Sunday, November 9, 2008

FINALLY!!!! aflidjfdjfdfjlaf. AAAAHHH...For once I am the lucky bastard

For the first 3 days out of the last week I was buying into on average about $180 worth of tournaments. Each of the three days I was cashing for no less then $160. I was basically breaking even but losing small amounts everyday. Then I went on a horrible two day streak. In a two day period I bought into about $500-$600 worth of tournaments and in that time had only two cashes. They were for $30 and $7. After buying into all of Saturdays tournaments I was down to about $700 in my account. That is way too close to $0 for my comfort. It was also pissing me off because it was only about 10 days ago or so that I had $2100 in the account.

To make a long story short I set all kinds of records on Saturday.

The first one was that I cashed in a total of 6 MTT's. Several times prior to that I had 4 cashes in a day.

I ended up making most of my money back from the previous day when I final tabled a $20 180 man tourney and ended up taking 4th for $288. With my other cashes that put me back to $999 in my account.

I was invited to a juicy homegame at 9:00 that night and knew I wasn't going to be playing online all night if I so desired. So the last two tournies that I bought into were at 2:00 and 3:00.

The first one was a $10 freezeout with 3000+ players and the other was the $5 rebuys.

They recently changed the structure of the rebuys tournaments on Stars that has made it much harder for me to be successful. They extended the rebuy portion to 90 minutes, extended the playing time before breaks to 90 minutes, and decreased the blind levels from 15 to 10 minutes. There are added blind levels but the blinds go up way to fast after a while.

I went far in the $10 buyin but busted after about 2.5 hours and out of the money.

I have been doing so much worse in the rebuys as of late that I have considered quitting them altogether even though they are my favorite tournaments.

Not only that but if you have a bad rebuy session then its going to cost you a lot more then it use to. On the flip side, if you have a good rebuy session then you will go into the second part of the tournament stacked really deep.

On this particular day I had a terrible rebuy hour. I ended up spending around $80-$90 on the tournament. Even with that I still took 11K chips into the non-rebuy portion of the tournament.

There were things in this tournament that usually go against me all the time that finally flipped around. Here's the first one.

I recently watched a training video and the guy I was watching was absolutely relentless with raising in late position regardless of his holding so I have experimented here and there with that playing style. It's backfired big time and worked out really well in some spots.

Hand 1: It folds to me in the cutoff (one off the button) and I raise with a Q 7 spades. The guy on the button was calling all my raises because he's an idiot like that.


Flop:

K x x

I completely missed everthing and lead out and of course I get called.

Turn

x

The turn gives me a gutshot straight draw and puts 2 spades out there so I am flushing.

I stick it all in and of course the button calls and shows K 10. Really? It's obviously impossible for me to ever have A K here. The pot is 50K and the river comes:

6 of spades. I hit both the straight and the flush and the button starts bitching and whining about how terrible I am. I love how this shit happens to me all day everyday and once a month when I get lucky like that they have to talk shit everytime. Stop playing trash like K 10 and that won't ever happen to you. From that point on I was one of the big stacks for a good chunk of the tournament.

I got my stack up to 100K when the blinds were at 600/1200.

Unfortuntaley, by the time the blinds reached 2500/5000 I still had 100K. I then dropped to 60K and then got it back the next hand. I then dropped to 60K again and managed to grind my way up to 100K again.

I changed tables and this happened.

Hero 110K
Villain (about the same)

Blinds 4K/8K

Villain in the cutoff minraises. SB calls and I decide to shove with Q 10 of spades hoping that they both fold. Of course the CO calls and the SB folds.

Villain shows K K.

Flop

Q x x

This is the flop I always get but I never ever seem to suck out even though it happens to me constantly.

Turn x

River 10.

HAHA! Finally goddammit. Ship the 250K chip pot. I change tables immediately after.

I chill for a while and then get my stack up to 470K on one hand. I don't recall the hand.

I then change tables and what a table change it was.

Within 10 minutes of my new table change my stack grows from 470K to 930K without even having to make a showdown. I picked up Aces twice and Kings once and there was a lot of action before me and each time I shoved I won the pot uncontested.

At this point, I am top 10 in the tournament with about 150 left.

First is $8500. One time?

I eventually change tables again and there was this idiot to my right who was literally raising every pot. This stupid bastard cost me so many chips. He kept raising crap like K 2 and Q 4 and then calling all ins and winning often enough to never go broke. On multiple occassions I was going to play my hand but got raised off and would have won a big pot.

On this table I ran sick hot but never got to profit off of it. Had I limped or called raises with really trash hands I would have flopped trips about 7 times. Because of the moron on my table I wasn't able to play any hands and started getting dwindled away.

I got down to the last 3 tables and the money jumps were now substantial. During that time I went from 1 million chips to 500K about 3 times, because I would win a big pot and then fold every hand for 3 rounds because of how crazy everyone was playing. I would then get super short and shove with crap and on two separate occassions I was called by 2 2 and won both times!

We got down to the last two tables and I was 18th in chips just barely hanging on. People were playing so crazy I thought I had no chance to make the final table which I so desired. 3 of the top stacks knocked each other out because they all played terribly. I ended up doubling up with about 14 left and then won a few more uncontested pots and suddenly was looking good. The rest all got knocked out and I came into the final table 8/9 in chips. I was so stoked. It was only the second time ever that I have ever made the final table of a jumbo rebuy. This tournament also had the most players ever where I was able to make the final table. It was also the first time ever that I made two final tables in the same day.

Almost every player on the final table was terrible. There was one guy who was calling every all in whether it was preflop or pre-river and this guy was sucking out every time. Quickly we were down to 5. But before that there is one more great suckout.

I think there were 6 or 7 left and I was in last place.

The blinds were 75K/150K and I had about 1.4M in chips.

I shoved on the button with K 10 and the BB who was calling everything and had a 12M chip stack called me with 2 2. Again 2 2!

Flop

x x x I miss everything.

Turn 2 spade

There are now 3 spades and I have the king of spades.

River 10 of spades.

NO FUCKING WAY. I know how it feels to lose there but I never hit that card!

I am pretty sure that is biggest pot I have ever won in a tournament as my stack was over 3 million. I was now second in chips.

Mr 12M donked off 8 million of his chips and at this point I had 4.5M in chips with 4 left.

Super donk raises to 1M which is a stupid raise and I have A 10 in the SB. I shove expecting him to call and for me to win but instead the BB who was playing super tight and was taking all of the donks money overshoves and I knew that I just lost the tournament.

He shows A A and I actually hit my 10 but I can't hit the 2 outer. The worst part about that hand is if the donk calls and the BB doesn't call I would have won since the top pair on the board was a 10.

4/3429 was good for $3267. My second largest cash ever and on the day I made over $3500 which is my second biggest money day ever playing poker. My stars account now sits at $4226.49

If I can now get 10 more like the one you just read about then Stars and I will be even. Until then, I still hate poker and still hate Stars.

Also, the tournament took 8 hours and I ended up showing up to the home game at around 11 but my stupid drunk friends hadn't even started yet. I was there more to drink and get smoked then I was to play poker and I didn't last long. I built up a nice stack and then had JJ run into KK and I was out after a couple hours.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Another classic example of why it sucks to me and play poker

Ladies and gentlemen, it's really close to over now. I have been following the same pattern for 2 and a half months now. (On stars) I run decent throughout the beginning of a lot of tournaments only to take the big bad beat in the most crucial moment. There really is no skill in this game. It doesn't matter how good you are, how knowlegdable you are, or how much "skill" you have. This game is all luck. For the people who win, I want to know how they do it. How do they win the big all ins.

I have learned a lot about this game and I have learned the following. This game is nothing more then a big downswing. I spend most of my time losing and when I run well it is very short lived only to return back to running bad. It seems profitable to put your money in bad because thats what most people do against me and they seem to get lucky against me more often then they should. On the flip side, when I put the money in bad I almost never hit the miracle card. I don't know if I am cursed or what but the way I run on a consistent basis is entirely confusing to me. For every bad beat I give, I take 10. Just for a month I would like that number to flip. I would make an ungodly amount of money. Of course, like most things in my life I am not that lucky and that will never happen.

Anyway, the hand that inspired this.

$25 buyin. 1st place of 7K.

I am down to 4K with the blinds at 300/600. We are right at the bubble. I have been getting dealt dogshit for the last hour and haven't won a hand in that time. During that time I have gone from 25BB to less then 7.

I get dealt A A in the BB. There's a raise to $2400 which is enough to where the villain has no fold equity. My play is obvious but I have not cashed in over 20 straight tournaments and I have been knocked out on the bubble about 12 times over the last week. I already know I am going to lose because stars sets it up that way except for when I am the one with the big stack then I get screwed no matter what.

For some reason I decide to gamble even though I already know the deck is stacked against me. He calls and shows K 8 off.

Flop

5 6 x with two hearts. Of course he has one heart and I have nothing.

He is almost drawing dead at this point and the majority of the cards in the deck should kill his hand on the turn. But we have to remember there are about 30 hearts in the deck so I am major underdog on the flop. Because its me, the greatest card he can hit comes on the turn.

7 of hearts.

He just went from almost drawing dead to 15 outs.

Basically if anyone has 10 outs or more against me then they have a 90% chance of hitting. Of course because its stars and its the site that I have run by far the worst on in my life they decided to deal me a fuck you river.

A of hearts.

What a fucking shock.

I am down to $1200 and some change and if I bust the account which I am sure I will because stars will never let me have a taste of glory I am quitting forever.

The only time I will ever play poker post quitting is live when invited by friends or in homegames. After quitting I will find something else to do with my time. I honestly don't know what I want to have happen at this time. I obviously want to win big but I know its never going to happen. So its either keep struggling until I commit suicide or lose and quit.

As I write this, I just won a big pot in this tournament.

$9 buyin 360 players. 1st place $800.

I am currently 15/36 which is just in the money.

Run good in another small tournament? Just stars way of saying fuck you so that I keep paying rake.

I will obviously make an amendment if something crazy happens. If I don't then I probably got jewed.

FUCK YOU POKERSTARS. I HOPE YOUR HEADQUARTERS FALLS IN THE OCEAN AND ALL THE LUCKY BASTARDS WHO WIN ON YOUR SITE LOSE THERE MONEY.

And congrats to Obama for winning. I didn't vote for him (or McCain for that matter) but I think its amazing that a black guy is the president of the US. Just make sure you watch your back buddy.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

This confirms it. I will never win doing this stupid shit.

I have long held a theory that it is impossible for me to win big playing poker. This proves it.

150 left in a 5000 player tournament. All in with KK. I lose.

Build it back up. Then all in with AA. I lose. What a fucking joke. Another minor cash for me.


Then the last one of the night. I knew I had no chance even though I was killing this tournament for the first 3 hours because I always get screwed when it matters most.

$55 buyin tourney with 12K first place.

I have 30K with the blinds at 500/1000. This all happens in 10 minutes.

Call all in from shortstack with A 10. He has K Q. I lose.

Then I raise with A Q. Shortstack goes all in. I call. He has 5 7. I flop 2 pair. I still lose. I never ever win when I that far behind but it happens to me all the time.

What the fuck ever happened to the theory that the shortstacks always lose to speed the tournaments up. Thats a fucking scam because no one gets sucked out more often by shortstacks then I do.

Then with only 13K left because I have so much skill for this game. Theres a raise by a guy who has 21K. I have A K. I shove. He calls with 5's because putting 70% of all your chips on the line with only a pair of 5's is obviously a skill play.

Do you really think I won a coinflip to save my life when there is 12K on the line. Yeah fucking right.

Fuck this stupid bullshit. I will never hit a big score because I never ever hold up when I have the best hand. The more important the pot is the more likely I am to lose it. And I never ever fucking suck out in big crucial spots. I don't think I have ever cracked pocket aces with a bullshit hand when there is a ton of chips on the line. Happens to me every fucking day.

Fuck poker. Fuck this stupid shit. FUCK FUCK FUCK. I don't want to play this stupid shit anymore.

I played in over 20 tournaments today and gave 1 count em 1 fucking bad beat all in preflop. I showed several just in two tournaments and there were 20 other tournaments that I didn't talk about.

Also in my last 24 hours of poker, I have hit 2 fucking flushes. Of course people hit theres on me all fucking day. The numbers don't add up. I will never go 24 fucking hours of continuous play with people only hitting 2 flushes against me. If that actually happened I probably would win the 12K. Oh but wait, that will never happen so why even bother considering that I could go that long with no one hitting a flush even though I can go 1000's hands without hitting a single one.

I really hope poker gets criminalized. Fuck poker stars, its fucking rigged against me. This proves why all the "top" players have multiple accounts. When one of there accounts is getting screwed they just move over to another. Of course my account is always being screwed over and I'm not allowed to have another so I guess I just have to be on a forever downswing because there is so much skill in this stupid ass game.

Fuck this stupid shit. I fucking hate it.

I will never win.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

October: Another rigged month.

There is a lot I want to say and I don't know where to start so we'll just see where this goes.

Another month wasted and another month has gone by where by where I am that much closer to just hanging it up for good.

For the month I made a whopping $290. Whooooo. I must be really bad at this game. My stars bankroll to finish the month sits at $1571.11.

I don't know if I have ever run worse. It is all just a blur at this point. I went on legendary downswings playing sit and goes and I think that I am going to give them up. I may play them here and there but theres too much luck in turbo sit and goes and everyone always spikes there 3 outer when they call off most of there chips with A 7 when I have A K. I have been running so bad for the last several months that I am certain that if I was playing 100NL cash I would be down 15K. It's been that bad.

The most disgusting thing about all of this is that I actually won 2 tournaments outright this month. Had you told me that to start the month I would have been really excited. Of course one of the tournaments was a BS tournament and the other was only a moral victory.

On a positive note, I played significantly less poker then I have in prior months. That is a win in my book. I did a lot more things socially, partied quite a bit, met some girls, and had a lot of fun.

These are my numbers for the month in MTT's.

Tournaments played 162 (this number needs to triple next month)
Cashes 31
Final Tables 3
ITM% 19.12 (which is actually really good.)
Winnings $3972.39

As a result to my lack of play I lost my gold star standing however I still managed to finish in the top 1000 in the TLB once again so I'm sure I will get that invite again. Didn't really like playing in it the last time, so I will more then likely skip it which about half the players end up doing.

I have been meaning to write this for the last week or so but just haven't gotten around to it.

I played live poker last weekend and had a legendary degen session at the Commerce.

Last Saturday night a bunch of us got together for UFC 90 and after the fight there was suppose to be a costume party. Someone left for the party and told us that they would call us later for a scouting report/location of the party. Quite a bit of time passed and there was no call so I just went home. I got home at about 11 and started playing online. At around 1:00 I get a call from one of my friends and he says that he and two others were on their way to Commerce and they would pick me up. Of course I accept the offer. They come over and we smoke a copious amount of weed and I am super stoned and ready to make an all nighter of it. We get to Commerce and smoke some more and then go grab some beers. We start playing at about 2 in the morning. My friend Matt and I went to play $200NL and the others went upstairs to play the $40.

I started off a little shaky and couldn't get anything going. I had to do an add on and was in for $300. I don't remember most of the hands but these were the main ones.

I'm down to my last $75 and shove with 10 10. I get called of course. (The reason why I shoved $75 into a $7 pot.)

Board A 10 6 Q A.

The degen Asian who called me starts talking all this shit that he has me and he has the nuts but then I rolled over my boat and his K J straight wasn't shit. Hey I won a coinflip.

I had another hand where I had K 10 of hearts and got all in on the flop and for like the 3rd time this year actually hit a flush on the river. That was against random armo who I will talk about later. That pot was about $300.

Anyway, anyone playing poker at the Commerce at 5 in the morning is a complete degen. Myself included. There was this Armenian fish who had a stack of $2200 at one point. Over the course of about 6 hours, myself, Matt, and two other players took all of his money and he left at 8 in the morning completely cleaned out. It was awesome.

Anyway, this hand was against the Armo degen and was my biggest pot of the night.

I raised J 10 suited and get two callers.

Flop J 10 x suited. Not mine obv.

Armo degen and I get it all in on the flop for a $700 pot. I know he has some sort of draw so I am praying that the poker gods don't realize that DrBadBeat has skipped out of playing online and is hiding at the Commerce. I somehow get lucky and the Armo degen mucks his hand when the turn and river blank off. On the night I came up $480 and that is cold hard cash and not electronic internet moneys.

During the night, we smoked a bunch of weed making multiple trips to the parking lot. At one point I met some random guy and I almost purchased 1.5 ounces from him but decided against it. We played all the way until about 10 in the morning and then left. We all got back to my house and at 11 I started playing online. I ran like dogshit like I always do online and dropped about half of my Commerce profits. I played online until about 5 which was when I went to bed. In total I was up for 34 hours and spent 18 straight hours playing poker.

I will say that I am starting to run better but have very little to show for it.

Last night I took 23/3150 and finished 23rd because I lost two giant coinflips like I always do. But I ran really well to get there.

And earlier today I took 4/180 in a $22 buyin and made a whopping $288. I ran good early on and then went card-dead with about 4 tables left. I won a couple of huge hands right before the final table and came in 5/9. I more or less folded every hand as I wasn't dealt anything and finished 4th.

I also went really deep in a couple others today and made a couple of crucial mistakes. Today was one of the rare times that I got ALOT of chips all in and I wasn't winning. Of course I am not like everyone I play against and I didn't get rewarded for it.

I am up about $250 early in November. Big month? One time? No more getting fucked constantly please.