The Poker Bonus Chaser's Journal

Buoyed by my success at a single orbit of $30/60 (and two glasses of Pinot Noir), I decided to play $15/30 last night.  For real.  I played for about 2 hours at the juiciest table I can recall finding at Poker Stars.  There was one total fish who played just horribly.  He got on a hot run that boosted his stack from about $400 to over $2300, and this put quite a few players at the table on tilt.  He got me for a couple of small pots, but I was more focused on his bad play and how it was causing more bad play at the table to get tilty.  There was just too much opportunity going on around me.

In the end I lost over $300, or 10 BBs.  My cards were most uncooperative for that situation.  I only took 3 pots in 2 hours, one on a bluff when I bet out my busted draw on the river.  I love when that play works - you bet into your draw all the way and bet it out on the river and it folds everyone.  It can also be good to get called and showdown your non-hand at showdown.  That can generate action on future hands.

I think I may have made some weak-tight folds.  I have a hard time determing good laydowns when the hand doesn't go to showdown.  Its all about your read on the other guy, and I need to get better at handling the players I think are skilled and aggressive.  My post-flop play is still too ABC and predictable.  If only there were time to work on my poker skills among everything else i have going on right now.

Since there isn't, I'll be staying away from $15/30 - unless I can find rare tables like I found last night.  My skills were good enough to win money at that table.  Unfortunately that didn't happen.  Tomorrow is another day!

Posted by Bullajami at 01:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I worked on website stuff until I couldn't stand it anymore last night.  Then I just wanted to play some poker.  I opened Poker Stars and couldn't find anything good at $3/6.  No tables above 26% view flop per the lobby numbers.  I decided to take a look at $5/10, and the results were similar - no loose tables.  I continued to scroll up the list looking at the numbers in the view flop column.  They remained tight and uninspiring until I finally saw a "43%".  Eyes scan to the left....OHHHHHHHH...it's a $30/60 table....with an open seat....piss on it, I am in!

I belly up and wait 5 hands for the BB to come around.  The play is looking advantageous for me.  Two guys are seeing every flop, and one of them is seeing every turn.  I get ATo on the BB and call a blind steal.  I flop an OESD and bet out, getting called by Mr I-gotta-see-every-turn.  I turn the straight, and bet again.  I get called to showdown by an underpair.  I am up $147 on my first hand.    That's a pretty good night at my normal limits, so after paying the SB, I fold around and quit after 1 orbit, Up $132.  I am such a puss.

I went over to those rockish $3/6 tables and opened one up.  I have a bit of an "I'm freerolling now" mentality, so I just want to see what happens.  What happens is the deck proceeds to smack me in the face.  (Oooooo, I so don't hate when that happens!)  Set of KKK - pay me.  Turn the flush - pay me.  AA on the BB, damn right you should be folding that turn - after you pay me!  Bam!  Another 20 BB racked up at that table in less than an hour.  It was late, so I went to bed.

Poker is so easy when the cards are coming, eh?!  It'd be nice to have a few of those nights in a row, that's for certain.  We'll see what happens tonight.

Posted by Bullajami at 08:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So many poker players RAVE about Poker Stars.  I just am not seeing what's so special.  They have very good customer service, but I rarely use customer service, so I don't value that very highly when I am evaluating a poker site.  Other than that, they seem quite ordinary to me.

I have been playing there for my past 3 sessions.  There are quite a lot of tables running, but I would not say that I have found the selection at $3/6 to be anything great.  Of the 6 or 7 tables I have played on, only 1 was really juicy.  The rest have been fairly tight, but those were better than the rock gardens at other tables I was seeing - if the lobby view flop percentages can be believed.  It hasn't helped that I have been getting cold-decked as well.  These things happen, and I can identify it and deal with it, but there is still a subtle emotional effect that goes along with that when it happens, and it manifests itself in disdain for the site.  I have some good bonuses stacked there, so I will likely play through the cold-decking and then perhaps my opinion of Stars will also evolve.

I have played three SNGs there in the past week, and monied in them all.  Last night's was bitter-sweet as I signed up for an 18-seater only to find that I was in a PLO O8 tournament.  D'Oh!  I have done that too many times before - found out at game time that it wasn't holdem.  Four places paid, and I placed 4th.  On the last hand I had Ac2d4cQd UTG and raised 3X the BB first in.  The arrogant jerk chip leader re-raised me to pot-committed if I called, so pushed them all in.  He showed KsKdTs3c.  I flopped 2 clubs and 2 low cards, and then blanked out the rest of the board.  Grrrrrr!  Poop happens, but it was especially annoying because he was being such a jackass in chat.

My other two SNGs were a $12+1 six-seater which I won, and a ten-seater where I took third after nearly going out on a bad beat that left me crippled on the bubble.  It was a nice comeback, and I was happy with third there.

Perhaps the recent bonus with an expiration date has got more bonus chasers playing at Stars this month.  Maybe that is why the cash tables are so darn tight.  I'll wait and see, but I am just not impressed with Poker Stars.

Posted by Bullajami at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I find myself in unusual territory.  During my regular working hours I wear the uniform known as "BDUs".  Battle Dress Utility, a.k.a. "woodland camouflage".  I love this uniform.  It does not need to be pressed or adorned with ribbons or devices of any kind.  It is baggy and comfortable, with no shortage of pockets.  Last Friday I had an ocassion to wear one of my more dressy uniforms.  I was aghast to discover it barely fit.  It was tight in all the wrong places and was horribly uncomfortable.  The worst part was that I remember being annoyed a few years ago when I jumped up to that size.  I was unhappy that I had expanded, but I accepted that its part of the middle-aging process to spread out some, and I just grew accustomed to it.  Well, I am NOT going to just grow accustomed to another larger size.  Enough is enough.

I think that poker is partly to blame - or at least my utter fascination with it.  My role in the Navy is relatively sedentary, and I spend most of my day at a computer.  Then I go home and spend quite a lot of time at my home computer working on my site, or ITH or betting on sports or playing poker.  (Poker was like a gateway drug for all of those other activities.  )  My pre-poker hobbies involved more activity.  Now I sit for many hours a day.  I need more activity.  I also need to consume at a level commensurate with my activities.

I left work early on Friday and went to a sporting goods store where I purchased a home gym.  Since Squee left for boot camp we have re-organized the homestead.  Squee's old room is now the guest room.  The old guest room is now totally Mrs. Bull's Doghouse.  I have my computer up there (and getting a second) and now my gym is up there, too.  Sitting there to remind me that I need to work out before I log on.  That's the plan anyways.

I also plan to use this blog to help me stay honest.  I am not planning to turn this into a fitness blog, but I am going to use the "last month's results" section to instead track some of the key parameters in my training regimen.  You will see those stats going up soon.

I weighed in on Sunday at 226.  The goal is 200 by Thanksgiving.  Wish me luck!

Posted by Bullajami at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

...But me without ammo.  I played at Poker Stars $3/6 FRLH last night.  I have 2 bonuses stacked there, and when I saw a good table, I pounced.  That table was really good - with some LAGs and Calling Stations - but I could not come up with the cards.  Its the kind of table where tricky play is not required, you just need to make a hand and get paid.  I just wasn't making very many hands.  My vp$ip was down around 12%, and I won two pots in 87 hands.  Lost 15 BB overall. 

I was getting really annoyed last night as I played.  That hasn't happened for a while.  Sitting in my chair muttering and cursing to myself about the donks and the cards.  Once I realized I was doing it I quit playing.  I wanted to evaluate what had led me to that mental state.  Right around the time I started single tabling I stopped getting grumpy like that.  I think it's because I am better able to spot and enjoy poor play.  Well, I saw lots of poor play last night, and it still made me grumpy to watch all that money slide across the table and not be able to get any of it.

I never came to any conclusions regarding my mental state.  Maybe it was the burrito I had for dinner.  Maybe it was my daughter's fake helpless whining about her homework.  Maybe it was the fact I could only find one sports bet worth taking, and it was for trying to bust a book where the bonus was cleared, and not for more money in my account.  Maybe its the color scheme at Poker Stars.  Who know?  I never figured it out.  I just know that when I feel that way when I am playing that I play more poorly and then I don't sleep well - so its time to quit.  I'll find donks when I am in a better mood.

I cleared 77 FPPs at $3/6 in 87 hands.  I want to extrapolate that to determine the value of the FPP store at Stars.  I am expecting to be disappointed in how little Stars gives back to their players from the enormous amount of rake they collect.  I just want to calculate it out to be sure.

Posted by Bullajami at 08:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I finished off the Nine.com chase up about $75 while chasing $25.  I think I was just about dead even until the last session, and then I pulled out a winning session as I cleared.  I put in a withdrawal for half my account, and it should hit Neteller today.  (I think they are a "next day" site.)

I think I'll take a little time off from Nine for a week or two.  I'd like them to forget about me for a bit before I head back there.  I have bonuses stacked at Poker Stars, Paradise, and Absolute.  There's the Will Hill and Interpoker monthlies this month, too.  I have tried to play Will Hill, but every time I pull that site up, the menu of 26% tables turns me away.  I need more amusement with  my poker these days.  That £50 bonus this month is tasty, but I can't be miserable for 5 hours of my playing time just to get it.  Not yet, anyways.  I just don't get to play that much anymore, so 5 hours is a big chunk of my play time.  I'd like it to be fun.  Maybe by the 30th I'll be singing a different tune.

I had $22 in my Absolute account last night, so I thought I'd see how far I could take that in an evening.  I watched the Pirates game with my son with the laptop on my lap.  I got it up to $30 playing $10 NL, but then I wanted something that might snag a bonus point every now and again, soI started looking for greener pastures.  There was a loose and juicy PLO $50 table running - not very common at AP.  I sat down and waited patiently as the chips flew and splashed in monster pots in front of me.  I waited a long time, but finally flopped a boat - only to get rivered and stacked.  Bummer!  So, I took my $22 to $0 - and that's as far as it can go.

I need to chase down a few casinos, too.  I have a couple lined up and begging to pay me, so I may have to let them soon.  ; )

Posted by Bullajami at 03:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nothing new here, so you can stop reading now if you were hoping for something new.

Played at Nine.com again last night.  It's on the Action Poker Network.  I usually play the FRLH tables (there are no dedicated short hand tables, but sometimes tables are short).  I'll play any game from $2/4 to $5/10.  I would consider playing $10/20 there if the game looked good enough, but it hasn't happened yet. 

Played $5/10 last night.  The standard collection of 2 donks, 4 to 6 below average and 1 to 3 decent players were assembled.  I took a gut shot donk-out early and then bet into my nut flush draw from EP on the flop, turn and river.  Missed the draw and got raised on the river by the same donk boy.  I had made a crappy third pair and gave it a call just to see.  He had flopped top pair crummy kicker, never improved, never protected his hand and then raised the river.  I was definitely at the right table.

Then it turns on a dime.  I flop deuces full of tens holding 22 in EP.  I check-called the flop, but donkboy acting after me re-raised.  He has a T, and this could be good.  I called.  It checks around to him and he bets, everyone folds and I raise.  He makes it 3 and I call.  I called because I fear if I don't he won't bet the river hard.  I bet out the river and he raises.  I make it 3 and he makes it 4.  He shows JTo, and I take a very nice pot.

On the BTN I have AKs and raise folding everyone but donkboy.  I flop nothing but he folds to my flop bet.  (First time for everything).  I flop the nut straight from MP and take a decent pot.  I was up a nice little bit now, but I took another gut shot to end the evening up just half of a BB.  I had been notified that an article I posted on my website was improperly formatted and I needed to fix it, so I logged off.

I was getting enough decent hands last night to get my money in the pot often, and therefore I was earning poker points at a good rate, so I worked off over 100 points toward my bonus in a short 1-table session.  I was happy about that.  I was also happy to finish up a hair after having taken two gutshots - that won't normally happen.

Posted by Bullajami at 09:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Has it really been a week and a half since my last post here?  Wow.  Well, here's a synopsis of what happened:

I finished the Party Bonus just slightly above even.  I was way up, but took some tough beats down the stretch.  Crap happens.  I decided that it was all free money anyways, so I went and blew it all on 2 hands of blackjack at PartyCasino.  That was fairly stupid, but I figure if nothing else, Party will be more likely to give dumbasses like me another free $40 in the future.  Always a silver lining!

I was not able to get the Will Hill August bonus.  I did not have the software installed on the laptop I took with me to San Diego. When I got there I found that I was stuck in the 90s with a dial-up connection, and didn't want to spend all my free time downloading the software.  I played at Nine Poker instead, and finished off that bonus.  I made about $150 from poker play and another $150 from the bonus.  At one point I was up about $350 from poker play, but again took a series of tough beats down the stretch that brought the net results back to reality.  In the end, though, my BB/100 was pretty good, so I can't bitch. 

Its all about timing, isn't it?  the perception of the outcome.  If I'd taken a bunch of tough beats up front on that chase and then hit a hot streak at the end then I'd be posting about my rip-roaring comeback.  When the good/bad streaks are reversed I am disappointed, even though the end result was the same - and in line with expectation.

I took a look at the Cryptos last night for the Will Hill and InterPoker monthlies, but the tables looked uber tight, and I wasn't in the mood for that last night.  I made a small reload at Nine Poker and parked at a $5/10 FRLH table.  Got down early with a busted set and busted rockets.  Noted the player to my immediate right was horrendously bad and sucking out left and right.  He went from $50 to $480 in about half an hour.  He took a pot off the guy to his right, and that guy went snakey apeshit CryBaby in chat.  I desperately wanted this Crybaby to shut up, but I could not think of anything to type to distract him, so I was silent.  Then, to my horror, another guy at the table starts to coach, explaining that even though UberFish was playing horribly, CryBaby had also played his hand incorrectly.  This went on for a very long time, and I could not think of anything to do to stop their continuous debate on UberFish's play and CryBaby's play as well.  Eventually they ran out of steam, and were quiet.  UberFish went from $480 to $0 - no surprises, he showed down all manner of trash hands, including some 8-highs that he called river bets with.  Just horrible.  He put me back in the black, so I got some of that, too.  He reloaded for $50 twice and busted both times, drawing "Nyah, nyah, I told you so" comments from CryBaby.  Then he quit the table.

Coach and a few others made a few comments about how sorely he would be missed, etc.  Crybaby continues to bemoan his beat, and I just lost it.  I planned to quit on this orbit anyways, as the ATM was gone and the table was sure to break up as a result.  I gave him a "CryBaby, STFU! If someone wants to play poorly, then let him!"  CryBaby continued to cry about how he has had it with all his bad beats from poor players and how he needs better players at his table to be able to win.  I told him he should go to the Bellagio and play on the stage against Brunson and Ivey, he'd get rich in a hurry that way.  It was my blind, so I quit.  Damn I was irritated by that Crybaby.  Coach, too.  Players need to know where the money comes from in this game and act accordingly.

Posted by Bullajami at 12:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)