Hi guys. Sorry I haven't been updating my blog much the last several months. Barely played the last few months and now we are at the end of 2011 and I've played only 500 hours or so this year. I've lost some of the hunger to grind and because of that I've decided to consider other options.

I'll be leaving leggo and joining Cardrunners as one of their pro's. It's a great chance to do something new and exciting. I'll be doing videos for them and also coaching, I'm already much more excited about poker and looking forward to a very interesting and hopefully profitable 2012.

I'll still be grinding the 3/6 and 5/10 HU games but with making Cardrunners videos and coaching too it should be a fuller schedule than 2011. I used to work so hard when I was studying at university and when poker was new and fresh, so hopefully the new challenge will spur me on to working more like I used to.

I made $85k or so in 2011, which is reasonable as I played so little and also cashed out most of my roll earlier in the year and so logged the most hands at 1/2! I would have been pretty disappointed with $85k at the start of 2011 so hopefully my tally at the end of 2012 won't disappoint!

So bye bye Leggo, and hello Cardrunners. If you enjoyed reading this blog, I'll be updating it regularly on Cardrunners from now on.

finished 7 hours short, so $700 to kiva.org.

not a terrible month considering i had a failed 5/10 shot (see if you can spot it on the graph ), hopefully will be back at 5/10 next month at some point


In other news, just going to not bother playing 6m anymore ever really.

i know variance is a factor, but for reference, this is my 6m graph for the year



and here is the HU graph



alot of 6m is me not feeling like grinding properly, so i just cop out and play NL200 6m, complete waste of time


plan for october same as for september. 70 hours, $100 per hour under my target going to kiva.org

on a pretty regular basis i don't feel like playing, but out of a sense of professionalism combined with the various propbets i usually do for motivation, i decide to grind anyway.

1)it is best to play, even tho i don't feel like it. because if i only played when i felt like it, i'd hardly ever play (as you would witness if you saw what i have been doing the last 2 months (ie - nothing))

agree?

2)what stakes, limits should i play. i usually just play lower stakes and usually play 6m so i can just throw open some random tables and just play. always take a hit to my hourly (considerable) but i rationalise it by saying that its better than not playing at all. also its hard to lose much, so i rarely wish i had just lazed around instead

btw playing mainly 3/6 atm, but should be moving up to 5/10 now, just getting psyched up for it.

played 42 minutes since july 10th. enough is enough

going to start up grinding in september and do another kiva.org propbet until new year when i might amp it up a little

not going crazy, just going to do something modest to make sure i play at all, which would be a pretty large improvement

sept - december - 70 hours per month. every hour under $100 to kiva.org


hopefully i will actually update my blog more than once per month now

so my heater finally came to an end with a nasty 17 buyin downer that started about 4 days from the end of the month won a few back on the last day, and ended up booking a $17k month, which is pretty great, but i consider it a fail as i ended up 24 hours behind schedule for the month. also i didn't play enough higher stakes, and instead played 1/2 6m alot (which is ok in the case of playing on microgaming trying to clear a bonus, which i did on the last day).

here is my june graph



and some stats to show how lame i am not playing enough $3/6




here is the total heater graph in bb's




so in the end, i owed $1440 to kiva.org, so payday for them. made $2300 in rakeback and bonuses so not too bad.

changing my charity prop to 80 hours/month now, sounds a bit lame but i just think playing more than you want leads to poor distracted play. also leads to the tendancy in me to play lower stakes just to get the hours in.

ordered the jarod tendler book, so will see if that can help me play better/work harder.

PS - need to earn about $5k more and then i'll start playing 5/10

an incredibly rare month. i think its my biggest EV heater ever. ended up 30 buyins ahead of EV!!!! (note: still below EV for the year)

shame i ran a bit bad the last couple of sessions of the month or it would have been a perfect month.

here is my graph

16k 2/4 the rest lower. i basically stopped for the month with about a week left, and just played $1/2. i was already having a good month and ready to move up to $3/6 next month, and i wasn't in the mood for variance, so i took the chance to relearn full ring. my friend plays it, and i have been trying to help him out, but its difficult when you don't play the game to offer specific advice. it was suprisingly fun, and by the end of the month i managed to get platinum star (i don't play on stars that much) and got the $650 cash bonus




wrt the charity propbet, i ended up playing 84 hours, so i owe kiva.org $360, same as last month

after previously ranting about a session where a reg i was playing HU ran 8 buyins ahead of EV, i thought it wouldn't be fair to not post when the opposite happened

above EV this year now, after being 30 buyins below EV before the start of the month

i was actually stuck alot to him, i was just running super bad when he 3bet me, and that happened about 30% of the time, so one can lose alot of money in those circumstances. he cbet 100% of flops after 3betting 30%, which usually is a great result, but i just couldn't flop anything, and when i did, i invariably managed to lose the pot somehow.

i won't post the various coolers where we didn't get all in before the river, and just post all the allin hands with cards to come.

also, the baller police should note that these hands are at 1/2 euro, so i am about 44% more baller than it would seem

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HAND #1
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Entraction, $1/$2 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

BTN: $492.65
Hero (BB): $202

Pre-Flop: Q 9 dealt to Hero (BB)
BTN raises to $6, Hero raises to $20, BTN raises to $43, Hero raises to $200 and is All-In, BTN calls $158

Flop: ($404) 4 3 7 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Turn: ($404) T (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

River: ($404) T (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: $404 Pot ($0.75 Rake)
BTN showed A K and WON $403.25 (+$202.25 NET)
Hero showed Q 9 and LOST (-$200 NET)




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HAND #2
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Entraction, $1/$2 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

BB: $200
Hero (BTN): $324.60

Pre-Flop: A T dealt to Hero (BTN)
Hero raises to $4, BB raises to $18, Hero calls $14

Flop: ($36) K 8 A (2 Players)
BB bets $22, Hero calls $22

Turn: ($80) J (2 Players)
BB checks, Hero bets $48, BB raises to $160 and is All-In, Hero calls $112

River: ($400) T (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: $400 Pot ($0.75 Rake)
BB showed 9 K and LOST (-$198 NET)
Hero showed A T and WON $399.25 (+$200.25 NET)




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HAND #3
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Entraction, $1/$2 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

BTN: $1,061.85
Hero (BB): $239.10

Pre-Flop: K 9 dealt to Hero (BB)
BTN raises to $6, Hero raises to $20, BTN calls $14

Flop: ($40) T K 4 (2 Players)
Hero bets $20, BTN raises to $52, Hero calls $32

Turn: ($144) 5 (2 Players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $989.85 and is All-In, Hero calls $167.10 and is All-In

River: ($478.20) Q (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: $478.20 Pot
BTN showed 4 K and WON $1,300.20 (+$1,062.10 NET)
Hero showed K 9 and LOST (-$237.10 NET)




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HAND #4
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Entraction, $1/$2 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

BB: $1,329.45
Hero (BTN): $200

Pre-Flop: 7 J dealt to Hero (BTN)
Hero raises to $4, BB raises to $18, Hero calls $14

Flop: ($36) 2 7 3 (2 Players)
BB bets $22, Hero calls $22

Turn: ($80) 3 (2 Players)
BB bets $90, Hero raises to $160 and is All-In, BB calls $70

River: ($400) 2 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: $400 Pot ($0.75 Rake)
BB showed K K and WON $399.25 (+$201.25 NET)
Hero showed 7 J and LOST (-$199 NET)




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HAND #5
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Entraction, $1/$2 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

BB: $1,605.95
Hero (BTN): $261.85

Pre-Flop: 8 8 dealt to Hero (BTN)
Hero raises to $4, BB raises to $18, Hero raises to $45, BB raises to $124, Hero raises to $260.85 and is All-In, BB calls $135.85

Flop: ($523.70) 3 6 T (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Turn: ($523.70) 9 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)
...

donk sat down on ongame, was insane even for a donk, just not really folding anything ever, and potting almost every street. i was on monkey tilt because ongame wouldn't import hands, and i had various other tables going on (and i was losing on them ldo). i'm almost OCD about record keeping, so was terrified i wouldn't be able to have these hands in my records, but i obviously couldn't quit this huge whale. played 2 pots that are in my top 5 biggest ever bb wise. the reason my prose is retarded right now is because the adrenaline is still pumping. i'm pretty elated tbh, took all his money, recovered the hh's. a classic happy ending. anyway here are the big pots in the order that they occurred.

btw note that i only played 200 hands with the guy.





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HAND #1
------------------

On Game, $2/$4 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

BTN: $302
Hero (BB): $497

Pre-Flop: A A dealt to Hero (BB)
BTN raises to $12, Hero raises to $40, BTN calls $28

Flop: ($80) 2 8 T (2 Players)
Hero bets $50, BTN raises to $230, Hero raises to $410, BTN calls $32 and is All-In

Turn: ($604) T (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

River: ($604) 9 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: $604 Pot
BTN showed Q 8 and LOST (-$300 NET)
Hero showed A A and WON $751 (+$453 NET)




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HAND #2
------------------

On Game, $2/$4 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

BTN: $439
Hero (BB): $807

Pre-Flop: 7 7 dealt to Hero (BB)
BTN raises to $8, Hero calls $4

Flop: ($16) 6 2 4 (2 Players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $16, Hero raises to $48, BTN calls $32

Turn: ($112) K (2 Players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $112, Hero raises to $751 and is All-In, BTN calls $271 and is All-In

River: ($878) 2 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: $878 Pot
BTN showed K 2 and WON $877 (+$440 NET)
Hero showed 7 7 and WON $368 (-$67 NET)




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HAND #3
------------------

On Game, $2/$4 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

BTN: $995.40
Hero (BB): $400

Pre-Flop: A A dealt to Hero (BB)
BTN raises to $8, Hero raises to $32, BTN calls $24

Flop: ($64) J 8 3 (2 Players)
Hero bets $32, BTN calls $32

Turn: ($128) 5 (2 Players)
Hero bets $100, BTN calls $100

River: ($328) T (2 Players)
Hero bets $236 and is All-In, BTN calls $236

Results: $800 Pot ($1 Rake)
BTN showed T 3 and WON $799 (+$401 NET)
Hero showed A A and LOST (-$396 NET)




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HAND #4
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On Game, $2/$4 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

BTN: $1,654.20
Hero (BB): $706

Pre-Flop: A K dealt to Hero (BB)
BTN raises to $8, Hero raises to $36, BTN raises to $106, Hero raises to $702 and is All-In, BTN calls $598

Flop: ($1,412) 5 J 6 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Turn: ($1,412) 7 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

River: ($1,412) 4 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: $1,412 Pot ($1 Rake)
BTN showed A Q and LOST (-$704 NET)
Hero showed A K and WON $1,411 (+$709 NET)




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HAND #5
------------------

On Game, $2/$4 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

BTN: $950.20
Hero (BB): $1,409

Pre-Flop: A K dealt to Hero (BB)
BTN raises to $20, Hero raises to $66, BTN calls $46

Flop: ($132) 2 A K (2 Players)
Hero bets $88, BTN calls $88

Turn: ($308) 7 (2 Players)
Hero bets $228, BTN calls $228

River: ($764) 5 (2 Players)
Hero bets $1,027 and is All-In, BTN calls $568.20 and is All-In

Results: $1,900.40 Pot
BTN showed 3...

after getting in Q6o vs 99 on 9xxr thinking i had QQ as featured in an earlier post, you would have thought i had learned my lesson. but obviously not. maybe its because i managed an incredible suckout to beat top set that hand that made me sloppy, if i had lost the hand, maybe i would have swore never to do something like that again....

both these hands i somehow thought i had top 2, AQ and AJ respectively, i must be watchful in the future on these boards. the weird thing is that i almost never playing more than 4 tables, so to missread my hand is quite unforgivable

at least in hand 1, i fairly often have the best hand, and may very occasionally fold out a better hand, but hand 2 it was a reg who coldcalled then donked out into the fish who i had iso'd, AK being his most likely hand at that point.

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HAND #1
------------------

Party, $1/$2 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 3 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

BB: $683.51
Hero (BTN): $533.91
SB: $200

Pre-Flop: T A dealt to Hero (BTN)
Hero raises to $5, SB raises to $18, BB folds, Hero calls $13

Flop: ($38) A Q 8 (2 Players)
SB bets $24, Hero calls $24

Turn: ($86) 3 (2 Players)
SB checks, Hero checks

River: ($86) 7 (2 Players)
SB bets $58, Hero raises to $491.91 and is All-In, SB calls $100 and is All-In

Results: $402 Pot
Hero showed T A and WON $333.91 (+$133.91 NET)
SB showed A Q and WON $400 (+$201 NET)




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HAND #2
------------------

Party, $2/$4 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (BTN): $432.45
SB: $400
BB: $116.90
UTG: $145.05
MP: $451.95
CO: $292.77

Pre-Flop: T A dealt to Hero (BTN)
UTG folds, MP raises to $12, CO folds, Hero raises to $36, SB calls $34, BB folds, MP calls $24

Flop: ($112) A 5 J (3 Players)
SB bets $65, MP calls $65, Hero raises to $396.45 and is All-In, SB calls $299 and is All-In, MP calls $331.45

Turn: ($1,268.90) T (3 Players - 1 is All-In)

River: ($1,268.90) Q (3 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: $1,268.90 Pot ($3 Rake)
Hero mucked T A and LOST (-$432.45 NET)
SB showed K A and WON $1,201 (+$803 NET)
MP showed 5 5 and WON $64.90 (-$367.55 NET)

as you can see, a pretty terrible month. due to having to cash out a vast amount of my roll for various reasons, i played mostly NL200 this month.

was one of the worst poker months of my life, just getting absolutely crushed in really soft games over and over. luckily, a last minute heater saved my month, and with rb+bonuses i avoided a losing month. just about got enough money to start playing NL400 again now, so watch this space. ended up stuck 15-20 buyins for the month at 6max, and that was mainly 4 tabling in super soft games, usually with 2 fish per table. i didn't post the EV line, because wasn't significant to matter, was about $1.2k under EV.

on the charity propbet front, i managed 114 hours, so fell short by 6 hours, so at $60/hour that comes to $360. i've already deposited it on Kiva.com and will now decide who i want to give it to.