GES Day 22: Back in the Saddle

I took the 23^rd and 24^th off from poker completely, and it helped: on the 25^th, I was back to the FTP virtual felt for two tournaments.  The first was a single table that served as a warm-up; I finished sixth.  The second was a 27 person in which I focused a bit more, and ended up fourth.  I could have been out in ninth, but double-ups on consecutive hands put me right back in the thick of things.

Playing: 1.5 online hours

10k update: 81.5 online hours, 215.75 total hours

I'm still planning on doing some more research on a training software, and the aforementioned trip to Turning Stone is coming up in a little over a week.  The next SFPT get-together is TBD but I think it will be the week after that.  Hopefully things go a bit smoother than last time; we're going to implement a couple changes that will hopefully help move the process along and make it more fun.

Home Game Update

Played for about five hours in the July SFPT tournament last Friday.  Finished third; once again no balls being aggressive when I needed to.  Notice a pattern?

This whole poker thing has me pretty frustrated right now.  I'm not really in the mood to play or anything else the last few days.  Every month I look forward to the SFPT tournament, and every time when it's over, something or things has happened to make me feel like not even doing them anymore.  I can tell it's not fun for people, and if people aren't having fun, what's the point?

I'm currently fishing for ideas/input on the SFPT Facebook page as to what can be done.  I don't really expect a lot of input but we'll see.  Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

Playing: 5 hours, home tournament
Reading: None
Watching: none

10k update: 119.25 home game hours, 214.25 total hours

I don't know if this current rut is just that (a temporary rut), or if it is the beginning of the end of my idea to become a better poker player and take the game more seriously.  I suppose time will tell.  I have read a number of pros say that on days when you aren't feeling it, don't force it.  Today is going to be one of those days.

GES Day 15: Research Progress

I've decided beyond a shadow of a doubt that I need to get some real training/simulation software, with good AI - better than the Real Intelligence shown by a lot of people when I play online for play money.  I did some research on that yesterday, and while I didn't decide on a specific title, I ruled out a couple and also bookmarked some other sites for further reading.  Now, to devote the time to actually do some of it, uninterrupted.

Yesterday's results:

Playing: .75 hours online (seems to be the norm lately for a workday)
Reading: ~10 minutes on Caro's website
Watching: none

10k Update: 80 online hours, 209.25 total hours

10k is going to take a big jump this weekend, and another the first weekend of August (hopefully, though if Tina and I find something different to do together, that's obviously cool too).  I'm itching to put some of my ideas into play.  Just gotta have the guts.

GES Day 14: A Little Bit of Everything

I didn't plan it this way, but I got to do a little bit of everything yesterday - everything, that is, except contribute to my envelope.  Hopefully that will come on Friday evening.

Playing: .75 hours, online
Reading: 30 minutes, Mike Caro and Tom Sexton websites
Watching: 1 hour 2013 ME Final Table coverage

I took a few notes from Caro's website; more stuff to review before live play.  I think what I need to be careful of is trying to do too much at once.  Better, I think, to focus on one area, master it, and then move on.  Much like Major Winchester in M*A*S*H.

During the ME broadcast, Tina and I discussed a few of the hands, something we always do without even saying we're going to do it.  I love it, because I love seeing her passion and intelligence, and I always learn something.  I've said for a long time that if we could combine her skill with my patience and confidence/attitude, we'd have one hell of a poker player.  She made a comment last night along the lines of "that's not a good play.  These guys are all way better than me but I know better than that!"

I scoffed.  "You're right, you do know better.  But it's not because they are way better than you, because they're not.  Period."

Of course, she then scoffed, but I know I'm right.  I've seen it happen.  The only things she lacks are experience and confidence.  Someday when we have the time and I'm feeling up to it, I want to really pick her brain, do something like a coaching session where she can pass me some tips.  I have avoided that in the past because of the SFPT, but we're beyond that now, with me wanting to take my game to the next level. 

I also decided I need to invest in some true training software, because online play just isn't cutting it.  Some more research is needed into exact titles.  A quick search on eBay the other night was pretty much fruitless, but with a title in hand I should be able to do better.

GES, Day 13: Not Much Progress

As the title states, not much progress to be had recently.  I did play a couple single-table SNGs yesterday, winning the first and finishing 7th in the second.  Oddly, I found the second to be much more educational, as I realized a mistake as I was making it:

I had raised preflop, and didn't catch anything on the flop.  I made a c-bet and got one of the other two people to fold.  The turn was no help either, and instead of checking, I made a pot-sized bet.  My opponent snap-called, which was bad news (in hindsight).  I made the same mistake when the river bricked, and shoved all-in to try to force a fold.  It didn't work; again he snap called, and had me easily beat.

The lesson: you don't always have to defend your preflop raise.

Playing: .75 hours online
Reading: none
Watching: 15 minutes HPT coverage

I will probably play a bit more over the next couple days, but the next "test" is going to be Friday with the July SFPT tournament.  I really need to focus on playing the math and not being afraid to lose.  Also, I need to concentrate on knowing how much is in the pot and making my bets accordingly.

GES, Day 8: #bracelethunting Breaks the Seal

Unexpected money is always a good thing, even if it's only $8.32 from some long-forgotten class action suit I'm sure I was involved in with  about 2 million other people.  Anyway, free money is great money to put to work for you, to take a chance with - and thus, $5 of that $8.32 is the first deposit in my Bracelet Hunting Envelope.

Only played one tournament yesterday, but for good reason: that 90 person, 2,000 buy-in SNG took 2 hours, and resulted in me cashing in 9th place for a profit of 2,500.  I played well the whole time, even when I got distracted doing other things (I'm not too worried about focus in live games, so this doesn't bother me).  The whole time, I was thinking about what I was doing online and how to translate it to live, and when I was done, I made another quick-reference index card with specific items to review before and during live play.

Playing: 2 hours, online
Reading: none
Watching: none

10k Update: 2 hours online, 207 total

#bracelethunting Update: $5 deposit, $5 total, $995 to go

A Pensive Weekend and Lessons from Texas Dolly

I didn't do a whole lot poker related this weekend except think and talk - and both of those turned out to be important.  The biggest news - Tina and I are now shooting for 2015 for our next trip to Vegas - and for me to play in the World Series.  Wow.  Lots of saving to do, lots of planning to do, and most importantly, lots of PRACTICE to do.  I need to get into some more tournaments and gain that experience, as well as refine a strategy and my ability to focus.

***

I did some reading last night as I was trying in vain to be tired enough to go to sleep.  Not reading in the educational sense, just catching up on some WSOP and other related poker news.  On the PokerStars blog, I found this gem:


I can't say enough good things about this article, or the ideas behind it.  First, it's Doyle Brunson.  A legend in every sense of the word, and someone for whom I have a great amount of respect.  As a poker player, it's obvious.  As a person, it was cemented when he put on Twitter one holiday season something to the effect of "To all my Christian friends, Merry Christmas!  To all my atheist friends, good luck!"  I've read a lot about the guy (including a lot written by him), and while he may not preach, and you may not know it looking at him because of that, he is a Christian for certain.

Second, I love how the author took the angle of himself getting older, and his worries about that, and weaved it into the fact that pretty much everything we know about Doyle Brunson, Poker Legend happened after he turned 40.  The authors worries echo my own - witness this particular passage talking about age as a number:

"It's as real as it is arbitrary, and I'd be lying if tried to pretend I don't spend an inordinate amount of time quietly lamenting the state of my personal and crumbling union. I look at what I've done and know it's not enough. I look at what I'm doing and know it's not enough. Most waking moments are spent in half-conscious self-loathing. It's really quite pathetic, no matter how you look at it."

I wrote an entry some time ago about why I love poker.  In there, one of the reasons I gave was that it's something I should be able to do my entire life.  Doyle Brunson is living proof that you can do exactly that.

I also love Mr. Brunson's attitude toward life - as evidenced by the last two paragraphs of this article, as well as his reaction to the hand he had when he fell over - "would have been a great story if I kicked the bucket".  No fretting, no trying to escape the inevitible.  He knows he's closer to the end than the beginning, and he accepts that with class and grace.

I've said before that one of the most amazing aspects of poker is that it allows amatuers and pros to mix and play on a level field.  Not only pros, but absolute legends.  Drawing a table assignment with Doyle Brunson would be like having your name written in the lineup with Babe Ruth.  How awesome would that be? 

More than anything, I want to play poker at a high level for situations just like that, to sit down at a table and see Babe Ruth sitting a few feet away.  Same game, same starting chip stack, and at that moment, the same chance to win the whole thing.

Shuffle up and deal.

GES Day 5

Day five was much better than day four.  I played in a few online tournaments, mixed success but played well in all of them.  I also expanded my reading a bit, with some brief exploration of twoplustwo.com as well as poker1.com, Mike Caro's website.

Playing: 2.25 hours online
Reading: see above, about 15 minutes total
Watching: None

10k Update: 2.25 online hours, 205 total hours

Laying in bed last night, I decided I need to come up with a checklist of very specific items I need to work on while playing live.  Something I can read over before I start playing, and maybe pull out of my pocket on breaks if I feel myself starting to lose focus or feel that I'm not playing as well as I should be.  I'm going to think about it over the weekend and hopefully get that done on Monday.

GES Day 4

Day Four was pretty much a wash.  We spent most of the day out and about.  I did log into the Kindle app late in the day , bouncing around to try to sit at the same table as Tina, but I only ended up playing about 4 hands so I'm not counting it.

Playing: none
Reading: none
Watching: none

I know there will be days like this, I just hope to keep them to a minimum and even them out with days where I do much, much more.

GES, Day 3

Got in some more Full Tilt time and did some reading also.  Played two 9 person SNGs, a fifth and a win.  The win was actually well-earned; 3-handed play took quite some time and I was proud of the way I focused and picked my spots.  Once again, it comes down to having the guts to translate that same type of play to the real felt.

Playing: 1.25 hours
Reading: remainder of July issue of Bluff
Watching: none

Race to 10k: 73.5 online, 202.75 total

The reading was educational. one article in particular stood out as one I am going to refer back to and take some notes.  It covered 5 lessons to use if you want to get better; specifically, five different types of play to practice which, when put together, will cover most scenarios you will come across in both tournament and cash games.

Something for the future: I want to make a short list of strengths and weaknesses in my game, to help me figure out what to focus on when I play.

GES, Day 2

Played a little and read a little yesterday.  This amount of work is what I hope becomes the minimum, or close to it.  I had planned on reading more but was falling asleep and found myself skimming over passages.  Gotta know when to fold 'em.

Playing: 30 minutes, online (Full Tilt)
Reading: half of the July issue of "Bluff"
Watching: none

10k Update: 72.25 online, 201.5 total

One thing I was thinking about yesterday was just how little actual experience I really have.  Take away the SFPT, and I have played in a total of 2 tournaments, and 10 hours of cash game play.  That amounts to exactly squat in the grand scheme of things, and thus gives me a lot of hope.  I feel as though I have made a ton of improvement already, and getting additional "real" experience can only help  - both in terms of putting it into practice, and learning new things.  It's just a matter of committing to getting to the casino to play.

Day One of The Education

Off to a decent start - I spotted some WSOP coverage on ESPN and at the same time played a bit on the Kindle.

Playing: 30 minutes, WSOP app
Reading: none
Watching: 2 hours 2102 ME coverage on ESPN

While watching, I came up with a couple items I need to work on, and which I am going to work on during the next SFPT tournament (which I consider to be a step closer to reality than playing online for fake money). 

10k update: 71.75 online play-money hours, 201 total hours

I have decided that when I am permitted to play online for real money, this will constitue a separate column in the 10k spreadsheet.  It may be that once that day comes (probably years from now), I stop playing for play money altogether, but who knows.

An aside: I do have some hope that with NJ set to go live with real-money poker in the fall of this year, NY might not be too far behind.  One of the state reps (King) is known to be a proponent of online poker, and there is also (I'm hoping) a bit of the big brother/little brother dynamic that won't allow Little Brother to have something Big Brother doesn't have.  Additionally, since the governor has long been in favor of brick and mortar casinos (making him clearly NOT anti-gambling), there is chance he may be swayed in favor of online gaming by the revenue it could bring.

Grinding, Education Style

If I'm going to take this seriously, I think I need to treat it more like a school course.  That means assignments, homework, and tests.  To that end, I have now resolved to do something poker-related every day.  This could be playing, reading, watching TV or videos - anything where I can at the least learn by observation.

In order to keep track of my progress, I am going to use this blog.  I will make an entry if not every day, then every couple of days, cataloging what I did, how long I did it for, and anything I learned in the process.  From there, I hope to formulate plans that will further this education; things like specific strategies to try out,  ways to test myself, etc.

I've found that I often come up with ideas or come to realize general poker strategy when I'm not really trying to do so.  I've had such mini-epiphanies while watching WSOP or HPT coverage, or reading an article that has nothing to do with strategy.  I'm banking on that continuing.  I also need to move into some more specific strategy sessions.  The books haven't done it for me so far (though I have yet to read the applicable parts of Super/System), so I might have to pony up for some training software.

I will also use this space to track my "Race to 10k" progress (update every time I play in any form), as well as my wins and losses when I play live.  I'll also note how far along I've come in my Bracelet Hunting goal.