Excited about going to Atlantic City for the next few days and playing some live poker which I haven't done in awhile. I usually start off by really enjoying the interaction then becoming bored because you're seeing 40 hands per hour v. 200 or more online. I'm going up with my girlfriend so the trip is more vacation than poker odyssey. I'm taking my laptop so I'll post my results.
One thing I'm excited about is my new TV which is coming next week. Its a 50inch Samsung Plasma which I snagged for $1300 off the regular price. It has split screen capability and is PC compatible so get this.....I can hook up my laptop and from the comfort of my living room play poker on one half of the screen and watch TV (sports) on the other. Sweeeeeeeeettttttttttt!!!!!!!!
Saturday, November 25, 2006
'The Tell'
Went to see the new James Bond flick 'Casino Royale' on Thursday night. A friend who is a non poker player told me "you'll really enjoy this movie, the best part is the poker." Well, I did enjoy the movie, it was very entertaining, good action, awesome cars etc and shows the beautiful countryside of Montenegro which is definately somewhere I now want to go. However, I have to say the worst part of the movie is the poker. The villian in the movie is Le Chiffre, a financier to the worlds biggest bad guys including dictators and terrorists. Supposedly a former chess champion and mathematical genius Le Chiffre at one point is asked, "do you believe in God?" to which he replies, "no, I believe in a reasonbale rate of return. " Le Chiffre also prides himself on being a world class poker player.
I don't want to spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it yet but essentially Le Chiffre loses the majority of his clients money in the stock market. Since his 'clients' aren't the type of people to take this lightly he organizes a poker game with a 10M dollar buy in to try and winback what he owes to the world's despots. Bond, James Bond, is asked to sit in on the game to prevent Le Chiffre from winning and thereby continuing to finance terrorism. The idea is that once Le Chiffre loses he'll have nowhere to run and will essentially turn state's evidence (become an informant) in exchange for protection.
Early in the game we see Le Chiffre bluff the turn in a smallish pot. When he does this he comically rubs his temple with his finger and his eye twitches uncontrollably. He sucks out on the river but Bond is unperturbed because "he has picked up on the man's tell" At this point in the movie I'm cracking up hysterically. Are we supposed to beleive that a world class high stakes poker player who can afford a 10M buy in twitches uncontrolably when firing 200k at a pot? I know it's a Bond Movie and the whole thing requires the suspension of disbelief....Bond's Bentley conveniently has a defribrulator in the dash after all, but I wonder if the producers of the movie consulted at all with anyone who had ever played high stakes poker.
Later in the Movie the folly continues. Unbeknownst to Bond, he is betrayed and Le Chiffre is told about his 'Tell.' The hand then has Bond moving All-in with Aces full of Kings and losing to Le Chiffre's Quad Jacks after Le Chiffre communicates his tell to draw Bond into the pot. Ok, interesting plot twist I guess but Bond then goes on to chastise himself for playing arrogantly and rushing things....but how was he going to get away from that hand? Whether he beleives the Chiffre is bluffing or trying to make him think he's bluffing it's immaterial at this point as he's holding the second nuts. He's going all-in for 40M all day.
Bond rebuys for 5M, builds his stack and the game culminates with Bond taking down the 4 remaining players when his straight flush beats the other 4 players who happened to be holding an A high flush, and 3 respectively better full houses. So the odds of that hand transpiring are what? 1 in 300M????
The general public seemed entertained but let me ask this, wouldn't it be just as interesting if Bond raised all-in because he flopped trips and even though there was a flush possibility he had picked up on the fact that Le Chiffre always open limps with AA and had put him on that hand? Or something to that effect? At least the 90M or so poker players in the US and God knows how many more in the world wouldn't be moaning to themselves in their seats when Bond picks up on 'The Tell'
'The Tell = The Google'
I don't want to spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it yet but essentially Le Chiffre loses the majority of his clients money in the stock market. Since his 'clients' aren't the type of people to take this lightly he organizes a poker game with a 10M dollar buy in to try and winback what he owes to the world's despots. Bond, James Bond, is asked to sit in on the game to prevent Le Chiffre from winning and thereby continuing to finance terrorism. The idea is that once Le Chiffre loses he'll have nowhere to run and will essentially turn state's evidence (become an informant) in exchange for protection.
Early in the game we see Le Chiffre bluff the turn in a smallish pot. When he does this he comically rubs his temple with his finger and his eye twitches uncontrollably. He sucks out on the river but Bond is unperturbed because "he has picked up on the man's tell" At this point in the movie I'm cracking up hysterically. Are we supposed to beleive that a world class high stakes poker player who can afford a 10M buy in twitches uncontrolably when firing 200k at a pot? I know it's a Bond Movie and the whole thing requires the suspension of disbelief....Bond's Bentley conveniently has a defribrulator in the dash after all, but I wonder if the producers of the movie consulted at all with anyone who had ever played high stakes poker.
Later in the Movie the folly continues. Unbeknownst to Bond, he is betrayed and Le Chiffre is told about his 'Tell.' The hand then has Bond moving All-in with Aces full of Kings and losing to Le Chiffre's Quad Jacks after Le Chiffre communicates his tell to draw Bond into the pot. Ok, interesting plot twist I guess but Bond then goes on to chastise himself for playing arrogantly and rushing things....but how was he going to get away from that hand? Whether he beleives the Chiffre is bluffing or trying to make him think he's bluffing it's immaterial at this point as he's holding the second nuts. He's going all-in for 40M all day.
Bond rebuys for 5M, builds his stack and the game culminates with Bond taking down the 4 remaining players when his straight flush beats the other 4 players who happened to be holding an A high flush, and 3 respectively better full houses. So the odds of that hand transpiring are what? 1 in 300M????
The general public seemed entertained but let me ask this, wouldn't it be just as interesting if Bond raised all-in because he flopped trips and even though there was a flush possibility he had picked up on the fact that Le Chiffre always open limps with AA and had put him on that hand? Or something to that effect? At least the 90M or so poker players in the US and God knows how many more in the world wouldn't be moaning to themselves in their seats when Bond picks up on 'The Tell'
'The Tell = The Google'
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Looking Forward to Long Weekend
One thing I'm guilty of is not keeping the best of records re my wins/losses so I'm going to post them here daily as well as start keeping some charts etc....gotta take this seriously if I want to make it my job!
Evening's results: +$45 on Bodog playing NL Hold'em. Yeehah Hey,its a days pay at min wage right?
Tomorrow's my last day of work for the week plus I'm taking Mon/Tues off to go to Atlantic City. Man I need this break.
Nite All
Evening's results: +$45 on Bodog playing NL Hold'em. Yeehah Hey,its a days pay at min wage right?
Tomorrow's my last day of work for the week plus I'm taking Mon/Tues off to go to Atlantic City. Man I need this break.
Nite All
Monday, November 20, 2006
Phil Helmuth is a Donkey
Whenever I feel like a donkey I'm going to rewatch High Stakes Poker on GSN. I just watched Phil Helmuth donk off 100k in about 20 mins. That guy is an awesome tournament player but is so outclassed at high stakes cash games.
Blogger Beta Rules
Love this new version of Blogger!
Gotta go home. As an aside I've been restricting carbs in my diet and have lost 10pds in 10 days. 5 more to go and I'll be the same weight as when I was 18. Newsflash to all those people in the world spending good money on diet pills/books/gimmicks. Stop eating bread.
Over and Out.
Gotta go home. As an aside I've been restricting carbs in my diet and have lost 10pds in 10 days. 5 more to go and I'll be the same weight as when I was 18. Newsflash to all those people in the world spending good money on diet pills/books/gimmicks. Stop eating bread.
Over and Out.
IE and Microsoft Suck
BTW, still having the same problem where my blog displays perfectly in Mozilla but is out of wack in IE. The great supportive people at Blogger have not replied to my email(s) asking for help, so I'll throw it out there to you guys. Anyone know why this is except that IE is generally flawed?
On the same note, I've been reading about the Zune which is Microsoft's attempt to compete with the IPOD. First off I'm not sure why you'd want to try and compete with a product which by and large everyone agrees is the perfect product in its field and for its intended purpose. But should you decide then you'd better have your shit together. I mean to expect people to give up their brand loyalty the Zune better be extra extra special. It massages your feet, fixes you a drink and brings the artist live to your living room or something of the sorts. Instead what does Microsoft do? Rushes the product to market full of flaws so they could sell it in time for the holidays. Gotta love the power of a monopoly.
On the same note, I've been reading about the Zune which is Microsoft's attempt to compete with the IPOD. First off I'm not sure why you'd want to try and compete with a product which by and large everyone agrees is the perfect product in its field and for its intended purpose. But should you decide then you'd better have your shit together. I mean to expect people to give up their brand loyalty the Zune better be extra extra special. It massages your feet, fixes you a drink and brings the artist live to your living room or something of the sorts. Instead what does Microsoft do? Rushes the product to market full of flaws so they could sell it in time for the holidays. Gotta love the power of a monopoly.
Boring Weekend
Broke even for football for the weekend. Bet the Colts and titans a unit a piece. The Titans won straight up even tho they were 13 pt underdogs (absolute proof that there are games where the oddsmakers get it wrong, wrong, wrong). The Colts lost after turning the ball over 100 times. Must be a curse where if you bet against your favourite team because you're a greedy SOB you lose.
Won 2 free entries to the 100k at Bodog. One in a $4 qualifier. One buy in once plus add on so spent $8 for $109 tournament entry and another $22 6 person shorthanded table satellite where I absolutely crushed the table.....I knocked 4 of the six other players out. Absolutely ran roughshod over that table. Played the 100k and made it to just past the second break. Well over 900 players this week so looks like the days of the nice overlay in the 100k are gone. Finshed 400+ out of 900. Yawn, never had beter than 88 the whole way and picked up pots continuously with lesser holdings until the blinds essentially caught up to me. One of these days I'll have that patience with AA etc and take that beatch down. First place is 25k which would be a terrific score for me right now. I know this is about grinding it out but hitting one big one would be sooooo sweet. I know that one shouldn't be disillusioned with breaking even but after a weekend like that "I just feel sooo unsatiiisfied, like a young man coming in for a quiiickiie", Teddy KGB.
To quote Seth Davis from Boiler Room, "I read this article a while back, that said that Microsoft employs more millionaire secretary's that any other company in the world. They took stock options over Christmas bonuses. It was a good move. I remember there was this picture, of one of the groundskeepers next to his Ferrari. Blew my mind. you see shit like that, and it just plants seeds, makes you think its possible, even easy. And then you turn on the TV, and there's just more of it. The $87 Million lottery winner, that kid actor that just made 20 million on his last movie, that internet stock that shot through the roof, you could have made millions if you had just gotten in early, and that's exactly what I wanted to do: get in. I didn't want to be an innovator any more, i just wanted to make the quick and easy buck, i just wanted in. The Notorious BIG said it best: "Either you're slingin' crack-rock, or you've got a wicked jump-shot." Nobody wants to work for it anymore. There's no honor in taking that after school job at Mickey Dee's, honor's in the dollar, kid. So I went the white boy way of slinging crack-rock: I became a stock broker "
I don't want to be a stock broker but I do want the quick and easy and BIG score. Any Ideas?
Won 2 free entries to the 100k at Bodog. One in a $4 qualifier. One buy in once plus add on so spent $8 for $109 tournament entry and another $22 6 person shorthanded table satellite where I absolutely crushed the table.....I knocked 4 of the six other players out. Absolutely ran roughshod over that table. Played the 100k and made it to just past the second break. Well over 900 players this week so looks like the days of the nice overlay in the 100k are gone. Finshed 400+ out of 900. Yawn, never had beter than 88 the whole way and picked up pots continuously with lesser holdings until the blinds essentially caught up to me. One of these days I'll have that patience with AA etc and take that beatch down. First place is 25k which would be a terrific score for me right now. I know this is about grinding it out but hitting one big one would be sooooo sweet. I know that one shouldn't be disillusioned with breaking even but after a weekend like that "I just feel sooo unsatiiisfied, like a young man coming in for a quiiickiie", Teddy KGB.
To quote Seth Davis from Boiler Room, "I read this article a while back, that said that Microsoft employs more millionaire secretary's that any other company in the world. They took stock options over Christmas bonuses. It was a good move. I remember there was this picture, of one of the groundskeepers next to his Ferrari. Blew my mind. you see shit like that, and it just plants seeds, makes you think its possible, even easy. And then you turn on the TV, and there's just more of it. The $87 Million lottery winner, that kid actor that just made 20 million on his last movie, that internet stock that shot through the roof, you could have made millions if you had just gotten in early, and that's exactly what I wanted to do: get in. I didn't want to be an innovator any more, i just wanted to make the quick and easy buck, i just wanted in. The Notorious BIG said it best: "Either you're slingin' crack-rock, or you've got a wicked jump-shot." Nobody wants to work for it anymore. There's no honor in taking that after school job at Mickey Dee's, honor's in the dollar, kid. So I went the white boy way of slinging crack-rock: I became a stock broker "
I don't want to be a stock broker but I do want the quick and easy and BIG score. Any Ideas?
Thursday, November 16, 2006
I Love Belgium
Just got back from a Belgian beer festival. Over 60 Belgians to sample. Tasty very tasty.
Now lets see if I can find the perfect path.
Now lets see if I can find the perfect path.
Football
BTW Indianaoplis is only a 2 point fav over the Cowboys at home right now on Bodog. I think this is likely because Indy barely squeaked by Buffalo last week and didn't look all that sensational against Tenn. However, Ind is 9-0! Now I'm a HUGE Cowboys fan and not even I'm going to pass up this chance to make some money. Romo has never really played a big game and, I hate to say this, but the Cowboys are pretty much outclassed. Through in the fact that Ind has Manning and I'm thinking the Colts should dominate this one.
I've got one unit on this game and may put more.
I've got one unit on this game and may put more.
Tues Night - Big Loss/Big Win
I've finally recovered from Tues night and have been able to gather my thoughts sufficiently to put it all down. Here's what went down. The usual 3 tabling of 3/6 Limit at Bodog. Within five minutes I'm up about $125. At this point I'm about a hundred away from a plasma courtesy of Bodog. Then I get one of the best runs of cards I've ever had. Every hand is a pocket pair or AK or AQ, I have AA simultaneously at 2 tables. I have KK, QQ, JJ. Great! And I'm losing every single hand. I'm fourbetting my dom pairs and getting 3-4 callers mimimum. Flops look safe, capping it again, 4/7 takes it down. I lose with the nut straight to river flushes, I lose with nut flushes to river fullhouses. I'm quite prepared for variance but I've never experienced anything like this.
I'm now officialy on tilt. Now I've occasionally titled before for a few hands and even typed a few sarcastic remarks in the chat boxes (nice call, how do you call with xx? , ****** idiot etc) but I've never felt like this. I'm sitting on my sofa sweating profusely and its only 65 degrees inside. I'm seriously considering going outside for a walk but only so I can smash my laptop into the walkway. The world hates me. I'm now desperate to get it back. I'm playing everything, well not everything but more loosely than usual. Now I'm running into AA, KK but of course they are holding up or flopping sets. I'm down 200, 300, then down 100 etc.
Finally I say fuck this and take about $420 of my original $800 and begin playing NL looking to double up. I actually don't play that badly at NL, tightening up, looking for opportunities but definately intent on doubling up. I run AK into KK and lose. Bodog bankroll gone, plasma dreams gone. Most I've ever lost in a session. Needless to say slept somewhat fitfully that night.
You're likely asking yourself where's the big win? The next day as I'm getting ready for work I throw a book in my briefcase which I had bought several weeks before on Ebay. I'd heard Howard Lederer reccommend it. Its call 'Zen and the Art of Archery' When I first got it I read a few pages and 'yawn' threw it aside. For some reason it seemed like the thing to read on Wed. I actually took a 2 hour lunch and plunked myself down in a Starbucks and read the thing from cover to cover (Its only about 90 pages.) Its about a Eugen Herrigel, who while teaching in Japan learns archery (kyudo - the art of the Japanese bow) from a master of archery/zen.
As you may guess the story is about more than archery. I had heard Lederer mention that this book shed light on 'how to stay in the moment' When I heard him say this I took him to mean it helped you 'focus', forget about previous hands and bad beats etc. I was wrong, it does do this indirectly but not by teaching you to put these things 'out of mind' or allowing them to 'roll off you' like even some of the top pros advocate.
The ultimate goal of the archer is to become egoless and purposeless. Only then will he truly be successful...now this originally may seem contradictory but not when you explore it further. The goal is to achieve a state of total unawaredness. Herrigel describes it as:
"The archer ceases to be conscious of himself as the one who is engaged in hitting the bull's-eye which confronts him. This state of unconscious is realized only when, completely empty and rid of the self, he becomes one with the perfecting of his technical skill, though there is in it something of a quite different order which cannot be attained by any progressive study of the art..."
Herrigel goes on to say that a point is reached where to bow and arrow no longer matter and that the archer actually rather than hitting the target takes aim and hits himself.
Now this blog is supposed to be somewhat poker related so here are the analogies:
(1) The cards don't matter. Now I've heard pros say this, especially in No Limit because you're playing the players and not the cards but this isn't what Herrigel is talking about. The cards literally don't matter. You are not 'card dead' or 'running good.' We all get the same cards in the long run. If the long run is long enough we all get exactly the same cards. So then why do we perk up when we look down and see AA, why do we expect great things from this hand but not 27o? Well AA will crush 27o the majority of the time but what about on a K22 board? When our AA is capped by our oppenent postflop do we keep betting because we're thinking "how could he call with A2? What are the chances of 22? There is an optimal way to play all hands from 27 to AA. Sometimes that involves folding AA and sometimes that will be getting the right price to call with 56s. Its wrong to get excited or build expectations when we 'wake up' with a good hand . Its doesn't matter what we're dealt there is a correct way to play it. Sometimes things will work out and sometimes they won't...but there is a path, a perfect path in Poker and it has nothing to do with the cards.
Dutch Boyd talks about this in the context of tournament play. he is convinced that it is possible to win a tournament without ever looking at your holdings because there are enough opportunities which exist in every tournament to pick up the blinds uncontested with out seeing a flop and that these exceed the rate at which our stacks get blinded/anted down. Theoretically then its possible to get heads up in every tournament you play. Ask yourself this is it better to continuously win the blinds/antes/a pot uncontested or to get all your money in with AA v KK?
(2) You have no control over you opponents
Your opponents can do whatever they like with any two cards they like for however much they like. Yes you can follow betting patterns, % to flop etc and use this to determine your path. You can slow play and entice them to bet so you can check raise but I'm talking about the fact that they will win occassionally with 27 v AA, KK v AA, and more than occasionally with their 6 high flush draws, gutshots etc. It is pointless to get angry that you were called down with Ax and they hit their 2 pair etc...not only is it pointless it is irrelevant.
(3) It is wrong to set goals
Part of my problem was I was playing saying "ok I need to win $100 more tonight to make the plasma or if only I could win the 40k nightly on Bodog then I could pay off all these debts, bank my year end bonus and set off to travel the world." Each hand is independent of the other. There is no factor which will allow me to win $100 tonight and $1000 tomorrow night because I really need it. If I play each hand correctly I will win $$ over time. The only thing which determines the amount is the number of hands played, the stakes you're playing for and to a lesser degree you're opponents. If you're going to set goals it should be to play hands correctly, or to hit a certain number of hands, although until you're certain that you're making correct decisions then choosing your opponents wisely is likely of equal value as well. Like wise it is futile to say "I'm stuck 200 and I'm going to play for 3 more hours until I'm unstuck" Yes the longer you play, assuming you're playing correctly and better than your opponents the more likely you are to recover some of your losses but it could go the other way plus that mind set is a lose/lose situation.
ConclusionI think I'm done with tilt. To prove it to myself I got back on the horse last night and played the 40k gt'd at Bodog. Yes it did smart when I lost nearly my entire stack to a 3 outer on the river but, a few deep breaths in and out and I registered for the 5k gt'd. Within the first 2 hours I had AA cracked by KK and KK cracked by A10os getting it all in on the preflop both times. Wry smile but essentially emotioneless. I Didn't start immediately looking to 'punish' someone by getting the rest of my stack in ASAP but played each hand the best way I thought possible. I should say that both these 'bad beats' only wound up costing me about half my stack each time because I was playing each hand considering not only my holdings and what I beleivd my opponents to hold but also the 'perfect path' and therefore was picking up alot of smaller and medium size pots uncontested. Sure if I had won those two hands I would have been near the chip lead but I really wasn't bothered as it was out of my control. What was within my control was that my play on each individual hand (as a whole) was better. I busted out 78 in a field of approx 580 when my AQ ran into KK. I was UTG with less than 10BB....again the right play at the right time.
Finally, I would add that I actually found myself typing 'nh' when my AA were taken down by KK. And why not? Yes I was 'coolered' but all-in with KK was the right play for whoever made it.....sometimes you'll win there and sometimes you'll lose.
I don't have Zen and the Art of Archery at work with me today. There are some other gems in there I'd like to share and will add those tomorrow once I get a chance to go home and reread all the pages I've dog eared.
I also have been thinking alot about how I'd like to live my life alot more like a Poker Game and will hopefully have a rant for you guys on that in the near future.
So -$800 and the plasma is looking like a longshot but well worth it in my estimation.
Did you all notice I've learned how to post vido clips?? :)
I'm now officialy on tilt. Now I've occasionally titled before for a few hands and even typed a few sarcastic remarks in the chat boxes (nice call, how do you call with xx? , ****** idiot etc) but I've never felt like this. I'm sitting on my sofa sweating profusely and its only 65 degrees inside. I'm seriously considering going outside for a walk but only so I can smash my laptop into the walkway. The world hates me. I'm now desperate to get it back. I'm playing everything, well not everything but more loosely than usual. Now I'm running into AA, KK but of course they are holding up or flopping sets. I'm down 200, 300, then down 100 etc.
Finally I say fuck this and take about $420 of my original $800 and begin playing NL looking to double up. I actually don't play that badly at NL, tightening up, looking for opportunities but definately intent on doubling up. I run AK into KK and lose. Bodog bankroll gone, plasma dreams gone. Most I've ever lost in a session. Needless to say slept somewhat fitfully that night.
You're likely asking yourself where's the big win? The next day as I'm getting ready for work I throw a book in my briefcase which I had bought several weeks before on Ebay. I'd heard Howard Lederer reccommend it. Its call 'Zen and the Art of Archery' When I first got it I read a few pages and 'yawn' threw it aside. For some reason it seemed like the thing to read on Wed. I actually took a 2 hour lunch and plunked myself down in a Starbucks and read the thing from cover to cover (Its only about 90 pages.) Its about a Eugen Herrigel, who while teaching in Japan learns archery (kyudo - the art of the Japanese bow) from a master of archery/zen.
As you may guess the story is about more than archery. I had heard Lederer mention that this book shed light on 'how to stay in the moment' When I heard him say this I took him to mean it helped you 'focus', forget about previous hands and bad beats etc. I was wrong, it does do this indirectly but not by teaching you to put these things 'out of mind' or allowing them to 'roll off you' like even some of the top pros advocate.
The ultimate goal of the archer is to become egoless and purposeless. Only then will he truly be successful...now this originally may seem contradictory but not when you explore it further. The goal is to achieve a state of total unawaredness. Herrigel describes it as:
"The archer ceases to be conscious of himself as the one who is engaged in hitting the bull's-eye which confronts him. This state of unconscious is realized only when, completely empty and rid of the self, he becomes one with the perfecting of his technical skill, though there is in it something of a quite different order which cannot be attained by any progressive study of the art..."
Herrigel goes on to say that a point is reached where to bow and arrow no longer matter and that the archer actually rather than hitting the target takes aim and hits himself.
Now this blog is supposed to be somewhat poker related so here are the analogies:
(1) The cards don't matter. Now I've heard pros say this, especially in No Limit because you're playing the players and not the cards but this isn't what Herrigel is talking about. The cards literally don't matter. You are not 'card dead' or 'running good.' We all get the same cards in the long run. If the long run is long enough we all get exactly the same cards. So then why do we perk up when we look down and see AA, why do we expect great things from this hand but not 27o? Well AA will crush 27o the majority of the time but what about on a K22 board? When our AA is capped by our oppenent postflop do we keep betting because we're thinking "how could he call with A2? What are the chances of 22? There is an optimal way to play all hands from 27 to AA. Sometimes that involves folding AA and sometimes that will be getting the right price to call with 56s. Its wrong to get excited or build expectations when we 'wake up' with a good hand . Its doesn't matter what we're dealt there is a correct way to play it. Sometimes things will work out and sometimes they won't...but there is a path, a perfect path in Poker and it has nothing to do with the cards.
Dutch Boyd talks about this in the context of tournament play. he is convinced that it is possible to win a tournament without ever looking at your holdings because there are enough opportunities which exist in every tournament to pick up the blinds uncontested with out seeing a flop and that these exceed the rate at which our stacks get blinded/anted down. Theoretically then its possible to get heads up in every tournament you play. Ask yourself this is it better to continuously win the blinds/antes/a pot uncontested or to get all your money in with AA v KK?
(2) You have no control over you opponents
Your opponents can do whatever they like with any two cards they like for however much they like. Yes you can follow betting patterns, % to flop etc and use this to determine your path. You can slow play and entice them to bet so you can check raise but I'm talking about the fact that they will win occassionally with 27 v AA, KK v AA, and more than occasionally with their 6 high flush draws, gutshots etc. It is pointless to get angry that you were called down with Ax and they hit their 2 pair etc...not only is it pointless it is irrelevant.
(3) It is wrong to set goals
Part of my problem was I was playing saying "ok I need to win $100 more tonight to make the plasma or if only I could win the 40k nightly on Bodog then I could pay off all these debts, bank my year end bonus and set off to travel the world." Each hand is independent of the other. There is no factor which will allow me to win $100 tonight and $1000 tomorrow night because I really need it. If I play each hand correctly I will win $$ over time. The only thing which determines the amount is the number of hands played, the stakes you're playing for and to a lesser degree you're opponents. If you're going to set goals it should be to play hands correctly, or to hit a certain number of hands, although until you're certain that you're making correct decisions then choosing your opponents wisely is likely of equal value as well. Like wise it is futile to say "I'm stuck 200 and I'm going to play for 3 more hours until I'm unstuck" Yes the longer you play, assuming you're playing correctly and better than your opponents the more likely you are to recover some of your losses but it could go the other way plus that mind set is a lose/lose situation.
ConclusionI think I'm done with tilt. To prove it to myself I got back on the horse last night and played the 40k gt'd at Bodog. Yes it did smart when I lost nearly my entire stack to a 3 outer on the river but, a few deep breaths in and out and I registered for the 5k gt'd. Within the first 2 hours I had AA cracked by KK and KK cracked by A10os getting it all in on the preflop both times. Wry smile but essentially emotioneless. I Didn't start immediately looking to 'punish' someone by getting the rest of my stack in ASAP but played each hand the best way I thought possible. I should say that both these 'bad beats' only wound up costing me about half my stack each time because I was playing each hand considering not only my holdings and what I beleivd my opponents to hold but also the 'perfect path' and therefore was picking up alot of smaller and medium size pots uncontested. Sure if I had won those two hands I would have been near the chip lead but I really wasn't bothered as it was out of my control. What was within my control was that my play on each individual hand (as a whole) was better. I busted out 78 in a field of approx 580 when my AQ ran into KK. I was UTG with less than 10BB....again the right play at the right time.
Finally, I would add that I actually found myself typing 'nh' when my AA were taken down by KK. And why not? Yes I was 'coolered' but all-in with KK was the right play for whoever made it.....sometimes you'll win there and sometimes you'll lose.
I don't have Zen and the Art of Archery at work with me today. There are some other gems in there I'd like to share and will add those tomorrow once I get a chance to go home and reread all the pages I've dog eared.
I also have been thinking alot about how I'd like to live my life alot more like a Poker Game and will hopefully have a rant for you guys on that in the near future.
So -$800 and the plasma is looking like a longshot but well worth it in my estimation.
Did you all notice I've learned how to post vido clips?? :)
Schweaty Balls
This is my alltime favourite SNL skit which I just found on Youtube! This skit absolutely kills me. Has been a pretty wild ride poker wise the last couple days....I will post about it this pm. Enjoy
This is my alltime favourite SNL skit which I just found on Youtube! This skit absolutely kills me. Has been a pretty wild ride poker wise the last couple days....I will post about it this pm. Enjoy
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Ffnnn Portland
How can Portland be down 20 to 5 in the first quarter? At the end of the first quarter no less!!!!!!!! Sometime I really beleive that the sports betting gods don't like me. At least with points they are only down 7. Jesus.
At least I'm up slightly at Bodog.....3/6 tables say high....shit lost a pot now back to even.
At least I'm up slightly at Bodog.....3/6 tables say high....shit lost a pot now back to even.
Perpetual Travel
Got some nice posts today from the host of the Perpetual Travel Poker Blog. He's a pretty cool guy who like me wanted to quit his job and travel the world - and he did it! Right now he's chilling in Buenos Aires which sounds like Utopia to me. Anyhow check out his blog as well as his site.
Full of useful information and cool stuff and he offers assistance in turning a $50 bonus into 3k in 3 months. Yeah you'll be grinding but who gives you 3k everyday?
He also let me know that Bodog is now Poker Tracker compliant so I gotsa set that shit up and start fishing. By the way lets go Trail Blazers!
Full of useful information and cool stuff and he offers assistance in turning a $50 bonus into 3k in 3 months. Yeah you'll be grinding but who gives you 3k everyday?
He also let me know that Bodog is now Poker Tracker compliant so I gotsa set that shit up and start fishing. By the way lets go Trail Blazers!
Portland +8
Ok,
Put $40 on Portland +8 over Minnesota. Portland is playing well at 4-2 and Minnesota is 2-4 so although I think Minnesota may pull it out they shouldn't be getting that many points. The guys over at lockoftheday.com. agree. As I've mentioned, they've been having a HORRIBLE Nov but they've lost alot of close games. Missed field goals, late fumbles, buzzer beaters etc are costing them so its only a matter of time before they turn things around....lets start tonight.
I'd rather be laying 400 on this but all in good time.
Going to employ a progressive strategy with sports betting. Win tonight we'll let it ride. Lose, bet 20 tomorrow.
2 more hours to go at work.
Put $40 on Portland +8 over Minnesota. Portland is playing well at 4-2 and Minnesota is 2-4 so although I think Minnesota may pull it out they shouldn't be getting that many points. The guys over at lockoftheday.com. agree. As I've mentioned, they've been having a HORRIBLE Nov but they've lost alot of close games. Missed field goals, late fumbles, buzzer beaters etc are costing them so its only a matter of time before they turn things around....lets start tonight.
I'd rather be laying 400 on this but all in good time.
Going to employ a progressive strategy with sports betting. Win tonight we'll let it ride. Lose, bet 20 tomorrow.
2 more hours to go at work.
FFing Blog
If anyone can tell me why this blog displays perfectly in Mozilla but then randomly has the sidebar(s) at the bottom of the page in IE I'd be eternally greatful.
Not That Tired
Actually not that tired today at work...puttering away here this a.m. and the time is going by not toooo slowly. What really kills me are the afternoons. From about 2-6pm I literally pull my hair out...I'd like to be lounging in a chair reading a book or playing some poker, anything but sitting at work waiting for 6pm. Hopefully I'll be there soon. I'm thinking a good compromise might be a part time job to maintain a little scurity and get me out of the house....about 25 hours a week leaving me lotsa time to pursue other things. Anyone want to hire me part time for lets say 100K?
Been thinking that if I could average about $400 per week playing poker over the next year that would cover my very bare bones expenses...If I lived like a monk I could then bank my whole salary from this job....hmmmm that would build a rather nice nest egg rather quickly.
I don't go into too much detail re my job on here cause (a) I don't want to loose it and (b) if I make it to Jan it will be very very very worth my while, just let me say that. That's also the answer to any of you asking yourselves "why doesn't he just quit?" Still doesn't make it less monotonous....slightly less but not much.
Hope I can pull another $200 or so from Bodog tonight. That will more or less sew up the Plasma and I can start working on the Xbox.
Lockoftheday's pick is Portland over Minnesota +8.5. I agree with that, why are the betting lines down at Bodog??
Been thinking that if I could average about $400 per week playing poker over the next year that would cover my very bare bones expenses...If I lived like a monk I could then bank my whole salary from this job....hmmmm that would build a rather nice nest egg rather quickly.
I don't go into too much detail re my job on here cause (a) I don't want to loose it and (b) if I make it to Jan it will be very very very worth my while, just let me say that. That's also the answer to any of you asking yourselves "why doesn't he just quit?" Still doesn't make it less monotonous....slightly less but not much.
Hope I can pull another $200 or so from Bodog tonight. That will more or less sew up the Plasma and I can start working on the Xbox.
Lockoftheday's pick is Portland over Minnesota +8.5. I agree with that, why are the betting lines down at Bodog??
Unstuck
Played 3 tables until I became unstuck plus up another $100. That plasma is going to look nice in my living room :)
2:30 am fck......going to be a long day at work tomorrow.
2:30 am fck......going to be a long day at work tomorrow.
Grrrrr
Well so far I'm stuck 80 at Bodog....difficult not to throw my laptop through the window when my flopped 2 pair is beat by runner runner flush etc etc. I'm playing my way out of this even if I have to stay up all night. Guess I'll be cat napping at work tomorrow....I'm supposed to be grinding out a plasma for f's sake.
Monday, November 13, 2006
LifeStyle Arbitrage
I read about this concept at work a few days back and spent the whole day reading about this and Perpetual Travel. Perpetual Travel is essentially where you are a constant tourist, never in one country long enough to be considered a resident and thereby not subject to its tax laws etc. Easy to do if you have citizenship in a country like the UK or Canada which does not tax you on income you earn outside its borders if you are a non resident. Note: The US is the only countryin the world (to my knowledge) that taxes you on your world wide income despite your residence). Anyhow, it sounds like a great lifestyle if you have a nomadic source of income, like lets say online poker or even something more stable like an IT career/skills.
Lifestyle arbitrage is the ultimate buy low/sell high approach applied to life. Essentially you make your income in a currency like US dollars or Euros and then live and spend your money in a country where your money goes a loooonnnngggggg way. The story which I read dealt with former NY'ers cashing out and moving to Buenos Aires where they could live like Kings on relatively little $$$$ compared to the US. The trick was they found a way to keep the greenbacks flowing by starting businesses, getting into ecommerce etc...
Fascinating stuff and a lifestyle I want sooooooooooooooooooooooooo bad. I'll get there I know I will. If this peaks your interest the check out this story. And let me know what you think. Better yet if there's anyone out there pulling this off hit me up with the instruction manual lol.
Lifestyle arbitrage is the ultimate buy low/sell high approach applied to life. Essentially you make your income in a currency like US dollars or Euros and then live and spend your money in a country where your money goes a loooonnnngggggg way. The story which I read dealt with former NY'ers cashing out and moving to Buenos Aires where they could live like Kings on relatively little $$$$ compared to the US. The trick was they found a way to keep the greenbacks flowing by starting businesses, getting into ecommerce etc...
Fascinating stuff and a lifestyle I want sooooooooooooooooooooooooo bad. I'll get there I know I will. If this peaks your interest the check out this story. And let me know what you think. Better yet if there's anyone out there pulling this off hit me up with the instruction manual lol.
Sports Betting
My first comment to a post was from someone else who uses lockoftheday.com. They have a good track record but are having a real shit November. I've added my fav sports handicapping links to this blog. There is one site in particular I want to draw everyone's attention to. I've called it the 'best site out there.' I'm sure there are a lot of great sites but this one is awesome. This guy essentially has a PHD in statistics and has come up with all sorts of statistical gambling strategies. Its free and succesful. Check it out and please share your fav sites with me. I've actually been laying off the sports betting a little as of late basically just betting $20 at a time which is nothing but makes the game(s) somewhat more interesting but I want some action!! Does anyone know of any good NBA handicapping sites? What about sites which evaluate the weekly prop bets. Seems to be there have to be some opportunities there.
Long Time No Blog
Man, I have sooo much to say. Haven't posted in over 2 weeks but I promise that is a habit I will not fall into. Its going to be every day/couple of days from now on. Since I last posted I finished 2nd in a pot limit tourney at Bodog for a nice cash. Have begun building my bankroll by playing 3/6 4/8 and 5/10 Limit at Bodog. Amazing how juicy those games are. There are some decent players but its amazing how many people don't seem to understand the basic fundamentals. Also, the great thing about Limit is that you can be reasonably succesful with a basic stategy. I mean at this level you can read Lee Jones' book and pretty much pick up enough pots with your strong hands to be successful. You can also suffer a bad beat and not lose your entire bankroll. In fact I've had Aces and Kings cracked several times and the great thing is I look down and I'm still ahead overall. Needless to say I need to play and study this game more as the difference between a really succesful player and a not so successful player is an extra bet saved or won here and there. But so far so good, been 2-3 tabling and haven't posted a losing session to date. Mind you I've been down and have had to put in a 7-8 hour session to come out of it ahead but so far so good. The scary thing is I know I'm making some mistakes and am still profitable, so if I can plug those leaks then it can only get better. Man I started playing Limit so late in the game, I hope the action doesn't dry up as a result of the gambling legislation.
So I beleive in short term goals and here is mine. I want to essentially double my bankroll by Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving for those not in the US) For those of you who don't know, retailers like WalMart and BestBuy have HUGE sales. I want to win enough to buy me a nice 42 inch Plasma TV and Xbox....I'll need about 1300 for that, that's right only 1300 as Walmart is selling a Panasonic 42inch Plasma HDTV for 998. I want to leave myself a playing bankroll on Bodog so I essentially need to win about 800 by Nov 25. I think its doable and will keep everyone posted. I'll also post a pic of my sweet set up if I'm succesful.
So I beleive in short term goals and here is mine. I want to essentially double my bankroll by Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving for those not in the US) For those of you who don't know, retailers like WalMart and BestBuy have HUGE sales. I want to win enough to buy me a nice 42 inch Plasma TV and Xbox....I'll need about 1300 for that, that's right only 1300 as Walmart is selling a Panasonic 42inch Plasma HDTV for 998. I want to leave myself a playing bankroll on Bodog so I essentially need to win about 800 by Nov 25. I think its doable and will keep everyone posted. I'll also post a pic of my sweet set up if I'm succesful.
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