I played on three different tables during the last session, but not because I wanted to. I'd much rather spend three hours at one table than one hour on three tables. The first table was full of extremely tight players and no one was willing to put anything at risk. Only two pots were more than $1.00, (unfortunately I didn't win either of them), most were about $0.50. I won three hands at the first table but they were all less than $0.50 so I ended down $0.29. After about 45 minutes that table pretty much died and I went looking for something else.
The second table was better. I watched about 3 hands before posting the blind and got AA. I ended up winning with two pair (Aces over sevens). After that it was downhill for the rest of the night. About 30 hands later I was down $0.10. I just couldn't win any big pots or get good cards. I folded alot of cards my cards, and when I happened to have a fairly decent hand, I would get beat with something better. After another 45 minutes, that table died out and again I went looking for something else.
No luck at the third table either, at least when I left it was full. I won a few small pots but never enough to get back even. At least I was able to leave there on a semi positive note. I won $0.53 before I called it a night. My losses would have been much worse and I would have felt much worse if that I did not win that last hand.
After about 3 hours of playing I ended down $0.97. I probably should have quit much earlier, but I was really in the mood to play for longer than a few minutes.
I had another winning session yesterday. I started out with $13.33 and ended up with $14.50. At one point I was up to almost $16.00. I don't think I played as well this time as I did the last two sessions. There was a couple of times I stayed in when it was pretty obvious I should get out. There was also a couple of times when I thought I had the best hand and I was wrong. One time was when I ended up with a full house (4s full of Ts) on the river and got beat out by (10s full of 4s). Another time my flush was beat out by a full house. I lost quite a bit on those two hands. I didn't really stray from my starting hand chart, but when I did get really good cards the flop did nothing for them. I remember thinking I was at a bad table and that I should pick another one, but I really don't like jumping from table to table.
I also don't think I was in a good position at the table. I read Mike Caro's section in Super System 2 and he said you want loose players on your left so that you act after them. There were some loose players but they were a couple of seats to my right. I think I could have kept more of my winnings from this session if I had better position.
I did manage to pull off a semi-bluff one time during this session. I was in the big blind and I checked the flop gave me four to a flush, so I bet and the person behind me folded and the small blind called. The turn didn't help me but I bet again after the SB checked and she folded. I didn't win much that hand but it helped. The only thing I would have done differently is shown my cards so she could have seen I bluffed. I don't plan to bluff often, just when I think it might be advantageous. If she had called and I hit nothing on the river I would have folded my hand to her. If I had not been last to act, I don't think I would have been successful.
Position is key in this game, as is good starting hand requirements. Somehow I have to manage to sit to the right of the loose players. I should spend more time observing a table and waiting for a good seat to open, instead of sitting down whenever and wherever.
I had an unbelievable winning session last night. I am still stunned. I kept getting really good cards. I started out the session with $9.28 and ending the evening with $13.33. I would really like to see more of my sessions go the way the this one and the last one did.
When I sat down at the table I watch a few hands while I waited for the BB to come around to me and I noticed a player to my right was playing pretty loose(LP). The first hand I watched he was UTG and called and bet during each round. His pair of 5s ended up losing to a pair of Js. There were four diamonds on the board, so maybe he was trying to represent a flush. He won the next hand, but didn't show his cards. Then a couple of hands later he won with a pair of 5s. Then on the next hand he showed two pair (5s over 4s, he was dealt pocket 4s) and lost to an A high flush. Now the BB comes around to me and I was dealt JTo. Six people called and I checked. The flop 789 and I bet, the player to my left called and the loose player raised. I thought for a bit and called and so did the player to my left. The turn was another 7, so I bet again, the player behind me called and LP raised, then I reraised and they both called. The river was a 5, I bet and both players called, then mucked their cards. I won $2.08 on my first hand. I considered quitting right then, because I was afraid I might give it all back like I had done several times before. I decided to keep playing and tried not to do anything stupid the rest of the night. I folded the next few hands and then called with KTh and ended up in a showdown with the LP and won with a pair of Ts against his pair of 3s. The LP stayed in for one more hand which he won then left the table.
I won my third pot a few hands later with A high. I was dealt AhKh and raised before the flop in the small blind and 4 peopled called. The flop was 2 8 3 and I checked and so did everyone else. The same thing happened on the turn and river. I couldn't believe someone else didn't have a pair and I was pretty suprised to win with that hand.
The rest of the night I stuck with the hands on my starting hand chart and played pretty aggressively. If I got good hole cards I would play them and if the flop didn't improve my hand I would fold them. I did make some bad plays but thankfully they did not cost me as much as they did before and there weren't as many of them. I had a really good run of cards. I would like to see that more often.
I got a chance to play on Monday night and I was able to finish on a positive note this time. This was my favorite session so far. I started out the night with $7.42 and ended up with $9.28 (Woohoo!). I decided to go back to my original starting hand chart, which I used during my 4th session. I have tried several different starting hand charts, during the session between the 4th session and this last one, each of them tighter than the last.
I felt relaxed the entire session and I think I played pretty well overall. I managed to get up to almost $8.00 early on but then made some bad calls and was back down where I started out. I did not panic, like I have done before, and I just let it go. I can't worry about the winnings I used to have if they are not there.
I was dealt KQo four times during this session and won with it three times. I played it the same way each time, raising before the flop. The first time a pair of 4s hit the board and I stayed in until I saw the turn then folded. The second time only two people called after I raised, the BB and UTG. I did not hit anything on the flop (2d, 4h,6s), but apparently neither did the other two. They checked and I bet, then the BB drop out. The turn (Tc) came and I still had nothing. UTG checked again and I decided to see if I could bluff him out, so I bet and he folded.
The third time I was dealt KQo started me on a 3 hand winning streak. Three people called my raised that time and I ended up getting a K on the flop. Everyone in front of me checked and so did I. The turn was an 8 and everyone checked around to me again, so I get and only one person called. The river was a J and my opponent checked, I bet and they folded. On the very next hand I got KQo again. Two people called my raise and I got K88 on the flop, they checked, I bet, they folded. The next hand I was dealt 9T of clubs and I called. Three others stayed in. The flop was Jh, 7h, & 8c, giving me a straight. I continued to play agressively and I ended up winning $1.55 from the the pot.
Soon after that I decided to call it a night. I hope the next session goes as well as this last one did.
My last session was my third straight losing session. I started out with $8.25 and ended up with $7.42. I started off folding a lot of hands. Then I got dealt a pair of Ks about 55 hands into the session which turned into 3 of a kind on the flop and then a full house on the turn and I won a pretty good size pot that got me up to almost $9.00. Then about 30 hands later I got involved in a hand from the big blind that turned into a K high flush on the river (the other guy had an A high flush) and I was down below what I started with. After that I just did not play well at all. I stayed in way too long trying to get back what I had lost and just couldn't pull it off. I loosened up my starting hand requirements way too much. I need to make sure I stick to my starting hand requirements and only play those cards. I also think I need to come up with some requirements for hands to play after the flop.
I played again last night after taking about a week and a half off for vacation. I tried testing out Phil Helmuth's top ten starting hands. I think I did okay. I could have done better. I did make some dumb mistakes when I deviated from my starting hands. I folded most of the hands I was dealt. About 50 hands in I won a pot with three of a kind (threes), I was dealt a 2 and a 3 in the big blind and everyone called so I checked and got a look at the flop. There were two 3s on the flop and I didn't feel like any one was going to do any better so I played it out.
A few hands later I was dealt a pair of nines in middle position that I raised with. I got another 9 on the flop. I should have played it more aggressively. Then a few hands later I decided to play A5s. I don't know why. I should have stayed away from it.
Overall I played 130 hands and won three, but I ended up down .25 because I played too many poor hands. Next time I am going to tighten up my starting hand requirements. And I have to learn not to give my money back to the table after I win some hands. That is a real problem for me. I have to continue to play tight after winning a few hands. I must have patience if I expect to win. I also began to lose interest at the end. I should have quit then. I need to stay focused on the game.
What a frustrating game! Actually it's not the game that is flawed, it is the bonehead who thinks he can play that is the problem. I'm the bonehead, in case anyone was wondering. All three of my losses at .05/.10 limit have been this way. I was up early. After about 30 hands, I got pocket cards that I could play and I won 2 hands in a row. The first one, I was dealt AA and I ended up winning $1.00 againts JJ. The second hand I won was Jacks over fours against sixes over fours. Then a couple of hands later when I had TT I gave more than half of it back. I should have folded that one after the flop when an A hit the board. Two people ending up splitting that pot. One of them had a pair of aces to beat me and the other had sixes over dueces. If I had folded they guy with 2 pair would have won the whole pot. After that it was a downward spiral. I started out with $11.08 and end with $8.50.
I played on three different tables that night. The first two started out as full tables then people began leaving and they both emptied out. I probably only played on each table for about an hour.
The rest of the night I would win a little bit and then lose. I don't think I loosened up my starting hand requirements, but I did tend to give them more credit after the flop. I didn't pay attention to what other people were playing when I was not involved in a hand. I need to learn how to keep notes on people while I am playing. I don't really know what is the best way to do that yet.
I need to spend more time analyzing my mistakes from this session and learn from them. I need to learn to be patient when I am up and not get to caught up in winning. It seems that when big early and then give it back I get impatient and try to get back up. How do I beat myself? I really need to figure out the answer to that question or I am not going to be able to play poker much longer.
