My TruePoker WSOP 120K Hands Challenge - Update # 7
 

Hello Everyone!

**WARNING! THIS POST MAY CONTAIN EXPLICIT BAD BEAT/BAD LUCK RANTS OR JUST OVERALL WHINING BY THE POSTER AND MAY OFFEND SERIOUS POKER PLAYERS**

OK! I just wanted to get that out of the way early. Last week True Poker CEO basically gave me a "free pass" on the 120k hands until after I got back from the WSOP. Did I pass GO and collect my free WSOP entry? Nooooooooo! (Best John Belushi impersonation)

Being the bullheaded, driven person I am, I continued to play as if I absolutely, positively had to get this challenge completed by June 15th. (My original goal)

Well this is where the bad luck starts to creep in to the story. It's Friday night, I am playing. I am rolling along pretty good, up about 1K and generally feeling pretty good about myself and the universe. At this moment, my son's girlfriend asks me, "How's it going?" Well, my wife and son know full well never to ask me THAT QUESTION in a midst of a session. It always seems for whatever reason, when I got asked that question, I would be running fairly well, but it then would be followed by an immediate and extended downturn. Anyway, I answer, Oh, I up about a $1,000.00 and at that moment I felt the skies open up and the rain began to pour.

It seem like every time I got AA or KK it was a ticket to lose money. If I raised preflop with AK and flop QJT rainbow, it was a sure loser. One of my favorites, I raise preflop with AJ suited, flop comes JJ5. It's head ups and I'm feeling pretty good. I bet and get called. A 6 falls. Looks pretty harmless, I bet again and get called. On the river comes a 7, no flushes possible, I'm feeling real good that I am finally going take down a pot. I bet and get raised. I think for a moment, (and bear with me because now things are starting to get a little hazy and I could be wrong,) I reraise to get raised immediately back. I call and he shows 89 and he hit the the two cards running he needed to fill his 9 high straight for the winner. I know! I know! This is the exact people I want in my game. Well, at this point I think is where the severe emotional tilt started to kick in and I blow off some more money.

Well, I pack it in shortly after this and read my email. Mr. TruePoker CEO says to go ahead and buy our airfare and he will reimburse us. I spend a good amount of time Saturday looking at rates to discover that they have jumped about about 150% - 300% since about a week ago. (Especially trying to get out of Vegas on the 16th of July.) Finally, I find a "deal" with United for $861.00. My wife says she can call United and have that flight held for 24 hours and it will give me more time to maybe find something better on the net. I say OK.

Sunday night comes and I haven't been able to find anything cheaper so I log on to United's site to purchase the seats. Lo and behold it's not there. I call United and I am on hold forever and forever and finally I am told that I can't get that rate on the net anymore because since we had called in to reserve that flight it was now out of the net's inventory and I would have to book it over the phone for $ 891.00! Great! I go ahead because this is still about $ 100.00 cheaper than anything else I can find. I lost alot of vauable weekend playing time due to researching and finally booking this flight.

I get started playing again late Sunday night, thinking I am going to get in several hours of good high card count play. One of my tables is $3/$6. I get AJ suited (again) in early position and I raise an early limper. It keeps getting raised and then capped with 6 players seeing the flop with 12 big bets in the pot! Flop comes lovely JJT! I'm feeling pretty good! The small blind bets out, I raise and at the moment I get disconnected due to an approaching thunderstorm. (I am on satelite.) I don't know what won the hand, and my all-in protection is exhausted!

I know that the ones that were making fun of my miniscule win rate last week, will definitely have some fun now that I am losing after this many hands. That's alright, I have big shoulders with a large head that sits atop them and I can take it!

I will admit one thing, what I have been doing for the past 112k hands is not playing poker!

Results to date:

Hands Needed: 120,000
Hands Played: 112,680
Hands Left: 7,320

Estimated Hours: 291
Hours Played: 273
Hours to go: 18

Winning/Losings: - 200.00

Projected date of challenge completed: June 15th

AND FOLKS, please remember this is the original hand challenge to the WSOP. Please do not accept any cheap imitatons!

Re: My TruePoker WSOP 120K Hands Challenge - Update # 7
 

Screw'em. Your weekend was a VERY large version of my morning.


Looks like you will coast in just under the wire. Great job so far.

As for the airlines - SCREW THEM TOO! They just raise rates all over. I'll wager they didn't improve the service with the rate hike.

Re: My TruePoker WSOP 120K Hands Challenge - Update # 7
 

The main question is how much you would have made over the last 2 months if not playing for this seat. Take that number, subtract it from $13,500 or whatever the value of this package is, and that is what you are up.
My guess is you are up about $10,000 in value over the past 2 months, and will have a memory to last a life time...... hey you may even cash [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

Re: My TruePoker WSOP 120K Hands Challenge - Update # 7
 

I forget what this challenge is worth ($12000 or $10000), but most poker players look at their total earnings INCLUDING rakeback. So your total so far with rakeback (ie. wsop prize) is:
112680/120000 * 12000 - 200 = $11,068
or
112680/120000 * 10000 - 200 = $9,190

So those profits aren't so bad, are they? [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

edit: wow death valley had SAME thought I did, but I took like 6 minutes longer to post.

Re: My TruePoker WSOP 120K Hands Challenge - Update # 7
 

Woo Hoo! The sun is starting to shine and the calvary has arrived! Our United States Postal Service just delivered Harrington on Hold'em Vols. I & II.

Re: My TruePoker WSOP 120K Hands Challenge - Update # 7
 

I too say screw the win rate. Winning poker is not easy, and trying to do what your doing while playing winner poker all the time is pretty much impossible. Besides, the $13,000 or so that this project is paying off with can help any loss in win rate you might have.

Re: My TruePoker WSOP 120K Hands Challenge - Update # 7
 

So how many true points have you accumulated and whats the deal with that?

Re: My TruePoker WSOP 120K Hands Challenge - Update # 7
 

I know I'm responsible for 1 or 2 of your bad beats in the $25 NL games. Good luck in the WSOP tough.

Frenchie

Re: My TruePoker WSOP 120K Hands Challenge - Update # 7
 

[ QUOTE ]

As for the airlines - SCREW THEM TOO! They just raise rates all over. I'll wager they didn't improve the service with the rate hike.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think I found an industry that has support people that run a close second to party's

Re: My TruePoker WSOP 120K Hands Challenge - Update # 7
 

[ QUOTE ]
The main question is how much you would have made over the last 2 months if not playing for this seat. Take that number, subtract it from $13,500 or whatever the value of this package is, and that is what you are up.
My guess is you are up about $10,000 in value over the past 2 months, and will have a memory to last a life time...... hey you may even cash [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks, D and to the others that echoed the same thought.

Oh yea, it still was definitely way worth it for me. Didn't want to come across as a whining loser with that post, but I was just trying to relay what my thoughts and feelings were over the weekend.

Even with what has transpired from a win rate standpoint and the demand of this challenge physically & mentally, I would do it again tomorrow knowing what I know now.

Re: My TruePoker WSOP 120K Hands Challenge - Update # 7
 

[ QUOTE ]
I would do it again tomorrow knowing what I know now.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, once you're knocking off the hands at the rate you're going, it's probably not that big a step to move to 20-tabling for 24 straight hours.

Oh, wait, you didn't mean "I'd play 120000 hands tomorrow"?

Darn.

Re: My TruePoker WSOP 120K Hands Challenge - Update # 7
 

I haven't flown since Jan of 2001. It was horrid before 9/11 and the resultant stupidity at the airports. I can't imagine it having improved (and I have my dad's experiance to bounce my thought off). I checked on a 1 way ticket to stop a friend from taking a day off to take his mother home (3-4hr drive each way). Well, I found a $270 ticket that resulted in 10hrs to make the trip - OR - he could drive her 2.5hrs to another airport and she'd have a 1hr flight. The first flight was Knoxville to DC to Raliegh, to Tampa to Atlanta to Alabama. In-freaking-sane.

Last trip on Delta - had to site 2hrs on the tarmac without any drinks or moving because we could take off "at any minute". 1hr flight Jacksonville to Atlanta. Circle Atlanta 1hr again no service we might land "at any minute". Land, taxi, wait 1hr on the tarmac waiting for a gate. Oh, yeah, we had a gate on the other end of the airport and they wouldn't hold planes for anyone they screwed up with the 4hrs delay (missed my connector by 15 minutes). Couldn't swap ticket for car/other ticket/anything - yes, we screwed up. Yes, we are cutting out a big portion of your time off. Yes, we have bad service. So? We have your money and the return flight. When will you be flying again?

I can only imagine the stupidity now. My 60yr old father gets checked everytime he flys. It's just stupid.

Re: My TruePoker WSOP 120K Hands Challenge - Update # 7
 

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Even with what has transpired from a win rate standpoint and the demand of this challenge physically & mentally, I would do it again tomorrow knowing what I know now.

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Your frickin insane!

Re: My TruePoker WSOP 120K Hands Challenge - Update # 7
 

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I too say screw the win rate. Winning poker is not easy, and trying to do what your doing while playing winner poker all the time is pretty much impossible.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey Art,

This is pretty much the conclusion I have come to. This brings to mind another question--What is the maximum number of hands a person can play in a month's time before they become a break even/losing player? I believe I can play around 40k hands per month and show a moderate win rate (around 1 BB/100) An optimal amount for me might only be 20k hands per month though. I realize this answer would vary widely from player to player.

I would find it very hard to believe that there is someone out there consistently playing 90k hands month in and month out and beating the game.

Re: My TruePoker WSOP 120K Hands Challenge - Update # 7
 

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So how many true points have you accumulated and whats the deal with that?

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I am at 56k plus. Enough to take me and the wife on a Vegas trip for free (again) and by the time I done I should have enough for a free cruise. You can also cash them out for dollars, but I am little confused by the exchange rate, as I think it changes once you reach platinum status.

Re: My TruePoker WSOP 120K Hands Challenge - Update # 7
 

[ QUOTE ]
I know I'm responsible for 1 or 2 of your bad beats in the $25 NL games. Good luck in the WSOP tough.

Frenchie

[/ QUOTE ]


Thanks Frenchie for the good luck wish, not the bad beats.

However, I made some poor call downs and definitely tilted away some money at those tables as well.

Truepoints = Cash back for players >1500 raked hands/mo
 

The exchange rate for Truepoints:

$.01 per point in 100 point increments, generally 1 point given per raked hand.

A player who averages over 1500 raked hands/mo (technically, one who plays 6000 raked hands over a rolling 120 day period) can exchange Truepoints directly for cash into his account.

56,000 Truepoints, thus would come to $560.00

There is NO sign-up involved, everyone gets this deal and once you hit Gold status, your redemption of points is at your convenience, in 100 point increments, 24/7. If your average contribution to rake is $.10 per raked hand, this works out to a 10% cashback bonus.

Re: My TruePoker WSOP 120K Hands Challenge - Update # 7
 

[ QUOTE ]

Yeah, once you're knocking off the hands at the rate you're going, it's probably not that big a step to move to 20-tabling for 24 straight hours.

Oh, wait, you didn't mean "I'd play 120000 hands tomorrow"?

Darn.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, that's not what I meant, but wait, hmmm, I just wonder what that would be worth to a poker site.....

Re: My TruePoker WSOP 120K Hands Challenge - Update # 7
 

[ QUOTE ]
I too say screw the win rate. Winning poker is not easy, and trying to do what your doing while playing winner poker all the time is pretty much impossible. Besides, the $13,000 or so that this project is paying off with can help any loss in win rate you might have.

[/ QUOTE ]

Especially when you have to mix both format and limits. I can't imagine 8-tabling with both NL and FL tables mixed.

Re: My TruePoker WSOP 120K Hands Challenge - Update # 7
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I too say screw the win rate. Winning poker is not easy, and trying to do what your doing while playing winner poker all the time is pretty much impossible. Besides, the $13,000 or so that this project is paying off with can help any loss in win rate you might have.

[/ QUOTE ]

Especially when you have to mix both format and limits. I can't imagine 8-tabling with both NL and FL tables mixed.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think looking back on it now, this might have impacted my win rate more than anything. Especially when tables got short, I would continue to play. (Thinking it was really helping hand count, which it did, but to the detriment of my win rate.)

Re: My TruePoker WSOP 120K Hands Challenge - Update # 7
 

An heroic effort. I trust you will not do that to yourself ever again.

Re: My TruePoker WSOP 120K Hands Challenge - Update # 7
 

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An heroic effort. I trust you will not do that to yourself ever again.

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Thanks, Baulucky! I did say I would do this again tomorrow even knowing what I now know. (That is how much more diffcult it actually was than what I thought it would be.)

A better choice of words, would have been that I still would have done it knowing how difficult it was.

I don't plan on ever doing this again anytime soon.

(Not unless someone makes me an offer I cannot refuse.)