High and dry

This is the second time I've used this blog post title. The first time, I was referring to a cash game session where your balance is never underwater. This time, I'm referring to a sit and go tournament where your balance is never underwater. That's what I had last night. It's much harder to have a high and dry sit and go tournament than it is to have a high and dry cash game session, since a necessary but not sufficient condition in the former case is that you come in first place.

Out of curiosity, I ran the numbers to see how many high and dry sit and go no limit hold'em tournaments I've achieved. Drum roll, please ... The answer: 17 (out of 999).

style flavor buy_in entry players hands place winnings

SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    89     1   175500

delta: $125,500
Sit and go no limit hold'em balance: $3,826,300
balance: $11,825,794

The dreaded one-hander

Every now and then, you hit the rail on the very first hand of a sit and go. Unless you were being super frisky, often you will have gotten your money in good, only to have the deck turn cold on you. Sometimes, ice cold! That's what happened to me in the second sit and go I played last night. On the first hand, I flopped a set of threes, and called an all-in bet made on the flop. Another player acting behind me also called. I was a 77.19% favorite, but the player whose all-in bet I called, who was an 5.76% underdog, made a full house with running cards, and I was out in a New York minute. There was nothing to regret; I'd play that hand the same way every time. You have to expect such frigid treatment from the cards from time to time :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   8-Game   4500   500       6    48      87   18    24        0
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6   113       6    2     2    94500
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6     1       6    2     5        0
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    45       6    2     2    94500

delta: $34,000
Sit and go no limit hold'em balance: $3,700,800
balance: $11,700,294

P.S. I just discovered that I'd entered several MTT 8-games into my poker database incorrectly as sit and go no limit hold'em tournaments. I've corrected the errors in the database, but I'm not going to bother going back to correct the incorrect sit and go no limit hold'em balances given in previous posts.

Triple first

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - one of the most wonderful things about poker is that you can still achieve personal records years after you started playing. Last night, I did something I'd never done before, in over 1,000 sit and go tournaments played - 1 won three tournaments in a row within a single session. My first triple first! Such a feat requires both luck and skill; neither on its own is enough to get you there :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands place winnings

SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    60     1   175500
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6   109     1   175500
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    82     1   175500
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    42     3        0

delta: $326,500
Sit and go no limit hold'em balance: $3,651,800
balance: $11,666,294

Double first

This is the third time I've used this blog post title. It's actually the 16th time in my career I've had two first place finishes in a row, in the same session. Needless to say, it's a great feeling! There's not much more to say about it. In other news, I broke a rung again in the MTT 8-game I entered, instead of trying to ladder up.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   8-Game   4500   500       6    47      78   18    22        0
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6   115       6    2     1   175500
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    44       6    2     1   175500
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    43       6    2     3        0

delta: $196,000
Sit and go no limit hold'em balance: $3,325,300
balance: $11,339,794

Drawing dead

It's never a good feeling to be drawing dead. Usually, this will be on the river. It's worse when it's on the turn. It's even worse when it's on the turn, and you were virtually guaranteed to chop the pot before the flop. That's what happened to me on hand 30 of the third sit and go I played last night. I'd been dealt ace ten offsuit, and an opponent who'd been dealt ace ten suited went all in. I called. He flopped a flush, and I was officially drawing dead on the turn. I'm pretty sure that's never happened to me before. Looked at in the right way, it's actually cause for celebration :-) It means I've demonstrated the longevity to have crazy things like this happen to me without crushing me.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands place winnings

SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    40     3        0
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    45     2    94500
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    63     3        0
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    36     3        0
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    71     2    94500

delta: $-61,000
Sit and go no limit hold'em balance: $3,129,300
balance: $11,143,794

Another lonesome deuce

Last night, I had another lonesome deuce - that is, a session where I played multiple sit and gos, but only managed to make the money in one of them, coming in second place. It was the 32nd lonesome deuce of my sit and go no limit hold'em career, and the 11th where I played six sit and gos. When signing up for the sixth sit and go, I was hoping to salvage the session the way I'd salvaged the one on Thursday night, but it wasn't meant to be.

style flavor buy_in entry players hands place winnings

SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    13     6        0
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    74     2    94500
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    19     5        0
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    10     4        0
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    37     4        0
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    42     4        0

delta: $-205,500
Sit and go no limit hold'em balance: $3,129,300
balance: $11,204,794

Fifth best month ever

I've only played 7 sessions so far this month. Despite that small number, it currently qualifies as my fifth best ever. Here are the current top 5:

$2,738,400  2015-11
$1,953,014  2012-08
$1,306,444  2014-02
  $771,357  2012-03
  $709,930  2016-01

This month has all been within my comfort zone, playing sit and gos at the $45,000 buy in level. During that banner month last November, I was playing one notch above my comfort zone, at the $90,000 buy in level. I did that in semi-desperation, in my burning desire to bring my 2015 poker year back into the black. I achieved my objective, but gambling in that fashion is not something I want to do all the time. I think if I can stay within my comfort zone, I can make 2016 my most profitable poker year ever. I'm definitely off to a great start :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players hands entries paid place winnings

MTT   8-Game   4500   500       6    45      98   18    38        0
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    19       6    2     5        0
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    58       6    2     1   175500
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    39       6    2     3        0
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    20       6    2     3        0
SNG   NLHE    45000  5000       6    85       6    2     1   175500

delta: $96,000
Sit and go no limit hold'em balance: $3,334,800
balance: $11,410,294