Ho ho ho llllllllldddddd

Well its that time of year again and follow my recent gifts from PokerStars MTTs I closed out Decembers $100 spin up early at $3000, cashed out the loot and have it stashed safely under the mattress.

Not a bad little run in December thanks to finally shipping a huge field MTT (man its been a long wait since the last one) and some pretty consistent cashing. Two nights before I had FT'd an $8 4000 runner game and managed to donk off decent stacks into 7th for $400 rather than the $4000 for 1st which was nice :(

That's not the end of the month though, its the start of a new venture as a little poker Santa has given me a $650 bankroll and the promise of helping me to crush $6.50 45 man turbos, ok so its not a total gift and hes taking a cut but hey even Santa's got to eat right!! So that's all I'll be playing online from now until the end of January.

This sits pretty neatly with my goals for 2010 which, along with finally doing something of note in a big live event, is to reach supernova on Stars by playing a ridiculous amount of S&Gs and possibly even grinding out some decent $$$$$$$.

Probably won't be arsed to update again so Merry Christmas to you all and lets all have a huge 2010 at the tables.

Ship it

In your face SkyPoker

Last year qualifying for the Sky Poker Tour game at Aspers was putting me on life tilt. It was only a £50 buy-in but you had to satellite in from £10 tourneys and it took 4 attempts that basically took all my will power and mental strength.

Playing the fishiest of the fish on the worlds worst poker platform is never a good thing and things like fold equity, gap theory and satellite strategy just go straight out the window.

This year the tournament is a £100 Freezeout but the shitty need to qualify remains. I decided I would give it just one shot this year at £24 a pop and 1 in 5 getting a seat I played Friday night hoping the field might be smaller and potentially fisher than usual. At the time I was donking out of everything on Stars and steadily making my way through bottle of wine number 2 so my state of mind probably wasn't the best for the task in hand.

I couldn't be more wrong, playing tilty shit poker is exactly how you need to play on Sky Poker and the software just rewarded me. One player on my table was a regular player I have seen in just about every satellite I have played so I just decided to 3/4/5 bet him until he or I bust cue some sick beats for him and a double up for me. Then the guy on my left started getting fruity and made some horrible plays so I decide he's next on the list. I spite call his 50bb shove with 1010 to be shown A10 and the board runs out to a straight for a split. Much abuse later and eventually take him out, no idea on hands as I was well gone by now and I get to the bubble comfortably stacked and win the seat taking out a shorty with AJ (I think?). So happy days and another decent tourney to look forward to in the New Year.

A number of run ins with mtts and a really swingy experiment with 25PLO and running shit in 25NLH have left my PS roll at $400 which it will probably remain at for the month of November and up to Gold VIP.

I will be withdrawing back down to $100 for December and see if can grind out another decent profit again but being away for 2 weeks over Christmas means that's pretty unlikely.

I'm PokerStars' bitch!

I'm raking so much on there for currently nothing its untrue but its the first step up the ladders to rackback so I suppose it will get rewarded in the end.

The grinding of the micro levels is continuing and I'm playing way more volume now than I ever have in the past, actually I think I've played more STTs this month than in the last 4 years. I've managed to pretty much avoid the 1000+ runner MTTs and my results in the $4 and $3+R 180 S&Gs are pretty solid and bringing in regular profit.

The main games I'm grinding for points are the 6max turbo STTs and after about 1000 at $3 and $6 I'm only just above breakeven but until I get a better sample size I will wait on deciding whether to persevere on these. There's not masses of poker in them and my current strategy seems correct but there seems to be some massive variance but atm my HU game is consistently getting me the extra $$$s.

Probably need to do some serious research on the optimal play of these to make any proper $$$$ but at these levels some of the players are so bad I'm getting by for now, I will need to be able to move up the stakes to rake enough to get any proper rackback from Stars though.

I've also started grinding a bit on the cash tables playing 8-16 full ring games and playing v tight. There are so many regs even at this level though thats its difficult to see how this will be profitable and after 4000 hands at 0.10/0.25 I'm again just above break even which is a bit wank as I seem to constantly stack off with KK into AA to wipe out any profits in every session.

Currently my $100 for November stands at $440 mainly due to the 180s despite having no luck what so ever in the late stages including a pot for a massive chiplead 14 handed in a $3+R yesterday where my AA couldn't hold vs A4 aipf so a possible $800 payout turned to $20 as he rivered his set of 4s.

Playing Proper!

Since the start of October I've decided to stop being a dick with online poker basically playing any old shit and loads of massive MTTs just for the sake of playing.

So between me and the missus we come up with a plan to deposit $100 each on to Stars and see who can turn the most profit each month. Yes its gay and playing off this sort of roll is shit but I'm not playing to pay for anything and really needed some sort of challenge tbh.

I decided to play only $4 180s to start and had a proper shocking run in October taking my roll down to $20 in the first week. At that stage I started to mix in some $3 6 seater turbo STTs and a few $3+R 180s, a few binks later and killing the STTs I manage to finish the month at $400 which I was more than pleased with, the wife ends on $60 which is pretty shit for her as shes normally a consistent winner despite any real volume. Winner of the month plays a $55 tourney on Stars which obv went like shit and I last about 2 levels after a set over set and KK losing to 1010 aipf. GG PS

Last week I manage to remember there's a GUKPT freeroll on and reg on the slim chance of beating 600 donkeys for a nice pay day. 4 hours later and as we near the bubble I'm below average but its amazing how gay people will be for the sake of a $10 token and manage to get to over average hammering the bubble. By FT I'm just about CL and from past experience I know people will sit just praying to ladder up near the 1st prize of £1300 when 2nd down are just $109 tokens so you have to go relentlessly FTW imo.

So begins a massacre on FT which includes the NPF daddy Teamdobbs. Basically raise and reraise my way to HU with ATC, including calling a BB shove with 83s which was just comedy, but allong with an amazing amount of hands when I get pushed back against and some really crazy spaz outs I take out 6/7 of the FT and Dobbs the remainder. I swiftly agree a chop before the HU starts with Teamdobbs who has ground it out nicely before he fucks over my 3/1 CL HU with a rivered 2 outer when his 77 somehow gets the better of my 106o. Still a nice little earner for nothing so happy days.

Despite a quick yearning for another run at a GUKPT I can't justify yet another weekend away from the wife and little one so decide to invest some of the winnings into the Sunday FTOPS, Sunday Million and a few other $50+ games on Sunday night. That worked out well. FUVM PS & FT.

The November grind is going well tho with some $4 180 scoops and some massive grinding on the $3 STTs I've got my roll up over the $300 mark already and now invested in Table Ninja and sorted out my HEM tracker so I can easily play 10-15 tables profitably. To anyone who plays regularly on Stars that doesn't use Table Ninja, I really just can't recommend it highly enough amazing piece of software.

I'd really forgotten how easy the low level STTs were on Stars, some of the players are truely amazing and in the slower 9 seaters have been HU by the 3rd level on a few occasions without really playing a hand. I know its only $3 but still great for confidence and relearning how to play these formats.

My current plan is to continue with this shit until January when I can definitely tell I have got these levels owned then start with a proper roll in the New Year to start grinding $10 upwards and finally playing with some BRM and high volume.

No run, deep run PLO fun.

Following a redic run of away days decide to opt for the Circus £75 over the DTD Monthly £300 this month and keep vaguely in the good books.

Turns out to an awesome decision as I become the first exit in level 2 and back home for 5pm.

Wasn't that keen on my opening table which was v loose and no sign of any pair being folded at any stage so my laggy play was becoming expensive as I continually flop and bet out with middle pairs, open ended straights and flush draws and combine missing everything with getting called down by fishy top pair not kicker types for some small loses.

Finally win a pot with 104o which I raised from the cut off and bet 3 streets to river my straight. Then immediately get AA on the button and "squeeze" 5 limps to 600 with and get 2 callers weeeeee. Flop comes down Q82 rainbow but its checked to me and a half pot bet this time takes it down here FML.

Then get 99 into JJ on Jxx which he check reraises and I make a cheap fold and miss some more atc spots for small loses. Killer had comes UTG I make it 325 with KK and get just the button in for the flop of KdAd4d, I lead for 500 and he tank calls. Not ideal but with my image now I can get action from almost any A here and certainly Qd/Jdx. Turn a is a brick and I make it 1200 to which he tank moves in for 3000 more, I snap to be shown 6d7d and brick the river to move down to 1800 at 50/100. Pretty shitty play and standard shitty read from me basically not prepared to lay down a set when I'm obv crushed.

Exit hand I reship for 1500 over a 300 open from SamJ with 8c9c and ask for a call. His As10s is good despite flopping the world on 3c4c7h and brick out to bust. 1st early exit from a deepstack game for a long time despite getting some big hands which only ever lose big pots early GG dickhead.

So decide to go straight home and fire up a proper session on PS registering from all <$10 MTTs from 6pm to 8.30pm, that consists of about 12 games and the shit continues manage to bust 4 tourneys in about 5 mins aipf with AA 3 times and KK and never really get going in anything.

The night continues in that vein for ages except for a PL08 game where I hit every hand I play and go CL early doors and lead, at times 3 or 4 times 2nds stack all the way to the final 3 tables. Just as I bust the rest in shitty fashion I am left in just 2 MTTs and go on a turbo heater around the bubble in the $3+R on Stars and hitting absolutely everything go from 20BB to 150BB and top 10 stack with 1000 remaining.

The wheels truly fall off in the PL08 as I manage to miss the world all in on flop in 3 massive pots with AA23ds and AA34s on 56X type flops with nut flush, straight and nut low draws to bust in 17th for a shitty low cash.

Down to 1 table and playing really steady on good tables where I have good restealing spots vs the worst fish and just steadily keep chipping up on small pots before I open 1010 from the cut off, flop comes 10s7s4h and he check/ships to my C-Bet, I snap him off and his QsJs rivers the flush for a huge pot.

PS have truly pushed the doom switch now and I open JJ and make a good fold to 2 all ins where my JJ would have bust KK and AQ for the CL if I'd donked off, then forced to open/fold 1010, 99 and JJ again to reshoves. Basically can't win a pot now and finally get caught restealing with 7h9h for 16BB as stealer calls with AQ ;). Finish in 78th/7000 for $140 and another shitty deep run where 150BB stack turned to shit at the vital stages.

Going to take a break from weekend live poker till after Xmas now and spend some time with the family rather than getting shafted by this shitty game.

NPF Championships II

Another weekend another quality tournament. This time a £50 Deepstack Freezeout with 10000 starting stack and 45 minute levels for the NPF Championship and ultimate local bragging rights.

The game sold out with 100 runners and it was rightly held at Circus Casino where the team really have gone to another level in providing great service for local poker.

Arrive early and get the drinking underway early doors and a really great atmosphere is already starting to build.

My starting table included a few players I have played with quite regularly and a couple of nemesis players in Quietman who always seems to own me in online games and Glenn the Geek who is the luckiest man in poker ;). Also on the table is Jon Lundy a guy who plays for a living so not the greatest start.

Plenty of banter early on and I decide I'm going to play loose aggressive again for the first three levels as the table is really tight with the exception of me and Jon. Start raking in plenty of small pots as my rags either connect nicely or manage to take the pots away on turn and river and my stack is moving in the right direction. First major hand is playing 75o in a raised pot 3 handed the flop lands A64. I'm sure that at least one has an Ace and decide to peel a turn which comes 7, this is checked round and the free river 7 gives me a nice pot when my value bet is called on the river by AK.

Win lots more small/medium pots before calling a raise with Ah9h on the button and see an AcKhQs flop, call a pot size raise with intention of moving them off on the turn or river and the turn comes 7h. Checked to me I decide to take the free river which comes 4h for the nuts and my reraise gets called down by KQo for a 15k pot. My stack is now up over 40k and the blinds 150/300 without a single premium hand and really happy with the table now looking to take some shots as people are becoming short stacked.

Then the inevitable happens. Mid position limp I make up the SB with 99 and BB checks. The flop comes KJ9 rainbow and I check raise the BBs 1100 bet to 3900 which he flats. Hating my life when the Q turn drops and check check. The river is another J BINGO! and I make I go to 5k for value now praying he has any 10, K or J and he shoves for 30k more, snap call and he slowly flips KJ FML!! This was the only player at the table with a stack over 15k too which is kinda sick.

That puts me down to 10k again and I'm well back in the pack. Just before dinner I get a double with QQ v JJ and end the session on 16k and blinds at 150/300 25A.

Post dinner I make a few moves and lose a few 1000 making plays but the stacks are not really deep enough to get people to fold marginal hands now with my image and am forced to shut down and play tight.

A few shitty plays later and I get moved to a new table with Tom Middleton hugely stacked and active to my left and now I really need some premiums to have a chance in the game. I get a couple of raises through but my stack is at 10k when the blinds go to 300/600 50a and complete the SB with 7d10d and see a Jd9c4d flop. I lead for 1.1k which Tom flat calls and I move in when the turn bricks, get the call from J10 and miss the river.

Pretty shitty end to the day but was a great game played in great spirit and the trademark roller coaster ride for me. Happy with my play mostly and just need to not lose 70k pots in the early stages of these games ;).

Well done to Teamdobb who showed hes is more than just a shortstack master by blowing away the final 20 once he got some chips.

Played some cash at the end of the night managing to get 100BB in first hand with JJ v A3 for a loss then 100BB in on 456 with 23 against 78 but somehow recovering to £30 up after stacking a luminous pink headed guy on his first hand with 6h9h v KK. Was a cracking table and had a great laugh along the way, quote of the night from a guy laying down a big hand then stating "if it was a tournament of course I would never fold there but this is cash" lol gg sir.

Sunday night I played 2 tournaments the 1/4 million on stars with 29257 runners finishing in 620 for $82 and the FullTilt FTOPS Warm Up with 45000 runners finishing just the wrong side of the bubble in 7800 ish. So thats over 60000 players beaten for $80 FML I run so good.