The road to a Main Event score! Starting BR £252. Now £984 (£1.36k banked)

CraigSG1

Bankroll has gone up, mainly due to cash. Had three winning sessions. I guess I have to be pleased lately as Ive had a run of winning sessions lately, even though I dont think I have 'ran well'. But I guess thats a sign that I rely on good play rather than luck. But if I can combine the two then who knows what I can make?

MTT's have been seeing the other side of variance at the moment. Was expected as I had a lot of deep runs/wins lately. Still, happy with my play, just not coming out the right side. 

Hopefully i'm saving my run good for UKOPS.

CraigSG1

Just a little bit of run good/ hands holding and today could have been very, very different.

Started with cash this morning, wasnt running great. Lost with top set to running straight when allin on flop. then lost all in on flop with 2nd set to top set. But managed to claw a £15 win at the end with two good pots. One with quads against a total wierd bluff.

Came back in the afternoon to play the £11UKOPS BH. Was doing ok, then after watching one of the good regs win a 3 way alpf with JJ v A3s v A4s twenty minutes later I have a 6000 chip pot with JJ v AQs v Q10o. The flopped nut flush knocked me back to about 500 chips. I stayed patient and ground that up to 2000 and then took a bounty. Then lost a race AJ v 88 for an average stack pot. 

Bricked the £2BH, two FR's and both the £3 and £5 UKOPS BH's. Nothing really devoloped in either and again lost a few races against mid stacks for bounties and then for my own life.

Played the £5BH where I went very deep. Played well and then with 19 left lost a huge pot (for 3rd/4th spot) with AK v JJ. I flop K but the rivered J kills me. So gutted. 

Played a little cash afterwards but again didnt run great. Again flopped top set and lost to a rivered gutshot. Then flop two pair on a K89 board with 89. Pot bet two streets and get called down by J9 who rivers J. Bah. Did well not to finish that much down and actualy make a little profit on the day.

Frustrated.

CraigSG1

Erm, carbon copy of yesterday I feel.

Got my BR to above £1100 in the morning. Another set over set, this time all in on flop and two outered on turn. AA v Q4 to rivered trips and another suck out. Thankfully managed to get it back versus same player who was just a manaic. SO dispite all that, I somehow won over two BI's.

Played the £2 BH, was doing very well then lost my 3rd pot against the table maniac who just liked to allin at least twice a round, either pre or on flop. For a massive chip lead pot (i had 8000+, he had 6000+) he jammed 107s and I call with QQ. He flops a pair, turns a FD and hits the flush on river. I then lost next hand to a race. Figures. Took 3 good heads at least.

Played the UKOPS rebuy. Again, was doing real well. Then hour and half in I lost 3 races in a row, two to short stacks and then my life when short. I'm winning about 1/4 races at the moment. Finished in about 50odd with 23 paid.

Finsihed with cash, again losing decent pots to running cards. Did get my one and only suck out of the day late on AQs v KK aipf. Hit two Q's then the A to almost cover the losses of this session. 

Another up day, another day that could have been so so much better. I have so many of these!

SJspanky1

Craig mate, you have quadrupled your bankroll in 2 months and yet you seem so frustrated in every post. You must be winning your share of pots to have managed such great results so far so just keep positive pal. That Main event final table deffo on the cards for next year.

Well played!!

hhyftrftdr

In Response to Re: The road to a Main Event score! Starting BR £252. Now £1094.20:

Craig mate, you have quadrupled your bankroll in 2 months and yet you seem so frustrated in every post. You must be winning your share of pots to have managed such great results so far so just keep positive pal. That Main event final table deffo on the cards for next year. Well played!!
Posted by SJspanky1

I have to echo the above, Craig.

I'm also surprised you're still playing £2 BH's with a 4 figure roll. I'd look to play the £11 ones, plus some £5 freeze outs. The standard in the £11 bounty hunters is 'funky', you'd have no problem at that level.

Not sure what, if any, mains you play but the Turbo is worth a spin every week. Would take the odd shot at the SS BH on a Thursday too.

CraigSG1

SJ - Hi, looking back on it, your right. Its not easy to see sometimes when your in your own bubble. Another reason why I do this diary is to be able to look back and even better, have comments to help me. I guess thats the frustrating part of MTT's, a lot of effort for little reward. But thats what makes the wins that much sweeter. I will endeavour to be more positive.

HHY - Firstly, I play the £2 BH out of a) habit b) being a BR nit c) I like to use it for experimenting and d) its the first thing thats on when I start. I thoroughley take your point and after playing so many low BI events its hard to break the habit. I wonder if anyone has had the same problem but I cant stop giving myself a target to get to before I jump up and then I reach said target and say to myself, just £50 more to cover a few BI's and it spirals on. 

I have a bad mentality that if my BR goes down then i've failed. Stupid, I know. Never had this before. Its good that im sensible but I guess im too far over the line in that regards. 

As for Mains, im usually out Tuesday which is a big shame as I know I do well in turbo's and that would be one I would target. Next year will see a focus on getting to/playing main events. I will try at least once a week at first and see what happens.

Thanks for the input, every bit is very appreciated and its always nice to get input, evan a plain hello!

So, over the past few days I have played a bit of cash. A lot of hour or so sessions spread out through the days while I'm enjoying this awesome break. Its the best thing about christmas! That and having an excuse to drink most nights. I have had a lot of small winning sessions and one or two losing ones. Its been good though as its more than paid for my MTT buy ins and increased my PP's tally.

MTT's; well. I want to say frustrating but I cant now can I SJ? In summary ive played 6 UKOPS events from rebuys to the £11BH's. I somehow lasted almost an hour and a half in yesterdays dispite having about 3 hands. Just so dead. Lost a tripple up pot with QQ v AJ v AQ to a river A and in the other £11 BH i again lasted over an hour, took one head but had an amazing spot with AK v A7 v QJ just before the break that would have given me a top 5 stack and two heads. The guy with A7 just loved to either fold. Or go allin. So shortish stack goes allin, A7 rejams and I call. Flop A. Turn is a 7. A huge dent for me that proves terminal.

Got a good stack going in rebuy and then as blinds caight up and me being card dead I lose two hands in a row with AK. One to AQ who flopped staright, the other a race. Flop well, turned set.

All the others just didnt get going.

I have run deep twice in the £5 BH at 6:45. The latest one tonight. Cashed both and took heads. 

A genuine question. I have noticed lately that the majority of my MTT exits have come either in a race or me ahead. With the exception of genuine coolers, very few times do I get it in bad. EG AQ v AK or whatever. Is that just variance or am I not being aggressive/more active enough? I mean getting myself into spots to win chips with a few more bluffs/marginal hands? Will this sort of strategy, even though I will fail more often, give me bigger stacks to better tackle deep MTT runs?

I'll probably have a session or two at cash tomorrow to finish off the year and then I will review my month and diary goals and come up with some more for 2015. 

Any ideas welcome.

benc

Enjoyed reading this just keep building slowly and gradually encorporate other games into your schedule when you have had a good couple of sessions and feel comfortable with the thought of losing a small of chunk of roll, there is never any rush with poker. I'm currently reading Chris Moormans book deffo reccomend investing in that ,the way they have written the book is almost like being a 3rd party in a coaching session between moorman and a competent player and is helping loads with thinking about different ways of playing hands in mtts.

hhyftrftdr

In Response to Re: The road to a Main Event score! Starting BR £252. Now £1124.43:

SJ - Hi, looking back on it, your right. Its not easy to see sometimes when your in your own bubble. Another reason why I do this diary is to be able to look back and even better, have comments to help me. I guess thats the frustrating part of MTT's, a lot of effort for little reward. But thats what makes the wins that much sweeter. I will endeavour to be more positive. HHY - Firstly, I play the £2 BH out of a) habit b) being a BR nit c) I like to use it for experimenting and d) its the first thing thats on when I start. I thoroughley take your point and after playing so many low BI events its hard to break the habit. I wonder if anyone has had the same problem but I cant stop giving myself a target to get to before I jump up and then I reach said target and say to myself, just £50 more to cover a few BI's and it spirals on.  I have a bad mentality that if my BR goes down then i've failed. Stupid, I know. Never had this before. Its good that im sensible but I guess im too far over the line in that regards.  As for Mains, im usually out Tuesday which is a big shame as I know I do well in turbo's and that would be one I would target. Next year will see a focus on getting to/playing main events. I will try at least once a week at first and see what happens. Thanks for the input, every bit is very appreciated and its always nice to get input, evan a plain hello! So, over the past few days I have played a bit of cash. A lot of hour or so sessions spread out through the days while I'm enjoying this awesome break. Its the best thing about christmas! That and having an excuse to drink most nights. I have had a lot of small winning sessions and one or two losing ones. Its been good though as its more than paid for my MTT buy ins and increased my PP's tally. MTT's; well. I want to say frustrating but I cant now can I SJ? In summary ive played 6 UKOPS events from rebuys to the £11BH's. I somehow lasted almost an hour and a half in yesterdays dispite having about 3 hands. Just so dead. Lost a tripple up pot with QQ v AJ v AQ to a river A and in the other £11 BH i again lasted over an hour, took one head but had an amazing spot with AK v A7 v QJ just before the break that would have given me a top 5 stack and two heads. The guy with A7 just loved to either fold. Or go allin. So shortish stack goes allin, A7 rejams and I call. Flop A. Turn is a 7. A huge dent for me that proves terminal. Got a good stack going in rebuy and then as blinds caight up and me being card dead I lose two hands in a row with AK. One to AQ who flopped staright, the other a race. Flop well, turned set. All the others just didnt get going. I have run deep twice in the £5 BH at 6:45. The latest one tonight. Cashed both and took heads.  A genuine question. I have noticed lately that the majority of my MTT exits have come either in a race or me ahead. With the exception of genuine coolers, very few times do I get it in bad. EG AQ v AK or whatever. Is that just variance or am I not being aggressive/more active enough? I mean getting myself into spots to win chips with a few more bluffs/marginal hands? Will this sort of strategy, even though I will fail more often, give me bigger stacks to better tackle deep MTT runs? I'll probably have a session or two at cash tomorrow to finish off the year and then I will review my month and diary goals and come up with some more for 2015.  Any ideas welcome.
Posted by CraigSG1

That's fair enough Craig. I did wonder if you used if for experimentation. But there is being a bankroll nit, and there is being a bankroll nit! With your BR, I'd look to phase them out and start introducing slightly bigger tournaments. I cannot stress how soft some of the £11 BH's can be (esp the 9.30 one), and with the BH element they reduce variance somewhat. The £5 £200 gtd are also reasonable, and I'm sure your BR is big enough to handle them

You have the game mate. Start building up to that main event score you want.

hhyftrftdr

This is what you can expect from £11 BH's..... my exit from one last night but happy days long term.

rizlakid18	Small blind		75.00	75.00	3262.50
hhyftrftdr	Big blind		150.00	225.00	3150.00
	Your hole cards	K A
X	Raise		600.00	825.00	11927.50
Y	Call		600.00	1425.00	3057.50
twoods810	Fold
rizlakid18	Fold
hhyftrftdr	All-in		3150.00	4575.00	0.00
X	Raise		5400.00	9975.00	6527.50
Y	All-in		3057.50	13032.50	0.00
X	Unmatched bet		2342.50	10690.00	8870.00
hhyftrftdr	Show	K A
X	Show	K J
Y	Show	Q A
Flop
		6 5 8
Turn
		5
River
		Q
Y	Win	Two Pairs, Queens and 5s	10690.00		10690.00

Glenelg

Long time reader.   Just wanna say gl for 2015.  Big score is not far away me thinks.  ;-)

CraigSG1

Benc - Thanks, means a lot to get feedback. Yes, Moormans book was on my christmas list but unfortunatly I wasnt a good enough boy it seems. That is the next book I am reading as of next week. Looking forward to it immensly. It seems like a better version of "Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at A Time" series that I really enjoyed and learnt from. WIll actually reread them as well afterwards.

HHY - Ta, mate. Yeah, may look to adjust when I start playing on a night to slightly later so I have more energy later on. The problem with the higher priced ones I would play is they start later on and I get up early for work. But definatley can make them on w/e's so I will look at them and stop being a BR hoarder! Besides, as it builds the BI's wont dent it as much.

Glenelg - Great! Thats nice to know and thank you. I really hope so. I intend to improve and move back up. Maybe if I start playing my sessions later I can use the time before for a little revision.

Lets get todays result out of the way. Played three sessions, one winning and two losing ones. Played OK. Not great, not bad. Maybe lacking in focus and on autopilot? Not sure. Maybe it was just the lack of hands and spots. Pleased with my discipline though of not searching for spots with bad hands as much as I used to. Still did a few times though and paid for it. 

That brings me to a monthly review and to set myself some, I hesitate to say targets or goals as they are not set in stone. Lets just say aims and go from their.

I started the month with a BR of about £750 so I've added about £320 if I dont include the £45 I got back via PP's. I made over £15 in them this month so its been another great month. A few hands here and there and it could have been so much better so I cant wait to have a 'run good' month! But we dont rely on anything like that do we?! 

So, dispite some chatbox hero's saying otherwise, I know I have game and can do it. Its actually good to know if someone views you as a donk or fish or whatever. I just make notes and open up my value bets and tighten up my bluffs against them.

Below are the goals I set myself at the beginning so I will now look for the first time and rate how I did:

Goals:

* Play 4nl and show a profit.  THIS I DID QUITE EASILY.

* Play £2/£3/£5 tournaments. 40 BI rule. OK, ANOTHER GOAL I DID. BUT MAYBE NOT AS MANY £5 ONES AS I SHOULD (EH, HHY.....)

* Play my game and not focus on PokerPoints and BR total. AGAIN, HAPPY I DID THIS AND SUCCESSFULLY. I MAY NOT PLAY PERFECTLY OR 'AS I SHOULD IN SOME AREAS' BUT I HAVE A METHOD THAT WORKS AND GOING BACK TO THAT HAS PAID DIVIDENDS. WHAT I HAVE DONE THOUGH IS FOCUS ON ONE AREA AT A TIME AND LOOK TO ADJUST THAT BEFORE I MOVE ON TO SOMETHING ELSE. 

* Not play 10nl until I hit £450BR and cease to play if dip below £400. (like i intended to. sigh) ERM, FIRST FAIL. I DID NOT AT ALL DO THIS. IVE HAD UPS AND DOWNS AT THIS LEVEL AND IT IS A REAL ROLLERCOASTER AS THIS LEVEL HAS THE BIGGEST RANGE OF PLAYER ABILITY FROM REALLY GOOD TO REALLY, REALLY BAD. EVEN WORSE THAN 4NL.

* This is real embarrassing and im ashamed of but I want to stop moaning on chat! Seriously, Im an idiot and no one cares! I will honestly say how many times IF i do indeed do this. Im 36 for crying out loud! I need to find another way to vent and then calm down and play properly. I WOULD GIVE MYSELF A B- I THINK. IVE DEFINATLEY NOT BEEN AS BAD BUT I FIND MYSELF HITTING THE KEYPAD EVERY SO OFTEN AND THEN AFTERWARDS THINKING 'WHY DID I DO THAT?!?!' 

* Finally, I would like to reach 1K again. No time frame, just a target. YEAH! I DID IT, AND A LOT FASTER THAN I THOUGHT. 

OK, that penultimate one was embarrassing. Good i say. Stop it! Shrug, sigh, moan out loud. Not chat box. 

So, my new goals.

* Play some actual Main Events! Even if I start at one a week.

* Play satalites. Why dont I? Definatley a form that would suit my game.

* Improve my cash game. 

* Do more studying and analysis and review my own game too.

* NO MORE CHAT BOX MOANING!! I want this gone asap, by the end of the month if I can.

I would just like to say thanks for reading and have a great night everyone.

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND ALL THE BEST FOR NEXT YEAR!!! Hope it will be as succesful as mines going to be and that you get many 2nd places!

CraigSG1

A bit of mixed fortunes today.

Started with cash this morning and I played well. Just no results as two river cards cost me a £30 profit. I had top set of Q's against AK on a Q83 all club board and got snapped called by the A high FD and then my turned nuts lost to another flush on the river. Dissapointing really as those where for by far the biggest pots of the morning. Did well to only finish a few quid down.

Came back this evening and managed to accomplish two of my goals already. I played a £7 sat into the main event and after a slow start I won two biggish pots, one including my only race win of the day AK v 66 that got me chip leader and from there I just shut up shop and didnt play a hand. Its wierd not playing decnet holdings and its amazing that when you want said hands they dont come but when your not bothered you get PP's galore! Anyway, that was very pleasing and even though I was tempted to just take the money (BR nit alert!) I put that aside and played the Main...

...which went ok but no heads - which I'm very dissapointed about - and over an hours worth of play. I did get lucky in two spots so no complaints. Just a shame it was a cooler when i had AQ v AK SB v BB aipf for a big stack. 

My small MTT win came in the £5 BH HU shuffle. Ive said in the past I should be playing more of these as I think I have about 3 wins out of 8 with two other FT's. I think my HU's game is pretty decent so I will try and remember to add them to my list. I played well, ran ok and got lucky once. Saving that for the very last hand when I played 98o agg and got it in on a J10x board. My opponent flipped over J10 but I hit my Q on the turn. So a nice £30 profit there.

Feeling sad I busted the Main, but happy I achieved two goals already and intend to keep that up and won an MTT. And no £2 BH's in sight!!

CraigSG1

Edit for today. I totally forgot I played the two £3 BH's this morning. I made the final table of the first, bowing out in sixth when I first lost a race AKs v 66 and then bust AJ v AA. And as fate would have it next hand in the other tourny I lost 1010 v AA. So not a bad start to the year. 

CraigSG1

Its a strange feeling that after a good day in which I have increased my BR by £75 I feel a bit blase about it all. A few months ago I would have felt great to get that much but it doesnt seem that much of a jump now. Maybe its the disapointment feeling when busting a tournament very deep.

Ill start with that, I played 3 MTT's today. All this evening. The £2 BH went ok. Wasnt paying attention so much as trying a few moves when I had the chance and somehow got very deep but with no heads. I then got my only one but bust in 11th when lost with QQ v AK. It was the reverse of that exact hand that saw me bust in 10/379 in the £5 BH. That got off to a great start with a bounty in the first hand and then a few hands later took another with a full house. A few hands later a guy nicely jammed allin pre with AJ while I had AA. Could have been even better if 10 minutes later my KK had held v's AK but I did manage to get the guy before the break a half hour later. I went a bit card dead then won a huge chip lead pot with a flush v's the straight. Again I went card and situation dead for half an hour. I had only two hands in that time but had to give up AJs v's serial limper from a big stack and then my straight on a flushing board to an allin. Shame really as I thought I could make the FT at least but yet again the wrong end of a race cost me but no complaints this time. It happens. I did actually win two myself so only 2/5 this time. I also went very deep in the UKPC FR, finishing 10 places off a seat when my A6s lost to KJo. 

Cash went well today, had two winning sessions. My best pot of the day was when my AA beat A6o (who called a huge 3 bet after limping) on a A66 flop. Another close one was AKs v KK v JJ when I made my flush all in pre. So I ran well for most of the day which was nice for a change. I will be the first to admit it when I do instead of saying otherwise. 

Overall a great day and as I write this I do feel a bit more pleased with how its gone. I have identified a few areas I really want to improve on in MTT's. I have the patience and ability to find some spots but I really need to find ways of making a few chips when I am absoloutly card dead. Maybe I need to find a few more bluff spots and not be so cautious and move my chips a little more aggressively. Its just sometimes I dont like out right bluffing without at least some outs!

CraigSG1

Played a lot of cash today, the most in a while. HAd 3 out of four winning sessions and my losing one was only £3 or so. I feel Ive played well and had a few big hands that held. A few that didnt of corse but I can take that as long as I get my fair share.

Wasnt quite in an MTT mood but still played two, one a FR. Bricked that. Got almost two hours in the £5 BH but ended up busting that in a standard spot. Did take two heads, one a juicy one, that covered my buy in by 33p! Profit is profit!

Another decent day and also have 350 PP's so I have half an eye on getting 3000 this month. I wont bust a gut for it or play when I dont want but if my poker appetite stays the same for a while then its do able. 

On another note I did splash out and treated myself for the first time in a long while and bought myself some bluetooth headphones. They are Bose Soundlink and cost £180, paid for by my recent successes on Pokerstars. Real nervous about spending so much (for me anyway) but I did read up a lot(!!!!!) and finally plumped for these. I must say they are fantastic and i'm really pleased with them. Sound great, work flawlessly with my iPhone6 and the range is great too.

Its great when a hobby makes you money and you can buy things you would never usually be able to buy!

***EDIT***

Just realised ive crossed the £1000 profit barrier on this diary with £15+ PP bonus to come. So pleased. 

citylawyer

WP Craig, certainly makes it worthwhile when you can use your winnings to buy yourself/someone else a nice gift. I think it is a good idea to do every so often as should keep your appetite up to keep winning.

When people tell me i should not be gambling or it's just down to luck, I show them what i've treated myself to or my BR and they soon change the topic!!

By the way your diary is a good read also.

CraigSG1

Citylawer - Hi, thanks a lot. Its a great feeling I agree, over the years I've had two holidays, two computers, a deposit for my car as well as a lot of other things (including treats for my partner which is a nother nice thing to be able to do). My parents were also sceptical on my poker 'hobby' until they realised how well I do! Took a while though!

Ive had another great day today. Almost £50 profit from two two hour poker sessions playing cash. Ive ran well in the sense that when I got my money in good, for the majority of the time it stayed good. Im very pleased that I played well and made some very good decisions. Missed a few spots, mainly on the river, so will look to improve that.

I did forget to mention I played a Main event sat yesterday. But as I forgot you can probably tell it didnt go well. 

Played the FR which didnt go well and a £5 BH this evening but that was over very quickly. My AK v AQ aipf losing to a flopped Q. As luck would have it got AA next hand when I had 200 chips left but got no callers! Bust a few hands later.

Im really, really pleased with myself to make £170 over the w/e. Especially as most of it came from cash, my weakest discipline. I've made a lot of improvements with hand discipline in regards to position, type of stack the weaker players have, how often I get called and how I'm betting and why. I hope to keep it up.

So after a great 11 days off its sadly back to work tomorrow. Sucks so bad! I have really enjoyed the time off, not to mention being able to play poker whenever I want and I'm really pleased to have made £270 in that time. Its been so relaxing and even though I have played a lot more I havent played tons so I've had a very good return. Right now it feels ages since I've been at work but I know when I'm there it will feel like no time at all has passed. 

Oh, just remembered. I have a poker book to buy...

shakinaces

Hi Craig - great to see that your bankroll is really motoring forward now... even sounds like there are hints of positivity replacing all the chuntering

For as long as you keep tilt at bay, there's no doubt the profits will keep coming.  Perhaps the book (or books) to buy are the Jared Tendler ones!

Are there any specific strategy articles / videos / forum threads that you've used recently to improve your play which you'd recommend?

CraigSG1

In Response to Re: The road to a Main Event score! Starting BR £252. Now £1305:

Hi Craig - great to see that your bankroll is really motoring forward now... even sounds like there are hints of positivity replacing all the chuntering For as long as you keep tilt at bay, there's no doubt the profits will keep coming.  Perhaps the book (or books) to buy are the Jared Tendler ones! Are there any specific strategy articles / videos / forum threads that you've used recently to improve your play which you'd recommend?
Posted by shakinaces

Hi shakin. Thanks. How's your progress doing? Been a while since you updated yours. Just glad you've not been on my table recently!

I've been perusing YouTube on my lunches and I did find a very helpful video series about the top 10 small stakes leaks. This not only helped my game but has helped me spot it in others and exploit them.

I've just started Moormans book today, it's great so far and I know already I will be rereading it tons. Not sure if I've stated it before but I know you want to improve your MTT play and the Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand At A Time series is a must!!  

shakinaces

My progress was on a sort of hiatus due to festive drunkeness / hungoverness

Was that 10 leaks video one of the ones that w34s3l recorded?  I've watched a few of his and really find his presentation style easy to take in - although some of his ideas I may be using at the wrong levels and throwing cash away as a result!

My copy of WPT1HAAT arrived yesterday so will be my main reading material in January. Having skim-read the first 7 or 8 hands I'm starting to think that my main problem is playing too loose aggressive... quite the opposite of thinking I was way too much of a nit... although will need to spend more time reading to get a better idea. My MTT play really is appalling

CraigSG1

It was by PokerVIP shakin. Read that book and the others. Reread them. Reread them. Reread them... You'll learn a lot I promise.

Yesterday I played a cash session that saw me break even. Pretty happy with that as I didnt run that well or find many spots so it was a surprise to be break even, maybe a few pence down.

Today, not so great. Ran into lots of coolers and mix into that some of my worst poker in a long time and I finished 3 BI's down. My first cash blip in a while so even if I feel dissapointed now I know it was bound to happen. I guess it was just the added bad play that i'm dissapointed about. Store that away and learn.

Its good that with such a healthy BR it looks just like a drop in the ocean now so another plus. And I'm learning to look at them (positives) and not the negatives. There is always tomorrow.

On another note I booked a holiday to Cap Salou in Spain for the end of June which is also thanks to my poker profits from last year. So I have that to look forward to, which I am immensly! The only bad thing about going away is no poker and missing my three cats! But I'm sure I can manage!

CraigSG1

Wednesday saw me play a little cash when I got home from work and I did OK. Finished £6 up. Played better than Tuesday, which wasn't hard, but I still didnt feel like I was playing my best. I was happy though that one of the big pots I won was a total bluff. 

 It was a A high dry board and I could tell my opponent didnt like the A so I bet. The thing that I have learnt to make sure is to have a plan for the whole hand so I bet knowing that I would definatley have to fire again and maybe even fire the river. Sure enough he called and check/called the turn. I was aware also that I bet to make sure I had a pot size bet on the river to put maximum pressure on him and that I was repping a strong A and he did fold. I was pleased because I went with my read instead of bottling out convincing myself I was wrong. 

MY £15+ PP payment came yesterday to bump up my BR.

Tonight was a mixture. I started off playing a Sat for the main event, had a slow card dead start then built up a stack. Lost a portion when my set lost to running straight but then I got lucky to double ten mins later when my AQ v KK rivered a straight on a KJxx10 board aipf. I was 6th on the break with 50+ left a 31 paid. But shallow stacks and my 2 ahnds I got in ahead against shorties which I lost got my to a short stack and then I exited QJs v AA. Gutted to get so close and then not hold when it was important. So that is 1/3 in sats for me. 

Bricked the two FR's. Both unluckily, one to a maniac for a mage stack. Played the £5BH, picked up an early bounty from a very very short stack but couldn't get going. Eventually lost AK v Q10 for a 60BB stack against a guy who liked to open jam.

Cash wise though I played very well and disciplined. Ran decent to and in about an hours play in all I took almost 3 BI's profit.

I intended to play more to bump up my PP's but I just didnt feel up to it and instead of falling into the trap of playing for playing sake I stood. Im dissapointed to not have my PP target but as I said i'm not forcing it. I'll only play when I want to. 

CraigSG1

It was a case of almost tonight. 

Lets start with the bad, I busted the two FR's. Then busted the £5 BH pretty early, in brutal fashion. My success came in the main event sat in which I won a seat. Was hard work, I need to brush up on satalite play as I've got myself into good positions but then I'm not sure if I should be putting on the pressure or playing snug with no risks. Playing either side of that line is easy!

The main event got off well with a bounty, my first ever main event bounty, which put me in profit but I was pretty card dead  but did manage to last an hour and a half. Im just so annoyed with my exit. I read my opponents hand, gave him bad odds to draw and when he go there on the river I convinced myself to call. So stupid and i'm livid with myself.

Cash was very yoyo. I managed to come away with a profit in the end of about two BI's dispite losing a few stacks. Ran so bad against the fish later on, having huge hands lose to perfect running cards on three occasions. I managed to get my fill eventually but holding in those pots would have added almost £40 to my BR. 

This year has been the real start of my Main event challenge and I'm still confident that I have what it takes to make a deep run as I've played two and done OK with very little. Im 2/4 in satalitles so that will be my first entry mode until I actually make a decent dent in one then I may switch to buying in direct. Its a case of learning lessons and finding out the quality of my opponents. There are still a lot of weak players but also many stronger ones. Plus the blind structure is a bit different too which does make a little difference. I'm just learning lessons at the moment. 

CraigSG1

What a day it has been. Ive played so much poker today, maybe seven hours or so, and had a roller coaster of a day.

Ive made almost 300 PP's playing almost exclusively cash which is my most ever I would say (non Happy Days promotion wise). I've had some brutal beats and coolers including middle set v's top set, top two v bottom set, top two v's top set, big overpairs against sets and a lot of draws getting there and two outers when money is in.

In the good corner I made £30 off a total maniac, quads twice and picking off some insane bluffs. 

I started the day down, then had a great afternoon session and then down, up, down and up evening sessions. I've ended up slightly up but I did have £1350 as my high. 

As for my play in reflection I wasnt happy. Didnt get the most a few times, paid off to many rivered draws and too many times slipped into auto pilot. 

As for MTT's I only played two, the Main event sat in which I started well, got deep then lost a race and then ran into 10's next hand. Busted the £5 BH trying a bluff from UTG. I got hero called by QQ (who just flatted my raise pre) on a AKxxx board. I knew they couldn't have an A and put them on a PP but didn't get it through. I know I couldn't have called an UTG raise who then tripple barreled each street with two overs.

In one sense I'm relieved to be only £2 down but also annoyed I'm not at least £30 up. Overall I guess I'll take it as I played a lot of hours for me and got my PP's to 34% of my 3000 target. In the past I have dropped BI's in pursuit of PP's which doesnt make sense! 

Its wierd that the past few weeks I've been doing better in my weaker format and my strongest one is having a bit of a lull lately. Cant wait until I get them both firing!

CraigSG1

Well today sucked, or should I say this afternoon.

Just cash today, somehow had a great morning as dispite some hits I made 3 BI's and was back at £1350+ then I returned this afternoon. Things where going ok, then a crazy half hour where I just got coolered or sucked out on almost every hand. I wont go into detail, its boring, but I was on the wrong end a lot. Slipped back into old habits too.

All together very dissapointing. I've had a break even week too which isnt ideal. Im ahead in my PP target so may play very little or not at all next couple of days. See how I feel. Try and regroup.

shakinaces

The first table where AT outdrew you was just bonkers, crazy amount of all-ins and everytime the worse hand was binking even after you did the sensible thing and left.

I know there was a bit of chatbox moaning but you seemed to quickly get to the right decision to stand up and take a break which has to be a good sign of improvement to your tilt!

And the cooler vs me you definitely played well to lose the minimum... I was all set to c/r all in by the river, but you are one of the few at that level that are sensible enough to take a c/c line with an OK 2 pair.

CraigSG1

Hi Shakin,

Yeah, it was dissapointing to slip back. That bonkers 30 mins was just insane and really got to me. But as you said, in the past I may have just opened up and bet big with no plan on most of my tables and even moved to 50nl and four tabled there but I just got up and left it for another day.

With that hand I have been paying more aware in the past few months playing cash (and MTT's) where I look at what I can beat and what beats me and if its in the range of hands opponent can have etc etc. Ive also improved hand selection from position to how the tables playing and such. I've become much better at that. I still dont really table select. It has the bad points that sometimes I find myself at a strong table so not so +EV but what it does is help to improve my game which IS +EV.

On to today, I had a little 45 minute session. Was aiming for a session twice that long and even though I was playing well (so therefore should have stayed) I became aware I was up on all tables and then found bad thoughts enter my head. I didnt want to find myself coolered in a couple of spots or make a mistake and be back down again so soon after yesterdays debacle so I decided to cut it short. I was aware I was no longer going to play to my best so stood and took the win as a confidence boost.

Not ideal I know but any long term readers will know its all about confidence with me and a clear mind and I recognised I didnt have that any more so ended it. I am pleased I was able to do that and it is progress that I can recognise the signs and not play just for the sake of it. PP targets are all well and good but paying to my best is more important.

On a side note I would love to be able to post up some hands for some advice but I just cant seem to get it to stay in the format I have it in when I'm producing a post to when I have added the post. I use a MAc if anyone can help. I have tried copying the hand into notes and then back again but that always loses the card suits and makes looking at the hand a little akward.

shakinaces

Just on the last point, hands won't post correctly from Safari. 

I've downloaded firefox (for Mac) and that addresses the problem. I don't think you can copy them directly from the table hand history though, think you have to visit the hand history via ^ 'My Sky Poker' ^ and copy from there.

CraigSG1

Thanks shakin, will try that out and hopefully I can have some hands.

Had a couple of little sessions today, totalling nearly an hour and half. Very happy with my play. Well, maybe one hand I didnt play well but I'll mention that in a moment. Had two (not so) funny hands. First few hands in at a newly opened table and I have AA. I raise 3x, get a call and then a guy with £7 quickly open shoves. I call. He has AK so happy days! Flop comes AKJ so again very happy as he is drawing super thin. Turn Q. Ah, now you see where this is going! No prizes for guessing the river. A 10. GRRR. 

AA again on another table. UTG raises, I raise very big as I know he doesnt like to fold. Next player cold calls. Flop comes 1076 two hearts so not great. I think then bet all in as even though I may be dead I also know either player is calling any pair and any draw and I think the cold caller has JJ/QQ/KK often enough. He calls and turns over....AA. 

I did finish 2 BI's up so happy there. Could and should have been better had I played this hand better;

I've tried posting it but no joy. No time to download Firefox until later. Briefly, I had JJ in the SB and UTG raises  4x(he is active but usualy doesnt bet 4x) and there are two callers before me. In reflection I should have 3 bet here to narrow it down but I hate playing from the SB so just called. My concern is so many times at this level if your raise and the first person calls, everyone calls yet if I make it too big i'm only getting action from the top of his range and I will be OOP. So I try and keep pot small by just calling. Only problem is we are 5 way.

Flop is a benign 1094r. I check, original raiser bets £1.50 into a £2 pot. Three folds to me and I think for ages and I'mnot sure where I am, he has made an uncharistic big bet so has me confused as this is a good flop for me and I am under repped. I chose the cautious approach and folded because im OOP and will probably be facing bigger and bigger bets when I dont know where I am.

One person called and it turned out original raiser had A10s and other guy K10o. 

Am I being results orientated or was that far too nitty?

CraigSG1

If anyone catches this post and has an opinion on the hand above it would be appreciated. Not just the hand but my thinking.

I played a little yesterday but mainly had it as an off day, it was just a little 20 mins over dinner. A good one as got 2 BI's profit.

Today I had a little dinner session again, and again I won over a BI that freerolled my two BI MTT's tonight. We will start there and get the two FR's out of the way as busted early in them. After running well in them late last year I have done absoloutly nothing in them. I blame my lack of attention/focus on them as I try and get off to a good start or experiment too much.

I tried a Main Event Sat and was going along nicely until I lost a race AQ v 77 and then busted with a 60/40 about 15 from the money. That left the £5 BH. I had a deep run, taking four heads and finsihing 22/300+. I played very well and dispite losing a big pot versus an active chip leader two from the money (JJ v KQ - another lost race) I played my stack well, doubled up with JJ v Q10o but then finally lost out in a pot that would have got me well up when my A10 out flopped 77. Wow, I thought, I may win a race. But a seven on the turn had me dead so gg me. 

I played a little cash on the side and came away a BI up dispite not much happening. 

After a disapointing Sunday where my play left a lot to be disired its nice to say that this week I have played very well. I've been clear in what I'm doing and why and let the resluts go from there. Which have been good. I just want that first MTT win of 2015!

I have just downloaded Firefox so I am going to try and post a hand. Ive had two or three I think where interesting so here goes...