.05/.10 NLH LH 25/10/07

Stars
Opening Balance: $423.74
No. of Tables: 3
No. of Hands: 135
Closing Balance: $434.59 (+$10.85)

Running Totals: +2378ptbb/9138
+$237.79/9138

Started badly, turned out great in the end. Luckboxing more than anything, I think.

UPDATE

Some analysis of my play earlier. The problem with doing analysis now is that I can't remember my reads on anyone. Some of them I'll have notes for, most of them I have at least a few hands on PT, but really I can't remember what I was thinking some of the time (assuming I was).

Hero (BTN): $22.40
SB: $2.35
BB: $8.20
UTG: $18.50
UTG+1: $10.05
MP1: $2.05
MP2: $13.30
CO: $6.75

Pre-Flop: 5h 6h dealt to Hero (BTN)
3 folds, MP2 checksOOP blind, CO folds, Hero calls $0.10Cheap, well-priced flop to hit a straight or baby flush, SB folds, BB checks

Flop: ($0.25) 6d 3h 7s (3 Players)
BB checks, MP2 bets $0.30, Hero raises to $1 I figure I'm strong with middle pair and a gutshot, especially if he's betting as a bluff, BB folds, MP2 calls $0.70 Guess he really has something

Turn: ($2.25) 5s (2 Players)
MP2 checks, Hero checks Not sure if betting here is better. He might be checking a big hand here because he thinks I'll follow up on my flop raise or because he's weak. Either way, I'll take a free card to my straight or a full house

River: ($2.25) 2c (2 Players)
MP2 bets $2.60, Hero calls $2.60 This looks too big for a value bet. I'm intruiged by this unknown player and I do have two pair in case he has A7 or an overpair or something else strong

Results: $7.45 Pot ($0.35 Rake)
Hero mucked 5h 6h and LOST (-$3.70 NET)
MP2 showed 7d 4s (a straight, Three to Seven) and WON $7.25 (+$3.65 NET)

Turns out he checked a straight on the turn, probably so I would bet and he could either raise me or squeeze a little more out. I guess either my check worried him and he wanted to make the most of his third nuts, or he always makes big value bets on the river.

Hero (CO): $21.60
BTN: $2.45
SB: $9.80
BB: $17.50
UTG: $2.20
MP: $6.90

Pre-Flop: Tc Ac dealt to Hero (CO)
2 folds, Hero raises to $0.30 Standard for me with just about ATC, BTN folds, SB raises to $0.50 Resteal perhaps, perhaps genuine strength. Small bet size could go either way. Could be a minbet for extraction or it could be a cheap resteal, BB folds, Hero calls $0.20 4:1 even if he has JJ-KK

Flop: ($1.10) As 3d 9d (2 Players)
SB bets $0.50 Continuation. Could be anything really, although I have no strong read on the villain, Hero raises to $1.50 I did hit top pair with an above average kicker, SB folds

Results: $2.10 Pot ($0.10 Rake)
Hero mucked Tc Ac and WON $2 (+$1 NET)

Consistent aggression took this hand down. Some table chat has been cut out by the HH convertor. The villain said "kk well I lay it down" just before folding. I don't know if that "kk" means "Pocket kings you ace-flopping bastard" or "OK, OK, aggro-donk, leave me alone". I surmise this is a surprisingly good laydown of kings from the villain. Partly because it makes me feel like the big man.

Hero (SB): $10.75
BB: $2.50
UTG: $11.70
UTG+1: $3
UTG+2: $6.10
MP1: $5.65
MP2: $13.75
CO: $11
BTN: $9.75

UTG+1 posts $0.10
Pre-Flop: 2s 4s dealt to Hero (SB)
UTG folds, UTG+1 checks, UTG+2 calls $0.10, 4 folds, Hero calls $0.05 7:1. Easy call, BB checks

Flop: ($0.40) As 3d 8h (4 Players) Flopped a gutshot
Hero checks, BB checks, UTG+1 bets $0.10, UTG+2 folds, Hero calls $0.10 5:1 which isn't really enough, also hoping for a call behind. The min-bet suggests he likes his hand, and my 5 is pretty nonthreatening, so I'll take the bad wager and see what develops, BB folds

Turn: ($0.60) 5h (2 Players)
Hero checks Why bet it? I know it's not a scary card and that's how I like it. If the flop bet was a weak bluff, I won't get much unless he bluffs again, UTG+1 bets $0.20 He definitely likes his hand, lacking a read that this is how he bluffs. I guess at A9+ or a set, Hero raises to $0.40 Terrible. With my call, pot is $1 and villain has $2.60 left. If I make it $.80, pot becomes $2.60 with villains call (minus rake) and villain has $2 left. Perfect to shove the flop and get all his money, UTG+1 calls $0.20

River: ($1.40) Jh (2 Players)
Hero bets $1.10 About the most I expect him to call unimproved. Flush is non-scary. If he hit the backdoor, I'll pay him, UTG+1 raises to $2.40 and is All-In, Hero calls $1.30 Dull, obvious.

Results: $6.20 Pot ($0.30 Rake)
Hero showed 2s 4s (a straight, Ace to Five) and WON $5.90 (+$2.90 NET)
UTG+1 showed Js Ad (two pair, Aces and Jacks) and LOST (-$3 NET)

I eventually got all his money, but the weak turn raise nearly let him escape with $1.30 of my money. I think I was thinking about recovering the odds I missed by calling on the flop with a gutshot. If anything but the J hits (or another Ace), I probably don't get that last chunk.

That'll do it for the analysis for now. Since the last update, I've also played a 180 man $4.40 and finished thirty-first (not great, but not terrible) and played some micro seven stud, which is still pretty easy for me to beat. Made $2.13 at .04/.08 in about 100 hands (including one funny incident where I, with Aces showing, caught a third ace on the end to beat a guy with sevens showing who capped on third with a six on the door. He berated my "one outer", and I stupidly told him it wasn't a one-outer, although I didn't explain that I had 14 outs at the river to beat his sevens up, which would've made folding to one bet a mistake)

Closing Balance: $432.42

.05/.10 NLH LH 24/10/07

Stars
Opening Balance: $416.69
No. Of Tables: 3
No. of Hands: 171
Closing Balance: $423.74 (+$7.05)

Running Totals: +2279ptbb/9003
+$227.94/9003
(+25.3ptbb/100)

Still a good winrate going on. This session had a couple of big full houses that won a lot of money, and two KQ hands that got shafted (one was a cooler, the other was unlucky with a bad call on the flop by the villain and probably a bad river call from me). Still, I'm happy with it.

Another live STT last night, another third place. I'm trying to work out if I'm doing anything different to last year (where I struggled to make the top three at all) or if the last three weeks have all been heaters. I think I'm playing better, certainly more solidly than before and that's helping a lot. It also seems like I'm reading the game a little better and making some better bet sizes. Not much information so far (5 games, a second and two thirds) but I'm hopeful.

.05/.10 NLH LH 23/10/07

Stars
Opening Balance: $438.69
No. Of Tables: 3
No. of Hands: 204
Closing Balance: $416.69 (-$22)

Running Totals: +2209ptbb/8832
+$220.89/8832

Relatively standard nothing session for the most part. PT shows plenty of offsuit connectors and no big pairs. I cost myself quite a lot paying off river value bets (such as 2 pair with 789Jx on board or TPTK with 4 spades on board) that I really should've been able to lay down. That was my biggest problem today. Not being card dead, but playing like a calling station, mostly out of frustration with persistently having to lay down good hands to a monster turn card and the raise from the weak-tight player I've got my eye on. Left when I felt tilt creeping in.