Hehe…not much time to play poker today, so just a quick session…played four headsup matches at five bucks a pop and won all four of them. It’s really nice when you’re running good, then again, that’s not the whole story.

Yes, I think I’m running good, but does that save me from getting sucked out on? Not really, the difference is in my attitude and behaviour at the table. It’s basically being calm, collected and focussed. If the donk get’s lucky (sucking out on the turn and/or river to beat me with incorrect odds), hell, nh sir. Moving on…even if they got a slight or good lead on me, it really doesn’t matter…they get their money in bad the next time…and bingo…I’m back in the lead…certainly I would be writing other things if they got lucky on me on consecutive hands and big pots…but for the time being…they didn’t…so it’s all peachy…

I’m outta here…and don’t forget, if you’ve got some spare time and want to donk around with the boys and girls…the WWdN is tonight…8:30ET…have fun 🙂

…I didn’t really need any more money in PokerStars, but hey, I’m greedy, so how can I pass the opportunity to get one of the (rare) PokerStars reload bonuses?! (Read more about it here – you’ve got until May 22nd to get your money in)

So…with the bankroll at an all-time high, lol, I decided to play some donk HU…won 5 of 5. After that I jumped into the higher level again and played a six handed SnG, bubble boy. Then a HU…freezing to death…card that gives me the nutflush gives him the boat, etc etc…so…I’m done for the day…slightly up (less than a buck)…but I don’t complain…only 728FPP to get my free 50 bucks…wheeeeeeeeeeee….

…running good and having donks pay you off like crazy is even more fun.

A beautiful day, my footie team won and is now four victories away from claiming the league championship (we missed the championship last year on a goal difference of 3 goals) and I totally knocked the donkeys smack in the face.

Started of with some headsup, split the first two matches. Then it was time for some six handed action…knocked out the first two players…knocked out the third place finisher…headsup…I’ve got a slight chiplead…one cooler later (Q10 vs XcXc…flop QQx with two clubs…third club coming) and I’m down to 2k (9k in play)…I suckout and take the lead again…I donk out with A7 vs A9 on a 7×9 flop…oh well…second…not that bad…

Played two more headsup SnGs and won them easily…gotta love when people min bet allowing you to chase….then push when you catch on the river…soooo beautiful….

No, no…not what you’re thinking, no superman content here, lol. It’s just what happened tonight…up and up and away (logoff)…

I finally took down a six handed SnG, the first in which feels like ages. Wheeeeee…after that some headsup donkeroo…2Ws 2Ls…enough for the night…

…after last night’s beautiful double shootout, I really thought about going back to the double shootouts, but it just didn’t feel right. I wasn’t really tired, but not focused enough to play 2 hours, so instead I decided to play some headsup and a turbo double shootout SnG – 8.8$ a pop, six handed, winner get’s a ticket (aka T$ 215), places 2-5 receive some cash, so not a bad proposition.

Turbo, low buyin equals major donkdom. So I sat there and waited and waited and waited for a playable hand to surface, it didn’t happen. The only positive thing was that within the first two orbits two players were already gond – downside: they dumped their chips to the other players. Finally I look down at a semi-playable hand with A7o and decide to steal…get repoped…try to re-resteal…instacalled…okay…he wasn’t restealing…I would repop it with AA, too…oh well…there goes my tourney life.

After that I played five headsup matches, won three of them and called it quits for the night, being down under a buck (due to the rake). It’s almost time for the friday night blogger rebuy madness (starts in under 5 minutes), but I won’t be playing tonight…too tired…need some sleep…gl all and may the donkforce and auto-rebuy be with you 😉

So…play in donkster land began at the HU tables, but I was really fed up after the first match. It was over in less than a dozen hands as I couldn’t shake the sbhs (second best hand syndrom)…Qx vs Qx…queen + both kickers hit the flop etc etc. So I hopped into a double shootout to the sunday million. I like it when the first table isn’t full (just like my main man, smokkee, a field of seventy or slightly under that is groovy), so the 63 players suited me just fine. My first table consisted of 6 players and I played it close to the vest. Don’t fool around, especially not in the first few orbits – get settled in and watch the first few donks make their mistakes and if you’re lucky enough to hold a monster, reap the benefits.

Soon enough we lost our first player and once we lost another one, I got some hands and busted the next two players. As headsup started we were about even in chips. A few hands later I was ahead 2:1. A few hands later he had a slight chiplead as we headed into the first break. Some small pots and a big one was all it took (I caught him bluffing) and I won the table.

After that all the others and me waited for another half an hour before the final table was finally set. With 10 players at the final table I once again told myself to play it close to the vest and so I did. Two orbits of folding and the first player is already out. So we’re down to nine handed and I look down at TT in the cutoff. Two limpers and I pop it to 4BB…EP calls…MP min-raises…uh-oh. We both call and see a flop of JT2…yatzee…EP checks…MP leads out 1/4 of the pot…I repop him…EP (who’s short) pushes over the top (just another 2xx more) and MP calls…hmm…decision time…let’s assess the situation…EP called preflop…EP check-pushed, being short…hmm…flush draw? straight draw? TP?…who knows…but he’s not the one I’m worrying about…MP…repop it preflop and lead out…hmm…the only hands I’m really worried about are JJ, KdQd, KQo, Qd9d, Q9o or AK…given the repop preflop I put him on a higher pair (hoping that it wasn’t jacks), so I pushed over the top and he reluctantly called after some deliberation.

EP shows 8c9d, idiot end OESD + backdoor flush-draw, MP shows QQ…let’s not get unlucky here…turn 6…river 8…EP is eliminated and MP crippled…down to eight handed and I’m sitting there with 4k (15k in play, blinds 10/20). Wheeeeeeeee….from the on out it was almost comical. I folded practically every hand, as did most of the others. One player tried to steamroll the table and it worked out for a while. He crippled and/or eliminated some players and was sitting pretty third in chips (3 get a ticket)…that didn’t change a thing though…we’re down to five handed and it’s one big stack (4.5k), then the steamroller (3.9k) then me (3.8k)…the steamroller raises every pot, every single pot. The big stack finally calls one of his raises and they see a flop which is queen high with two diamonds. The steamroller fires a cbet…bigstack smooth-calls on the button. Turn brings a third diamond. Steamroller bets BIG. Bigstack on the button pushes…steamroller calls…showing 2d3d…bigstack on the button shows? KdJd…cya mr. steamroll….

Mr. Bigstack just turned into Mr. Hugestack (8.2k) and we’re down to four-handed, ITM (fourth get’s 29.x$, top three get the ticket). I’m sitting in second…still pretty with 3.7k…the other two are virtually even with 1.5 and 1.6k. I’m still in LDP mode and I see a lovely trend…the player on my left folds practically every hand. About twenty minutes later he’s finally blinded down to 3BB…he pushes…Mr. Hugestack calls…shorty doubles up to 900…still only 6BB with the blinds at 75/150. The very next hand he pushes again…Mr. Hugestack calls again…shorty shows 99…hugestack AcQc…ace on the flop and shorty is busto….wheeeeeeeee….ticket time 🙂

Needless to say that I’m not going to play in the “big dance”…but doesn’t it look good?!…

…yeah, sure. But this does look even better 😉

I’m off…nn…

Well, well…I’m back from my expedition to cold deck mountain and boy, it was a fun ride (and nope, there’s no rant following ;))

Played a shorthanded turbo SnG, played patiently…ran queens into aces. Played a HU match…won it in two hands. Played another headsup match, freezing cold out there. It was probably the sickest match I’ve ever played. Boats, boats and more boats, two pair over two pair, runner runner flushes, runner runner boats, the whole shebang. My opponent finally put me out in the 133rd hand when he flops a straight and my flush (and chop) outs don’t come through.
After that match I’m sitting here and all that’s left to say about tonight’s play: gg, better luck next time.

As for the poker movie(s): I guess I’m reaching the saturation point when it comes to poker movies/tv shows. I’m still a big fan of HSP and I even watch the HU championship, poker after dark (once they finally get to some new tables again) and the occasional WPT, but all in all, it’s just not THAT exciting anymore. Tonight, I had a sneak peak at “Lucky You” and I’m not going to spoil it (so everyone that’s looking forward to watch it: you’re save), but come on…it’s all the usual stuff and the “climax” aka end game…yeah….right…this one isn’t going to make it into my “top poker movie/show” list, which would be…

1. Rounders

2. HSP

3. WPT

4. Cincinnati Kid

5. WSOP coverage

6. NBC stuff (HU, PAD)

or (Rounders/Cincinnati Kid), (HSP, WPT, WSOP, NBC)…atm…

Well, well…wouldn’t you know it…today is the blogfather‘s birthday. Head over to Al’s post for the birthday wishes and some (not work-safe pictures) 😉

With that out of the way, let’s get back to the daily poker donkport errm report. I played my usual stuff today, although at first a level higher than normal, then I dropped back to the normal (donk) level. Why? Not because I was on tilt or anything, I just didn’t feel too good about my play tonight. I started of with some 6 handed action at the higher level and the donkey ratio at my first table was basically 6:0…(6 regular players: 0 donkeys) no donkeys at all….nice! I bubbled when I ran A7 s00ted into AK s00ted…not funny three handed, but what can you do. In the next one, the donkey ratio was higher, but not all that high either…it was 5:1…and I got into some nice hands against the one donk, surprise surprise. He starts of like a madman and bluffs off two thirds of his stack in the first ten hands. In one of the next hands I look down at AsKs and when he does the squeeze from the cutoff, there’s no way I’m folding. He calls with the mighty 57 s00ted. Errm yeah…nicely played…flop 689…gin! So there goes one third of my stack. Win some lose some and I get involved in a hand with him again. He sucks out on the river (K8 s00ted vs my JJ) and I’m crippled…and he sits out. Nicely done sir. I win some small pots, but I can’t get any action and once the blinds hit 50/100 I’m left with less than 5BB…so the next time in the BB I push with Q9…get called by Kx…and the King holds up, I’m busto in fifth. Grrrr. Oh well…only two played so far, didn’t work out the way I hoped it would, but I’ll be back at it.

After that I played some headsup, again, one level above my normal (donk) level and I split the first two matches. After that I didn’t feel like playing anymore, but I decided to crush some morons at the donklevel to win some of my money back – that worked out pretty nicely…2 out of 3…so I’m quitting for tonight down, but not out.

As for the WWdN tonight: I won’t be playing. Yes, it’s only another 30 minutes until it starts, but I got an appointment at uni tomorrow and I don’t want to be all that messed up by playing until 5am or what not…so gl…and nn…

…that’s the realization of the night. I played in my usual donk level shorthanded SnGs and if the cards, and maybe even more important the patience to wait for real monsters, are with me, there’s no way I’m losing – apart from the (usual) hands where you push in with 85-95% edges and get outdrawn. I’m so comfortable at these (micro/low) levels now that it’s not a real challenge anymore – well, tbh there is a challenge, a big one, and that’s to stay sane amongst the biggest donkeys in the game 😉

So…I guess I’ll do what I promised myself, time and time again, and that is moving up at least one level. I’m really patient and careful and all, especially when it comes to bankroll concerns, but the bottom line is that I either gotta pump more money into the roll (which I don’t feel like doing atm) or take “the plunge” on a medium bankroll and see where that leads me. The upside of it is that this should not only help my game (moving out of the comfort zone, at least a little), but it should also help me to stay sane – assuming that the donkey ratio is more like 2:1 instead of 5:1…we’ll see…I’ll probably have the first results soonish, although I’ll take my time, so I won’t jump to any quick conclusions…wish me luck…

…oh I almost forgot…the results for tonight’s quick session: 1W, 1x 4th…

Tonight we played our regular home game. A total of 12 players showed up including one newbie. To make a long story short, as usual, the newbie won. I don’t know what it is, but it seems that every time a newbie shows up to play (s)he either got the goods, get’s lucky or both and takes it down – fine by me.

We started out with two six handed tables and early on I got some hands (AK, AQ, AJ) and took down some small pots. Then it was time for one of the first bigger pots. I raise it up preflop (4BB) with Ac10d. One player out of position calls. Flop comes down all rags two clubs. Check…I check…turn brings the 10c…so I got top pair, nut flush draw…he checks…I bet…he reluctantly calls. River brings the Js. He checks and I got the feeling that the jack hit him. I check behind and he takes it down with KJo. Hmmm…well…no comment…here’s your lolipop 😉

I chip up again winning some small pots and then the hand comes down. I look down at 66 and pop it preflop…I get one caller…incidently the same player that chased me down in the A10 vs KJ hand…flop comes down QJ6 two spades…gin! He bets…I call…turn brings the Ks…hmm…he checks…I take a stab at the pot and he reluctantly calls, commenting “if you’ve got it, you’ve got it”…river is blank (5c)…he checks…now I’m thinking, hmm….when the flush hit, he made that comment, which leads me to believe that he got something good here, too…so I decide to check it down. I say “trips”, he says “I knew it, you probably have the better hand”…and I’m “uh oh” he shows JJ for the higher set…damn. I lost half my stack…although I guess I lost the bare minimum there, so I can’t fault myself here. I pondered a push on the turn…then again…he would have probably called me down and I would have been busto…so…what can you do.

The blinds are starting to get big, so I have no choice but to push a few hands later. I wanted to do it blind, but I didn’t and I see JJ…push….SB calls…showing presto…flop and turn are blank and the river is….5….presto = gold and I’m busto….so much for the “main event”.

We wait for some other players to bust out to start our sidegame. This sidegame will stand out for a while as one of the craziest hands ever was played in the very first hand. Some players, including myself, limp, LP pops it…everyone folds around to the BB who calls. Flop comes down 7J7. EP leads out…LP pushes…EP insta-calls….what do they hold? LP JJ for top boat…EP 77 for dem quads bitches! Wow! Turn and river are blank and we got our first casualty. As it’s the first hand we allow the unlucky player to rebuy and he’s going to be “Mr. Rebuy” from now on…brutal way to get your nickname 😉

After stealing some pots I’m still getting low on chips so I decide to push with one of the next hands…once I look down at 44 there’s no turning back and I get called by AKo. Flop is ace high…turn brings the king…river is blank and I’m busto…

All in all I can’t fault myself for any of the plays I made…I put the money in with the best, apart from the set over set hand, and hmm…I wasn’t running good…what can you do…nothing much…so…I had fun tonight, but the cards weren’t with me…better luck next time, which will hopefully be soonish…there’s just nothing better than live cardflinging with friends 🙂