Limit challenge update

I have managed to already make it from the $0.02/$0.04 limit up to $0.10/$0.20. My $1.20 has grown to $6.39. I've had a 5x improvement in my roll in about a week. Maybe I should have started with $120 instead.

Just kidding. I expected to be able to fly through some of the lower levels, as most people here are in the "ah, I'll call it down, it's only 4-cents" mode. People need to learn that you should play the same game at every limit. I'm glad that I'm doing this because it is forcing me to really focus on the game indepenent of the limits.

Here's the tracking:

	BB	In	Out		Profit/Loss
Level 1	0.04	1.2	1.95		0.75
Level 1	0.04	1.2	1.74		0.54
Level 1	0.04	1.2	1.51		0.31
Level 1	0.04	1.2	1.43		0.23
Level 2	0.1	3	4.2		1.2
Level 2	0.1	3	5.19		2.19

So it took me 4 sessions to get to level 2, and only 2 sessions to make it to level 3. I almost made it to level 3 in a single sitting, and was actually only $0.70 away after seeing only 3 flops in about 25 hands. Had a person draw out a gutshot though to beat my flopped set which set me back a little. I'll start level 3 tomorrow.

I am still amazed at the hands that people will see a flop with in limit. Here's a good example. This is the hand that put me over the top in level 1.

PokerStars Game #4745841863: Hold'em Limit ($0.02/$0.04) - 2006/04/25 - 23:24:12 (ET)
Table 'Pluto' 10-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: kevonfire ($0.14 in chips)
Seat 2: Kent Hrbek ($1.03 in chips) <--nice to see a fellow forumer showing support!
Seat 3: zhunter ($2.91 in chips)
Seat 5: duke 96 ($1.57 in chips)
Seat 6: IlliniFan ($0.74 in chips)
Seat 7: Tired Dan ($0.45 in chips)
Seat 8: Tjorgey ($0.78 in chips)
Seat 10: PorkerRosey ($0.03 in chips)
Kent Hrbek: posts small blind $0.01
zhunter: posts big blind $0.02
michaelm82: sits out
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [Ad Ac]
duke 96: calls $0.02
IlliniFan: raises $0.02 to $0.04 <--jam it with AA
Tired Dan: calls $0.04
Tjorgey: calls $0.04
PorkerRosey: calls $0.03 and is all-in
kevonfire: raises $0.02 to $0.06
Kent Hrbek: folds
zhunter: folds
duke 96: calls $0.04
IlliniFan: raises $0.02 to $0.08
Betting is capped
Tired Dan: calls $0.04
Tjorgey: calls $0.04
kevonfire: calls $0.02
duke 96: calls $0.02 <---ugh, way too many people in the pot for AA..I'm worried.
*** FLOP *** [2c Ts 3s]
Kent Hrbek said, "IF -- this will give you nrain issues" (soooo true Mr. Hrbek...)
duke 96: checks
Kent Hrbek said, "brain*"
IlliniFan: bets $0.02
Tired Dan: calls $0.02
Tjorgey: calls $0.02
kevonfire: raises $0.02 to $0.04 <---should reraise but there's too many in. Want to minimize my losses if someone sucks out.
duke 96: folds
IlliniFan: calls $0.02 <-- But I don't, I'm a wuss...
Tired Dan: calls $0.02
Tjorgey: calls $0.02
*** TURN *** [2c Ts 3s] [7c]
IlliniFan: bets $0.04 <---I'll still bet it. All I'm worried about is a set now.
Tired Dan: calls $0.04
Tjorgey: calls $0.04
IlliniFan said, "i don't like this action for sure" (true words)
kevonfire: calls $0.02 and is all-in
*** RIVER *** [2c Ts 3s 7c] [5s] <---Not liking that 5. now there could be a donk with a str8.
IlliniFan: bets $0.04 <--but what the hell
Tired Dan: folds <--- I love this move, and you will see it a lot in limit. Chasers that chase and then fold when they miss. Make note of this, these are the people you can bluff in limit games.
Tjorgey: calls $0.04
*** SHOW DOWN ***
IlliniFan: shows [Ad Ac] (a pair of Aces)
Tjorgey: mucks hand
IlliniFan collected $0.14 from side pot-2
kevonfire: mucks hand
kevonfire leaves the table
IlliniFan collected $0.49 from side pot-1
PorkerRosey: mucks hand
IlliniFan collected $0.21 from main pot <---how the hell did I just scoop all those?
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $0.84 Main pot $0.21. Side pot-1 $0.49. Side pot-2 $0.14. | Rake $0
Board [2c Ts 3s 7c 5s]
Seat 1: kevonfire (button) mucked [Jh 7h] <---he was SOOOOTED
Seat 2: Kent Hrbek (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 3: zhunter (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 5: duke 96 folded on the Flop
Seat 6: IlliniFan showed [Ad Ac] and won ($0.84) with a pair of Aces
Seat 7: Tired Dan folded on the River
Seat 8: Tjorgey mucked [Td Js] <---called down with TP crap kicker
Seat 10: PorkerRosey mucked [3h 8h] <---he was SOOOTED too

I used to play just like these guys. I'd get frustrated at low limits or suckouts and then just call down with any two cards. Limit is about patience. Wait for the cards. The money will follow. Sure, you will have suckouts, but in limit you can minimize you losses, and call down with a hand that you know is beat for cheap to gain info on the other players to exploit later. I am still amazed at how many people out there want to give you their money by "gambling" with any two cards.

That's all for tonight. I'll cya at the tables.

WPBT - a nice run

Wow, my third blogger event and I money and get some free swag. I could get into this. I'm pretty sure it's that I'm new to the tour and people don't have a good read on me yet, but I'm going to ride the wave as long as I can. Thanks the guys at DADI for putting this together, I had a great time.

And here's the final results:

Yep, that's me in THIRD! Wow, I'm pretty excited about it. Got $100 for the finish and I was pretty short stacked for about the last 1/4 of the tourney. In fact, at one point, I was 18th out of 18. So I'm pretty proud of the comeback to finish 3rd.




Winning was a nice, but there is something I can actually be more excited about. I collected a pretty neat bounty on the way. Wil Wheaton hosts a weely tourney on PokerStars. The WWdN. Whoever knocks him out gets the next one named after them. Guess who now has that honor for next week? That's right!



Pretty sweet deal.

Other Updates

Time for an update to my limit challenge as well. Been playing on and off and have run my $1.20 up to $2.80, so I'm about 5BBs away from moving up to the nickle/dime game. Should hit that tonight and then start the climb.

I need to do some serious updating and additions to the blogroll now that I'm trying to get back into this a bit more. Look for some updates this weekend. I have a live game on Saturday night, so look for the report from that as well.

I'm off to Europe for a few weeks in May due to work, so this might sit idle for a few weeks. I'm going to make a weekend trip to London and check out the Gutshot Card Club. That should be fun and interesting. I've heard a ton about the place and I'm eager to say that I was able to play there as well.

That's about it for now. I'll cya at the tables.

The limit challenge...how far can you get on $1.20?

Okay, here's the plan. I have been crushing the limit games lately whenever I play. I seem to have hit a great groove there. So I started to think about it. Limit is very structured, very organized and takes a lot of discipline to play correctly.

I had a downswing this week, and started to look at my hand histories, and noticed that I have been getting sloppy. Starting to call with marginal hands to see a flop. Starting to raise with some other marginal hands in position. This is a huge no-no. Limit is all about discipline.

So to work on my discipline, I'm going to set a challenge for myself. I want to turn $1.20 into $300 by Christmas. Can it be done?

I'm only a part time player. I try to play for about an hour to an hour and a half a day during the week, and maybe 3-4 hours on the weekend, sometimes more if I make a run at a bigger MTT. I choose $1.20 because it is the lowest limit game at the sites that I play currently. I will start at PokerStars on a $0.02/$0.04 limit table.

Here's the rules: I have to sit with 30BB. If I break my run into several sessions (which I know I will) when I join a new table it will be with 30BB only. When I get 30BB for the next level, I will move to that level. PS has big blinds of $0.04, $0.10, $0.20, $0.50, $1, $2, $4, $6, $10, $20, $30, $60, then $200.

If I drop below 15 BB at one of the limits, I have to move back. This should keep me competitive at whatever level I am at, and instill that discipline that I need in a limit game. This should really help me focus.

I started today and played for about an hour and a half. I am up to $1.95 from the $1.20. so not quite 19 BB. Not a bad start. I think that the low levels will move fast, but this will get tough as I get into the middle levels ($4-$10 blind levels). I'm guessing I should be able to average moving up a level and being able to stay there about once a month. This should put me to my goal of $300 by Christmas.

I'll keep you all updated. Check back often to see how things are going.

I'll cya at the tables.

My journey into the WPBT

I'm going to take another shot at getting more involved in the poker blogging community, since I live in the same city as the blogfather (at least I did last time I was serious about this thing).

If anyone out there in the community is reading this, email me or comment, please. I'll be posting more on the subject later. It's dinner time now.

Cya at the tables.

Live Game Report

Okay, I finally made it down to Lousiville to Caesar's. "The best poker room in the midwest". Wow. I'm impressed. definitely the largest room that I have been to outside of Vegas. Interesting place to say the least.

Got there about 3pm after we signed up for players clubs cards. A bunch of empty tables, so I thought we would be quick to get on. Went with Ralph, a fellow player that's been to a few of my home games. They had a pretty good variety of games, so I got on the list for $1/$2NL ($100 min, $300 max buy in), $2/$4 limit and $4/$8 limit. I was hoping for the 4-8 game. However, they called me for the 1/2NL game first. I've been doing well at limit, so I choose to pass as I was next on the list for the 4/8 game and Ralph just got a seat ahead of me. 20 mins later I was kicking myself as no one was leaving the 4/8 game when they called me for the 2/4 table that they were starting up.

So, as many of you know who play with me, I've been cleaning house at the 1/2 game online and thought that I'd play the 2/4 for a bit and bump up to 4/8 when that opened. I was just going to kill time. Boy was I wrong. I sat with 200 since there aren't chip runners and the cashier line is a bit long. I wanted enough to get to 4/8 when they call me.

First hand I come in 3 off the button and have to post. Thought about waiting and watching for a bit but the dealer dealt me in then said "you have to post" so I figured what the hell. (Side note, the dealers were not very good in the game. I saw about 8 in my 4 hours and only 2 were any good at all...but I digress). I post and look down at 8d8h. Not too bad. I decide to raise and get a flavor for the table. As I sat they were still talking about the last hand where AA was cracked by 58 offsuit. I'm liking this game!

I raise, get reraised and capped. Five players to the flop and I'm gonna at least take a look with a mid-PP. Flop is 9dJh9h. Ugh. BB checks, I check, guy to my left bets 2. Call, call, call and I figure what the hell, I've got some backdoor outs (yeah, yeah, not that great but I'll pay 2 here and get away on the turn if it looks bad). Since no one raised, I'm guessing that there's not a 9 out there unless it is the original bettor to my left. Turn is a black 8. BINGO! BB checks. I decided to see where I am and I bet 4. Guy to my left calls. Next guy raises to 8. I'm starting to worry a bit, next guy calls, BB calls. I think my boat is good so I reraise. Guy to my left calls, call, call, call. Sweet!. River is the 3c. Check to me. I bet it again and EVERYONE CALLS. Holy crap, I must be beat. Nope. Guy to my left has 1010, one guy mucks, next shows AJ offsuit, BB mucks. And I rake in a $77 pot after rake and tip. I'm off to the races!

I pick up some hands and a few small pots, but people are starting to see that I'm betting with good starters and I'm ruthless after the flop if I hit. I have KdQh in the SB and limp with 6 to the flop (about average at the table). Flop is Kh Jh 3h. I bet. Call, call, fold, raise, called around. Wow. Turn is the 8h, so now I have 2nd nut. I bet it again. Fold, fold, raiser calls, call. River is the 2h. Still second nut, I bet it, guy calls. I show the KQ, he mucks and says he had 10h6h and flopped the flush. I rake another $40ish pot.

Now they call me for the 4/8 game. I've been here about 35 mins, and I'm up about $80 (missed a few draws) so I decide to stay. Might have been a mistake, but I feel like I can win at this game so I am reluctant to leave.

Get 10s on the button and raise. 5 callers to the flop, which is 4 6 J rainbow. Checked to me, I bet it out. Guy to my left in the SB (I loved this guy, but he left too early. When I would raise, he would say..."I'd normally fold this, but it's you...so I gotta play) calls, then a call then a raise...WHOA..check raise...now a caller to the two bet and I know I'm beat so I muck. Guy to my right calls. Turn is a blank. Check from the SB, bet, call, fold, call. River is the Qc. Now the SB bets it and both call. He shows Q4 off from the SB. The check-raiser shows a J but not the other card and the SB rakes.

Qd10d in MP. I would usually fold, but I decide to limp. Again 5 callers to the flop. Flop is Q 7 5 rainbow. Checked to me and I bet it. Lose one and have 3 callers. Turn is a blank. Again I bet and 3 call. River is nothing. I bet and only one calls, an older guy 4 to my right. This is the same guy who said he flopped the heart flush that I won with my Qh. I show the Q10 and they both muck. Older guy says something about "you and your damn queens" and I smile.

Then I go dead for a while. Pick up 77, raise, miss the flop. QJ suited twice, raise, miss (or get 2nd pair and don't chase). Have KJ in the BB and see the flop of Q 10 5 rainbow for free, have the odds to chase the straight, and miss.

Then I pick up AJ off in the cutoff. I raise again. 4 callers this time. Flop is Qh 5s 2h. I'm unsuited. Guy who was complianing about the queens is in the BB and actually sighs and mumbles about the Q. I think this could be a trap, but I decide to bet it anyway when it is checked to me. Everyone listens to him and folds. He calls. Now I'm thinking it's not an anit-tell, its the real deal. But I want to know more. Turn is a 7, not help for the flush. He looks at his cards, me, the board...sighs. Checks. I have the chips in my hand already and bet it as soon as he checks. He calls. River is the Kc. He looks like he's in pain and I put him on A-5 of hearts. He mumbles something and sighs. I decide to fire a third shot at the pot and continue my bluff to see if my read is right. He grumbles about the "damn queen" and FOLDS. I about fell out of my chair. A bluff worked! I figure I must have the right image and there is no way I'm leaving now. I now have a huge pile of whites and a stack and a half of reds. I'm up like $110 in two hours. Not too shabby. I hop up after I fold one to check on Ralph. He's not happy. He's down $100 at his 4/8 game but he says that the play is similar.

I return and find 22 in the hole on my next SB. I limp. Flop is 2 4 5 with two hearts. I'm a little worried about the straight and flush draws so I bet it out. 4 callers, one fold. turn is the 8c. I bet. Now the "I gotta play if you're raising" guy raises. One caller, two folds. I decide to push back and reraise (I put him on 2 pair, which he plays as the nuts in a bunch of hands I have been watching). He caps and one other comes for the ride. The river is a 5. I bet, both call. I show the boat, he shows 84 off. Other guy mucks. I rake. I'm now up about $150 for the session.

Again I go card dead and miss flops when I have them. I lose about $40 in blinds and bets. Then I get AhJh in MP. Raise again. 6 to the flop. You know the drill. Flop comes down J J 9. beautiful. Checked to me, I bet, called by all. Turn is an 8 and I get a little worried, but continue the aggression. All call. River is a 4. Checked to me and I bet again. All call. I say, well, someone must have my set beat with a straight. But no one does. Amazing. I tip the dealer $2 and say "one for the hand and one for the flop, but don't scare me on the turn like that again". He looks me right in the eye and says "You got a lot of action there, I wouldn't complain. I wish I could be at this table playing" Damn it, he's right. He was one of the two good dealers.

After that I go dead again and Ralph comes over and is ready to go. He's now down $173. I wait for the blinds to hit and get up. Cash out $333 after sitting with $200. Not bad for four hours work.

I made the decision early to play tight aggressive poker. If I had played a few more hands and gone off my discipline (mucked J10 off once UTG and the flop came down KQ9. mucked A4 in EP and the flop was 235. Mucked Q7 on the button and the flop was Q77. Mucked 75 off in the SB when someone else at the table raised preflop (a rare event) and the flop came 755) I would have probably walked away with $450 or so. But I can't complain. I stuck to my gameplan and walked off with over 10BB/hour. That's an amazing run for a limit game. I just got the right cards and hit quite a few flops.

Well, it's late now. Tomorrow, don't forget to sign up for the American Cancer Society event at Fulltilt.

What: Hammer Out Cancer - WPBT-POY Circuit Event
(Tournament ID 3381723 under the Private section)
When: April 16th - Sunday Time: 9pm EST
Where: Full Tilt Poker
How Much: $10 + $16
($15 goes to American Cancer Society so buy-in is 25+1)
Password: dahammer

I'll be there. Cya at the tables....

More charity events

Go play in the American Cancer society event..part of the WPBT events...details here.

What: Hammer Out Cancer - WPBT-POY Circuit Event
(Tournament ID 3381723 under the Private section)
When: April 16th - Sunday Time: 9pm EST
Where: Full Tilt Poker
How Much: $10 + $16
($15 goes to American Cancer Society so buy-in is 25+1)
Password: dahammer