Off for a week

Heading down to Margarita Island for the week with the girlfriend. Should be nice to get out of this shitty shitty sloppy shitty sloppy shitty stuff for a while at least.

This day also marks the end of February, which ended up being my best month ever, which is odd as its the shortest month. While I think I increased leaps and bounds in skill level in cash games, I have to attribute the bulk of my success to a new found juicy poker site which provided me with a huge win rate over a pretty significant amount of hands.

And yea, I'm being pretty tight lipped about things, but even though I don't get a serious amount of traffic on this ol' blog, even a few added regulars to my new site could potentially destroy the community of fish rather quick. Or maybe I'm just running good, who knows?

For the most part I gave up on SNGs completely this month, only playing 11 games total. First time since I basically started playing poker that I haven't played SNGs, but I guess it was time to take the training wheels off sometime. I played 34k hands this month, which is still below where I want to be, but ended up being a decent amount. But compared to January's 12k hands, its a nice improvement. Although I did spend a lot of time donking around at the lower levels trying out a few strats, which probably shouldn't count to my hand total. Whatever.

And on a side note, what the hell happened to the size of Alec Baldwin's head? Compare him from Beetlejuice (one of my favorite movies):












To now:






















I mean, what kind of head growth hormones is this mutant on?

I know, there are more important things in life but these things keep me up at night. Hopefully a week off in the Caribbean will get my mind of such things.

Peace out.

Poker is fun... for everyone...

Except for me
I should have practiced avoidance

Tonight was fun:













What a fucking headache. Once I reached the abyss, I gave up. It was too much to take. I'm pretty sure I officially had a mental breakdown, ask my girlfriend.

I then take a break by playing some video games obviously. Maybe thats the secret to succes because as soon as I sat back down to the tables, all was good again. Some highlight hands:

(don't judge me too hard, on some of these I was tilting more than aids)

First,

THE GOOD:

Dealt to RikkiDee [7c 7h]
cobrakid88: folds
McRek0P: folds
RikkiDee: raises $6 to $8
LuckyNose has timed out
LuckyNose: folds
LuckyNose is sitting out
TheMilli: folds
funkeemonkee: calls $6
*** FLOP *** [7s 6s 2c]
funkeemonkee: checks
LuckyNose has returned
RikkiDee: bets $12
funkeemonkee: raises $16 to $28
RikkiDee: calls $16
*** TURN *** [7s 6s 2c] [8c]
funkeemonkee: bets $40
RikkiDee: raises $142.30 to $182.30 and is all-in
funkeemonkee: calls $142.30
*** RIVER *** [7s 6s 2c 8c] [3s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
funkeemonkee: shows [Ac As] (a pair of Aces)
RikkiDee: shows [7c 7h] (three of a kind, Sevens)
RikkiDee collected $434.60 from pot

POKERSTARS GAME #8546164839: HOLD'EM NO LIMIT ($1/$2) - 2007/02/21 - 00:44:53 (ET)
Table 'Kajam III' 6-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: RikkiDee ($532.95 in chips)
Seat 3: floppin_sets ($213.55 in chips)
Seat 4: itsdane ($295.10 in chips)
floppin_sets: posts small blind $1
itsdane: posts big blind $2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RikkiDee [7h 5h]
RikkiDee: raises $6 to $8
floppin_sets: calls $7
itsdane: folds
*** FLOP *** [9d 6c 8c]
carolegarzia was removed from the table for failing to post
floppin_sets: checks
RikkiDee: bets $12
testndeca has returned
floppin_sets: raises $20 to $32
testndeca leaves the table
RikkiDee: raises $54 to $86
floppin_sets: raises $119.55 to $205.55 and is all-in
RikkiDee: calls $119.55
*** TURN *** [9d 6c 8c] [Kd]
*** RIVER *** [9d 6c 8c Kd] [Jd]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
floppin_sets: shows [Ac As] (a pair of Aces)
RikkiDee: shows [7h 5h] (a straight, Five to Nine)
RikkiDee collected $428.10 from pot

Seat 1: RikkiDee ($284.65 in chips)
Seat 2: carolegarzia ($96.35 in chips)
Seat 3: daniele16 ($173.35 in chips)
Seat 4: itsdane ($414.70 in chips)
Seat 5: funkeemonkee ($211 in chips)
Seat 6: testndeca ($1263.20 in chips)
carolegarzia: posts small blind $1
daniele16: posts big blind $2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RikkiDee [Kh Ah]
itsdane: calls $2
funkeemonkee: folds
testndeca: folds
RikkiDee: raises $8 to $10
carolegarzia: calls $9
daniele16: calls $8
itsdane: calls $8
*** FLOP *** [4s 8h Ks]
carolegarzia: checks
daniele16: bets $24
itsdane: folds
RikkiDee: calls $24
carolegarzia: calls $24
*** TURN *** [4s 8h Ks] [9h]
carolegarzia: checks
daniele16: bets $139.35 and is all-in
RikkiDee: calls $139.35
carolegarzia: folds
*** RIVER *** [4s 8h Ks 9h] [3s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
daniele16: shows [7s Kd] (a pair of Kings)
RikkiDee: shows [Kh Ah] (a pair of Kings - Ace kicker)
RikkiDee collected $387.70 from pot


Seat 1: RikkiDee ($258.65 in chips)
Seat 2: pjb109 ($181.85 in chips)
Seat 3: nothin2gein ($220.05 in chips)
Seat 6: Willmaster ($209.75 in chips)
pjb109: posts small blind $1
nothin2gein: posts big blind $2
dngrusjaco: sits out
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RikkiDee [7s 9s]
Willmaster: folds
RikkiDee: raises $6 to $8
pjb109: folds
nothin2gein: calls $6
*** FLOP *** [As 6h Js]
nothin2gein: checks
RikkiDee: bets $12
nothin2gein: raises $26 to $38
RikkiDee: raises $96 to $134
nothin2gein: raises $78.05 to $212.05 and is all-in
RikkiDee: calls $78.05
*** TURN *** [As 6h Js] [3s]
*** RIVER *** [As 6h Js 3s] [7d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
nothin2gein: shows [6d 6c] (three of a kind, Sixes)
RikkiDee: shows [7s 9s] (a flush, Ace high)
RikkiDee collected $439.10 from pot

Seat 1: RikkiDee ($257.65 in chips)
Seat 2: carolegarzia ($69.80 in chips)
Seat 3: daniele16 ($237.90 in chips)
Seat 4: itsdane ($361.60 in chips)
Seat 6: testndeca ($1340.20 in chips)
RikkiDee: posts small blind $1
carolegarzia: posts big blind $2
funkeemonkee: sits out
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RikkiDee [Ah Qc]
daniele16: folds
itsdane: folds
testndeca: raises $6 to $8
RikkiDee: raises $20 to $28
carolegarzia: folds
testndeca: calls $20
*** FLOP *** [9h Jc Ks]
RikkiDee: bets $40
testndeca: calls $40
*** TURN *** [9h Jc Ks] [3d]
RikkiDee: checks
testndeca: checks
*** RIVER *** [9h Jc Ks 3d] [3s]
RikkiDee: bets $189.65 and is all-in
testndeca: folds

SUCK ON THE OVERBET BITCH

Seat 1: pjb109 ($150.30 in chips)
Seat 3: zlattee_ ($308.70 in chips)
Seat 4: Jbdjr27 ($186 in chips)
Seat 5: Lun4tic ($218.40 in chips)
Seat 6: RikkiDee ($198 in chips)
pjb109: posts small blind $1
zlattee_: posts big blind $2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RikkiDee [Qc Qd]
Jbdjr27: calls $2
Lun4tic: folds
RikkiDee: raises $8 to $10
pjb109: folds
zlattee_: folds
Jbdjr27: raises $8 to $18
RikkiDee: calls $8
*** FLOP *** [Js Ts 4s]
Jbdjr27: bets $12
RikkiDee: calls $12
*** TURN *** [Js Ts 4s] [Jc]
Jbdjr27: bets $14
RikkiDee: calls $14
*** RIVER *** [Js Ts 4s Jc] [Td]
Jbdjr27: bets $20
RikkiDee: raises $134 to $154 and is all-in
Jbdjr27: folds

Pretty sure I was bluffing here as I put him on aces with his stupid limp/reraise and the way he bet.

THE BAD:

Seat 1: RikkiDee ($244 in chips)
Seat 2: carolegarzia ($76.80 in chips)
Seat 3: daniele16 ($214.75 in chips)
Seat 5: Ericrb ($225.20 in chips)
Seat 6: testndeca ($1331.60 in chips)
RikkiDee: posts small blind $1
carolegarzia: posts big blind $2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RikkiDee [Kd Kc]
daniele16: folds
Ericrb: raises $5 to $7
testndeca: folds
RikkiDee: raises $17 to $24
carolegarzia: folds
Ericrb: calls $17
*** FLOP *** [8d 9h Jc]
RikkiDee: checks
Ericrb: bets $35
RikkiDee: calls $35
*** TURN *** [8d 9h Jc] [2c]
RikkiDee: checks
Ericrb: bets $90
RikkiDee: raises $95 to $185 and is all-in
Ericrb: calls $76.20 and is all-in
*** RIVER *** [8d 9h Jc 2c] [Td]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
RikkiDee: shows [Kd Kc] (a pair of Kings)
Ericrb: shows [Ad As] (a pair of Aces)
Ericrb collected $450.40 from pot

This one is funny because if this donk didn't play his aces like a total donk, it would have been an autostack preflop. But I almost (and should have) folded to him but in the end I suck too much to.

R U Joking: folds
S_System: folds
carrotsnake: raises $6 to $8
Dutchmster: calls $8
RikkiDee: raises $28 to $36
$impy Cents: folds
carrotsnake: folds
Dutchmster: calls $28
*** FLOP *** [Ks As 7d]
RikkiDee: bets $48
Dutchmster: calls $48
*** TURN *** [Ks As 7d] [8s]
RikkiDee: checks
Dutchmster: bets $91.10 and is all-in
RikkiDee: calls $91.10
*** RIVER *** [Ks As 7d 8s] [Jd]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
RikkiDee: shows [Ac Jc] (two pair, Aces and Jacks)
Dutchmster: shows [Kc Ad] (two pair, Aces and Kings)
Dutchmster collected $357.20 from pot

Tilt makes you look really stupid sometimes.

Seat 1: TheOneWizard ($238 in chips)
Seat 2: RikkiDee ($190 in chips)
Seat 3: billmelisa ($215.60 in chips)
Seat 4: Cosbyjr ($85 in chips)
Seat 5: BGnight ($200 in chips)
Seat 6: saw7988 ($120.35 in chips)
Cosbyjr: posts small blind $1
BGnight: posts big blind $2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RikkiDee [Ts Js]
saw7988: folds
TheOneWizard: folds
RikkiDee: raises $6 to $8
billmelisa: folds
Cosbyjr: folds
BGnight: calls $6
*** FLOP *** [7h 8s Qs]
BGnight: bets $12
RikkiDee: raises $26 to $38
BGnight: calls $26
*** TURN *** [7h 8s Qs] [4c]
BGnight: bets $26
RikkiDee: calls $26
*** RIVER *** [7h 8s Qs 4c] [Jd]
BGnight: bets $78
RikkiDee: folds

I actually wanted to stab this faggot for the way he played whatever hand he had. I have the sickest draw and I am certain I have no fold equity on the turn to reraise HIS FUCKING GAY ASS BET, so I just gotta call, turning my hand face up as a draw, and he is the winner as my 12 outs miss.

THE UGLY:

Seat 2: FS-Best ($100 in chips)
Seat 3: montgomery76 ($132.95 in chips)
Seat 4: RikkiDee ($197 in chips)
Seat 5: callaham ($258 in chips)
Seat 6: Animal7 ($175.10 in chips)
Animal7: posts small blind $1
FS-Best: posts big blind $2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RikkiDee [Ts Ks]
montgomery76: calls $2
RikkiDee: raises $8 to $10
callaham: folds
Animal7: folds
FS-Best: calls $8
montgomery76: calls $8
*** FLOP *** [Kh Td Ah]
FS-Best: bets $12
montgomery76: calls $12
RikkiDee: raises $82 to $94
FS-Best: calls $78 and is all-in
montgomery76: calls $82
*** TURN *** [Kh Td Ah] [Jd]
montgomery76: bets $28.95 and is all-in
RikkiDee: calls $28.95
*** RIVER *** [Kh Td Ah Jd] [4h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
montgomery76: shows [Th 9h] (a flush, Ace high)
RikkiDee: mucks hand
montgomery76 collected $65.90 from side pot
FS-Best: mucks hand
montgomery76 collected $299 from main pot

Seat 1: tnetter ($332.95 in chips)
Seat 2: zako11 ($109.15 in chips)
Seat 3: dawooll ($135 in chips)
Seat 4: RikkiDee ($212.35 in chips)
Seat 6: detl ($91.45 in chips)
detl: posts small blind $1
tnetter: posts big blind $2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RikkiDee [Ah Qd]
zako11: folds
dawooll: folds
RikkiDee: raises $6 to $8
detl: calls $7
tnetter: folds
*** FLOP *** [As Td 7s]
detl: bets $20
RikkiDee: calls $20
*** TURN *** [As Td 7s] [Ac]
detl: bets $20
RikkiDee: raises $102 to $122
detl: calls $43.45 and is all-in
*** RIVER *** [As Td 7s Ac] [9s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
detl: shows [Qs Js] (a flush, Ace high)

Dealt to RikkiDee [Jc Kd]
oam11: calls $2
purediesel1: folds
Bri-c: folds
tendy47: calls $1
RikkiDee: checks
*** FLOP *** [3c Jd Kh]
tendy47: checks
RikkiDee: bets $6
oam11: folds
tendy47: calls $6
*** TURN *** [3c Jd Kh] [3d]
tendy47: checks
RikkiDee: bets $15
tendy47: calls $15
*** RIVER *** [3c Jd Kh 3d] [2h]
tendy47: bets $37.85 and is all-in
RikkiDee: calls $37.85
*** SHOW DOWN ***
tendy47: shows [Ks 3s] (a full house, Threes full of Kings)

Seat 1: RikkiDee ($258.65 in chips)
Seat 2: pjb109 ($181.85 in chips)
Seat 3: nothin2gein ($220.05 in chips)
Seat 6: Willmaster ($209.75 in chips)
pjb109: posts small blind $1
nothin2gein: posts big blind $2
dngrusjaco: sits out
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RikkiDee [7s 9s]
Willmaster: folds
RikkiDee: raises $6 to $8
pjb109: folds
nothin2gein: calls $6
*** FLOP *** [As 6h Js]
nothin2gein: checks
RikkiDee: bets $12
nothin2gein: raises $26 to $38
RikkiDee: raises $96 to $134
nothin2gein: raises $78.05 to $212.05 and is all-in
RikkiDee: calls $78.05
*** TURN *** [As 6h Js] [3s]
*** RIVER *** [As 6h Js 3s] [7d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
nothin2gein: shows [6d 6c] (three of a kind, Sixes)
RikkiDee: shows [7s 9s] (a flush, Ace high)
RikkiDee collected $439.10 from pot

Seat 1: RikkiDee ($393 in chips)
Seat 2: melnic ($279 in chips)
Seat 4: OrpyJr ($271.20 in chips)
Seat 5: gens31 ($133.15 in chips)
Seat 6: zekeret ($211.85 in chips)
RikkiDee: posts small blind $1
melnic: posts big blind $2
mikeandy: sits out
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RikkiDee [3c Ks]
OrpyJr: calls $2
gens31: folds
zekeret: raises $8 to $10
RikkiDee: raises $8 to $18 <---- OBVIOUS MISCLICK
melnic: folds
OrpyJr: folds
zekeret: calls $8
*** FLOP *** [Kd 6d 3d] <---- LOLZ
RikkiDee: bets $30
zekeret: calls $30
*** TURN *** [Kd 6d 3d] [6s]
RikkiDee: checks
zekeret: checks
*** RIVER *** [Kd 6d 3d 6s] [4s]
RikkiDee: checks
zekeret: checks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
RikkiDee: shows [3c Ks] (two pair, Kings and Sixes)
Seat 6: zekeret (button) mucked [9s 9d]

Seat 1: RikkiDee ($200 in chips)
Seat 2: melnic ($198 in chips)
Seat 4: OrpyJr ($291.75 in chips)
Seat 5: gens31 ($119.15 in chips)
melnic: posts small blind $1
OrpyJr: posts big blind $2
zekeret: sits out
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RikkiDee [8h Ts]
gens31: folds
Stacked03 joins the table at seat #3
RikkiDee: raises $6 to $8
melnic: raises $20 to $28
OrpyJr: folds
RikkiDee: raises $72 to $100
melnic: raises $98 to $198 and is all-in
RikkiDee: calls $98
*** FLOP *** [Ac 5c Tc]
*** TURN *** [Ac 5c Tc] [8s]
melnic said, "so sick"
*** RIVER *** [Ac 5c Tc 8s] [7h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
melnic: shows [Qh Qd] (a pair of Queens)
RikkiDee: shows [8h Ts] (two pair, Tens and Eights)
RikkiDee collected $396 from pot

I am so good at poker obviously

So what was I talking about?

Not sure if I'm running out of things to talk about or if its just cash games that aren't conducive to poker blogging. Probably just running thin. Can't think of what I used to talk about since I just played SNGs where no game reflection was required.

Cash games are going swimmingly. Yep, swimmingly is definitely the correct adjective. I've played 9k hands this month which is actually pathetic compared to most grinders, but my win rates have been excellent (8.23ptbb/100), so I can't complain. I'm playing cash games like I used to play SNGs. I play for a few hours, then quit when I'm up a comfortable amount. It works but it won't make you a superstar.

I need to get my grinding ways back. Part of it is that I'm not entirely comfortable with playing deep stacked poker once I get my stack up past a few buyins. I just hate the thought of losing hours of hard work to a AA vs KK preflop all in bullshit. So theres that. Also I never really regained my grindy ways since I hit a huge downswing back in October/November. So theres that as well.

Goals for the rest of Feb:

• Get to 20k hands at least
• Maintain at least a 5ptbb/100 winrate
• Umm, win monies

And since I'm dry on material, I'll talk about something that isn't poker.

I'm so ridiculously addicted to video games. Its definitely a lifelong addiction. Right now I'm in the middle of playing like 5 games seriously. Madden 07 (PC), Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess (Wii), Marvel Ultimate Alliance (Wii), Guitar Hero 2 (PS2) and MLB 05 (PC). I probably play them 5-6 hours a day. I know, awesome.

And even though I have more games than necessary, I went out on the weekend and bought more because I'm basically a gaming degenerate. I picked up probably the gayest looking gamebox I've ever seen and then bought it. Tell me, would you ever play a game that looked like this?













I realize that Wii is geared/marketted towards kids, but come on, how many gay kids can there be?

Regardless it got good reviews online, and I've never played a game created by Nintendo that wasn't good. Its basically a bunch of mini games set at a breakneck pace with a lot of cutesy cartoons and graphics. We spent the weekend drunk and playing it and laughing our asses off. Definitely worth the purchase just for a drunken night or two. Its pretty ridiculous.

I also picked up:













Which is basically just another demo type game like Wii Sports, but with more games. Actually this game was pretty basic, even though it had 9 games included. The best part about it was that it included a fucking remote with it. Good god those are hard to find. I'll probably play this like 2-3 more times before I retire.

And last but not least...
















Muthafuckin wireless guitar bitches. Now I'm officially a balla.

The Overbet

The overbet is something I rarely use, unless I'm up against a total calling station who I know can't fold 1 pair. But against decent regular players, I almost never do it. And I think that I should start trying.

Heres the thing. Against regular players, any sort of bet that is out of the ordinary will generally arouse suspicion. Usually all bets are "correctly" sized and "correctly" made. A typical hand vs two players who have a decent understanding of the game goes down like this:

• Player 1 raises, player 2 calls.
• Player 1 bets the flop, player 2 calls.
• Player 1 checks the turn, player 2 checks behind.
• Player 1 now will either value bet the river if he has a decent hand, check and call with a weakish hand and check/fold (or bluff) if he has nothing. Player 2 will react accordingly.

And thats pretty much it. Generally all bets are smaller than the pot (usually 2/3) and unless someone hits a big hand, thats usually how it goes down. Obviously grossly oversimplified, but it is pretty much an average hand. My point is that players in this situation rarely "get out of line" and make strange bets.

An example of a strange bet would be an overbet. Generally the theory goes that overbetting is a -EV proposition because you lose the value of your hand if you scare them away, or if bluffing, you lose more than necessary if they were calling any bet. But I think it definitely has merits in todays game, and heres why.

Most regular decent players will never overplay their hands. They understand that 1 pair is generally nothing you want to stack off with. There are all sorts of moves that the regular player will use to control pot size. In fact, a lot of players will underplay their hands in my opinion, for just that reason.

Now I got this idea from watching a cardrunners video in which Aba (high stakes pro) mentions this phenomenon, and basically states the obvious solution to counter players who want to keep pots small with marginal hands - overbet bluff them. Its a weird play that not many players make. Mostly because you look really stupid when called I assume. But the thing is, they are probably not going to call you. If they are sitting there with KQ and the board is KT875 and you overbet the river, its not an easy call, especially if you've shown some aggression in the hand already. It's basically the only way to bluff a decent player as almost all good players are calling any pot sized or less river bet with top pair.

Now, you've overbet bluffed them a few times. They are starting to get suspicious and annoyed, and bam, you are called by 2nd pair. So now what? Well, if it wasn't obvious to you already, you start overbetting with strong hands. Mix it up. If you overbet consistently vs the same opponents on the river with a mixture of bluffs and strong hands, then you are going to be extremely hard to play against and not to mention really annoying. And if you want to get really tricky, start overbetting your hands that are semi-strong but not nearly the nuts. Like, if you have AQ on a QJ842 board. Overbetting your pair here, against the right opponent who will call you down light (with a worse queen, jack or maybe even TT-99) can get you way more action than you deserve. But you definitely need some history for that one.

It seems like its all about frequency. If you overbet the river with only strong hands, you'll basically never get action from a strong player. If you only overbet with weak hands, you'll always get called. So having the right mix of hands is key. It would seem that the best ratio would be somewhere around 66%/33% bluff/value bet. Heres a crude example:

On the river you have AdKd and the board is 2d4d7cTs3c. From the way the betting has gone, you suspect your opponent has a 1 pair type hand, in the range of 66-QQ but not a set. You checked the turn and your opponent checked behind. You know that your opponent now suspects that you might have exactly what you have, nothing, and will probably call a river bet. Its overbet time. The pot has exactly $100 in it and you bet $200. You need to win in this situation more than 2/3 times to make this a profitable bet. If he calls you at that exact frequency (1 in 3) then you both break even in the long run.

The only way he will call you 1 in 3 times with just one pair here is completely based on the frequency in which you are bluffing in his eyes. If he's seen you do this a lot as a bluff, he'll call, and if he's seen the goods, he'll fold. It's usually that basic, even if he is a good player. A lot of the times this situation gets into a paper/rock/scissors match where each player basically knows what the other is up to and just has to decide what the bet means this time. Since there will obviously be less times for you to value bet here with a strong hand due to the simple fact that really good hands aren't that common, you are almost forced to bluff more often. But bluffing more than 2 out of 3 times here is a losing proposition as they will become more apt to call, and you will lose out in the long run.

But most of the time, you are playing against players you've never played against before. And while they generally have the same skill sets as other players, they haven't seen you make these types of plays before. They will initially be thrown off and probably fold to the first one. So you can almost put that in the bank right away. From then on in its a game of cat and mouse. Hopefully you can outhink your opponent.

And even though I may come off as some sort of poker genius, I assure you I am not. I've rarely tried this in practice and have only started to think about it, with most of my thoughts coming to me while I was writing this post. It might even be the worst and gayest play in the history of poker, but I doubt it. I'll just have some fun trying it out for realzies.

7:38

Its 7:38 on Saturday. I haven't played on a Saturday in probably a dozen weeks. I will be playing tonight.

Nightly goals:

1. Play all night
2. Win a donkament
3. Make 5 figures

Tonight I sleep with dolla billz

** UPDATE **

1. Played for about 5 hours
2. Played in 2 donkaments ($11 rebuy and $109 MTT)
3. Busted out of both fairly early
4. Played cash games
5. Dropped 10 buy-ins within 2 hours (wtf?)
6. Won it all back within 3 more hours (lol)

I really wish I was playing at home so I could graph my night. I don't have any of my hand histories saved, but I did email stars to see if they could send my hands to me. What a mindfuck that night was.

Cash vs SNG

As I fight my way through the daily grind, I can't help but stop and think how easy things were when I played SNG's full time. Cash games are probably just as lucrative for me, but I certainly do miss the mindlessness that SNGs brought to the table.

Sure, I wasn't playing "real poker" and I wasn't "learning anything", but hey, I was making money. So who cares really? I mean, isn't the ultimate goal in poker to make money?

Well, not always. Playing poker is just like an investment. If you put enough time in at the tables, if you are smart and analytical about your play, you will see positive results. By playing SNGs, you give up the one thing that a good player has as an edge over their opponents - adaptation. SNGs are very basic. Once the basics are learned, there aren't a ton of avenues available for you to outplay your opponents. A lot of people say that SNGs are a "solved" game, meaning that there isn't anything else to learn. The only thing a good player does that is better than an average player is that they execute the "known" strategy with less flaws. They basically mess up less. (or go on tilt less.) But in cash games, it is very different. While most decisions in a SNG are preflop, cash games offer 4 streets of play. This obviously allows for more creativity, aggression, outplaying and adaptation to your opponents.

Now, all that is well and good, but I still find myself yearning to play SNGs. They are mindless cash machines. I know I can sit down for a few hours and have the expectation of a few extra hundred dollars in my account without having to do any real thinking - its all autopilot. Considering the strain that multiple hours of cash gaming puts on my brain, its nice to have an alternative, even if it means I won't be working on my long run game.

I've heard a lot of people say they first switched to SNGs from cash games because the swings were less intense. And I've also read the exact opposite. I'm not sure which I believe personally. On one hand, it seems that in cash games you have much more control over your degree of variance. There are little tricks to avoid losing big pots without a big hand. And while suckouts happen, they aren't in the same ballpark as SNG suckouts.

In SNGs, you are often putting your money in preflop, where at best you are an 80% favorite, but in reality most times you are coinflipping. Running hundreds of coinflips a day can lead to some seriously nasty swings, that weren't caused by anything but plain old variance. And its the nature of the game - you can't avoid it. So it would seem that naturally the variance in SNGs is higher. But on the other hand, one big cash game suckout where you go in as an 80% or better favorite will cause you to lose a whole buyin (or more), which can really fuck up your win rate. And since you lose your whole stack, instead of just one SNG buyin, it hurts a fuckload more.

So in conclusion, I got nothing. Poker = variance no matter what you do.

Oh, and how about Sexy Rexy in the Superbowl? Has there ever been a worse QB performance? I think he dropped more balls than passes he completed. At least make Peyton the shit eating bitch faced whiner earn his ring. Fuck that pissed me off. Still would have been hilarious if they covered given how badly they played.

FREE SUPERBOWL, WHO WANTS IT?