 out of 3 times while in big blind (33%)
- 1 out of 3 times while in small blind (33%)
- 9 out of 12 times in other positions (75%)
- a total of 11 out of 18 (61%)
Pots won at showdown - 1 of 2 (50%)
Pots won without showdown - 0
delta: $-40,000
balance: $824,638
The title of this post comes from a car commercial of some odd years ago; I don't remember which type of car. It was spoken by an actor with a raspy voice and a slight country twang. It could very well be a regional saying which the ad agency appropriated, but I hadn't heard it before. I'm using it to refer to the cowboy attitude I had during the last hand of last Friday night's session. There was a lot of action at the table, and I decided to go all in on a flush draw. It didn't pan out. Here's how it went down:
Table 'Acubens II' 9-max (Play Money) Seat #6 is the button
Seat 2: (20700 in chips)
Seat 3: (42100 in chips)
Seat 4: (86500 in chips)
Seat 5: (101982 in chips)
Seat 6: neostreet (36000 in chips)
Seat 7: (11800 in chips)
Seat 8: (6200 in chips)
Seat 9: (20050 in chips)
Seat 7: posts small blind 100
Seat 8: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to neostreet [Ks 7s]
Seat 9: calls 200
Seat 2: calls 200
Seat 3: calls 200
Seat 4: raises 1100 to 1300
Seat 5: folds
neostreet: calls 1300
Seat 7: calls 1200
Seat 8: folds
Seat 9: calls 1100
Seat 2: calls 1100
Seat 3: calls 1100
*** FLOP *** [9s 2d Js]
Seat 7: checks
Seat 9: bets 4400
Seat 2: folds
Seat 3: calls 4400
Seat 4: raises 21200 to 25600
neostreet: calls 25600
Seat 7: folds
Seat 9: calls 14350 and is all-in
Seat 3: calls 21200
*** TURN *** [9s 2d Js] [2c]
Seat 3: checks
Seat 4: bets 59600 and is all-in
neostreet: calls 9100 and is all-in
Seat 3: calls 15200 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (44400) returned to Seat 4
*** RIVER *** [9s 2d Js 2c] [Kh]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Seat 3: shows [5s 2h] (three of a kind, Deuces)
Seat 4: shows [Ad Ah] (two pair, Aces and Deuces)
Seat 3 collected 12200 from side pot-2
neostreet: shows [Ks 7s] (two pair, Kings and Deuces)
Seat 3 collected 47850 from side pot-1
Seat 9: shows [Jd 8c] (two pair, Jacks and Deuces)
Seat 3 collected 83000 from main pot
It was pretty foolish of me, but I was playing a hunch.
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 18 hands and saw flop:
- 1 out of 3 times while in big blind (33%)
- 1 out of 3 times while in small blind (33%)
- 9 out of 12 times in other positions (75%)
- a total of 11 out of 18 (61%)
Pots won at showdown - 1 of 2 (50%)
Pots won without showdown - 0
delta: $-40,000
balance: $824,638
Friday, December 3, 2010
Kickers
Over time, I've evolved a philosophy of kickers; that is to say, a set of heuristics to apply to the problem of deciding whether or not your kicker is good enough when you've been dealt a non-pair. It's taken me a long time, but I've finally gotten serious about fwepping any non-pair hand where the bottom card is a two or a three, before the flop.
Last night, I went up about $9K very early on, and was on the verge of calling it a night when I was dealt an 8 Q offsuit. The flop came 4 Q 2, the turn was a 9, and the river was a 5. I bet $1K on the turn, and $2K on the river. My pair of queens lost to another pair of queens which had a better kicker -- a jack.
I don't feel bad about what happened. My eight really was a decent kicker. Eights are exactly in the middle of a suit; they have six cards below them and six cards above them. My evolving rule about kickers is that they must be an 8 or above when your high card is paint.
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 10 hands and saw flop:
- 2 out of 2 times while in big blind (100%)
- 0 out of 2 times while in small blind (0%)
- 3 out of 6 times in other positions (50%)
- a total of 5 out of 10 (50%)
Pots won at showdown - 2 of 3 (66%)
Pots won without showdown - 0
delta: $6,100
balance: $864,638
Last night, I went up about $9K very early on, and was on the verge of calling it a night when I was dealt an 8 Q offsuit. The flop came 4 Q 2, the turn was a 9, and the river was a 5. I bet $1K on the turn, and $2K on the river. My pair of queens lost to another pair of queens which had a better kicker -- a jack.
I don't feel bad about what happened. My eight really was a decent kicker. Eights are exactly in the middle of a suit; they have six cards below them and six cards above them. My evolving rule about kickers is that they must be an 8 or above when your high card is paint.
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 10 hands and saw flop:
- 2 out of 2 times while in big blind (100%)
- 0 out of 2 times while in small blind (0%)
- 3 out of 6 times in other positions (50%)
- a total of 5 out of 10 (50%)
Pots won at showdown - 2 of 3 (66%)
Pots won without showdown - 0
delta: $6,100
balance: $864,638
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Folding pocks
Every now and then, you have to expect that I'm going to tell you the secret of poker. And whenever I do, don't be surprised if the secret has changed slightly since the last time I told you :-)
Poker has a protean nature, and is therefore endlessly new, no matter how long you've played. At the same time, the longer you play, the less poker can surprise you. That makes for cognitive dissonance; how can something which loses its power to surprise be endlessly new?
In case it wasn't clear, that was a rhetorical question; I have some theories on how to answer it, but that's a subject for another time.
So here's the secret of poker, according to neostreet, circa December 2010: folding.
Last night, the best hand I was dealt was pocket kings. Unfortunately, the last four community cards were all hearts, so I had to fold my pocks (poker slang for a pocket pair).
Since I was already over the magic 35-40 hand range at that point, I called it a night soon afterwards.
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 50 hands and saw flop:
- 7 out of 9 times while in big blind (77%)
- 8 out of 9 times while in small blind (88%)
- 27 out of 32 times in other positions (84%)
- a total of 42 out of 50 (84%)
Pots won at showdown - 2 of 5 (40%)
Pots won without showdown - 3
delta: $-10,500
balance: $858,538
Poker has a protean nature, and is therefore endlessly new, no matter how long you've played. At the same time, the longer you play, the less poker can surprise you. That makes for cognitive dissonance; how can something which loses its power to surprise be endlessly new?
In case it wasn't clear, that was a rhetorical question; I have some theories on how to answer it, but that's a subject for another time.
So here's the secret of poker, according to neostreet, circa December 2010: folding.
Last night, the best hand I was dealt was pocket kings. Unfortunately, the last four community cards were all hearts, so I had to fold my pocks (poker slang for a pocket pair).
Since I was already over the magic 35-40 hand range at that point, I called it a night soon afterwards.
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 50 hands and saw flop:
- 7 out of 9 times while in big blind (77%)
- 8 out of 9 times while in small blind (88%)
- 27 out of 32 times in other positions (84%)
- a total of 42 out of 50 (84%)
Pots won at showdown - 2 of 5 (40%)
Pots won without showdown - 3
delta: $-10,500
balance: $858,538
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Long is wrong
I'm pretty sure I first heard the phrase "long is wrong" on an ESPN poker show; it means that if you take a long time when it's your turn to act, you increase your likelihood of making the wrong decision. I can't confirm or deny the truth of this poker aphorism in its original context, but I can confirm its truth in another context -- namely, session length. The more hands you play, the greater the likelihood that your session will be a losing one.
One of the data points I capture per session is the number of hands, except in the rare cases where the PokerStars software hiccups and resets its counters midway through a session, or in the rarer cases when I forget to save the session stats. I've long maintained a MySQL database containing my starting balance, delta, and ending balance, but I never bothered to include the number of hands. Tonight I added that data for the Texas Hold'em hands I've played since switching back to Hold'em from seven card stud. The results are interesting, but not surprising; the average session length for the 16 losing sessions is a whopping 64.19, whereas the average session length for the 19 winning sessions is a toned and slender 34.68.
I need to learn to call it a night somewhere around the 35-40 hand mark, regardless of how I'm doing.
On Monday night, I played 89 hands; it's almost superfluous to mention that it was a losing session.
delta: $-15,100
balance: $869,038
One of the data points I capture per session is the number of hands, except in the rare cases where the PokerStars software hiccups and resets its counters midway through a session, or in the rarer cases when I forget to save the session stats. I've long maintained a MySQL database containing my starting balance, delta, and ending balance, but I never bothered to include the number of hands. Tonight I added that data for the Texas Hold'em hands I've played since switching back to Hold'em from seven card stud. The results are interesting, but not surprising; the average session length for the 16 losing sessions is a whopping 64.19, whereas the average session length for the 19 winning sessions is a toned and slender 34.68.
I need to learn to call it a night somewhere around the 35-40 hand mark, regardless of how I'm doing.
On Monday night, I played 89 hands; it's almost superfluous to mention that it was a losing session.
delta: $-15,100
balance: $869,038
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