Enjoy my Poker Blog

[curtains]

Here it goes.....I figure this way when I slack off and don't play I'll not only have to make excuses to myself but to the rest of the world!!! Also you get to see that Im insane.

http://www.livejournal.com/users/curtainspoker/

Ill try to update every day when I'm done playing.

[bluefeet]

awesome curtains...thanks for sharing /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[golfcchs]

Wow you moved from the 22's to the 215's in 6 months.

[curtains]

3 months. But okay I was playing $215s before I played the $22s. I just dropped down to learn how to 8 table. Also I was not so great at the $215s before I learned how to 8 table.

you live in philly? what area?

[Shilly]

Very nice. I'm sure you'll be the MTT World Champion in no more than five months.

[GtrHtr]

Nice, thanks for sharing.

[Dr_Jeckyl_00]

thanks for sharing... added to my favorites.

[Degen]

badass

[Mr_J]

Well when you can make 100k in 3 months I don't see why you should feel the need to work all that much.

[pooh74]

Nice...I love reading these.

thx Curtains,

you da man

[Scuba Chuck]

You're f.ing crazy. You're up late, and up at 5AM to post on your blog? /images/graemlins/confused.gif

Anyway, so can we expect to find you posting in the small stakes forum?

[curtains]

[ QUOTE ]
Well when you can make 100k in 3 months I don't see why you should feel the need to work all that much.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nah I didn't make quite 100k in 3 months, but ok I had a decent bankroll before this. I don't really want to work, I just want to be world champion...but I cant be if I sit around and never play. It's not the best strategy somehow...

(Note that when I say World Champion, I don't actually mean World Champion)

[Oluwafemi]

[ QUOTE ]
you live in philly? what area?

[/ QUOTE ]

what part of Philly do you live in? i used to live in Germantown off Woodlawn Street. i got family that lives in Southwest, Cheltenham, Germantown, Mount Airy and Chester, Pa.

i live in west philly with a couple friends right now (i go to drexel univ). I work in flourtown on my co-op which is right up there in chester

[Bluff Daddy]

[ QUOTE ]
3 months. But okay I was playing $215s before I played the $22s. I just dropped down to learn how to 8 table. Also I was not so great at the $215s before I learned how to 8 table.

[/ QUOTE ]

so what secrets did you learn to 8 tabling

[Irieguy]

If you want to be world champion at everything, why do you only want to play holdem?

Do you not like the other games, or just feel like all the money is in holdem?

The main reason I ask is because if you continue to succeed at the highest levels, eventually you will want to win WSOP bracelets... and a lot of events are in non-holdem games.

Irieguy

[Bluff Daddy]

what I dont get is if you really understand poker you shouldnt give a damn about winning a wsop bracelet right?

[curtains]

I agree that at some point its important to learn other games. There is no reason I shouldn't be able to properly read my hand in Omaha/8. I just think I have too much that I need to learn in holdem games to worry about those games yet.

Since I already have some knowledge in this area, it should be easier to pick those up. Although really I never really had huge success in ring games, almost all of my bankroll was built through tournaments.

[curtains]

[ QUOTE ]
i live in west philly with a couple friends right now (i go to drexel univ). I work in flourtown on my co-op which is right up there in chester

[/ QUOTE ]

My mom works at Drexel as a Chem professor. I will be moving to Center City on Lombard St.

[pooh74]

There is no reason I shouldn't be able to properly read my hand in Omaha/8

lol...i came in 12th in an PLO8 last night and really had little clue how...sometimes after an individual hand even. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[gumpzilla]

[ QUOTE ]
I agree that at some point its important to learn other games. There is no reason I shouldn't be able to properly read my hand in Omaha/8. I just think I have too much that I need to learn in holdem games to worry about those games yet.

[/ QUOTE ]

1) They're a lot of fun and a change of pace, which would help with some of the boredom problems that it sounds like you're having.

2) Irie has said, and I agree, that you learn a lot about poker in general by playing a wider range of games.

3) It's fun.

I like stud and stud/8, they feel like less of a grind to me than other forms of limit poker.

[Irieguy]

[ QUOTE ]
I agree that at some point its important to learn other games. There is no reason I shouldn't be able to properly read my hand in Omaha/8. I just think I have too much that I need to learn in holdem games to worry about those games yet.

Since I already have some knowledge in this area, it should be easier to pick those up. Although really I never really had huge success in ring games, almost all of my bankroll was built through tournaments.

[/ QUOTE ]

I learned to play PLO just because it sounded fun, and then fell in love with the game. So, for a few years I played mostly (almost exclusievely) pot-limit omaha and PLO-8 on line.

Then, when the holdem craze hit I had to switch back to holdem to take advantage of the money... and I found that somehow my PL holdem game was better than it ever was.

Now PLHE is far and away my best game even though I have played fewer hands of that game than either PLO or NLHE.

I guess my point is that I think by learning other games you may stumble upon skills that can sharpen your ability in all games... and you may find that you excel particularly in one game.

Some "famous" examples of this type of learning would be Phil Ivey, Paul Darden, and Ted Forrest. All three of those guys probably played less than 10% of their hands in holdem each year until 2002. Now, those guys would all make most people's top-20 lists in NLHE.

I guess i'm just interested in why you feel it wouldn't help your overall progress.

Irieguy

Great Blog....keep us posted!

[chisness]

looks pretty cool. how often do you plan on playing? do you give yourself vacations whenever you want?

i can relate to your hitting a big upswing (mine was relatively very large for myself) and then getting ridiculously lazy. it's hard to explain since it's like giving up money, but there's just no drive.

[curtains]

It would likely help my progress and I will probably incorporate them very shortly.

[curtains]

[ QUOTE ]
looks pretty cool. how often do you plan on playing? do you give yourself vacations whenever you want?

i can relate to your hitting a big upswing (mine was relatively very large for myself) and then getting ridiculously lazy. it's hard to explain since it's like giving up money, but there's just no drive.

[/ QUOTE ]

A lot of things come up for me, so Im going to have to take time off here and there. But I'll try to play as many days as I can.

[curtains]

[ QUOTE ]
There is no reason I shouldn't be able to properly read my hand in Omaha/8

lol...i came in 12th in an PLO8 last night and really had little clue how...sometimes after an individual hand even. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I played a live Omaha/8 tourney once on the Pokerstars Cruise, because I was a stupid moron. In any case I won a hand against a pro player, and he made some comment about how I had some type of hand. I can't remember what he said but I basically had no idea what he was talking about, all I knew was I had a full house and there was no low on the board. But I also had to pretend like I knew how to play, so I basically ignored him (I think I unconfidently nodded and said...yeah), and he seemed kind of offended.

[chisness]

best of luck, if you can keep this up, 2006 should be a very very profitable year for you. so what do you do with your winnings? stocks, money market, briefcases in the closet?

[curtains]

[ QUOTE ]
best of luck, if you can keep this up, 2006 should be a very very profitable year for you. so what do you do with your winnings? stocks, money market, briefcases in the closet?

[/ QUOTE ]

A little of everything. I suspect the most profitable thing would be to play as many sit and gos as possible all the time, but its pretty boring too to do it all the time.

[pergesu]

I haven't looked at it yet, but why do I think a lot of the posts will be

OH MY GOD THESE PLAYERS ARE [censored] MORONS IF YOU CAN'T BEAT THE GAME THEN YOU SUCK!!!!!!!!11one

[chisness]

well that's not really feasible

even if you're a $200 player, once you've got $20k or so online, it's gotta be most profitable to put most of the rest in the market.

[curtains]

[ QUOTE ]
well that's not really feasible

even if you're a $200 player, once you've got $20k or so online, it's gotta be most profitable to put most of the rest in the market.

[/ QUOTE ]

I mean in terms of playing, not investing or whatever.

[chisness]

yeah makes sense. that's what's so cool about poker though, you only need $20k to make something like a $2mill investment with a return better than the market average.

[KingDan]

Do you think the $10+1 rebuy is worth your times in terms of $$/hour or just more enjoyment/change of pace?

And if anyone is interested in playing plo8, the cryptos have a great game. Only problem is it is usually just two tables running $.50/$1 blinds, occasionally a bigger game will run.

[curtains]

[ QUOTE ]
Do you think the $10+1 rebuy is worth your times in terms of $$/hour or just more enjoyment/change of pace?

And if anyone is interested in playing plo8, the cryptos have a great game. Only problem is it is usually just two tables running $.50/$1 blinds, occasionally a bigger game will run.

[/ QUOTE ]

I wouldnt have played it probably if I didn't miss the bigger 9pm tourneys. ($150 on party and $100 on UB) It's fun though....

[lacky]

hmmm...I'm already champion, so I guess my only real goals right now are making money and beating you at STTF-HUC2. Why don't you make it PLO. I'd have a reason to finally learn the game, and you'd have a fair chance /images/graemlins/blush.gif

Steve

[Mr_J]

"I just want to be world champion"

This explains why you're still messing around with poker instead of preparing to semi retire off you know what /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[pooh74]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
There is no reason I shouldn't be able to properly read my hand in Omaha/8

lol...i came in 12th in an PLO8 last night and really had little clue how...sometimes after an individual hand even. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I played a live Omaha/8 tourney once on the Pokerstars Cruise, because I was a stupid moron. In any case I won a hand against a pro player, and he made some comment about how I had some type of hand. I can't remember what he said but I basically had no idea what he was talking about, all I knew was I had a full house and there was no low on the board. But I also had to pretend like I knew how to play, so I basically ignored him (I think I unconfidently nodded and said...yeah), and he seemed kind of offended.

[/ QUOTE ]

lol...I do that a lot in all facets of my life. I do the "nod and ignore" as well as Pippen used to do the "pick and roll".

But seriously, its a great game...it just takes me a long time to figure out my outs and if they're even any good. I often end up in a winning hand for reasons I didnt even contemplate when i played it that way.

But its so fun...It appeals to the fish in me. And, in any regard, good tourney strategy lends itself to any type of game. Beyond that, i just play my own hand in a vaccuum.

[psyduck]

I'm adding you ^___________^ KEKEK

No seriously though, very interesting stuff.

[mmbt0ne]

Nice little site you got there.

FWIW, I would recommend you not playing any SH limit until you feel like you have a good grasp on the full ring games. Everyone I know has had a much easier time going from full to short, than vice versa, and I think playing both early, after qualifying yourself as a not so great limit player, would be really bad for your development. Heh, I didn't think I'd ever say something like that to you.

Also, I chuckled at Yoko Ono giving a review on your sister's book.

[byronkincaid]

Curtains, could you explain again or give me the link to where you explained how you did the $22s to $215s thing. I remember it was add one higher table at a time but I can't remember how many buy ins you had to win before you added another one. I'm so bored of poker atm I need some sort of challenge. Thanks

[vabogee]

"chess bitch"...awesome. i'm actually buying this book as we speak. i'll let you know what i think.

[MegaBet]

Great! You will have an avid reader in me.

[fnord_too]

I guess that answers the question (with some reasonable probability) of where your screen name comes from (since you previously said it was not a play on blinds).

[Melchiades]

[ QUOTE ]
I basically ignored him (I think I unconfidently nodded and said...yeah), and he seemed kind of offended.

[/ QUOTE ]
Haha. Lovely.

[PrayingMantis]

Very nice curtains, I'll be following it. GL in becoming WORLD CHAMPION!

BTW, I also use random.org for certain things, it's a very helpful tool to make decisions with... /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[raptor517]

why the hell would u want to waste 46% of yer time playing full ring cash games? what a waste. shorthanded stuff 4tw. u can beat the full games being a robot. wont help yer game much. play short. other than that, nice blog. i expect constant random updates. holla

[curtains]

[ QUOTE ]
Curtains, could you explain again or give me the link to where you explained how you did the $22s to $215s thing. I remember it was add one higher table at a time but I can't remember how many buy ins you had to win before you added another one. I'm so bored of poker atm I need some sort of challenge. Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

Hi dont worry, I will detail it in my poker blog soon anyway, since Im going to do that for every type of poker.

[curtains]

[ QUOTE ]
why the hell would u want to waste 46% of yer time playing full ring cash games? what a waste. shorthanded stuff 4tw. u can beat the full games being a robot. wont help yer game much. play short. other than that, nice blog. i expect constant random updates. holla

[/ QUOTE ]

You can beat the full 30-60 games 8 at once like a robot? You must be rich /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[1C5]

No, he meant he can beat 2 100/200 FR games like a robot I think.

[raptor517]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
why the hell would u want to waste 46% of yer time playing full ring cash games? what a waste. shorthanded stuff 4tw. u can beat the full games being a robot. wont help yer game much. play short. other than that, nice blog. i expect constant random updates. holla

[/ QUOTE ]

You can beat the full 30-60 games 8 at once like a robot? You must be rich /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

blah blah blah. you wont become a great player playing full ring limit, thats all im sayin. u wanna be WORLD CHAMPION and all u need to play games that will help you get there. holla

[PrayingMantis]

[ QUOTE ]
blah blah blah. you wont become a great player playing full ring limit, thats all im sayin. u wanna be WORLD CHAMPION and all u need to play games that will help you get there. holla

[/ QUOTE ]

I believe curtains means "WORLD CHAMPION" in a more abstract way, that is, the best possible player at whatever imaginable version of the game (probably only holdem for now, though).

[KennyBanya]

Cool new blog Curtains. Are you defining World Champion as WSOP bracelets? Or maybe winning the WSOP main event or the WPT $25,000 buy in?

Or maybe you are saying you are the World Champion of a game if you play it better than anybody.

Just curious how you define world champion. Either way, I hope you make it.

Thanks,

Kenny Banya

P.S. Personally I would rather have an Ivey/Greenstein type poker career rather than the tournament only type focus like Hellmuth or Jesus Ferguson, if I were a world class player.

[downtown]

[ QUOTE ]
Curtains, could you explain again or give me the link to where you explained how you did the $22s to $215s thing. I remember it was add one higher table at a time but I can't remember how many buy ins you had to win before you added another one. I'm so bored of poker atm I need some sort of challenge. Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

Curtains can correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember being interested in this upward progression and considering it. I ultimately didn't but I think it was:

1) Start at whatever buyin. Play 8 tables.
2) Play.
3) Look at your results from the previous day. If you are up 10x the next buyin, replace a table from the lower buyin with a table for the higher buyin. (eg you 8 table the 11s, you would add a 22 if you found yourself $220 up)
4) Repeat.
5) When you get to 8 tables of all the next buyin, your roll will then be 80 buyins at that level.

[curtains]

No I dont define world champion as winning some 1000 player luckfest. I just want to be proficient at all games. Also I think raptor is sorely mistaken that limit holdem is easy and unimportant.

[curtains]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Curtains, could you explain again or give me the link to where you explained how you did the $22s to $215s thing. I remember it was add one higher table at a time but I can't remember how many buy ins you had to win before you added another one. I'm so bored of poker atm I need some sort of challenge. Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

Curtains can correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember being interested in this upward progression and considering it. I ultimately didn't but I think it was:

1) Start at whatever buyin. Play 8 tables.
2) Play.
3) Look at your results from the previous day. If you are up 10x the next buyin, replace a table from the lower buyin with a table for the higher buyin. (eg you 8 table the 11s, you would add a 22 if you found yourself $220 up)
4) Repeat.
5) When you get to 8 tables of all the next buyin, your roll will then be 80 buyins at that level.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah that was basically it, now Im going to do that for all games (except for multis).

[curtains]

Also you misread my journal, Im only playing full limit games like 27% of the time. In any case limit holdem is very subtle and important game to learn IMO.

[raptor517]

[ QUOTE ]

No I dont define world champion as winning some 1000 player luckfest. I just want to be proficient at all games. Also I think raptor is sorely mistaken that limit holdem is easy and unimportant.

[/ QUOTE ]

i challenge you to find where i said it is easy and unimportant. im saying it doesnt take a whole lot of poker skill to beat a 10 handed limit ring game. it takes patience and discipline, which is great, but will not make you a world champion. i think these games should DEFINITELY be learned and mastered, but i dont think you should devote so much time to them. try playing some PLO and learning that. its a very useful skill to have. or at least play more heads up/short handed limit. holla

[benfranklin]

[ QUOTE ]
I found that somehow my PL holdem game was better than it ever was.

Now PLHE is far and away my best game even though I have played fewer hands of that game than either PLO or NLHE.

I guess my point is that I think by learning other games you may stumble upon skills that can sharpen your ability in all games... and you may find that you excel particularly in one game.

Irieguy

[/ QUOTE ]

I played nothing but O8 for several months, becoming a small but consistent winner at the low limit games. When I started playing some HE again, my HE game was definitely improved.

The key is that while learning O8, you are also learning poker. When you go back to HE, you don't know more about HE than you did before, but you do know more about poker. Knowing how to play poker is more important in the long run than knowing how to play HE.

Learning O8 (or any other game) gives you a different slant on, and a different approach to, poker. And you aren't focussed on the poker, you are focussed on the O8. The poker knowledge just kind of sneaks in.

It's like when you are studying some technical issue in a book, and then you read a different book or see a video or hear a lecture. In your mind, often subconsciously, you sort and merge the commonality of the various inputs into a unified set of skills.

I don't spend much time reading blogs but I suspect I'll be reading yours seeing as how you're such a fine 2+2 poster.

My 2c re. your discussion with raptor - the less players sitting at the table the more difficult the game is the general rule which I have found to be true. Full ring is easiest, 6 max more difficult and heads up the most difficult so if you really want to get world class at everything than playing more SHHU and less full ring will get you there faster IMO..

I also like the idea of playing pot limit be it omaha or holdem because I think it is the most difficult format to play. Master pot limit and your limit and NL game will of course improve as well.

Anyhow you're obviously know what you're doing and will undoubtedly figure out the approach that works best for you and I'm sure that you'll continue to do just fine. Good luck!

[lacky]

i do believe your talkin out your ass on this one boy.

Steve

[Oluwafemi]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I agree that at some point its important to learn other games. There is no reason I shouldn't be able to properly read my hand in Omaha/8. I just think I have too much that I need to learn in holdem games to worry about those games yet.

Since I already have some knowledge in this area, it should be easier to pick those up. Although really I never really had huge success in ring games, almost all of my bankroll was built through tournaments.

[/ QUOTE ]

I learned to play PLO just because it sounded fun, and then fell in love with the game. So, for a few years I played mostly (almost exclusievely) pot-limit omaha and PLO-8 on line.

Then, when the holdem craze hit I had to switch back to holdem to take advantage of the money... and I found that somehow my PL holdem game was better than it ever was.

Now PLHE is far and away my best game even though I have played fewer hands of that game than either PLO or NLHE.

I guess my point is that I think by learning other games you may stumble upon skills that can sharpen your ability in all games... and you may find that you excel particularly in one game.

Some "famous" examples of this type of learning would be Phil Ivey, Paul Darden, and Ted Forrest. All three of those guys probably played less than 10% of their hands in holdem each year until 2002. Now, those guys would all make most people's top-20 lists in NLHE.

I guess i'm just interested in why you feel it wouldn't help your overall progress.

Irieguy

[/ QUOTE ]

i agree with Irie. i learned how to play NLHE first [exclusively in SNG format]. PS then introduced their [play money] PLO and NLO8 SNGs and i started killing them. now you may laugh because there's no real money involved and most of the players are weak but i don't look at it that way. PLO and NLO8 are primarily postflop games and good postflop players are the players who excel in them. in the low limits i play, i pride myself on having an edge postflop on most players. these play money PLO and NLO8 SNGs definitely improved my postflop play more than anything this year and i didn't have to go broke doing it. PLO and O8 are definitely two games that will help in your overall progress.

[The Yugoslavian]

[ QUOTE ]

i agree with Irie.

[/ QUOTE ]

Irie, I know how you always talk about people being too unwilling to agree with you on some of your points....but in this case I gotta say that this endorsement troubles me, /images/graemlins/crazy.gif.

Yugoslav

[Oluwafemi]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

i agree with Irie.

[/ QUOTE ]

Irie, I know how you always talk about people being too unwilling to agree with you on some of your points....but in this case I gotta say that this endorsement troubles me, /images/graemlins/crazy.gif.

Yugoslav

[/ QUOTE ]

maybe it troubles you because you're too busy worrying about the wrong thing instead of worrying about Yugo. next time, concern yourself with your own affairs and then maybe, just maybe, troubling thoughts won't creep up into mind. then if you still can't help but pop in a make unsolicited remarks toward me, there's always suicide [note to Citanul and durron: sarcasm]. the first step toward recovery is ownership and realizing that you are the problem.

[microbet]

You wouldn't even joke about suicide with Yugo if you had seen his room.

http://www.radekaphotography.com/images/Noose-large.jpg

[Oluwafemi]

[ QUOTE ]
You wouldn't even joke about suicide with Yugo if you had seen his room.

http://www.radekaphotography.com/images/Noose-large.jpg

[/ QUOTE ]

if that's the case, i'm sure he has already tried. even more reason for him to worry about his own [ troublings ].

[mmbt0ne]

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why the hell would u want to waste 46% of yer time playing full ring cash games? what a waste. shorthanded stuff 4tw. u can beat the full games being a robot. wont help yer game much. play short. other than that, nice blog. i expect constant random updates. holla

[/ QUOTE ]

You can beat the full 30-60 games 8 at once like a robot? You must be rich /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

blah blah blah. you wont become a great player playing full ring limit, thats all im sayin. u wanna be WORLD CHAMPION and all u need to play games that will help you get there. holla

[/ QUOTE ]

You will have serious difficulty moving from SH limit to full ring limit. Don't take my word for it. Go ask the other forums which is harder to move between.

[raptor517]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
why the hell would u want to waste 46% of yer time playing full ring cash games? what a waste. shorthanded stuff 4tw. u can beat the full games being a robot. wont help yer game much. play short. other than that, nice blog. i expect constant random updates. holla

[/ QUOTE ]

You can beat the full 30-60 games 8 at once like a robot? You must be rich /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

blah blah blah. you wont become a great player playing full ring limit, thats all im sayin. u wanna be WORLD CHAMPION and all u need to play games that will help you get there. holla

[/ QUOTE ]

You will have serious difficulty moving from SH limit to full ring limit. Don't take my word for it. Go ask the other forums which is harder to move between.

[/ QUOTE ]

you wont have serious difficulty if you have discipline. if you play like a robot and play LOOKING at a starting hand chart, you cant lose in the 15-30 game. you may see gigantic enormous swings, but even at 1.5bb/100 you can drop 600 bbs. (another thing that sucks about limit). if you just stick to a basic hand outline, its not a tough move at the mid stakes online. holla

[The Yugoslavian]

[ QUOTE ]
You wouldn't even joke about suicide with Yugo if you had seen his room.

http://www.radekaphotography.com/images/Noose-large.jpg

[/ QUOTE ]

Ahhhhh, home sweet home.

I gotta finish up the dope Verizon Wireless Jungle ad for the Phoenix Suns game program so that I can go kick it nooselife style, /images/graemlins/wink.gif.

Yugoslav
Who needs to get on an account where pictures of hot nekkid chicks is mandatory!

[curtains]

Trust me raptor, I was always supertight back in the day and never really won very much playing limit.

[raptor517]

[ QUOTE ]

Trust me raptor, I was always supertight back in the day and never really won very much playing limit.

[/ QUOTE ]

also.. i didnt say be supertight, i said be disciplined. quite the difference imo. people twist my words WAY too damn much. holla

cool. small world heh.

Eh.. raptor I don't think it's that easy to win at a 15/30 limit game. Maybe if you're a raptor who thinks 20 tabling is easy, but there are plenty of decent players struggling to even win at 5/10 SH.

If it was easy to win at 15/30, why doesn't everyone do it? /images/graemlins/smile.gif