Putting in the Work

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How sad is it that my work leading up to the WSOP is simple addition and time spent with the multiplication tables? Sad as it is, it's the truth. But that's what I get for being lazy and playing online poker with a calculator at my fingertips.  All I can say is - I've got a lot of work to do to make sure I can sit at a live table and understand pot and hand odds without every hand taking an hour to complete. If you have any tips to help me with that part of my game, I'd sure appreciate hearing them. Suffice it to say that I'm going old school and working with flash cards.  Don't hate.

I tweeted last night that I came home empty handed from my cash game...and looking back, I really should've skipped it.  My daughter's out of school, but between swimming all day and shuttling to/from summer day camp events, she's come down with a summer cold that she graciously passed on to me. I thought twice about heading to the game, but I figured I could overcome the headache and play good poker.  It didn't work out that way and I lost my buy-in. That wasn't fun and I learned a lesson about listening to my instincts and recognizing that it's best to skip playing if I'm really not going to be at my best. (Why is it that, in poker, lessons always have to be so expensive? I guess it's a lot like life.)

I'm getting excited about my Vegas trip, which is coming up at the end of this month. It's been a blast railing players via Twitter and I dug seeing @MariaHo score a second place finish in Event #4.

I loved her comment during a post-game interview: 

On being female and playing in a competition largely dominated by men:  I think in terms of my ability as a poker player and when people talk about great poker players, I hope someday to be in there in a gender-neutral way.  But if my finish, and how I do, and any success in poker I have had is something that other females can share and enjoy and that will perhaps bring them into the game, then I feel happy to say I contributed to that.  But at the end of the day, I want to be one of the best, male or female.

(you can find the entire article here, by Nolan Dolla for WSOP.com)

Her taking runner-up in this open field event was inspiring and I hope she runs as deep in the rest of her WSOP events.

I also got a kick out of @AllenBari's comments. Love him or hate him, I appreciated his comments about variance:

I would say if you play 150 tournaments over eight years, you are going to win a bracelet.  The variance is absurd.  I have come close to winning a million dollars four times in the past year.  So, to get this is the best feeling in the world.

Barry Greenstein has commented on this subject before, too (from his book, Ace On the River, which he initially drafted in 2003, published in 2005):

Why do many of the same players do well in tournaments year after year? The main reason is that they are the ones playing in the most tournaments. If a record of entries was kept and a "batting average" were computed, the results would be more reflective of skill levels.  Using a baseball analogy, let's say that finishing in the money is a single, finishing at the final table is a double, finishing in second place or third place is a triple, and winning is a home run.  It is hard for a person with 20 at bats for the year to get as many total bases as someone who has 150 at bats.

I wrote about this a bit after my trip to Vegas in February:

The poker media highlights these young, online phenoms and often makes it seem as though they plopped $5 into a Stars or Tilt account and ginned it up overnight to a kajillion dollar bankroll from which they've never gone busto. The truth is - the people you see online and live consistently running deep are people, generally young men, who are deliberately studying the game and using every tool available to them, working with a coach and/or crew of like-minded people when they’re not playing, and playing ungodly amounts of volume online, all day, every day, 365 days a year.  To make a profit, there’s no other way to play this game – especially tournament poker due to the variance (I mean, look at the payouts - if you’re not scoring in the top three, “congratudolences” as @BJNemeth says…). and, on average, you’re going to bust 98+% of the tournaments you enter.

One of the things I struggle with (and maybe you do, too) is helping my loved ones understand this concept. I don't *want* to go to Vegas and having nothing to show for it at the end of my trip...but what is the real likelihood of me cashing, final tabling, getting heads up, winning?  It's a game of edges, isn't it?  And while I won't be playing any WSOP events and therefore will probably not be up against the likes of Allen Bari and Maria Ho, the fact is, there will be many a good player in the fields I do choose to enter.

The only way I know to defend against the variance battle is to play as many events as I can, to the best of my ability. And that's why, pre-trip, I'm studying, playing on-line where I can, talking poker with my buddy @txcardslinger (who's started her own blog at All Things Texas), reviewing hands, and, of course, working with the flashcards, baby.

It may not be pretty, but nothing easy ever is.

In the meantime, I hope you're running great and I hope to see you in Vegas. Good luck at the tables!

I Love Poker

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Yesterday, I got a call from my friend Terry about a Texas Card Players Association game that was to have been held not far away from the house.  Before her call, I hadn't played poker for a week, and that's a long time for me.

Wouldn't you know it, I get all set and ready to go and as I'm driving to the game, Terry calls to say it's been canceled because TABC came in.  I'm not really clear on why they shut the game down.  It was being held at a Hyatt, but I think it had to do with the service of alcohol and the event not being licensed to do so or the fact that the Hyatt served alcohol or something along those lines.  At any rate, lots of people were turned away.

I was bummed, but got back in touch with Terry and my other poker friend, Ann, who had news of another game further down the road (New Braunfels), but at a much greater buy-in ($250 vs $550).  Well, I was in the mood to play so the higher cost didn't deter me. 

Ann and Terry and I are realllllly serious about poker.  We rail each other on-line, play a monthly game (if not more often), serve as each other's sounding boards, and have started meeting weekly (or as often as our schedules allow) to go over the books we're reading and to discuss strategy.  I think it's helped my game a lot.

One thing that Ann's been doing is to take pieces of other players' action as well as giving pieces to select players, and staking or being staked.  Hearing that, I decided to take a stab at getting staked/taking and giving a share of myself, too.  Since Ann and I were both going to play the $550 tourney, I felt good that at least one, if not both, of us would money and we'd at least get our buy-in back.  And that's exactly how it worked out.

I ended up having 2 others with a piece as well and it did affect my game in the sense that I really wanted to do well to show that I'm a good investment.  I was mindful of the fact that I was sitting at the table with 3 other people on my shoulders rooting me on, even if they weren't actually present. I think taking/giving pieces with people whose game you respect is good.  If you don't have to get backers, though, that's even better (because then ALL the money you win is yours, and that's the best).  I'll still be glad to trade pieces with Ann and Terry in the future, because I respect their games, but will take the backing on a tournament by tournament basis from now on.  Will probably revisit that when next year's Main Event rolls around.

Last night's tourney was held at a great hole in the wall bar/restaurant in New Braunfels.  For your buy-in, you got all you could eat of some great, greasy, hole in the wall Texas comfort food, and all you could drink of some great, ice ice cold beer, tea, water, soda, or whatever you wanted.  Just like in any other card room, some beautiful young lady was taking food and drink orders, so you didn't even have to leave the table.  They even brought in a masseuse!

 Twenty-five people signed up to play and only five of us were women. 15,000 in chips and 20 minute blinds, starting at 20/50.  After we drew for seats, 3 of the 5 women (me, Becky and Mary) were seated at the same table and right next to each other (in seats 2, 3, and 4) - crazy. 

Most of the group had played together before and several were people who've had great runs in both on-line and WSOP and WPT tourneys.  Larry and Mark are two players in particular who've made several runs deep in WSOP Main Events and both were at yesterday's final table.  Mark was a bubble boy.  Larry moneyed.  I guess as the buy-in implies, these people play, they're good, and they know poker.

Because they'd never played with me, they couldn't figure me out at all.  After several 4bets (me back at them), though, I finally started getting some respect.  One entailed me showing As (because the guy I 4bet also had As and so of course we were AIPF (I had him covered)).

The other was a standard button raise where I was trying to get short stack (SB) out.  She was AI regardless of my button raise.  I was aiming to get BB to fold (I'll call him bberry b/c he kept checking his Blackberry).  He didn't though.  So, when I cbet the flop (with nothing), he agonized whether to call.  Of course I wanted him to fold but wasn't wild about having to show my hand when/if he did.  But I was taking the pot whether he called or not.  He folded and was aghast to see my K9s.  Turn came a K, though, so he should've been relieved.

Bberry and I had tussled a few hands earlier in what could've been a disaster hand for me.  Still 3 tables and blinds at 150/250 (I think).  The chips were hard to read and when it folded to me, I looked down at AJs in HJ.  I thought I'd put in a standard 3xbb raise, but I'd misread the chips. So instead of a $750 raise, I'd made it $1500 to go.  When the dealer called out my raise, I said "Oh, I meant..." and looked at the chips and then shut up.  CO folded and Bberry looked at me and raised to $3000.  Folds back around to me.

I was pissed.  I'd made a mistake in my bet.  What do I do now?  Something in the way he looked at me and raised made me thinking he'd caught the fact that I'd made a mistake and might fold.  To hell with that, I made it $10,000.  That would've left me with room to work, but a shorter stack.  He agonized and agonized and folded.  Later said he had queens, but...no, I don't believe that.

I picked up good hands when I needed them and picked up blinds with position and well-timed raises also when I needed to.

I only played one hand where luck was involved.  When we got to the final table (10-handed), the blinds were creeping up such that I needed to make a play fairly early on.  After a few orbits, it folded to SB and he raised my BB.  I looked down at T5s.  I thought if I shoved I could get him to fold and I could chip up.  He didn't fold, though.  Instead, he turned over KTo.  Ugh.  Turn brought me a 5 though - wheeeeee!

After that, nobody knew what the hell I was doing.

My nemesis Bberry would not die.  He'd somehow luckboxed his way into the final table but was shortstacked the entire time.  He didn't play a hand until we got 6-handed and both of those hands were premium.  He doubled up with Ks and then 2 hands later he picked up As.  Better to run good late then early, huh?

Payout was to begin once we got down to 4-handed.  When we got to 5-handed, though, we were all relatively even.  Because of the blinds (capped at 10,000/20,000), it had turned into a blind v blind shove/luck fest.  After every orbit a new person had the opportunity to be short stack or big stack and we were no longer playing poker!

 At that point, Larry wisely suggested a 5-way chop with each of us pocketing $2500. Bberry (who'd been milking his shortstack the whole time until he picked up the two premium hands and was suddenly  3d in chips) and Fred (chip leader at that point) both said no, while the rest of us were game.  We tried to explain to them that things would/could change quickly, but they weren't having it.

Fast forward 5 orbits and the blinds have eaten into both of their stacks.  I'm now 2d in chips and Larry is now 1st in chips.  Bberry raises AI on my BB and I had him covered.  Larry folds SB and I look down at 23o.  I count out my chips and start calculating odds.  I start talking to him about my hand and how I don't think I can fold, trying to get information.

He is squirming and looks sick like he's begging me to fold.  I ask him - "you want $2500 or $500?"  He did not hesitate - "Let's chop...mumble, mumble, mumble."  I ask if everyone agrees, we all do and then he says, "Show your hand!  Show your hand!"  I turn over the 23o and he looks at me like he wants to kill me while the whole table erupts in laughter.  But the best was Larry grabbing me for a big hug and whispering to me that I was a "helluva player."  That was better than the money!  Well, almost... =)

Larry made the dealer run the hand and lo and behold, I'd have turned a 3 to bust Bberry's Q9o.  Wheeeee!

Of course Bberry had to come up to me too and tell me how I'd never have called with 23o, how that was the worst hand in poker, how that was stupid and just otherwise criticizing my play.  I asked him if he'd ever run the hand in pokerstove and he looked at me like I was talking a foreign language.

It's ok - he'll get another chance.

And so will I.

With last night's win (after paying stakers) and my PokerStars check (which came in the mail Saturday), my BR now stands at $2100.  Only $7900 to go and I'll have next year's WSOP ME buy-in covered (Dad, if you're reading this, I hope you're already contemplating staking me!!!).

Well, thanks for reading this far and I'd love to hear your comments and/or about your own games!

Until next time, good luck at the tables!

Edit - I forgot to say THANK YOU to everyone who railed me on Twitter.  Thank you!  It was so much more fun having you guys "around"!  

Movin' On Up

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It's been about a month since I last posted and it's fair to say that the planning and discipline I've been attempting to follow have made a significant change in my game.  Since my last post, I'm up +$118.15, with a current bankroll of $667.98.

Since July 9, 2010, I played 132 tourneys (all $5 BIs or below) and began coupling tourney tables with some micro stakes 6-max cash games ($.02/.05, I generally sit down with 80bbs).

I ended up playing (enduring is more like it) 356 $.25/90 mans and maintained a 109.2% ROI at that level.  I didn't get any significant cashes in the larger field MTTs, but a few min cashes along with the cash games got me past the $650 point, which allowed me to begin playing the $2.20 90/mans. And that was the original goal.

My next goal is to get my bankroll to $1200.00.  Once I hit that, I'll give the $4.40 90/mans SnGs a go.

The $2.20 MTT SnGs are a different animal.  Mainly - people know how to play and it's not just a shove fest or a get lucky-a-thon.  Because the players do know how to play, I feel like I'm learning and I think it's helping my game.  I focus on putting opponents on hands, taking notes of showdowns, playing similar hands in different ways, taking advantage of position, and all the things we're supposed to be doing to win.  After 10 of these tourneys, I've only cashed twice (a 3rd and a 12th) and have an ROI of 34.5%.  I'll take it!  I figure I'll be grinding this stake for awhile as I really try hard to improve.

I'll say that the time I'm spending reading and studying away from the tables has been important.  Some of my reading of late has been: The Poker Blue Print (Davis/Nguyen), Easy Game Vols I/II (Seidman/Colletta/Cesaro), Let There Be Range (South/Nguyen), and Winning Poker Tourneys One Hand at a Time (Lynch/Rizen).  Now, I posted to places where you can purchase these books, but if you're studying in a group and have good friends (or even search the web really hard, hint, hint), you can find the materials for a fraction of the cost - or free! (hat tip to @joeyyyoung, the man!)

Besides the forums, I'll also give a shout out to DeepStacks University.  Once you get past the basics, many of these modules have terrific concepts.  Watching the coaches "teach" while you "sit at the table" in a hand and run through a variety of scenarios, positions, and facts is not only eye-opening, it essentially embeds the concepts into you.  I found myself several times mid-tourney playing a hand that I'd just watched Alex Outhred or Nick or Michael Binger explain and explore.  Because I'd done the homework away from the tables, I was able to incorporate what I'd learned into my game - and it absolutely made a difference. It's not just listening to the teacher, either.  You're asked questions and after each response you give, the coach gives his (or her - Liv Boeree is also an instructor) comments about what your response might do, might mean, might create.  It's pretty cool and I'm happy to recommend it (no, I'm not getting paid to do so).

Now, if you've read this far (thank you!), I'll finish up with the cash component of my play.  If you've followed me at all on Twitter, you likely know I haven't had much of a cash game to speak of, either live or online.  I'm embarrassed to admit it but the first time I played online cash, I started right at the $1/$2 tables.  You can imagine how that turned out.  My live game experiences haven't been much different.

Because it's been so disastrous, I went right down to the micro of the micros.  It was only later I learned that those low stakes online are commensurate with the $1/$2 levels you find in the casinos.  People grind these stakes all day long and make a really good living at it, apparently. Ok, maybe not at the 2cent/5cent level, but I guess if you're really good and put in enough volume you could.

Two things I did to impact my cash game: read the SirCuddles 2+2 thread (thank you, @stevosez!) and read Dusty "LeatherAss" Schmidt's book, Treat Your Poker Like a Business.

Hands down, I'm seeing improvement after reading both, especially the SirCuddles thread. While Dusty's book is not fully a strategy guide - I'd say it's a must read if you're trying to make it as an online cash game pro.  Mainly, I'm just playing tight, no nonsense ABC poker.  Sure, maybe the stakes are uL, but I still have to have a plan for every hand I'm playing.  And I still have to think through each street and actively work at putting my opponents on hands.  In other words, I hope that means I'm trying to think like, and become, a poker player.  After 7793 hands at .02/.05, I'm averaging $0.26/hr.  Wheee!

Last but not least, I want to give a shout out to @txcardslinger and my buddies Bree and Ann.  We're meeting once a week to study and do the work necessary to improve our game.  I think it's helping us be realistic about our abilities and accountable to improving.

What about you - what are the things you're doing to improve your game?  Share 'em with me because I need all the help I can get!


Until next time - good luck at the tables!