Break time

Ok last post before my holidays.Off to Gran Canaria on Sat on a 6pm flight with Mrs A.
Finally managed to get hold of a Sony PSP today and I can't wait to get playing it.It was £300 including Virtual Tennis,Ridgeracer,Coded Arms and Everybodys Golf.I checked with the Airline and it can be use on planes so that should help make the 5 1/2 hr flight go in more quickly.

Best bit is that the PSP is really a luxury I don't need but is fully bought and paid for with poker winnings.I've still got $1400 online so I'm not leaving my bankroll short and while I'd love to keep on building my roll its nice to know that if I do bust out I'll have something to show for my many hours of play.Also booked our Airport Limo transfer using poker money aswell as paying for Champions league ticket package, a new mattress and new gear for Mrs A.

I've not been playing as much this week but will have one last session tonight before the longest break I've taken from poker since I started playing for real on 31/10/04.
The break will be very welcome and hopefully I'll recharge my poker batterries and come back ready to kick ass again.

Not much to shout about last night at the tables.Pokerroom gave me a free entry into a $5 sng for my player points and finished 5th after going out on a coinflip.

Moved to Interpoker and was going to go to bed $15 up after an hours play at 0.30am until I decided that as today was my last day at work I'd play another 1/2 hr.My J9 in the BB flopped a straight and being a greedy git I slow played my way to disaster and let the villan catch his flush.
Down $40 then but played on for another 1/2 hour after that and made back $10 for a $30 loss.

Still no replies from Interpoker to the emails I've sent them.Probably won't stop me playing there again tonight. When I get back I may try the trick the Vegas Pros use and get some sleep when I come home from work and start on Interpoker about 2.30 am whens there's lots of wild drunken fishy play going on.

Before I head off to the sun I'd like to thank my fellow bloggers for their support and comments since I started this blog.I don't think I've any non-blogger readers but according to Stat Counter people have visited my blog from Singapore,India,Australia and the home of the Blues Brothers Illinois Chicago all of which I find amazing even if most of them probably arrived here by mistake!

So to all bloggers and any other readers once again I thank you for reading my witterings over the last few months and don't forget to look me up after the 3rd October cos I'll be back.

Until then take care in life and at the tables.....

Shut up and deal

Started reading my first holiday book last night.I've got about 12 in total and will probably get through most of them unless I find somewhere that has stock of the elusive PSP.

Chose Jesse Mays "Shut up and Deal" first and its off to a good start.He makes a good point about judging how good a player someone is.He compares his plodding game to his friend "Ace" who is probably the best player at his cardroom but refuses to learn other poker games or travel to a weaker game further away.He talks about shooting angles to get an edge and in online poker terms that comes down to site and table selection.

I don't think I've improved dramatically over the last month or so but by playing at a different site with weaker drunker ( they must be!) players I've done relatively well.The question the book asks is does that make me better or more skilled than someone playing at a higher level than me not making as much due to tighter more skilled opponents.

The answer? He says "There is no reality.It all depends on how I represent what is and how I cloud it.And the answer doesn't matter.It only matters if you have something to prove".

As someone in his first year of playing I think I do want proof.I want to know for sure I'm a winning player.I need to know for confidence so that when I get on a bad run and lose 3,4,5 or 6 sessions in a row that it is only variance and its not that I've just been lucky until now and that losing will be the norm for me in the long run.

I sometimes think its easy to forget that most of my poker profits will come from other people poor plays and mistakes rather than my own poker genius.( ??!)

Last quote from the book for now and its about something which has gradually seeped into my brain recently.

"Poker is a combination of skill and luck.People think mastering the skill part is hard ,but they are wrong.The trick to poker is mastering the luck.That's philosophy and there are some people who aren't ever gonna fade it".

Of course skill is important but would you rather back a skillful player with a serious tilt problem or a solid plodder who has emotional control at the table?

I feel I have improved lately but more on the steam control side of things than gaining any particular new skills.Of course every time I write a post like that I seem to tempt the tilt monster in me to rear its ugly head....

On a side note I did wonder why the phrase "Shut up and deal" was so popular in poker until I sussed that online the auto shufflers do exactly that but in real life when the dealer is still explaining why he thought a player mucked not checked 3 hands ago it does get damn frusrating.


Comments from yesterday have also got me thinking.( thats the grinding noise). I mentioned
http://obituarium.blogspot.com/ and how I love his orignal writing and for some reason it took me back to the live game I played on Sunday and the donk plays I wrote about me making and suddenly I realised why.I was trying too hard to be original and unpredictable. Raise AA? Everyone does that! Holding K6 on a flop of K 9 4 and first to act with 2 others left.Check! Who else would play it that way?

I'd forgotten that while mixing up your play is fine making basic mistakes under the disguise of being orignal and unpredictable 'aint gonna win money.We all know about the sports geniuses that have that little bit of the maverick about them.( I don't mean they like dancing the night away). Sometimes its a self destruct trait but the very best and and most skilled of people in all walks of life often have some X factor ( not the crap tv show) about them that sets them apart
and I think my donk plays were me secretly trying to be that person who does things that bit differently but better than my fellow competitors. If most winners make 3 bb per hour I want to find a new way of making 6bb.

I think the above is partly down to being inexperienced.When I first started smoking at 17 I knew I could start and stop again without any problems because I'd be too strong willed to get addicted to nicotine.Wrong!

When I passed my driving test I sometimes drove far too fast and took some crazy risks because youthful arrogance told me I was better than most other drivers out there ( at 17!) and I had a natural talent for it.Just luck more than anything else that I didn't kill myself but I'm sure we've all read stories about teenagers crashing and killing their friends and thought "That could have been me".

Hopefully with more experience I'll be able to time my "original"plays a bit better.

http://yosoyveneno.blogspot.com/ comment also got me thinking.She mentioned she'd like to catch me at the tables sometime which would be great as the only time I played with another blogger ( http://www.gcox25.blogspot.com/) I really enjoyed myself.Well it would be great but
when I recall all the sessions where someones railbirded me ( is that the phrase?) I always seem to lose! Lost playing with Mr Cox,when my cousin was round a while back and when I played on my own account at my Mums trying to show her how small a step up it was from play to real money.( "don't worry about that $30 Mum I put my money in as favourite").

Too much ego and wanting to show 'em I could play instead of my usual patient but aggressive game.Or I start off patiently but get aggressive with a good hand ( say AJ,AQ) but not a great hand and bang go more bucks.

All part of learning this great game.

Oh I did actually play for 1 1/2 hours for $3.75 profit at Pokerrooms .25nl tables. Only 2 hands worth mentioning. I had 67 o/s on a flop of 3d 4d 5d and folded to a large river bet when I'd been leading out on the flop and turn ( turn was another Diamond). I wrote "Damn I'm folding 67" and the villan was kind enough to show the Ad.

On another hand at another table I called a $1.50 pf bet with A5 soooted which I would normally have folded to a raise.I read theres more money lost with Ace rag than any other hand( I've had A6 o/s and Q10 o/s more than any other hand according to Pokertracker) but I was in the cut off and hoped to hit an A ( or flush) v a big pair and ended up winning when somone said they'd have to fold KK to my bets adding "damn ace". I replied "weak but sooooted lol" and we both had a laugh about it.Moved tables soon after.I'm there to make money not friends.( unless playing with other bloggers of course).


Ok time to shut up and post....

Just for me and my dog

Managed to find the classic Kiaora cinema ad from my youth. Not sure if the link will work as I'm a total e-tard but here goes anyway.Its too orangey for crows.....

Kiaora.wmv


Finished work last night and after grabbing a bite to eat headed off to Ibrox for the big game.3-2 to Rangers after scoring the winner with 5 mins to go.Cue absolute bedlam and delight.We probably didn't deserve to win despite leading 3 times as Porto played a good game and have some real quality about them.I can hardly speak today after all my shouting and singing last night but its well worth it. Nice to see Chelsea win too.

Just had a customer call for a colleague who wasn't available.When I said I would request a callback the customer asked if it would be soon as he'd had a heart attack and was waiting for an ambulance.I did ask if maybe it would be better to deal with his complaint at a later date but he insisted on holding till my colleague was free.Another customer whose nuttier than a squirrels fart.

Not much poker content again today as I didn't play last night when I got back.Just logged on and caught up with a few blogs and match reports.

My manager in a previous job used to talk about being in "holiday mode" before and after a break from work and there's some truth to that.I don't want to carry that attitude onto the poker tables as its far too unforgiving an arena for that.

Now to my mini rant on pretentious musical terms.The UK daily free paper ( Metro) has a section called "On my Ipod" where an artist or celeb ( I hate celeb culture) gives their 6 favourite tracks with a short description.Maybe I'm just getting old but I'm not about to moan about how theres no melodies today and its all thumping bass and electronic beeps as some of my fav tunes are dance/techno but reading DJ Spookys choices and descriptions made me laugh and I thought I'd share some of the pish he spouted.

"What can I say about Sun Ra? ( whatever ye like I've never heard of him)."He's the master of the inverted dreamworld of absract jazz.He was always a channel for otherworldliness and jazz still hasn't caught up to him"

Back to the inverted world of absract NL holdem soon but heres another gem."The track's broken beat and kinetic bass flips the whole hip hop equation on its head.Rhythm is such a regimented situation these days and Sa-ra breaks it down-literally"

One last piece of psuedo trendy nonsense speak for you." Arto has always been good at comveying delicate and bizarre senisbilities that occupy the same creative space at the same time.Its hard to balance the paradox but Arto manages this masterfully"

Aye I'm sure he does.

Needless to say I'm not about to rush out and buy Sun Ra or Artos latest cd......



Damn I hate it when blogspot eats half a post.Grrrr.

Picked up my poker t-shirts at lunchtime and I may be biased but I like 'em.Looked for a shop with stock of the Sony PSP but they all seem to be sold out.Just as I decide I want one they sell out.Typical. My tennant cancelled the plumber today as he was going out so hopefully the toilet flushing problem can't be too bad.



Congrats to http://www.financialcharting.com/poker/blog/ The Edge for his Royal flush which I read about at http://pokerandglory.blogspot.com/.

About time I gave a shout out to some of my favourite blogs.
Just asked http://www.YoSoyVeneno.blogspot.com./ to swap links so please pay her excellent new blog a visit.( unless she says no in which case scrub the above .lol)
Found her blog by reading one of my old favourites http://www.sirfwalgman.blogspot.com/.

Big shout out to http://www.gcox25.blogspot.com/. Chin up Mr Cox. Your blog isn't languishing in the slightest and is still one of my first reads every day.

Go visit http://tripjax.blogspot.com/ to see the best picture header in blogland,
http://highonpoker.blogspot.com/ for the best recanting on the net and
http://will-wonka.blogspot.com/ to find details on the latest DA 12 step programme.( Donkeys not drugs!)

Go tell http://pokerboss.blogspot.com/ and http://raiseonthebutton.blogspot.com/ to post again soon.

Look out for the return of http://pokerandmusic.blogspot.com/ who should be reconnected and back in a few days and keep checking http://pokerandcoffee.blogspot.com/ for his latest update.


http://obituarium.blogspot.com/ for original stuff and http://50outs.blogs.com/poker/ for Jans latest post which includes an excellent account of a hand he played with Gus Hansen.

And of course http://guinnessandpoker.blogspot.com/ was worth my last visit just for the picture of 2 sets of feet and a bar of soap( go to link and scroll down) aswell as the other content.

Here a couple of stories from The Herald that raised a titter..

A pretty pass:Our bus driver stories reminded John Traynor in Glasgow of being on an Arriva bus in the city when a little old lady came on and showed her bus pass to the driver and waited for her ticket. As Arriva is the only bus company to ask for a destination before issuing a concessionary fare ticket, the driver asked where she was going.She looked a little bewildered, and the driver repeated his request saying: "I've got to know where you're going so I can give you a ticket."Fellow passengers tried to keep their faces straight as she leaned over to the driver and told him: "A'm gaun' tae visit ma sister."


Off the wall:Ahh the old ones are the best ones. Labour Party chairman Ian McCartney showed his pawky Scots wit by telling the TUC conference yesterday how prudent chancellor Gordon Brown really is. Ian said he had called round at the Brown family home in the summer to find him stripping the wallpaper in the front room."Decorating?" Ian asked."No, moving," Gordon replied.



Happy birthday to Nacho who was 1 yr old yesterday.The wee one and her friend made him a cake and a card to celebrate.

Only a couple more days of blogging before Mrs A and I are off to Gran Canaria. I may be able to get Net access over there but will probably just take a complete break ( stop cheering at the back) from my blog and poker.

When you start using your blog to wish your dog a happy birthday a break is almost certainly a good idea....

Freeroll

Walked passed a pub today at lunchtime and the advertised freeroll on a board outside grabbed my attention.Just as I was about to enter to get more details about prize money etc I realised that the kind of freeroll they were offering contained ham or cheese and nothing at all to do with Holdem.Poker on the brain.

Mrs A is feeling much better today which is great news.I made dinner last night.A pizza for me and some healthy cauliflower and cheese thing for Mrs A.

I also filled my tank up with petrol yesterday morning as I'd read about possible fuel strikes happening this week.£57 to fill my tank up but there were big queues forming this morning so I'm glad I did fill up even if it looks like all will be ok this time round.I paid 94 p per litre which is a crazy price considering most of it is Government tax.Thats $1.76 per litre!

Also found an interesting article in yesterdays paper about how if Scotland had gone independent in the 70's the North Sea oil would have meant that Scotland would have gone on to become one of Europes richest countries with a huge tax surplus but that the English economy would have suffered and they may have tried to take our oil fields by force.( Bring it on!).This has come to light thanks to the Freedom of Information Act. Of course the Scots were told in the 70's that the oil wouldn't last....

Distinct lack of poker content today.Only played for 15 mins last night after Mark left.Still not taken feckin Stalingrad yet.So close but no cigar.

Had a call from the letting agency which rents out my flat for me to say that the tennant is complaining that the toilet needs flushed twice.I wanted to tell them to suggest the tennant tries taking smaller dumps but ended up agreeing to a plumber going out for a look.My workmate just paid £82 for a plumber to change a washer so I'm expecting a bill out of all proportion.Its probably just a slight blockage but I'm not much of a DIY guy so I'll leave it to an expert.( expert at shaking his head and saying "Its going to be expensive").

Spent my lunchhour organising holiday stuff ready for heading off on Saturday.I'm getting a couple of poker t-shirts printed and a baseball cap.I'm not sure how the t-shirts will turn out but if they look good I've got a couple of ideas for a few more and a domain name registered.

Rangers play Porto tonight at 7.45pm so not much poker will be played.I hope we can get a result.Got a soft spot for Porto after they beat celt*c in the Uefa cup final a few seasons ago but they'll be a tough side to get a result against and the way the Gers have been playing a draw would be a decent result.Good luck to my English team Chelsea V Anderlecht tonight too.They should win comfortably as Anderlecht have lost their last 7 Champs league games.

Apologies again for lack of poker content but I suppose this is the "life" bit of my poker n life blog.

Probably wont get much poker played tonight but I've got a rant aimed at the trendy pretentious terms used to describe some music these days so stay on the edge of your seat for that....

Good luck at the tables till then....

Mrs A ok

Leaving the poker club in Glasgow last night I got a text from Mrs A to say she'd called herself an ambulance ( always said she looked like one) as she was really ill.I rushed straight to the hospital and she's ok but they couldn't find anything wrong.She was having breathing difficulties and upper body pain. She'd been taken to the Accident and Emergency department and though the staff are excellent they are way overworked and she didn't get out till 11pm ( in at 6.30) after the usual tests didn't show anything untoward.She's taking it easy this week before we go away on Saturday.The break should do her good as she's one of these people whose always on the go.It could be simple exhaustion thats caused her to feel so unwell.

As her loving and generous partner I said she could leave the washing of the dishes and I would..........supervise the wee one as she did them!

I can joke now but the land speed breaking drive to the hospital was no fun.I was out my mind with worry about my good lady.I love her to bits and she means the world to me and life without her just doesn't bear thinking about.

Ok to the poker and another fine weekend at the tables.I still had a ton of points to clear at Pokerroom to get my $80 reload bonus so I multi-tabled at three full $1nl ring games and left 40cents down after 3 hours of play but having cleared my bonus.I should have been $66 up but No Limit is an unforgiving beast.466 hands and 465 of them played to my satisfaction.The one I screwed up was when I raised JJ by $4 and then called a reraise ( $7.5) and then on a board of 2 4 9 9 10 rainbow I called an $8,$15 and finally a $30 river bet to see a pair of Queens.One of those crazy lapses of concentration and judgement than can lose a player a lot of money.I notice when I looked at the session browser that I'd lost $15 with JJ 35 mins previously so maybe I'd stubbornly and stupidly decided they were going to be good this time.( Why? Cos I say so!)

Over to Interpoker after an hours break watching some of Hellraiser with Mrs A and I hit the tables and raised some hell of my own.Actually I played 2 tables of 6 max £1 nl and hardly saw a flop as I played a very tight game.After a while this meant I could start stealing pots and open my game up a little. $94 profit for 4 hours play and I hit my bed at 4.30 am.An early night in preparation for my live game on Sunday.( well it wasn't 7am!)

The game at the Wabash club started at 3pm with 40 entrants into the £5 rebuy No Limit tourney and I really enjoyed myself.They've done the place up since we ( me my cousin Ross) were last there and its a really cosy wee place now.

1 hour 45 before the rebuy period ended with 2000 strating chips and blinds staying at 100-200 for that time.I rebought once and bought the add on for another £5 too.Cutting to the chase I came 7th for £25 prize.Top 8 got paid and it was nice to reach the final table and the money.Only £5 profit for 5 hours play ( £10 door entry) but I felt much more at ease this time.They had an electronic timer on the wall showing blind level,average stack etc and this plus playing No limit instead of Pot Limit meant I soon settled into my game.

While I agree not looking at your hand until its your turn doesn't give as much away I looked as soon as they were dealt and preferred to have time to think through my plays better rather than rush them.

Played some stinkers though! I'm ashamed to admit that I limped in with my first ever live Pocket Rockets.Doh!! I was hoping for a bet from a couple of the loose gooses but I think all 7 of us saw the flop and 44 made quads to win.

On another hand I had K 6 in the sb and checked on a board of K 9 4 and then folded to a steal bet.I was worried about my kicker and the stealer was the big stack but I did play it weakly by checking and should have bet it.

I was always the shortstack at the final table despite a couple of steals.I tried to steal with QJ but the BB raised enough to put me all in and I folded.He showed 1010.Good fold? I didn't think so after considering it later but I'm still not sure.It was 56% v 44% in his favour but calling with my last 10k to win 40k is 3-1 and good odds to call.But this was my tournament survival and I decided to wait for a better chance.

Now to a hand that really pissed me off.I 'd been watching for tells ( not that I was sure what I was looking for) and had picked a couple up.Basic stuff like the guy to my left showing obvious displeasure with his hand meaning I could steal if folded round to me and he was the bb.

Ok I'm a very shortstack and I have 22 in my hand and I watch the table fold round and catch the guy to my left grimace at his hand and go to muck before realising everyone else had folded and he only has me to get through. He asked how much I had and asked if I'd like him to raise.Being totally new to this live play stuff I kinda shrugged unsure if I did want to make a stand with my 22. He bet 6k and after thinking I folded and he showed 73 o/s. I had my read on him,knew he was weak but still folded!!! I'm sure he'd have folded if I'd pushed all in with my last 10k so why didn't I?

I told him I knew he was weak but that I didn't want to go out on a coinflip which with him having 2 overcards it effectively was. As I said I was fairly sure I was right about the odds but it wouldn't have mattered as he would probably have folded to my 10k all in if I'd played it correctly.

Went out one off the BB which would have been my last hand when my K9 ran into A10. I was hopeful when the flop came K 5 Q but a blank then a J for his straight on the river saw me offski.

I did play a few good hands quite well too but it always the bad ones that stick out.I actually played a K 10 v another player with K but who I'd worked out didn't worry about kickers.That felt good.

Overall a fine experience.My cousin enjoyed himself too building a large stack before getting his AA cracked by someone with an even larger stack.

Played an hour at Pokerroom last night after I'd got Mrs A tucked up on the couch.Only played at .25nl one table because I was so damn tired.I won $1.75 which is 7bb.I have to put it that way to make it look good.Funny moment when a player folded with only .25c left and a pot of $12. To be fair he built that .25c to $7 before losing it but the table was winding him up about his fold.I asked if he was a bot and one or two others must have suspected but when he left and came back he replied "thanks" when someone tested him by saying "welcome back".

I certainly don't believe Online Poker is rigged in any way but I've read about Bots being used at low levels and folding for 25c with $6 invested in the pot did seem strange.Just a very fishy player.Maybe a newbie.The kind that limps with AA preflop and doesn't act on any blatant reads he gets........

Ok Mrs A is upstairs taking it easy and Marks due round shortly to help me take Stalingrad.

Oh congrats to the English on winning the ashes from Australia for the first time in years.I don't follow cricket at all.Along with golf I find it very boring but well done to 'em anyway.

Howzat?!

Shwings

Dropped the wee one off at numpties for the weekend and after a lovely dinner with Mrs A I sparked one up and hit the tables.I was off to a flyer in a $10 sng when on a flop of A 2 3 I called an all in with AK and beat the villans 23 when an beautiful A came on the turn.Lucky fishy acorn but that gave me the lead and I knocked out another 4 players as did the villan I eventually beat heads up for $40 net.

Moved to the full ring .50 nl two tabling and blew my winnings on a series of bad cards and loose play.Left after 3 hours dead even.

Interpoker was calling and yet another night of huge shwings lay ahead.At 1.10am I was down from $1064 to $775 but I kept the heid and kept right on smokin' until my patience was rewarded after a table move.It was getting late by this time and the play just seemed to get wilder and wilder.I was playing at £1nl max and when I finished at 4.30am I thought I'd recouped my losses and was about even.It was a pleasant suprise to see I'd won $175 overall for my efforts.£95 towards my Sony psp assuming I don't blow it over the next few days.

The Showpark was my destination today to watch EK Thistle beat St Anthonys 2-1.Playing well and in good form for the cup final next month which is more than I can say for Rangers who drew 1-1 with the new promoted Falkirk.Nacho scored a penalty but from all reports we were pish.Playing Porto at Ibrox on Tues night in the first game of our Champions League campaign and we'd better step it up more than a few gears if we want to even think about being competitive at that level.

Time to hit the tables....

Going Live

Quite excited about this weekend.Are Mrs A and I going out for a romantic candle lit dinner for two?

Nope but my wee cousin phoned last night to ask if I'm up for some live poker on Sunday at a small poker club in Glasgow. £5 No limit rebuy tourney with a 3pm start.

Played my first live game there a few months ago and I'm looking forward to the experience again.Played Pot limit last time and found it a real struggle keeping up with the action.Hard to work out pot odds when you don't know how much is in the pot.I'd never played a rebuy tourney and being a tightass never rebought once unlike my wee cousin who had several rebuys but made it to the final table ( about 18 started) while I crashed out not long after the add on.

This time I'm going prepared to spend £20-£25 and will play a few more draws etc until the rebuy period is over.The only tip I remembered last time was not to look at my hand until the play was on me but I reckon I probably still gave off a zillion tells despite trying desparately hard not to.

Played for 2 1/2 hours last night two tabling at Pokerrooms .50nl and finished up $60 for my nights work.I was about even for the first 1 1/2 hrs before moving to two new tables where the average pot size was higher.Folded AJ after calling a raise from the button and being reraised all in after I bet out on a J K 7 rainbow board.The lesson is not to call raises with AJ.

No particularly memorable hands but did go on a wee rush for about 3 or 4 hands and that doubled my buy in and made most of my $$ for the night.

After losing on Wed night it was nice to get most of it back.My Pokerroom bankroll stands at $445 and Interpoker at $1064 after a couple of cashouts last week.I'm not going to let it affect my play but I'd love to have another weekend like the last one and make enough to buy a Sony PSP for my holiday.One of my workmates has one and says there's even a new first person shooter released today for it. I want one!

Petrol prices seem to be going up again.Now paying 90p ( $1.65) per litre and my thirsty Alfa likes its juice.I wonder if there will be another truckers blockade of fuel depots like there was in 2000.Luckily I'd seen that coming and had a couple of 5l containers filled before the crisis really hit but the sight of quiet roads and huge queues at the petrol stations seemed surreal.

Last full weekend of poker before going away for a poker free fortnight in the sun next Saturday.Having a break from the game will probably do me good.Until my last two weekends at Interpoker my bankroll had remained fairly static and I'd felt a bit stale.Playing and winning at a new site has certainly helped my poker frame of mind although I'm well aware I haven't suddenly become a much better player.......I've just found much worse ones to play with.

Still no replies from Interpokers support though but despite that I'll be back there for some crazy swing 6 max nl again tonight.I even want England do well in their big cricket game today in the hope that plenty English cricket/poker fans get stuck into many beers before hitting the tables tonight.

Ok going to add a link to another video of Rangers incredible last day title win in May.Probably only of interest to me but the soundtracks damn fine too and I can never watch enough of vids like this.Still gives me goosebumps and shivers thinking back to the last 2 minutes of the season.
media.putfile.com/go...

Hope you all flop a boat this weekend.

Fish tricks

Thanks to The Edge ( http://www.financialcharting.com/poker/blog/ ) for his comment asking what fish image strategies I use.

Well I found what I feel may be the best ever strategy so pay close attention because its completely fool proof.

Heres my secret fish formula.....play like a fish!

Yes I lost $70 last night at Pokerroom and most of it was my own fault as I played very poorly.

I had read a great post at http://www.suckout.blogspot.com/ about betting your draws at fixed limit and didn't start my session well as I joyfully bet my flush draw post flop and after the turn only to miss completely and be left wondering what the hell to do after a blank river with 2 eager callers waiting on my next move.Make a weak bet and lose was the answer.

Recipe for disaster: Take one excellent fixed limit strategy post. Take a pinch of some recently purchased strong herbs and smoke,mix up an excellent theory on raising with drawing hands like KQ with some screwed up "raise all draws" theory of my own and end up blowing $$$ in hand I was always behind in.

I'm just starting to try and understand the kind of theory that says if its a $10 river call into a $100 pot that I'm getting 10-1 on my call and in the long run even if I'm 80% sure I'm beaten its worth a call because while I'll lose 8 times out of ten ( $80) when I win on those two occasions it'll mean I show a profit overall.

My style has always been very simple.Wait for a great made hand and make the donkeys pay to draw but I have to keep learning and trying to improve.

I'm learning that as Poketracker shows AA has won 80% of the time for me this means that if I win $100 every time it holds up I should try and see it as an $80 win in the same way as if it loses I should still see it as an $80 win as thats my expected value for it.I'm starting to limp more where I feel I have the odds.6 callers at .50nl means theres at least $3 in the pot so many more hands are worth a call as I'm getting 6-1 for my 50c.

Sorry if all the above seems like rambling nonsense but I'm only just starting to understand this kind of poker theory and while my arithmetic is good I'm no maths geek.My short term memory isn't always the greaest either......


To answer your question Mr Edge I did show my bluff the other night which is why I hoped he would then call my next large raise pf but I generally don't ever show and I'm just starting to mess about a bit with it to see where it takes me.I don't chat much either but using chat to tilt or put off opponents is another route I may go down but not until I'm sure I can handle whats thrown back at me without tilting myself.I've never tilted yet after someones chat comments and I don't want to create a leak where there isn't one for the sake of only the possibilty of gaining a small edge. Sorry to hear about you tilting at Pacific Mr Edge but you'd need to be made of stone not to let their software drive you completely nuts.

Can't blame any software but the other night I was sprinting back to my seat after a toilet break and just missed KK on one screen and JJ on the other.Both folded just as my finger was poised over the bet key.Very frustrating.

We live and learn and last nights small downswing was probably overdue.JJ and KK both ran into a pair of Aces and I never made a draw all night. ( no full bladder to save me last night!)

I also think I was too keen to play when I sat down. I played two .50 nl tables but was itching for action from my first hand and thats no way to start a game."I'm going to switch on my pc and fold for a while" would have been better.

Also started my session herb free and I was far too alert and eager but when I did spark up eventually my new herbs plus general tiredness meant my concentration levels were very poor and I paid the price in a series of fishy moves.I even chased a gutshot on the turn with no odds which isn't like me.

To go back to The Edges question about projecting a fish image in truth I'm not sure that's what I'd always want.I normally like either a tight image so my bets get respect and I can bluff more or a loose image to help disguise my monster hands.The attention levels of most of the other players though at the low stakes I play it mean its not worth the effort to try and be too fancy or mix it up much especially as there are usually 3 or 4 mulit-tablers at my .50nl or $1 nl table.

Occasionally though I do feel it can be worth a few $$ advertising when new to a table to help set up a move later but very rarely for the reason above.

Only 9 days till holiday time.Bought some more books at lunchtime.Another Carl Haissen,Tony Parsons latest,another Colin Bateman and the auotbiography of a recently retired football referee.

Time to blow the whistle on todays witterings.......

Wow

Swapped links with the Poker worlds 6th most popular blogger.Yes http://highonpoker.blogspot.com/ come on down. Good luck at the cardroom too.

I love my football but I hate all the rubbish footballers/managers say before and after games."They always make it a hard game when you go to their ground". Well why have they not won a game for months then? Why not just say "They are one of the worst teams we've ever played and if we can't beat them we may aswell take up tiddlywinks"?

"The players gave 110%". No they didn't.You can't give more than 100%.Impossible.

Great to read an honest quote from US striker Landon Donovan after they beat Mexico."They suck.I'm so happy.Hopefully that will shut them up for the next 3 or 4 years".

Now thats much more like it!


Scotland play Norway tonight and must now win all three remaining games and hope Norway slip up to have a chance of qualifying for the World Cup.It aint gonna happen.Even if we do take 2nd in our group we still have to win a play off.I predict a draw tonight. 6 pm kick off so leaving work early to get home in time to watch it.

Played just over 2 hours of poker last night at Pokerroom.I'm still clearing an $80 bonus and require another 370 player points.I've still not had any reply to either of my emails to Interpokers support.One about bonuses and another about a hand I was leading in when their system booted me.Still not received my cashout cheque from them either but maybe that takes 7-10 days.Poor service to match the poor players at the site.

Played 2 full ring .50nl tables and managed to find one with an average pot size of $45. Had that horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach a couple of times when I lost pots.The polar opposite of the joy felt when an opponent bets big into your nut hand.You know the feeling where you know you're ahead and have the odds on your side but some clown hits a 2 outer he had no right to hit ( 95% of the time) when you had suckered him in beautifully.

Managed to tell myself that its not the bad beat but how I react to it that counts although I did concentrate on the other table for a minute or so to avoid the most annoying piece of poker chat ever invented......."Wow". Ok we all know most of us don't mean "nh" when outdrawn but you just know that "wow" is the last thing a beaten player is really thinking and I think it just looks a bit sad. "Ouch" I don't mind if its the player outdrawn writing it but its not something I'd use in the chat unless I was trying to tilt someone.

I did have fun with one player who I think was trying out my big blind trick of raising to steal the limpers cash. I was on the button and the first time I raised his $2 bet to $6.50 with nothing and he folded.The second time I actually limped with Aces in the cut off as the table was playing very tightly and all had folded to me.I limped and he bet $2 again from the BB.This time I raised it to $8 but he didn't take the bait and folded.I was hoping it looked like a such a blatant steal he would call.

I was way up on one table where I was running the show and players were waiting to see what I was going to do next but couldn't catch a card on the other where players were furiously writing "fish" next to my name in their notes.Its a crazy old game right enough.

Finished up $26 and went to bed at 0.30am for an earlyish night.

Ok bring on the Vikings....

edit: 2-1 to Scotland! Que sera sera whatever will be will be,We're going to Germaneeeeeee,Que sera sera

Well maybe not quite yet but we have hope!

And my Northern Irish granny will be smiling down from heaven after NI beat England 1-0.

Ohhhhh Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy na na na na! ( sung whilst jumping up and down like a madman)

Repeat till ye run out of bounce....

No sleep till bedtime

Thought I'd sneak home for an hours kip before going to pick up my meal and Step Acorn from Mrs A's work.Pulled up at the Acorn Residence to see the front window open.Hmmmm.Got to the door and it was open.Mrs A had left a neighbour to look after the wee one and her friend who were happily playing on the trampoline. No sleep for me.

Step A then took the huff with me because I wouldn't let her take her bike to the shops and I had the cheek to blame her for losing the key to her bikes padlock.She's a great kid but at 11 the years of "Its not fair" and "I always get the blame" are just starting.Of course I responded with the age old reply "Well who's fault is it then?" prompting her to breeze past me and come back down a few minutes later having "washed her face".I could see a tear or two had been shed and while I hadn't changed my mind about her taking her bike without a lock I did give her a hug and an extra £1 to spend.I've known her since she was 5 and while I reckon I'm good with kids making the right decisions 'aint easy.Give me someone going all in on the flop when I have TPTK anytime.( trips?2 pair arghhh?)

I reckon my parents would have taken the cost of a new padlock from my pocket money every week until I had enough but I bought her a new one today and hopefully that solves that.
I mentioned before being a bit tight but considering I've spent £40 on repairing that bike ( chain,tyres,brakes etc) I think I was right not to let her leave lying unattended outside the local supermarket. Of course being tight I bought her new one from the Pound Shop and even bought one for her friends bike as there is no limit to my generous nature....

No poker at all last night.Mark and I are still on the road to feckin' Stalingrad on MOH.We keep getting near the end of the level and getting wiped out.We're on Normal level and there's no way we want to have to start the whole game over on Easy.It could be another 100 year war at this rate.....

I'm now debating with myself over wether to buy the new Sony handheld Psp machine.Similar graphics to the Play Station 2 and plays movies and music too.I only play my PS2 once a week and the main attraction is being able to use it when I go on holiday in 11 days.Sitting on the balcony playing games,drinking beer and smokin' sounds good to me but would I ever use it again? Hmmmmmm.

I've already bought 6 books to take.A Carl Hiassen Triology,Colin Bateman-Divorcing Jack ( read "Driving Big Davy" and it was great),Shut up and Deal-Jesse May and a couple of others.

May hit the tables tonight but may also take another evening off to refresh my mind.( that means reading poker forums and watching it on tv if I can wrestle the remote from Mrs A)

I notice that other bloggers take a break for a day or two when they have nothing decent to write about.

I promise from now on I'll try and do the same.......

Zombie

Zombie tired today after Saturday nights long session.Was in bed for 0.30am last night which is early for me but after 5 hours sleep the night before I really should have hit the sack at a decent time.

I hadn't intended on much poker play as the last time I played in zombie mode when was I returned from Amsterdam and the results weren't pretty. Played a "lucky dollar" tourney. Ended up all in with the Hammer preflop and bombed out.

Moved to the ring and played at one of Pokerrooms $.50nl full tables.Mentioned before that I've not played much at .50nl ( full ring) as I felt all the best .25n players moved there and its easier to find a .25nl table with the same average pot size so why pay higher blinds and better players? I quite like the betting levels at .50nl. Not low enough to make it hard to focus but not high enough to have me playing too scared.

My $50 buy in became $95 within 1/2 hour.

Poker can be a funny game though.Yesterday I asked why I bet out with my A high straight when the board paired ( Q) on the river and I lost to a boat. Last night I was in a similar position only this time I hadn't slow played it and had bet big on the turn.When he called and the board paired on the river I checked and he checked behind me with only a pair.My gut told me I was ahead and he hadn't filled up but why tell myself to stop betting big when the river pairs if I'm not going to stick to it. Maybe the old "It depends" adage comes into play.

My $95 slowly dwindled down to $89 as I saw nothing worth playing for another hour.Fold after fold after fold. I'd only won 2 hands to get me up to $95.The one above and a lucky 10 2 o/s in the big blind which made 2 pair on the flop. AJ and 102.

Not so much premium hands but premium opportunities.

My friend Mark is coming up tonight.Airdrie Mark. Not quite as glam sounding as Florida Mark but he can't help where he lives!

I may try and get an hours sleep before he arrives.Either that or use matchsticks to keep my eyes open.Not good preparation for taking on the might of the German army on the road to Stalingrad in Medal of Honor or for the hour of poker I usually squeeze in after he leaves.

Pokertracker doesn't seem to work with Interpoker which is a real pity as I'd love to delve into my play there over the last few weeks in more detail.

Since Jan on Pokeroom I've now played 442 hours and 974 sessions.

Thats 18 full days of this year sat on my ass playing poker.Hmmmmmm!

Its just a small part time hobby.......

Marathon Man

No I ain't running one but after a 10 hour session last night it feels like I have.

$3.75 up after just over an hour at Pokerroom and I was off to Interpoker to swim with the fishies.

I've only ever played with US Dollars online but decided to have a go at a couple of tables using good old virtual British pound notes. I may need dual nationality because I ended up converting all my bets in my head to $$ as that's what I'm used to online.I may have to finish posts from now on wishing you all a nice day.

Played 2 tables for most of the night and at one point was down to $400 from an $850 starting point after getting all in with AA preflop and getting 'em busted.

Rebought and took the villan for most of his stack with 3 all ins that went my way.He didn't have much luck.He flopped a straight V another villan who made a set on the flop and quads on the turn.

One of my big pots v him was when I had QJ and flopped a straight and he went all in on the river (just as I was pricing my value river bet) with a measly pair of Jacks.I couldn't believe he would be so stupid but said "Unlucky mate.I got a lucky flop". Someone else said "its your own fault" to him but I put my new friend at ease by telling him his luck would change.He thanked me in the best way possible by donating more of his cash to me.I did feel kinda sorry for him but when you got a fish on a hook you have make sure he just thinks he's got a bad mouth ulcer.

Finished my last joint at 7am and red eyed and totally shattered I headed to bed $214 up.I still had hands buzzing round my head for a while before I dropped off.If only I hadn't slow played an A high straight then gone all in when the board paired on the river.If only just one of my pocket pairs had made a feckin' set tonight...

Not complaining though.Its nice to feel you can have a good night without hitting to many good hands.Even watching 2 guys all in with AA and JJ and seeing a 7 hit on the turn after folding 77 only brought a wry smile instead of subtle tilt.

I seem to be getting better at pricing bets and reading what an opponent will call.I used to always "Bet big or go home" and while I still like that adage if you have AJ on a board of A J J 5 K your not going to get Mr KQ or K10 or even Mr AK to call a large overbet on the river.( Mr AK would have gone all in already at Interpoker)

Why do some players not handle having large stacks?Its only natural that if you sit down at at table and one player has 3 or 4 times the buy in that you give them some respect as you know they've either got lucky or have some poker skill.

I find that there's no inbetween.They are usually either skilled decent players or have got lucky and can't wait to get it all in the middle again and give it away.The trick is working out who's who before you get into battle with them.

Of course the best players in my experience just seem very lucky.They keep getting hand after hand and when they get called down its nuts time again.I'm learning how to play at a table with guys like that and stay out their way unless I'm the one with a hand that's nuttier than a nutty thing full of nuts.

You have to avoid confrontation with better players and not get into all that ego stuff that makes you want to prove you can beat them.Just being in that frame of mind gives the villan a 10 yard start.Poker is not a pissing contest but its amazing how often the tables seem to descend into a kind of madness.No need to play at a tight $2-$5 table with a $50 average pot size when there's inferior players throwing that kind of money at pots at $.50-$1nl.

To the football and Scotland managed a creditable 1-1 draw with Italy at Hampden Park yesterday.We did go one up early on and when they scored on 75 mins I had a horrible feeling my prediction would come true but we held on and if ( and its a big IF) we can beat Norway on Wednesday we may still have a chance to go to the world cup in Germany next year.

Scotland have qualified on many occasions but have never made it past the first group stage.We've come very close.In 1978 I was 5 when I got my first Scotland strip and we had a good side.The manager convinced the nation we were going to win it. We didn't. Blew it v Peru and Iran but of course managed to beat finalists Holland 3-2 in the game where Archie Gemmill scored one of the greatest goals of all time. ( Shown in the film "Trainspotting")

The one piece of commentary most Scots associate with our team is "And it's another disaster for Scotland" as some team from a desert Island the size of a football pitch beats us 1-0 with a last minute deflected goal sending us out on goal difference.

I 'll finish with some "Trainspotting" quotes.Sorry about the *.I love swear words but if anyone reads this at work I don't want their Security team to start any "Inappropriate" nonsense.My own employer tried and failed to bag me a few years ago that way so I'm wary.

Anyway it's a great book and film unless you work for the Scottish tourist board...

"Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a f*cking big television, Choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players, and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol and dental insurance. Choose fixed- interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose a three piece suite on hire purchase in a range of f*cking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing sprit- crushing game shows, stuffing f*cking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pishing you last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, f*cked-up brats you have spawned to replace yourself. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? "

Tommy and Renton out in the Highland mountains of Scotland:

TOMMY: Doesn't it make you proud to be Scottish?

RENTON: I hate being Scottish. We're the lowest of the f*cking low, the scum of the earth, the most wretched, servile, miserable, pathetic trash that was ever shat into civilization. Some people hate the English, but I don't. They're just w*nkers. We, on the other hand, are colonized by w*nkers. We can't even pick a decent culture to be colonized by. We are ruled by effete arseholes. It's a shite state of affairs and all the fresh air in the world will not make any f*cking difference.


Begbie: Did you bring the cards?
Sick Boy: What?
Begbie: The cards, the last thing I told you was to mind the cards!
Sick Boy: Well, I've not brought them.
Begbie: It's f*cking boring after a while without the cards.
Sick Boy: I'm sorry.
Begbie: Bit f*cking late, like.
Sick Boy: Why didn't *you* bring them?
Begbie: 'CAUSE I F*CKING TOLD YOU TO BRING THEM, YOU DOSS C*NT!
Sick Boy: ...Christ.


Ok in light of my new dual nationality thats more than enough already..

Maximum Break

More fun at the tables last night.Played 3 hours at Pokerroom to start with to give the Brits at Interpoker a chance to get their beers down them and started badly.Was down $30 after 56 hands at $2nl so moved to $4 nl and got spanked for another $30 there.Some bad luck but I wasn't playing well either so I took a break and played 2 tables of $.50nl full ring.Won a few and lost a few but finally my trip 2's took down a pair of Jacks for a $57 net profit and I could relax a bit.Left $17 up after 3 hours and headed to the fish infested waters of Interpoker.....

Bought in for $80 at $.50-$1nl 6 max and was soon down $40.Average pot size was $21.Just had to sit tight and wait for my chance.Rebought to $100 and a few hands later I get AA.The villan bets $4 and I reraise to $15.He goes all in and shows QQ and my rockets hold up.I'm sure the all in button on Interpoker induces bets people wouldn't normally make.

In fact I know thats true because later I opened another 6 max table and after a munchie break reckoned I could handle it....

I was handling it fine as I merrily bet and raised with the nuts on one table and called a small bet with a couple of overcards on the other. All in I decide at the nut table and hit the button only to see that I've just gone all in with Q9 for $62 and reraised someones $20 river bet at the wrong table.Of course I then go all in at my Nut hand table and take that down while Mr River Raise is letting the clock tick down at the other one.

A quick glance at the board and I could see that if I had a 10 the board would give me a straight and that the last card also brought a 3rd spade.I put him on AJ and reckoned he'd a pair of J's from his betting.He folded just as his time ran out and I closed one table and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Won a few more sweet hands and after a 6 1/2 hr total session went to bed a happy Acorn $147 up.

Jus about to watch Scotland play Italy in a World Cup qualifier.Don't hold out much hope but Scotland are good at glorious failure so I predict we go 1-0 and lose 3 in the last 10 minutes.
Looks like an -EV propostion but you never know.

Also qualified this afternoon for Pokerrooms NL Major player points $6k freeroll in 1/2hr.Canny play and watch Scotland so I'm gonna be All in and probably all out in record time....

Go on Scotland!

Get intae thum!

Fine Evening

Finally caught up with two old friends last night.We were supposed to be going out for a wee swally but Mark is back home for his brothers wedding and had a rehersal so they ended up coming over to my place last night.Not seen either of them since Xmas and it was great to catch up with them and to note that I have much more hair then them despite the headset I wear giving the false impression of a small patch of see through hair at the back of my napper!

Sandy and his Missus are expecting their 2nd baby in a few weeks and Mark and Vicki don't know how much longer they're going to be in Miami as Marks contract runs out in November.From a selfish point of view I'd love to see them come home.We used to have some great nights at the weekend but I obviously wish them all the best where ever the end up.Back
to Amsterdam would be nice....

Congrats to Juice at http://pokerandglory.blogspot.com/ for winning a JD competition and a trip to Nashville. The only thing I ever won was tickets to a Trish Yearwood concert in Glasgow in the local paper. Nothing else ever! Have fun in the U S of A. Do they have a casino in Nashville?

Congrats to Gcox25 on his 11 year anniversary. Mrs A and I will be 6 years together on Dec 31st after she seduced me at a Millenium party.( the evil wench that she is!).Its certainly flown in and I wish I'd moved in with her years ago instead of stubbornly clinging to my independence.
We've got a lovely new ( 3 yrs old) house in a nice quiet area and apart from all the Jenny long legs invading we love it.

My flat was ok but the area went downhill in the 10 years I was there and while I may have had the odd bottle of cider hanging about the streets when I was younger we kept to ourselves and wouldn't have dreamed of dishing out cheek and abuse to passers by.Its a bit of a no win situation.If you go out and confront them you risk a kicking from a gang of them and if you chase them off your windows will probably get it later.

It seems theres just so much ying and yang in human nature.My sympathies go out to all those affected by Katrina in New Orleans but the stories of looting and of the army/ fire fighters getting shot at makes me sick.I'm sure there will be many tales of bravery and sacrifice which will emerge in time to provide some kind of counterbalance.

To the tables and after all I wrote about complacency I lost $17 before my friends arrived when my KQ was beaten by KJ on a K J Q flop. I should have known I was beaten ( by the straight,trips,2 pair etc etc) but while I would never have committed that % of my stack at $1nl it was another "What the hell" moment of madness.( As in "What the hell it is only .25nl,I could be ahead").

After they left I played for 1 1/2 hours.Interpoker is driving me bonkers. Finished $53 up but on my last hand I had QQ and had raised $4 preflop. Loose goose called and I bet out $7 on a 9 7 4 rainbow flop.He called and had checked to me when my screen froze." trying to reconnect" appeared although it obviously wasn't trying hard enough because nothing happened.Nothing,hee haw,nada,zilch,zero at all! Now he could have had 2 pair or trips but I'm fairly sure I was ahead and after waiting 10 minutes as instructed ( game server busy-please try again in 10 minutes) I finally got reconnected and the log viewer stated I'd left before the end of the hand.Sent them off an email demanding at least the money I'd invested in the pot be refunded but as I'm still waiting on a reply to my bonus question I won't be holding my breath waiting on a reply.

Back to trusty old Pokerroom and won $50 when a villan bluff bet into my trip 9's when a 3rd spade hit on the turn.I didn't think he'd go all in like that if he had hit and he said "nice call" as I raked in his chips.

So $80 up in total for the night but if Interpoker don't get their collective fingers out their backsides I'll be back to playing exclusively at Pokerroom.I may even try Party at last and see if its the fishfest I keep hearing about.Certainly despite my bad experiences at Interpoker theres no doubt the play is softer and theres money to be made.

Maybe I'll give Ladbrokes a go so long as I keep off the limit tables and away from those two sharks Juice and The Edge...

The weekend has landed! Enjoy.

EK Make Final!

Yep EK Thistle cuffed Dunipace 3-0 last night to make the final at Firhill next month.Its on Oct 4th which is the day after Mrs A and I get back from the Gran Canaria but wild horses won't keep me away.Great for the town too.I just hope that the East Kilbride public turn out for the game and get behind the team.Steven Mclung ( known as Dunga after the great Brazil player) scored a hatrick to get us there.Neilston are the other finalists and it should be a cracking game.


Thanks to http://tripjax.blogspot.com/ for your kind comment on my post yesterday.I wrote about playing a more carefree game in tourneys because I consider my buy in money as spent.

On reflection I think part of the reason I don't think like that in ring games is due to a lack of discipline on my part and its something I'm going to have to work on if I want to be long term winner at this game.

When I have a bankroll of over 1k I can play quite carefree poker at .25nl but I'm always wary that that translates into more complacent poker. That was why when I reached $1k previously in March I took out a chunk ( bought fridgefreezer and washing machine).This was after hovering around the same total for what seemed like ages. Playing .25nl with only $400 in my account seemed to increase my focus substantially.

The answer for me is to play 2 tables at .25nl or one table at $1nl where the fact I only have aprox 10 buyins helps keep me focussed.

The problem with that is that playing $1nl means the bad beats hit harder and steam control becomes more difficult.On balance though and as I've won at that level over 10k hands I think playing there isn't harming my game.

At .25nl this means I have $50 at the tables but I'm less tempted to make loose calls and chase.

Another danger I've noticed in my game is that I love scooping really big pots. Now while I very much doubt thats unique to me as a poker player( lol) I've got to be careful to ensure I can keep playing my A game at .25 or even $1nl when I've played in much more exciting games and won larger pots.

When you've won a $500 pot but don't have the bankroll to play at at that level consistently it can be hard to stay properly interested when the average pot is suddenly $5-$10.
That must be why they say you should grind your way through each level only moving up when your bankroll can stand the swings and is probably the reason most players only progress very slowly if at all up the levels.

I'm still in my first year playing though and I'm glad I've played at .25,.50,$1 and taken shots at $2-$5 and occasionally $5-$10.

All the money ( my many millions) I have online is profit and while I'm not exactly heading for poker superstardom I'm reasonably happy with my progress after 10 months.When I started out I was worried about becoming a sad gambling addict who would sell his Granny for a game and promised myself that I would spend no more then £50 ( $100 aprox) per month on my hobby.I haven't had to do that and for that I'm grateful to all the players out there who are worse than me! ( all 3 of you lol)

Back to scooping big pots and maybe thats the part of gambling that leads people to addiction.That heart thumping moment when you put your money in ( hopefully with the best of it) and wait for the virtual shuffler of your site of choice to determine your fate.The moment of joy when you know you've outwittted/sucked out on your opponent and the chips come your way may also be what makes the game so compulsive.I'm sure it releases the same endorphins as serious drugs like Heroin.

"I don't know just where I'm going But I'm gonna try for the kingdom, if I can
'Cause it makes me feel like I'm a man When I put a spike into my vein And I'll tell ya, things aren't quite the sameWhen I'm rushing on my run And I feel just like Jesus' son"-Velvet Underground "Heroin".

Lost $35 last night at Interpoker but once again I don't feel too bad about it.I hope I'm moving away from feeling like I'm the biggest fish in poker when I lose a session and the biggest shark when I win and am starting to be able to look more objectively at how I actually played the hands that counted.

Last night the fish who called my "no pot odds for you fishy" post flop bets hit their hands almost every time.One guy even made a straight flush v my top pair which he showed when I folded to his all in river bet.Every continuation bet was reraised etc.You know the drill.

Apologies for the rambling nature of this post.Can't promise tomorrows will be any better though....