Got my Mojo Back

Logged into 888.com for the final and there were 360 players registered.WTF??? I called Support and asked why there were so many entrants.There were heats on Wed,Thus and Fri the week before last and the top 30 qualified.According to support they also ran heats all last week.That wasn't advertised in the original newspaper pullout.I expected 150 max.That combined with the crap software didn't have me in the best of moods when I sat down to play.

In the qualifier the other players were awful.I'm obviously no expert but people were pushing all in with 95 o/s and other such quality hands.Anyway 3rd hand in and with 3 callers its round to me and I've got JJ. I bet out 350 in chips ( from 1000) hoping to either take the pot or get myself heads up v a hand I dominate like AQ,AJ,A10.I was put all in by one of the callers and when I called I was half right about his hand.He did have an A but sadly for me he also had another and with no help from the board out I went.

Read some poker forums and in particular a brilliant posting about tilt.I've pm'd the guy to ask if I can use his quote in my blog as along with all the encouragement from fellow bloggers the posters words really helped me get back to my A game.

I moved back down to $.25nl and I'm glad I did as there must have been a fish convention on at Pokerrooms lowest nl tables last night. I get KK and raise to $1.85 and get one caller.Flop of 3 5 6 rainbow and I bet $3 and get reraised all in for another $18. trips? 47? I call and after blanks on the turn and river my KK beats his 88.

I get AA and raise $3 and I'm raised $9 by a player who is all in.I then reraise the other caller and put him all in for another $12 and my rockets stand up for a $22 net profit.

I get 88 and limp in.Flop of 3h Ah 8c. Villan bets out $1, I raise to $5 and he calls.Turn is 9d and I bet out $15 and he calls.10d on the river no help and I take another one down.

Moved up to $1nl and won $47 in total.No more playing A6 out of position and back to my usual policy of lethal limping then ramming and jamming on the flop if I hit or folding if I don't.Only chasing draws with the right odds and betting for value if I've enough outs to be favourite.I've cut out the bluffs too apart from the odd steal attempt.One very noticeable tilt factor I've noticed in myself is the ability to make silly large bluff bets that are usually called. A smaller,controlled bluff bet that's called down at the beginning of a session can be quite welcome to set up future plays but overall at the lowest levels theres simply no need to bluff too often in ring games.

$171 profit from 199 hands last night and the bankroll sitting at $1096. Had a really enjoyable night and got a bit of my poker confidence back.Table selection was all important last night as always.I looked for high flop seen/big ave pot at .25nl as that usually means the fish are throwing their money away.I told one guy "unlucky" after he complained that I only beat him because I had a higher kicker.I he thinks J4 is a good hand I want to be at his table more often.

Very shortstacks at .25nl it seems just can't wait to see some action.They are not there to play a couple of hands an hour and gain a couple of dollars.They all want to double up right now and some of the hands people were going all in with were laughable.Maybe the mindset is that they are willing to pay say $8 for the sheer entertainment value of hoping their gutshot will hit and of course for the pay out the one time in ten that it does.

Overall a fine night and the new series of "Still Game" started well too."He who hingeth aboot,gets hee haw". If you hang about you get nothing.Could apply to slow playing our hand on a scary board.

Didn't go to the Rangers friendly game today.I hate friendly games.They are only really fitness exercises for the players and are very uncompetitive.Stuff paying $17 for that.Ended 0-0 with the German team Borrusia M'gladbach.

I've just seen news of 88 killed in bombings at the Eygptian red sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh.Mrs A and I were there last November and it was one of our best ever holidays.The people were fantastically friendly and the scenery stunning.I'll never forget the slience when standing in the Sinia desert on one of the excursions or the incredible snorkelling at the blue hole in Dahab.We even sent a package of Scottish stuff to one of the waiters who we became friendly with.Sharm is just developing as a resort and it will be a shame if these bombings stop all that.Who do these extremists think they are hurting? Most of the casualties will be Muslim hotel workers and its the Eygptian economy that will suffer if tourists stay away.

We must stand strong in the face of all this.We've already booked Gran Canaria for Sept but we nearly went back to Sharm and personally I would definitely still go back and hopefully we will in the next year or two.

I can't believe the moral cowardice of Italian football team Inter Milan who have cancelled their tour of England after the London bombings.Utterly pathetic.

Going out to visit friends tonight so no poker.I'll probably post again on Monday.