On The Felt Again

Big Hands (Net Gain > 10/BB) Won = 1
Big Hands (Net Loss > 10/BB) Lost = 1

It's been awhile since I have been at the virtual tables, so for today I will be limiting myself to one table to get back in the flow of reading virtual people and hopefully not losing my final $1.74.

Of course, the very first hand changes that real quick as I am dealt in late position, two off the button. Let's see how rusty I am...

4 folds, Grimm raises to $.08, Cutoff calls, SB raises to $.28, BB folds, Grimm calls, Cutoff calls. - Because I came into this game with a tight mindset, I probably should not have called here. A decent flop however and I would have been sitting well.

Flop: ($.86) (3 players)

SB checks, Grimm checks, CO bets $.86, SB folds, Grimm folds. - I will admit, I am never quite sure how to play these flops. Due to my lack of bankroll, I just check the flop here and fold when the CO bets big.

Total Net Loss = 28 cents

Four hands later, I am dealt under the gun (first to act) and raise it up to 6 cents. The action folds around to the button and he calls along with the SB. BB folds.

Flop: ($.20) (3 players)

SB bets $.20, Grimm calls, Button folds - We have a straight draw, but with three other players, the odds of one of them pairing that king is pretty good. Now here is where I sometimes let my head get in the way as I have this subconscious rule of taking things to the turn before getting out. So with only a straight draw, I call the 20. The button, being the smart one - folds.

Turn: ($.60) (2 players) - No help to us, so we can fully expect him to bet out the king.

SB checks. Grimm checks. - Whoa, we get a free card. Sweet.

River: ($.60) (2 players) - Thank you for the free card Mr. SB.

SB bets $.60, Grimm raises to $1.20, SB calls - Now he bets, one card too late. This is something I would do.

Showdown:
Grimm shows - (Straight, Ten to Ace)
Dealer shows - (One Pair, Kings)

Net Winnings: $1.39

So we take down this $3.00 pot with a $1.39 profit because the SB didn't bet the turn. He was probably trying to sucker a bet out of me, which if I would have actually had something I might have done, but his lack of a bet cost him.


After this start, things quieted down. I stole a few blinds and a small $.11 pot with but did not play much for the next 20 or so hands.

That was until I got on the button.

3 folds, MP3 calls, LP calls, CO folds, Grimm raises to $.06, SB folds, BB folds, MP3 folds, LP calls - Ok so I am feeling pretty good here, just getting a call on my action.

Flop: ($.17) (2 players) - Not a great flop here, but I doubt it helps him at all.

MP3 bets $.06, Grimm calls. - He possibly flopped top pair, but odds are he is going for a flush draw as well.

Turn: ($.29) (2 players) - Doesn't help me at all and I am willing to bet it doesn't hit him as well.

MP3 bets $0.06, Grimm calls. - Maybe a middle pocket pair? Although I believe I should get out, I feel I need the flush is coming.

River: ($.41) (2 players) - See how right I was?

MP3 calls, Grimm calls - I have a feeling he has at least a pair here and I am beat no matter what, but there is a possibility a bet here would have gotten him off his hand - especially a mid-low pair. If he caught he straight, he would have bet. Right?

Showdown:
Grimm shows - (High Card, Ace)
MP3 shows - (One Pair, Twos)

While I am upset that this guy called my preflop raise with junk, I am a little more ticked that I didn't see things through a little better and bet the river. It wasn't a big loss but it could have been. Maybe it was for the best.

Net Loss: $.18


Things are quiet for the rest of the session with no other major wins or losses. I closed the hour long session with a profit of 86 cents, and crept my winnings to over $2.00.

The Intro

I know what you're thinking.

Here is another supposed poker genius thinking he is God's gift to the poker world. Here is another self-promoting Hold 'Em guru looking to tell the world about his superb play and his enormous bankroll. Here is another alleged master exhaulting himself as the next big thing.

Well then you would be very wrong.

I started playing online Texas Hold 'Em five years ago when I convinced my wife to let me deposit $100 into my account on Absolute Poker. Well, convincing might be too simple of a term to use - it was more like begging, pleading and promising that I would never ask for any more.

Why should I worry about needing more money? I watched the World Poker Tour. I TiVo'd Celebrity Poker Showdown. I know what beats what. This Texas Hold 'Em looks pretty easy to learn.

Six months later I was $100 poorer.

For months I complained about internet cheats, ridiculous bad beats and mentally deficient opponents. "How could my JT be beaten with a stupid Q5? How could you play that @#$! hand?" I would declare that the Gods of Poker had cursed me with unusually bad luck. I hated the fact that a was losing to people that played so ignorantly, a term I would later find out was called "a donk'".

Little did I know, I was the biggest donk out there.

So, naturally I did what any other great poker player would do. I quit playing.

I started playing again in late-2005. I still played on Absolute, but in keeping with the promise I had made to the wife, could only play in freerolls. It was during this time that I started noticing what other players were doing, how they betting and when they were folding. I would often wonder "why did he fold that?" or "why didn't he go all-in?" as the skill of the game still could not penetrate my thick skull.

Then while playing in a freeroll of 5,000 players, I had an epiphany. I was playing like I usually do - badly - when nature called. Rather than sit out a hand or two, I decided I couldn't miss the opportunity when those pocket rockets would show up and took my laptop with me. It was then, while sitting on the porcelan bowl, that things began to click for me. The importance of playing quality starting hands, why positioning is important and why patience will always be a virtue. It didn't happen all at once, but after sitting there for over an hour fighting off severe leg cramps I began to realize just how bad my game was.

I didn't place in the money in that tounament, but the very next freeroll I played I finished 26th out of 7,300 and squeezed out 80 cents.

I had won money.

Since then, I have turned that 80 cents into a fluctuation between $15 - $50, gaining both knowledge of the game as well as much needed experience. I also still make stupid mistakes - however I am quick to recognize them as such afterward. I had only played in .50 & 1.00 Sit-N-Go's (SnG's), but I am currently looking on improving my cash game. Hence what you are reading - I need documentation of my good and bad plays.

It should be noted that I at the time of this posting, my bankroll is down to a mere $1.74 thanks to the addition of a Casino to the Absolute Poker family. Bastards. This will mean that I will be grinding in out on the .01/.02 micro-limit tables for quite awhile - maybe 4-5 years how I play. (I am joking, I think.)

I am making this blog to share my experiences (both good and bad) and I hope that everyone that visits my little piece of the blogging world could gain useful information or even share thier knowledge with everyone.

So, am I this great poker player? Hell no. Am I a good poker player? I think I am getting there. So if you would like to tag along on my journey to either poker penthouse or the port-o-potty in the back alley behind the casino - feel free. I could use the company.