November goals

It's all about November 23rd. There is a convergence of freerolls from RakeTheRake and Pokerlistings which all happen on Sunday November 23rd at around 1800-2000 GMT (4-5am Monday morning Aussie time). At this stage, it looks as though I will have at least four freerolls to play - Pacific $5k, NoIQ $5k, Full Tilt $22k, William Hill $3k. I may also sign up for Bwin via Pokerlistings with the object of qualifying for a $18k Aussie Millions freeroll in December, and it happens that there is also a new depositor $2k Freeroll on November 23rd. So that makes five simultaneous!! Definitely a big chance to get a decent cash for no risk. The FullTilt freeroll is probably the poorest in value, as I expect at least 1000 runners. The other should be decent with somewhere between 50 and 200 runners each.

I am also aiming to take a shot at the 10/20 limit game at the local casino. This may seem like a big jump, but I consider the following factors: with the current exchange rate, it's really more like 6/12; it's full ring, and hence considerably less volatile than my usual 6max game; it's reputed to be a very soft game; since I'll be playing only one table, I will be risking the same sort of money as I do when sitting at three 2/4 tables online.

So my objectives for November are as follows:

• Score a decent cash in the November 23rd freerolls
• Check out Bwin- in the absence of decent kickbacks elsewhere, sign up via Pokerlistings and earn 200 points to qualify for the Aussie Millions freeroll
• Complete the Ladbrokes sign up bonus
• Find one more kickback bonus (maybe PokerRoom or Mansion)
• Make a profit through play
• Maintain my position in the Eurolinx Oct-Dec rake race
• Try and get a reload bonus on Pacific or Eurolinx
• Take a shot at the live 10/20 game. Don't play with scared money, and don't play like a muppet.
  
• Make a profit from play (perhaps the number one objective)

Edit: In this post and the last, I have somewhat glossed over the fact that I am now comfortable playing 2/4, and pretty confident that I am a winning player at that level. I think this is a pretty significant achievement. To that end, I am also aiming in November to continue playing well at 2/4 and to become equally comfortable at 3/6.

October Summary

Balance at the end of this month: $2696

Balance at end of previous month: $1970

Profit: $726 (shame about the cooler at the end)

Bonuses: Littlewoods $80, Eurolinx $100, Ladbrokes/Boogster $100
Rakeback: $180
Rake race: $100

Play: $166 (very disappointing, but at least it's in the black)

I will take a $150 dividend this month, and carry forward a bankroll of $2546.

Taking steps

In order to ensure that my next session doesn't turn out like the last one, I have resolved to take the following steps:

• Play a maximum of two tables. This is aimed at analysing my play more carefully and trying to avoid small (but potentially costly) mistakes.
• Engage in careful table selection. I don't mind sitting at an unknown table, but if it doesn't look like a good table after two rounds I will stand up.
• Avoid playing distracted (e.g while writing a blog entry) or tired. I didn't get much sleep last night thanks to the munchkins, so maybe I will give tonight a miss.

A couple of mitigating factors on last night's downer: I probably earned a fair bit of rakeback in the time, and also I should have sewn up a $100 prize in the current rake race, as well as put myself in a good position for the Oct-Dec rake race.

For blog readers, I would thoroughly recommend joining Eurolinx via RakeTheRake (see my link on the right). The Oct-Dec rake race is significantly undersubscribed at the moment, so it should be very easy to win a $50 to $100 prize. Add to that a 14 raked hands per dollar bonus and 30% rakeback, and it's an excellent deal. Prizes in the half month races require some fairly dedicated play, but add an extra incentive if the play works out well for you.

Run over by a truck

I've just had my worst session. Ever.

Found some fish at 2/4 and 3/6 on Eurolinx. One in particular was 90/45 I kid you not, and he was calling down to the river most hands. I had perfect position on him on two different tables, and he sucked out on me hand after hand.

I played long after the whale had left with tables that were loose on the whole. I don't think I played that well, identifying a number of mistakes at the time. On the other hand I don't think I played so badly either. I seemed to be getting into a lot of tough positions - my raises got no respect and I frequently faced three bets to my raises or raises to my bets. I called down thin and ran into monsters, or folded and felt like I was being run down. It's a horrible feeling and I suppose is the beginnings of tilt.

It was a massacre: $300 dumped in quick time. I guess in the context of downswings, that one isn't so bad (50-60BB) - but wow it still hurts.

Fold equity postscript

A perfect example of a costly mistake.

It probably wasn't a great spot to try a steal, but once I do I need to follow through. The board is coordinated, so there were lots of drawing hands he could have folded on the river. I chickened out and he turned over a busted flush that beat me. The pot was 5BB, so it was definitely worth a bet on the river.

***** Hand History for Game 2241125227 *****
$3.00/$6.00 Limit Texas Hold'em - Tuesday, October 28, 10:14:50 ET 2008
Table Iniki (Real Money)
Seat 6 is the button
Seat 1: Rayon ( $131.36 USD )
Seat 2: stark777 ( $87.54 USD )
Seat 3: NollOuts ( $189.45 USD )
Seat 5: blake_kr ( $148.21 USD )
Seat 6: Hero ( $77.80 USD )
Rayon posts small blind [$1.50 USD].
stark777 posts big blind [$3.00 USD].
Dealt to Hero [ Qc 3c ]
NollOuts folds
blake_kr folds
Hero raises [$6.00 USD]
Rayon folds
stark777 calls [$3.00 USD]
** Dealing Flop ** [ 5d, 8s, 9s ]
stark777 checks
Hero bets [$3.00 USD]
stark777 calls [$3.00 USD]
** Dealing Turn ** [ Jh ]
stark777 checks
Hero bets [$6.00 USD]
stark777 calls [$6.00 USD]
** Dealing River ** [ 9d ]
stark777 checks
Hero checks
stark777 shows [Ks, 6s ]
Hero doesn't show [Qc, 3c ]
stark777 wins $29.93 USD from main pot

A very concerning development for Aussie poker players

An article in today's Sydney Morning Herald raises grave concerns for Aussie poker players. It seems that independent SA senator Nick Xenophon would like to see online casinos added to the mandatory blacklist under the proposed net filtering system. This is no great surprise, since Xenophon rose to prominence on the back of a "no pokies" campaign in SA. He may see internet gambling as the next landmark in his crusade.

The concern for poker players is that Xenophon may get his way on internet filtering as some sort of deal in exchange for his vote on other issues (the Government requires Xenophon, Family First senator Steve Fielding plus the Greens to pass any legislation in the Senate). The government seems to be remarkably keen to pursue an internet censorship regime fit to rival Iran and China. Actually, it should worry all internet users, not just poker players.

It may be necessary to take action on this issue.

Hilarity

http://www.holdemmanager.net
Limit Holdem $1(BB) Prima Game#2238079361

hoseee ($127)
Hero ($31)
Sukkout ($189)
karbes ($62.73)
foonzie ($28.73)
KoenigFL ($25.12)

hoseee posts (SB) $0.50
Hero posts (BB) $1

Dealt to Hero Ts 8s
fold, fold, fold,
KoenigFL raises to $2
fold,
Hero calls $1

FLOP ($4.50) 8h 6c Qs
Hero bets $1
KoenigFL raises to $2
Hero calls $1

TURN ($8.50) 8h 6c Qs 9h
check, check,

RIVER ($8.50) 8h 6c Qs 9h 2c
check, check,
Hero shows Ts 8s
(Flop 71.8%, Turn 3.4%)

KoenigFL shows Jh Tc (yes folks, he checked behind on the turn and river with the nut straight)
(Flop 28.2%, Turn 96.6%)

KoenigFL wins $8.08

Five minutes of hell..

I'm sure those of you who don't like short stacking will be grinning..


***** Hand History for Game 2235032445 *****
$100.00 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Friday, October 24, 08:24:41 ET 2008
Table Harvest (Real Money)
Seat 6 is the button
Seat 1: Hero ( $19.50 USD )
Seat 2: haukis ( $101.00 USD )
Seat 3: bearsRus ( $25.90 USD )
Seat 4: spda ( $47.32 USD )
Seat 6: Fishfresh ( $71.59 USD )
Hero posts small blind [$0.50 USD].
haukis posts big blind [$1.00 USD].
Dealt to Hero [ 8c 8h ] (just me and the big blind here)
bearsRus folds
spda folds
Fishfresh folds
Hero raises [$3.00 USD]
haukis calls [$2.50 USD]
** Dealing Flop ** [ 6s, Tc, 6h ] (not great, but two handed I still expect to be good)
Hero bets [$4.00 USD]
haukis raises [$96.50 USD] (ack. I don't have a read on this guy. Can I fold to a pot size bet here?)
Hero calls [$11.50 USD]
** Dealing Turn ** [ 4c ]
** Dealing River ** [ 2s ]
Hero shows [8c, 8h ]
haukis shows [Qd, Td ]
haukis wins $36.10 USD from main pot
haukis wins $81.00 USD from main pot

The very next hand...

***** Hand History for Game 2235033653 *****
$100.00 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Friday, October 24, 08:25:41 ET 2008
Table Harvest (Real Money)
Seat 1 is the button
Seat 1: Hero ( $0.00 USD )
Seat 2: haukis ( $117.60 USD )
Seat 3: bearsRus ( $26.90 USD )
Seat 4: spda ( $47.32 USD )
Seat 5: Le_Samourai ( $26.65 USD )
Seat 6: Fishfresh ( $71.59 USD )
haukis posts small blind [$0.50 USD].
bearsRus posts big blind [$1.00 USD].
Le_Samourai posts big blind [$1.00 USD].
Dealt to Hero [ Qc Kh ] (ok, ok)
spda calls [$1.00 USD]
Le_Samourai checks
Fishfresh folds
Hero raises [$4.00 USD]
haukis raises [$12.00 USD] (dammit, not again.. is he pushing his luck after the last pot?)
bearsRus folds
spda folds
Le_Samourai folds
Hero raises [$16.00 USD] (the problem with short stacking is when you are forced to call in these uncomfortable situations)
haukis calls [$7.50 USD]
** Dealing Flop ** [ 2c, 5d, Js ]
** Dealing Turn ** [ Ah ]
** Dealing River ** [ Ks ]
Hero shows [Qc, Kh ]
haukis shows [9s, As ] (my call is valid given his cards, but it's still painful)
haukis wins $40.85 USD from main pot

And again the next hand...

***** Hand History for Game 2235034607 *****
$100.00 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Friday, October 24, 08:26:50 ET 2008
Table Harvest (Real Money)
Seat 2 is the button
Seat 1: Hero ( $0.00 USD )
Seat 2: haukis ( $137.95 USD )
Seat 3: bearsRus ( $25.40 USD )
Seat 4: spda ( $47.32 USD )
Seat 5: Le_Samourai ( $24.65 USD )
Seat 6: Fishfresh ( $71.59 USD )
bearsRus posts small blind [$0.50 USD].
spda posts big blind [$1.00 USD].
Dealt to Hero [ Jh Qh ] (oh no another hand I feel I have to play)
Le_Samourai calls [$1.00 USD]
Fishfresh raises [$4.00 USD]
Hero calls [$4.00 USD] (flatting the raise - maybe this is a bit tilty, and only justified if I have a big stack for the implied odds)
haukis folds
bearsRus calls [$3.50 USD]
spda folds
Le_Samourai calls [$3.00 USD] (hooray, in cheap and multiway with my suited connectors)
** Dealing Flop ** [ Th, 7c, 7h ] (Hmm, overcards, flush draw, back door str8)
bearsRus checks
Le_Samourai bets [$5.00 USD]
Fishfresh calls [$5.00 USD]
Hero calls [$5.00 USD] (bleh, maybe I just push here but he isn't folding a pair of tens)
bearsRus folds
** Dealing Turn ** [ 6c ]
Le_Samourai bets [$15.00 USD] (crap, crap, crap, another dog position where I have odds to call)
Fishfresh folds
Hero calls [$11.00 USD]
** Dealing River ** [ 3c ]
Le_Samourai shows [Jd, Tc ]
Hero doesn't show [Jh, Qh ]
Le_Samourai wins $51.30 USD from main pot
Le_Samourai wins $4.00 USD from main pot

Ok, I'm not too upset about how I played those three hands. But then this happened about five hands later..

***** Hand History for Game 2235036836 *****
$100.00 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Friday, October 24, 08:29:03 ET 2008
Table Harvest (Real Money)
Seat 5 is the button
Seat 1: Hero ( $20.50 USD )
Seat 2: haukis ( $138.95 USD )
Seat 3: bearsRus ( $22.40 USD )
Seat 4: spda ( $46.32 USD )
Seat 5: Le_Samourai ( $54.45 USD )
Seat 6: Fishfresh ( $61.59 USD )
Hero posts small blind [$0.50 USD].
haukis posts big blind [$1.00 USD].
Dealt to Hero [ Ah 5c ]
bearsRus folds
spda folds
Le_Samourai folds
Hero calls [$0.50 USD] (idiot.. raise it or dump it..)
haukis checks
** Dealing Flop ** [ 3d, 3h, 4s ] (look ma, I have a gutshot!)
Hero bets [$2.00 USD]
haukis raises [$5.00 USD] (get the picture and fold Jimbo)
Hero calls [$3.00 USD] (crap, crap, crap)
** Dealing Turn ** [ 4c ] (ok, maybe my ace kicker is ok)
Hero bets [$6.00 USD] (stab... idiot)
haukis calls [$6.00 USD] (warning, warning)
** Dealing River ** [ As ] (that's a baad card, because it puts my crap kicker back in play against other aces)
Hero checks
haukis bets [$8.00 USD] (dump it, dump it, dump it)
Hero calls [$8.00 USD] (you muppet)
haukis shows [4d, 7s ]
Hero doesn't show [Ah, 5c ]
haukis wins $38.00 USD from main pot

So what do you think I did after that monumental blunder.. I walked away, right? Wrong. I thought I would exploit my "dumping lots of chips on the table" image, and bought in for a max $100. Fortunately I managed not to do myself any more damage and escaped a little later when a network outage cut off my connection :-)

All up it could have been worse, and I hope I have learned a valuable lesson about identifying tilt.

Am I playing the wrong game?

I am shooting for a small prize in one of the Eurolinx rake races. As a result, I have played a few no-limit tables when there aren't enough good limit tables going. The results have been pretty good, I have to say.

I have been short stacking with minimum buyins (20bb), mostly on 0.5/1 tables and last night at one 1/2 full-ring. The results have been remarkably good, while playing a very straightforward and moderately tight approach (along with fairly standard semi-bluffing). Nearly every time I have tried this (maybe 6-10 sessions), I have come out ahead. In the case of the 1/2 table, I quadrupled the buyin into nearly a full stack!

On the flip side, my last few limit sessions have been dismal - dropping maybe 40BB all up. After the above NL sessions last night, I played a few hands of 2/4 sitting three handed in order to finish a bonus, and dumped 15BB in about five hands. First hand I three bet A7 from the BB and hit the ace on the flop and the seven on the river - unfortunately the villain hit his flush on the river with a suited Q2.

I think I will have to look more seriously at no-limit soon, probably once I have read Harrington.

Just one final point. I know that many poker players seem to have a low opinion of short stackers, with the prevailing view that you should sit with the maximum stack in order to maximise your winnings with premium hands. I have no philosophical objection to short stacking whatsoever, and in fact there are definite identifiable advantages.

If you sit with the shortest stack on the table, as far as you are concerned everybody has the same stack. It is clear that there is no mathematical advantage for a large stack over a short stack, since the short stack can ignore any money that an opponent has in excess of his own stack size. On the other hand, a short stack has certain advantages. When a short stack is all-in, he is guaranteed to see a showdown. If there are multiple players in the pot, it is possible for the large stacks to bet each other out of the pot and for potentially winning hands to be forced to fold. Another issue is that the optimal play against a particular player depends on his stack size. For the short stacker, this is easy since everybody has the same stack size. It is not so easy for the big stack, since everybody has a different stack size - this is most significant again in multi-way pots where the big stacks often pay little attention to playing correctly against the short stacks.

Limit Strategy note: Fold equity and Cbetting

Fold equity is the value you hold in a pot due to the likelihood that your opponent will fold on a current or future street. Obviously fold equity can only be realised if you bet or raise, but it is worth noting also that a "bluff" bet is not always wasted if it is called, since the bet can increase the likelihood of a fold on future streets - i.e it increases future fold equity. Obviously all of this is dependent on the profile of the villain - there is little or no fold equity if he is a calling station. Fold equity is also obviously higher with fewer players in the hand.

Fold equity is a partner to showdown equity - which is the value you hold in the pot due to the likelihood that you will have the best hand at showdown. Pot odds and "outs" calculations are all based on showdown equity. The way I think of it, fold equity is mutually exclusive with showdown equity. That is, I only count towards fold equity value which is due to somebody folding a hand which could beat me at showdown.

In many situations in limit holdem (especially shorthanded), the fold equity in a pot can be very high. If you are the preflop raiser, continuing to bet (Cbet) on the flop, the turn or even the river can be justified even if you have no hand. In fact, there are many boards where I would bet the river with no hand but would check-call with a stronger hand like 2nd pair or top pair no kicker (see the previous strategy note).

Here is an example from the other night:

***** Hand History for Game 2227734165 *****
$2.00/$4.00 Limit Texas Hold'em - Sunday, October 19, 10:12:53 ET 2008
Table Act Naturally (Real Money)
Seat 6 is the button
Seat 1: Rayon ( $209.60 USD )
Seat 2: trainee1 ( $84.30 USD )
Seat 3: dixxi ( $96.20 USD )
Seat 4: Hero ( $77.00 USD )
Seat 6: bigboss1977 ( $279.41 USD )
Rayon posts small blind [$1.00 USD].
trainee1 posts big blind [$2.00 USD].
Dealt to Hero [ 8s 7s ]
dixxi folds
Hero raises [$4.00 USD] (I used to limp hands like this, now I very rarely if ever limp to open)
bigboss1977 folds
Rayon calls [$3.00 USD] (a moderately tight player)
trainee1 calls [$2.00 USD] (a LAG, but one who seems to only push it when he is in the betting lead)
** Dealing Flop ** [ 3h, Jc, 6s ] (whiff)
Rayon checks
trainee1 checks
Hero bets [$2.00 USD] (here I nearly always Cbet unless the board is scary)
Rayon calls [$2.00 USD] (no checkraise, so he is weak at best)
trainee1 folds (great, the LAG folded)
** Dealing Turn ** [ Kh ] (still nothing for me)
Rayon checks
Hero bets [$4.00 USD] (pot is now $16, so I only need him to fold 1/5 of the time for this bet to be worthwhile)
Rayon calls [$4.00 USD] (darn)
** Dealing River ** [ 3d ] (I have absolutely no hand - my showdown equity is practically zero)
Rayon checks
Hero bets [$4.00 USD] (pot is $24, so I only need him to fold 1/7 of the time - a bet here is justified against most players)
Rayon folds (bingo!!)
Hero wins $26.80 USD from main pot


There is a fine line between solid aggressive play and turning into a maniac. You need to choose your spots carefully - if you pull this too often, your opponents will catch on and start calling you down with light hands.

Not as good as I think I am?!

I have collected most of the hand histories I can find for importing into Holdem Manager, and had a look at my stats. It makes for interesting reading. I am currently running at 8.5BB/100 (thats big bets not blinds) at 2/4 (over about 2000 hands), which is some heater. The majority of my hands (about 8000) are at 1/2, where I am running about -2BB/100. I am also slightly down (-0.5) at 0.5/1 and up on smaller stakes (about 3-4BB/100). Overall, it puts me at around 0.5BB/100. In dollar terms, it's much better than that, since my best results are at 2/4.

What do I make of all this?

• Firstly, I have long been aware that I make much more at the moment through bonuses than through play.
  
• Second, it is worth pointing out that even when I am losing I am probably beating the players but not the rake (which can cost anything from 2-3BB/100 at these low limits).
• The sample sizes are very small (and do not cover anywhere near all of my play), so maybe I can't say anything very concrete about the results.
  
• While the 2/4 results are pretty hot, the 1/2 results definitely including some nasty downswings, especially at OnGame and iPoker. I am sure that the 2/4 average will come down, and the 1/2 will go up if I keep playing.
  
• I *seem* to be playing better at higher limits than lower, which may say something about my (slightly laggy) style of play. The higher limits have also been more recent, so perhaps I am just improving.

The last few days I have been playing at Eurolinx (microgaming via RTR), which is working out well. I am well up in play, and I am half way to completing a $100 bonus, have accumulated plenty of rakeback, and have a shot at $100 or so in the rake race that finishes at the end of the month.

It is also worth noting that now feel completely comfortable at 2/4 (up to about 3 tables), and that it is very nice to be able to report that the good results are not restricted to Pacific. This is a significant milestone, since 2/4 feels like a transition from the microstakes to "proper" small stakes such as 3/6 4/8 and 5/10, where signifcant profits can start to be made.

Limit Strategy note: checking in front on the river

With decent but not great hands, it is very often worthwhile checking in front on the river even when you think you are ahead. There are two reasons - one, you avoid a raise from a better hand; and two, you will very often induce a bluff from a weaker hand.

Example, suppose you hold 88 UTG. You raise preflop, and all fold around to the BB, who calls. The flop comes out A76 rainbow. This is a pretty good flop for you, so you bet and the BB calls. Turn 2s making two spades on board, you bet again, BB calls. Now on almost any river card, it is probably worth check-calling rather than leading. If the BB has a busted draw, he will certainly fold. If he has a small pair he might call a bet or he might fold. A hand that beats you will raise, costing you two bets instead of one, while a weaker hand may put out a bluff bet if you check. A check is especially warranted if a scare card such as a spade or a king comes on the river, because it is reasonably likely to have made your opponent a better hand, and also it gives more incentive for a weaker hand to try and bluff.

This is a play I don't think I have engaged often enough, but recently I have been noticing just how often players will stick a bluff bet out with nothing on the river. A bonus on sites where mucked hands at showdown are not revealed is that you get to see their hand if you call their bluff bet!

Swings

The swings in this game are doing my head in. On Tuesday, I played a couple of tables at Littlewoods (888). I started out on a massive heater to be up about 40BB on the 2/4 table. It turned into reverse shortly thereafter and I lost the lot, and recovered at the end to be slightly ahead.

Yesterday, much the same story. I started out cold as ice on Littlewoods, losing maybe 40BB on two tables in half an hour (the stats were abysmal 30%WTSD, 20W$SD, stuff like that). There were a couple of horrendous bad beats - pocket jacks, made a set, rivered by a straight and then KK overpair also rivered by a straight. Both of those were huge pots, maybe 25BB altogether. I recovered a little of the loss (but far from all), and switched to Eurolinx. Even there, I had a huge swing - up 30BB, lost the lot, ended up 15BB or thereabouts.

Across the two days I am up a bit, but it's frustrating when the high point was so much higher.

By the way, Eurolinx is a Microgaming room where I signed up for rakeback via RakeTheRake. There is a 14x raked hands bonus that I will probably finish (with the rakeback factored in it probably works out similar to the CaptainCook bonus I did a while ago). RTR also have some exclusive rake races, so I may shoot for a small prize in one of those at some point.

I have also recently completed the Ladbrokes kickback bonus on Boogster. It was pretty easy, though I suffered a fairly sizable loss while accumulating the bonus (that seems to happen to me a lot).

Books, books, books

On Sunday I happened to be wandering past a book shop, and noticed a bunch of poker books in the bargain bin. Most of them were not up to much, but I did pick up a copy of Secrets of Professional Pot Limit Omaha by Rolf Slotboom. It looks like a very interesting book. Slotboom introduces a tight aggressive short stack strategy that won him a lot of money in European casinos. The basic idea is to play premium hands and try to get all-in preflop or on the flop in big multi-way pots. If there is a maniac on the table, you actually want him on your *left*, not on your right according to conventional wisdom - that way you can limp and let the maniac raise for you, eventually reraising close to all-in. Omaha purists loathe short stackers (2+2 threads on the subject are quite amusing), so I guess you engage this approach at your peril!

On top of that, my 2+2 books arrived yesterday, so I now have quite the little poker library. I have started on Stox, and it looks like good advice and a pretty straightforward read (though one I will probably want to revisit a few times). The Mathematics of Poker is incredibly dense, and looks like it contains as many words as the other four books combined - I'm actually looking forward to getting into that too.

Suckout city

I thought about checking the river, cos they have been sucking out on me all night. This is the most passive table in history (this villain has 65/2 stats, another has 70/0, another 35/2, another 47/2). It should be reaping rewards, but sadly not today.


http://www.holdemmanager.net
Limit Holdem $1(BB) Pacific Game#204226665

Hero ($41.29)
123beo ($87.53)
tusstuss ($93.19)
JOLUBE ($29.40)
16talon ($90.31)
bitantru ($23.96)

Hero posts (SB) $0.50
123beo posts (BB) $1

Dealt to Hero Ad Ac
call, call, call, call,
Hero raises to $2
call, call, call, call, call,

FLOP ($12) 6s 3c 7c
Hero bets $1
123beo folds
tusstuss calls $1
JOLUBE calls $1
16talon calls $1
bitantru folds

TURN ($16) 6s 3c 7c Ts
Hero bets $2
tusstuss calls $2
JOLUBE calls $2
16talon folds

RIVER ($22) 6s 3c 7c Ts 3h
Hero bets $2
tusstuss folds
JOLUBE raises to $4
Hero calls $2

Hero shows Ad Ac
(Flop 80.9%, Turn 88.6%)

JOLUBE shows 3d Qc
(Flop 19.1%, Turn 11.4%)

JOLUBE wins $28.50

A classic Pacific software moment

So I was playing on the "new" Littlewoods (also known as 888 or Pacific), and the following hand came up.

GEH1969 ($56.56)
philcann ($744)
emceejay ($70.86)
SammyHna ($39.45)
K4R45 ($43.97)
Hero($18.58)

GEH1969 posts (SB) $0.50
philcann posts (BB) $1

Dealt to Hero 9d Td
call, fold, fold, call, fold,
check,

FLOP ($3.50) 5c 7c Js
check, check,
Hero bets $1
philcann folds
emceejay calls $1

TURN ($5.50) 5c 7c Js 8s
check,
Hero bets $2
emceejay calls $2

RIVER ($9.50) 5c 7c Js 8s 2c
check, check,
Hero shows 9d Td
(Flop 27.5%, Turn 96.6%)

emceejay shows Ad Ts
(Flop 72.5%, Turn 3.4%)

Hero wins $9.03

Here you must be thinking "why didn't you bet the river you moron!" Good question. The answer? I couldn't see the turn card. This is a glitch that crops up every now and again on Pacific software, and it gives me the shits (it previously has cropped up in a key stage of a tournament). It happens mostly when you have resized the window, and one or more of the cards is either illegible or simply invisible. Nice. So I turn the nuts and don't even know it. I guess even the river wasn't a bad play as he could have been chasing the flush. Thanks anyway, Pacific.

Incidentally, I ended up ahead $50 on an hour session on 1/2 and 2/4. Littlewoods have come through with their reload bonus of 50 quid, which is nice. The cashout requirement is 20x, unlike the 50x of their standard sign up bonus. Also still hoping that rakeback will happen.

A big bankroll boost

The global financial meltdown has had an unexpected effect on the bankroll. The Aussie dollar has tumbled from nearly 1 US dollar down to under 70 cents in the space of about three months. This has increased the buying power of those dollars by nearly 50%, or AUD$1000. And I didn't even have to lift a finger. Of course the smart thing to do is probably to shift those USDs to AUDs, because I cannot imagine the Australian dollar dropping much further - it is surely massively undervalued right now. Of course, I wouldn't do that because that would put an end to the poker ride - at least for now.

I note that the dire Duplicate poker has folded, claiming to be a victim of the financial crisis. I almost considered depositing there for the ludicrously good kickback bonus. Luckily I didn't, but it got me to thinking - who is next? When major banks are dropping like flies, one has to wonder whether a few poker rooms have invested in the wrong places and will also become casualties of the meltdown. It's probably not a good time to have your whole bankroll in one place.

Hilarity

More Pacific fishies...

Limit Holdem $2(BB) Pacific Game#77535026

bally327 ($1,240)
_blindman_ ($76.70)
paynesailing ($95.65)
yianni30 ($252)
weiseweise ($150)
tonya1971 ($76.30)

bally327 posts (SB) $1
_blindman_ posts (BB) $2

Dealt to _blindman_ Td 9c
call, call, fold, call, call,
check,

FLOP ($10) Js Ac Th
check, check, check,
yianni30 bets $2
tonya1971 folds
bally327 folds
_blindman_ folds
paynesailing calls $2

TURN ($14) Js Ac Th Kd
check,
yianni30 bets $4
paynesailing calls $4

RIVER ($22) Js Ac Th Kd Ts
check, check,
paynesailing shows 8c 3h (OMFG UTG never raised)
(Flop 4.7%, Turn 4.5%)

yianni30 shows Ad 9h
(Flop 95.3%, Turn 95.5%)

yianni30 wins $20.90

Littlewoods - bingo!

Just had a chat with Littlewoods (888) support. Was a bit miffed at missing out on a signup bonus having joined last week while it was on Crypto. Enquired about reload bonuses, and was quickly offered 20% up to 50 pounds instant bonus (20x wager to cash out - standard 888 bonus). If I can get rakeback on top of that it will be very nice. So anyone with a Littlewoods account - have a chat to support!

September summary

Balance at the end of the month: $2170

Balance at end of previous month: $1050

Profit: $1120 (woohoo, my first really decent profit)

Bonuses: Captain Cook $230, William Hill $50, Lucky Ace $100, Hollywood $160, Rakeback $15, Rake race $90, PaddyPower $10, Hansa $5. Total $660. Non cash bonuses: 5 books from 2+2, free PokerOffice license from Betsson, free IdleMiner software through LuckyAce.

Expenses: Holdem Manager license ($80)

Play: $560 (ok, I'm still a bonus grinder but it's good to be in solid profit from play)

I will take a $200 dividend this month, and carry forward a bankroll of $1970.

Book selection!

I can now choose my five free books from 2+2. Any advice?
http://www.twoplustwo.com/bonus/

My inclination at the moment is the following:

Group A:
Winning in tough Holdem Games: 'Stoxtrader'
Harrington on Cash Games: Vol 1

Group B:
The Mathematics of Poker: Chen (I know it's esoteric, but I'm a bit of a Maths nerd)
Winning Low Limit Holdem: Lee Jones
Poker Tournament Strategies


I'm not so sold on the third selection in section B - there isn't anything that particularly grabs me. Any suggestions? I already have 'The Theory of Poker', and a friend can lend me S&M Holdem Poker and Super System 1 and 2.