well done Gary on reaching your new highest b/roll. told you that you just had to be patient. keep it going m8.... i could be buying you that pint after all. lol
This afternoon I entered a series of low stakes MTTs. I managed two minor second place finishes, though results were disappointing overall.
The first runner-up spot came in the £50 gtd £2 rebuy (I won the same tournament yesterday). I played my best, but was condemned by a HU cooler; my opponent flopped a well hidden straight with 95o in his hand and 678 on the board. Stacks were too shallow for me to get away, my T8s was drawing to only 3 outs or a running flush and I didn’t get there. My prize of £15 was nothing to write home about with £6.60 invested.
As is typical at the weekend the £2.30 Bounty Hunters were bingo central today. I played three, had chances to win two, but as has been usual over the last week I couldn’t win those crucial late-stages hands.
In the first £2.30 I busted very early with 44<32o (with pocket 66 also all-in) for a 300BB pot, all the chips going in with 345J on the board, the 32o guy hit one of his six outs to win the monster pot with just one card to come. You see it all in these games.
I came very close to winning the second £2.30, only to get busted by a gross beat in the tournament deciding hand (see below). In the third £2.30 I only managed a min-cash, my As8s failing to improve on a flop of 5c6s2s against K2o. The hand was essentially a flip; any A, 8 or spade wins it for me. I had 52% equity when the chips went in, so no regrets at all.
After a break I returned to play in the evening Mini Bounty Hunter. I lasted 5 hands. With KJs on the SB I check-raised to 300 on a 45J rainbow flop, a player with 56 decided his hand was good enough to come along for the ride, I'm sure you can guess the rest. To be honest I was quite happy to bust early and didn’t bother re-entering. My daily 1-30am starts do not mix well with evening poker; I was feeling too tired to concentrate and probably shouldn’t have entered this tournament in the first place.
What more can I do? A bingo player makes one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen to defeat me heads-up and win a Bounty Hunter tournament. He had 8% equity in the hand when the chips went in.
PlayerActionCardsAmountPotBalanceGaryQQQ Small blind 500.00 500.00 26540.00 Big blind 1000.00 1500.00 29960.00 Your hole cards K A GaryQQQ Raise 1500.00 3000.00 25040.00 Call 1000.00 4000.00 28960.00 Flop 9 2 K Check GaryQQQ Bet 2000.00 6000.00 23040.00 Call 2000.00 8000.00 26960.00 Turn 4 Check GaryQQQ All-in 23040.00 31040.00 0.00 All-in 26960.00 58000.00 0.00 Unmatched bet 3920.00 54080.00 3920.00 GaryQQQ Show K A Show 4 5 River 5 Win Two Pairs, 5s and 4s 54080.00 58000.00
hi Gary, good to see you moving forwards again m8. yes it's unbelievable/laughable how light some people will call you down isn't it? i think the thing is they actually win with these hands so i guess they must think it's good play. anyway,that aside ,well done m8,keep it going dev
Due to family commitments I didn’t have much time for poker today. In the afternoon I played a few micro games, roughly breaking even.
Highlight of the day poker-wise was participating in the inaugural ‘Top of the Posts’ STT. The 9-00pm start was awkward for me, but I feel honoured to have been chosen so I made an exception and stayed up late for the game (and let’s face it, who’d skip a freeroll with a guaranteed prize of £10+?).
It was a fun fast-structured game, played in good spirit with a friendly rail. The hand that determined my finishing position came when I open-shoved KJs from the button during 3-handed play when all stacks were shallow. The big-blind made the call with 76o, this was the first all-in and call hand I’d been involved in, a hold would have seen me go heads-up for the £50 first prize; the flop came down 589 lol. Still, I’m pretty used to that sort of thing nowadays, it’s the nature of the game, I’m very grateful to receive £25 in a freeroll and breach the £800 barrier to record a new highest balance.
hi Gary, well done on getting into the £800 m8. looks as though i've got some serious catching up to do when i get back playing again,tomorrow. keep it going buddy,not that far to go now. dev
A busy day left very little time for poker, yet it was long enough for me to give a fine demonstration of what I do best; get my chips in good only see comedy run-outs sn_atch defeat from the jaws of victory.
My first HU game set the tone when my ATs was no good against A6s aipf for all the chips.
Fun run-outs in my first Bounty Hunter included A6<KJ with A2K6 on the board, my JJ doubling an opponent holding 23o on a 963 flop, then a bust with A8<KQ aipf (I made top pair on a safe looking flop, turn T, river J).
My second Bounty Game (£5.75) started in promising fashion with a level 1 double and head-prize. I was going well and enjoying the game until level 5 when an uber- crazy bingo maniac joined my table. I thought I had him ‘hook line and sinker’ when my QJ saw a QJ5 flop and he bet/called shove with K5. The pot was 10.9K with blinds at 100/50, average stack 4K. Considering many similar experiences over the last week or so it was absolutely no surprise to me when he hit another 5 on the river to bust me.
That was enough, I was too disgusted to continue playing. It’s incredible how badly I’m running in all-in situations at the moment, I find it truly bewildering how I continue to get outdrawn again, and again, and again.
Once again an opponents atrocious call busts me from an MTT. This player went on to win the tournament with 14 head-prizes and bank over £100;
PlayerActionCardsAmountPotBalanceshakeitup Small blind 40.00 40.00 480.00 p Big blind 80.00 120.00 6786.25 Your hole cards J Q anwario12 Fold emma03 Fold GaryQQQ Call 80.00 200.00 5355.00 shakeitup Fold p Raise 240.00 440.00 6546.25 GaryQQQ Call 240.00 680.00 5115.00 Flop Q J 5 p Bet 510.00 1190.00 6036.25 GaryQQQ All-in 5115.00 6305.00 0.00 p Call 4605.00 10910.00 1431.25 p Show 5 K GaryQQQ Show J Q Turn 3 River 5 p Win Three 5s 10910.00 12341.25
Any hopes that a new day might see my luck reset were quickly dashed when I bought into a couple of quick HU matches before leaving for work. I lost both due to a series of bad-beats. In the second game my opponent came back from having his last 60 chips all-in and behind with only one card to come. He then won a series of aipf pots including his 73o beating my pocket KK. Poker was a dirty word as I went out of the door.
By the time I returned home I’d cooled down and bought into the 11-30am Bounty Hunter. I enjoyed a flying start with my AKs>AKo for an early double followed by my pocket 99 flopping a set to crack KK and earn me a head-prize. Unfortunately it was short-lived, a series of coolers and a few bad decisions by me cost me my stack over the next few levels.
Ridiculous run-outs came back to haunt me again in a £3.30 Scary MTT; my exit came when I jammed over a limper with KQ, he called with QT. It looked promising when I flopped a king, however the two clubs dealt on the turn and river gave my opponent the dreaded runner-runner flush and I was out.
The second £5.75 BH ended with my AQ<AK aipf, SB v button, 20BB effective stacks. I’d seen the same guy call a deeper 3-bet shove earlier in the game with A3s, so I I’m happy with my play.
In a £2.30 Bounty Hunter I was going great in 3rd/6 at the final table when the next cruel beat wrecked my chances. I opened pocket 55, found 3 callers and flopped my set. Two of the callers folded to my c-bet, the other came along for the ride. He decided to donk-shove into me on the turn holding two overcards to the board and a nut-flush draw. Fading flush draws isn’t something I do very well at the moment; he managed to hit one of his 8 live flush outs on the river. A hold would have given me his head and a substantial chiplead, as it was I was left with 10BB. Three hands later I open-shoved AK and lost the race against TT to bust in sixth.
My third £5.75 started badly when a level 3 AK<TT aipf flip put me in deep trouble. However I managed to fight my way back, starting with a crucial JJ<ATs aipf hold for my tournament life. From there my stack grew steadily and I took 3 head-prizes in the mid-stages, one of them very fortunately when I KO’d a shortie with my K5>AK aipf blind vs blind.
As the bubble approached I found myself at a tricky table facing some skilled opponents, all of us holding at least 50% more chips than the tournament average. Fortunately just as my stack was beginning to dwindle due to a drought of cards a key race went my way; my 66>AK aipf to take my fourth bounty and put me back in contention. On the final table bubble I was back in trouble; I jammed KQs from the SB over a serial limper on the button, he called with ace-rag and I failed to improve. That left me 7th/7 and sitting on only 6.5BB. I made it to final table due to another player busting before me, then a double with AQ>66 pulled me back from the brink and gave me hope.
After the double with pocket 66 a series of uncalled shoves and a pot won with T4o when an opponent kindly limped into my big blind brought me back into contention. A further boost came when I busted the sixth place finisher who’d just lost a race and shoved his last 3BB into my big blind, one of those easy ‘call with any two cards’ spots with nobody else in the pot. I then busted the fifth place finisher in similar fashion. After 150 minutes of play I was 2nd/4, though a fair way behind the chipleader. Unfortunately I then went out to a harsh cooler; I jammed AK over the ace-rag serial limper mentioned earlier. He folded, but unfortunately the chipleader on the big-blind was sitting on AA. It was very cruel timing for me, AK is always going-in there, it is very difficult indeed to run AK into AA at any 4-handed table.
So my count of £5.75 BH final tables during this quest has now reached 31 and I’m still waiting for the first win. Trying to look on the bright side; at least this game saved my day and edged me up to a new highest balance. Also I won a few big races to get to that final table, something that hasn’t happened much lately.
I feel I’m still running a long way to the wrong side of variance, I have been since my recent 4 day break. However, I must remind myself that long term results count far more than those over the short term. I’m around £770 in profit so far over the course of this quest, possibly something the majority of recreational players could only dream of, so really I have nothing to complain about at all. A lot of my opponents have made bad plays over the last few days and got very lucky on the run-out. I wish them the best, all I can do is stay happy knowing that as long as I continue to play well I’m certain to beat these guys in the long run.
No joy for me in MTTs today, won a little back in HU games.
First game was the 9-45 BH. After a promising start a cooler against the only other big stack at my table led to an early exit. I re-raised over an all-in short-stack with AK, the villain in the hand flat called my raise with pocket 88; the K83r rainbow flop condemned me. The pot in the middle was worth the chiplead and a head-prize, I was unable to find a fold.
In the 10-45 BH I found myself seated at a wild bingo-style table. Early gambling led to several eliminations and left two very loose players with very big stacks. They were both involved in every pot and didn’t like folding, however I didn’t pick up strong enough hole-cards or connect with any flops well enough to profit from their style of play. I kept my head above water for 75 minutes but busted the first time I was all-in and called, my AQs losing to JJ aipf.
A £2.30 BH ended with another cooler; my 5 running into 9T with 4678r on the board. I then tried my luck in a £3 freezeout but couldn’t get anything going, I went out in 19th/48 when losing a flip with K8<77 aipf.
In my second £2.30 BH I went out in comedy fashion with KK<TT aipf. I turned a set, my opponent rivered a straight lol. ‘The hand of doom’ strikes again.
There was more hilarity in the third £2.30; I was going great until I watched my AJ get donked by QJ following an AA2 flop (turn K, river T). That left me short and looking to double or bust. With the player on the big-blind sitting out I opted to open-jam J9s from the button with 19BB behind. The same player who’d donked me with the QJ made a loose call with 89o. It’s a call I want, but it didn’t work out today; he binked an 8 on the turn to bust me.
A £1 rebuy was next. With ten minutes of the re-buy period to go I was in the top 3 from over 50 starters with more than double the tournament average, then my stack was quickly decimated by a terrible run of cards. Firstly the curse of pocket KK struck again; I managed to get it all-in against TJ on a T73 flop for a 150BB pot, a ten hit on the river of course. A few hands later I failed to dodge a gutshot chaser with KT who got there on the river to beat my KQ on a 3QA flop. Then my set of 8s lost to QJ that rivered a straight. My big stack was gone and I was beginning to wonder if I was unknowingly appearing on an episode of ‘You’ve been Rivered’. I tried a final roll of the dice with a double re-buy and add-on. It was to no avail, my exit eventually coming with AQ<KK aipf, button vs SB.
Between tournaments I played a few HU matches and a 15-minute timed game, I finished a little ahead from these to offset some of the MTT loses.
The deck was very unkind to me in MTTs today, despite that can honestly say I enjoyed the games and was laughing out loud through the comical beats. I know I played well, that’s far more important than the results as far as I’m concerned.
‘The hand of Doom’ strikes again. I picked up pocket KK twice today (not for the squeamish); PlayerActionCardsAmountPotBalancePapahaveit Sit out h Small blind 15.00 15.00 1460.00 Steady93 Big blind 30.00 45.00 5570.00 Your hole cards K K bowlsrus20 Fold GaryQQQ Raise 90.00 135.00 1260.00 GADGETBOY1 Fold h All-in 1460.00 1595.00 0.00 Steady93 Fold GaryQQQ All-in 1260.00 2855.00 0.00 h Unmatched bet 125.00 2730.00 125.00 h Show 10 10 GaryQQQ Show K K Flop Q 9 A Turn K River J h Win Straight to the Ace 2730.00 2855.00
PlayerActionCardsAmountPotBalancebSmall blind 40.00 40.00 3660.00 jhotone Big blind 80.00 120.00 3220.00 Your hole cards K K eddlaney1 Fold GaryQQQ Raise 240.00 360.00 9500.00 foxy666603 Fold scojabar Fold b Call 200.00 560.00 3460.00 jhotone Fold Flop 10 3 7 b Bet 560.00 1120.00 2900.00 GaryQQQ All-in 9500.00 10620.00 0.00 bAll-in 2900.00 13520.00 0.00 GaryQQQ Unmatched bet 6040.00 7480.00 6040.00 bShow 10 J GaryQQQ Show K K Turn 5 River 10 bWin Three 10s 7480.00 7480.00
First up today was the 10-45 BH which I late registered. I had a bad start after losing a pot with 99<KK, then had to fold my flopped nut-flush to a river shove after the board had cruelly double-paired on the turn and river. I went into ‘short stack ninja’ mode and just about kept my head above water for over half an hour, even managing to bust two stacks that had fallen even shorter than mine. My demise eventually came when I saw an AQQ flop with A6, I was too short to fold and couldn’t manage a chop with A9 due to low cards falling on the turn and river.
Meanwhile the 11-30 BH had also fired-up. I spent the first 40 minutes card dead and missing flops before managing a double-up with AQs>J8s aipf. I got my stack in as favourite again a couple of orbits later against the same guy, hoping to bring myself into contention with the bubble not too far away. I squeeze-shoved pocket 77 over my opponents limp, he made the call with A6, I successfully faded the ace………..but I didn’t fade his quad sixes!
Those were the only two MTTs I entered today. I also played a few HU STTs, I ran well in those to finish level on the day, including winning a couple of game deciding all-ins as an underdog.
I'll probably be taking a day off poker tomorrow (Friday), I'm then intending to get some good volume in over a 5 day period from Saturday onwards.
After getting home from work earlier than expected I decided I did have time for some poker today after all.
First off I late registered the 10-45 BH. I had a good start and increased my stack by 50% within 10 minutes, but three unfortunate hands in the space of just one orbit led to a rapid exit. Firstly my set of 9s lost a big pot to KJo which made a running jack-high straight on the river, then my pocket JJ was outdrawn by A9, finally I ran KQ into 55 on a KQ5 flop. All three hands were played against the same player, must be nice.
I also tried my luck in the 11-30 BH. For the first hour I was going nowhere fast, hovering around the starting stack. Things looked up when I busted a shortie and moved close to average during level 7. Then I thought a beat had wrecked my chances; I jammed AK over a limper who called for his stack with KJ and got there. However, I more than doubled in the very next hand with AA>AT, then busted another player by winning an 88>AT flip to complete a quick recovery, by now slightly above average with 19 of the 56 entrants left.
Just when things were starting to look promising I took a big knock. I flatted a min-raise and call with KQs on the big blind. The K82 flop initially looked good for me, but I ended up losing nearly 40% of my stack to the chipleader who was holding J9 (turn J, river J).
Soon after that I busted in a standard late-stages tournament flip; my AKs against pocket TT. Our stacks were almost exactly level and the pot was worth third place in chips with 13 remaining. I was fist-pumping when an ace was dealt on the flop, when a ten was dealt on the river the laptop nearly went through the window. That was it for poker today, as planned I went out for the rest of the afternoon.
Will I ever run well in the late stages of a £5.75 Bounty Hunter? I'm still patiently waiting, it hasn’t happened yet in any of my 133 attempts during this quest.
After a terrible afternoon of poker an unexpected run to the final of the Mini Bounty Hunter was by far the highlight of the day. A couple of key hands during my run spring to mind; on the bubble my pocket KK held up all-in on the flop against a very strong combo-draw and overcard to see me into the money comfortably. Then on the final table bubble I open jammed 67s from the button with only 11BB behind, the big stack on the big blind tanked before calling, my cards made a straight to beat his KJo for a crucial double.
It feel likes I played a blinder and I don’t recall any mistakes, despite that I was destined to finish as runner-up. During heads-up play I had AhKh v KdJd all-in pre-flop for the win. Had my 71/29 held-up I’d have won the tournament and this quest would be almost complete. As it was my opponent flopped a flush. Nevermind; I ran well to get in that position, it’s a call I want and I’m very happy to take second place and make a major leap towards my target. The final hand was a standard flip, A8<77 aipf.
My only other chance of a score came in an afternoon £5.75 Bounty Hunter. An untimely suck-out cost me a head-prize and a pot worth second place in the late stages; my AQ losing to A9 aipf to go from 4/12 to 12/12 with 10 to be paid. I recovered to 9/11 courtesy of a series of uncalled shoves. However a chain of unlikely events led to me busting on the stone-cold bubble.
So near yet so far. If I win this pot I win the Mini Bounty Hunter;
PlayerActionCardsAmountPotBalancewelp Small blind 6000.00 6000.00 285929.91 GaryQQQ Big blind 12000.00 18000.00 486070.09 Your hole cards A K welp Raise 30000.00 48000.00 255929.91 GaryQQQ All-in 486070.09 534070.09 0.00 welp All-in 255929.91 790000.00 0.00 GaryQQQ Unmatched bet 206140.18 583859.82 206140.18 welp Show J K GaryQQQ Show A K Flop 3 4 8 Turn 7 River 3 welp Win Flush to the King 583859.82 583859.82
Very well done, love reading your progress every day and your commitment to the task is amazing. Was railing the final table and really thought it was gonna be the end this evening, but onwards and upwards as you would say. Your constant ability to overcome bad beats is an example to every player on this site.
Great work again Gary, it's really not gonna be long before you reach your target. So with that in mind, I'm guessing you must have been thinking about it, what are you gonna do once this is all over?
just a shame that your AK didn't hold up m8. wow...it must have been so exciting for you. nearly there now,this really is going 2b a close finish between us now. lol looking forward to meeting up with you for that well earned pint.... whoever has to 'get 'em in' lol
Cheers guys, thanks for the support, it's very much appreciated.
A few further thoughts about my runner-up finish in the Mini;
I'm very happy with the way I played throughout the tournament, particularly at the final table which I entered as 6th/6 with only 10BB. My first 5 shoves there went uncalled, by then I'd lost all respect and it paid off; my 6th shove was called by J8s, my AK held-up to move me up to 3rd/6.
From there I ran over the table and busted 2 opponents on the way to heads-up play, it was exciting stuff and I was loving it. Losing the AK v KJ 70/30 quickly followed by a 48/52 flip was disappointing, though to be fair I'd won a series of 70/30s and a 40/60 in the late stages, sooner or later one wasn't going to go my way. Sure, one more hold and the victory would have been nice, but it wasn't to be this time. Overall I'm very happy with my second place finish, it's the best win of this challenge (narrowly beating an £11 Bounty Hunter win on day 159) and has given me a valuable confidence boost as the finishing line starts to feel fairly close for the first time.
just got back from the paralympic marathon - which was truly inspirational - but that also reminded me i spent quite a time with you on the tables yesterday Gary and hopefully was able to pacemake (though not give you an inch) -a truly remarkable marathon which will soon be reaching an extremely successful climax - well done to a fellow 51er!!!!!
What's next? I'm not thinking too much about that yet, just gonna focus on the job in hand until I've seen it through.
Saying that, I must admit I have an idea brewing that's based upon a few suggestions that have been made to me by PM and via this thread. I'm going to keep it under my hat for now, once this quest is completed I'll run the idea past a few people, if the feedback is good and I think it's worth the effort I'll proceed.
Cheers guys. What's next? I'm not thinking too much about that yet, just gonna focus on the job in hand until I've seen it through. Saying that, I must admit I have an idea brewing that's based upon a few suggestions that have been made to me by PM and via this thread. I'm going to keep it under my hat for now, once this quest is completed I'll run the idea past a few people, if the feedback is good and I think it's worth the effort I'll proceed. Posted by GaryQQQ
Comments
told you that you just had to be patient.
keep it going m8....
i could be
buying you that pint after all. lol
dev
Closing balance £786.32
(up £11.77 today)
This afternoon I entered a series of low stakes MTTs. I managed two minor second place finishes, though results were disappointing overall.
The first runner-up spot came in the £50 gtd £2 rebuy (I won the same tournament yesterday). I played my best, but was condemned by a HU cooler; my opponent flopped a well hidden straight with 95o in his hand and 678 on the board. Stacks were too shallow for me to get away, my T8s was drawing to only 3 outs or a running flush and I didn’t get there. My prize of £15 was nothing to write home about with £6.60 invested.
As is typical at the weekend the £2.30 Bounty Hunters were bingo central today. I played three, had chances to win two, but as has been usual over the last week I couldn’t win those crucial late-stages hands.
In the first £2.30 I busted very early with 44<32o (with pocket 66 also all-in) for a 300BB pot, all the chips going in with 345J on the board, the 32o guy hit one of his six outs to win the monster pot with just one card to come. You see it all in these games.
I came very close to winning the second £2.30, only to get busted by a gross beat in the tournament deciding hand (see below). In the third £2.30 I only managed a min-cash, my As8s failing to improve on a flop of 5c6s2s against K2o. The hand was essentially a flip; any A, 8 or spade wins it for me. I had 52% equity when the chips went in, so no regrets at all.
After a break I returned to play in the evening Mini Bounty Hunter. I lasted 5 hands. With KJs on the SB I check-raised to 300 on a 45J rainbow flop, a player with 56 decided his hand was good enough to come along for the ride, I'm sure you can guess the rest. To be honest I was quite happy to bust early and didn’t bother re-entering. My daily 1-30am starts do not mix well with evening poker; I was feeling too tired to concentrate and probably shouldn’t have entered this tournament in the first place.
September poker points 21
6820591 2-Sep-12 00:51 NL Holdem £3328/335-£3.306820774 1-Sep-12 19:25 NL Holdem £25/47£3.626821537 1-Sep-12 17:01 NL Holdem (Sat) £3.304/14-£3.606819819 1-Sep-12 16:30 NL Holdem £22/29£8.956816891 1-Sep-12 14:43 NL Holdem £0195/195£06818999 1-Sep-12 14:22 NL Holdem £223/33-£2.306820759 1-Sep-12 14:07 NL Holdem £22/13£12.80
What more can I do? A bingo player makes one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen to defeat me heads-up and win a Bounty Hunter tournament. He had 8% equity in the hand when the chips went in.
PlayerActionCardsAmountPotBalanceGaryQQQ Small blind 500.00 500.00 26540.00 Big blind 1000.00 1500.00 29960.00 Your hole cards K A GaryQQQ Raise 1500.00 3000.00 25040.00 Call 1000.00 4000.00 28960.00 Flop 9 2 K Check GaryQQQ Bet 2000.00 6000.00 23040.00 Call 2000.00 8000.00 26960.00 Turn 4 Check GaryQQQ All-in 23040.00 31040.00 0.00 All-in 26960.00 58000.00 0.00 Unmatched bet 3920.00 54080.00 3920.00 GaryQQQ Show K A Show 4 5 River 5 Win Two Pairs, 5s and 4s 54080.00 58000.00
good to see you moving forwards again m8.
yes it's unbelievable/laughable how light some people will call you down isn't it?
i think the thing is they actually win with these hands so i guess they must think it's good play.
anyway,that aside ,well done m8,keep it going
dev
Closing balance £812.32
(up £26.00 today)
Due to family commitments I didn’t have much time for poker today. In the afternoon I played a few micro games, roughly breaking even.
Highlight of the day poker-wise was participating in the inaugural ‘Top of the Posts’ STT. The 9-00pm start was awkward for me, but I feel honoured to have been chosen so I made an exception and stayed up late for the game (and let’s face it, who’d skip a freeroll with a guaranteed prize of £10+?).
It was a fun fast-structured game, played in good spirit with a friendly rail. The hand that determined my finishing position came when I open-shoved KJs from the button during 3-handed play when all stacks were shallow. The big-blind made the call with 76o, this was the first all-in and call hand I’d been involved in, a hold would have seen me go heads-up for the £50 first prize; the flop came down 589 lol. Still, I’m pretty used to that sort of thing nowadays, it’s the nature of the game, I’m very grateful to receive £25 in a freeroll and breach the £800 barrier to record a new highest balance.
September poker points 27
6812739 2-Sep-12 21:44 NL Holdem £03/6£256828020 2-Sep-12 19:21 NL Holdem £11/2£0.956822644 2-Sep-12 18:29 NL Holdem £0176/368£06824776 2-Sep-12 17:03 NL Holdem £29/15-£2.306827038 2-Sep-12 15:44 NL Holdem £11/6£3.406827016 2-Sep-12 15:12 NL Holdem £12/2-£1.05
well done on getting into the £800 m8.
looks as though i've got some serious catching up to do when i get back playing again,tomorrow.
keep it going buddy,not that far to go now.
dev
Closing balance £805.00
(down £7.32 today)
A busy day left very little time for poker, yet it was long enough for me to give a fine demonstration of what I do best; get my chips in good only see comedy run-outs sn_atch defeat from the jaws of victory.
My first HU game set the tone when my ATs was no good against A6s aipf for all the chips.
Fun run-outs in my first Bounty Hunter included A6<KJ with A2K6 on the board, my JJ doubling an opponent holding 23o on a 963 flop, then a bust with A8<KQ aipf (I made top pair on a safe looking flop, turn T, river J).
My second Bounty Game (£5.75) started in promising fashion with a level 1 double and head-prize. I was going well and enjoying the game until level 5 when an uber- crazy bingo maniac joined my table. I thought I had him ‘hook line and sinker’ when my QJ saw a QJ5 flop and he bet/called shove with K5. The pot was 10.9K with blinds at 100/50, average stack 4K. Considering many similar experiences over the last week or so it was absolutely no surprise to me when he hit another 5 on the river to bust me.
That was enough, I was too disgusted to continue playing. It’s incredible how badly I’m running in all-in situations at the moment, I find it truly bewildering how I continue to get outdrawn again, and again, and again.
September poker points 41
6829719 3-Sep-12 18:17 NL Holdem £532/64-£3.876829235 3-Sep-12 17:32 NL Holdem £213/26-£2.306831021 3-Sep-12 15:07 NL Holdem £11/2£0.956830461 3-Sep-12 11:42 NL Holdem £12/2-£1.056830401 3-Sep-12 11:31 NL Holdem £12/2-£1.05
Once again an opponents atrocious call busts me from an MTT. This player went on to win the tournament with 14 head-prizes and bank over £100;
PlayerActionCardsAmountPotBalanceshakeitup Small blind 40.00 40.00 480.00 p Big blind 80.00 120.00 6786.25 Your hole cards J Q anwario12 Fold emma03 Fold GaryQQQ Call 80.00 200.00 5355.00 shakeitup Fold p Raise 240.00 440.00 6546.25 GaryQQQ Call 240.00 680.00 5115.00 Flop Q J 5 p Bet 510.00 1190.00 6036.25 GaryQQQ All-in 5115.00 6305.00 0.00 p Call 4605.00 10910.00 1431.25 p Show 5 K GaryQQQ Show J Q Turn 3 River 5 p Win Three 5s 10910.00 12341.25
Closing balance £820.71
(up £15.71 today)
Any hopes that a new day might see my luck reset were quickly dashed when I bought into a couple of quick HU matches before leaving for work. I lost both due to a series of bad-beats. In the second game my opponent came back from having his last 60 chips all-in and behind with only one card to come. He then won a series of aipf pots including his 73o beating my pocket KK. Poker was a dirty word as I went out of the door.
By the time I returned home I’d cooled down and bought into the 11-30am Bounty Hunter. I enjoyed a flying start with my AKs>AKo for an early double followed by my pocket 99 flopping a set to crack KK and earn me a head-prize. Unfortunately it was short-lived, a series of coolers and a few bad decisions by me cost me my stack over the next few levels.
Ridiculous run-outs came back to haunt me again in a £3.30 Scary MTT; my exit came when I jammed over a limper with KQ, he called with QT. It looked promising when I flopped a king, however the two clubs dealt on the turn and river gave my opponent the dreaded runner-runner flush and I was out.
The second £5.75 BH ended with my AQ<AK aipf, SB v button, 20BB effective stacks. I’d seen the same guy call a deeper 3-bet shove earlier in the game with A3s, so I I’m happy with my play.
In a £2.30 Bounty Hunter I was going great in 3rd/6 at the final table when the next cruel beat wrecked my chances. I opened pocket 55, found 3 callers and flopped my set. Two of the callers folded to my c-bet, the other came along for the ride. He decided to donk-shove into me on the turn holding two overcards to the board and a nut-flush draw. Fading flush draws isn’t something I do very well at the moment; he managed to hit one of his 8 live flush outs on the river. A hold would have given me his head and a substantial chiplead, as it was I was left with 10BB. Three hands later I open-shoved AK and lost the race against TT to bust in sixth.
My third £5.75 started badly when a level 3 AK<TT aipf flip put me in deep trouble. However I managed to fight my way back, starting with a crucial JJ<ATs aipf hold for my tournament life. From there my stack grew steadily and I took 3 head-prizes in the mid-stages, one of them very fortunately when I KO’d a shortie with my K5>AK aipf blind vs blind.
As the bubble approached I found myself at a tricky table facing some skilled opponents, all of us holding at least 50% more chips than the tournament average. Fortunately just as my stack was beginning to dwindle due to a drought of cards a key race went my way; my 66>AK aipf to take my fourth bounty and put me back in contention. On the final table bubble I was back in trouble; I jammed KQs from the SB over a serial limper on the button, he called with ace-rag and I failed to improve. That left me 7th/7 and sitting on only 6.5BB. I made it to final table due to another player busting before me, then a double with AQ>66 pulled me back from the brink and gave me hope.
After the double with pocket 66 a series of uncalled shoves and a pot won with T4o when an opponent kindly limped into my big blind brought me back into contention. A further boost came when I busted the sixth place finisher who’d just lost a race and shoved his last 3BB into my big blind, one of those easy ‘call with any two cards’ spots with nobody else in the pot. I then busted the fifth place finisher in similar fashion. After 150 minutes of play I was 2nd/4, though a fair way behind the chipleader. Unfortunately I then went out to a harsh cooler; I jammed AK over the ace-rag serial limper mentioned earlier. He folded, but unfortunately the chipleader on the big-blind was sitting on AA. It was very cruel timing for me, AK is always going-in there, it is very difficult indeed to run AK into AA at any 4-handed table.
So my count of £5.75 BH final tables during this quest has now reached 31 and I’m still waiting for the first win. Trying to look on the bright side; at least this game saved my day and edged me up to a new highest balance. Also I won a few big races to get to that final table, something that hasn’t happened much lately.
I feel I’m still running a long way to the wrong side of variance, I have been since my recent 4 day break. However, I must remind myself that long term results count far more than those over the short term. I’m around £770 in profit so far over the course of this quest, possibly something the majority of recreational players could only dream of, so really I have nothing to complain about at all. A lot of my opponents have made bad plays over the last few days and got very lucky on the run-out. I wish them the best, all I can do is stay happy knowing that as long as I continue to play well I’m certain to beat these guys in the long run.
September poker points 78
6833917 4-Sep-12 17:25 NL Holdem £54/65£28.886833235 4-Sep-12 16:22 NL Holdem £26/17-£0.806832969 4-Sep-12 15:54 NL Holdem £540/68-£5.756830634 4-Sep-12 14:43 NL Holdem £047/215£06835405 4-Sep-12 14:04 NL Holdem £12/2-£1.056832186 4-Sep-12 13:54 NL Holdem £525/58-£3.876834214 4-Sep-12 13:40 NL Holdem £310/10-£3.306835117 4-Sep-12 12:37 NL Holdem £51/2£4.756835121 4-Sep-12 12:27 NL Holdem £12/2-£1.056834169 4-Sep-12 02:27 NL Holdem £12/2-£1.056834124 4-Sep-12 02:14 NL Holdem £12/2-£1.05
keep going m8,
i'm back after an enforced 3 days off,so lets get grinding
gl biddy
dev
Closing balance £805.89
(down £14.82 today)
No joy for me in MTTs today, won a little back in HU games.
First game was the 9-45 BH. After a promising start a cooler against the only other big stack at my table led to an early exit. I re-raised over an all-in short-stack with AK, the villain in the hand flat called my raise with pocket 88; the K83r rainbow flop condemned me. The pot in the middle was worth the chiplead and a head-prize, I was unable to find a fold.
In the 10-45 BH I found myself seated at a wild bingo-style table. Early gambling led to several eliminations and left two very loose players with very big stacks. They were both involved in every pot and didn’t like folding, however I didn’t pick up strong enough hole-cards or connect with any flops well enough to profit from their style of play. I kept my head above water for 75 minutes but busted the first time I was all-in and called, my AQs losing to JJ aipf.
A £2.30 BH ended with another cooler; my 5 running into 9T with 4678r on the board. I then tried my luck in a £3 freezeout but couldn’t get anything going, I went out in 19th/48 when losing a flip with K8<77 aipf.
In my second £2.30 BH I went out in comedy fashion with KK<TT aipf. I turned a set, my opponent rivered a straight lol. ‘The hand of doom’ strikes again.
There was more hilarity in the third £2.30; I was going great until I watched my AJ get donked by QJ following an AA2 flop (turn K, river T). That left me short and looking to double or bust. With the player on the big-blind sitting out I opted to open-jam J9s from the button with 19BB behind. The same player who’d donked me with the QJ made a loose call with 89o. It’s a call I want, but it didn’t work out today; he binked an 8 on the turn to bust me.
A £1 rebuy was next. With ten minutes of the re-buy period to go I was in the top 3 from over 50 starters with more than double the tournament average, then my stack was quickly decimated by a terrible run of cards. Firstly the curse of pocket KK struck again; I managed to get it all-in against TJ on a T73 flop for a 150BB pot, a ten hit on the river of course. A few hands later I failed to dodge a gutshot chaser with KT who got there on the river to beat my KQ on a 3QA flop. Then my set of 8s lost to QJ that rivered a straight. My big stack was gone and I was beginning to wonder if I was unknowingly appearing on an episode of ‘You’ve been Rivered’. I tried a final roll of the dice with a double re-buy and add-on. It was to no avail, my exit eventually coming with AQ<KK aipf, button vs SB.
Between tournaments I played a few HU matches and a 15-minute timed game, I finished a little ahead from these to offset some of the MTT loses.
The deck was very unkind to me in MTTs today, despite that can honestly say I enjoyed the games and was laughing out loud through the comical beats. I know I played well, that’s far more important than the results as far as I’m concerned.
September poker points 104
6835804 5-Sep-12 18:19 NL Holdem £0236/243£06838832 5-Sep-12 18:08 NL Holdem £122/60-£1.106840165 5-Sep-12 16:29 NL Holdem £31/2£2.856837609 5-Sep-12 16:24 NL Holdem £213/30-£1.556837444 5-Sep-12 16:19 NL Holdem £230/34-£2.306840049 5-Sep-12 15:58 NL Holdem £11/2£0.956838581 5-Sep-12 15:26 NL Holdem £319/48-£3.306836922 5-Sep-12 14:23 NL Holdem £216/26-£2.306837099 5-Sep-12 13:27 NL Holdem £323/73-£3.306839546 5-Sep-12 13:04 NL Holdem £11/2£0.956839540 5-Sep-12 12:56 NL Holdem £11/2£0.956839418 5-Sep-12 12:54 NL Holdem £12/2-£1.056836737 5-Sep-12 12:42 NL Holdem £366/88-£2.176836053 5-Sep-12 12:26 NL Holdem £211/60£26839302 5-Sep-12 12:13 NL Holdem £12/2-£1.05
‘The hand of Doom’ strikes again. I picked up pocket KK twice today (not for the squeamish);
PlayerActionCardsAmountPotBalancePapahaveit Sit out h Small blind 15.00 15.00 1460.00 Steady93 Big blind 30.00 45.00 5570.00 Your hole cards K K bowlsrus20 Fold GaryQQQ Raise 90.00 135.00 1260.00 GADGETBOY1 Fold h All-in 1460.00 1595.00 0.00 Steady93 Fold GaryQQQ All-in 1260.00 2855.00 0.00 h Unmatched bet 125.00 2730.00 125.00 h Show 10 10 GaryQQQ Show K K Flop Q 9 A Turn K River J h Win Straight to the Ace 2730.00 2855.00
PlayerActionCardsAmountPotBalancebSmall blind 40.00 40.00 3660.00 jhotone Big blind 80.00 120.00 3220.00 Your hole cards K K eddlaney1 Fold GaryQQQ Raise 240.00 360.00 9500.00 foxy666603 Fold scojabar Fold b Call 200.00 560.00 3460.00 jhotone Fold Flop 10 3 7 b Bet 560.00 1120.00 2900.00 GaryQQQ All-in 9500.00 10620.00 0.00 bAll-in 2900.00 13520.00 0.00 GaryQQQ Unmatched bet 6040.00 7480.00 6040.00 bShow 10 J GaryQQQ Show K K Turn 5 River 10 bWin Three 10s 7480.00 7480.00
Closing balance £805.99
(up 10p today)
First up today was the 10-45 BH which I late registered. I had a bad start after losing a pot with 99<KK, then had to fold my flopped nut-flush to a river shove after the board had cruelly double-paired on the turn and river. I went into ‘short stack ninja’ mode and just about kept my head above water for over half an hour, even managing to bust two stacks that had fallen even shorter than mine. My demise eventually came when I saw an AQQ flop with A6, I was too short to fold and couldn’t manage a chop with A9 due to low cards falling on the turn and river.
Meanwhile the 11-30 BH had also fired-up. I spent the first 40 minutes card dead and missing flops before managing a double-up with AQs>J8s aipf. I got my stack in as favourite again a couple of orbits later against the same guy, hoping to bring myself into contention with the bubble not too far away. I squeeze-shoved pocket 77 over my opponents limp, he made the call with A6, I successfully faded the ace………..but I didn’t fade his quad sixes!
Those were the only two MTTs I entered today. I also played a few HU STTs, I ran well in those to finish level on the day, including winning a couple of game deciding all-ins as an underdog.
I'll probably be taking a day off poker tomorrow (Friday), I'm then intending to get some good volume in over a 5 day period from Saturday onwards.
September poker points 128
6845029 6-Sep-12 19:19 NL Holdem £21/2£1.906840925 6-Sep-12 14:07 NL Holdem £516/51-£5.756841330 6-Sep-12 13:50 NL Holdem £324/85-£0.506843642 6-Sep-12 13:16 NL Holdem £51/2£4.756843459 6-Sep-12 13:08 NL Holdem £32/2-£3.156843596 6-Sep-12 12:49 NL Holdem £21/2£1.906842764 6-Sep-12 02:42 NL Holdem £11/2£0.95
i think that's the saying.
(* *)
^
dev
Closing balance £804.65
(down £1.34 today)
After getting home from work earlier than expected I decided I did have time for some poker today after all.
First off I late registered the 10-45 BH. I had a good start and increased my stack by 50% within 10 minutes, but three unfortunate hands in the space of just one orbit led to a rapid exit. Firstly my set of 9s lost a big pot to KJo which made a running jack-high straight on the river, then my pocket JJ was outdrawn by A9, finally I ran KQ into 55 on a KQ5 flop. All three hands were played against the same player, must be nice.
I also tried my luck in the 11-30 BH. For the first hour I was going nowhere fast, hovering around the starting stack. Things looked up when I busted a shortie and moved close to average during level 7. Then I thought a beat had wrecked my chances; I jammed AK over a limper who called for his stack with KJ and got there. However, I more than doubled in the very next hand with AA>AT, then busted another player by winning an 88>AT flip to complete a quick recovery, by now slightly above average with 19 of the 56 entrants left.
Just when things were starting to look promising I took a big knock. I flatted a min-raise and call with KQs on the big blind. The K82 flop initially looked good for me, but I ended up losing nearly 40% of my stack to the chipleader who was holding J9 (turn J, river J).
Soon after that I busted in a standard late-stages tournament flip; my AKs against pocket TT. Our stacks were almost exactly level and the pot was worth third place in chips with 13 remaining. I was fist-pumping when an ace was dealt on the flop, when a ten was dealt on the river the laptop nearly went through the window. That was it for poker today, as planned I went out for the rest of the afternoon.
Will I ever run well in the late stages of a £5.75 Bounty Hunter? I'm still patiently waiting, it hasn’t happened yet in any of my 133 attempts during this quest.
My August C4P bonus of £5.00 was credited today.
September poker points 140
(results to follow)
keep going - cmon Gary not far now !
as rancid says 'not far now'
'don't forget there's a pint resting on this m8'
gl buddy.
(* *)
^
dev
Closing balance £917.65
(up £113.00 today)
After a terrible afternoon of poker an unexpected run to the final of the Mini Bounty Hunter was by far the highlight of the day. A couple of key hands during my run spring to mind; on the bubble my pocket KK held up all-in on the flop against a very strong combo-draw and overcard to see me into the money comfortably. Then on the final table bubble I open jammed 67s from the button with only 11BB behind, the big stack on the big blind tanked before calling, my cards made a straight to beat his KJo for a crucial double.
It feel likes I played a blinder and I don’t recall any mistakes, despite that I was destined to finish as runner-up. During heads-up play I had AhKh v KdJd all-in pre-flop for the win. Had my 71/29 held-up I’d have won the tournament and this quest would be almost complete. As it was my opponent flopped a flush. Nevermind; I ran well to get in that position, it’s a call I want and I’m very happy to take second place and make a major leap towards my target. The final hand was a standard flip, A8<77 aipf.
My only other chance of a score came in an afternoon £5.75 Bounty Hunter. An untimely suck-out cost me a head-prize and a pot worth second place in the late stages; my AQ losing to A9 aipf to go from 4/12 to 12/12 with 10 to be paid. I recovered to 9/11 courtesy of a series of uncalled shoves. However a chain of unlikely events led to me busting on the stone-cold bubble.
September poker points 169
6851217 9-Sep-12 00:32 NL Holdem £32/296£126.846851783 9-Sep-12 00:04 NL Holdem £2223/314-£2.306851694 8-Sep-12 22:26 NL Holdem £244/156-£2.306851515 8-Sep-12 18:54 NL Holdem £511/86-£3.296853518 8-Sep-12 18:31 NL Holdem £31/2£2.856851978 8-Sep-12 16:22 NL Holdem (Sat) £1.4412/28-£1.606850503 8-Sep-12 16:22 NL Holdem £216/32-£2.306851977 8-Sep-12 15:53 NL Holdem (Sat) £1.4421/32-£1.606845188 7-Sep-12 14:05 NL Holdem £514/56-£1.996845626 7-Sep-12 13:20 NL Holdem £350/75-£3.306847808 7-Sep-12 11:35 NL Holdem £12/2-£1.05
So near yet so far. If I win this pot I win the Mini Bounty Hunter;
PlayerActionCardsAmountPotBalancewelp Small blind 6000.00 6000.00 285929.91 GaryQQQ Big blind 12000.00 18000.00 486070.09 Your hole cards A K welp Raise 30000.00 48000.00 255929.91 GaryQQQ All-in 486070.09 534070.09 0.00 welp All-in 255929.91 790000.00 0.00 GaryQQQ Unmatched bet 206140.18 583859.82 206140.18 welp Show J K GaryQQQ Show A K Flop 3 4 8 Turn 7 River 3 welp Win Flush to the King 583859.82 583859.82
just a shame that your AK didn't hold up m8.
wow...it must have been so exciting for you.
nearly there now,this really is going 2b a close finish between us now. lol
looking forward to meeting up with you for that well earned pint....
whoever has to 'get 'em in' lol
keep going buddy
best of luck.
dev
A few further thoughts about my runner-up finish in the Mini;
I'm very happy with the way I played throughout the tournament, particularly at the final table which I entered as 6th/6 with only 10BB. My first 5 shoves there went uncalled, by then I'd lost all respect and it paid off; my 6th shove was called by J8s, my AK held-up to move me up to 3rd/6.
From there I ran over the table and busted 2 opponents on the way to heads-up play, it was exciting stuff and I was loving it. Losing the AK v KJ 70/30 quickly followed by a 48/52 flip was disappointing, though to be fair I'd won a series of 70/30s and a 40/60 in the late stages, sooner or later one wasn't going to go my way. Sure, one more hold and the victory would have been nice, but it wasn't to be this time. Overall I'm very happy with my second place finish, it's the best win of this challenge (narrowly beating an £11 Bounty Hunter win on day 159) and has given me a valuable confidence boost as the finishing line starts to feel fairly close for the first time.
nearly at your target )
N1 gary great result, great to see you almost there
Cheers guys.
What's next? I'm not thinking too much about that yet, just gonna focus on the job in hand until I've seen it through.
Saying that, I must admit I have an idea brewing that's based upon a few suggestions that have been made to me by PM and via this thread. I'm going to keep it under my hat for now, once this quest is completed I'll run the idea past a few people, if the feedback is good and I think it's worth the effort I'll proceed.
dev