Dirty, dirty, dirty

Still living like a nomad. I can't wait until I have a stable life again. Doing better in poker, and am actually going to turn a winning month in for May which is definitely bragworthy at this point.

Heres a sick sick dirty dirty hand from yesterdays mini session.

SB: $88.05
BB: $289.62
Hero (UTG): $276.60
BTN: $154.83

Preflop: Hero is dealt 9s 9d (4 Players)
Hero raises to $8.00, BTN calls $8.00, SB folds, BB raises to $26.00, Hero calls $18.00, BTN folds

Flop: ($61) Kd Jd Td (2 Players)
BB checks, Hero checks

Turn: ($61) Qd (2 Players)
BB checks, Hero bets $40.00, BB calls $40.00

River: ($141) Qs (2 Players)
BB bets all-in for $223.62, Hero calls all-in for $210.60

Fold this river?

The BB here is a super-duper nit who sucks at poker. He will only reraise me preflop with one of 4 hands, QQ, KK, AA, and AK, MAYBE JJ. So once the river gets there, 2 of the hands in his range beat me (AdAx, AdKx) and 2 I beat (QQ, KK). His line makes absolutely no sense to me. What hand could possibly check the flop, check the 4 flushed turn and then overbet push the river? Surely any hand he has with the Ad in it wants to get all in on that flop, even if he has no pair (which isn't possible for him). So the royal makes little sense. However, what set is he checking on that dirty ass flop? Surely he would bet KK? QQ sorta makes sense I guess but the river overbet is still pretty ridiculous givin that he has to fear that I could have 9d or Ad for the straight flush.

Dirty shit.

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Supdates?

I'm currently living probably the busiest few weeks of my life.

It's no surprise that I put poker on the back burner.

I'm having my "worst" month money wise of all time and I'm pretty ok with that. At least I'm not playing a lot and losing. Hopefully I can get into a schedule eventually.

We pretty much have everything settled up with our new house dealy. Even though I've never bought a house before, I'm pretty sure I got a sweet ass deal. I know living there is going to kick fucking ass, so I'm pretty excited to actually move in. And the best part is, the house is only 6 years old and in complete "move-in" condition, which translates into me not havin' to doafuckingthing. +EV

I predict that owning this house will be good for my poker life as well, giving me extra-extra incentive to play more. Hopefully I get over my cursed laziness with this new found responsibility.

I'm also sort of kind of am starting to take the first steps into getting back to the "real-world" with a "real-job".

Mom and Dad, don't get too excited just yet.

By "taking the first steps" I mean, "barely starting to visualize places of employment in my imagination". Because my residency won't be changing for a while, I can start to figure what types of jobs I should be looking for. And since I'll be living in London, Ontario, aka home of the $15/hour job no matter what you do, my options aren't all that great. But because of poker, its all good baby.

I can afford to take a low paying job for a while, as long as it has a good future and I don't want to suicide myself on a minute basis while working there. And one place that I've always sort of wanted to work even though its kind of fruity and unballa, is at a radio station.

I've always had this weird, unexplainable desire to be on the radio. I actually used to tape myself on my old recorder and play songs like I was some sort of DJ. And I did it a lot. I can be sort of a private, shy, introverted person at times but being on the radio allows me to be more anonymous, and it actually brings out my hilarious awesome side. Sort of how this blog works, except with more awesome.

I just think it would be a fun job, something I could enjoy doing day in day out. And I'm sure there are a ton of shitty little jobs that are involved that I'd eventually tire of, but what job doesn't have those? Ultimately, if it gets me up, and I don't cry, then my job is pretty good.

But since I have absolutely no experience in the field, and have a degree in economics, I really don't know what I should do to get into it. I mean, obviously I could take some sort of broadcasting degree program at some random school, but I mean, seriously, do I really need 2-4 more years of school just to teach me how to fucking talk into a microphone? Just let me like intern or work part time at your stupid radio station - I'll work for cheap - get me some on-air experience - and we'll take it from there.

There, thats my cover letter.

Ship it!

I'm pretty sure poker just doesn't like me anymore

My relationship with poker right now is bordering on the edges of pathetic.

Poker is still smokin' hot and I love her, but she just keeps rejecting me over and over again.

My friends all know the truth - that the end is near with her - but I keep naively holding on hoping that she'll remember how in shape and rich I used to be.

I get the feeling she's cheating on me?











"Yea I get that feeling too, man."


Actually I still see a future between us together, albeit with less physical contact (god could these analogies get more painful?).

Tonight she fucked me up the ass though. Literally strapped on a dildo, and protruded my bung hole over and over again.

I don't think I'll be able to shit right for a week.

Maybe I just suck, I'll let you be the judge:

SB: $153.65
BB: $245.69
RikkiDee (UTG): $110.15
MP: $117.10
CO: $93.45
BTN: $112.55

Preflop: RikkiDee is dealt Kh Kd (6 Players)
RikkiDee raises to $4.00, 3 folds, SB raises to $10.00, BB folds, RikkiDee raises to $35.00, SB raises to $60.00, RikkiDee raises to $85.00, SB raises to $110.00, RikkiDee calls all-in for $25.15, SB calls $0.15

Flop: ($221.30) Qs 3d 3c (2 Players - 1 All-In)

Turn: ($221.30) 5c (2 Players - 1 All-In)

River: ($221.30) Td (2 Players - 1 All-In)

Pot Size: $221.30 ($3 Rake)

SB had As Ad (two pairs, Aces and Threes) and WON (+$108.15)
RikkiDee had Kh Kd (two pairs, Kings and Threes) and LOST (-$110.15)

Weeeeee; standard

---

SB: $118.20
BB: $248.75
RikkiDee (UTG): $98.50
MP: $144.35
CO: $164.50
BTN: $78.30

Preflop: RikkiDee is dealt 9c 9d (6 Players)
RikkiDee raises to $4.00, MP folds, CO calls $4.00, 3 folds

Flop: ($9.50) 9s Ah 7c (2 Players)
RikkiDee checks, CO checks

Turn: ($9.50) Ad (2 Players)
RikkiDee bets $7.00, CO raises to $17.00, RikkiDee raises to $39.00, CO calls $22.00

River: ($87.50) Jh (2 Players)
RikkiDee bets all-in for $55.50, CO calls $55.50

Pot Size: $198.50 ($3 Rake)

CO had Jd As (a full house, Aces full of Jacks) and WON (+$97.00)
RikkiDee had 9c 9d (a full house, Nines full of Aces) and LOST (-$98.50)

ZOMG SLOWPLAY LOL. Only like a 96% favorite on the flop.

---

RikkiDee (SB): $224.45
BB: $112.81
UTG: $33.65
CO: $135.33
BTN: $78.25

Preflop: RikkiDee is dealt Ah 6s (5 Players)
UTG calls $1.00, CO folds, BTN calls $1.00, RikkiDee calls $0.50, BB checks

Flop: ($4) Kh 6h 6d (4 Players)
RikkiDee checks, BB checks, UTG checks, BTN bets $3.00, RikkiDee calls $3.00, BB raises to $6.00, 2 folds, RikkiDee raises to $30.00, BB calls $24.00

Turn: ($67) Qh (2 Players)
RikkiDee bets $50.00, BB calls $50.00

River: ($167) 7h (2 Players)
RikkiDee bets all-in for $143.45, BB calls all-in for $31.81
Uncalled bet of $111.64 returned to RikkiDee

Pot Size: $230.62 ($2 Rake)

BB had 6c Kd (a full house, Sixes full of Kings) and WON (+$115.81)
RikkiDee had Ah 6s (a flush, Ace high) and LOST (-$112.81)

I don't always stack off here as the turn brought a flush but this player was so fucking passive that I knew the only hand he would check min raise the flop with was a 6 and unless he has K6, I'm the winner. And obviously I pick up the nut flush on the river just for good measure.

Oh, you have K6? Fuck you.

---

SB: $16.60
BB: $238.80
UTG: $94.35
MP: $93.90
RikkiDee (CO): $101.50
BTN: $103.90

Preflop: RikkiDee is dealt Th Qh (6 Players)
UTG folds, MP raises to $3.00, RikkiDee calls $3.00, BTN calls $3.00, SB folds, BB calls $2.00

Flop: ($12.50) 3h 5h Ts (4 Players)
BB checks, MP bets $12.00, RikkiDee calls $12.00, BTN calls $12.00, BB folds

Turn: ($48.50) Qc (3 Players)
MP checks, RikkiDee bets $40.00, BTN folds, MP raises all-in to $78.90, RikkiDee calls $38.90

River: ($206.30) Jc (2 Players - 1 All-In)

Pot Size: $206.30 ($3 Rake)

MP had Qs Qd (three of a kind, Queens) and WON (+$109.40)
RikkiDee had Th Qh (two pairs, Queens and Tens) and LOST (-$93.90)

Not enough of a setup here. Top two pair and a flush draw on the turn. Clearly you have a set though.

---

SB: $100.50
BB: $98.05
UTG: $111.55
CO: $252.99
RikkiDee (BTN): $92.50

Preflop: RikkiDee is dealt Ks Kh (5 Players)
UTG folds, CO checks, RikkiDee raises to $5.00, SB calls $4.50, BB calls $4.00, CO folds

Flop: ($16) Th 8h Qh (3 Players)
SB bets $8.00, BB calls $8.00, RikkiDee raises to $35.00, SB folds, BB raises to $62.00, RikkiDee calls all-in for $52.50, BB calls $25.50

Turn: ($199) 8s (2 Players - 1 All-In)

River: ($199) 6h (2 Players - 1 All-In)

Pot Size: $199.00 ($2 Rake)

BB had 7h Ah (a flush, Ace high) and WON (+$104.50)
RikkiDee had Ks Kh (a flush, King high) and LOST (-$92.50)

YESSSSSSSS I HIT MY FLUSH!!!!
Oh fuck me

---

RikkiDee (SB): $113.35
BB: $91.05
UTG: $117.85
MP: $248.33
CO: $58.50
BTN: $91.40

Preflop: RikkiDee is dealt Td Ts (6 Players)
4 folds, RikkiDee raises to $4.00, BB calls $3.00

Flop: ($8) 3d 7c 9s (2 Players)
RikkiDee bets $7.00, BB raises to $20.50, RikkiDee raises all-in to $109.35, BB calls all-in for $66.55
Uncalled bet of $22.30 returned to RikkiDee

Turn: ($182.10) 4d (2 Players - 2 All-In)

River: ($182.10) 3c (2 Players - 2 All-In)

Pot Size: $182.10 ($3 Rake)

BB had 6c 5c (a straight Three to Seven) and WON (+$88.05)
RikkiDee had Td Ts (two pairs, Tens and Threes) and LOST (-$91.05)

This one legitimately made me lose a bit of my mind. The kicker here is that my opponent up to this point had played 6 hands out of about 100, and he folded post flop on each one. Perfect fucking timing to go insane.

---

SB: $88.53
RikkiDee (BB): $100.00
UTG: $36.02
MP: $100.00
CO: $213.15
BTN: $91.90

Preflop: RikkiDee is dealt Jd Js (6 Players)
UTG calls $1.00, MP folds, CO calls $1.00, BTN folds, SB calls $0.50, RikkiDee raises to $6.00, UTG calls $5.00, CO folds, SB calls $5.00

Flop: ($19) 9c 5h 6c (3 Players)
SB checks, RikkiDee bets $16.00, UTG folds, SB calls $16.00

Turn: ($51) 2d (2 Players)
SB checks, RikkiDee checks

River: ($51) Qh (2 Players)
SB checks, RikkiDee bets $30.00, SB raises all-in to $66.53, RikkiDee calls $36.53

Pot Size: $184.06 ($3 Rake)

SB had 7d 8d (a straight Five to Nine) and WON (+$92.53)
RikkiDee had Jd Js (a pair of Jacks) and LOST (-$88.53)

Not only do my opponents seemingly flop the nuts every fucking hand, they check it to me THREE MOTHERFUCKING TIMES iN A ROW. HOW CAN I NOT BET THAT RIVER WITH JJ? SERIOUSZLLLLLY>>!>?!

---

SB: $109.85
RikkiDee (BB): $101.60
UTG: $83.29
BTN: $41.45

Preflop: RikkiDee is dealt Qd Qs (4 Players)
UTG folds, BTN raises to $4.00, SB folds, RikkiDee raises to $14.00, BTN calls $10.00

Flop: ($28.50) Tc 2h 6c (2 Players)
RikkiDee checks, BTN bets $10.00, RikkiDee raises to $36.00, BTN calls all-in for $17.45
Uncalled bet of $8.55 returned to RikkiDee

Turn: ($83.40) 4s (2 Players - 1 All-In)

River: ($83.40) 5h (2 Players - 1 All-In)

Pot Size: $83.40 ($2 Rake)

BTN had Th Td (three of a kind, Tens) and WON (+$39.95)
RikkiDee had Qd Qs (a pair of Queens) and LOST (-$41.45)

I just run really good.

---

SB: $37.90
BB: $230.43
UTG: $224.35
RikkiDee (CO): $93.00
BTN: $105.85

Preflop: RikkiDee is dealt 3s 3c (5 Players)
UTG folds, RikkiDee raises to $4.00, BTN folds, SB calls $3.50, BB calls $3.00

Flop: ($12) 9c 3h Jd (3 Players)
SB bets $7.00, BB folds, RikkiDee raises to $14.00, SB calls $7.00

Turn: ($40) 8h (2 Players)
SB bets $10.00, RikkiDee raises to $20.00, SB calls all-in for $9.90
Uncalled bet of $0.10 returned to RikkiDee

River: ($79.80) Ts (2 Players - 1 All-In)

Pot Size: $79.80 ($2 Rake)

SB had Th Qd (a straight Eight to Queen) and WON (+$39.90)
RikkiDee had 3s 3c (three of a kind, Threes) and LOST (-$37.90)

Ignore the min raise on the flop. Because of his short stack I figured he would just push and I lazily minraised giving him proper odds to draw at his straight for the big big payoff of $20 more for him. Clearly he had implied odds because I can't fold1!!!

---

SB: $0.53
BB: $95.00
RikkiDee (UTG): $160.10
BTN: $74.10

Preflop: RikkiDee is dealt 9c 8c (4 Players)
RikkiDee raises to $4.00, BTN calls $4.00, SB calls all-in for $0.03, BB folds

Flop: ($9.53) 7c 2c 4c (3 Players - 1 All-In)
RikkiDee bets $3.00, BTN calls $3.00

Turn: ($15.53) Th (3 Players - 1 All-In)
RikkiDee bets $10.00, BTN calls $10.00

River: ($35.53) Ts (3 Players - 1 All-In)
RikkiDee bets $20.00, BTN calls $20.00

Pot Size: $75.53 ($2 Rake)

BTN had Kc Jc (a flush, King high) and WON (+$36.53)
RikkiDee had 9c 8c (a flush, Nine high) and LOST (-$37.00)

Well played sir.

---

Yea, a pretty whiny crybaby post. The problem tonight wasn't the fact that I got bad beated or coolered, it was the fact that I got bad beated and coolered OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I'd show you some hands where I won but they actually didn't happen. Luckily I didn't go on tilt, played a pretty solid game and only ended down 4 buyins, which in my opinion is a fucking miracle.

Please baby take me back

The Illusion of Action

I play a fairly nitty style of poker. "Nitty" meaning that I rarely put much money in the pot with a weakish hand (unless bluffing). I take great pride in being able to check fold without a second thought all day long.

Now sure, I raise a lot preflop, mostly just to take the betting lead, but if anyone calls me even once, I pretty much shut down. My main plan is to take down a bunch of pots uncontested with continuation bets, and if I pick up a hand, well lets just hope that someone else did too.

Now at a first glance, when playing against me, it would seem as though I'm a rather loose player. Since I raise frequently preflop, I inevitably will show down some trashy type hands. And thats the first type of thing that a bad player will notice - "hey this guy just raised with J7o, I should start calling him more". And thats generally what happens. But what they don't notice, is that unless I flop big, I barely put any money in the pot. So while they wait for sets and overpairs to slowplay vs me, I'm there picking up the small pots and, more importantly, not paying them off when they do hit (hopefully).

Ok, blah blah, I know all this, why am I still reading you ask yourself.

So while this cycle continues for a while, good players (and eventually even bad players) start to realize that I'm actually not giving them any action when they flop big. They see me folding to their check raises and overbets and they start to get a little upset that they aren't getting paid off. So they stop playing with you. They stop trying to call you down because they've started to realize that you always have the goods. Then you stop getting action on your big hands as well. Then the whole fuckin' game degenerates into a nitfest where the only way more than $20 is getting into the middle is if both players flop a set. This is especially relevant in long sessions where you end up playing with the same opponents for hours.

So what do you do? While sitting around waiting for coolers and other big hands can be marginally profitable, its certainly not optimal, especially if you are a good player. And while I'm definitely not the greatest player around, I still win money, and am always looking for ways to improve.

So heres what I do. I try to create the illusion of action. In order to keep most bad players satisfied and playing, you not only have to let them win occasionally, you have to let them catch you bluffing. Call them down with a marginal hand from time to time. Even if you know that they are so passive that they would never bet anything but the nuts, it might be worth your while to give them a bit of action to let them know that you aren't a complete nit and that they can make money off you. Just make sure to do it when it is cheap. A lot of bad players will bet their big hands small because they are afraid of losing a potential caller. Use this situation to give your image a cheap boost.

Bad players tend not to focus on bet size a lot. A bet is a bet to them, no matter the size (within reason) and if they end up winning a pot by them betting and you calling, then they are all the more happy, regardless of pot size.

The same is true for bluffing. If they never catch you ever bluffing, even bad players can stop calling you down. So from time to time, pull a semi-hopeless bluff on the river, provided that the pot nor your bet will be too big. The bluff might work and if you are called, oh well, your image can use the boost.

These image plays I've found are best used in a blind vs blind scenario where the SB has limped into your big blind. Because the pots here are going to be very small, you can use this opportunity to make a cheap -EV play for image purposes.

These plays are also not limited to just bad players. Even the regular multitablers will have a read on your nittyness, and if they don't see you bluffing or calling down light from time to time, they are much less likely to play with you when you are doing the betting.

While multitabling online, I often forgo even considering my image at the table, as most of the play at the lower stakes doesn't doesn't require much image manipulation. But once the sessions get long, even the most unobservant players remember particular hands. Hopefully they will remember those small pots you bluffed at in the times where you have the nuts and are considering a call.

Someday I will fly again...

All's quiet on the poker front.

I barely play anymore. 1 hour a day maybe if I'm lucky. I'm probably worse than I think at poker but I'm still > avg player skill.

We've been looking at houses this week, which is fun but it gets a bit monotonous. I mean, we have our price range and our general desires, after that each house just starts to look the same. (oh wow it has CUSTOM trim AND a new screen door??? WHERE DO I SIGN!) I know I ultimately care about where I live (for the future sale as well) but right now I could probably pick it out of a hat and just be as satisfied.

And no, this blog won't become a house buying / maintenance blog like scurvys! (not that I still don't enjoy it)

So right now I'm in a kind of wierd place, where I need money badly for the house, but don't want to run bad and lose all of it in the process. Compounded into that is that I'm currently on a sickening downswing/breakeven stretch with seemingly no end. The confidence is approaching an all time low, yet I still play because I needs MONEYS.

Probably not the best laid plan.

In the back of my mind I know I'm just running bad and not playing bad but the front of my mind (aka the money brain side) sees these losses and gets in a shit flinging fight with my rational side. Since my rational side also contains my risk averse side, as well as my non-confrontational side, occasionally irrational monkey thoughts take over.

And when I say occasionally I mean after every lost pot

And here is a diagram describing this phenomenon:










Enjoy.