well after playing lots live, I've decided to try full ring online. I think it is much better suited for me. I play much more passively and not as much of an aggro donk as I am at 6-max.

Even in situations that are essentially the same, eg. I open in the cutoff in full ring, I find I play the hand differently than if I opened in the cutoff in 6-max.

Over a small sample size I've noticed I'm not 3-barreling as much, and in general just not getting it in as badly as I did when I played 6-max.

I hope to play full ring for a while, and maybe eventually move back to 6-max once I feel I have a really strong grasp of the basics.

I can't seem to win online. I think the main reason is I don't feel like the money is real money and am way too spewy. My stars account is hovering around $100 now. There's no way I feel I can play lower than .25/.50. The small money would make me get it in way too light, way too often. I'm just not confident I can beat online, at least not with the mentality I have.

In more positive news, I just recently found out the local 'casino' has electronic poker tables. The casino only has slots, 1 table of electronic blackjack and 1 table of electronic roulette. It's been running for 6 months, but I only learned it had poker 2 weeks ago.

Usually 1 or 2 tables of 1/2 is running. The play is generally terrible and I've had great amounts of success. I think I've been running fairly hot, but I also know the play is atrocious. There's a few regs that seem competent, but most people are super fish. I've ran my roll up quite significantly. Sometimes they have 2/5 which I think I will try next time it runs. They also have 1/2 PLO, but my omaha game is terrible. I've never really learned it, but it's something I'd like to get a grip on. I think a basic level of understanding should show profit, but I feel the variance will also be higher, and I'm not comfortable with that yet.

I think there's 2 main reasons I'm having more success.

1) The players are terrible
2) I'm a lot more cautious and not as spewy.
i) because the buy-in is higher
ii) the money seems more real than it does online

BUT, i think sometimes this does lead to making suboptimal plays, so I still need a greater level of comfort.

Also sample sizes are still small, probably only played 25 hours there, but I'm really confident I can be a long-term winner there. Hopefully the winrate remains.

My main issue I have is I hope it doesn't take up too much of my during the school year. I really need to buckle down, but its addicting winning 'so much' money.

Well, being on a downswing lately. Actually not sure if it's a downswing, or just closer to how my game actually should go.

After running my account up to nearly $1200, i've lost half that and hovering around $600 now.

Yesterday was bad. Lost $250 in the morning, won $50 during a quick afternoon session, and then lost and tilted off another $250 at night.

The first $100-$150 last night was legitimately lost, and then i tilted off and played poorly for the rest. However I did lose a 300bb pot when I was about 52%, which caused me to quit my session.

Here's one hand that worked out well, but I clearly was burning money.

34/19 opens CO, sb calls, I squeeze ATo in BB because I'm getting spewy. I think I'll often make that squeeze, but given my current mindset I should not be playing big pots. CO calls, sb folds.

I half pot Q95 rainbow. Calls. 2/3 pot 2c that brings about a flush draw. Calls. River 7. Fuck me! My gutshot didn't come in. I run sooooo bad. I'm still spewing and think for a bit. What the fuck does he have that I can beat? I tell myself this fucker has JT. No point in betting since I'm ahead. I check.

He shoves. Snap call. He rolls over KJcc and I win a 220bb pot. Wonder if he thought he got completely owned or what. Wouldn't mind seeing that guys reaction.

Last hand of the session when I decided to snap close all my games.

Open 97ss utg because I'm spewy and playing a lot of pots. EP calls, BB calls.

Flop: 8h 6s 2s - essentially the nuts.

I bet, EP raises, BB folds, I raise, he raises, I shove, he calls with KK - with the Ks.

51.52% for me to win.
Obv don't. He drags 300bb pot. FACK.

Basic thoughts on game:

- I ran hot my first few sessions.
- I thought I was god at poker and started changing my game because I was "better" than opponents
- I played at inopportune times without focusing on other aspects of my life
- I stopped studying because I had "mastered" these stakes
- I lost
- I tilted and lost more

I'm now at the point where I'm considering withdrawing my whole roll so it's not there as a distraction. I have some stuff to do but I always choose to play poker instead. I definitely need to work on my poker-life balance.

I think this downswing has definitely made me care less about poker and realize that I actually have a lot of other important stuff to do. I'm done 2 years of law school, and applications for jobs in September 2013 are due at the end of this month. For the last week, while poker was good, I didn't even care at all to start doing those applications. I have to do at least 50 of them, so I better get started.

I was OK about going to the gym as well, but not as good as I should be. I have to run a 10km on Thursday. I'm confident I can fairly easily do it in 55 minutes right now, but to me that is pretty embarrassing. I'd like to definitely get it under 50. I used to run a lot and half a life ago did it in 42 on the whim without having run prior to that for 5 months.

So priorities for this week are: applications, gym, non-poker entertainment, study of poker, maybe play a little.

Oh ya, was also planning on playing the 1/2 priced sunday million yesterday. Arranged my sunday such that I'd be at home and not help a friend with moving. So i lose $250 in the morning, try to reg for the sunday million and realize the 1/2 priced one isn't until next week, and then lose another $250. Karma for being an idiot.

So took a shot at .5/1 zoom with my $1100 bankroll.

Just 1-tabled and only got through 112 hands until I had to quit.

Played one hand badly, I think, where the opponent took a really weird line. He xc A62r, then donked a 9 which brought about a flush draw. I thought he was full of so much shit. And instead of raising here I decide to just call with KsJd so I can shove over his river bluff. Don't know what I was doing, but overthinking myself at a new level. Then the river is Jh, and he slightly overbets pots. WTF!?!? I want to say he has 78ss, but weird that he'd even xc that on the flop. Maybe 34 or 45ss.

I have some equity in the hand now, and decide to look up this overbet. He has AJ. Fack!!

Not getting much, stealing some blinds, 3-betting AK and getting folds, etc. Down about $50 at this point.

Get 97o in sb. Folded to me, BB is like 12/8 over 8 hands or so. I make it $3. He calls.
Flop 8TJcc. GIN!!! I bet $4, he makes it $14, I go $33 so he can shove worse and think he's got FE. He shoves, I snap call. He rolls over Q9. FML.

No split pot. I quit.

Back to .25/.50. Not taking another shot until I'm at least at $1500.

Rearranging my living room now. Can't see the TV from the dining room table. Living room/dining room are essentially one big room. I generally play poker at the dining table. Moving TV to the other side of the room so I can see it.

Feels like time for a change anyways. It's been this way since I moved in in September.

Will hit the tables after clearing my head with the move.

Cheers

Started playing at midnight. Was quickly down 4 buy-ins. Lots of second best hands, and probably calling down too light with hands like 99 on T62K4 when it seemed like opponent was bluffing.

Got back to even after about 2000 hands and was going to sit out and go to bed. In the process of waiting for next big blind, lost a buy-in at one of the tables, so decided to keep fighting.

There was a short-stacking donk who was 3b shoving any pair and A7s once, so possibly any ace. I lost 2 80% equity all-ins vs him. Was kinda pissed because all I wanted to do was get even and go to bed.

Was quickly down 2 buy-ins again. Got in KK vs AQ against this shortstacking donk, and promised myself I'd leave the tables if I lost. Flop is AQx. FUCK. Turn x. Preparing to go to bed down almost 3 buy-ins. River - BINNNNNKKK!! Session saved. Down just over a buy-in now, keep fighting and then this hand happens:

120bb CO opens. I call JThh in SB. Thought about 3-betting but BB was a super fish and wanted to hit the flop hard and have him in the hand. BB ends up folding.

Flop: Qc 8d 6h - I decide to donk. Flop probably doesn't hit villain hard and I have some equity. Also lots of turns I can barrel. He calls.

Turn: Kc - Great card to barrel. Have a double gutter now, and villain can fold pocket pairs and maybe even a queen now. He calls.

River: As - BINK. I decide to fire again. Villain SHOVES! Are we splitting this pot? NOPE. He shows AA. Wooooo!!! Rungood.

Sit out all tables. End up with $20 profit over 3k hands. Got 456 VPP on the session which is probably worth more.

More importantly though my account is now 4 figures!! JUST! $1000.97

In other news, I hate soccer and am in 4 euro cup pools.
2 where we actually pick our teams, and 2 degen pools where we are randomized a team.

In one of mine I got Ireland!!! worst.
The other one hasn't been randed yet.
Hope to run better.

Lost $170 yesterday but only played about 800 hands during the day. Wanted to play more later at night but ended up watching last 2 eps of game of thrones with the girlfriend.

Won $306 today over 3700 hands. Played a lot. Was 3-tabling at the end because 2-tabling was slow at boring.

I need to use my old school 2001 Dell FP monitor. But it's in my room and was lazy and just felt like laptop'ing it.

I don't like 3 tables on my 14" laptop. Can't tile table at a good size. May I should try stacking, but I don't really like it.

I like to make a lot of notes and feel when 3 tabling sometimes I can't make notes as effectively. It worked out pretty well though and for the most part 3-tabling is no problem. Could easily 4-table if i wasn't making notes but still feel I need to work on my game and it helps.

Often times the notes result in optimal, or what i think is optimal plays. There are A LOT of terrible players at 50 NL. I feel I have a decent handle on it, but also feel like i've been getting a good run of cards lately and opponents haven't been coolering me.

I withdrew the $200 I put in the other day and am still building the roll.

Looking forward to playing at least one of the half-priced sunday majors this week.

Gotta get to work more on job apps and gym. Done some but not enough.

Friend is now over staying the night because his place has bed bugs. Better not run bad and have them transfer over to my place.

Here's my first week of June graph to get me out of the depression of the May one.

Big difference in stats is going to showdown less and winning more at showdown.

WTSD - 24.7%
W$SD - 49.1%

I think I should still be winning at showdown 5% higher or so. Not sure of what good typical stats are.

Never graphed before. Here it is for May. Astonishingly bad. What it shows me is I am aggressive and try to win a lot of pots, and go to showdown a ton with weak hands.

As mentioned in my other blog posts I'm cutting back on barrreling, especially 3 barrel bluffs. I think I still need to respect the opponents more at this level and fold when they show strength, even if I have a fairly strong hand.

Breakdown by level of graph:

ALL Zoom

100NL - 267 hands - +$65.88 WTSD% 25.8 W$SD% 50
50NL - 24215 hands - -$899.12 WTSD% 27.5 W$SD% 46.3
25NL - 4877 hands - -$73.67 WTSD% 27.8 W$SD% 40.3

2-tabled another 1020 hands of $50 NL zoom. Won $406.

Stoked.

I feel I'm def running hot and not facing any coolers, but I'm also feeling better about my game. Not donking off as much as I used to. Had lots of good dynamics with a few of the regs in the game. Twice I thought they were 4-betting light, so I 5b weak hands, and they shoved, making me fold. I think I need to look at PSR more, because it was definitely such that they could get me to fold my weaker hands.

Played one hand poorly that I'm regretting.

Opened AA utg. BB calls.

Flop JTx dd. He checks, I cbet, he minraises. WTF?!? I figure he can have KQ or flush draws, although I have Ad so that limits some of his hands. Because of this I 3bet. He calls.

Turn is Jd. Now there's a 3-flush on the board, and I have Ad. He checks, I check.

River is a blank. He bets close to pot. I really think I should be folding, timebank runs all the way down to 1 and I make a hero call. He rolls over JT. Oops. Should've just folded like my gut told me to.

Day started off interesting.

Helped the gf reassemble a new dresser we got.
Watched a few videos, and posted some hands in the forums and looked at other people's posts.
Wanted to play, but held off because I hadn't been to gym.
Went to the landlord tenant board to represent my buddy (he was away and couldn't make it) - the opposing party didn't show up so her action was dismissed. Guess I won that case. 2-0 lifetime in court cases now! :-)

Meant to go to the gym at 3, but it started pouring. Got lazy and didn't feel like venturing off for the 5 minute walk in the rain.
Around 430 went to the grocery store, got a few things. BBQ'd a trout for dinner and some potatoes. Was awesome.

Now it's close to NHL game time. My gf invites her friend over to watch bachelorette, so i have to watch the game in my room.

This is when I decide to start 2-tabling. Profited right from the start and ran hot for most of the session.

Same goals for tomorrow, however this time I need to actually get to the gym and do a better job at writing these cover letters and touching up my resume.

Have a softball game tomorrow too. Hope it doesn't rain.

Tried to withdraw my $200 from PS but require 48 hours due to fraud prevention. Guess I'll do it tomorrow night. Hope that doesn't turn my boomswitch to doomswitch. I'm feeling good about my game now though and hope to keep playing. Will probably take a shot at .50/1 if I get up around $2000. Rake is killing me and I think it's more player friendly at the next level.

<3

Just 2-tabled and played 1,000 hands of 6-max $50 NL.

Won $220.

Session felt good.

Felt like I ran well, but there were actually no preflop flips for more than a 50bb pot.

Was mostly just grinding, winning a lot of small pots, and wouldn't say I hit all that much. Where I ran good I think is that my opponents never seemed to have anything and I never ran into a better hand when I had something good. Dont think I ever had top pair+ vs a villain's set which is always good.

Def cut back on barreling. 2 barreled a lot less, only when I had legitimate outs as opposed to complete bluffs like I previously did. Don't think I ever 3 barreled for stacks.

Made one questionable bluff that I felt was right at the time...and it worked out.

I've posted it, and some other hands in the micro stakes forum.

GOALS for tomorrow:

DO NOT PLAY UNTIL:

1) Gone to gym,
2) Done at least 2 cover letters,
3) Watched 1 video
4) Reviewed some hands in the forum, and
5) Ate well