The Road to Recovery

It’s been a very busy past few days and I made some bad decisions at the poker tables. Just sitting down at the tables was the first bad decision. I had so much going on and yet around 11 at night I would log on, exhausted, and play for a few hours. I would like to say it was the stress of the move or bad beats but I believe it was all me. Since starting this blog a few weeks ago I believe I’ve begun over thinking my play. This is the same thing that plagued me when I read Sklansky’s book. I’m trying to get too fancy. I wan’t to write about having huge success yet the harder I try the less I succeed. It’s time to get back to basics. It’s also time to take a few days off. This weekend is the Kentucky Derby and since I work in the industry I’m going to be putting in extra hours. It will afford me an excuse not to play over the weekend and that will be a good thing. I am going to spend some time studying my Poker Tracker info and try to see if it can help me determine some weaknesses. Some of them are glaringly obvious. The problems I can pinpoint are emotional. Specifically my overconfidence that I can thrash other players has led to me getting played in return. I even noticed this twice last night with two different players. I suppose the admission of a problem is the first step in recovery. I am hoping though that Tracker can help me pinpoint some starting hand or post flop technical problems I may have.

I know I haven’t posted in a few days and since I’ve tried to be somewhat stat oriented with this, here how things have stacked up.

April 25 – 178 minutes, -9.04BB, -3.05BB/hour, This marked the end of my first two weeks playing multiple tables at the same time. The numbers for the two week period are:
37.27 hours, +39.49BB, 1.06BB/hour, or 1.11BB/100 hands. This puts me below the curve. From what I’ve been able to gather a good player should be getting 2 to 2.5 BB/100 hands. Still a profits a profit.

April 26 – 126 minutes, -25BB, -11.9BB/hour, I completely screwed the pooch here. I not only ignored my loss limit, (I only played one table this night). But I tilted away my last few dollars just raising for no reason because I was pissed at the other players and I figured if they could do it to me, I should be able to do it to them. As we all know though, it never works that way and hence the big loss.

April 27 – 163 minutes, +5.5BB, +2.02/hour, I had a good time playing this night. Things were going my way and I even laughed about the few bad beats I took. It’s been said before but, attitude can help a lot at the tables.

April 28 – 151 minutes, -10BB, -3.97BB/hour, these were the tables that convinced me to take a break. I was holding my own for the first hour and a half and then I got a run on both tables that put me up. I decided to play another till the big blind came around on both tables and then quit. I did this on one table securing a profit. On the other however I lost a big pot right before the blinds. Since I was already done at the other table I thought I could play just one and guarantee a profit. When I was back in the black I would then quit. I went aggressive trying to secure my victory and a loose player to my right caught on and began pounding my aggression back into me taking me for some big losses. This guy would see every flop so it became inconceivable to me that he could pound me hand after hand. As inconceivable as I thought it was, it didn’t make it any less so. After taking a nice profit he left and another player was waiting quietly in the wings to continue the onslaught. He had a different approach though and was a bit tighter than his predecessor. When we went heads up in a hand he would drive me off mine by going aggressive. I eventually caught on though and fired back at him. He then realized that I had finally gotten it through my thick skull what he was doing and he backed off. It was late, I decided to lick my wounds and go to bed. I’m working on a rather nice loss this week and have virtually wiped out my previous two weeks profit. Thanks to a 15% deposit bonus my bankroll is still intact but the numbers don’t lie. I need a change.

Bad Beat of the Week

This occurred on the 25th. I actually left this table with +15.25BB.
I’m in the BB with AcAh
Everyone calls to the button who folds. With so many callers I should have weary of a drawing hand but I was doing very well at this table so I raise it up.
UTG +1 reraises, two fold, another raise out of the cutoff, SB calls, since no one can beat me at this point I make it four bets, remaining four players call and we see the flop.
Flop 2c4cKd
SB checks, I bet out (with players calling four bets preflop I’m not anticipating a K2 or K4), UTG fold, UTG+1 calls, cutoff raises, SB folds, I call, UTG+1 calls. 3 see the turn.
Turn Ad
I’ve made my trips so I bet out, next two players call.
River 5c
This is my nightmare suit but I bet out anyway. UTG+1 calls, cutoff raises, I can’t get past getting beat with 3 A’s so I make it 3 bets, cutoff calls.
We showdown and the cutoff has 8c6c. He types into the chat “sry suited connectors”.
Someone needed to explain to this guy that 6 & 8 aren’t connected and you really shouldn’t raise preflop, let alone call four bets. Oh well, what are ya goin ta do.

Big Pot of the Week

This was on the 27th. My only winning session so this week.
I’m in the cutoff with KsQs.
Fold to MP1 who calls, fold to me and I call, Button raises, SB, BB, and MP1 call as do I.
Flop 2s7sKc
Table checks to me, I check my flush draw and top pair because I want the button to start us out. Button bets, SB folds, BB calls, MP1 calls, I continue my slowplay and call.
Turn 5d
BB checks, MP1 bets, I call because MP1 led out and I now fear two pair. Button calls, BB calls
River Js
BB checks, MP1 bets out, I raise. My thinking here is that BB has been playing an A hoping to get lucky. MP1 bet on the turn so I’m thinking top pair or two not flush, button just called the bet on the turn so I don’t put him on anything higher than maybe Q’s. Button raises all in for a SB. BB calls, MP1 calls, I should have reraised because the button was all in but his raise did have me confused.
Showdown, Button shows 10h10d, my original thinking was correct. BB shows 9s8s, I was wrong here. MP1 shows Kh5h, and I had him pegged. If only I could see opponents cards like this in every hand. I suppose the pros do and that’s why they’re the pros.

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