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maybe i'll see you on the 60p dym's
Closing Balances; Cash £0.63, Poker Points 890
Up 63p today
‘Great oaks from little acorns grow’ (Maxally, 2013)
Well, I have my 63p acorn. Will it grow into a £1,000 great oak? Time will tell.
My first cash prize of this challenge came today courtesy of a 25th place finish from 401 entrants in the £100 gtd. Omaha Freeroll today. This tournament represents great value for me at the moment at a cost of only 10 Poker Points. I negotiated my way to the cash prizes by keeping it tight and aggressive, getting paid several times by weak players when I made good hands. The presence of many players sitting out also helped.
As the money bubble approached I did something that I'm not used to; I folded into the money. It felt dirty, but I had to do it this time due to my situation. Under normal circumstances when I’m playing an MTT while properly rolled I’m always going for the win. I usually hold no fear of busting on bubbles and consider them an opportunity to ramp-up the aggression and pick up some extra chips. But today was different. While around 48th/72 with 52 places to be paid, and with all stacks growing shallow I made the decision to fold and stall into the money, knowing that if I didn't play another hand I'd all but guarantee myself a 50p min-cash.
One hand in particular (see below) was very painful to fold when just 3 eliminations from the money. I picked up KKQ2 on the SB facing a raise from a big stack who was doing a great ‘bubble bully’ job by opening every single pot. I had to choose whether to play for my stack pre-flop or fold. Because pre-flop equities are always so close in Omaha I opted to fold and take the morale boosting min-cash. Once in the money I went for it and open-jammed my first hand, chopping with one of my two callers. Soon after a double with AA22 gave me hope of a deep run, but I eventually went out in an aipf flip situation.
I decided to give the NLHE Freerolls a miss today due to the larger weekend fields. Unlike tournaments with an entry fee equity drops as the field grows bigger in a freeroll. For example if a £50 Freeroll attracts 250 entrants each player has 20p equity on average, if 500 players enter that equity drops to 10p.
For now I'll be sticking to the Freerolls trying to add to the 63p. Tomorrow afternoon I'll be back for another crack at the Omaha tournie.
Nitty folds on the bubble ftw when you have no money;
PlayerActionCardsAmountPotBalanceGaryQQQ Small blind 800.00 800.00 6988.75 Whizzewky Big blind 1600.00 2400.00 13110.00 Your hole cards K Q 2 K gf97 Fold DE_NATURAL Raise 4800.00 7200.00 126400.00 Deja_Vu Fold GaryQQQ Fold Whizzewky Call 3200.00 10400.00 9910.00 Flop 4 2 J Whizzewky All-in 9910.00 20310.00 0.00 DE_NATURAL Call 9910.00 30220.00 116490.00 Whizzewky Show J J 9 8 DE_NATURAL Show 9 7 J 6 Turn 9 River 9 Whizzewky Win Full House, Jacks and 9s 30220.00 30220.00
Keep it going m8....all behind you!
Closing Balances; Cash £1.13, Poker Points 880
Up 50p today
The 2-00pm £100 Omaha freeroll was my only game today, I was very happy to bink a 50p min-cash for my 10 Poker Points.
I was going pretty well through the early stages, accumulating chips by seeing plenty of cheap flops, then keeping it very tight/aggressive post-flop. After a late set-back when my top-two pairs, straight draw and nut-flush draw couldn’t improve against a flopped set I shut-up-shop again and folded my way into a min-cash. As soon the bubble had passed I gambled my short stack unsuccessfully.
Despite getting there twice in two days making a min-cash in the Omaha tournament isn’t quite as easy as it may appear. For example today we had 472 players chasing 52 spots, so 89% of the field would leave with nothing. Probably around 100 of the entrants were sitting out, but the 78 rebuys and 28 double starting stack add-ons (combined total 134 starting stacks) more than counter-balance those away players. Obviously it would be foolish for me to spend 50p of my tiny balance on an add-on when a min-cash itself is only 50p. I just have to do my best to outwit my fellow players who have the opportunity to buy those precious extra chips at a crucial stage of the tournament.
How much are you going to win on the frerolls before you start playing with the winnings? Are you going to use up all your points first?
Keep it up
I'm undecided when I'll use the cash. Not for a while yet, I'm gonna see how it goes. I certainly need a lot more than £1.13 before I'll want to risk buying into anything.
I would say this but I think the best way to go forward is to try £1.10 HU SnGs as soon as possible (obviously not Hypers lol). DYMs rake is too high at low levels imo, makes eeking out small profits VERY hard going.
Good luck!
O and can you hurry up plz
almost enough for 1/2 a lager already!!! lol
seriously mate,i'm sure you can and will do this challenge.you know this is the hard bit and once you've got £40/£50 to play with the rest 'll be a piece of cake.
best wishes
dev
Closing Balances; Cash £1.13, Poker Points 830
No change today
Today I entered two 25 Poker Point freerolls, though without any success.
In both tourneys I got myself into great positions only to find the cards weren’t falling my way when it really mattered. This diary won’t become a bad beat bore, so I’m not going to reel off the tedious hard-luck stories. Suffice to say that in both of today’s games I found myself outdrawn after getting my stack in well ahead at a crucial stage.
No worries, it’s the nature of fast structured tournament poker. I’ll be back for another crack at the same games tomorrow.
Also keeping this at the top
I'd love to play in the 1-00am game, unfortunately it clashes with my work hours so I won't be competing in that one.
Closing Balances; £1.13 Poker Points 780
(no change today)
In the 12-30pm Freeroll I managed to go out in the very first hand. I flopped the nuts (45 in my hand, A23 on the flop), got my stack in, busted to a 9-high flush draw. Such is the nature of freerolls, with no money invested many of the entrants are happy to gamble for their stack with a weak draw right from the off.
There was a much better start in the 4-00pm. I got my stack in 3-ways with a flopped combo draw (open-end straight draw and flush draw) and hit for the treble-up. However I’m still waiting for things to go my way in the post add-on shallow stack stage. My chances were wrecked by KQ<QJ aipf shortly after losing half of my stack in button v BB AQ<AK cooler.
Just as a note of interest, the 4-00pm Freeroll was mainly funded by the entrants today. The 79 rebuys and add-ons contributed £39.50 to the £50 prizepool.
Ouch! Not running well in the late stages at the moment;
PlayerActionCardsAmountPotBalanceQPR21 Small blind 300.00 300.00 11995.00 POKERKILLE Big blind 600.00 900.00 3845.00 stacei Sit out Your hole cards K Q gibson32 Fold Rod16 Call 600.00 1500.00 20010.00 GaryQQQ All-in 5927.50 7427.50 0.00 QPR21 Fold POKERKILLE All-in 3845.00 11272.50 0.00 Rod16 Fold GaryQQQ Unmatched bet 1482.50 9790.00 1482.50 POKERKILLE Show Q J GaryQQQ Show K Q Flop A 10 K Turn 8 River 8 POKERKILLE Win Straight to the Ace 9790.00 9790.00
Closing Balances; Cash £1.13, Poker Points 730
No change today
No Joy again from two Freerolls.
In the 12-30pm I got lucky with a mid-stages JJ>QQ aipf suckout, though soon after that it was curtains for me when I iso-shoved pocket 88 over a limp and an 8BB shove. The UTG limper opted to call the two shoves for his stack with KTo. It’s not the best call I’ve ever seen, but it worked out well for him this time and he scooped the pot. I was left with 1/3 of a BB and went out in the next hand.
In the 4-00pm I made it to the sharp end again but managed to push my pocket 88 into KK in the blinds with the average stack at 11BB.
I’ve now used a quarter of my poker points without cashing in a NLHE tourney. Hopefully some run-good will be coming my in the near future, the clock is ticking.
Closing Balances; Cash £1.13, Poker Points 680
No change today
Two freeroll blanks again.
In the 12-30pm a promising start was cancelled out when I lost a standard AK<JJ aipf flip. After that my options were limited by a big stack to my direct right opening every single pot to 5BB. When I’d blinded down to 15BB, and with a level jump moments away that would reduce my stack to 10BB, I opted to 3-bet shove KTs from the button over one of his opens. It was the strongest hand I’d seen since the earlier AK and ahead of his 5BB open range (any two cards). My opponent snap-called with A3, I didn’t improve and was out.
I was drawn on a wild starting table in the 4-00pm, chips were flying around from the start. I sat tight until full doubles with KK then JJ put me in the top three. Unfortunately that proved to be my peak. Things started to go downhill when my raise to 7BB with QQ over 3 limpers was flatted. Without a read I had to fold my pair to a check/shove on an ace-high flop. I may have been bluffed; I saw the same villain bust a couple of levels later while making exactly the same play with air.
As the blinds escalated and we entered the shallow sacked stage of the tournament I kept it very tight when it seemed most of those at my table were playing 50%+ of hands. My stack drifted down towards average until my top pair/top kicker managed to hold against a flush draw for a tasty pot and a top 20 position with 100 left. A level later a stroke of luck maintained my position with 70 left. My A6s on the BB with 18BB behind was an easy call when a 4BB shortie shoved. I hit a 3-outer to outdraw his AK.
Unfortunately it was all to no avail. With 38 players left and 34 to be paid my pocket TT was an easy push from UTG at a 5-handed table. I got a call I wanted, however my 82/18 didn’t hold-up and I was out. If I continue to run this badly in the late stages of the freerolls while my points ebb away this challenge is going to be very difficult.
Noooooo! My exit hand on the bubble of the 4-00pm;
PlayerActionCardsAmountPotBalancemoses01 Small blind 1000.00 1000.00 20615.00 scary2010 Big blind 2000.00 3000.00 6850.00 Your hole cards 10 10 GaryQQQ All-in 15101.25 18101.25 0.00 Serge77 Fold scouse_red Fold moses01 All-in 20615.00 38716.25 0.00 scary2010 Fold moses01 Unmatched bet 6513.75 32202.50 6513.75 moses01 Show 9 9 GaryQQQ Show 10 10 Flop 9 J 8 Turn 4 River J moses01 Win Full House, 9s and Jacks 32202.50 38716.25
keep gettin it in good mate
any ideas how long you think this ones going to take?
gl
(* *)
^
ian
Closing Balances; Cash £2.28, Poker Points 655
Up £1.15 today
At last! At the thirteenth attempt I won a small prize in a NLHE Freeroll!
It was only £1.15, but that was enough to double my cash balance.
My run came in the 12-30pm tournament. I enjoyed a great start; up to 3x starting stack by level 3. From there it was a rollercoaster ride. I took a big hit in the mid-stages when my pocket 99 lost to J7o aipf for a crucial 40BB pot. Despite that I survived until the steeply increasing blinds put play into push/fold territory. The luck went my way close to the bubble when my 9BB squeeze-shove with AJ on the SB doubled off an UTG limp-caller trapping with AK.
With 12 players left and the average stack at only 10BB I found myself down to last place with 1BB after running A9 into 99. An immediate treble-up with A3s gave me hope, but I went out somewhat harshly a few hands later when my pocket TT was rivered by the chip-leaders K9o in a 3-way aipf pot that could have seen my stack back up to average with 9 left.
Under most circumstances I’d consider a £1.15 Freeroll return trivial, but I can assure you that when your balance is tiny and your poker points are being eaten up quickly it feels huge. Over the weekend I intend to restrict myself to the 10 point Omaha games to conserve points, I'll pass on the NLHE tournies with big fields and smaller prizes.
Closing Balances; Cash £2.28, Poker Points 645
No change today
No joy in the Omaha freeroll today. I went out with flopped top set in a 3-way pot that was worth the chip lead. The tournament was already at the point where I could have folded my way to a 50p min-cash, but I prefer to play for a bigger prize.
I freely admit that I’m an Omaha novice. If anybody reading this knows the game reasonably well can you please comment on my decision to get it in here. I know my top set is the third nuts to AQ and Q9 and is probably facing all sorts of draws , but as I see it I have so many outs (any 7,T,J,K or A, or running pair) to the nut-full house that I absolutely have to get my stack in here.
PlayerActionCardsAmountPotBalance1234871 Small blind 300.00 300.00 30.00 GaryQQQ Big blind 600.00 900.00 13765.00 Your hole cards K K A 7 robin1979 Raise 2100.00 3000.00 39133.12 jod67 Call 2100.00 5100.00 42905.00 goldenpaul Fold leegreen11 Fold 1234871 Fold GaryQQQ Call 1500.00 6600.00 12265.00 Flop J K 10 GaryQQQ Check robin1979 Check jod67 Bet 6600.00 13200.00 36305.00 GaryQQQ All-in 12265.00 25465.00 0.00 robin1979 All-in 39133.12 64598.12 0.00 jod67 All-in 36305.00 100903.12 0.00 jod67 Unmatched bet 3771.88 97131.24 3771.88 GaryQQQ Show K K A 7 robin1979 Show 9 Q 3 9 jod67 Show Q A J 2 Turn 9 River 4 jod67 Win Straight to the Ace 97131.24 100903.12