Bronze Iron Man - Possible at microstakes

forgot to mention this but the day after i went near busto i logged onto full tilt and checked my iron man status, i new i was near reaching the bronze level which is achived by earning 50ftps a day over 25 days.

as i signed into the screen i was praying to god i had already reached the goal, but alas i was 1 day out.

on a normal day with a normal bankroll 50 full tilt points is easily earned with a couple of hours of play, probably indeed only an hour 6 tabling 25nl.

with $55 i wasnt certain that i could earn 50 ftps at all, throughout the day i played 5nl, $2 heads up STT's, limit poker and i think i earnt about 20 points over a couple of hours! searching the net i read somewhere that if you mutiltable 10nl it should take 1.5 hours to earn 50 ftp.

so with my whole bankroll on 5 tables in grinded away, checking my FTP status every 5minutes and im glad to say i am now a bronze iron man!

i have opted for the medals instead of the freerolls and hopefully wil be able to use the multitabling cash tables method to earn my 50 points a day over the upcoming months.

apparently with medals you can buy cash bonuses and they also do year end bonuses where a broonze medal is worth $25 for each month you have earnt it.

if anyone knows the exact worth of these let me know in the comments!

Anti Tilt Mods for full tilt

i have reloaded and im upto about $280... its going to be a long grind at 10nl but but bankroll managment is key in this game.

i have been looking into the graphic mods for full tilt and i think i have found a way to stay away from 400nlHU.

no way i can tilt and act the fool with my baby girl looking at me!!

Busto and new start

got hammered Saturday night and having got upto $680 i now have $55.

lost a few hundred at various different games and finally sat down at $400nl with my whole roll...i was down to $220 but managed to double up to $440... i really should of quit then but when my K7 hit a Kxx board 3 hands later i found myself being check raised all in. i couldnt find a fold and the bastard had pocket aces.

gonna have a think about what to do with my poker as i have fun but i seem to be putting pressure on myself winning too much, i always seem to want to play higher.

since my decent $2k score i have been stuck in a spin... grind for 4-5 days win a couple of hundred and then play drunk or get tilted and lose $300... grind for 4-5 days then play Omaha headsup and lose your weeks work.

pulled a sickie today as i played in a 6-a-side tourney and my body is aching,its funny how 8 ten minute games hurts so much more than one normal game. by the time we reached the knockout stages my body had given up and we went out 4-2. still im happy with my 3 goals and 4 assists, proof i still got some magic left at football even if my poker has gone to shit.

*edit just been reading a load of poker blogs and see there are plenty of people building bankrolls from the microstakes, this is orignally what i did but i think i made too much money quickly and started playing games i wasnt rolled for.

so hopefully i will be able to deposit $200 to take my bankroll upto $250 and be able to play 10nl, hopefully grining these stakes will give me some discipline. i have removed all reference to profit money figurs from the blog for the time being.

below are 2 excellent charts which detail bankroll management which i have found on slickhooks and deathbylights blog which should be the backbone to my future play

quick update

have recovered about $150 at the 25nl tables... probably morea actually but i've lost at some other games as usual.

bankroll at $530 i need to withdraw soon so will probably be stuck at this for a while whilst i withdraw roughly $200 as i win it (fingers crossed)

Recovery then Crash

bad session last night which has seen me lose control and the bankroll is at it lowest point...the night started off ok, my roll was upto $700 and the mrs was working so i decided to do some tourneys... i entered and failed to cash in a $5 rebuy sattelite, $14 multi and $3 multi... at the same time i dropped about $45 playing at a $50nl 6 max tourney... not the end of the world...i switched to a $25nl table and won $21 and then stacked someone at a $50nl headsup table at this point i was even.

i decided time to slow down im happy being even, so i played some limit holdem. obviously i seem to suck as i lost about $35...i then went to recover an played another $50nl table.... about 10 hands in i was completely bored... my opponent was folding everything... i sat out and berated him calling a pussy etc and he said to sit back in and he'll open up a bit.... he started getting agressive raising and re-raising and i new it'd be very soon before we got all the chips in the middle.

4 hands later i have pocket 7's, he raised pre-flop to $2 and i re-raised to $5.50 he called... the flop came 5 high and i bet $10... he moved all in....i called and of course he had pocket kings.

from here i lost $150 playing and $100 pl omaha and then i sat with all my remaining bankroll on a $400nl heads up table..... at one point down to $290 i recovered to $385 which is where im at today.

down $615 plus bonuses in about 2 weeks and now im not even rolled for $25nl - GG Me.

Downswing is over

booked in to more losing sessions at 25nl.... dropped $75 yesterday morning, decided that 6 tables wasnt working so i dropped to 4 tables today and lost $25 albeit this was caused by losing $30 with AA - 77 again.

So how does work out as the downswing being over? its not a downswing unless you actually start wininng in a game!!

apparently i have played 4506 hands at 25nl and im down $102.22... im probably ony up overall at cash because of my hit & run at 400nl heads up although u have dropped about the same at over attmepts at a quick double up... i suck!! in fact lets take a look -

10nl - 49 hands - +$13.20
25nl - 4506 hands - -$102.22
50nl - 2304 hands - -$39.25
100nl - 417 hands - $-65.95
200nl - 288 hands - +$101.15
400nl - 40 hands - +$330.15
600nl - 2 hands - +$23.50
800nl - 7 hands - $7.00

i think i need some serious work on my cash game, maybe switch to tournaments but cash games are so easy to drop in and out of...

running bad

so last night was a bad session....after the 25nl 6 buyin downswing i decided to try and find a bum at 50nl headsup... found the perfect geezer, down 2k over 5k hands... 3 hands in this happens when we get it in on the flop -



i wasnt miles ahead but still my hands never hold.... anyway i rebuy carry on and take $90 off him over 300+ hands... he lost $120 in same period so you have to say the rake is the winner?!

anyways bank roll still abysmal about $670 & a $26 tourney ticket....oh yeah proof of running bad.... im $400 under expected variance!

25nl Begins!! with a 6 buy-in downswing!!

yes indeedy... i defied odds... i ground out the pokerz whilst driking the strongboyz... 919 hands in one sitting and drum roll please........... im down $160.

WTF! i was up $65 so effectively i have downswung $220+

literally just coolers imo take a look at the bigger hands i have lost from poker tracker.... AA KK QQ etc all on low flops BLING BLANG BLAOW.. but i aint rubbing shit on my titties.

i aint actually too fussed, i think getting out of this will be the making of me...9k hands to go

gogogogooggoogog



ps - i love Phil Ivey

New Focus

so two really sh1t nights when basically i have lost the plot.... countless times i have said no Omaha... no Heads up... no higher that $50 on the table but again and again i find myself breaking all the rules i set. on the bright side i think if i didnt have this blog i probably would of busted by now as it gets to point where i think shit i better stop!

So as i said i need a new focus... seeing as i managed a 1200 hand session lst night im thinking i may just concentrate on putting a 10k sample at 25nl.... at the moment i have a 5k sample of hands but this is literally every game from 25nl full ring to 800nl heads up.... i want to be able to play a consistent game and see whether i can beat it.

So in fact i am agreed i am going to grind out 10k hands at 25nl and play no other cash

on nights when the mrs is working i will have tourney nights and register for whatever i fancy with a buy-in of less tham $10.

Sounds like a plan?

on a side note i may of lost $130 last night but i earnt 1250 Full tilt points...anyone know what is worth buying with this?

im a wrong un

full tilt birthday and i grinded like a mofo.... 1200 hands at 25nl and won about $60... was upto about $950... did some $100 omaha and was upto near on $1000... lost a big hand when flopped top set lost to rivered flush...

i tilted went heads up 200pl omaha and now have $720... i honestly dont know what to do with myself.. i have no control.

*Edit now $750 time for bed.... no super edits tonight please FFS

ps - any help on tilt pleas leave comments!!

40 Tabling 25NL tonight

well techincally i will be 8 tabling but as its full tilts 5th birthday they are running a 5x point bonus. Hopefully my bonus will clear 5 times a quicker!

Back to earth with a Bump

have just dropped $180 playing two tables 100nl... all in AK vs AK he rivers flush....... KK flop K 5 6 all in he rivers a flush ....not even heads up am so fucking tilted have lost about $500 of hands in two days when ahead.

bankroll $980 and liable to be gone by the morning

*edit... calmed down a bit have won $30ish playing Omaha and had better quit... i have really only lost 1.5 buyins albeit at a level im not rolled for - grow up man!

*super edit now down to $880 only stopped cos daughter woke up crying - what the fuck is wrong with me

Aftermath of Big win

been very quiet on the poker front since Friday....been basking in my glory and been very funny explaining to people that i won $2000 on a $1 tourney lol!

since then i have only played a bit of cash winning another $150ish, this would be a lot more but lost 2 $160 pots QQ losing to A5 and then A6 losing to JJ both AIPF (shortstakcing 400nl headsup BTW)

so the main question people have been asking is what are you going to do with the money? obviously all the poker people will say leave it on the bankroll but unfortunetly we have a need in my household for a new car... so i have withdrawn $1500 which leaves my bankroll at $1150 which is higher than its been before...

Got a live game Friday of which i am organising, a £20 freezout at a village hall hopefully with 30+ entrants.

anyways bit of a boring post but there you go.

First Big Win in Ever

wow looking at my previous post last night... i was kinda drunk end tilted... i never would of guessed that i would still be playing poker at 5:30am taking down Full Tilt's Daily Dollar Tourney.

30170 runners
9hours
500+ hands
$2k prize!

thanks to GSman and youradownie (lol) for the excellent pro UK railing... if only Jasmine hadnt got up at 7am!!

Fucking Fuming

just done a set a tourneys... running well.... made a mistake in a $6 90 manner.. fair enough my fault. still above average in my other 3 games

doing a $3 400 man mtt, last 36 pay.... 38 to go and i push with AK suited .. i must say i am more than average in chips and get called with an equal stack with KJ off and he flops a straight... wtf is that shit.

have cashed 17/600+ for about $16 profit in one $6 turbo but all this doesnt mean shit as i have lost $120+ playing cash pocket queens 3 times an lost every hand.

bankroll is a shitty $440 and have had to leave the cash table before i snap.

i have a ray of hope in my remaining tourney... the daily dollar with 3170 runners today.... were down to 516 players (top 360 pay)and im about 100th.

first prize is 2k.... trouble is im 5 cans of strongbow in.

cash tables are tempting........

Uproar at Full Tilt Software Update

Wow went to log onto Full Tilt last night and what a mess!!! They have undertaken a big software update which has caused severe problems –

• Changed graphics on the cards so it is very hard to tell suits when multitabling
• Cards are actually blurry
• Severe lagging, one minute it’s the cards are frozen mid shuffle and next its your turn to act
• The tables don’t pop-up when its your turn
• Poker tracker / Hold’em Manager don’t work
• Sites like Pokertablings ratings are non compatible as they conflict with the sites issue against datamining
• Peoples customised Mods and shortcuts no longer work

I logged onto the 2 & 2 Poker forum and there were turns off posts discussing this and lots of unhappy customers…. be very interested to see what they fix in the next few days.

The Hammer > Pocket Rockets

im not sure whether to laugh or cry... take a look at this shit - i have aces obv...



can you fold here??? ffs was gonna session tonight but seriously cant be arsed now.... football manager here i come.

ps - just checked my poker tracker... i have had pocket aces 21 times and won $21... i have won a $88 pot but lost $40 $50 and $80 pots to Q8, A3 and of course the Hammer

Bad Night, Moving Down and a Withdrawal

Sigh.... another losing night... was actually quite a fun session 3 tabling 50NL 6 max... was down $130 then up $30 then i think down about $70... not great swings really and not a great loss but the trouble is that i was playing scared. playing scared cos i didnt want to lose $100. Not the way to make money at poker.

Countless times i say im only gonna play $25nl or im not gonna play Omaha or heads up but i still do it...so today i've withdrawn my original stake and i now only have $540 in my account... again the plan will be $25nl and tourneys probably not over $10...i've got potentially 3 nights of decent play over the weekend so hopefully i can take down a tourney or two and start climbing again.

anyways....am know going to post my favourite hand from the evening's session at the end of each post.. im at work at the mo so cant use the replayer but you get the drift from this -

Bad session

bloody fucking awful session, played some NL50 and got upto near $900... was getting a bit bored so i switched to Omaha, nothing heavy just 3 tables of 10c/25c wanted to grind out the next stage of my bonus

lost $120 or nearly 5 buy-ins, and im fucking sober. FML.

one step forwards 5 steps back at the moment, just cant get the roll over the $1000 mark..

Drunk but no poker

no poker since last post on Saturday monring, this is actually the first time ive used a computer since then and im only on one cos im back at work!

Went out Saturday night and got absolutely smashed, it took me 30 minutes to do a ten minute walk at about 2am and i was praying to god i wouldnt bump into any of the local village idiots as i had about £80 in my pocket and i could barely walk - i even fell into a bush!!

suffice to say i spent all day in bed sunday throwing up intermittently and begging my daughter not to bounce on me, scream at her sisters or hit me with various toys.

when i did get up about 6 i had dinner and watched the end of prison break.... what the fuck was that ending about... 4 seasons and not even happy ending?! if i had a vagina i would of cried.

Failed Challenge

my 25NL challenge only lasted 400 hands .... and I lost $10.... just got so bored I couldnt be bothered, so many nits or shortstackers... so since then i've played a few tourneys instead including a would-be style 5 hours slog to come 17/336 in the $2 rebuy for about $11 when i lose a 150k chip pot when my flopped to pair gets beaten by an overpair hitting its to outer. nearest other chip stack was 80k. still im back in profit of sharkscope....

More frustratingly I have lost two $100 pots with AA against Q8 when we get it all in on a 832 flop and the pocket Jacks to 62 suited on a 8410 flop with two of his suit.

who the fuck gets it all in with a flush draw or top pair queen kicker when there has been raised pots pre-flop?!

fucking madness and it is costing me money as minimum heads-up tables are $50 buy in.

away from poker im having a rare night out for my teams presentation night and then either into Brighton or to a mates BBQ if it goes on late, im really up for it i probably only get to go out once every 2-3 months!!

anyways hope you run better than me

1000 hands at 25nl challenge

quite simple and experiment to play 1000 hands at 25nl full ring.

i wanna see how much i earn but more importantly how many ftp points i make and how much rakeback i earn

at moment i have $21 rakeback and 812 ftps.... oh yeah bankroll is $830