December 5k - Session 17

Bankroll: $793.50
Level: $3/6
Hands: 3336

I have my doubts about making 5000 hands before Monday. However, thanks to a couple awesome suckouts I'm still going strong. They turned an average session into a great one.

December 5k - Session 16

Bankroll: $636.00
Level: $3/6
Hands: 3163

I played a slightly extended one-tabling session this morning. I seem to be doing okay and I'm now feeling pretty comfortable with the level, so I'll dive into two tables next time. I've only got $236 to lose at this level, which is just a little under what is needed to run two tables at 40 BB, but if I forget to buy in a touch short at one table, it's no big deal.

December 5k - Session 14

Bankroll: $652.50
Level: $2/4 (Moving up next session)
Hands: 2874

I ran so hot that I didn't even realize that I was anywhere close to having the bankroll to move up to $3/6. I think I'm going to start off with one table and then add the second table once I get comfortable. The last time I took a shot at $3/6, I ran ice-cold and dropped $300 in a few hundred hands. I'm on a shorter leash this time. If I lose $252.50, then I'm moving back down again.

December 5k - Session 13

Bankroll: $349.50
Level: $2/4
Hands: 2401

I could have been up more if that one LAG had not kept hitting his hands. He 3-bet me with Q3o and J4s, but each hand he caught up by catching all sorts of stuff. But I still ended up with more than what I started with.

December 5k - Session 12

Bankroll: $310.50
Level: $2/4
Hands: 2177

I'm nearing the halfway point and I'm running out of days before I go home. The Vegas snow is going to keep me at home tonight, which means I'll have time later to run up some more hands.

December 5k - Session 10

Bankroll: $332.50
Level: $2/4
Hands: 1965

I caught a massive upswing in tonight's session. Flopped set after flopped set and hitting draws makes the game super easy to play. But even after all of this, I'm still below the $400 mark. But that's okay. I'm quite happy to be close.

December 5k - Session 9

Bankroll: $277.50
Level: $2/4
Hands: 1692

I played a short session this morning where I was actually up much higher than where things ended. I'll probably play more tonight after I take care of some work stuff.

December 5k - Session 8

Bankroll: $246.50
Level: $2/4
Hands: 1565

It feels good to be catching an upswing after nearly going busto. I've noticed myself in a few spots getting stubborn with my hand and calling down when I shouldn't be, so I'm going to have to be more aware of those situations. The good thing is that I don't ever really feel uncomfortable with too many decisions, and I think I'm a long-term winner at this level. I just need to wait for that long term to come around.

December 5k - Session 7

Bankroll: $168.50
Level: $2/4
Hands: 1391

I'm glad the variance is settling down a little bit and that the bankroll is a little more robust. I went back to two tables in the middle of this session. Hopefully, I will not need to drop back down to one table again. I think at this rate, I'll reach my 5000 hands goal after all.

December 5k - Session 6

Bankroll: $110.50
Level: $2/4
Hands: 1100

Today's session went better. I had worked it up as high as $150, but it slipped back down and I'm stuck playing 1-tabling sessions still. This constant 1-tabling is going to keep me from making my goal of 5000 hands.

December 5k - Session 5

Bankroll: $88
Level: $2/4
Hands: 934

I have been reduced to one table due to lack of funds in this project. So I'm racking up half as many hands as I want to. I ran pretty flat tonight even though the first table I was at was going completely bonkers. It's too bad I couldn't hit anything because I could easily have been way up. Instead, it's roughly even with 4000 hands to go.

December 5k - Session 1

Bankroll: $484.50
Level: $2/4
Hands: 183

I don't think I have anything exciting to say about tonight's session. It was a short session, and I may play more later tonight after I take care of some business. No hands really stood out to me.

ASB - Session 8

This session: 266 hands, ASB 43 (30/63)
Total: 2179 hands, ASB 54 (317/745)

Light CO steals: 2
Light Bu steals: 2

I think I'm going to move back up to 3 tables again next time. I'm feeling pretty comfortable with how things are going, and I think can increase the number of hands by 50% without losing much. It's surprising to me how little overall change there is after increasing the ASB, even with it being 10 higher than the goal. This is probably because I failed to account for the effect of SB steals. I'm only up to 36 extra hands played over about 2200. In other words, I'm playing a mere 1.6% more hands than I otherwise would have. This is very close to a negligible change.

However, an internal trend that I'm facing is that I now have to start holding myself back from raising. The most noticeable place that this happens is two off of the button, where I'm still trying to play as closely to my original hand range as possible. I wouldn't be surprised if extra hands are starting to creep up there, causing me to play more hands overall than I intended. After all, I started with a VPIP of 25, and according to my calculations I've only added 1.6 to my VPIP, yet my VPIP is a little above 30. It could be nothing more than variance over a mere 2000 hands, but I suspect it's not. I won't know until I've reached about 5000 hands and can compare the position-by-position numbers.

ASB - Session 7

This session: 173 hands, ASB 43 (12/28)
Total: 1913 hands, ASB 54 (196/364)

Light CO steals: 3
Light Bu steals: 1

I've only put in about 2000 hands, so it's a little early to check my light steal statistics, but I'm going to do it anyway.

I've got 10 total light button steals for a loss of $12.50 and 22 light cutoff steals for a profit of $5.50. So I'm currently losing money with these extra steals. But again, it's really too early to say a whole lot.

ASB - Session 6

This session: 200 hands, ASB 72 (31/43)
Total: 1740 hands, ASB 55 (184/336)

Light CO steals: 2
Light Bu steals: 4

I was a stealing machine this session. My light steals from the button went well, winning 3 of 4, and the last one I lost to a short-stacked player who hit his flush when I hit my straight. The cutoff steals weren't interesting, though I did lose them both.

I finished ahead, but only by a small margin. I wasn't paying as much attention as I should have been, which was part of the problem. I was also against slightly more aggressive players this time, as I was 3-bet more often than I usually am.

ASB - Session 5

This session: 295 hands, ASB 48 (30/62)
Total: 1540 hands, ASB 52 (153/293)

Light CO steals: 3
Light Bu steals: 1

I accidentally misread the chart and raised 96s from the CO. I ended up getting 3-bet by QQ, flopping top pair 633 (which I raised), and rivering a boat to win.

Nothing else interesting happened with respect to raising light. I folded all three of the remaining hands on the flop. I was 3-bet twice and the third was I was donked into on a flop that completely missed me.

ASB - Session 3

This session: 299 hands, ASB 43 (20/47)
Total: 1049 hands, ASB 54 (162/361)

Light CO steals: 4
Light Bu steals: 0

Nothing much to say today. These hands played themselves. Bet-fold a total whiff flop, get 3-bet, and fold 3-handed on a whiff flop, flop a pair and turn trips, and one more flop whiff bet-fold.

ASB - Session 2

This session: 344 hands, ASB 61 (45/74)
Total: 406 hands, ASB 57 (92/159)

Light CO steals: 8
Light Bu steals: 3

With the light CO steals, I won two with no flop. Here is a hand which I think was interesting:

PokerStars 1/2 Hold'em (5 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)

Preflop: Hero is MP with 7s, Kc.
1 fold, Hero raises, Button calls, 1 fold, BB calls.

Flop: (6.50 SB) 6c, 8s, 9h (3 players)
BB checks, Hero bets, Button raises, BB folds, Hero calls.

Turn: (5.25 BB) Kd (2 players)
Hero checks, Button checks.

River: (5.25 BB) 5c (2 players)
Hero bets, Button folds.

Final Pot: 5.25 BB

When he checked the turn, I figured him for 9x or 8x, and that he would call a river bet. But his fold there would be incredibly weak, as this was a good bluffing card (even though I really had it). My best guess is that he went for the free card with QJ or maybe JT and chose not to bet the turn (he would have been check-raised).

Here's one where I think paying off the river was a terrible mistake.

PokerStars 1/2 Hold'em (5 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)

Preflop: Hero is MP with Qs, 6s.
1 fold, Hero raises, 2 folds, BB calls.

Flop: (4.50 SB) Jc, 5d, Ad (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets, BB calls.

Turn: (3.25 BB) Th (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks.

River: (3.25 BB) 6c (2 players)
BB bets, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 5.25 BB

Flush draws generally check-raise the flop, so I should have stuck with my gut that I was behind on the turn and just walk away even though I paired up.

At the finish line

Live: 18.5 hours
Online: 1611 hands
Bankroll: $3,822.10

I formally reached the finish line this afternoon. I also bought my seat to the tournament.

Bankroll: $2,322.10

I'm (essentially) done!

Live: 18.5 hours
Online: 1256 hands
Bankroll: $3,806.85

Well, I did it. At least the "hard" part of it. I can easily run off the remaining 250 hands online to complete that part of it. But the bankroll is there, so I'm in the WSOP.