My last blog post was pretty small and weak so I thought I would take a look back at my recent MTT grinding from the 28th of Feb on.
My scores since I got back to the MTT grind have been pretty sweet and those of note are...
3x Monte Binks (28th + 29th of Feb and the DS Sat one on the 10th of March)
Canadian Bink and a 2nd
Late Night Bink
Atlantis DS Bink
Over the last two weeks the gods have obviously allowed me to run good but you have to then pounce on these opportunities when they come along. My conversion of FT's into binks is highly impressive (even if I do say so myself :P) and the only low lights thus far regarding deep runs have been the 2nd in the Canadian a 4th place finish I had in one of the Primes and a bubble finish in another Monte. I mention the low points because they give me more food for thought than the binks because in the MTT game Binks = a job completed and a feeling of relief wheras anything else is just a different losing finish.
The 2nd in the Canadian was a struggle once I managed to grind to HU. I was a 6 to 1 dog and managed to grind my way back upto even but I was having a lot of trouble against this particular villain. It was probably the only contest where I just couldn't manage to define the villains tendencies and I'm still left wondering if I got pwned on an epic scale or if they just run like Jesus on heat. The problem was that he was showing a lot of particularly weird (bad) folds with hands that should have called and that had me beat but then on the other hand he was playing bk when I had marginal holdings. I'm still confused as to how I struggled so bad in this HU battle considering on paper it should have probably been the easiest villain to get the better of. Either the gods handed me my arse on a plate or the villain did and credit where its due imo, WP.
The Recent Prime FT was by far the most frustrating. Sometimes it doesn't happen for you and I guess you just have to accept it. I was brutally card dead throughout and had to fold the only premium I received. with 9 left EP shortie jams and Wygie (100k) Jams his stack in from MP. I'm in the bb with 90k (blinds 1250/2500) with AK and have no option but to fold. Calling would just be so bad in this spot as Wygie is a solid reg and his range is JJ+ and doesn't turn up often enough with AQ so I groan and fold. Wygie flips over his Kings and takes the pot. You cant get results oriented even tho I would have spiked a 3 outer on the river (don't I always? :P). This FT was probably the most difficult of those Ive recently been on and having a good solid reg to my left and the chippie sat beside them made for a rather frustrating experience. When I say I was card dead I mean for me :D. As the blinds climbed up and the players fell my airballing 3bets were getting 4bet shoved on and every time I stole an orbit I faced a 3bet the time after. There isn't a great deal one can do when your not catching and getting played bk at all the time so I guess I cant grumble too much. The frustration comes from being that deep and failing to turn that stack depth into a top 3 at least but it happens.
Managing to get my hands on 3 Montes out of 8 since my return to the grind is pretty sweet given my relatively poor overall record in the event. Self titled bubble boy to doubling my binking column is obviously sweet, only 5 behind the Fox now....fml you bot :P
I was probably more chuffed with taking down the Atlantis than I was any of the other events. Its probably the main regular low stake event on PKR and I have played it many times without even getting a sniff at making an FT and it was on my list of Regular MTT's to bink (Aussie and The Open being the other two). Once I got lucky bvb and doubled with a 3 outer after hitting TP I pretty much ran over the table. A table full of ladderers none of whom will play bk with 10bb+ without a premium hand is by far the easiest to grind down and that's just how it went.
I also played that unmentionable event many times.....bollocks, ok "The Open". I hate it with a passion, the structures horrible, the players are horrible, everythings just horrible. Just one time for the love of god let me bink it so I can leave it alone forever more. I made the final 2 tables 3 times out of 5/6 entrances and failed to make any final table appearances. The Open sucks and I suck at The Open.
Grinding the Saturday schedule made me realise how much sick value I'm usually missing out on. With the super soft fields and the DS structures of some of the events its a regs dream but the grinding life and outside commitments are how they are.
In my next blog post I want to delve into Final Table appearances and the processes I go through to try and convert that into a top 3 finish/bink.
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Monday, 5 March 2012
February - Review
So did I finally get some cash hours in? Did I grind the MTTs like my former machine like self? Nar I carried on the theme of doing pretty much everything but play the pokers. That said given my lame volume I produced some rather impressive figures.
PLO CASH
I played a grand total of 3 sessions spanning 10 hours of play at PLO50/100/200 over 2k hands. The first one of which took up half the playing time and involved a $1k+ swing. My total profit for the month (lol) was $830 which I was only reminded about because I couldn't remember if Id played any cash this month or not (volume came at the start).
MTT
Sadly my MTT volume was equally as lame. I managed a grand total of 16 MTT's over 3 sessions. My first session of 3 MTTs (playing cash at the same time) resulted in one minor cash for 7th. In my last 2 sessions I managed back to back Monte binks while squeezing in a Canadian title. It was quite a surprise to find my game was in such good shape and that I was able to capitalise on the opportunities falling into a heater gave me. The Canadian was the easier of the 3 simply because it played deeper endgame when edges are biggest and having a monster stack from the middle game on always helps.
My two Monte binks didn't so much involve just running hotter than hot and were more about making the right moves at the right times against the right villains. That combined with taking tricky value lines and bluff catching less than normal (although I will never let go of all my stationing) were key features. I was more than happy with my HU play in both games. The first of which I was pretty short and an agro nutter and from then on the villain always thought I was light (and seemed very inexperienced HU) which always helps. In the second we started HU with pretty even stacks and I called a 3bet pre with JQ. Called a Q high flop and made a bluff like bet on the turn knowing villain couldnt flat. It was a ship or fold spot given I made it look like they had FE and they shipped with air (an overcard) and I snapped to take it.
First binks of the year so gotta be chuffed with the results for the month if not the volume.
PLO CASH
I played a grand total of 3 sessions spanning 10 hours of play at PLO50/100/200 over 2k hands. The first one of which took up half the playing time and involved a $1k+ swing. My total profit for the month (lol) was $830 which I was only reminded about because I couldn't remember if Id played any cash this month or not (volume came at the start).
MTT
Sadly my MTT volume was equally as lame. I managed a grand total of 16 MTT's over 3 sessions. My first session of 3 MTTs (playing cash at the same time) resulted in one minor cash for 7th. In my last 2 sessions I managed back to back Monte binks while squeezing in a Canadian title. It was quite a surprise to find my game was in such good shape and that I was able to capitalise on the opportunities falling into a heater gave me. The Canadian was the easier of the 3 simply because it played deeper endgame when edges are biggest and having a monster stack from the middle game on always helps.
My two Monte binks didn't so much involve just running hotter than hot and were more about making the right moves at the right times against the right villains. That combined with taking tricky value lines and bluff catching less than normal (although I will never let go of all my stationing) were key features. I was more than happy with my HU play in both games. The first of which I was pretty short and an agro nutter and from then on the villain always thought I was light (and seemed very inexperienced HU) which always helps. In the second we started HU with pretty even stacks and I called a 3bet pre with JQ. Called a Q high flop and made a bluff like bet on the turn knowing villain couldnt flat. It was a ship or fold spot given I made it look like they had FE and they shipped with air (an overcard) and I snapped to take it.
First binks of the year so gotta be chuffed with the results for the month if not the volume.
Thursday, 1 March 2012
The Kindness of Randomers
I'm not what you would call a people person. Or rather I'm not a random people person because they either never seem to enter a pot or they don't play their hands all that well. On very rare, special occasions though they surpass even the greatest of expectations and deliver the type of warm glow that knowns by definition simply cant.
I was travelling back on an expected 8 hour Journey the other day when two hours in I started to feel terribad. A tidal wave of the brown shizzle hit me and there was a seismic shift from me feeling fine and dandy to me feeling like I was knee deep in man flu (the bit where you can just about bare to be alive). Aching like I was some giants hill rolling play ting I knew the rest of the journey was going to be the mother of all bitches. So I did what any right minded poker player would do in such a spot. I zoned out everything else and had just one aim in mind, to get home and pill up.
Hours passed like weeks and I realised I had a new nightmare/experience fear and I was right in the middle of it. The zoning out helped and I was chuffed to bits as I approached the final two legs. I was an 80% fave as I started my 2nd to last train journey but I was uber struggling. I was sat to the rear of a full carriage with a female randomer to my left as I tried to keep it all together. This woman then turned to me, rustled a bag of sweets and asked me if I would like one. I declined respectfully with a smile on my face as the offer was like a devine pick me up message from a higher power. Given that I do almost all of my travel on public transport I just couldn't recall such a similar kind gesture ever happening before and the warm glow freed me from my torment. Then I started to feel a tad guilty that I was simply unable to partake in any sort of conversation meaningful or otherwise as I couldn't afford the luxury of losing all that valuable energy. I had my goal and I had to stick to it or be fecked.
Then the phase stared that I had been fighting off for the last 4 hours. I could feel my energy being sapped out of my body and I was burning up like that floppy fella on bonfire night. Off came my coat and had it been even remotely socially acceptable I would probably have stripped down to my undies but alas it was too late. I knew I was right on the edge of the popping zone and I turned to the kind soul on my left and told her I really didn't feel all that well. She advised me to pop my head between my legs and take in some deep breaths. My thighs started to become enlarged in my view and then poppio....
I started straightening my back and due to the combination of feeling like Id just taken a one dip bath and the altered configuration of a few passengers and the conductor I kinda grasped my spot, Id been sparked out cold. I then regained far more functionality than I had previously been capable of and realised the precision of my new spot. I was relaying my next train information to the conductor and my wait at an empty, dark station just as another randomer had one of those light bulb moments. Its not nice to make blanket assumptions/reads on individuals but given my spot and my actions I was happy to go with my gut. This tattooed heavyweight was asking me what time it was and was trying to edge into FBI territory and it was so out of line that I had no option but to put them at the top of their range. This was starting to feel like a nightmare spot. The kind hearted Angel to my left exited the game as we arrived at her stop and I was now facing a very tricky spot. With my outs feeling pretty shitty the next randomer who had been on the periphery of the action offered me a lift home a stop early thus bypassing what could be a truely fkd up run bad spot. Although I semi-declined verbally, I shamefully angled for a repeat offer which duely came and I gratefully snapped it off.
Leading upto and during the car ride home me and Mark discussed the spot and confirmed that he had a similar read on the heavyweight. Thankfully he lolled when I said he was my partner in crime and that we were just luring him into an elaborate car jacking scam :P
Special thanks to the the train Angel and Mark. Without whom my weekend may have been a darn sight worse than it otherwise was. Thank you both for showing such compassion and for restoring some of my faith in humanity.
In our polarised uber open, uber closed society its often difficult for us to experience the kindness of randomers.
Some randomers are actually sound. Are you a sound randomer?
Sermon Endethed
Oh....I fell into a heater feltside (more next time) , yay me :)
I was travelling back on an expected 8 hour Journey the other day when two hours in I started to feel terribad. A tidal wave of the brown shizzle hit me and there was a seismic shift from me feeling fine and dandy to me feeling like I was knee deep in man flu (the bit where you can just about bare to be alive). Aching like I was some giants hill rolling play ting I knew the rest of the journey was going to be the mother of all bitches. So I did what any right minded poker player would do in such a spot. I zoned out everything else and had just one aim in mind, to get home and pill up.
Hours passed like weeks and I realised I had a new nightmare/experience fear and I was right in the middle of it. The zoning out helped and I was chuffed to bits as I approached the final two legs. I was an 80% fave as I started my 2nd to last train journey but I was uber struggling. I was sat to the rear of a full carriage with a female randomer to my left as I tried to keep it all together. This woman then turned to me, rustled a bag of sweets and asked me if I would like one. I declined respectfully with a smile on my face as the offer was like a devine pick me up message from a higher power. Given that I do almost all of my travel on public transport I just couldn't recall such a similar kind gesture ever happening before and the warm glow freed me from my torment. Then I started to feel a tad guilty that I was simply unable to partake in any sort of conversation meaningful or otherwise as I couldn't afford the luxury of losing all that valuable energy. I had my goal and I had to stick to it or be fecked.
Then the phase stared that I had been fighting off for the last 4 hours. I could feel my energy being sapped out of my body and I was burning up like that floppy fella on bonfire night. Off came my coat and had it been even remotely socially acceptable I would probably have stripped down to my undies but alas it was too late. I knew I was right on the edge of the popping zone and I turned to the kind soul on my left and told her I really didn't feel all that well. She advised me to pop my head between my legs and take in some deep breaths. My thighs started to become enlarged in my view and then poppio....
I started straightening my back and due to the combination of feeling like Id just taken a one dip bath and the altered configuration of a few passengers and the conductor I kinda grasped my spot, Id been sparked out cold. I then regained far more functionality than I had previously been capable of and realised the precision of my new spot. I was relaying my next train information to the conductor and my wait at an empty, dark station just as another randomer had one of those light bulb moments. Its not nice to make blanket assumptions/reads on individuals but given my spot and my actions I was happy to go with my gut. This tattooed heavyweight was asking me what time it was and was trying to edge into FBI territory and it was so out of line that I had no option but to put them at the top of their range. This was starting to feel like a nightmare spot. The kind hearted Angel to my left exited the game as we arrived at her stop and I was now facing a very tricky spot. With my outs feeling pretty shitty the next randomer who had been on the periphery of the action offered me a lift home a stop early thus bypassing what could be a truely fkd up run bad spot. Although I semi-declined verbally, I shamefully angled for a repeat offer which duely came and I gratefully snapped it off.
Leading upto and during the car ride home me and Mark discussed the spot and confirmed that he had a similar read on the heavyweight. Thankfully he lolled when I said he was my partner in crime and that we were just luring him into an elaborate car jacking scam :P
Special thanks to the the train Angel and Mark. Without whom my weekend may have been a darn sight worse than it otherwise was. Thank you both for showing such compassion and for restoring some of my faith in humanity.
In our polarised uber open, uber closed society its often difficult for us to experience the kindness of randomers.
Some randomers are actually sound. Are you a sound randomer?
Sermon Endethed
Oh....I fell into a heater feltside (more next time) , yay me :)
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