Greetings poker goons, welcome to the first blog of an aspiring 6max grinder. I certainly hope that this blog never gets read since no one should be subjected to the creative writing of an engineer, but in case you have made it this far don't say you weren't warned.

My name is Will and I'm a 19 year old Applied Physics student at Queen's University in Canada. I started playing about 18 months ago after playing some home games and stumbling upon 2+2 through the SomethingAwful forums. Privy to this wealth of knowledge I threw $50 online expecting to take on the world despite having read 3 2+2 threads and having understood none of them. Needless to say I busted my first fifty quick snap, read more, threw on $200 and haven't looked back since. My roll has bounced around from Fortune to Full Tilt to Party where I spend the vast majority of my time nowadays. I've played every stake from NL10 to NL200 or 400 where I now reside save for fun fish chasing ventures up to NL2k (we don't talk about that day). I'm confident that I'm one of the best NL200 players on Party right now (fastest special olympian) with a nice 6+BB/100 winrate over my last 70k hands there.

I'll get this out of the way right now: This post is here for me to vent. The last 3 months have been horse****. I've been working real hard to push through to NL400 since the New Year and have been more or less throat raped by the variance train. I'm writing this today because my NL400 downswing hit 30 buyins a few hours ago, along with a nice little 10BI downer at NL200 to boot. Nothing at 1/2 phases me anymore because I've played and beaten the limit for long enough to not flinch at variance, plus I'm constantly reassured by everyone's horrific play. At 2/4 though, the confidence in my game is completely shot. 2+2er Lefort wrote an excellent blog post about tilt and confidence and described a 'mental fog' that decends onto you when emotion starts clouding your judgement. At lower stakes the fog starts to set in when I'm about 5 or 6 particularily heinous buyins down, and it's no problem as I easily quit and come back the next day. At 2/4, the fog has been setting in sooner and sooner, and now as soon as I lose my first medium sized pot I'm not playing my A game. I'm embarrased at how mentally feeble I've become.

When people talk downswings, the poker community usually dispenses a few suggestions and tips for recovery.

Take a break
I went on holiday in Fernie BC for two weeks in the middle of February to do some skiing. Went on poker money too which was nice because I've never really done anything extravagant out of my roll before.


Move Down
After I dropped my first 20 BI at NL400 I moved back down to NL200 and murdered. Played 20k hands and won just shy of 30 BI, as well as opening up my game a bit getting my W$WSF up to 47 like all the cool kids on 2+2

Keep working on your game
I post heaps of strat on 2+2 and just released a video that got really solid reviews. I've been working with a killer coach on and off since November who's said I'm 'overqualified' for NL200 and as good if not better than his other students who beat NL400. There's obviously still room for improvement in my game though so I'm just going to keep at it.

Try another game
This is one I haven't tried yet. SNGs have absolutely zero appeal to me, and if I tilt this bad playing 6max cash there's a very real possibility I might reach through the computer screen and strangle my opponents if I play tournaments. I should really look into moving a chunk of my roll to Stars or FTP to play some HU cash, I think it would be a nice change.

Work on something other than poker
The last 3 months have seen me really start climbing more than recreationally and I've been really excited with where it's going. Yesterday at the gym I flashed a 10c which I'm thrilled about given that I started climbing like 5 months ago. I feel strong and I'm really excited to get out once the snow melts and start to learn more.


So that's that. I'm not really sure where to head from here but just keep on trying, or maybe just play NL200 forever, or maybe just stop. Despite my success I'm not sure that poker has benifited my life on the whole. How much is the money worth? What's the price of me being able to go out and have a beer with my friends without being pissed over a bad day at the tables? Do I even like the game any more? I think these are all questions poker players don't ask themselves frequently enough.

Hopefully my next blog won't be such a downer and will instead detail the $$MAD DOLLERZ$$ I'm raking in at MSNL!

Cheers,
Xanta

Xanta

So one of my roommates is dumb enough to claim he could live in our pantry for 5 days. I gave him 4.5:1 and we are now far into day 2 of the bet.

The rules:
5 day pantry bet
1. Chris cannot leave the pantry except for bathroom trips, which are unlimited but no more than 20 mins/day in the bathroom total.
2. Limited to the food in the pantry, and 1 meal/day from outside the pantry.
3. No harassing the pantry man.
4. Chris can bring 1 comforter, 1 small blanket, 2 pillows, lawn chair, Laptop, Small speakers, Styrophome box/mouse, mouse pad, Camera, DVDs, hunting knife.
5. Chris can be brought ice/water.
6. 4.5:1 odds on X$
7. No headset, headphones are ok.
8. Buyout is always negotiable, both ways.
9. Ppl outside the pantry are allowed to microwave Chris something if they feel like it.
10. No time altering drugs, beer doesnt count as a time altering drug.
11. Chris can bring his cell phone, but is not to make a call to anyone but alex, clay, and aj.
Chris can answer calls.
12. Chris cant unload the pantry before getting in, whats in there needs to stay in there.
13. Chris enters with the clothes that are on him, no changing clothes, no shower, but is allowed to bring deodorant and cologne.
14. Toothbrush and toothpaste will be in the bathroom.

Link to his blog:
http://steinbacher.liquidpoker.net/

Pretty interesting, the space is really small and not even big enough for him to lay down completely.

MezmerizePLZ

Saturday I headed down to Milwaukee about 3ish to start drinking before the Bucks/Celtics at 7. Mission accomplished. It was pretty sweet to finally see some big superstars at the Bradley Center since every year when I go to a game its usually against someone as bad as the Bucks. Ray Allen didn't play nor did he need too. The game was pretty much a blowout and I'm glad my buddy got like a free $50 gift card along with his 4 tickets so I didn't have to pay for any beer. Left the game and headed to the strip club for some reason. Left there to get drunk cheaper at the bar next door. Headed back to the strip club until they closed down and went to the casino. Wait lists were to long for some reason at like 3AM to play drunk 2/4 limit haha. Played some BJ, Craps and then stickied up my losses on Roulette and ended up $40 on the night haha.....well at the casino anyways.

I already got about 1k hands in today. I really want to grind more today, but 2 of my buddies are bartending at the Irish bar in town since 10AM, I just can't seem to talk myself into going there yet since I still feel beat from the other night. The session went great and I really feel like all of the "studying" lately has helped a lot. I'm taking more chances in certain spots and I think it's starting to payoff. I seem to be 3betting flops more here and there just when Villain really can't have all that much and in doing so I'm really building up my image it seems. In the past I probably would've folded when I got minraised but it just seems lately I haven't hesitated to follow through. I'll post some hands later tonight or once I get back on my desktop. Heres the graph from this morning thus far.

nubbbby

There were some excellent posts by Comanchie in this psychology thread.

The summary of his ideas is that the brain performs better when it is prepared for various outcomes. Misplacing hands is my biggest source of tilt. I want to play every hand perfectly, and this leads me to losing focus when I mess up a hand. Lately I've been taking a few moments before a session to prepare myself to fail. Yes, I tell myself that it I will inevitably make some technical errors, have lapses in concentration, and get outplayed. Each time I make a "mistake", I write down a note for reference for when I review my hands in PT.

The objective is to minimize these mistakes by playing in the best mental state, and studying the technical aspects away from the tables. A fast paced 6-tabling session is not the time to dwell over misplayed hands. Get that stuff out of your mind so you can focus on the next hand. If your play is really weighing on your mind, take a break. This technique has been working well for me recently. I have recovered from 2-5 buyin drops to book huge winning sessions, where as in the past I would tilt off a few more buyins or quit. Try to play each hand to the best of your ability, but prepare your mind to accept the inevitable mistakes.

Isura

Bodog is rigged, seriously. Do not play at Bodog. I will spare you the details, just don't play there.

Had a good day today, was up 2.4k at one point.

Played much better than yesterday

I am getting better and the coaching starts Monday.



I am now up $400 for the month. **** you Bodog.

Probability

Just played a some $10nl and some $6stts. All in all was up about 44 dollars which is a good start to the day. I played three sit and gos and one cash room. Won two of the sit and gos and then got 2nd in another on an all in call which ended up being a coin flip. Im off to work in about twenty minutes. Ahh not the best job in the world but my co workers are fun to be around and im hoping it pays for my two vacations this summer. One to saratoga race course for a week and another to turning stone also for a week. Plan on being on for another session tonight, if not playing in a live game down the street. Hope all are doing well. gl sean

seanw35

Another quick update before we pack up and leave.

-Buffet was bad.
-Played a session at around 2 PM there because the 10/20 3k max ran. I didn't bring money (thank you Buffalo not having real banks) so I had to have my bank allow a 2k ATM withdrawal, and borrowed a grand from Craig. Roll on the tableaments.
-Craig sat to my direct left, and we essentially took turns raising. I would estimate, and Craig agreed, that I had a 30-35% VPIP full ring.
-Two people asked to be moved from my direct right during the session.
-We basically had about 20k between the two of us by the end of it, and I'm pretty sure no one else at the table won money.
-I ended up 9, and Craig I think about 3.
-Craig Boyd exercised the first ever live CiB bluff that I have seen or heard of.
-Everyone was pretty bad. I was three barreling in limped, multiway pots as much as I could so I could get called down cheaply, and continued to show things like 38o, 57o, 29ss, etc. Very manipulable opponents (psychologically), but it certainly seems that live is all about dynamic.
-I will post hands later.
-Actually, I have to talk about this hand. I am BB, Craig is UTG and dead straddles (it's effectively a blind min-raise UTG). 4 callers, and I make it 210 with KTo. Craig calls, UTG+1 calls, UTG+2 makes it 1200 with 2800 behind. Folds around to UTG+1 who shoves, and UTG+2 folds. LOL "straddles".
-At night we went to Boston Pizza again, and that was fun. This time we got over 1200 tickets between 7 people, and were able to get 20 army men, a triceratops, a pterodactyl, a stuffed animal bear, and another donkey.

I will post the rest of the hands as soon as I get the chance to. I enjoyed the trip and would definitely go again.

MYNAMEIZGREG

Well it's 430AM and I decided not to start up again and am about to take a nap before I gotta get up and start drinking for the Bucks vs. Celtics game today. Throughout Friday I played off and on and did pretty well. Early on in my first session I felt like I was just going to bleed money trying to stack 2 fish and then I finally got at both of them and from then on I just was holding up and getting myself in good situations. I played just under 3k hands and in PT when it sorts by winning/losing hands KQs lost -$74.70 so I don't think I ever got stacked for a full buyin which is a good feeling. It seems that I just need to stay nitty against these big fish who are so loose and passive w/o putting to much money into the pot w/o knowing exactly where I'm at. Anyways...kind of tired so am not going to bother posting to many hands. My day ended with me playing 19/16/4.81 so whatever.....here's an EV graph. Run good, play good.....profit?!?

nubbbby

Well I am on track to at least break even this month.

My play has ranged from normal to pretty bad.

SS group coaching with Greg starts in a couple days and I have hope it will make me a poker genius.

I started a side blog with to friends where we will be posting all pots that we put at least 50bb in. I find that stuff really boring so I wont bother with a link.

I realized tonight that I do not adjust my play enough. I am incapable at this point. I will be trying to improve.

Probability

Well, not quite the big show yet, but Selection Sunday is this Sunday- so something awesome to look forward to this weekend (as if my gf coming home from Cancun tomorrow wasn't enough).

Tonight I went to one of the best basketball games I've ever been to. If not one of the best games, certainly one of the most insane finishes. My boy Starkey and I went to the Big Ten Tournament at Canseco right here in Indianapolis.

I've got one name for you:

Blake Hoffarber.

What a sick life this kid has led. Two years ago, he hit this shot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJoxGpEswOI

Tonight, he hit one of, if not the, most phenomenal buzzer beaters in college basketball history. Here's a link to the article, which obviously doesn't do it justice.

http://www.sportsline.com/collegebas...20080314_MN@IN

Basically, the kid caught a full court pass, down by one point with a second and a half left on the clock, turned around (heavily guarded) and hit a left-handed 17-footer with under a half second on the clock, which went through the net as time expired. Despite the fact that the people I went with were IU fans (and I'm an IU fan myself, although admittedly not a huge one- primarily due to the direction the program went after Bobby was canned), it was amazing to see this shot. It was the sickest thing ever. We were on our way out, trying to beat the rush, and chilling by one of the exits waiting for the play. I thought, until the moment the ball went through the hoop, that this was going to be just another heave-ho and someone would tap it out of bounds and Indiana would get a rather unlikely win... but wowza.

Anyways, that was super ill, so glad I got owned by some random ticket scalper and paid double face for nosebleeds (and I'm like a ticket scalping veteran, wtf).

Next time: maybe I'll play poker or something, I'm not making instructional basketball videos for Leggo (although I probably could).

aejones