(15) WHEN NON-VARIANCE STRIKES BACK

I don’t know if that title makes any sense or not, because it’s still variance, whether it’s in your favour or not. Either way, I managed to get back just under a grand today. I wore my lucky trousers and even popped the Karate Kid Theme Tune on my ipod, which I’m sure was the clincher. I just felt good about myself for a change. I’d gone to bed early, got up at a decent hour, eaten breakfast – basically ensured that I was on the ball before playing.

It just proves how important the 'healthy body healthy mind' cliche is to me. Two players spring to mind in that sense. One is Gus Hansen, the other is Barry Greenstein. Gus is always promoting good physical health and saying how important it is to his game, and although he's a bit of manic muff muncher making me want to vomit with his Casanova ways, he's got a point and he always seems to be in tip-top condition. Barry, meanwhile, is one of those players who can sit at a table for hours on end looking like a zombie but still give it his 'A' game at all times. It annoys the hell out of me actually as I have to play in patches otherwise my brain turns to mush. I think if you melted his brain down with a Bunsen burner and propped matchsticks underneath his eyelids for a week, a la Clockwork Orange, he’d still make the correct decisions.

In complete contrast to yesterday, I could barely lose a pot today. Still, I must confess to variance tipping in my favour, as this hand suggests. I think I was on the way to cleaning this dude out anyway, but still, tough way to go:

GAME #805874691: Texas Hold'em NL $2.00/$4.00 2008-01-19 12:45:45
Table Oxnard (Heads Up)
Seat 3: Villain ($244.42 in chips)
Seat 8: Hero ($365.80 in chips) DEALER
Hero: Post SB $2.00
Villain: Post BB $4.00
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [Qd Th]
Dealt to Villain [Jh Ks]
Hero: Raise $12.00
Villain: Call $10.00
*** FLOP *** [As Ts Qs]
Villain: Check
Hero: Bet $16.00
Villain: Raise $36.00
Hero: Call $20.00
*** TURN *** [Qh]
Villain: Bet $44.00
Hero: Call $44.00
*** RIVER *** [5s]
Villain: Allin $150.42
Hero: Call $150.42
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $487.84 Rake $1.00
Hero: wins $487.84

I did make some good calls that always seem to be correct when I’m in better nick. Took me ages to call this one, but being the one and only hand I played with this dude, I thought his range was wide enough for me to make the call. I think a lot of players would let this go, but something didn’t smell right. I nearly shat my pants on the Turn though, maybe it was the pre-emption of that pungent pong that alerted my nostrils on the Flop.

GAME #805913062: Texas Hold'em NL $2.00/$4.00 2008-01-19 13:17:31
Table Dorado (Heads Up)
Seat 3: Villain ($262.97 in chips)
Seat 8: Hero ($400.00 in chips) DEALER
Hero: Post SB $2.00
Villain: Post BB $4.00
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Villain [4s Qd]
Dealt to Hero [Th 8h]
Hero: Raise $12.00
Villain: Call $10.00
*** FLOP *** [8s Qs Tc]
Villain: Check
Hero: Bet $16.00
Villain: Raise $32.00
Hero: Raise $32.00
Villain: Allin $216.97
Hero: Call $200.97
*** TURN *** [Ks]
*** RIVER *** [7d]
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $524.94 Rake $1.00
Hero: wins $524.94

I have to admit that I was in a slight state of panic yesterday. I just felt so crap and was really down, but still had enough determination to try and get myself back on track. The most worrying thing was that I didn’t feel I’d played particularly badly and was concerned that maybe either the standard of opposition had increased or I’d overestimated my abilities at heads up. That still might be the case, but for the time being I remain confident that I can continue to make a steady profit. Bizarrely, it’s almost a relief when you lose due to bad play or tilt. You’re angry at first, but then reassured that if you buck up your ideas, you can get it back. If you’re resisting tilt but still getting beaten black and blue by whomever crosses your path, then it’s just demoralising and you begin to doubt your edge in the game. I just prayed it was variance and one of those days where the cards just didn’t fall my way. It’s easy in heads up to play well when your opponent is missing everything.

Anyhow, the important thing is that I’ve stopped the rot, I’ve just got to try and regather the momentum that I was enjoying before I went to The Bahamas so I can look to start pushing towards that $6k mark. I did reach my $5k target at one point when I received my rake, but this is about what’s in my account come Jan 31st, so to stop prior to that date wouldn’t be a fair reflection of the initial aims of the challenge. I could reach my $5k and then just blow $1.5k a day or two after. Hold on…

biggest pot won: $798
biggest pot lost: $144
time at the table: 2hr 3min

profit = $969.39
blonde poker account = $4,382.19
$617.81 to go before the tax man goes away

Days played = 15
total time played = 51 hrs 54 mins
total rake earned = $860.85
current $ per hour = $59.39
current $ per day = $205.48