New Blog

If anyone ever checks this, the new blog is at jackson5k.blogspot.com

CHALLENGE COMPLETE!

I've done it! The challenge is complete, with 1 day to spare! Here is how I finished it off...

Session 1
PartyPoker, 25c-50c. 6 tables, 0.75 hours.

- Two hands into the session I get AA on the button. Someone in MP limps and I make it $2. The blinds fold and the limper min-raises to $3.50. He obviously likes his hand, so I push all-in, hoping to look weak. He thinks for a while and then calls with AKo, and misses = +$46.75

- I then didn't play another big pot, but just couldn't hit a flop! My continuation bets got raised so much that despite probably not losing more than $4 in a single hand, it ended up a losing session.

Session balance = -$12.35 (72 hands to bonus)

Session 2
VC, 10c-20c. 4 tables, 2.75 hours.

- no big pots either way. I was trying to reduce variance so that I would complete my challenge, and it ended up a boring session with no key hands.

Session balance = $24.44

Session 3
PartyPoker, 25c-50c. 6 tables, 0.75 hours.

- I think I played this hand badly, but here's how it went... I get KsQs in the cut-off. The person on my right makes it $1.50 and I call. The button also calls. The flop is Kh-8h-J. The pre-flop raiser bets $2, I call, and the button min-raises to $4. The raiser calls, as do I. The turn is a 4. The raiser checks, I bet $4, the button pushes all-in for $5.11 and the raiser calls. I also call. The river is a 3. The raiser checks, and I put him all-in for $3.39. He folds. The button shows Qh10h and I take the pot = +$20.37

- I raise with AQ UTG and the button says "what do you have?" as he calls. The flop is K-2-3 and I bet $2.50, as I say "AK - you?". He min-raises and says "KK". Normally I would fold here, but the chat threw me a bit, and so I re-raised to $9.50. He then moves all-in, and I fold. He shows KK = -$11.50

- Good or tarrible call? I get 33 UTG+1 and make it $1.50. I get 2 callers and the SB makes it $5. I call, as does the cut-off. The flop is 10-8d-4. It is checked round. The turn is 6d and the SB checks. I think I might be good here, so I bet $8. The cut-off calls and the SB folds. The river is another 10, and I check. The SB bets $10 and I think. He would've bet a 10 on the flop and I don't think he would bet an unsetted pocket pair here. With a set he would bet more. Therefore, the only hands I think he might have are 7-9 or 7-5, or a bluff. Normally I would lay this down, but I call and he shows 5d-2d = +$27.35

Session balance = $34.99 (+$100 in bonus)

Session 4
VC, 25c-50c. 4 tables, 1 hour.

- I played a home game last night and got knocked out early (trying to make a squeeze play) and so I signed on to VC. I do have the hands saved, but early on I lost with AA v A9 and KK v AJ, both all-in pre-flop. I also lost a big pot with KK v Q10 on a QJ2 flop. I felt things weren't going my way, but I eventually won a big pot with A9 when 67s tried to bluff me on a 6-K-A-A board.

Session balance = +$25.72

So that's it, I'm off travelling tomorrow, but when I get back, a new challenge will start, where I try to make $5k in order to go to Vegas!

Adios amigos

Cash Hours = 172.25
Cash Profit = $1537.22 ($8.92 p/h)

Tournament Hours = 73
Tournament Profit = $1459.58 ($19.99 p/h)

Total bankroll = $3046.80 (CHALLENGE COMPLETE)

Nuts v 2nd nuts

I've played 2 sessions in the last few days; 1 on party to get towards the bonus, and 1 on VC to take advantage of the awful players. Here's how they went...

Session 1
PartyPoker, 25c-50c. 6 tables, 1 hour.

- UTG+1 raises to $1.50 and I am UTG+2 with AA. I make it $5 and it folds round to the BB. He goes all in for $23.06 and the original raiser folds. This couldn't be sweeter as the BB is called SpursWHL and I have been giving him lots of stick about their 2-0 loss to Everton. Anyway, I call, he has KK and misses = +$22.46

- MP makes it $1.50 and gets called. I call with AKo in the cut-off and the button also calls. The flop is A-J-5. The original raiser bets $5 and it's folded to me. I think I'm ahead, but want to see what the player behind me does, so I just call. He folds. The turn is a 10 and he goes all-in for $18.50. I don't think he would do this with 2 pair, so I think it is either a split or I'm ahead, so I call and he shows AQ = +$26.10

- I'm in the SB with Ah-5h. There are 3 limpers, I complete and the BB checks. The flop is A-Q-7h. I check and it is checked round. The turn is 8h. It is checked to MP who bets $3. An LP player calls and I make a fairly loose call, drawing to 9 hearts and possibly 2 aces and 3 fives. The river is Jh. Wicked, I have the nuts! I bet $8 and the MP player calls. The LP player then pushes all-in for $26.10. Ha ha, I have the nuts!... Fuck, he has 10h9h, doesn't he? What else would he raise with? If he was a half-decent player, he would realise that I called on the turn, therefore it was likely I was on a draw. I then bet out on a heart river. If he has the K high flush here, he would surely just call. However, getting 3-1, and knowing PartyPoker standard, I can not assume he is a half-decent player. I therefore push all-in for $43, trying to create a side pot, but the other player folds. LP shows 10h-9h for a straight flush. He had the nuts, I had the 2nd nuts = -$29.60

Session balance = -$36.43 (350 hands to bonus)

Session 2
VC, 25c-50c. 4 tables, 0.5 hours.

- I get AA in EP and raise to $2.50. A player in Mp and the BB call. The flop is 10-5-5. The BB checks, I bet $4 and MP raises to $8. The BB folds. I have played with the MP a few times, and I know he likes to make a lot of plays, and that he likes to take pots if he thinks the bettor has nothing. I therefore decide to raise to $16, but decide I will fold to his all-in. He then goes all-in for $47.22 and I immediately call. He shoes 65s = -$49.72

- I raise to $2.50 in EP with AJo and get 1 caller. The flop is Kh-2h-Q. I bet $2 and he calls. The turn is a 2, I check and he bets $2. I think I'm behind but I feel it is worth another $2. I call and the river is 10h. I am a bit worries about the flush and so decide to check-call. I check, he bets $5 and I call. He shows 5c-3c (note made) = $11.07

- I'm in the BB with 97o. There are 2 limpers and the button makes it $1.50. The SB calls, and I call thinking the limpers will also call. They do. The flop is 8-4-5. It is checked to LP who bets $1. The button and the SB call, as do I. The turn is the beautiful 6. The SB checks, I bet $8 and only the SB calls. The river is a K. He checks, I bet $20 and he calls, mucking his hand, which must've contained a 7. I had the nuts, he had the 2nd nuats = +$34.00

- There are 2 limpers and I limp in the cut-off with 97s. The flop is 8-2-Q. It gets checked round, as does the 5 on the turn. The river is a 6 and MP bets $3. I go all-in, and he calls with his remaining $21.23. He shows 43, for the 2nd nuts. I have the nuts = +$23.69

- I get AA UTG+1 and make it $2.50. The person earlier with 53s is the only caller. The flop is 9-2-4 and I decide to overbet the pot for $8, hoping he sees it as weak. He moves in for $20.91, and I call, fairly confident I am ahead. He shows 55 = +$21.79

- It is folded to the button, who min-raises. The SB folds, and I call in the BB with 10-8o. The flop is a fairly attractive 8-8-A. I bet $2 and he calls. I hope he has the A! The turn is a dream card, another 8. He is now even less likely to put me on the 8, and he doesn't have to worry about his kicker. I check, he bets $2 and I make it $10. He calls. The river is a K, and I go all-in for $154, although he only has $56.50 left. He thinks for ages, and eventually calls with A5 = +66.75

Session balance = $113.03

Cash Hours = 168
Cash Profit = $1390.14 ($8.27 p/h)

Tournament Hours = 72.75
Tournament Profit = $1462.88 ($20.11 p/h)

Total bankroll = $2903.02 ($96.98 to next target)

September 1st - $3000

Lots of fingers in lots of pies

Recently I have been doing the other bankroll challenge. However, I was only playing 10c-20c and 25c-50c and so I've decided that it should count towards this challenge too. Overall, I did 11.75 hours and made $211.47. I started playing 6-handed and it was very up-and-down. However, I just changed to 9-handed and it seems to be going well. Here are the key hands over the last week...

6-handed

- I'm in the SB with Q8o. The cut-off calls, I complete and the BB checks. The flop is A-8-Q. I bet $1 and the cut-off makes it $5. I call. The turn is a K. I bet $2 and he makes it $18. He clearly wants me to fold and so I think I'm ahead. I move all-in for another $26 and he calls with A4 (atright on the buddy list!). The river, however, is a K = - $49.50

- I limp with AJ and the flop is K-J-J. First to act bets $1 and gets 2 callers. I make it $5 and I'm just called but one of the callers. The turn is a 2, and he check-calls my $8 bet. The river is a Q, and he goes all-in for $20.25. I nearly lay this down, putting him on QJ, but I call and he shows J10 = +$34.25

- I raise to $1.50 UTG with 76s. UTG+1 and the BB call. The flop is A-7-5. I bet $2.50 and UTG min-raises. BB folds and I decide to call, thinking I can stack him if I hit a nice turn. The turn is another 7. I bet $6 and he calls. I now put him on a strong ace. The river is a 4, and I go all-in for $34, hoping he can't fold. He calls, showing 55 = -$48.31

- UTG raises to $1, gets 2 callers, and I call on the cut-off with 53s. The button also calls. The flop is Q-5-5. The original raiser bets $3.20, gets 1 caller and I call. The button goes all-in for $13.11 and the original raiser calls. I think I might be beat, but can't really fold. they show JJ and KQ = +$27.79

9-handed

- There are 3 limpers, and I make it $1.80 (10c-20c blinds) from MP with JJ. The BB and a limper calls. The flop is Ac-Kc-Jc. The BB bets $3.20 and the limper min-raises to $6.40. I make it $19.20 and the min-raiser moves in for $59. I call and he shows AK, and he doesn't improve = +$46.46

- I get 33 in LP and limp after 2 other limpers. The SB makes it $2.50 and gets 4 callers. The flop is 3-6-J. It is checked to me, and I bet $8. The button and a limper call. The turn is a 5. It is checked to me. I have $38 left and the pot os $37, so I push all-in. Both players call me, one showing AJ and one showing 65 = +$75.13

I have also played 3 sessions on PartyPoker, and am currently trying toplay 1000 hands this week to earn a $100 bonus. The 3 sessions last 2.75 hours, and were fairly unexciting, with me ending up $28.16. Again, the key hands...

- I get AA in EP and make it $2. I get 2 callers. The flop is 10-5-4. I bet $4 and get min-raised. I make it $15.75 and he min-raises again to $23.50. I am now sure he has a set, but I am also about 80% sure that the turn is going to be an A. Combine that with the nearly 6-1 pot odds and it's an easy call (not really, I am a fish). Well the turn is the A and I check. He goes all-in for $21.50 and I call. He shows TT, poor lad = +$47

- KARMA STRIKES! On the last hand before bed, I get 55 UTG and limp. UTG+1 min-raises and gets 3 callers. I also call. The flop is 5-7-8. I bet $3 and one of the callers raises to $11. There is a good chance I'm beat here, but I am not good enough to fold a set, so I go all-in for $40.87. He calls with 88 = -$41.87

Anyway, I have 690 hands to play before I get my bonus, and as I currently 6-table, this should only take about 2 hours.

As well as this I played a $5.50 MTT on VC and busted when I pushed with QJ and was called by AK. J-K-J on the flop looked nice, with a Q turn even better, but the K on the river ended me.

Most excitingly, I finally played my mini-step 4 and took it down! Through to the final! The final is a 10 person STT with the following payouts...

1st = $2k
2nd = $1k
3rd = $500
4th = $300
5th = $200

I am fairly sure I will come 6th. Damn negativity.

Cash Hours = 166.5
Cash Profit = $1313.54 ($7.89 p/h)

Tournament Hours = 72.75
Tournament Profit = $1462.88 ($20.11 p/h)

Total bankroll = $2826.42 ($173.58 to next target)

September 1st - $3000

Tilted

I played 2 sessions and here's the high- (low-) lights.

Session 1
PartyPoker, 25c-50c. 6 tables, 1 hour.

- get KJo in the BB. There are 2 limpers and the button makes it $1.25. I call, as does 1 limper. The flop is A-Q-7. It's checked round and the turn is a 10. I bet $3 and the button makes it $8. I call and push all-in on a rag river. he folds = +$10.25

- It is raised to $2 in MP and I call in position with TT. The flop is Q-8-4. He overbets the pot for $6 and I think I'm ahead and put him all-in for another $5.45. He calls showing AKo. The turn is a K = -$13.45

- After losing a hand, I get KK on the button. UTG makes it $2.50 and I act like I am tilting, and push for $26.17. He calls with AK and misses = +$24.27

- The very next hand, I raise the same players BB with AQ. Only he calls. The flop is Q-J-7. He checks, I bet the pot and he calls (I know figure he is tilting). The turn is a 9 and he goes all-in for $18. I call and he shows AJ = +$21.88

- UTG raises to $2 and 4 people call. I am on the button with 6c5c and I also decide to call. The flop is Jc-6-4c. 2 people check and the 3rd bets $4. I make it $12.50 and he min-raises me back. Now I should be suspicious, but stupidly I push all-in for $48.80 and he calls with JJ. I miss my flush = -$50.80

Session balance = -$67.90

I was then going to leave poker for a little while. However, I thought about how I had been playing and came to a conclusion. I had this weekend pretty free and I was expecting to play a lot of poker and make a nice amount of money. However, these expectations were making me play poorly and made me unable to lay down a hand because I wanted to win the pot so much. I figured that if i had made better lay downs in the past 2 days I could've saved over $60. I still would've been down, but money saved is money earned. I therefore decided to play again and not expect to win. I would just try to make the right decisions. I also wasn't sure if I would tilt, so I moved down to 10c-25c.

Session 2
PartyPoker, 10c-25c. 6 tables, 1 hour.

- I raise in EP with 44 and get 3 callers. The flop is J-4-9 and the BB bets out $2.13. I make it $7 and it folds round to him. He goes all-in for $60 and I call for $33.36. He shows J4 and misses another J = +$31.96

- UTG makes it $1, there is 1 caller and I call on thebutton with 22. The flop is 8-9-2. UTG bets $2 and I make it $5. He goes all-in and I call for $20.25. He shows AA and misses = +20.45

- I raise in EP with AJo and get 2 callers. The flop is A-10-4 and I bet $2. The both call and the turn is another 4. I bet $4 and get 1 caller. The river is an 8 and I check. He bets $7.06 and I think he either has a monster or nothing. I decide to call and he shows KK = +$15.86

Session balance = +$92.86

Cash Hours = 151
Cash Profit = $1076.53 ($7.13 p/h)

Tournament Hours = 71.25
Tournament Profit = $1468.38 ($20.61 p/h)

Total bankroll = $2594.91 ($405.09 to next target)

September 1st - $3000

Frustrating Sessions

Played a fair amount of hands yesterday and it just didn't go my way! Here's the key hands...

- get 77 in MP and limp after an EP limper. The flop is 7-6-2. The limper bets $2 and I make it $5.75. He calls. The turn is a 4 and he goes all-in for $11.35. I call and he shows 99 = +$17.30

- I get KK in MP and make it $2.50, and only the BB and an UTG limper call. The flop is Q-10-5. It is checked to me, I bet $5 and they both call. The turn is an 8. The Bb checks and UTG bets $8. I make it $20 and the BB moves all-in for $42. UTG folds, and although I'm fairly sure I'm beat, I'm getting 4-1 odds to call. I call and the BB shows J9 = -$50.30

- I get 22 in the BB. There are 2 limpers and I just check. The flop is K-Q-2. I bet $1 and a limper calls. The turn is another Q. I bet $2.50 and he calls. The river is an A. I bet the pot, $8, and he moves all-in for $19.14. Again, I think I'm beat, but I'm tilting slightly and call. He shows AQ - hmmm, runner-runner = -$31.14

- I limp in MP with 55. There are 2 other limpers and the BB makes it $2. We all call. The flop is 2-5-6. The BB bets $5 and just I call. The turn is a 6, not ideal for me as it may well kill my action. He bets $5 again and I call. The river is a K. He bets $5 and I raise all-in, he folds = +$20.05

- I raise in MP with AhKh and just the BB calls. The flop is 5s-6h-7h. He checsk, I bet $2.75 and he raises to $7.50. He only has $7 left so I put him all-in and he calls, showing 22. The turn is an A and the river is 9h = +$15.18

- MP raises to $2 and gets called. I re-raise in the SB with KK to $5.75. It is folded to the raiser and he makes it $15.50. Knowing how it's been going tonight, I know he has AA but I can't bring myself to fold. I push all-in and he calls showing AA = -$45.50

- UTG min-raises, there is a caller and I call in the cut-off with 5s4s. The button also calls. The flop is 6-5-4. UTG checks and the caller bets $4. That is a strong bet, and I don't think he wants to be called, so I make it $15. He re-raises to $53 all-in and I call. He shows 99 and he misses = +$45

- I raise on the button to $2 with AKo and get 3 callers. The flop is 5-2h-9h. It is checked to me and I bet $3.75 and just the limper calls. The turn is a 4 and he checks. I put him on a heart draw and so bet $7.75. He min-raises and I fold. One absolute truth in low stakes poker is this: If a player limps pre-flop, then flat calls a raise, then check-calls on a low flop and then check-raises on the turn, there is a 99.99% chance that he has a set. = -$13.50

- I raise in EP with 7c6c and get 2 callers, 1 of which is the SB. The flop is 2-9c-10c. The SB checks and I make it $4. The caller min-raises and the SB folds. I am probably tilting because I push all-in for $50. He folds = +$11.40

So there it is. I now feel pretty pissed off, but I can learn from that. I'm not really sure any of the hands that I lost alot on could've been avoided. Maybe I could've folded my 22 on the river, and I could've slowed down with my KK on a relatively scary board, but i do think they were pretty tricky decisions. Overall I am not too upset that I ended these sessions down $48.68, because I think that I played some of the hands that I won quite well. Now just need to get back on winning ways!

Cash Hours = 149
Cash Profit = $1051.57 ($7.06 p/h)

Tournament Hours = 71.25
Tournament Profit = $1468.38 ($20.61 p/h)

Total bankroll = $2569.95 ($430.05 to next target)

September 1st - $3000

Rushing to complete challenge!

With only 2 weeks left of the challenge it's going to be very close! I will be pretty busy in that time, but am pretty free this weekend so I'm going to have to do a lot of playing, and hopefully winning. Anyway, played a session last night, and here's the recap...

PartyPoker, 25c-50c. 6 tables, 1.5 hours.

- I get AKs in MP and there are 3 limpers. I make it $2.50 and the SB and 2 limpers call. The flop is Kc-2c-7. The SB checks, UTG bets $5 and the other limper folds. I don't think many people at this level bet out with a set, so I raise to $18. SB folds and UTG goes all-in for $23.70. It's only $5.70 to call, and I think I'm ahead, so it's an obvious call. However, he has limped UTG, called a big raise and then bet and re-raised all-in on the flop. He could easily have a very strong hand. But no, he has 6c-4c. I love PartyPoker. The turn is Ac, and the river is a rag = -$26.20

- UTG+1 makes it $2 and I call UTG+2 with AKo. 2 other players also call. The flop is A-2-9. UTG+1 bets $2 and I make it $5.75. It is folded to UTG+1 who calls. The turn is a K, he checks and I bet $12. He folds = +$11.50

- There are 3 limpers and I limp in LP with TT. The BB makes it $3 and 2 of us call. The flop is 7s-3s-Jh. The BB checks and the limper bets $3.64. I min-raise, so it is easy to get away from if necessary. The BB folds and the limper calls. The turn is Qh and the limper checks. It is a pretty scary board and I don't want to commit too many chips. I bet 50c and he calls. The turn is 3d and he bets 50c. I call and he shows 66 = +$14.23

- UTG+1 limps and I raise to $2 UTG+2 with JJ. Only UTG+1 calls. The flop is 5c-10c-9. He checks, I bet $3 and he min-raises to $6. I don't really know what to do here, and make probably the stupidest move and just call. The turn is a 6 and he goes all-in for $57.45. I just have him covered. I put him on either clubs or a 10, and I think he clearly wants me to fold. However, I think I would usually fold in this situation but maybe I was tilting slightly because I called. He had 22 and the river was a rag = +$63.20

- I get AKo in the SB. There are 2 limpers and the button makes it $1.50. I call, as does the BB and the limpers. The flop is A-10-4. It is checked to the button, who bets $3. I make it $7.75 and just the button calls. The turn is an 8. I bet $12 and he folds = +$12.60

- It is folded tome in MP and I make it $2 with 66. One LP player and the BB call. The flop is a beautiful 6-A-6. We check it round. The turn is a J. The BB checks, I bet 50c and they both call. The river is a 4 and the BB checks. I bet $7, about the size of of the pot, and the LP player calls with QQ = +$11.20

- I get KK in LP and make it $2. Just the SB calls. The flop is 7d-Kd-Qh. The SB checks, I bet $3 and he calls. The turn is 2c, he bets $2 and I make it $8, he calls. The river is 7c. He have 65c left and checks. I bet 64c and he calls with 8d9d (committed?) = +$12.79

- I get AA UTG and make it $2. It is folded to the SB who min-raises to $4. The BB folds and I decide to trap and just call. The flop is 3-4-6 and he bets $6. I call. The turn is a Q and he bets $9. I put him all-in and he calls. We both show AA = -$1.25.

Session balance = +$77.16

Cash Hours = 147
Cash Profit = $1100.21 ($7.48 p/h)

Tournament Hours = 71.25
Tournament Profit = $1468.38 ($20.61 p/h)

Total bankroll = $2618.59 ($381.41 to next target)

September 1st - $3000