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

An hour for that?

I played my first 6-tabling session on 25c-50c and this is how it went...

- I am in the BB with Q8o. There are 3 limpers and the SB folds. The flop is Q-Q-9. I bet $1.25 and this player who is on tilt goes all-in for $8.54. It is folded to me and I call. He shows AA, nice. The river is an A, not nice = -$9.04

- UTG limps and I make it $2.50 UTG+1 with AA. UTG+2 and UTG are the only callers. The flop is 2-J-5 and UTG checks. I bet $4 and just UTG calls. The turn is a 10 and he checks. I have a suspicion I am being trapped and just check. The river is a 6 and he bets $5. I think I am beat but I'm getting over 4-1 odds so I call and he shows J10o = -$11.50

I won quite a few small pots though, and after an hour on 6 tables I ended with a massive profit of $1.01! I'm still pleased though, if the tilter doesnt hit his 2 outer in the first hand then I end up $20 and I also hit a few sets that only won me tiny pots. Next time they'lll be monsters!

Cash Hours = 145.5
Cash Profit = $1023.05 ($7.03 p/h)

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

Total bankroll = $2541.43 ($458.57 to next target)

September 1st - $3000

6 tabling

I have found that I am very confident playing 4 tables now and so it felt time to move up. I decided to play 10c-25c as I was just testing out 6 tabling. I also wanted to try to make the changes to my game that I learnt from the article in the previous post. I played 2 sessions and here's how they went...

Session 1
PartyPoker, 10c-25c. 6 tables, 0.5 hours.

- I raise in EP to $0.75 with Jh9h and get 1 caller. The flop is Ah-6h-4s. I bet $1 and he calls. The turn is 7h. I bet $3 and he calls. The river is 10d. He has been calling the whole way, so I decide to overbet the pot and see if he calls. I go all-in for $31 and he calls (only has $16) with pockets 6's = +$19.25

- Get Kd8d on the button. It is folded to me, and I raise to $0.75. Just the BB calls. The flop is 10d-8s-7d. He checks, I bet $1, he raises to $4 and I push all-in for $19.55. He calls and shows K10. I get lucky and river the 9d = +$18.40

- I played this hand the worst I have ever played. I raise to $0.75 UTG with KcQc and get 1 caller. The flop is Qs-8c-4s. I bet $1 and get min-raised. I call. The turn is 2c. I bet $2 and he makes it $10. Now I should definitely fold. However, I have a 'feeling' that I am going to hit my flush. Worse than that, I decide to go all-in, and he calls with AQ. I miss my K and flush = -$28.45

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

- There was only 1 hand of note. UTG raises to $1 and I make it $3.50 in the SB with KK. He calls. The flop is Q-7-2. I bet $4.50 and he calls. I have no idea where I am in this hand. The turn is a 6, and I don't know what to do so I check. He bets $8. I don't know why but I push all-in and he folds = +$14.65

Session balance = $39.54

Cash Hours = 144.5
Cash Profit = $1022.04 ($7.07 p/h)

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

Total bankroll = $2540.42 ($459.58 to next target)

September 1st - $3000

Analysing my Game

I found an article about how to use PokerTracker stats to analyse your game. I'm going look at it and see how I do. Here goes...

1. Do you have sufficient preflop aggression?

Divide the "PF Raise %" by the "Vol. Put $ In Pot." If you get a number smaller than 0.5, you're not aggressive enough out of that position.

Mine is about 0.25 - NOT AGGRESSIVE ENOUGH

2. Are you positionally aware?

I'd love to see my button VPIP at double my UTG VPIP, but if my Button VPIP is at least 50% larger than my UTG VPIP, I'm happy with the situation.

Mine is about 50% larger - OK AT POSITION

3. How's my stealing?

I'd like to see that number at LEAST 20%.

Mine is only 12% - NEED TO STEAL BLINDS MORE

4. Defending the blinds.

A "BB/Hand" of about -0.375 would indicate that you were no better off putting money into the pot than if you had folded. If your "BB/Hand" is larger than that, then you typically win back some of your blind money when you put money into the pot from the blinds. That's all you can really hope for.

Mine is 0.13 - WIN BACK SOME MONEY OUT THE BLINDS

Here you'll now see how you did when you chose to defend against a blind steal. Again, the magic number is for your "BB/Hand" to be bigger than -0.375; that means you're making back some of your blinds when you try to defend against a steal. If either of these numbers is lower than -0.375, you'd lose less money by always folding rather than doing what you're doing.

Mine is -1.24 - BAD AT DEFENDING BLINDS

5. Heads-up play.

This will show you how you’ve done when you didn’t raise preflop, but the hand was heads-up on the flop (this includes pure limping and when someone ELSE raised preflop, but not when you were the preflop raiser). Is this number positive? If not, it could be an indicator that you have trouble when you are not the aggressor preflop, especially without padding in the pot.

Mine is -0.01 - NOT GREAT WHEN NOT AGGRESSOR

6. Multiway pots.

This shows you how you do in multiway pots. If things look good, go back and select “No Raise” under “Pre-flop Raise.” Is it still positive? If so, you’re selecting good times to play/limp multiway pots, and you’re playing them well postflop.

Mine are both positive - GOOD AT MULTIWAY POTS

7. Pocket pairs.

Your Total VPIP with these should be EXTREMELY high; unless you play at highly unusual tables, I’d be surprised to see this number below 85%. Mine is 93.7% Pocket pairs make extremely powerful hands that are extremely well-hidden; if you’re not playing them almost all the time, you’re leaving money on the table. Also, your Total PFR% with these hands should be rather high -- at least 1/3 of your VPIP, if not 1/2. Mine is 27%, so nearly a 1/3. Some people have this number higher still, and I don’t have a problem with that, especially at short-handed tables. If you have enough hands, I’d expect every one of these lines to be positive, and reasonably significantly so. If you have any glaringly negative numbers, especially AA-88, it may indicate bad play. Only 55 is negative for me.

GOOD AT POCKET PAIRS

8. Suited connectors.

Your BB/hand should be positive; if it’s not, you’re probably not playing your suited connectors well. Mine is -0.02. Remember: these hands play best in a multiway, unraised pot, or as a steal move. In the “Filters…” change “Vol. Put $ In Pot” to “Cold-Called.” When you hit OK, you should have almost no entries to view. Of the times you cold-called, you should be able to come up with a specific explanation for why you did so in each and every one of them. Your default play here should be to fold weak suited connectors and reraise strong ones.

SHOULD ONLY LIMP IN A MULTIWAY POT OR STEAL BLINDS

9. Unsuited connectors.

Check your winrate and make sure it’s positive. Filter for cold-calling and see if you had good reasons for doing so, keeping in mind that the reasons need to be even stronger than for suited connectors.

Mine is -0.01 - ONLY PLAY IN MULTIWAY POTS OR STEAL BLINDS

10. Postflop aggression.

There is a section marked “First Action on Flop After A Pre-flop Raise.” This shows your likelihood of continuation betting. If you add Bet and Raise, the total should be at least 40%. Mine is 45.79%. If it’s not, you’re probably giving up too soon on your good hands, and that will cost you money in the long run. Continuation betting should be your default play.

Your total aggression factor should be at LEAST 2. Mine is 2.4.

GOOD AT POST-FLOP AGGRESSION

11. Check-raising.

I personally like to check-raise at least once in awhile; 1% would be fine, 0.5% would be acceptable. If you are check raising much more than 2% of the time, you’re being entirely too tricky for a SSNL table, and straightforward play would probably be more profitable for you.

Mine is 1.14% - CHECK-RAISE SLIGHTLY TOO MUCH

So this is what I am going to try and improve...

1. Raise more pre-flop
2. Steal more blinds
3. Don't defend my blinds so much
4. Don't limp with suited/unsuited connectors unless a multiway pot
5. Check-raise slightly less

I am going to print these out and stick them next to my screen, and hopefully I'll improve.

Cash Hours = 143
Cash Profit = $982.50 ($6.87 p/h)

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

Total bankroll = $2500.88 ($499.12 to next target)

September 1st - $3000

Sets, sets and more sets!

"I am the poker man, and I come from far away, and I can set
What can you set?
I can set... Pocket Pairs!
Pocket pocket pocket-pairs, pocket-pairs, pocket-pairs..."
- Sandy, Fleetville Youth Club DJ, circa 1994.

I had two very uneventful sessions, where I couldn't hit a hand and finished slightly down in each. I then played another hour long 4-table session where I couldn't miss! I seemed to hit so many sets, and at good times too. Here's the highlights...

- I get 44 UTG and limp. UTG+1 makes it $2 and only an LP player and me call. The flop is 4d-Jd-Qs. I bet out $4, as there is a lot of draws going on on that flop. UTG+1 makes it $8 and LP goes all-in for $12.85. I think that if i just call this all-in, then UTG+1 will push all-in if he has AA/KK. I call and UTG+1 goes all-in for $50. I immediately call, UTG shows AA and LP shows KQo = +$57.85

- I get KJo in the cut-off. It is folded to me and so I decide to make it $1.50. It is folded to the BB who min-raises to $2.50. I call with position. The flop is K-J-10. He bets $2 and I want him to continue to be the aggressor, and so just call. The turn is an 8 and he bets $5 and I raise him to $10, he calls. The river is an A. We both check and he shows 77 = +$13.30 (it's funny that when you are the big stack, people automatically assume you are just trying to bully them).

- UTG+1 makes it $2 and I decide to just call UTG+2 with QQ. LP also calls. The flop is 9-10-J. UTG+1 bets $2 and just I call. The turn is a 2. UTG+1 checks, I figure I have the best hand and bet $2. He calls. The river is a K. He checks and calls my $4 bet. He shows KK = +$11.65

- I limp with TT UTG, the cut-off min-raises and just I call. The flop is 10-7c-3c. I check, he bets $3 and I check-raise to $10. He calls. The turn is a 4c. I bet $15 and he folds = +10.65

- UTG+1 limps, UTG+2 min-raises and just the SB, the BB (me with KQs) and UTG+1 call. The flop is Kh-Jh-8. We check to the raiser and he bets $1.50. Just I call. The turn is 4h and I try to represent by betting $3.50. He calls. The river is a 3 and I bet $6. He calls with Qh-10h = -$11.65

- I get QQ in the BB. There are 2 limpers and the button makes it $1. I make it $4 and just the button calls. The flop is 4-6-8 and I bet $6. He calls. The turn is a 2, I bet another $6 and he folds = +$10.20

- MP raises to $2, LP calls and I call on the button with TT. The flop is 3-5-6. The raiser checks and the caller goes all-in for $6.47. I call and the raiser folds. The all-in player shows Q9 and I turn a 10 to end the hand = +$10.27

- I raise to $2 in MP with AA, and only the BB calls. The flop is 2-4-8. He checks and I stupidly do the same. The turn is another 4. He checks, I bet $3 and he calls. The river is a 3, he bets $5 and I call. He shows Q4s = -$10

- I make it $2 UTG with KK and get 3 callers. The flop is A-K-9, I bet $5 and get 2 callers. The turn is a 4, I bet $8 and they both fold = +$15.60

All-in-all a very pleasing run of hands, and it meant I ended the month looking like this...

http://img11.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=44138_July_451lo.JPG

It's going to be very tight whether or not I reach my target, so fingers are crossed!

Cash Hours = 143
Cash Profit = $982.50 ($6.87 p/h)

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

Total bankroll = $2500.88 ($499.12 to next target)

September 1st - $3000