Decisions….Decisions

Last night was a little odd. I started out good but then after an hour and a half a player came to the table that completely changed the complection of the game. I would describe him as a maniac but there was method to his madness. Within a few hands he dominated the table and had everyone playing so tight he took down pot after pot. He used the chat to his advantage as well. He wasn’t trash talking per se but he certainly was using it as a distraction. Talking about his hand and others play. I wanted desperately to take him down but I couldn’t get a hand or draw to save my life. I played back at him for a while but then was forced to tighten up when my bankroll reached a negative. I was able to play a hand about 30 minutes after he arrived that took a pot from him. After that he really didn’t play with me after the flop. In retrospect I should have used this to my advantage and tried to force him out more often. The cards were definitely falling his way though and that would have been dangerous if I was working on a draw. Once he left the table players loosened up again and I took back my profit.

Table – 179 minutes, 7.75BB, 2.6BB/Hour, 179 hands – This was the first time I have been at a table and had my minutes played exactly match my hands played. I can’t help but wonder how I would have fared if the maniac hadn’t joined my table. I played back 12BB after he arrived.

I was reviewing my stats and I’ve discovered something. As many of you know I had to pull out a majority of my bankroll to help with the new house. I lowered myself to $300 which I felt I needed for the .50/1.00 tables. I have continued to pull money out every week to put into the house as well. To play at the 1/2 level I would need a $600 bankroll to meet my requirements. After looking at my .50/1.00 stats I see that I have played for 103 hours and made $3.86/Hour. This is an earning of $397.58. Had I left my bankroll alone each week I would be over the $600 needed for the level change. Now yesterday I rec. the UltimateBet newsletter and they are offering a 25% reload bonus. I have decided to put money back into that account since Absolute doesn’t have enough players to support the .50/1.00 play. Using the bonus I plan to deposit enough money so my bonus will cover a loss limt at 1/2. This will in essence allow me to get my feet wet with no risk to my bankroll. If I can turn a profit then I will continue to play, if not then I will drop back to the .50/1.00 level and be no worse off. I will continue to play the .50/1.00 level at Party until I see how things go at Ultimatebet. I’ve said before I consider the play at Ultimate to be much tougher, so if I make it there Party should be no problem.