cashing out

“winners never quit and quitters never win”

but really, where do you draw the line between resiliency and facing reality?

going for broke

no, i do not live a charmed life. i can’t afford to go backpacking across europe or visit the different countries of southeast asia on a whim. i do not have interesting photos of getting wasted in vietnam or running away from the bulls in spain. what i have are photos from several local destinations in the country. but i assure you, i’ve had to scrape the bottom of the barrel just to go on those trips. i can’t cry out to my parents for money. i’ve had to pay for all those trips by myself.

i do not lived a charmed life, i do not have friends who are socialites or friends who are part of the ‘it’ crowd. i’d say most of them are cut out from the same mold that i was taken from. there are a few exemptions of course, but they do not act like snobs nor do they have a superiority complex. some of them are on the way though, but i assure you, they’ve had to work hard for their success not like the priviledged denizens that crawl around clubs and bars.

no, i do not lived a charmed life. though it may seem like it to other people, i assure you that the priviledged crowd are looking down on me as a poseur, as a social climber. getting some of the things they have, but not all. well guess what, i’m not a social climber, i’m not a poseur. what i am is a greedy motherfucker and i sure as hell want it all. i want your life. your clothes. your condo. your car. your out of town trips. your stupid photos. i want to have my way with the world as you have. bleed it dry. all i’m asking for is a little bit of luck. a small window of opportunity. ’cause isn’t it enough that you already have everything and i don’t? isn’t it enough that i’ve been working my ass off just to have it all taken down the crapper by a mere turn of a card? bad beats. variance. i’m fucking sick of it. i want what you have. all i need is a little bit of luck. one day in the sun. you didn’t have to work for everything you have. i am putting in the time to get what i want. all i’m asking for is a little bit of luck. is it really too much?

i’ve had enough. all i’m saying is the variance should better swing in my favor soon. ’cause this time i’m going for broke.

one step forward.

busted out halfway through the metro 75 tonight when i moved in as a short stack with jacks and ran into kings. even though i was eliminated pretty early (25 players were still left), i still feel good about the game i played tonight.

i was seated with at least two pros in my table and i must admit that this was the first time that i made moves against pros confidently. i was reading pretty good tonight and outplayed the big boys in a couple of hands. however, outplaying a pro in a single hand does not necessarily mean that i am on their level (i must mention that this is the only part that i didn’t like about rounders when matt damon made a move on chan and instantly thought that he can play with the big boys), but  it shows that i am improving in my game and that my confidence is growing. perhaps someday (hopefully soon), i can slug it out with the pros and come out ahead (or maybe break even lol). but until then, i will continue working on my game.

good game tonight fellas, i will see you next week.

back to square one

for the past few days, i’ve been taking bad beats, making the second best hand, and keep making mistakes. i’ve lost around $50 from the last three days. that’s a lot considering that some sessions, i don’t win anything at all. i’m seriously considering moving back down to $1.20. or taking a one week break.

fps

been suffering from fps lately. maybe i should take a break. haven’t won a single SNG in the $3.40 limits since i moved up. i might take the whole day off tomorrow.

i made it to the leaderboards. well i SHOULD be in it anyway. as far as i know, i’ve completed my block. but whenever i check my leaderboard points, it says that i’m one game short. i’ve played 3 SNGs just to try and complete my block but the counter isn’t moving. server lag perhaps.

hopefully my best block gets counted. as for tomorrow, i might just watch DVDs all day. too much poker causes fps. hopefully i could get back to playing a solid game on monday.

hand history

here it is folks:

*********** # 132 **************
PokerStars Game #26561897285: Tournament #152182613, $1.00+$0.20 Hold’em No Limit – Level IX (300/600) – 2009/03/31 3:21:11 ET
Table ‘152182613 3’ 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 2: WalNa (4336 in chips)
Seat 3: 19ecoboy79 (21464 in chips)
Seat 6: mcbethk (14610 in chips)
Seat 9: 5to1underdog (90 in chips)
WalNa: posts the ante 50
19ecoboy79: posts the ante 50
mcbethk: posts the ante 50
5to1underdog: posts the ante 50
WalNa: posts small blind 300
19ecoboy79: posts big blind 600
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to 5to1underdog [9h Ah]
mcbethk: folds
5to1underdog: calls 40 and is all-in
WalNa: calls 300
19ecoboy79: checks
*** FLOP *** [Jc 2c 5s]
WalNa: bets 600
19ecoboy79: folds
Uncalled bet (600) returned to WalNa
*** TURN *** [Jc 2c 5s] [Qh]
*** RIVER *** [Jc 2c 5s Qh] [As]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
WalNa: shows [8s Jh] (a pair of Jacks)
WalNa collected 1120 from side pot
5to1underdog: shows [9h Ah] (a pair of Aces)
5to1underdog collected 320 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1440 Main pot 320. Side pot 1120. | Rake 0
Board [Jc 2c 5s Qh As]
Seat 2: WalNa (small blind) showed [8s Jh] and won (1120) with a pair of Jacks
Seat 3: 19ecoboy79 (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 6: mcbethk folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 9: 5to1underdog (button) showed [9h Ah] and won (320) with a pair of Aces

*********** # 133 **************
PokerStars Game #26561904539: Tournament #152182613, $1.00+$0.20 Hold’em No Limit – Level IX (300/600) – 2009/03/31 3:21:43 ET
Table ‘152182613 3′ 9-max Seat #2 is the button
Seat 2: WalNa (4806 in chips)
Seat 3: 19ecoboy79 (20814 in chips)
Seat 6: mcbethk (14560 in chips)
Seat 9: 5to1underdog (320 in chips)
WalNa: posts the ante 50
19ecoboy79: posts the ante 50
mcbethk: posts the ante 50
5to1underdog: posts the ante 50
19ecoboy79: posts small blind 300
mcbethk: posts big blind 600
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to 5to1underdog [4d 6c]
19ecoboy79 said, “doh”
5to1underdog: folds
WalNa: folds
19ecoboy79: folds
Uncalled bet (300) returned to mcbethk
mcbethk collected 800 from pot
mcbethk: doesn’t show hand
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 800 | Rake 0
Seat 2: WalNa (button) folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 3: 19ecoboy79 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 6: mcbethk (big blind) collected (800)
Seat 9: 5to1underdog folded before Flop (didn’t bet)

*********** # 134 **************
PokerStars Game #26561907919: Tournament #152182613, $1.00+$0.20 Hold’em No Limit – Level IX (300/600) – 2009/03/31 3:21:56 ET
Table ‘152182613 3’ 9-max Seat #3 is the button
Seat 2: WalNa (4756 in chips)
Seat 3: 19ecoboy79 (20464 in chips)
Seat 6: mcbethk (15010 in chips)
Seat 9: 5to1underdog (270 in chips)
WalNa: posts the ante 50
19ecoboy79: posts the ante 50
mcbethk: posts the ante 50
5to1underdog: posts the ante 50
mcbethk: posts small blind 300
5to1underdog: posts big blind 220 and is all-in
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to 5to1underdog [Th 5s]
WalNa: calls 600
19ecoboy79: folds
mcbethk: raises 14360 to 14960 and is all-in
WalNa: folds
Uncalled bet (14360) returned to mcbethk
*** FLOP *** [6c Qs 4c]
*** TURN *** [6c Qs 4c] [2h]
*** RIVER *** [6c Qs 4c 2h] [5d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
mcbethk: shows [7s Kd] (high card King)
mcbethk collected 760 from side pot
5to1underdog: shows [Th 5s] (a pair of Fives)
5to1underdog said, “lol”
5to1underdog collected 860 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1620 Main pot 860. Side pot 760. | Rake 0
Board [6c Qs 4c 2h 5d]
Seat 2: WalNa folded before Flop
Seat 3: 19ecoboy79 (button) folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 6: mcbethk (small blind) showed [7s Kd] and won (760) with high card King
Seat 9: 5to1underdog (big blind) showed [Th 5s] and won (860) with a pair of Fives

*********** # 135 **************
PokerStars Game #26561919570: Tournament #152182613, $1.00+$0.20 Hold’em No Limit – Level IX (300/600) – 2009/03/31 3:22:47 ET
Table ‘152182613 3’ 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 2: WalNa (4106 in chips)
Seat 3: 19ecoboy79 (20414 in chips)
Seat 6: mcbethk (15120 in chips)
Seat 9: 5to1underdog (860 in chips)
WalNa: posts the ante 50
19ecoboy79: posts the ante 50
mcbethk: posts the ante 50
5to1underdog: posts the ante 50
5to1underdog: posts small blind 300
WalNa: posts big blind 600
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to 5to1underdog [7h 7s]
19ecoboy79 said, “nice run”
19ecoboy79: folds
mcbethk: raises 14470 to 15070 and is all-in
5to1underdog: calls 510 and is all-in
WalNa: folds
Uncalled bet (14260) returned to mcbethk
19ecoboy79 said, “push it”
5to1underdog said, “bound to end sometime”
*** FLOP *** [Th As 2s]
*** TURN *** [Th As 2s] [2d]
*** RIVER *** [Th As 2s 2d] [3d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
5to1underdog: shows [7h 7s] (two pair, Sevens and Deuces)
mcbethk: shows [Jh Qc] (a pair of Deuces)
5to1underdog collected 2420 from pot
5to1underdog said, “not yet i guess”
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2420 | Rake 0
Board [Th As 2s 2d 3d]
Seat 2: WalNa (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 3: 19ecoboy79 folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 6: mcbethk (button) showed [Jh Qc] and lost with a pair of Deuces
Seat 9: 5to1underdog (small blind) showed [7h 7s] and won (2420) with two pair, Sevens and Deuces

*********** # 136 **************
PokerStars Game #26561926170: Tournament #152182613, $1.00+$0.20 Hold’em No Limit – Level IX (300/600) – 2009/03/31 3:23:16 ET
Table ‘152182613 3′ 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 2: WalNa (3456 in chips)
Seat 3: 19ecoboy79 (20364 in chips)
Seat 6: mcbethk (14260 in chips)
Seat 9: 5to1underdog (2420 in chips)
WalNa: posts the ante 50
19ecoboy79: posts the ante 50
mcbethk: posts the ante 50
5to1underdog: posts the ante 50
WalNa: posts small blind 300
19ecoboy79: posts big blind 600
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to 5to1underdog [9s Ah]
5to1underdog said, “lol”
mcbethk: folds
5to1underdog: raises 1770 to 2370 and is all-in
WalNa: folds
19ecoboy79: folds
Uncalled bet (1770) returned to 5to1underdog
5to1underdog collected 1700 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1700 | Rake 0
Seat 2: WalNa (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 3: 19ecoboy79 (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 6: mcbethk folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 9: 5to1underdog (button) collected (1700)

——————————————————————————————————–

*********** # 140 **************
PokerStars Game #26561948264: Tournament #152182613, $1.00+$0.20 Hold’em No Limit – Level X (400/800) – 2009/03/31 3:24:53 ET
Table ‘152182613 3′ 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 3: 19ecoboy79 (22820 in chips)
Seat 6: mcbethk (15360 in chips)
Seat 9: 5to1underdog (2320 in chips)
19ecoboy79: posts the ante 50
mcbethk: posts the ante 50
5to1underdog: posts the ante 50
19ecoboy79: posts small blind 400
mcbethk: posts big blind 800
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to 5to1underdog [Ad Jh]
5to1underdog: raises 1470 to 2270 and is all-in
19ecoboy79: folds
mcbethk: calls 1470
*** FLOP *** [Ts Qc 3h]
*** TURN *** [Ts Qc 3h] [3c]
*** RIVER *** [Ts Qc 3h 3c] [5s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
mcbethk: shows [9c Kh] (a pair of Threes)
5to1underdog: shows [Ad Jh] (a pair of Threes – Ace kicker)
5to1underdog collected 5090 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 5090 | Rake 0
Board [Ts Qc 3h 3c 5s]
Seat 3: 19ecoboy79 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 6: mcbethk (big blind) showed [9c Kh] and lost with a pair of Threes
Seat 9: 5to1underdog (button) showed [Ad Jh] and won (5090) with a pair of Threes

*********** # 141 **************
PokerStars Game #26561953365: Tournament #152182613, $1.00+$0.20 Hold’em No Limit – Level X (400/800) – 2009/03/31 3:25:15 ET
Table ‘152182613 3’ 9-max Seat #3 is the button
Seat 3: 19ecoboy79 (22370 in chips)
Seat 6: mcbethk (13040 in chips)
Seat 9: 5to1underdog (5090 in chips)
19ecoboy79: posts the ante 50
mcbethk: posts the ante 50
5to1underdog: posts the ante 50
mcbethk: posts small blind 400
5to1underdog: posts big blind 800
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to 5to1underdog [Th Ah]
19ecoboy79: folds
mcbethk: raises 12190 to 12990 and is all-in
5to1underdog: calls 4240 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (7950) returned to mcbethk
*** FLOP *** [2d 6d Kd]
*** TURN *** [2d 6d Kd] [6s]
*** RIVER *** [2d 6d Kd 6s] [8h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
mcbethk: shows [Qs Jd] (a pair of Sixes)
5to1underdog: shows [Th Ah] (a pair of Sixes – Ace kicker)
5to1underdog collected 10230 from pot
5to1underdog said, “wow”
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 10230 | Rake 0
Board [2d 6d Kd 6s 8h]
Seat 3: 19ecoboy79 (button) folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 6: mcbethk (small blind) showed [Qs Jd] and lost with a pair of Sixes
Seat 9: 5to1underdog (big blind) showed [Th Ah] and won (10230) with a pair of Sixes

*********** # 142 **************
PokerStars Game #26561958071: Tournament #152182613, $1.00+$0.20 Hold’em No Limit – Level X (400/800) – 2009/03/31 3:25:36 ET
Table ‘152182613 3’ 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 3: 19ecoboy79 (22320 in chips)
Seat 6: mcbethk (7950 in chips)
Seat 9: 5to1underdog (10230 in chips)
19ecoboy79: posts the ante 50
mcbethk: posts the ante 50
5to1underdog: posts the ante 50
5to1underdog: posts small blind 400
19ecoboy79: posts big blind 800
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to 5to1underdog [9h 4h]
19ecoboy79 said, “for real”
5to1underdog said, “cant believe i only had 90 in chips left earlier”
19ecoboy79 said, “WOW”
mcbethk: raises 7100 to 7900 and is all-in
5to1underdog: folds
19ecoboy79: folds
Uncalled bet (7100) returned to mcbethk
mcbethk collected 2150 from pot
mcbethk: doesn’t show hand
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2150 | Rake 0
Seat 3: 19ecoboy79 (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 6: mcbethk (button) collected (2150)
Seat 9: 5to1underdog (small blind) folded before Flop

———————————————————————————-

*********** # 146 **************
PokerStars Game #26561971838: Tournament #152182613, $1.00+$0.20 Hold’em No Limit – Level X (400/800) – 2009/03/31 3:26:37 ET
Table ‘152182613 3’ 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 3: 19ecoboy79 (21470 in chips)
Seat 6: mcbethk (10600 in chips)
Seat 9: 5to1underdog (8430 in chips)
19ecoboy79: posts the ante 50
mcbethk: posts the ante 50
5to1underdog: posts the ante 50
19ecoboy79: posts small blind 400
mcbethk: posts big blind 800
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to 5to1underdog [Ac Th]
5to1underdog: raises 7580 to 8380 and is all-in
19ecoboy79: calls 7980
mcbethk: raises 2170 to 10550 and is all-in
19ecoboy79: calls 2170
*** FLOP *** [Jh Qc 6d]
*** TURN *** [Jh Qc 6d] [Ts]
*** RIVER *** [Jh Qc 6d Ts] [Kc]
19ecoboy79 said, “wqee”
*** SHOW DOWN ***
19ecoboy79: shows [Qs Qd] (three of a kind, Queens)
mcbethk: shows [8c 8s] (a pair of Eights)
19ecoboy79 collected 4340 from side pot
5to1underdog: shows [Ac Th] (a straight, Ten to Ace)
19ecoboy79 said, “nooo”
5to1underdog said, “no way”
5to1underdog collected 25290 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 29630 Main pot 25290. Side pot 4340. | Rake 0
Board [Jh Qc 6d Ts Kc]
Seat 3: 19ecoboy79 (small blind) showed [Qs Qd] and won (4340) with three of a kind, Queens
Seat 6: mcbethk (big blind) showed [8c 8s] and lost with a pair of Eights
Seat 9: 5to1underdog (button) showed [Ac Th] and won (25290) with a straight, Ten to Ace

———————————————————————————

*********** # 160 **************
PokerStars Game #26562022909: Tournament #152182613, $1.00+$0.20 Hold’em No Limit – Level X (400/800) – 2009/03/31 3:30:24 ET
Table ‘152182613 3’ 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 3: 19ecoboy79 (17610 in chips)
Seat 9: 5to1underdog (22890 in chips)
19ecoboy79: posts the ante 50
5to1underdog: posts the ante 50
5to1underdog: posts small blind 400
19ecoboy79: posts big blind 800
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to 5to1underdog [Kc 8h]
19ecoboy79 said, “lol”
5to1underdog: raises 1600 to 2400
19ecoboy79: raises 5600 to 8000
5to1underdog: calls 5600
*** FLOP *** [8c Tc 6c]
19ecoboy79: bets 9560 and is all-in
5to1underdog: calls 9560
*** TURN *** [8c Tc 6c] [Kh]
*** RIVER *** [8c Tc 6c Kh] [5s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
19ecoboy79: shows [Jh Ks] (a pair of Kings)
5to1underdog: shows [Kc 8h] (two pair, Kings and Eights)
5to1underdog said, “gg”
19ecoboy79 said, “gg”
5to1underdog collected 35220 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 35220 | Rake 0
Board [8c Tc 6c Kh 5s]
Seat 3: 19ecoboy79 (big blind) showed [Jh Ks] and lost with a pair of Kings
Seat 9: 5to1underdog (button) (small blind) showed [Kc 8h] and won (35220) with two pair, Kings and Eights

a chip and a chair

i’ve heard that saying a lot, but i’ve never really believed in it. that is until now.

i don’t know if there’s something different here in guam (i flew here just this morning to visit my parents) but it seems like everything is working for me in the virtual felt. i’ve played 5 SNGs so far. three 9-player $1 + 0.20 SNG and two 27-player $1 + 0.20 SNG. i managed to place 4th in one 9-player SNG, 2nd in one 27-player SNG and 1st in all the rest. but that’s not the best part. the best part was finishing first in the 27-player SNG when i was, at one point, down to 90 in chips while one player had around 2K and the other two had more than 10k in chips.

that was not a typo. i will say it again, 90 in chips when the blinds were 300-600 with an ante of 50. and i finished first. un-fucking-real.

i really had no idea what happened. it was all a blur. but at one point (when i was making my comeback), i was all in with A-10 off versus pocket queens and pocket aces. the flop was a J-Q-6  – and i was 98% sure that i was done for. but the turn came a 10 and the river a king. maybe the poker gods were smiling on me.

a couple of hands before that, i was the chip leader when i mixed it up with the one second in chips. he raised preflop and i called with the intention of taking away the pot in the flop. I had K-6 off and the flop came Q-7-3 rainbow. i lead out with 1200 and he popped it to 3600.  i don’t know what it was but i knew that he didn’t hit the flop and he was on a resteal. trusting my instincts, i repopped it to 7,200 – leaving me with only a little less than 3k in chips. he thought about it and thought about it and finally pushed all in. big pot. but i’m absolutely positive that he only had ace high. i could not call though, even though i know he had nothing, his nothing still beats my nothing so i fold my hand. maybe it was this hand that gained me the favor of the poker gods. i’m not really a superstitious guy but after making that comeback, i wonder if there really are poker gods out there, smiling on the aggressive players. 🙂

i posted the hand history starting from hand 132. the miracle straight happened in hand 146.

my bankroll is now up to $66.61. i can now play in the $3+0.40 SNGs. but i might stick it out in the $1+0.20 SNGs until i complete my block. this promising starts just gave me a good chance to make it to the SNG leaderboards.

i also installed the 60 day trial version of poker tracker, but i can’t seem to make it work. my wins aren’t being registered in the software and not all of the hands are being imported. can anyone help me on this?

the card that cost me Php7,000

been stuck in my online games since last week. i lost about $6 and i’m down to $33.40. the SNGs are fine but i also started playing the guaranteed prize pool tournaments, costing me about $2-$3 a pop. so the past week, i’d lose 1 buy in for a tournament and then just break even playing the SNGs.

placed third in last night’s metro75. not bad, i suppose. cashing in for Php24,000. but i just can’t help but feel a little bit disappointed and a bit unlucky. i could have had more. i got crippled by 8-6 suited when i called the other player’s all in bet with A-6 off. i know it’s a loose call but we were three-handed and i was pretty sure that i had the best of it when all the chips were put in the middle. but sometimes making the right call isn’t enought. the board came with an ace and two hearts. the river was the three of hearts. if i had won that hand, the other player would have been eliminated and i would have guaranteed myself an extra Php7,000.

it was a lot of fun though. i got to play with the pros. but it really could have been better if i made it heads up. i’ve always wanted to test my heads up game with a pro. but as emz put it, maybe it’s not yet my time. maybe next time. 🙂

when it rains it pours

today just isn’t my day. i had aces cracked by 8-10, kings beaten by 8-9 and 7-10, jacks beaten by sixes. it seems that everything i do is wrong today. lost $8.50 and i think i’ll quit. after all, i’m still up by $1.90 from yesterday. and maybe i should move down again to the $1.20 SNGs.

update: played one 18player $1.20 SNG and placed second. so i won back some of my losses. i’m only down by $3.10. will stop playing for now. maybe i’ll just watch mulberry street.

new beginnings

i recently quit my job and had my last day in the office last wednesday. it’s a bit scary at the moment since the prospect of working for an insurance company that operates in guam is not panning out as expected. in the mean while, i have all the time to myself to play poker.

in my last post, i talked about losing my whole bankroll in poker stars. i deposited another $20 last week, thinking that i will be focusing more on the sit & go tournaments rather than the micro-limit cash games. i’ve always been more of a tournament player and i really, really suck at cash games so now i plan to become better in tournaments before moving on to cash games. i am happy to report that since last week, i have played 4 sessions and so far have already made $19.68, almost doubling my $20 deposit last week. i am also staying away (for the mean time) from playing too many tables at once, focusing on 2 (or at the very most 3) tables in one sitting. i register for one $1.20 s&g (9players), one $0.25 s&g (90 players), and sometimes a $0.10 s&g (360 players).  a couple of minutes ago, i also tried my luck in the $3.40 s&g, but i only played one table since almost 10% of my bankroll will be on the line. fortunately i placed first.

i’ll keep ‘formula’ for the mean time and hopefully it will work out so that i may be able to move up to the higher limits.

oh yeah, i also found an online tracker of my progress. here is the link if you want to check it out:

http://www.pokerprolabs.com/5to1underdog/pokerstars.aspx