I Care Too Much

I found this great quote in a thread on 2+2.

"investing a huge amount of emotion into a single tournament is pretty stupid and counterproductive to achieving sick results."

While I have kinda known this, I realized that this is probably my single biggest leak, even when I multi-table. I try too hard to make good decisions and I fear making a mistake. I'm playing way too much on a conscious level instead of letting it flow.

I'm going to work on this. One sign that I've noticed tells me I might be thinking too much is constantly calculating my M. While it is important to be conscious of it, I don't have to figure it out every orbit. I've also notice that if I'm playing live and I don't count my chips all the time, it helps me play looser because I'm not so worried about the ups and downs of my stack. As long as I have a general idea of my M, that is enough to make good decisions.

10bb is Not a Magic Number

I used to use 10bb as some odd line of demarcation between needing to push all in vs. making a standard raise. For some reason, this has stuck with me even after I learned about M and zone play. The overly specific side of me always figured I was"safe" if I was above 10bb and by making a standard raise, I could fold if someone came over the top.

As I've gained more experience in tournament play, I'm realizing that any number...be it #bb or M shouldn't be looked as the only reason to make a certain play. There are so many other tournament and player specific situations that go into making a decision that you can't pigeon hole your decisions based solely on a number. There may be times where you have 12bb and it's right to push with KQ and there are times when it's just fine making it 2.5x.

I normally play looking at all tournament situations, but for some reason, I forget all about this when I hover near that 10bb line. But now that I've recognized this leak, I can start playing situations no matter what stack size I have.

Major Tournament Cash Goal Met...What's Next?

I just got back from the WSOP and met one of my short-term goals for this year by cashing in Event #25. It was a $2,000 buy-in event and I placed 109th out of 1,619 people for $4,123.

While I'm very happy to have cashed in my first WSOP event, I'm looking at this as a stepping stone towards my 5 year goal of winning a bracelet. In a way, I expected this to happen. I've been playing well and have been confident about my skills. I went into this trip fully believing that I was going to do well.

Of course, in tournament play anything can happen and I'm fortunate that I was able to run well. But cashing in this event really validated that I can hang with anyone out there from a skill perspective. While I have always thought that sometime in the next 5 years I would gain enough experience and knowledge about the game of poker to win a bracelet, there was still something in the back of my mind where I wasn't 100% sure. My experience at the WSOP this year has fully solidified my belief and I have no doubt that I will do it.

So, what's next?

1. I need to buckle down and focus on building my bankroll. If my family situation affords me the ability, I would like to play in a few events next year. In order to do that, I need to have a bankroll that supports it. I still have two bankroll goals to meet. One is the $10K milestone and the other is $20K. I think my primary goal should be to hit $20K before next year's WSOP.

2. Final Table - Now that I've proven I can cash in a major event, the next step is a final table. Obviously I'll be shooting for the win, but a final table is the next logical milestone. I'm not sure if I'll be able to play in any other events (i.e. Tunica) before next year's WSOP, but if so I'll be going into each one shooting for that final table.

Taking the Blinders Off

Often times, as a hand progresses, you lose sight of all the information you've been collecting and you start playing on momentum and instinct. While that is a good thing, it is important not to abandon the exercise of putting someone on a hand.

This typically happens in a big hand. Instead of narrowing your opponents hand range, you simply classify it into "weak" or "strong" or "he's committed or not". In order to play optimally, I think it is important to not allow these blinders to be placed on. Staying focused on narrowing down your opponents range will allow you to extract the most chips out of a situation instead of just winning a small pot.

Here's an example. A tight opponent raises pre-flop in early position 4x the big blind and you call getting the right odds for a set with 77. The flop is 478 with two hearts. Now there are two reactions that can occur. One is sub-optimal and one is optimal.

Sub-optimal: ZOMG I have a set! But there are two hearts and a possible straight draw out there. I better protect my set.

Optimal: Okay, now what does HE have and what line can I take to extract the most? Does he have a big pair or just overcards. I'm not worried about the straight draw because I know he is a tight player and is likely not raising with T9. Yeah, there are two hearts, but I can't play scared of that unless I'm given information to suggest that he does have a draw.

The actual line to take here is dependant on a lot of factors...leading or checking are both possible choices....whatever will earn you the maximum. But the point of this post is not to react simply based on the texture of a flop or just one or two pieces of information. To play optimally, you have to take the blinders off and allow yourself to take in and process ALL the information at hand in order to put your opponent on a hand. That will help you determine the best line to win the most when you are ahead and lose the least when you are beaten.

WSOP Bound!

The journey begins.

I just pre-registered for Event #25 of the 2007 World Series of Poker. This is a $2,000 buy-in event that had over 1,500 people last year, in which the winner took home about $650,000.

While I'm excited about going, I plan on treating it like any other poker session. Of course, the environment, players and large fields make it a unique session. So in preparation for this event, I've put together a set of important rules that I will follow while I'm there.

1. Have fun & don't take it too seriously
2. Don't get caught up in the excitement and fan fare. I have a job to do.
3. Treat it like any another tournament
4. Don't play stereotypes; play tendencies that day/tournament
5. Don't worry about what others (i.e. pros) think about my play. I'm not there to impress them; I'm there to take their chips.
6. Don't overthink situations. Just process information and act.
7. Always follow my instincts
8. Play people and situations; cards are last
9. It's a long tournament. Eat right, get sleep and balance energy & focus across all three days.
10. Go for the win, F the bubble

Time for Some Short Term Goals

The WSOP bracelet is obviously a long-term goal, so I need some shorter-term steps along the way that will keep me focused and making progress.

1. Build my bankroll to $10K - This has really been a goal for a while now and I think that the only thing really keeping me from it is volume. If I'm going to be a tournament player and mix in cash games and sngs here and there, I need to ensure that I'm playing enough poker where volume makes up for variance. I can't expect to build a bankroll within a reasonable time period by only playing 1-2 tournaments a week. I'm going to have to play 3-5 tournaments each session and try to have 3-4 sessions a week. I'm not too far away from this really, so it's just a matter of grinding it out. I don't expect to reach this with one big cash. I'll keep playing the 20/180s and smaller buy-in tournaments with an occasional $150 when I feel like I'm playing my "A" game. I don't want to put a ton of pressure on myself to reach this goal by a certain time period because I think this can lead to forcing results. But getting here sooner than later will help me acheive my other goals.

2. A 5 figure tournament cash online by July 1 - Again, I think this will come with both volume and playing tournaments where this payout is possible. For the times I play, there are only a couple of tournaments that can make this happen - the nightly $150, the $20 rebuy and the $10 rebuy. Ideally, however, I want to reach my $10K goal before playing the $150 on a regular basis. I might need to evaluate the timing of this goal based on how I'm doing bankroll wise. I think if I play the $150 every night I play, I'll certainly get here faster, but I need to make sure I have the bankroll for it. I also will look into other sites like Full Tilt to see if they have tournaments around 8-9pm that could produce a 5 figure cash.

3. Build my bankroll to $20K - Once I acheiving #2 I will be a lot closer to reaching this goal and it will just be a matter of leveraging my increasing roll to keep playing events that ensure further progression. Reaching this goal will enable me to regularly play circuit events and a few WSOP events during the next couple of years.

4. Cash in a WSOP or WPT Event in 2007 - This doesn't even need to be a main event for now. It can be a $500 event or whatever. But this will help me break the seal and just be a nice stepping stone. I've been to a couple of WSOP Circuit events and have only played in about 5-6 events so far and I bubbled a $200 second chance tournament last time. I'm confident that I can final table, if not win one of these events, but it's not like I have the opportunity to let variance play itself out, so let's just start with a goal of cashing for now.

I think it's important to note that some of these monetary goals are simply benchmarks to chart my progress and keep me focused on moving forward. They are not magical numbers that open some new door to poker greatness and they won't be imaginary sticking points that prevent me from acheiving other goals. The worst thing I could do is get too caught up in acheiving these and let it affect my play. The money will come. It's just a matter of taking the steps to get there.

A Little Results Oriented

For some reason, I've been a little anxious to have a big online score over the last few days and it's affecting my play. I'm not clear headed. I think since a friend shared with me their stats, I got a little jealous that they've won a few tournaments lately. His stats are comparable to mine, so its not that I'm jealous of him.

I'm jealous that he's been playing a lot more than I have lately and he's had the opportunity to win. Although I did take 2nd in a tournament for about $600 last month, for some reason it still feels like I haven't had the results that I feel I'm capable of. But it's really just about volume. I've been playing better than ever lately, so maybe I'm just anxious to reap the rewards of those skills by playing more and more tournaments. While playing more isn't a bad thing. The mindset of anxiousness is.

I forced myself to 3-table tonight and I haven't done that in a while now, so I wasn't used to it. I ended up building a nice stack in the $20 rebuy on Stars and then just pissed it away to a guy who obviously had a set to my TPTK. If I was shorter stacked, the outcome would have been the same, but I had about 20M and was in great shape. There was no need to go broke there with just one pair. But because I wasn't clear headed, my ego got involved a little and I convinced myself he was making an ego play against me because of a previous hand. But really, his play screamed set. I mean, check-mini raise from a tight player in the BB on a K97 board? The only hand I'm beating there is KQ. But I got myself emotionally committed to the hand.

Anyway, just had to vent a little. I'll come out of this stronger than ever. Just needed to recognize that I was chasing results. I'll take a couple of days off and then slowly increase my volume of play. Maybe 2 table a few days a week instead of just playing 1 day a week online.

EDIT: Man I'm hard on myself. It wasn't that big of a deal really. Unfortunate that I ran into a set. Had a good email conversation last night and a friend ran the hand by one of the top online pros that he's friends with and they felt they would have gone broke there too based on my agressive image. Anyway...on to more.

Hope Has No Place In Poker

What is hope?

In the context of poker, hope is wishing for an event to occur that is beyond your power. It means that you are not in control of your own destiny.

While it's true that in the short-run you are subject to the luck of the cards, we know that to play poker optimally the cards are only one factor of the decision making process. By hoping, it is limiting your focus on the cards, making it difficult to process all the information on the table. What this means is that if you are busy hoping, your state of mind is not proactive, it is reactive. You are subjecting yourself to simply dealing with what the poker gods are dishing out instead of making things happen for yourself.

If you find yourself hoping for something to happen at the poker table, it should be a sign that you are not playing your best. In fact, if you are hoping, you are probably bleeding chips away. Since hope is reactive in nature, it usually manifests itself into speculative or passive play. Here are a few examples of hoping you may have done at the table.

Speculations:

• I hope I hit this flop with my suited connectors
• I hope he doesn't bet the turn
• I hope I make my draw
• I hope I hit a monster by completing the small blind

Passive or Scared Play:

• I hope I get good cards
• I hope he doesn't have Aces (or a set or whatever monster is under the bed)
• I hope he didn't just make his flush
• I hope the big blind doesn't go all in if I raise the button
• I hope I cash in this tournament

So what should we do about hope? Vanquish it from our minds. Instead of waiting for things to happen at the table, make them happen. Take in all the information you can and use it to your advantage. If the button is raising every orbit, don't hope for AA to re-pop him. J5os will do just fine.

"A Ha" Moment - The Decision Making Process

I listened to the PocketFives.com podcast today with Barry Greenstien and after processing some of the things he was saying, I had one of those "a ha" moments where something clicked.

I won't go into too much detail, but one of the things he was talking about was the difference between online and live play and how online poker trains you to pay attention to your cards more. This is somewhat obvious, in that you don't have the benefit of table feel and live reads, and the fact that you see your cards first. But what this means is that online poker can create bad habits that are counterintuitive to successful play. Online poker, more so than live poker, gives the cards you hold a higher weight in your decision making process than they should since you don't have some of the other information you might otherwise have.

Most everyone has read somewhere that the actual cards you hold should only be one small factor to consider. And while I think people fundamentally agree with this concept, hearing him say it in this way made me realize that most people are not implementing this correctly in the process they take when deciding their actions at the table. I know that I try to a certain extent, but repetition through playing online has caused me to think backwards at times.

By the decision making process, I specifically mean the steps you go through in your mind before deciding how to act on every hand. Here is a typical order of events (assuming you are looking at your cards last):

1. Observe the action thus far
2. Think about situational factors and the past play and tendencies of other players
3. Put each person on a range of hands based on #2
4. Hope you pick up a hand that is conducive to the action and the factors
5. Look at hand and then decide if it is the right hand to play
6. Narrow down possible actions to take and how the players would react
7. Act

This is faulty thinking and isn't the right process in order to capitalize on each situation. I've felt like I've done a much better job at playing the players lately and when I think about the thought process I've used, and how to continue to improve it, this is what I think is closer to optimal.

1. Observe the action thus far
2. Think about situational factors and the past play and tendencies of other players
3. Put each person on a range of hands based on #2
4. Narrow down possible actions to take and how the players would react
5. Think about what they think I would have based on those actions
6. If my actual hand has to be a factor, consider the results based on a show down
7. Act

The key here is simply moving #6 from the first list up to #4. I also think that #5 in the second list is something that most good players usually do, but it is harder to perform this 3rd level thinking AFTER you've already decided to play a particular hand. Keep in mind that EV is always part of this decision making process and comes into play when narrowing down all the alternative choices of how to act. But the essence of this line of thinking is that we should be thinking about our cards AFTER we have considered possible courses of action. For pre-flop play, this means not even looking at our cards until we've done this. But this decision making process isn't just about pre-flop hold'em. It's all poker on all streets.

Now with this line of thinking, it doesn't mean that the action itself is a bluff or a "move", it just means that we are considering our actual hand last in the process and not somewhere in the middle.

This type of decision making process is something that I think separates the great players from the good ones. They key now is to get into a new habit of performing these steps on a subconscious level.

And while I had felt like I'd understood "playing the player" for a while now, I realize it was more on the conceptual level than anything else with glimpses of applying it at certain times of focus. Unfortunately, it is easy to drift back into just playing cards (maybe this is safer and requires less effort?).

The difference now is that I can see how to "operationalize" my thought process accordingly in order to make it habitual. Any good skill development involves understanding the basics steps and then practicing them over and over until they are second nature. The difference with this is that the decision making process is a mental skill that most would not recognize as something you would need to practice.

Playing Cash Games Again (and playing well)

I finally started playing cash games again, approaching them with the same discipline and principles of my tournament play. The only exception being that I'm adapting my play to the cash format of course. I'm playing $1/$2 on PokerStars right now.

I've felt really good about my play, and not just because of results (although doubling my buy-in the last two sessions was nice too). Here's a quick list of what I'm doing right:

1. I'm playing third and fourth level poker, but only with players that are thinking 2nd and 3rd level. I feel like I'm one step ahead of their plays and their emotions based on the way I've been playing. BUT, I also feel I'm adapting to those who are only playing their cards at the same time.

2. I'm playing position well.

3. I'm controling the pot size and not overbetting hands.

4. I'm not afraid to bet, raise or call when it makes sense to do so against the right players at the right time.

5. I'm mixing up my play - both betting patterns and hand selection.

6. Well timed bluffs against the right players based on their past patterns. Example was a nice squeeze play into a habitual button raiser who was re-popped a few times by another player and had shown the tendency to fold. The SB was a habitual caller. Button raises $6, SB calls, I make it $30 with J9os...both fold. It worked better for me because it was the first time I made that play into him.

7. I'm not afraid to fold AA on a scary flop against a tight player, but at the same time, I'm not afraid to call with middle pair against a different player.

8. I'm not limping and hoping with connectors. I used to never do that, but then during a string of bad local cash game losses, I found that was a major leak. I was essentially chasing all night because everyone else was and I was trying to force a big pot. It's funny because that is the complete opposite of how I play. If I'm going to play connectors, you should never really now how I'm going to play them...fold, raise, random limp on button only to mix it up, raise into limpers, call a raise, fold again to a different person's raise, limp behind others....who knows (mostly fold though :-))

9. I'm observing and capitalizing on changing table conditions based on recent hands and emotions between other players. I can feel who's frustrated, playing with ego, getting passive, etc.

10. I'm aggressive

11. I'm patient


I'm really enjoying the cash game play. I feel like I'm able to exercise my ability to fully trust my reads without that worry of busting out. Don't get me wrong...I LOVE tournaments and tournament strategy. But the cash game play is allowing me to flex some different muscles that I normally would only get to do very deep stacked and I think the repetition of it will help me continue to both trust my reads, but also bet accordingly. Ultimately, it will help my tournament play and get me closer to my goal.

This Felt Good

This guy had been trying to outplay me the whole time and I recently bluffed him out of a pot. The turn bet had ego written all over it. I figured he had AK or AQ (eh, I guess I was close).

PokerStars Game #8876408923: Hold'em No Limit ($1/$2) - 2007/03/12 - 23:35:33 (ET)
Table 'Chaldaea IV' 9-max Seat #7 is the button
Seat 1: ova dawg ($293.95 in chips)
Seat 2: pickpok ($131.10 in chips)
Seat 4: -Ori-Prior- ($59.05 in chips)
Seat 5: cursed6466 ($103.40 in chips)
Seat 7: TheYeti ($195.70 in chips)
Seat 8: jpg7n16 ($309.40 in chips)
Seat 9: DP388 ($157.90 in chips)
jpg7n16: posts small blind $1
DP388: posts big blind $2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to DP388 [8h 8c]
ova dawg: folds
pickpok: raises $6 to $8
-Ori-Prior-: folds
cursed6466: folds
TheYeti: folds
jpg7n16: folds
DP388: calls $6
*** FLOP *** [9s 3h 9d]
DP388: checks
pickpok: bets $12
DP388: calls $12
*** TURN *** [9s 3h 9d] [Jh]
DP388: checks
pickpok: bets $40
DP388: raises $97.90 to $137.90 and is all-in
pickpok: calls $71.10 and is all-in
*** RIVER *** [9s 3h 9d Jh] [4h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
DP388: shows [8h 8c] (two pair, Nines and Eights)
pickpok: mucks hand
DP388 collected $260.20 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $263.20 Rake $3
Board [9s 3h 9d Jh 4h]
Seat 1: ova dawg folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: pickpok mucked [6d Ah]
Seat 4: -Ori-Prior- folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: cursed6466 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: TheYeti (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: jpg7n16 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 9: DP388 (big blind) showed [8h 8c] and won ($260.20) with two pair, Nines and Eights

Winning and Being Humble

I just posted about some recent wins and how I feel like I’m playing at a new level. Part of that new level is also learning from past mistakes.

When I had my first big cash for $2,500 over a year ago, I wanted that feeling again immediately. This need for achievement caused me to play impatiently, especially near the bubble, and the result was not cashing in 14 straight sit-n-go’s for a net loss of $1,400. I was trying to force the win and control every situation, which is counter-intuitive to successful poker play. I also had a feeling of invincibility, like I could never lose again. I started getting Fancy Play Syndrome trying to craft complex plays against opponents who were just playing their cards. The poker gods quickly put me in my place.

So I’ve had recent success and I’m feeling good about my skills. But now I’m humble. I’ve learned from past situations and I’m going to continue to approach future games emotionally neutral. I will have increased confidence in my abilities, which will allow me to follow my instincts more and more. But I will not come into games thinking my skill advantage is so great that I can control the outcomes. I will also not be anxious and impatient trying to capture the next win. I may continue this fortunate run for a few days, weeks or even months. I also know that the fortune might end today and I’ll face a drought of negative variance. All I can do is continue to make smart +EV decisions and I know the results will follow.

Playing at the Next Level

So I’ve been on a nice run lately. Out of the last 8 tournaments (including 2 online) I’ve won 3, placed 2nd once and bubbled once. My total investment was $550 and I won a total of $1830. I also won a couple of head’s up sit-n-go’s online as well.

Am I catching cards? Not really actually. I mean I’ve had a few situations where I’ve made a drawing hand or hit a set, but nothing out of the ordinary really. I don’t even think I’ve had AA or KK that many times either. What I am doing really well though is playing the player and the situation. MY cards are part of that situation, but they are just a small piece of the pie. I really feel like I’m playing at a new level. Where in the past I may have had glimpses of this, I’m much more consistent about it now. The great thing is that this hasn’t been isolated over the course of a couple of days. I’ve been playing at this level the last couple of months.
What are some examples of playing at this level?

• I’m sensing weakness better than before. This helps me decide how to play certain cards. For example, after an early and a mid-position limper, I might also limp with a hand like KQ or AJ because “the book” says to. However, depending on stack sizes, the blind level and the tendencies of those who players who have limped, I now will mix things up and put in a sizeable pre-flop raise simply to win the pot then and there. If I get a caller, it’s okay because I’ll also have position and can make a situational decision based on the flop. BUT, I won’t do this all the time. Mixing up your game is important.
• I’m varying my play a lot better.
• I’m reading physical tells better. Navarro’s book is pretty damn accurate.
• I’m staying patient during the end game.
• I’m playing my draws strong a higher percentage of the time (either leading or check-raising). Obviously my choice of plays is dependent on the players and situation, but I’m now looking at draws as opportunities to win a hand multiple ways and not just if I hit.
• I’m picking up the pots no one else wants.
• I’m maximizing my winnings. Instead of value betting, I’m shoving all-in more when I think there is a chance I’ll get a call. This is HUGE in tournaments when having a big stack creates an advantage later. The other thing this is doing is making my all-in plays later in the tournament seem more believable. For example, if I re-steal pre-flop by putting someone to the test (and I use the same exact timing and mannerisms as when I had the nuts), I am way more believable.
• I’m not playing as passively and I’m not afraid to go with my gut. A great example of this is when I was 3-handed the other night when the tournament paid top 2. I had a good chip lead and a solid, but somewhat passive player who was third in chips (about 12 bb at 14K) was in the small blind. He limped and I checked in the BB with 82os. Flop is J83 with two hearts. Pot is 2400 and he bets 2000. I have a lot of options here and raising is certainly something I could do in this situation, but he knows that. As a standard raise could put me in an awkward situation if he pushes, an all-in is also a slight over-bet and he might read me as a bully. Folding is also an option, but I decide to call to see how he plays the turn. With his chip stack, he is going to be basically telling me his strength based on how he plays. The turn is an Ace of spades and he bets 2000 again. I almost resorted back to the line of thinking that says “He bet therefore I must be beat here”, but then I stopped and asked myself, “Why 2000? What does that say about the strength of his hand?”

1. With the Ace being a spade, it now put two flush draws on the board. If he had a strong Jack (or better), wouldn’t he bet more? Maybe, maybe he has a big hand (set, two pair, etc.), but I still think that he bets more or pushes here to protect his hand.
2. If he does have a Jack he seems awful afraid of that Ace.
3. If he has an 8 with a better kicker, he could be betting here to define his hand cheaply.
4. He could also have a heart draw and is trying to control the betting.
   

For all these instances, I felt like I either had the best hand OR I could push him off a better hand a high enough of a % of time to make pushing all-in a +EV play. He also saw me push all-in with big hands previously, so that previous action made this a strong play. So I pushed, and he folded. THIS line of thinking is one reason why I feel I’m at a new level, BUT, the action I decided to take is the real reason. I had the guts to go with my instincts even though my first reaction was to fold.

Head's Up Tournament Win Re-cap

Last night I played in a $30 buy-in Head's Up tournament and took it down for $210. Well, technically I chopped the final match because Doug had to go "dancing" and we would have had a re-match. We're still not quite sure what he meant be that, but I hope he had fun.

It was a $30 buy-in with 16 people. The format was really fun, where 4 people were seperated into 4 pools and you played everyone in your pool first. The top 2 from each pool advanced into a single elimination 8 man bracket.

What were the keys to my success? I think it stemmed from three things:

1. Strategy - I took a little time a couple days before to understand the blind structure and figure out an optimal strategy for changing gears in relation to the blinds. This was pretty big, as I think most people didn't recognize the need for a strategic shift and played too tight when the blinds started rising.

2. Confidence - I came in focused and poised, knowing that I was probably the best head's up player there. I kept that focus with each match and the concept of losing never entered my mind.

3. Praying on Weakness - While I allowed the other person to take down a few pots (when I either felt like they had a strong hand or just wanted to keep my image relatively solid), I picked up all the pots they didn't want. I think I only checked it down a couple times. I also picked really good spots for long-ball bluffs in the first two blinds levels when I had the stack to do it. This may have been check-raising on a draw or representing a hand all the way through.

Here are a couple of examples:

1. Blinds at 100/200. SB raises to 400 and I call in the BB with T9. Flop is 683, I check/call a small bet. Was I chasing a gut shot? Kinda...but it was just one of my outs. My plan was to see how he played the turn and react accordingly. I felt like he would fold to a bet on the turn if he was just continuation betting, depending on the card. The turn was a 6, so this was a great card for me to represent trips. I bet and he called. Okay, now I know he has something. Probably an overpair. River is an 8. A timid player, who is only playing his cards would most likely check here and give up. I decided that if I was going to represent either the 6 or the 8, then I needed to keep going. If anything, I would get called and be pegged as a bluffer and I could use that in later hands.

So I bet. But one thing I've improved on recently is betting enough to make them fold, while still representing my hand. I can't remember how much I bet, but I got him to lay down KK face up.

2. In my semi-finals match, a good player (but one that I know can make a laydown and knows that I play solid), raised pre-flop and I called with 89. The flop was 6Q7 and I checked, with the intention of check-raising if something about his bet seemed weak. He bet about 2/3 of the pot, which was a little more than his normal continuation bets, but I felt that with my image, a check-raise would represent a very strong hand. I could either get a laydown here or earn a free card on the turn. Again, I can't remember the size of the pot at the time, but I raised him about 3.5 - 4x his original bet. He took a while before folding and it was more than acting, so again I got someone to lay down the best hand.

Of course, I didn't bluff the entire time. I felt like I extracted the most of out my good hands as well and played on the emotions of the other players in order to induce the action that I wanted.

Tunica Trip Report & Lessons Learned

Overall this was a great trip. I had a lot of fun and made a little money. More importantly, my confidence once again grew and I learned some good lessons. Overall I was up $216 for the trip and made most of my money in satellites. Out of 6 satellites:

3 first (1 was a chop and one paid 2 places even)
1 protection (got 4th, but Doug and I had a protection deal so I got my buy-in back)
2 busts (one where my nut straight was rivered)

Gee...think tournaments are my thing?

Anyway, I flew into Memphis at 11:30am. Sit down at my first single table satellite around 12:45. First hand is AA (mmmmm...this is going to be a good trip).

So I chopped this table for $500. Ended up playing more cash games than I expected, but I felt like I needed to exorcise some demons. I played a lot of 1/2 NL and ended up down on cash games overall at - $189. Good play, good decisions, just lost a couple of big pots that hurt me. I definitely feel much more comfortable in cash games now. I just need to stay disciplined when playing out of position against those damn straddles. For some reason my ego kicks in when people play straddles.

Played awesome in a $500 event with 750 people and ended up in a big pot where I decided to lay down a flush draw after committing 1/3 of my stack (misplayed hand - http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=8782544&an=0&page=1#Post8782544). I wasn't super short after that, but then went card/situation dead and busted around 170 (top 72 paid).

Got a little bummed, burned some steam playing black jack and came up with a vigor into a satellite. Took it down for $1,100. Went over to Doug's table and played his stack while he helped me sell my satellite chips and won a $350 pot with a set of Jacks. He was nice enough to flip me $100.

I can't wait to go again! Maybe New Orleans??? Probably unlikely. Leaving Jenni for 5 days with 3 kids isn't easy on her. She is AWESOME for supporting my goals, but I know how much energy the kids can zap from you. I might just need to wait for the main event. Hopefully I can figure out a good schedule for going and maybe make it a family trip.

Lessons Learned

1. Don't be afraid to get your money into a +EV gambling situation when the odds are right and the situation warrants it. More specifically, don't be afraid to put your "tournament life on the line" in live tournaments if it is the right thing to do.

2. Don't try to outplay someone (i.e. long ball moves) until you've been at the table long enough to have strong reads.

3. Navaro's tells book really works (please don't tell anyone though)

4. Friendly table talk helps you keep control over the pace of the table

5. Sometimes you do have to go with a "feeling" if you are running well. It doesn't mean a donkey play, but if it is a close decision, sometimes you just gotta go with it.

6. Smiling and wit at the table tends to help me stay confident and mentally sharp

7. Not expending a lot of effort to observe others actually helps me take in more information. Overconcentrating can erode your ability to focus over a long session.

8. The table is a gold mine of information if you know how to extract it. People are much more likely to give up information if they like you. I gained a ton of valueable experience on this trip in asking the right questions in the right way and by simple observation.

9. Overt and dynamic friendliness is contageous. You can get even the tightest of rocks to open up.

10. I got better at adjusting to the blind structure better on this trip. Sometimes you have to be more agressive early to accumulate chips with fast structures. This also means open up raising and stealing requirements when your M is starting to dip, even if the blinds are relatively low (i.e. you have 1K at 25/50 level).

11. ALWAYS be aware of the blind structure for a tournament. Don't get caught not realizing that the blinds are doubling next.

12. Be aware of your M and play accordingly in live tournaments. Even if you are one of the table chip leaders, one mistake or marginal situation can have a significant long-term affect if you don't have room to recover.

My Plans for Tunica

I'll be in Tunica, MS from Jan 10 - 14 for the WSOP Circuit Event and the WPT World Poker Open.

While I'm getting excited about going, I'm treating it as just another set of poker sessions. It really is no different than any other session except I'll have more playing time in a condensed period.

An adjustment I will be making this time is that I won't let myself sink into just playing my cards if I go through a cold period. I'll be focusing on playing the players and the situations, just like any other session. My game is at a new level now and I'm confident in my abilities to adjust to different table dynamics better in a robust live setting.

The only difference between this and other sessions is that I'll need to manage my energy and sleep differently. While I plan on having longer than normal sessions, I will also make sure I'm getting enough sleep and eating well.

The other difference in this trip is that I will have the opportunity to meet one of my goals for this year, which is to cash in a WSOP Circuit or WPT Event in 2007 (2007 goal post coming soon). How I expect having this goal to change my play is simply that I will bring my A game to each session. I'm not going to focus on the outcomes and allow that to affect my play. I don't even need to cash in a main event this year. It can be a $200 event or whatever. But this will help me break the seal and just be a nice stepping stone. I've been to a couple of these events and have only played in about 5-6 tournaments so far; I bubbled a $200 second chance tournament last time. I'm confident that I can make a final table, if not win one of these events, but it's not like I have the opportunity to let variance play itself out, so I'm just starting with a goal of cashing for now.

As far as what I'm going to play in, I'm just going to treat the trip like a long poker session and try to maximize profitability, while at the same time, trying to satellite my way into the $500 and $1K events. Unlike last time, I'm not going to play in a $1K event unless I satellite in. Once I make enough in satellites, I'm going to go ahead and buy-into an event and treat the satellites as sit-n-go's. I probably won't play cash games much, but if I do, it will be the 1/2 game at the Gold Strike.

I'll try to keep up with trip reports while I'm there. Wish me luck.