Poker: Financial Results for January 2012

I didn’t have a bad year in 2011, but still have a lot to learn and want to improve my game for sure this year.

Plan

My monthly targets are:
- Play 700 hands of cash on NLHE $0.50 Full Ring, 700 cash hands on PLO $0.50 6-max and 350 hands PLO8 $0.50 6-max, all with target of breaking even
- Play 20 STT hoping for 10% ROI (around $20 per month)

Monitor

Overall results for the month are:

Pokerstars : +$2.35
Black Belt Poker : -£131.44
Live Play : -£40.00

PokerStars I had 5x 8 game cash sessions, winning in three of them,  but still posted a loss of -$39.35   I also played 6x 8 Game STT, cashing four of them so ended with profit of +$41.70  

For Black Belt Poker, the results were:

Cash Results (-£262.61 loss overall)

NLHE HU ($0.20) 179 hands -£74.56
NLHE ($0.50) 635 hands +£24.54
PL Omaha ($0.50) 818 hands -£81.78
PL Omaha HL ($0.50) 306 hands -£130.81

For the last three months, my cash results are:
NLHE 50     +£0.110 per hand
PLO 50      -£0.046 per hand
PLO8  50    -£0.188 per hand

Tournament Results (+£131.17 profit overall)

5 MTT (4x League games) +£71.62 
15x 2 seat STT   +£14.55    (+13% ROI)
8x 10 seat STT   +£45.00   (+64% ROI)

Reflect

After watching some Deuces Cracked videos on Head Up, decided to give it a go.  I won half a buy-in first session making me think it was easy, lost a buy-in second session making me think there's a lot of variance, but dropped a whole load the third session making me finally realize this ain't such a doddle as it seems, even at this level!  Needs a whole lot more work and study before committing to a new format...  must stop having these spur of the moment diversions!     Other than that, my normal NLHE cash results are pretty OK and happy with my game. 

PLO was a little disappointing this month, but the poor results were basically down to three hands where I stacked off.   Each hand I am still happy how I played, so hopefully is just the dreaded "variance"

PLO8 is still not good... with me losing in all three sessions.  

My Heads Up tournament results are quite pleasing, although with 9 wins to 6 losses it isn't huge volume but still happy to be the right side of average.   

I also need to keep an eye on my 8 game cash, as the last four months have seen my results getting progressively worse.  My rolling three month profit is actually –$10.45 so need to turn that around as well.

Adjust

I am most disappointed with my PLO8 and definitely need to up my game in this area.  I think I will give it a rest for now and come back to it after studying more.  I'll try and beat my simulator first perhaps then come back in a month or two..

The NLHE heads up adventure was a bit of a mistake, although I did have fun it isn't +EV for me to just jump in blind to a new format !

Performance against 2012 targets

Having set objectives for 2011 in January 2011, I didn’t really think about them again until doing my year end review   so this year will actively think about my progress against years objectives every month

* Keep to my revised Poker Plan
Achieved hand targets for cash and STT numbers

* Play BBP London Live and UKIPT Brighton tournaments
Have the buy-in set aside for UKIPT already.   Should all be doable

* Aim for break even month on month on all cash tables
NLHE yes, PLO no, PLO8 definitely no ! 

* Use learning tools and resources to learn and improve my NLHE, Omaha and PLO8 cash and tournament play
Am putting in the effort to do some learning, PLO8 is the main worry at the moment but also need to improve PLO as well.

* Avoid entering any BBP grading process !
So far so good

* Win a BBP league :-)
Won a league game, but may be a little optimistic  to think I can win League XIII due to my lack of consistency

Poker–Home Tourney February 2012

The February game seemed to come around quickly, which is a good thing I guess and was looking forward to it immensely.   I even remembered to take in my own heater, as the room we play in tends to be pretty cold, but my luck turned when I got the things out the car, as my chip case burst open, scattering all the chips over the pavement !!   

I had a feeling odd things were going to be happening tonight, so for the first time, bought in the extra chips hoping fate would fall in my favour

As it turned out, I did have some good fortune in the early stages and called and light with T-9c or something and managed to river the flush so almost doubled up.    That was about my best hand and only pot win for the first level, with even K-K not looking good on a flushing flop and with Karen betting out the turn when the 3rd flush card came down… so in the muck they went!   Karen later admitted her and Sean had been watching (Poker) video’s to try and improve their games when I mentioned she seemed to be playing much more aggressively, why couldn’t she mention that before

My chips were dwindling a bit but near the end of the second level decide to take a punt from the BB against Lee and Karen’s limp  by shoving my 8-5o.     Lee folded immediately, but Karen was in agony on what to do as calling was about half her stack, but ended up calling with 6-6.  She dealt herself some good cards and was just hoping she’s take the pot when she put down an 8 on the river, giving me a decent pot.    She was clearly a bit disappointed with the result and after that we all started noticing when 8’s would win a hand (surprisingly a lot after that)   I had another couple of good hands and got to the break on 10k (avg around 7k  I think)

After the break Lee and I were the big stacks on the table, with Karen, Jon and Andy all on around 2-3k   With blinds now at 200/100 it’s starting to get interesting.        I get A-A in the button and raise.  Lee calls from BB and the flop comes Jc-Th-5c   When Lee bets out, decide to raise as both my A are red!  but Lee flats the raise.   The Td comes and Lee puts out a chunky bet of 4k, which is about 3/4 pot but only leaves him around 25k behind, so we’re obviously playing for stacks.   My first inclination was to fold as he clearly had a reasonable hand against my one pair, there were certainly holdings with a T in them in his range.    Folding would leave me around 7k which was still average, but felt flush draw or maybe  just the J were in his range as well.   I decided to play for win or bust and made the hero call, but sadly Lee had Tc-7c for trips and flush draw…. ho hum, that’s the way it goes sometimes.   To add insult to injury, the river was another club     This actually left me 800 chips, so wasn’t out just yet, but looking grim.

I was UTG next hand and seeing A-K stuck the chips in.  It folded to Jon in the BB who had to call really as I could have any two, but I double up.    On the BB next hand, my 6-4o doesn’t look so pretty but stick it in anyway and take the blinds (I think)

Can’t remember all the hands after that, but worked my way back up to around 4k when we got to the final table

Luckily for me I was on the button and had some hands before needing to get busy.   Folded about 4 hands when it had worked round to Karen’s BB.  Darren limped UTG and it folded to me.   Looking at A-7s was wondering what Darren would limp… maybe small pairs and suited connectors perhaps ?  Decided to shove and it folded round to Karen.   Karen was short stacked, so called and Darren also called….   Karen’s Q-6d was understandable, but Darren had J-J !     Although not really needing it, the J on the turn guaranteed Darren the pot and two scalps in one hit.

After that it didn’t take long for Lee to fall to Andy and Alex a couple of hands later.

With the four remaining players fairly even in chips, it could be anyone’s game, but Sean ends up being the bubble boy and Andy the beneficiary of his chips.

Despite a fine rear-guard action, Darren finds himself all in against Andy who seems to have found some form and some aggression.     The heads up only lasts a couple of hands, as Jock inevitably falls to Andy’s run of aggression and good cards.    

I never want to hear Andy moan about his bad run of cards again, as he certainly was hitting tonight… flushes, full houses… just the straight flush missing from his repertoire tonight

It was certainly a good game, and well deserved victory for Andy… his first cash for over a year, but done in style

Good game everyone, see you next month.