its been a long long time since Ive updated this blog.

I just havent found the time. Work has been quite tough going but I think Im making a differance in the IT world. *cough* ner alert *cough*

Im going through spells of poker where im playing tons for a week then a week of nada. Its all good though and Im enjoying it.

Online, Ive turned my attention to full ring cash games, I play .50/$1 on full tilt. Its been profitable;

things to note over the last while.

two weeks ago, I was 2nd CL in a $15k gtd on betfair down to final three tables and suddenly my Irish BB connection just died for 2 hours. during those two hours while i was frantically trying to reconnect it didnt even occur to me that i should run down to the 24hr internet cafe five minutes away from me on Talbot Street. (altough with the crowd that area seems to attract at midnight maybe i was better off not remembering)

In total im down about $200 for online tournie play.

for online cash games I am up. I set myself a bankroll of $1000 and have doubled it in two months. not exiting for most but Im happy...happy with my play mostly....and happier that im taking more detailed notes on players and using them!

Im currently trying to set up a netteller account in order to wihdraw from sites that dont allow you to withdraw straight to credit card...boy is neteller a pain in the arse at the moment. first they want a fax of id and addres which i did twice....they claim they never recieved them even though i have the transmit report right here to prove that it transffered a-ok twice.
Third time lucky.

i then get an email saying that they recieved the fax and that my account has been activated...so yipee...i try to log in and it says that my account is closed. I ring neteller again who say i tryed to log in from a differant computer from which i registered my account. wasnt the case but it could have been an dynamic IP changing thing. so anyways my account gets opened and i start browsing around.

Now in order to withdraw money from a site such as fulltilt i first need to deposit money into my fulltilt account from neteller so that they have my NT details. so I transfer over 100 from CC to NT and then try a deposit on Fulltilt...which gets declined.

Neteller apparantly needs me to call them as my acocunt is on hold because of securuty precautions after my first ever deposit.

SO I ring up NT and go through the security rigmarole..at the end of which the need to phone me on the number i registered which is my mobile phone.( ehich handly enough ive left at my folks place down in Cork. and wont be able to pick up till the weekend.) so now have to wait till monday to do it all over again...what next this saga holds in storeI eagerly await. I feel a lot more reassured though that there is this much security in place.
I hope registering a bank account isnt going to be this much hassle though.

So now onto live tournies. I have played about 10 in the last 2 months and gotten in the money on three including two deals being done. the monday night 25 rebuy at the SE is my most successful.

I had my first encounter at a table with Chief Brody this past monday....everything the say ab out him is true....he is the drawing king and is so so smug about it...he didnt make the final table though.
I chopped it for 500 each with a good aggressive player....chip stacks were about even and it was 2am. that first live tourney win still aludes me and i was tempted to hang around but with 640 for first and 480 for second and then having to tip the dealers i thought the deal was good enough to offer.

im gonna try harder to keep my blog current with detailed live tourney reports.

Hiatus over

Im back from India after a great 3 week break.

I have taken 4 1/2 weeks off playing poker...amd hopefully the break has done me good.

Ive decided to concentrate more on playing live poker.

Ive only had 5 outings live so far and I have learnt little...its gonna be a long road but sitting in front of a PC just doesnt excite me as much more...the added variables of playing live just make it much more exiting.

I know I have a bad image with a couple of players on the live scene but Im not gonna let that get to me as I did on my last outing to the SE. how else am I going to learn but from experience itself.

you can only improve by being in the company of good players and observing what the do and dont do and how they play the game....books can help you but by playing, making mistakes and ensuring not to repeat them is the best approach.

flushed down the toilet

So my last three MTTS have been a disaster.

On all 3 occassions I flop two pair with two cards of same suit on the flop. On all three occassions I bet enough to push ne1 with a flush draw off. but on all three occassions I get called. and to insult to injury on ALL three occassions. the flush card comes on the river.

hello ppl, was my strong preflop raises not enough for you to fold your 93s,64s, and 72s(of all hands losing to the hammer makes you feel the worst).

Im also going to give up live play for a while, while I get my act together.
my last outing a couple of weeks ago was embarrassing in a DC tourny.

Its funny walking down the stairs at break time of the SE, behind 2 guys (and them not knowing your there) calling you all sorts for only playing high pocket picture cards as they saw me turn over AA and KK. the only other hand i had to show was when i went all in with 87s on an 874 flop and getting called by some1 who flopped a set of 4s

The were also hurling the abuse for me checking down JJ in the hole after calling a preflop raise. and an A high flop coming up with 2 spades. as soon as the hand was over i knew myself of my mistake but why i made it i need to reflect on anyways the other guy turned over TT. i do acknowledge that i was a muppet for that one.

Im now seen as a weak tight player, one guy at the table was calling me "The Rock" all night.
dont think he has forgiven me for calling his all-in with A-9 with K-4s (and hitting my house on the flop) I made a bad read on him I thought he was trying a blind steal with muck. (altough i held muck as well (but my thinking was I might be slight favorite and if i win this hand it puts me pretty even with the 2 CLs)). This was b4 Xmas.

Ive played 5 live events and came 3rd in one and bubbled in another. this has me on a slight loss from live play. but I really do need to sort out my play. Im making too many mistakes.

Time to read Harrington on Holdem so until i can read and understand those books ill leave the coat on the hook at home and not venture out for live play for the time being.

Im off to India on friday week also for 3 weeks. Id love to bring the laptop but the missus wont have any of it :(

my first Live ITM finish

Played the tournie last night. my fourth outing to a live event.and after finishing right on the bubble in a tourney last week I managed a respectible third last night....delighted about it but also dissappointed...felt i could have won it but I think my heads up play has a lot to be desired.

One interesting hand in the early stages of the tournie. I was dealt KK in late position. a player A in early position pushes all in for about 1000.player B to my right calls (and has only 275 left). I call.Flop comes up KQx. Player B checks. I bet 275. ...he Calls. so three way showdown.Player A has AAPlayer B has QQ. And my set of Ks hold up.

Made the final table as one of the shortstacks with about 8,000 and played like a rock for the first twenty minutes...and this hand came up.

A9o in late position. 4 callers into the pot. I tihnk the blinds were 800/1.5K...so im thinking heres value if there ever was. so i smooth call.flop comes up a lucky Ah9hx. checked around to me. I push.

everyone folds and back in the game.

I climb back into my hole for another orbit or so and I get dealt 99 in late position. two all ins before me and the push I felt is automatic as i reckon i was up against Ax and Ax. they turn over Aj and AQ and its just about a coinflip.a jack comes up on the flop but a 9 on the turn bails me out (nice to see the strongest preflop hand holding up) and im in great position for the tournie.

a bit later on I min raise with K4 and a loose player goes all in for 11K more. I honestly felt he was chancing his arm as he did a few times and if i lose then im still in good position. so i call. he turns over A9s flop comes 44K turn K river. doesnt really matter. full house take your pick which one.

I honestly felt bad, online it would almost be a fold for me but lack of experience on my part made me call i think plus the bloody heat.

Hand I went out on. 3 players left Blinds are 2,000, 4,000.Button folds.I have about 40K left. Made the decision early to raise to 10K with K4s flop comes up QxQ. We check down to the river which is a K. I check. He goes All In. im now thinking that he is up to a steal. so i call.he turns over a Q. wp gg. thinking back to it now i should have thought more about it and folded I should have red the slow played Q but I guess I will only get better with experience all in all it was a great tournie and pleased with my cash out of 300.

Hand History Debate

The following is a hand I played in a cash game on AllIn on Tuesday.
It caused a bit of a debate to start between Culchie and RoundTower on boards. Two players who have good experience so I respect both of their opinions.



*************************************
- Washie101 sitting in seat 1 with $51.55
- jdog29 sitting in seat 2 with $10.62 [Sitting out]
- Piiit sitting in seat 3 with $194.91 [Dealer]
- onderchild sitting in seat 4 with $42.40
- Yannn sitting in seat 5 with $14.60
- Lightbulb_01 sitting in seat 6 with $23.91

onderchild posted the small blind - $0.25
Yannn posted the big blind - $0.50
** Dealing card to Washie101: 7 of Spades, 9 of Spades
Lightbulb_01 folded
Washie101 called - $0.50
Piiit raised - $3.00
onderchild called - $3.00
Yannn folded
Washie101 called - $3.00
** Dealing the flop: 6 of Spades, Ace of Spades, 10 of Hearts
onderchild checked
Washie101 checked
Piiit bet - $7.00
onderchild folded
Washie101 called - $7.00
** Dealing the turn: Jack of Spades
Washie101 checked
Piiit bet - $20.00
Washie101 went all-in - $41.55
Piiit called - $41.55
Piiit shows: Ace of Clubs, King of Clubs
** Dealing the river: Ace of Hearts
Washie101 wins $104.60 from the main pot
********************************
I have to say I have very little Cash Game experience.

Culchie felt that my preflop call of $3.00 was mistake, He felt that preflop value of 97 wasnt worth the call.

He has a good point, After thinking about this for a long long long time. I have come up with the following conclusion.

First, the preflop action and wheter my calling a 2.50 raise was right or wrong.
against a tight player it is an automatic fold but against a borderline maniac?? im not so sure. Im still debating it.

I have always felt that mid suited cards that have a flush and straight possibilities can be profitable in the long term. but Culchie has me thinking even more that whilst calling the BB is fine. Calling the big raise is defintely not a profitable long term play, but Ive been pig headed about a quote in a Matt Matross book where he says that before you put money in a pot you have to consider whetere you would be willing to call a raise, with the hand your holding. If not then with a number of players to act after you then whats the point of calling.

This was a loose table. So I felt calling the raise preflop was ok.

after the flop im convinced that if i hit the flush then i have the winning hand as the $7 raise.
as I openely convinced my self he has Ax.

the turn is a spade and i really cant put him on the flush.

Hindsight is a great thing and the only way you can improve at poker is to learn from your mistakes. there is only a small percentage of ppl who discuss their game with their poker playing peers.

Thats why places like the poker forum on boards is a great education tool. There are some fine players on there who or so friendly and help you out with things that your doing wrong.

My poker Blog

Well Everyone seems to be doing it so why not me and also for my own sanity.

Ive only been playing online for a year so im quite an average player. I set myself a bankroll of a 100 euro a month and if i bust within the month, then i dont play until the next month. Thats happened to me twice in the past 11 months, and I am happy to report that i am up the amazing sum of 120 Euro to the end of November. Im happy with that as i only tend to play low level STTs/MTTs, winning a few £2 &£5 MTTs. cash games have been a no go area and shall remain that way for a while yet.

I've just started playing Live and i must say the experience is so much more differant and so much more better.

So far in my 3 outings (all to the magnificent SE),
Ive finished
11th in a 100FO
12th in a 25Rebuy (didnt rebuy but took the topup)
and an on the bubble 6th in a 25Rebuy (didnt rebuy but took the topup).

The first two outings were extremly nerve reckon and on the second outing the guy to my left told me not i dont have to be so nervous as my shaking hands took in the chips from an All in situation where i have AK and rags on the flop.

The third outing I didnt feel nervous at all, and I can only get better with experience.

Before playing live I was the kind of player who just played the cards, but since starting to play live, Ive learned that playing the player can be a bigger factor.

So as i finish off this first post (not that anyone will ever read it, but hey it keeps my thinking about poker or should i say obsessed). Ill sign out by reminding myself "Get to know your opponents"