ANOTHER ROLLERCOASTER RIDE
As I’m sure I mentioned in an earlier entry, I decided in Vegas that I’d make more of an effort to acutally play poker on my return. Whilst I played a £100 Freezout at Luton last week, I have predominantly maintained that pact by playing online cash, virtually every night!
Well, I’m doing pretty well, found life difficult over the first several days, but now I’m 3k up, which is very pleasing indeed.
Last night I profited again, but it wasn’t without a struggle, in fact that’s an understatement, it was a complete rollercoaster ride and due to the mental stress it caused me (my head was pounding by the end), it has forced me to reevaulate the way I approach the game.
I’ve been playing daily from 2am to 8am, so approximately 6 hours per night. Now that’s not too long, but when you don’t take breaks and you experience the fluctuations I do, it can really wear you down.
I’m not playing badly, but I’m wary of burning out. Due to not wanting to be kicked off my table after building up a stack, I’ve been avoiding breaks, and this not only means I’m robbing myself of any mental hiatus, but I’m also not eating. At the moment, I’m on one meal a day, which is no where near acceptable, and the last time I checked, I was down to a rather disconcerting and paltry 9 stone.
Starting today, I’m going to start piling on the pounds (hopefully), and get myself back up to that 11.5 stone I once was. Also, I’ll ensure that I take at least one break during that 6 hour playing period, even if it means leaving the game temporarily. It may cost me money, but at least I’ll have my insanity.
So why was it such a rollercoaster ride? Well, when you start off 1k up, end up 1k down before finishing the session 1k up, you certainly get your money’s worth in entertainment. At $2/4, I don’t know many players who experience as many double throughs (and double downs for that matter) as I do, not to mention the eye-opening 2k fluctuation.
Perhaps it’s because I’m not afraid to stick my chips in or maybe I gamble more than others, who knows? Part of the reason last night, however, was certainly a result of losing my biggest ever pot, around 1.5k I think it was in the end.
I don’t really have too many complaints. I raised to $21 with Pocket Aces, received two callers, and was outdrawn on a 2-5-5 flop by A-5 - how he can justify calling $21 preflop with that hand though is beyond me.
Anyhow, seeing as I couldn’t put anyone on 2-2 or A-5, I considered this to be a safe flop and so decided to check. Mateyboy bet each street, and I called, confident I was ahead. The problem was that he moved all-in on the river for around $475 when the pot was something like $375. I wouldn’t normally call this, but the board had double paired with twos and fives. His all-in was either nuts or a bluff, as he’d probably check any other hand. Due to my passive play, I hadn’t represented an overpair, so a bluff seemed like the only explantion – just what I’d wanted him to do.
Well, I finally made the call and, of course, he turned over the five for his full house. I probably played the hand terribly, but at least I was brave enough to go with what I thought. Shite happens, time to move on, next hand.
Anyhow, by the end, I’d somehow managed to maintain my composure and pull back a 1k deficit, eventually turning it into a 1k profit. I was pretty chuffed to be anywhere near the black considering the huge pot I’d lost, so I guess it shows I’m playing well.
So, another day, another dollar. I’m earning, but I’m starting to tire mentally, so I guess the sensible thing would be to take a day or two off – or, at a pinch, I could just keep on playing…
Well, I’m doing pretty well, found life difficult over the first several days, but now I’m 3k up, which is very pleasing indeed.
Last night I profited again, but it wasn’t without a struggle, in fact that’s an understatement, it was a complete rollercoaster ride and due to the mental stress it caused me (my head was pounding by the end), it has forced me to reevaulate the way I approach the game.
I’ve been playing daily from 2am to 8am, so approximately 6 hours per night. Now that’s not too long, but when you don’t take breaks and you experience the fluctuations I do, it can really wear you down.
I’m not playing badly, but I’m wary of burning out. Due to not wanting to be kicked off my table after building up a stack, I’ve been avoiding breaks, and this not only means I’m robbing myself of any mental hiatus, but I’m also not eating. At the moment, I’m on one meal a day, which is no where near acceptable, and the last time I checked, I was down to a rather disconcerting and paltry 9 stone.
Starting today, I’m going to start piling on the pounds (hopefully), and get myself back up to that 11.5 stone I once was. Also, I’ll ensure that I take at least one break during that 6 hour playing period, even if it means leaving the game temporarily. It may cost me money, but at least I’ll have my insanity.
So why was it such a rollercoaster ride? Well, when you start off 1k up, end up 1k down before finishing the session 1k up, you certainly get your money’s worth in entertainment. At $2/4, I don’t know many players who experience as many double throughs (and double downs for that matter) as I do, not to mention the eye-opening 2k fluctuation.
Perhaps it’s because I’m not afraid to stick my chips in or maybe I gamble more than others, who knows? Part of the reason last night, however, was certainly a result of losing my biggest ever pot, around 1.5k I think it was in the end.
I don’t really have too many complaints. I raised to $21 with Pocket Aces, received two callers, and was outdrawn on a 2-5-5 flop by A-5 - how he can justify calling $21 preflop with that hand though is beyond me.
Anyhow, seeing as I couldn’t put anyone on 2-2 or A-5, I considered this to be a safe flop and so decided to check. Mateyboy bet each street, and I called, confident I was ahead. The problem was that he moved all-in on the river for around $475 when the pot was something like $375. I wouldn’t normally call this, but the board had double paired with twos and fives. His all-in was either nuts or a bluff, as he’d probably check any other hand. Due to my passive play, I hadn’t represented an overpair, so a bluff seemed like the only explantion – just what I’d wanted him to do.
Well, I finally made the call and, of course, he turned over the five for his full house. I probably played the hand terribly, but at least I was brave enough to go with what I thought. Shite happens, time to move on, next hand.
Anyhow, by the end, I’d somehow managed to maintain my composure and pull back a 1k deficit, eventually turning it into a 1k profit. I was pretty chuffed to be anywhere near the black considering the huge pot I’d lost, so I guess it shows I’m playing well.
So, another day, another dollar. I’m earning, but I’m starting to tire mentally, so I guess the sensible thing would be to take a day or two off – or, at a pinch, I could just keep on playing…
posted by snoopy1239 @ 10:47 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
hiya snoop, i dont mean to be rude but i reckon your analysis of the guy who called a preflop riase of $21 with A5 is totally wrong. You said it yourself when you detailed the pot size. 1.5k
$21 and if you hit 2 pair your opponent will marry his high pair for 1.5k
Id do it.
gl m8
Not rude at all, I welcome opinions. If I just assumed that all my views were correct all the time without analysing them fully, I'd never progress in the game.
I agree with you partly, as I often call raises with lowly hands when I feel someone has an overpair, but I don't think A-5 is one of those hands. He can only truly feel comfortable if he hits those trip fives or flops a straight (which would have to be a 2-3-4 - highly unlikley and gives me a chance to escape due to 3 dangerous conencting cards).
Making two pair with A-5 is certainly not a guarantee of a double-up. If you are going to call a big preflop raise, you need to ensure that if you hit, you're going to double up. Two pair with A-5 could easily be beaten by a higher two pair such as A-K, A-Q etc.
Also, what happens if he hits an Ace only. If I have a bigger kicker, he's going to lose money. This is much more likely than him hitting two fives.
In my opinion, it's much better to call with a hand like 6-6 or other pocket pairs - that way, if you do hit, you can be pretty certain you are ahead and can be confident of a double up if your opponent has an overpair.
Overall, I don't think calling raises with A-5 can be a +ve move which is why I think his call of $21 (more than 5 times the big blind!) is a poor decision, with his hand not hitting enough to make it lucrative.
Post a Comment
<< Home