Journal of a Rookie

[StableHand]

Having lurked the boards for about a year before recently registering, I have read quite a few journals; entertaining and educating, they were all written by more advanced and experienced players than myself. As a novice I therefore thought it would be interesting to keep a journal of my own.

The goals I wish to accomplish with this attempt are:

1) to provide an interesting read
2) to stimulate other beginning players
3) to keep my play disciplined and focused
4) to learn and become a better player

I also hope that it will help me to select specific hands for feedback and comments, which I otherwise find difficult to do.

I have played poker off and on, for entertainment for the past 20 years, basically as a losing player, except for one six-month stunt, where I was in a three times a week live game with lousy opponents. I have played hold'em, also on and off for about three years. I recently quit my work, and as I now have the time I have decided to dedicate it to the study of poker. I wish to develop my game and play better today than I did yesterday. I think I have a fair grasp of my limitations. I will never become an expert player, my goal is to become an intermediate player; meaning to know the usually "correct" plays in fairly uncomplicated situations by heart, spiced with a few fancy moves. It also involves being able to adjust to changing and various table conditions, proper bankroll management, and serious studying.

Currently I play exclusively on one specific site on line, due to computer hardware limitations (I need to buy a new one). Unfortunately it is not one of the best sites. Game selection is narrow, and the only action is at the 2/4 table, where players are pretty good and an even distribution of TAGs and LAGs.

I bought in two months ago for $200. I played micro limit OHL (which is not my game), making 10-50 BB a session, and a coupla tourneys a day. Within a month I had worked my bankroll to $800 and started playing the 2/4 HE, with good success. In six weeks my bankroll was up to over $2000, until a few days ago, when I was playing shorthanded and had a bad day (3-betting AQ against T7o raise and getting beat, all day long). I booked a $600 loss for that black day, and learned the lesson to get out in time when you're not hitting, instead of trying to recuperate the losses. It was possible to get out when I was 200 behind. Anyway, I'm back to slowly rebuilding.

I read S&M's TOP and HPfAP, the 2+2 forums, CardPlayer articles, and keep my books with PokerCharts http://www.pokercharts.com/ , a free record keeping device with stats.

I will continue playing 2/4 HE (one table only), with occasional excursions to the 3/6, and I will play some multi-tabe tourneys too.

I will try to post daily and hope for feedback and comments.

Thank you for reading my post today.

[SirArthur]

I would recommend solving your "computer hardware limitation" problem ASAP.
Game selection, and more specifically table selection are crucial to having online success IMO.

If you don't have the best games available to you (Since you play $2-4, Party Pokers $2-4 games are ridiculously soft), you are giving up way to much.

Good luck in accomplishing your goals.

[StableHand]

Hi.

Well, yesterday was eventful.
I managed 3 tourneys and 3 sessions of 2/4.

First ring game session was only an hour, was waiting for the tourney to start and was very focused. Lost $30.

Here a coupla hands from that session. Today's theme is CheckRaise. I like CR, as you will see. Mostly I think cuz i'ts one of the few moves I know. I try to vary it's use, and apply it to different situations.

First one was OK:
2/4 HE 5-handed
No read on opponents, they seemed happy to bet tho.


I'm SB with 9 /images/graemlins/spade.gif8 /images/graemlins/spade.gif
2 folds, Button raises, I call, BB calls.

Flop:
K /images/graemlins/spade.gif T /images/graemlins/diamond.gif T /images/graemlins/spade.gif

Check, check, bet, call, call.

Turn:
5 /images/graemlins/club.gif

Check, bet, call, call.

River
4 /images/graemlins/spade.gif

Check, bet, call, raise, call, fold.

BB shows T /images/graemlins/heart.gif8 /images/graemlins/club.gif
My flush is good for 12 BB

Second one din't work so well:

Same game, opponent extreme LAG, will bet into any flop with any 2, raises and 3-bets anything shorthanded.

I'm BB with Q /images/graemlins/heart.gif4 /images/graemlins/club.gif

Fold to Button who calls, SB folds, I check.

Flop:
2 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif4 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif4 /images/graemlins/heart.gif

Check, bet, call.

Turn:

3 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

Check, bet, raise, reraise, call.

River:

K /images/graemlins/heart.gif

Check, bet, call.

Button shows A /images/graemlins/diamond.gif6 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif and takes the pot 10.25 BB

The flop looked bad, I figgered a CR on the flop would not have taken out the draw. With any other player I would have called it down. That's the bad thing about loosies. Never can put them on a hand. Tho, I admit, a CR on that board was not only wreckless, but very dumb.

Third one, don't know what I was thinking here. Put him on 99 or smaller. Is the only explanation to my play here. Either way, he wouldn't have folded KK or QQ.

I'm CO and call with JTs, Button raises, Blinds fold.

Flop comes AA2, both check.

Turn brings a T. Check, bet, raise, call.

River a J. Bet, call.

Button shows KK, and takes the 8 BB pot.

Last two hands made this a losing session, plus I failed to raise pocket 8's when bet into on the turn. Real fishy mistake. Slapped my forhead on that one. Raised PF, got called by BB, flop came K45. I bet he called. Turn brought another 4, and he bet into me. Instead of raising I just called, no thinking here at all. River brought a J to his QJo, which I called.

Next session was 10-handed, nice fish, had some good hands, and my $100 buy-in was soon up to $220. After a while ppl started leaving, and the table disintegrated, leaving me with $185 and a sucker with $35. Now, I don't much like to play HU, specially with ppl I don't know, but I had seen this guy in the game, and he seemed so eager to give his 35 bucks away. After half an hour I was pulling hairs outa my head. No less than 3 times did his 74 crack my AT or better. Well, I don't want this to be a bad-beat cry thread. Lesson learned = gitup and party. Or get some rest, till the next battle. He left with my winnings and another 90 bucks. Some more players had joined meanwhile and I managed to recuperate most of my losses, and was another 30 behind, when the game again turned heads-up, with a weak player, and I ended the day on +/-0 for the ring game.

I had better success in the tourneys. Played 3, money in 2. In one, with 5 people left and a payout of 40%, 30%, 20% 10%, I suggested, after a pretty even halfhour long battle, an even 5-way chop for 55 bucks. Buy-in had been $15, so a net of $40. Second tourney I placed third for the last money for 20% of the pool and $20.

Summary:

Day 1.

Ring 0
Tourneys + $55
Bankroll $1517
8 hours at the tables.
No studying.

Thanks for reading my post today.
All comments welcome, and please comment on the hands.

[StableHand]

Hello SirArthur.

Thank you for wishing me well.
And yes, I'm working on the computer thing. Hope to have a new machine in two weeks time.
You are absolutely right about game selection. I haven't played around much, but from what I have seen of the posts here, I think I would be pretty comfortable at the 5/10 at Party or Paradise.

Speaking of table selection, has anyone tried the Table Selection Tool? Or the Hand History Harvester? Software from PrimatPoker.

http://primatepoker.com/online_poker_software.asp

[Stefan Prodan]

Is the Hand History Harvester legal on PartyPoker?

[StableHand]

Hi.

Good day for ring game, not so hot tourneys. Played in 3, in the $ in 1. Last money, gave back 9 bucks on a $7 buy-in (including re-buys). Doubled up twice early in the big one, and made final table but couldn't hit my KJs and KQs, and busted out in 8th place, all-in for 5BB on a straight, taken by the nut-flush.

Ring game was juicy tho. Worked my $100 buy-in to $267 in two hours. One hand that helped build that stack was when I smooth-called UTG raise with pocket Ts CO-1, called by CO.

Flop brings A /images/graemlins/heart.gifT /images/graemlins/diamond.gifJ /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

OOOH, I goes. Gonna get some action on this one; looks pretty skeery tho. Well, us three each put three bets in and turn comes:A 5 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

It's capped, and all three see the river: /images/graemlins/club.gif

UTG shows A /images/graemlins/diamond.gif7 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif and I collect 26 BBs, while he says "you rivered me". "You turned me."

That was fun. Gotto get lucky sometime.

Played pretty much every hand perfect, except checkraising 2-pair Ks on flop, re-raising the turn, and leading on the river into a flopped set. Could have cost me 2 more BBs. $60 pot.

I think also I was too quick in raising a flopped Q-straight. I limped with Q9s CO. Button called, both blinds and UTG were in. SB leads, two callers to me, CO folds to my raise, both blinds see turn, one blind folds on river. I think I might have been able to collect at least 2 more BB should I have waited with the raise.

Summary:

Day 2

Tourneys - $15 (+$40)
Ring + $167 (+$167)
Bankroll $1676

6 hours at the tables.
No studying.

[StableHand]

[ QUOTE ]
Is the Hand History Harvester legal on PartyPoker?

[/ QUOTE ]

Not sure about the legality, but the site says:

Q. What poker rooms are supported?

A. Party right now, working on Stars and Ultimate as we speak.

Q. How many tables can I track at a time?

A. Three per client machine per online poker room.

Q. If I have the Party version and the Stars version, can I track 6 tables total?

A. Yes, if Party and Stars can run at the same time on your single machine, you can track 6 tables total: 3 at Party and 3 at Stars.

[StableHand]

Hi,

pretty soft day. Did mostly some studying. Read Russ' articles at PokerMaffia. He may be a controversial person, but his writing is pretty interesting, imho. Also read some archieved 2+2 threads. There is so much I fail to understand of the advanced mechanics, and the math of poker. Guess that is what makes the very best players. As I've said, I have no aspirations to achieve such a status, or even hope to get a grasp of the higher algebra involved, or how to use the knowledge at the tables. I simply try to understand more of the intricacies day by day.

Played an hour of 2/4, for a win of $92. Slowly working my bankroll into better shape.

I think I might have done a bad fold. I'm in BB with Q9o and it's raised by a LAG (who will raise Q7o and better on whim), folded to me, I call, and an EP limper calls. Flop comes 568r, EP bets, LAG raises, and with $18 in the pot it's my call. I think, I think and fold. Turn comes J, which would have given me a double gut, and with the added possibility that a river Q could have given me the best hand against AJ or KJ, I think I definitely would have been better off calling. Beside the point, but the river indeed came a T, and LAG takes it with AJo

I folded several T9o hands. I think I give away too much doing that regularly, as they often could take down medium to huge pots in the game I'm in. If you have any comments on how you best manage T9o in general, please feel free to share. Or if you have a link to a thread that discusses the play of it, I would appreciate it immensely.

Thank you for reading my post today.

Summary Day 3:

Ring: + $92 (+$258]
BR $1768

[StableHand]

Played well in a 2-table $10 PL tourney, 3-way chop for a net of $50.

A 2-hour ring game session, where I was ice-cold, I played 5 hands out of the blinds during the first hour: AJ, KJ, 88, 66, and AA on the button. The only pot I took was the AA. The big losses came from misplaying the blinds and an hour and a half I was $120 down. I'm finding it more and more difficult to play the blinds correctly, I either lose too much or gain nothing. The table got 5-handed during the last hour, and I managed to steal back some money and fastplay some trash-hands such as K6 and the likes, ending on 78 bucks in the red.

It was really testing to keep picking up T4, 63 etc, round after round after round, I was getting more and more irritated and loosing patience, as I kept mucking mucking mucking. There's really not much else to do, just one of those days, tho $78 in 2 hours is a little too much. Gotto work on keeping the expenses down in the blinds on days like this.


Thought of the day:
In the long run EV catches up with you.

Summary Day 4:

Tourney: +$50 (+$90)
Ring: -$78 (+$180)
BR $1740