Back to Basics

I'm so irritated with myself. I keep consistently getting out of my system and trying to play or overplay hands that I know I shouldn't. What's worse, is I'm doing it over and over after having a pep talk with myself about how I'm not going to do that and I'm going to stick to my game plan. Of course, I get a couple of wins with lower cards where I should be calling and I'm playing my game plan and it suddenly goes to my head and I think that I make that 3/5 off suit work from the small blind, flop a pair and then over bet it and get caught with my pants down.

Poker can be a lot of fun, but when you lose, the fun goes out the window. To win, you have to be patient and suffer through some boring times, and some points in time when you don't want to fold, but definitely should (and if you're going to win, WILL fold). Seems contradictory to me, but I really need to get back to it, which was how I doubled my money at one point in about 5 hours. I have a very small amount to work with right now, but I think I can do it. This will be a good test for my mettle and a good way for me to prove to myself that I can play poker the way I want to play it.

But first, I must go to the bank. No, not to get more money for poker or anything, I have a check to deposit and bills that need to be paid with it. Sheesh, I'm not that stupid!

Apple doesn't learn

As anyone who knows me at all can tell you, I have little love for Apple. However, that said, they do some things very well. UI design, marketing strategies, and being innovative as can be about once every 5-7 years (iPod, aluminum casing for laptops, iPhone, etc.). The iPad is not one of those times however. It's an iPhone with a 10" screen, slightly better specs, and a few small improvements in the core apps. Nothing more. Not to mention the markup is nearly 100% on the baseline version (probably more on the higher end versions) which is just plain theft. But, this post really isn't about the iPad or it's failures.

No, what I'm talking about Apple not learning on is from it's past. In the early 80's, Apple was king of the world. Schools used their computers, so did law enforcement, and basically everyone in between. Then IBM/compatible took over. I would say this is due to choice. People like choices. Apple eventually got smart and conformed to the idea of choice in a small way by using Intel chips (making their computer capable of running windows). Let's not kid ourselves, Apple would sell a lot less units to college students without this ability. So many programs that college students use & need don't run well or at all on Macs. But, since you can use windows on it, you can still do those assignments on a Mac now. Apple now cuts a large slice out of Microsoft's pie in this demographic.

iPhone was an extremely revolutionary idea (much like the iPod was at it's time). There were things that did similar activities with similar functionality, but nobody quite had hit like Apple did. It's flown off shelves through 3 generations, despite being left behind in many departments. Such as multitasking and the depth of Exchange support given. And now, they are going to finally add some of those features (similar to adding landscape keyboards, MMS, and tethering before this). They continually leave things out. Simple slip of the mind, or a strategy to give you something new and fun about the time you're bored of your new toy? Or are they playing catch up? Well, they're doing the last even if they don't want to admit it.

Now, Apple decides to start buying up chip makers. This way they can have the "best technology" for the chips that are put into mobile devices. This is also the same thing as using the PowerPC chips for years in their desktops/laptops. That went well, didn't it?

The #1 challenger for smartphone dominance? Google and it's Android OS, which is the king on choice. Don't like a particular cell phone company like Motorola? Fine, don't buy Motorola, you can get the HTC. Want a new UI? No problem, since companies are making their own UIs for Androids and there are a few on the marketplace. It's all about choice and personal style and flavors.

In the face of this, Apple is tightening up the proprietary shield and hunkering down for a long war. A war it's going to lose, just like it did in the desktop/laptop market for years due to the same thing.

"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." - George Santayana

Sinking fast

I'm trying not to let this game get to me, but after the insanity of the past couple of days, it's tough.

I'm now down to just over $12 in my account. It really seems like poker is just plain out to get me. It's going to be a tough road to climb back up in the bankroll as my limited funds will force me into lower games. Such as 5¢/10¢ games. It's gonna take a bit before I can build any money up to get back into the games I want to be in.

That's assuming this run of bad luck doesn't continue until I'm broke...

When Poker Goes Wrong

I'm ready to punch my monitor at this point. I was in a tournament of 4300 people tonight. I made it to 97th place. When there was 100 people left, I was not far behind the big stack. 3 terrible bad beats in a row put me way down in the chips. I went all in with pocket Qs and lost to a call from a 10/J suited flushing out on me. Still not a bad venture, I made 5 times what the entry fee was by placing inside the top 100.

I was only slightly irritated at that point. I figured I could put it behind me and went to the cash tables. After failing miserably on 3 different tables due to just plain insane run of luck. 3 tables went by at the pass of about 10 hands. In every hand I played, I was ahead at flop, when getting reraised all in and lost all of them (I was only all in 3 times, but 2 players changed their luck via me). So in the span of about 30 minutes, I made $10, subsequently lost it and $40 more (2 tables at $15, one at $20).

I'm not bothering giving an update. I'm depressed even looking at this. I wish I had some other hobby worth putting time into, but I don't and instead will head to bed now. Anyone wanna take bets on if I have dreams about bad beats? Wait, nevermind, I lose either way.

Different world.

It was my first "poker night" since I started this new found love of poker and studying it. We only had 4 players, but I got to see how my tells and new found strategies and tactics played out.

I placed second, but was feared for a lot of the night. I noticed a few good tells and read them right. Won a couple of hands with it. Better yet, I folded correctly at least once due to it, and I'm fairly confident in 2 other good lay downs based on it. Not bad, considering it was less than 2 hours worth of poker. I think I played too conservative overall, but not too far off where I think is a good amount of aggressiveness for tournament play. I need to be more aggressive selectively and "slow play" a little less.

Do I feel the new knowledge, tactics, ideas, and tips have helped my game at an actual poker table? Undoubtedly. But I'm not satisfied with my level of play yet. I'm gonna work on it more and more every time I sit down at a real table.

Epiphany

I'm sitting in a game that's pretty tight. I don't have long to play, so I don't bother switching tables even though tight games are pretty tough to make good profit in. It's a 6 player table, instead of a 9 player table, which I tend to prefer.

So with it being a tight game, I'm being more selective about what cards I throw money into the pot with and especially about what position I'm in when I get said cards. Obviously, with 6 instead of 9 players, blinds are coming at you faster. So that's 2 ways I'm limiting (and possibly eliminating) my profits. Then it dawns on me that there is a 3rd way. With only 6 players, there is only 3 "mid positions". You know, those positions between the big blind & the button. This means 1 true mid, 1 late, and 1 early. Early needs really strong hands to come into the pot, while late needs less strength.

In 9 player, you have 6 "mid positions". This means there is no true mid, 3 early and 3 late. That's more positions where you can play more liberally. You have to couple this with the fact that there ARE more people waiting to act behind you if you're in that first late position, but you are still over halfway through the positions. This means that you have a bigger window of playing medium-power hands. You get a medium power hand as first to act (directly after the big blind), your most profitable decision is to fold it. Position matters. A lot.

With these things in mind, and the better chance of having a weak player at the table to siphon chips from (of course, there is also a better chance of an extremely talented player, but you can adjust strategies for him) a 9 player table is far superior to playing on a 6 player table on average. You can't say always, because you could have 5 weak players at the 6 player table and 8 strong players at the 9 player table. Then your profits will be far greater at the 6 player table.

I think I'm going to avoid 6 player tables I'm not moderately sure of from now on. Good lesson learned on this table today. Even if it did cost me money to learn it.

Started: $50, Low: $39.80, Current: $63.50, Time: 5 hours, Profit -$13.50, PpH: -$2.70

Goals: $4.0/hour on 25¢/50¢ tables.$7.50/hour on 50¢/$1 tables

My Problem so far.

Well, I've now twice hopped on a table, done really well playing my game and just moving the chips slowly into my stack, only to lose them all on a monster hand to a bigger monster (often a kicker). I'm not playing stupid when doing it, but I am still losing them.

Today, 2 aces fall when I'm holding A/7 off suit. I got in by calling on the button (the big blind, who I would play, was prone to somewhat crazy raises and reraises). Flop is rainbow and awesome: 2d, 6s, and Jh. He checks to me, and I having a very powerful hand, check and hope he bets the next round. 8c falls on the turn and he bets $3 to me. I simply call and await the next card. 7d falls and I'm extremely happy. He bets $5. I see no real likelihood he could have me beat here, so I raise it to $10 and he reraises me all in. Now, I've said he was prone to crazy reraises already. I look at the board and think he's probably made a straight or possibly has the last Ace. There are no flush possibilities on the board. I call, risking $22 extra dollars into the pot after my initial $10 bet. He turns over A/8. I'm beat by a single rank on the inside of a full house.

This was approximately 10 minutes ago. I'm still slightly sick. I was over the $100 mark at the time too, marking a doubling of my money. Now I have more work to get back to that point. Sigh.

I'm also rethinking my updates on my game & goals. New format below.

Started: $50, Low: $39.80, Current: $69.20, Time: 4.5 hours, Profit -$19.20, PpH: -$4.25

Goals: $4.0/hour on 25¢/50¢ tables.$7.50/hour on 50¢/$1 tables.