Posts Tagged ‘gambling’

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Check-Raise: The Road To Professional Gambling – June 2011

June 29, 2011

Poker is a cruel game. Even for the educated player, it can play tricks on your mind. For the uninitiated… good luck staying sane.

As many of you know, my goal this year was to make money gambling and through the first three months of the year, I had managed to eke out a profit, but it was almost entirely due to the rakeback I was receiving from Full Tilt Poker. You can read my update for the first three months here.

April changed everything for aspiring poker players when the FBI shutdown the three major online sites: Full Tilt Poker, Poker Stars, and Absolute Poker, making it impossible for players to gamble online in the United States. Of course, that happened just as I was realizing some of the major leaks in my game and starting to turn things around. I was already killing tournaments, but my cash game play was starting to come along as well. I had turned a profit in online cash games for the first time in many, many months. To make matters worse, I made my biggest tournament score of the year the day before Black Friday. So when the sites shut down and access to your funds became restricted, I happened to have significantly more money online than I usually do; and it’s still there.

With online play no longer an option, I turned to the local casinos, a bold move for someone trying to build a bankroll with limited money. I went from playing $0.50-$1 limit online to playing $4-$8 live, a significant jump in stakes even though the latter game is almost certainly much softer.

I had already identified cash games as a leak in my gambling. I previously noted how bad I was doing online, but my live stats weren’t much better. For the year, through April, I was down roughly $400 playing live cash games… plus in April alone, I was down $625 playing live period, whether it was tournaments or cash games. With online play no longer an option, my poker future was looking grim.

Then I went to jail for most of May. In jail, I read several poker books and came out on May 20th thinking I might have a shot at making money playing live poker. I only played for one week in May and 15 hours total and promptly managed to lose $298, logging my first losing month of the year. Also, on May 24th and May 25th, I managed to lose $450 in 3.5 hours of total play, such an absurdly bad run that I strongly considered quitting playing altogether. I was completely demoralized.

Being the gambler I am though, that notion didn’t last very long and I was quickly back in action in June. I got off to a hot start and by June 10th I was up $549 in the live game. Then, June 10th changed everything. I hit the Lightning Strikes Twice jackpot at Chips Casino for $1562 and had my best session of the year on top of that. By the end of the night, I was up $1809 total (after tipping the dealer $200 for the jackpot) and suddenly had a legitimate bankroll. By June 20th, including the jackpot hit, I had beat the live game for $3038 in profit. I felt unstoppable. I had a losing session here and there, but I was on a serious upswing, and my confidence was soaring. Unfortunately, the last week wasn’t so kind and is the reason I opened this post by saying how cruel poker can be. I’m down $715 in the live game over the past week and have felt completely defeated at times. Fortunately, I have the bankroll now to withstand this kind of big downswing, and at -89 Big Bets of my current limit, this isn’t even close to how bad it will be some other future time.

That’s the thing about poker that most people don’t understand. Even the best players are going to go through terrible streaks due to bad luck. It can be incredibly painful when it happens–which is not uncommon–but even a 200 Big Bet (-$1600 @ $4-$8) downswing is almost inevitable. But if you’re a good, winning player, luck always evens out in the end, and you have to win in the long run.

In total, I made $2406 gambling in June (more than at my day job). I got lucky with the big jackpot, but it was a great month besides that and now my goal to play for a living by 2013 seems plausible. Grinding it out at $4-$8 is going to be a long road, but now I have the bankroll to gamble with comfortably and never have to touch any of the money I actually work for. Also, if Full Tilt ever gets their shit together and cashes out their players, I’ll have a large enough bankroll to move up in stakes to $8-$16 and potentially double my hourly rate.

June Stats

Live play:
$3-$6: -$372 over 11.92 hours (-5 BB/HR) <— potential leak?
$4-$8: +$1342 over 85.67 hours (1.96 BB/HR)
+$1362 Lightning Strikes Twice Jackpot
+$164 in Tournament play
+$2496 total

Additional Gambling:
BlackJack Match Plays: +$15
Sports Betting: +$10
House Games: +$38
Side Bets: +$20

Overall Gambling since December 1st, 2010: +$3287.80

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August 2010 Poker Results

September 2, 2010

Disclaimer: Since I live in a state where gambling online is illegal everything I’m about to post is clearly a figment of my imagination. I’m a law-abiding citizen.

I started viciously tracking my results this past month in an effort to improve my game and be honest about my results. When it comes to gambling, unless you happen to make a huge score in a tournament, it’s a daily grind that features a lot of ups and downs along the way. In the past, I liked to start tracking my results after a good day and then suddenly lose interest when things turned sour. This past month, I confirmed a lot of what I have long suspected have been leaks in my game. Here are my results:

Starting Bankroll: $163.41
Ending Bankroll: $109.75
Net Profit: -$53.66
Deposits: $0
Cash Outs: $0
Transfers: $0
RakeBack: +$243.49
Tournaments: +$254.98
Cash Games: -$552.13

Notes:

-My bankroll peaked at $716 on August 19th. I combined terrible luck with poor bankroll management and sketchy play over the last two weeks of the month, resulting in a horrid stretch that left me in the red for the month.

-My cash game results are terrible and represent the biggest inconsistency in my poker game. I can dominate for long stretches of time, but if there’s one thing I’ve noticed about myself it’s that I tend to implode when I start to hit a bad run. I never seem to have a minor losing stretch, I always compound my bad luck with horrible decision-making.

-I played 61 tournaments in August, with an average field of 586, and cashed in 14 of them, which gave me a respectable 23% In The Money rate.

-My biggest cash was a net profit of $363.73 for a 7th place finish in $3.30 No Limit rebuy tournament that had a field of 1,761 players.

-I went on a sick tournament streak in the middle of the month. I cashed in 10 of 17 tournaments over five days, including five final tables in a wide variety of games (3rd in HORSE, 5th in Pot Limit Omaha, 1st in Stud, 3rd in NL, and 7th in NL+rebuys). During this stretch, I made $555.94 playing tournaments.

Goals For September:

-Limit my cash game play even though it’s how I build rakeback. I obviously lost more playing them than I made in rakeback.

-Take some days off.

-Make at least one big tournament score.

-Have a winning month!

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Poker Is So Annoying Sometimes

August 5, 2009

I just endured one of my more obnoxious tournaments in quite some time. I usually play the morning tournament at Chips Casino on my days off and because of the structure, I play a pretty fast and loose game in the early stages. Since the blinds double every 11 minutes, I like to play a lot of pots early to try to build a big stack so I can handle the huge blinds in the end game, so I’m usually one of the first people out or I finish in the top 3. After splashing around a little bit and making a couple moves that didn’t pan out, I found myself with half my stack gone after a couple orbits. I was down to $325 with blinds at $25-$50 when I picked up AK under the gun and shoved it. I get called by AJ and finally win my first pot.. but my stack is still pretty puny. With blinds at 50-100, someone opens to $300 and I shove with 99 and get called by AT and double up again. Now I got a playable stack. However, I dwindle a little bit and only have $1200 in chips when I make the final table. Blinds are 50-100 and this is when things start to get obnoxious. I pick up a pot and have about $1500 when this hand happens. I have 5h3h in the big blind and one person limps, who we will call Dumb Hick, the small blind calls and I check. The flop comes 733, which is beautiful, but it’s unlikely I’ll make any money here. If more people were in the pot or maybe if a flush draw was present, I’d usually just go ahead and lead out and hope I get some action, but I decide to check. It checks around and the turn card is an Ace. Perfect. I check again, almost sure that Dumb Hick is going to bet. He bets $200 and the small blind calls, which was a little surprising. I could shove it here, but I’m unlikely to get called and I want to make a little money on the hand so I make it $650 to go. I get called in both places… good result, although I’m starting to wonder if the small blind is underplaying a better 3 than I have. Obviously the river is another ace and I end up check-folding to Dumb Hick, who shows AJ after I table my 3 in annoyance. Then Dumb Hick has the nerve to say “I knew where you were at,” gesturing towards me. Oh really? You knew I had a 3 and you decided to call me with two outs and one card to go anyways? You’re a fucking genius. I didn’t say that, but I was sure thinking it. Anyways, the hand crippled me again and I was down to $650 instead of having $2850 (and maybe $3500 if the Dumb Hick calls an all-in on the river). Blinds go up to 100-200 after that and now I’m pretty much going to go all in any time it folds to me. I do this once and don’t get a call, so I’m up to $950 when it folds to me again and I shove again without looking. Dumb Hick calls me and shows As8s. I flip over my first card and it’s a ten of hearts… flip over the second card it’s a beautiful ace of hearts. I have him crushed. The flop comes ATQ, with one spade. Awesome. Turn card is a 7 of spades obviously… can’t just win a hand without having to sweat a little bit. The river is a Q and I have to settle for a split pot. Fuck my life! Now I’m at $1050 and I have to fold because people enter the pot before me and I don’t pick up a hand. Finally, I’m under the gun and shove as soon as the first card is dealt to me. I don’t even care if people know I’m not looking at this point. Amazingly, it folds around to the big blind and he decides to call me with… 9h8h. Brilliant. I flip over my first card: 9 of spades. Oh oh… this is either going to be really good or really bad for me. Second card: King. Sweet! I hold and double up. I end up folding both my blinds and have about $1800 when I pick up AdKd on the button. Dumb Hick raises enough to put me all in and I eagerly toss in all my chips when it folds around to me. He shows King-Ten and I have him dominated for the third time. The flop comes T86, with two diamonds. Great… the moron outflopped me, but at least I got a flush draw and 3 outs to an ace. Not horrible. The turn card is a Q, giving me another four outs, for 15 total, but the river is a king giving him two pair and I’m broke. Then Dumb Hick reaches his hand out as I’m about to walk away and I really don’t want to shake it… in fact, I feel like puking on him instead.. but I reluctantly shake his hand and then walk out of the building steaming. Seriously though… it’s bad enough to lose three big hands when you have your opponent dominated, but when it’s the same guy every time, that shit is tough to stomach. I wanted to punch him, honestly. I hate poker right now.

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Back to Back Wins!

June 23, 2009

So I won the morning poker tournament at Chips Casino yesterday. Well, sort of won it. The guy I was playing heads up wanted to chop, but when I hesitated for a few seconds he offered me $175 to his $125, which I immediately accepted. Today, I went to defend my crown and succeeded. Amazingly, no deals were discussed. No money back for third place, no chopping heads up… it was beautiful. Finally, I’m having some luck go my way at this tournament. I usually take brutal beats or get involved in unlucky situations when the money bubble approaches, but the last couple of days, I’ve been running extremely hot. For instance, yesterday on the money bubble, I opened 2.5x the big blind with KsTs and got one caller in the blinds. The flop came KdTd5d… which is an okay flop for my hand. I feel pretty safe with it, but lots of things could go wrong fast. Since the blinds were somewhat large at this point and any reasonable continuation bet might have married me to the pot, I decided to check behind my opponent and take a card off… and it was a beauty.. the Tc, giving me a full house and nothing to worry about. My opponent bet $200 into me and I decided just to call since I didn’t think he was all that strong. The river was a blank and he bet a weakish $200 again and I shoved on him. He called me instantly and showed AdJd for a flopped nut flush. Definitely wasn’t expecting that. Sorry for ya!

Hands of note from today:

I limp in LP with 6d4d and the flop comes T64. One of the limpers bets $50 and I decide to make it $225 to go. He immediately shoves on me for about $600ish. Not much to worry about here. I’d be pretty unlucky to run into 66 or 44 since half of those cards are already accounted for. Although I see some people limp in with TT, I didn’t think that was an option either… and T6 and T4 are pretty absurd holdings, so I insta-call and he tables JT and I hold.

I have K7os in the big blind with blinds at 50-100 and check it with 4 people in the pot. Checks to me on a flop of 743, with two clubs. I fire out $300 and get one caller. He’s not the type of person that plays small cards when the blinds get large, so I put him on a flush draw and shove it all in when a 6 hits on the turn. He instantly calls off about $1300 and I’m already heading towards the exit door before he flips over his hand. Then I see that he’s tabling an AJ with no draw and I’m like “what the fuck?” Then he proceeds to berate me for my play and acts like I’m the one that was making the mistake and he CAUGHT me. “I knew you didn’t have it.” Yeah, I don’t have the straight, but I got a 7, you fucking dummy. Then I get comments like “yeah, I started with the AJ and he sucked out on me with the K7.” Yeah, man, should’ve just chucked my cards in the muck from the big blind instead of seeing a free flop. My bad yo. Then I had to watch in horror as a 5 peeled off on the river and put a straight on the board, making it a split pot. Pretty frustrating, but funny nonetheless.

I open with KQ to 250 with blinds at 50-100… someone shoves on me for 600 and I make the easy call. He shows QQ and heads for the exit when the board comes AJxxT. Goodbye!

Blinds at 200-400… a loose, passive player limps UTG and I have A7 on the button and hesitate for a while before deciding that I need to ship it with my stack size. The small blind only has 300 left and calls, but the big blind and limper fold. The SB shows JJ, but the flop comes 77x and I hold.

5 people left, blinds @ 200-400, I open with KJ UTG to 1000 with 2500 in my stack. Folds to my buddy in the SB, who ships it for 2600. I don’t want to make the call cause I know I’m beat, maybe even dominated, but I got 40% of my stack in the pot already, the blinds are going to eat up another $600 in the next two hands, and I’m getting 2.5 pot odds, all of which make folding a pretty stupid option. I call, he shows TT and the flop comes Kxx, all diamonds, giving me the lead, but him a flush draw. I hold and now I got a nice size stack.

My buddy gets his $100 leftover up to $900 when he shoves it all in in front of me, I look down at my first card and it’s an ace, so I know I’m calling already, but then I look at the 2nd card and see another ace and make it 2000 to go. The BB goes all-in and my aces hold against Q2 and Ts9s.

Now we are three handed and usually someone will ask for money back in this spot.. but I probably would’ve disagreed since he only had about 1500 and the blinds were at 200-400… it just wouldn’t make much sense. I shove on him and he calls me dominated and I hold.

HU now. We have roughly even chip stacks and I have him slightly covered. I’m shocked that he doesn’t ask for a chop, but I’m glad that he doesn’t… cause I’d always rather play it out and take my chances. First hand HU, I pick up AT and make it 1500 to go. He hesitates for a bit and finally says “alright, let’s do this” and ships it in the middle. I instacall and cry a little inside when he shows AK. The flop comes 933, the turn is a 5, and I’m calling for a 9 or a 5 for a split, but instead a beautiful ten rolls off on the river and I take down my second straight first place.

+$130 yesterday, +$145 today = +$275 last two days

Looking to make it three in a row at 6pm tonight.

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