tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64993082012-02-10T04:40:27.340-08:00I'll come here to post my thoughts on poker, rant about bad beats, and just general comments on all things poker-related.Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.comBlogger1231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1136704411029906392006-01-07T23:01:00.000-08:002006-01-07T23:13:31.040-08:00

I've been playing poker for quite a while. I haven't posted because I don't have much to say. It's the same old story. Win a little; lose a lot. Win a lot; lose even more. Plus, my poker blog seems to only attract people advertising for their online poker sites.What I don't understand is how certain players always seem to draw out on me no matter what. I raise preflop UTG with Aces and the

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1121882361971781982005-07-20T10:54:00.000-07:002005-07-20T10:59:21.976-07:00

It's been a while. I haven't posted anything lately because nothing's really happened to me poker-wise.I've withdrawn most of my money from Empire, and I've decided to concentrate on multi-table tournaments on PokerStars for now. My goal is to play in the WCOOP coming up soon. It will be the largest multi-table tourney I have ever played in, and I hope to make a good showing. So I'll be

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1120070084439284872005-06-29T11:30:00.000-07:002005-06-29T11:34:44.443-07:00

So after my initial two 1st place finishes, I haven't been able to get a single win again. It's amazing how hard it's become for me to get a decent starting hand and catch anything on the flop. I've tried to survive by stealing pots here and there. And then I would always end up going out on the bubble when my pocket pair runs into bigger pockets or when someone catches their straight or flush

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1119464499569243522005-06-22T10:58:00.000-07:002005-06-22T11:23:56.363-07:00

Does a 100% deposit bonus up to $100 just sound too good to be true?I received a similar e-mail for the same offer about a month ago. I was ecstatic. Free $100? I'll take that! I deposited before the offer the expired with the offer code, and I checked my account to see the $100 pending notice in my account's cashier. Yup, it was there. Awesome.I then went on to play as many hands as I could to

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1119421892323318022005-06-21T23:16:00.000-07:002005-06-21T23:31:32.330-07:00

Is America getting tired of poker?http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/3686392?GT1=6555What the hell is this guy smoking? Whatever it is, pass it thi...ah, nevermind....My brother, who's 4 years younger than I, has more credit and gets approved for more cards than I have. WTF?! One of the card designs I saw had the Chinese characters "good fortune" on them. I wish I had that one. But my

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1119162791137019772005-06-18T23:31:00.000-07:002005-06-18T23:33:11.143-07:00

Nothing much to report. I signed up for rakeback and proceeded to lose a ton of money on Empire. It's been a frustrating few weeks where I just can't catch anything. It's driven me to the point of wondering about all those computer simulations. How accurate are they really?Just praying my luck turns around soon.

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1118221014847862092005-06-08T01:55:00.000-07:002005-06-08T01:56:54.846-07:00

So I found another blog with the name Poker Wars. So I've given up in trying to choose a witty name for this blog.

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1118171660879913992005-06-07T11:57:00.000-07:002005-06-07T12:14:20.883-07:00

For the past several days, my poker theme has been something like this: lose a ton of money early and then scramble to try and get back even; then lose another ton of money and try and scramble to get back even; repeat over and over and...you get the idea.As soon as I build up a nice bankroll, I lose it all. It all starts with some horrible bad beats, then cold cards, and then terrible play on

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1117742245595696942005-06-02T12:47:00.000-07:002005-06-02T12:57:25.600-07:00

So after three-tabling short-handed no limit $200, I finally won my first hand of the session after 45 minutes of play. During that stretch of drought, the best hand I had was AKs once but I was forced to fold when the flop brought all low cards and the loose players were betting like crazy. And that was the best hand by far. I hadn't even seen a QTo or something higher.I finally won when I

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1117668668621474102005-06-01T16:26:00.000-07:002005-06-01T16:32:16.646-07:00

I remember seeing that play when I was like 12 years old. One of the best plays I've ever seen.I recorded the single biggest losing day ever in my entire poker career today. And I'm hanging on by the skin of my teeth. When I'm running bad, I run real bad. I haven't been able to hit a single damn thing. Not on the flop, not on the turn, and certainly not on the river. Instead, I've brilliantly

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1117269416597579862005-05-28T01:31:00.000-07:002005-05-28T01:40:08.543-07:00

It's funny, really. Whenever I think I'm going through a terrible week, I usually end up winning quite a bit. The cards have been really awful this week, but I somehow managed to make a few bucks. Nice.And I finally learned that the fish are abundant on Party/Empire on the weekends. I haven't been able to play much on the weekends until tonight. Boy, it's so nice to see all those guppies back in

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1117137091462396002005-05-26T12:43:00.000-07:002005-05-26T12:51:31.466-07:00

Ah...now I remember the weird and crappy customer service that PartyPoker used to have.I recently sent an e-mail to info@partypoker.com and received two e-mails back. One from PartyPoker and one from IntertopsPoker.?...I don't have an IntertopsPoker account.?...I really have no idea how PartyPoker gets things so mixed up. It's one of the reasons why I'm so hesitant about investing in them when

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1117100001952237822005-05-26T02:17:00.000-07:002005-05-26T02:36:43.953-07:00

This is from PartyPoker's updated "Terms and Conditions" page on their website:7. Anti-Cheating Software.We are committed to detecting and preventing software programs which are designed to enable artificial intelligence ("AI Software") to play on our site such as, but not limited to opponent-profiling, player collusion, cheating software or anything else that we deem enables you to have an

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1116569729086458512005-05-19T22:53:00.000-07:002005-05-19T23:19:07.993-07:00

I've been playing a lot of the low no limit hold'em tables in an effort to rebuild my bankroll on Empire/Party. But I've noticed that all the players have gotten so much tighter. Just a few months ago, the no limit tables were where the fish came to play "just like on t.v." And I used to relish watching players see almost every flop and call you down with nothing. Of course, a lot of bad beats

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1116362864143328452005-05-17T13:38:00.000-07:002005-05-17T13:52:38.970-07:00

"Limit hold'em is a card catching contest and it was clear that I caught the most cards...Mimi is an excellent limit hold'em player. Me beating her doesn't really say very much. These challenge matches that I'm playing don't equate to, "Whoever wins must be the better player." It's a relatively short time span we’re dealing with...So while I thoroughly enjoy these matches, win or lose it doesn't

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1116325180686214142005-05-17T03:00:00.000-07:002005-05-17T03:26:02.756-07:00

It seems to me that in order to be a great poker player, you need to have confidence. And that confidence can be viewed in many ways by people, sometimes as arrogance or an ego. I bring this up because in light of Daniel Negreanu's recent open challenge at the Wynn casino, I've been reading a lot of different opinions by people posting on various poker forums about the arrogance of

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1116324013901359072005-05-17T02:44:00.000-07:002005-05-17T03:00:13.906-07:00

"Failure inspires winners. And failure defeats losers...The greatest secret of winners is that failure inspires winning; thus, they're not afraid of losing. Repeating Fran Tarkenton's quote, 'Winning means being unafraid to lose.' People like Fran Tarkenton are not afraid of losing because they know who they are. They hate losing, so they know that losing will only inspire them to become

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1115358897901356882005-05-05T22:45:00.000-07:002005-05-05T22:54:57.906-07:00

"It is like a game, played seriously." - Bruce Lee's philosophy on fighting"You gotta think of it as a war." - Micheal McDermott, RoundersAlthough poker rarely leads to physical violence anymore considering how it has gone mainstream, it is similar to an actual fight in my opinion. I come to the table, with the desire to win, and my goal is to beat someone else. Therefore, I have decided to

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1115356598789649312005-05-05T22:03:00.000-07:002005-05-05T22:20:19.346-07:00

I apologize.I try hard not to show weakness at the poker tables. But a few times, I just can't help myself, and I lose it.I feel a bit ashamed in a way. Does the fact that I need to blow off some steam every once in a while make me any less of a man? Yes, call me a masochistic pig, but I believe that a man should be able to control himself better. I've been doing it all my life, trying to put up

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1115241424058040292005-05-04T14:10:00.000-07:002005-05-04T14:17:04.063-07:00

So after three "Soul Crushing" bad beats in the Bad-Beat-o-Meter, and subsequently losing my entire bankroll again, I've decided to quit online poker. This is just so fucking ridiculous. I understand that people experience bad beats. But in a matter of thirty minutes, I've lost my entire bankroll again because a few idiots called all-in on a chase and caught their fucking one-outer not once,

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1114723559917986212005-04-28T14:13:00.000-07:002005-04-28T14:25:59.916-07:00

So I've gone bust again. I had built my initial bankroll of $100 up to $750 before it all came crashing down. It's funny how it only takes a few bad beats to nullify the hours of effort and work you put into building up your money.But I think I'm over-attributing my early success to skill. It's true that I made some right moves at the right time, but it's even more true that my cards were

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1114648480682575282005-04-27T17:30:00.000-07:002005-04-27T17:35:46.473-07:00

*(!^@&*!%^(!^@)(!*&^#(!@*&@!(*&^!*@&^#&*$%@(*%&(@!^#(!*&@#)(*!^@&#(*&!^#@!)(*@#(*&(*!@#@(&^$%@(*&%(*&!)(*@#@(!)^%$@(*&(#&(!^)(%^@(*#&@*($^(@!^(%$@!^$%)@!&$(@!*$^(@*#&*(^!)(*@&#(*@!^#&)!@(&#@!&#@(!*#^(*@!^&$()*@&#(^!@(*$&!(@)*$^@!(^%%*(@#&$@&#)@!^%(@^%@()#&)!(*^&#(*!@^$(!*^%@(%&*^#$(^#@&^#@&*!$(^%!%)^$)^$!$^_!^$@+!$&+@!^$@!$%+@^%_^@%*(^$#+%)(&!_@)&#*&Words can not describe the frustration and

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1114604102434971142005-04-27T04:28:00.000-07:002005-04-27T13:44:32.350-07:00

So around midnight, after about two hours of playing basketball, my friends get the brilliant idea of going to a casino. I didn't hesitate in joining them as the players at this card room are typical low limit players: loose and passive calling stations. I remembered I won about $110 in two hours during my previous session there. So I quickly changed and got in the backseat of the car to pay

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1114458013569570622005-04-25T12:12:00.000-07:002005-04-25T12:41:30.950-07:00

Iggy has put me back up on the bloggers list. Yay! Thanks, Iggy. There's no greater reward for a small-time blogger like myself than to be recognized by the Blogfather himself.I've also been fiddling around with the Poker Tracker's auto-rate feature. I've gone from a frowning face (uh-oh, I'm a loser!) to a happy face (still too loose, but at least I'm aggressive) to an exclamation mark (using

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1114148863290379352005-04-21T22:08:00.000-07:002005-04-21T22:51:05.960-07:00

I was going over the blogger list on Iggy's site, when I noticed two things. First, I'm not on it, even though I was for a while. =( Secondly, there are a few poker blogs with similar titles. There's Poker - It's Life, Life's a Grind, and The Poker Game of Life among others.Now, I'm not a writer, so I don't know if writers go through this or not. But I've always had a hard time coming up with a

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1114069652931485592005-04-21T00:33:00.000-07:002005-04-21T00:47:32.933-07:00

- a rough road leads to the stars...Funny thing is I got that quote from the movie Armageddon. It's a good quote though. And I think it describes the path a poker player takes when he/she devotes oneself to becoming a greater player.I've decided to look at my recent failures as experiences to learn from. And I've taken my feelings of hopelessness into a resolve to become great. I want to be great

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1113993735174262092005-04-20T03:32:00.000-07:002005-04-20T03:42:15.176-07:00

"It happens to everyone; time to time, everyone goes bust." - Rounders...I know it happens to a lot players. But this is the second time that my poker bankroll has completely gone bust. The sad thing is that I had built it up quite nicely until now. My bankroll was the highest it had ever been. And then in a matter of a couple of days, in one fell swoop, it was all gone. The thing is, I can't

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1113545677162861562005-04-14T23:09:00.000-07:002005-04-14T23:14:37.163-07:00

I've dropped twelve straight $30+3 sit-n-go tournaments at Empire. I've finished in fourth 8 times out of those twelve. And if I was losing because I was truly beat, then I would understand. But everytime I've gotten knocked out, it was on a coin flip or where I held the favorite. And I've always gotten knocked out going all in preflop. I've been eliminated twice when I held pocket Kings.

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1113355084572858632005-04-12T17:21:00.000-07:002005-04-12T18:18:04.583-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted. I've just been swamped with so many things that I haven't had much time to post or even play as much as I wanted to. But this past weekend, I took a little trip to Sin City with my friends, and it was the refreshing little boost I needed to get my poker juices flowing again!We were scheduled to leave on Thursday afternoon for the 4 hour drive from my

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1107440008447754262005-02-03T05:55:00.000-08:002005-02-03T06:46:19.153-08:00

I've been getting pummeled lately in the ring games, and my bankroll has taken a huge beating. It all starts with bad beats. Then it turns into overplaying some hands when I know I'm beat. And then it turns into giving my money away, or donating (I like that term), to everyone else. It's just incredible to see one guy win over and over again, hit flop after flop, catch draw after draw despite the

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1107410026630624982005-02-02T21:46:00.000-08:002005-02-03T11:20:29.926-08:00

Congrats to on_thg for winning the WPBT tourney tonight! He made some nice plays and went on a great run to get heads up with a commanding 6.15 to 1 chip lead! Wow! Needless to say, there wasn't much I could do in that position except try to steal many hands. Unfortunately, I chose the worst time to go all-in...my 95s against his AKo. Oops! I still ended up rivering a straight. Sadly, he had the

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1107329899749232672005-02-01T23:33:00.000-08:002005-02-01T23:40:54.060-08:00

Pocket Queens have been the biggest money-losers for me. They can't seem to hold up against anything. I just had them beaten by 98s when a guy called my preflop raise of about 3.5 times the Big Blind, and he bet out and called my all-in raise on the flop with T-7-x rainbow on the board. And of course, he catches his 6 for the straight. I just don't get it. Why can't they be a profitable hand for

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1107295149219098932005-02-01T13:49:00.000-08:002005-02-01T13:59:09.220-08:00

Finally, the cards have turned in my favor. It's funny how quickly (and how tremendously) my luck has changed. One minute, I'm clenching my last $25 hoping I don't go broke, the next, I'm sitting with confidence and smiling at everything. It's not like I've been getting great cards. But I've been getting less drawn-out on. And after I won a few pots, my confidence returned, and my play got

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1107245627109793462005-01-31T23:55:00.000-08:002005-02-01T00:16:42.633-08:00

If you don't want to read about my rants about the horrible bad beats I've been suffering on a consistent basis, then please don't read the following. It is for my own benefit that I let off some steam in an attempt to control my emotions better at the tables. If there is a poker cheating software, then everybody must know exactly what cards I am holding and what cards are coming on the turn and

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1107160208466065812005-01-31T01:15:00.000-08:002005-01-31T02:39:19.476-08:00

Coupla days, actually... After a nice run to end Friday, I moved up in limits to the 6 max $50 NL tables. And I have just been getting crushed horribly. I am pretty certain that it's not my lack of skills at this level because the level of play have been just as horrific as at the $25 tables. Instead, I've been getting busted by hands in which I should have dominated but ended up getting

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1106872560981473492005-01-27T16:24:00.000-08:002005-01-27T16:45:52.750-08:00

"Me fail english? That's unpossible!" - Ralph Wiggum I reread some of my posts, and I realized that each blog was filled with spelling typos and grammatical errors. But being the lazy ass that I am, instead of going to each blog and correcting the errors, I am writing a post apologizing for my messy writing and failing to proofread each post before it gets "published" onto this site. Sorry. But

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1106725386140034992005-01-25T23:37:00.000-08:002005-01-25T23:43:06.140-08:00

I've sworn off the Steps Challenge (at least for now). There are just too many loose players who call you down with nothing only to hit their miracle cards on the river over and over again. And the blind structures are way too fast for me. I admit that at times, I've been a bit too aggressive (due to my 6 max NL games), but it's just too ridiculous for me to experience bad beat after bad beat,

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1106685206274417412005-01-25T13:30:00.000-08:002005-01-25T12:33:26.273-08:00

Although I'm not as famous a blogger as the names that appear to the right of my column, I have been blogging for over a year now. And I've only participated in one WPBT tournament so far. (I didn't fare too well). I'm wondering whether I should deposit some money into PokerStars and play the tourney. If nothing else, it's a lot more fun than regular tourneys. We shall see.

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1106626734039657772005-01-24T20:03:00.000-08:002005-01-25T12:30:05.776-08:00

So far, the best games have been at the 6 max $25 NL Hold'em tables. The swings can get ugly (I went from negative 4 buy-ins to positive 12 buy-ins back down to negative 2 buy-ins in about four hours), but the players there are so terrible that it makes for the easiest games. Weathering the swings is the hard part. I have a question which I'll perhaps post on the 2+2 forum as well. Here's the

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1106328235306035112005-01-21T08:46:00.000-08:002005-01-21T09:31:31.276-08:00

"The foundation of the professional attitude is an understanding of the principles of correct play paired with an accurate appreciation of the nature of the chance element (particularly the kinds of fluctuations) encountered in poker." John Feeney, Inside the Poker Mind page 217. Nothing like reading up on tilt to get my poker juices flowing again. So after experiencing the worst 48 hours of

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1106215781556396402005-01-20T02:04:00.000-08:002005-01-20T02:09:41.556-08:00

In the span of my 3 hours session today (playing on 2 to 3 tables of $25 NL), the best starting hands I got were pocket Aces, pocket Kings twice, and pocket Queens twice. Now, what I want to know is, what are the odds of losing with Aces, Kings (once), and Queens (twice) when going all-in preflop or on the flop? I won with Kings once. The best hand I got after these were AJo, and absolutely

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1106124042640142362005-01-19T01:30:00.000-08:002005-01-19T00:40:42.640-08:00

Finished 16th out of 288 players in a NL tourney today. I was in great position to make the final table when one guy went on a mad rush and took down me and two other chip leaders, drawing out on all of us. It hurt to go out the way I did, especially since I had a lot of chips, and I was in great position, but I guess that's poker. I'm doing well in full table pot limit games. But the

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1105416234568210432005-01-10T19:50:00.000-08:002005-01-10T20:03:54.566-08:00

"First prize at the World Series of Poker is a million bucks. Does it have my name on it? I don't know. But I'm gonna find out." - Rounders... I know Rounders isn't technically accurate, but I still love the movie. I think it's because of the spirit of Michael McDermott that lives in most aspiring poker players. We've gone on rushes before, and we've lost it all before. But we're still

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1104984750332508102005-01-05T20:04:00.000-08:002005-01-05T20:12:30.333-08:00

There are tons of comments out there about these online poker sites being scams and cheats and such. I don't think that most major sites try to cheat you. But one thing that bugs me is terrible customer service. I just deposited $200 on my EmpirePoker account using their reload bonus code "HAPPY2005." However, when I go into my account, there is no record or any mention of any bonus that is

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1099602257214889422004-11-04T13:36:00.000-08:002004-11-04T13:04:17.213-08:00

Lady Luck...if she exists...has not been very kind to me lately. I've been experiencing more and more losses with "strong" hands at showdowns than I have ever before. And I initially attributed it to my terrible "luck." But after watching my opponents play and after watching them beat me time after time even when they call my preflop all-in reraise with crap like 52s, I realized that there was

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1098422604836260342004-10-21T22:01:00.000-07:002004-10-21T22:23:24.836-07:00

So, the day finally arrived: my first ever poker blogger tournament. To prepare for the tournament, I went on PokerStars about five hours before the tournament and decided to play in a couple Sit-and-Gos to warm myself up. And well...I guess I was warming up to take bust-outs through bad beats graciously. My queens fell to a T-7o. My AKs fell to Q-9o. And so on and so forth. I was really

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1098215504751888192004-10-19T13:39:00.000-07:002004-10-19T12:52:26.603-07:00

It's taken me over a week. But I've finally gotten over my recent streak of bad luck. Poker is just so hard to play when I'm going through streaks like this. Which is why it really takes a tough person to be a professional. I guess one way pros can take such hits is with an adequate bankroll, something that a poor college student like me can't afford. But I do hope to slowly build my bankroll

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1097216629286077012004-10-07T23:18:00.000-07:002004-10-07T23:23:49.286-07:00

I played in a multi-table tournament last night. First hand I get dealt are cowboys. I raise in early position. Middle position calls. The guy right next to him raises big. I am immediately thinking mid-pocket pair. I move in. Both guys call. The first guy had KJo and the reraiser had pocket tens. Flop comes JJT. I'm fucked. I need a king to stay alive, and I realize the other guy's

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1085515550088167522004-05-25T13:04:00.000-07:002004-05-25T13:08:24.896-07:00

I'm tired of losing money. I'm tired of getting drawn out on. Third day in a row of losing huge amounts of money at the tables. Maybe all that bitching to customer service is costing me now. If they are able to control what cards you get and how "unlucky" you get, then I must be in the shit-hole with them. Variance, standard deviation, whatever it is. Just make it stop, please. I'm going

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1085172427462494502004-05-21T13:31:00.000-07:002004-05-21T13:47:07.463-07:00

Ok, so I'm missing about 500 hand histories. And it seems that I'm not the only person who is not getting his hand histories properly. I've sent several e-mails back and forth with the customer service teams and each time, their reply runs along the line of this: "Please click on the Request Hand Histories button on the upper left of the PartyPoker screen." Fuck! You think I've been playing

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1085142822485640262004-05-21T05:33:00.000-07:002004-05-21T05:50:14.913-07:00

Today was one of the most frustrating poker days of my life. I dropped over a hundred again today, suffering the worst suck outs imaginable including the one described below this post. None of my pocket Aces stood up today. They all lost to underpairs. A straight, a flush, a four-of-a-kind. Why not throw in a straight flush for good measure, huh? Actually, today, I won a small pot with a

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1085096622813534432004-05-20T16:31:00.000-07:002004-05-20T16:43:42.813-07:00

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (6 max, 4 handed) Hero ($24.75) SB ($26.15) BB ($33.80) UTG ($44.95) Preflop: Hero is Button with A of diamonds, A of clubs. UTG folds, Hero raises to $1.5, SB folds, BB raises to $2.5, Hero raises to $3.5, BB raises to $4.5, Hero raises to $10, BB raises to $33.8 (All-In), Hero calls $14.75 (All-In). Flop: ($58.80) 7 of hearts, 4 of diamonds, A of

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1085090664087916682004-05-20T14:43:00.000-07:002004-05-20T15:04:24.086-07:00

Now. I'm not usually one to gripe about bad service or customer support. These days, I just can't seem to expect good customer support from any company. I get so amazed when a kind, helpful person ever responds with anything that actually helps provide a solution to a problem. So I wasn't expecting much from PartyPoker, especially after all the crap I heard about them. But when I encountered

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1085045937470711972004-05-20T02:26:00.000-07:002004-05-20T02:56:53.986-07:00

I'm never one to keep a good record of historical dates. D-day, Pearl Harbor, the St. Valentine's Day Massacre (kidding about that last one). I forget people's birthdays and such. So it's no wonder that I even forgot my own anniversary. Doh! Now I wish I had a beautiful woman to remember an anniversary with. No. I'm talking about my poker anniversary. My christening. My rebirth. The day

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1084964670482511032004-05-19T04:02:00.000-07:002004-05-19T04:04:30.483-07:00

After going through a very tough session earlier today, I just had the greatest half hour session of my life! It just goes to show that if you stay with it, all things will work out in the end. You just have to wait for the right opportunities.

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1084954920689660322004-05-19T01:18:00.000-07:002004-05-19T01:22:00.690-07:00

So my last session lasted about an hour and a half. Flops seen: 14% Hands won: 1% Lost about a hundred that last session. It was a tough one. But for some reason, I managed to just look forward to playing the next hand. Unfortunately, towards the end of the session, I realized that the cards weren't coming and that I was mostly getting outplayed by a few guys. So I closed the tables down

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1084829512409461622004-05-17T14:22:00.000-07:002004-05-17T14:31:52.410-07:00

So, while I keep reeling between winnings and losses, I made the smartest move an online poker player can make. And that was to register my Poker Tracker software. Perhaps a review of the thousand or so hands I've imported so far would help me seek out the chinks in my poker game. And there it was...in red. I lose most of my money on the Big Blind. I guess it's true what they say...blinds

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1084790655603633082004-05-17T03:09:00.000-07:002004-05-17T03:55:38.610-07:00

From Iggy's site, a quote from Bobby Baldwin: "Playing poker for a living gives you backbone. You cannot survive without that intangible quality we call heart. I don't care how bad you are going or how good, you have to stand solid. Poker is a character builder - especially the bad times. The mark of a top player is not how much he wins when he is winning, but how he handles his losses. If you

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1084647711704597632004-05-15T11:48:00.000-07:002004-05-15T18:17:57.206-07:00

The games are as juicy as ever over at PartyPoker. I sat down at a full ten-handed $50 no limit table in Party the other day. And I noticed a couple of loose players that were willing to give away their chips. So I wiped my drool with my sleeve and just sat and waited for the right cards to come along. So I folded and waited. And I folded and waited. And I folded some more. But no worry.

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1084421283209029592004-05-12T21:03:00.000-07:002004-05-12T21:08:03.210-07:00

As expected, I've broken out of my slump. Actually, during my "slump," there were times when I believed I would never win a single hand again. But perseverance and patience helped me through, and I've had very positive sessions recently. And indeed, it is patience and perseverance that are essential in a winning poker player's game. I knew that variance would take me in the other direction

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1084310887585846292004-05-11T14:26:00.000-07:002004-05-11T14:28:07.586-07:00

New look for Blogger! I will be updating soon; I just haven't had much to write about. Play has been up and down mostly. I will get back to this as soon as I can.

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1083802902936300082004-05-05T16:55:00.000-07:002004-05-05T17:28:39.403-07:00

The past few days have been very rough for me. Two weeks ago, I had the best poker week of my life. And then immediately after, I suffered the biggest losses of my life. Now, to poker players, such swings are considered inevitable, and that's why a player needs a sufficient bankroll to overcome such swings. Variance, I believe it's called...variance in the statistical probabilities of winning

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1083717356596682562004-05-04T17:34:00.000-07:002004-05-04T17:40:20.966-07:00

I am the unluckiest guy on the planet. There's no point in me even seeing the flop anymore because by the turn or river, I will have the worst hand, and I can't get these damn players to fold no matter how much I bet. I am unlucky.

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1083624390940756222004-05-03T15:45:00.000-07:002004-05-03T15:50:38.123-07:00

I'm steaming these days, so I'm gonna take a step back and try to cool off before I sit down at the tables again.

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1083334298212427322004-04-30T07:08:00.000-07:002004-04-30T07:17:47.373-07:00

This is just one of the hundreds of hands that I played which resulted in me losing even when playing well. Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (6 max, 6 handed) CO ($19.25) Button ($24.80) Hero ($39.20) BB ($40) UTG ($23.35) MP ($82.94) Preflop: Hero is SB with A:diamond:, 9:diamond:. UTG folds, MP raises to $1, CO folds, Button calls $1, Hero calls $0.75, BB folds. Flop: ($3.50) 6:

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1083305889650926642004-04-29T23:02:00.000-07:002004-04-29T23:22:27.576-07:00

Update on my biggest loss ever...over $500 today. Here's a fun hand: Game is $50 buy-in No Limit Hold'em 6 max. I'm dealt pocket Aces in one away from cutoff. Under the gun limps. I raise to $4. Cutoff folds. Button folds. Small Blind folds. Big Blind calls. Under the Gun calls. Flop comes little cards all spades. I don't have a spade. Big Blind checks. Under the gun bets $4. I

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1083273080247175292004-04-29T14:01:00.000-07:002004-04-29T23:06:49.420-07:00

Took a huge blow today...over $380 It was a combination of getting unlucky and going on tilt. I've had my King-Queen beaten by lesser hands six times in a row. I'm not going to play King-Queen for a while. I've also never seen so many "hammers" (7-2), 5-2, J-3, and 5-4 hands in my life. If I could bet what hands I would get next, my money would be on those. I've also lost three times with

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1083094263656943152004-04-27T12:10:00.000-07:002004-04-27T12:39:52.796-07:00

Much thanks to Lord Geznikor (check out his site, some really interesting stuff) for the comment about tightening up my play. At full, ten-handed ring games, I usually stay away from hands lower than KQ. But at short-handed tables I tend to loosen the requirements a bit. But I've realized I've become too lax with my starting hands. Taking a look back, I believe that I played way too many

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1083034948133103612004-04-26T19:48:00.000-07:002004-04-26T20:20:59.513-07:00

"You can set up all the plays in the world, you can play perfectly on a hand, and you can still lose. There's nothing you can do about it." - T.J. Cloutier "There's no such thing as luck? Convince someone who's unlucky." - Mean Gene Well, I knew I was bound to hit that wall sooner or later. I just wasn't expecting to hit it at sixty mph. I haven't hit a set or a flush in three weeks. It's

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1082684443406246032004-04-22T18:10:00.000-07:002004-04-22T18:48:01.030-07:00

If you play poker, you owe it to yourself to check out PartyPoker and EmpirePoker. They are the most popular poker sites online, and the games are better (nice fish) than anywhere else. Current PartyPoker Bankroll: $919.76 Current EmpirePoker Bankroll: $117.76 I started with $50 on PartyPoker at around mid-February. I had some ups and downs, not to mention some tough losses. At that time, I

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1082528172144516312004-04-20T23:05:00.000-07:002004-04-22T18:09:20.920-07:00

Games at Party and at Empire are HOT HOT HOT!!! Party Bankroll: $716.63 Empire Bankroll: $208.87 Still reading bits and pieces of Sklanksy's The Theory of Poker. And like people say, it's not an easy read. It shares many of the same information as Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players, but I believe HPFAP is much better organized than the Theory. It's going to take a while before I finish it.

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1082488474319175062004-04-20T12:10:00.000-07:002004-04-20T12:19:57.090-07:00

Poker has been great, as always, at Party and now (newly joined) at Empire. The games are soft and sweet. You should not be playing anywhere else! Current bankroll at Party: $586.03 And I turned a hundred bucks into $208.87 in only two hours of play at Empire!!! The reasons for joining Party are simple. It has the best spread of games at the easiest competition. It's simple and easy to

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1082070393237256422004-04-15T15:37:00.000-07:002004-04-15T16:13:00.903-07:00

Good games at the $25 no limit tables are getting harder and harder to find. By good games, I mean tables that are abundant with loose/passive calling stations. I don't mean that they're all gone. But the majority of players are much more conservative, and they play with better knowledge of the game than the fishies. So the games are becoming more of a grind, the kind of games where you

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1081899621810229442004-04-13T16:40:00.000-07:002004-04-13T16:45:46.810-07:00

I wish I could eliminate mental lapses from my game. The bone-headed plays when I know I should fold, but I call. But for some reason, time and time again, I make these stupid moves. Why? I know better, but why? Is it just a part of the human brain to do so? Is my brain so curious to find out and make sure whether folding is the right play or not, that it's willing to sacrifice all of my

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1081510583139644522004-04-09T04:29:00.000-07:002004-04-09T04:48:28.513-07:00

you know, up until now, i've never really watched first blood. and i didn't finish the movie even though i had a chance to do so tonight. in the middle of it, i quit to play some poker since i couldn't sleep. yes, poker is more interesting than rambo. and the whole premise of the movie was so inconceivable and, in many ways, sad. it showed how such a celebrated veteran of the united states

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1081475162710292902004-04-08T18:35:00.000-07:002004-04-08T18:51:44.170-07:00

i was asking myself, during my tough times today, "what hand would i like to have next?" most people would answer pocket aces, of course. but i came to the conclusion: the winning hand. whether the winning hand for the next deal are pocket aces or 7-2 offsuit, just give me the hand that will win. and what was the very next hand i was dealt? pocket aces, of course. and the outcome? another

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1081464727698621872004-04-08T15:46:00.000-07:002004-04-08T15:55:56.670-07:00

well, after another two hours of up and down play (mostly down), i've struggled to bring my bankroll back up over the three hundred mark. looking back at my bankroll chart, i've noticed that the first 6 hours i've played have been highly successful with huge gains, and the seven and a half hours since have been bad. the variance and swings of poker dictate that such runs (both good and bad) are

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1081454820784638912004-04-08T13:00:00.000-07:002004-04-08T13:11:54.280-07:00

well, looking back to just a couple days ago, my hourly rate was in the forties, but like i said, i knew it couldn't last, and my expectations were between twenty and twenty-five per hour. but after the losses i suffered since then, my actual hourly rate has plummeted to 18.56. now, like i said, i still haven't played nearly enough to gather any meaningful statistical data. i've only played

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1081384947498328402004-04-07T17:36:00.000-07:002004-04-07T17:48:01.030-07:00

i knew a day like this was coming. i knew the deck would turn ice cold on me sooner or later, all as a part of the game of poker, so i was bracing myself for such sessions, but even though i try to mentally prepare for it, there's really no way i can completely shrug off such horrible losses. it was a combination of bad cards, getting outdrawn, tilt, and bad play. (i'll spare you the bad

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1081288475229408222004-04-06T14:47:00.000-07:002004-04-06T14:58:20.560-07:00

nothing much to do today, soi was bored, and i thought i would play some poker to fill in the time. looking at the no limit tables when i came across some 6 max tables. they didn't have these before, did they? if they did, i never noticed them. so i hopped into a seat and was excited to play some short-handed no limit. except i kept getting killed. i couldn't get any decent hand, and i

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1081209759772730592004-04-05T16:54:00.000-07:002004-04-05T18:59:43.060-07:00

i keep telling myself that i won't play more than two tables at a time, but i couldn't resist today when i found so many attractive tables. and i figured, hey, if i can handle it, why not? but the problem is i can't handle it. i ended up playing three tables mostly, and four for a short period of time during my session today. and i fell victim to what i was afraid of, i could not keep track

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1081183556825404052004-04-05T09:34:00.000-07:002004-04-05T17:17:32.280-07:00

tried playing in a multi-table tournament over the weekend. i busted out early when i let my brother take over the reins for a couple minutes while i took a break...bad idea. but it's not that he played bad hands; he just didn't have the experience. he (we) went out with AQo in early position...troublesome, troublesome hand. i believe that with more playing time my brother will eventually be

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1080850570769827372004-04-01T12:12:00.000-08:002004-04-01T12:56:53.123-08:00

i've just realized what the most frustrating thing in the world is: it's being on the waiting list for an hour for a table that has the biggest sucker in the world on it. a loose aggressive, maniac player who bets with nothing on every single hand is sitting at a table taking and giving away most of other suckers' money, and i'm on the outside looking in, waiting for a seat to open up so that i

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1080761929856474912004-03-31T11:06:00.000-08:002004-03-31T11:44:04.810-08:00

i think that because i've gotten used to short sessions, i have a hard time sitting at a table for longer than an hour. it's almost automatic that i just leave after an hour, an internal alarm clock just goes off and i get the urge to look for something else to do. so i'm gonna try to increase the hours i play slowly. it's really interesting to see the different opinions people have of poker.

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1080615796512224932004-03-29T18:55:00.000-08:002004-03-29T19:07:48.640-08:00

back at school and back playing poker. it's just so damn boring here that i have no other option except to play poker. which is good because i tend to slack off of playing once in a while. so i'll be forced to sit through my hour(s) at the tables. cashed out some measly change and now working on building my bankroll back up. i'm not going to cash out until i hit the millenium mark this time.

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1080115467717840102004-03-23T23:55:00.000-08:002004-03-24T00:07:55.140-08:00

so i was set on abandoning the poker project and just concentrate on making some money. and then i came across poker oddyssey's site, and guess what?...he's abandoing it too. he gives a great reason for doing so, and you'll probably get a better explanation from him anyway; you can go read his blogs. so spring break's been kind of a letdown. despite all the free time i have during the day, i

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1079591587876098002004-03-17T22:15:00.000-08:002004-03-17T22:50:03.436-08:00

first off, congrats to paul phillips on the win on tonight's wpt episode. i knew he won way back when they published it on cardplayer, but it was fun watching him go up against dewey tomko, gus hansen, and his old nemesis mel judah. good playing. on the flipside, i kept wondering how the hell that abe mosseri guy got to the final table. he must have been incredibly lucky or wpt chose to show

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1079518131890576022004-03-17T01:55:00.000-08:002004-03-17T02:12:09.716-08:00

busted out 53rd out of 412 entrants at the wpt super satellite on party tonight. the sad thing is, i blew it with bad play. i was a little below average, but i still had time to wait for a good hand. yet i got impatient and blew it all on an open-ended straight draw against a guy who disguised his pocket aces very well. (he went on to win second or third, i forget...but he won the trip

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1079397221081028752004-03-15T16:21:00.000-08:002004-03-15T16:46:12.450-08:00

the limit hold'em games at party at any limit are tough...that is if you play at any other hours than between 5 and 9 pm pst during the weekday. and with my schedule, it's tough to set aside just that time to play. i'm sure people coming off of work will have a splendid time picking off the fish. but for others, like me, who play mid-day or around midnight, it's tough because only the sharks

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1079310774363259592004-03-14T16:15:00.000-08:002004-03-14T21:50:18.623-08:00

as the super satellite for the wpt championship draws near, i can't help but feel like i have absolutely no chance of winning a seat in the actual tournament. just bad beats after bad beats keep eating away at me. i always end up busting out to loose players who draw out on me. and when i see those loose players amass huge chip leads only to throw it all away later to some other guy, i just

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1079251521030709322004-03-14T00:02:00.000-08:002004-03-14T00:08:34.700-08:00

last post got deleted... basically, i said that i'm trying to learn new things each day to become a better player. so i hit the $1/$2 tables again with a renewed attitude and $150 in my bankroll. luckily, about half of my good hands held up against the loose calling stations. current bankroll: $184

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1079044772060942742004-03-11T14:31:00.000-08:002004-03-11T14:42:42.153-08:00

after 13 and a half hours of playing at the $1/$2 table, i have lost over 100 bb's. and this steady loss makes me believe that i am just not ready to play at the $1/$2 level. i play tight; i lose. i play tighter; i lose. i play looser; i lose. can't hit any of my draws no matter how great the pot odds are. and i keep getting sucked out on when i have the best of it preflop or on the flop.

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1078998670211971262004-03-11T01:30:00.000-08:002004-03-11T04:34:26.950-08:00

march 11, 2004 $22 + $2 buy-in multi-table no limit hold'em tournament qualifier to the wpt super satellite 280 entrants place: first!!! yes! i actually won a multi-table tournament! unfortunately, 1st place paid the same as 18th place. it was a qualifier for the satellite to the world poker tour championship at the bellagio in april. this was amazing! although the final table was more of

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1078961797251209352004-03-10T15:28:00.000-08:002004-03-10T15:40:20.640-08:00

been up and down most of the day...mostly down though. sigh. i always seem to run into monsters when i have a good hand or just get drawn out on a lot. and because i can't even see the other player in person, it's so hard to detect when i'm up against a better hand or if they're just betting because they think they're second pair is the best hand. i guess that's the bad thing about online

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1078906832574516672004-03-10T00:11:00.000-08:002004-03-10T00:24:44.653-08:00

after reading feeney's essays on tilt in his inside the poker mind, i was able to put a stop to my terrible losing streak and have turned things around 180 degrees. ok, so my game's not near perfect still, but i've been learning about how my attitude should be towards playing and about how fluctuations are a part of poker, and i need to learn to play my best no matter what the outcome. feeney

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1078857339113197592004-03-09T10:30:00.000-08:002004-03-09T10:38:46.170-08:00

when a guy makes his inside straight draw on you when you have the nuts on the flop, it can be irritating. when he draws runner-runner on the turn and river to get trips to beat your top pair, that can be irritating. when he hits his hand over and over and over again, then i wonder if there is anybody that won't be steaming. current bankroll: $250 in my past blogs, i admit when i just

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1078826122793027562004-03-09T01:31:00.000-08:002004-03-09T01:58:29.030-08:00

after seeing mostly tight tables at my mid-day session, i figured that the loose players would be out in abundance at night. i got to the tables a bit late (around midnight) and i sat down to play at the biggest average pot table for $1/$2 limits. i take a seat and find out that the table has turned really tight. my usual bad luck of nothing hitting on the flop continued. but at this table, i

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1078814526230350412004-03-08T22:31:00.000-08:002004-03-08T22:45:12.436-08:00

so my streak of winning sessions came to an end sadly. yes, i actually thought i could go on playing poker without another losing session. so what caused the losses? a couple of things... first, i tried to play three tables at once. i've been reading about how online players usually play three or even four tables at once. and david ross plays four 5/10 short-handed tables even! and since i

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1078779786906930282004-03-08T12:42:00.000-08:002004-03-08T13:10:01.793-08:00

i've been having a nice little run my past few sessions. i haven't had a losing session these past few days. i came close once, but was able to win big with a boat to get above even before i had to leave. things are running smoothly. i've been reading john feeney's inside the poker mind. i've found some interesting thoughts, but nothing has "blown me away" so far. in the first few chapters,

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6499308.post-1078457735734046752004-03-04T19:30:00.000-08:002004-03-04T19:38:36.356-08:00

party's new interface menus are all fine and dandy, but i also noticed that they added the feature where the players' cards are revealed when they go all-in ala wpt and poker stars. the only problem is that the software whizzes through the flop, turn, and river so quickly that one barely gets a chance to see what the other player was holding before finding out that the hand is already over and

Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139927637335313366noreply@blogger.com0