Arthur Russell Online Poker Blog

End of February Report

2012-02-29T08:03:00.002+10:00

I say nothing. I keep grinding and making the right decisions and eventually this has to clear. I am playing $2.20 - 180s and $3.50 - 45s to protect my limited bankroll. I did miss a lot of sessions this month, so missed my 1,000 game target:

End of January Report

2012-02-01T12:10:00.001+10:00

Sigh...I don't know what else to say. My bankroll is decimated. I'm so far under EV on my Holdem Manager Reports (both for chip EV and BB / 100 EV) it's a joke. I've dropped down to playing $2.50 - 180s, $3.50 - 45s and $7 - 18s, and I am still getting my arse handed to me on a plate.

I was sitting here a month ago talking about having a crack at the Sharkscope leaderboard and now I'm literally struggling to stay in the game.

Worst downswing (in terms of games / buy-ins) ever:

Such a shitty, shitey, crappy month so far.

2012-01-19T14:02:00.002+10:00

I have not had my computer for most of the month and have been grinding on my backup setup, which is of course resulting in reduced volume. The volume I have been getting in, has been awful, as I am truly running like shit. I won't bore you with the data, but my all in EV for both chips and BB / 100 is absolutely disgraceful.

I did get my computer back this week and it immediately had a meltdown. It was in the end a complex fix for a simple problem. With the help of the guy who built it in Sydney, I successfully managed to pull it apart, short circuit two middle pins on the motherboard to reset the CMOS and then get it all back together again. It was a tad scary having a $2,000 tower in bits on my desk but it all went flawlessly and I actually learned a lot about computers. I'm very keen to have a go at building one.

So the good news is, the computer is up and running like a dream, ready to grind out as many tables as my sweaty hands and bespectacled eyes can manage.

Just need me a little run good...

Douche-bag Alert: jediwithaces @ Pokerstars

2012-01-13T10:44:00.002+10:00

I am always fascinated by people getting so worked up on internet forums. I really upset someone this week by daring to suggest that the advice he gave on Pocketfives.com was bad (it was bad). Anyhoo, he got so fired up he told me to 'fuck off' and then there was obviously some banter between him and a good online pro (Redlce Rap), who also dared to suggest he was wrong. I'm pretty sure those posts were deleted but I got to see a bit of it. So here is the thread link for your amusement: jediwithacesisadouche-bag.com.

Well played buddy. You obviously have this game all worked out.

Now at the risk of making too big of a deal of this (probably too late). This guys's picture he uses on Pocketfives.com (as an avatar on Pokerstars as well) cracks me up. It's one of those ridiculous family / studio / wear your best shirt kind of shots. This may be my depraved sense of humour coming through, but I can't help but laugh: jediwithacesdouche-bagphoto.com.

Grinding on my Backup Setup

2012-01-04T18:54:00.002+10:00

I have sent my new computer back to have the graphics card swapped. No big problem. I was using an ATI HD 6850 card, which lets me run 3 x monitors by having one of them on a DisplayPort adapter. I didn't love that set up and have decided to switch to 2 x nVidia GTX 550 Ti cards. This will let me run up to 4 x monitors (still only using 3) on dedicated DVI ports.

I have still been getting a little volume in, on my laptop connected to a 22" monitor. I can really only 16 table (maximum) before I start to get lagging. This is letting me get a few games in, but I am really looking forward to getting my monster rig back. This is not how I imagined starting the new year off...

2011: The Year in Review and Goals for 2012

2011-12-28T16:02:00.015+10:00

This has been a year of poker highs and lows, successes and frustrations, and regrettably, no profit. Yes that's right, in my sixth year of playing online poker, for the first time ever, in 2011, I failed to make any money. To be honest, I haven't added up how much I lost (because I don't want to and don't really care), but I'm guessing it is about $2,000 - $3,000. The reasons behind that loss are spelled out in the review below. The frustrating thing about ending a year without financial gain is that right now, I know I am the best player I have ever been. It's a funny 'ole game like that.

January - March

I realised in January that I would not be able to play even moderate size field MTTs any more. My 'real' job was becoming more and more demanding and the late nights (even two nights a week) were something I knew I couldn't do. This was a little frustrating, after having a two year run of MTTs with some solid profit.

I decided to switch to Full Tilt's Rush On Demand format. These games had fields of 120 - 320 and were over in an hour or two. This was an extremely positive move for me. I enjoyed the soft fields and was able to run over a lot of players with my push / fold game and no fear of the prize money bubble. More importantly, I could play a good session and be in bed at a reasonable hour. I quickly ran up nearly $3,000 in profit with a 42% ROI. I like!

April

Black Friday hit on April 15. For those of you who have been sleeping under a poker rock, the USA's Department of Justice basically seized the domains of Pokerstars.com and Fulltiltpoker.com for less than sound financial practices. The sites did reopen, but all USA players were taken off the sites completely.

There was some impact for me. I had started staking a low stakes player from the USA who I had coached late last year. He was playing well, but had been unlucky at critical stages in big field MTTs. I had bankrolled him for $800 (he was down to $150) and with him unable to play or access my money (or have any chance of winning back the $650 he was down). It looked very much like that money had vanished.

The other issue was the fields in the Rush On Demand games I was crushing. The field sizes in these had diminished dramatically with the exit of the USA players, meaning it was almost impossible for me to get any decent volume in.

I was looking for a new game, so thought I would get back to my 'roots' and play the 9 Man SNGs at Full Tilt. The fields were weakened significantly with the USA players gone and I had recently secured a 27% rakeback deal there, so it seemed a good option.

May-June

I was grinding away playing 9 Man SNGs, earning rakeback and making a little money (about 3% ROI, nothing to get excited about). Now in hindsight, I was an absolute idiot for having any money sitting on Full Tilt, given the events of Black Friday. But on 29 June, while I was in the middle of a session, the site was shut down by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission. I had approximately $1,500 sitting on the site (plus the $800 mentioned earlier). I am still waiting to see this money.

I was still keen to play, so thought I would shift my 9 Man SNG attention over to Pokerstars.

July
So, just like I was a month ago, I was grinding away playing 9 Man SNGs; but this time on Pokerstars. I started okay, but within a week or two, I hit the biggest downswing I have ever experienced in poker. I just couldn't win. I understand completely though, that my game wasn't 100% and my push / fold game in the 9 Man SNG format was not where it should be. Either way, I get destroyed for about $3,000.

August
August started as July finished; me watching my aces lose to every hand in the universe and wondering when a big pair will hold up against AK. I was missing my multi-table action as I had always felt that this was where my heart and skill set was. Time was still an issue for me, but I badly wanted to shift games (again) to something where I could play well and to be honest, I didn't want to play another 9 Man SNG as long as I lived.

I thought I would give 45 Man SNGs a go and I was almost instantly hooked. I threw in some 180s and some 18s (where I learned my 'trade' after being coached by Jennifear a few years back) and all of a sudden I had a full schedule of games where I could grind hard and keep my ABI (average buy in) down.

September - December
So I grinded, and I grinded, and I grinded. I learned some key things along the way:

The value of multitabling: I used to think that 12 tables was all I could handle. With the help of some great software like Table Ninja, StackAndTile and Custom Title Bar (and Holdem Manager of course), I was able to move from 12 tables to 16, to 20, to 24 and now to 30. Playing that many tables has given me the ability to put in decent volume on a tight 'life schedule'.

A true understanding of variance: Playing decent volume for the first time in my life has given me a genuine understanding of variance. 100 buy in swings aren't a disaster. They are standard and they are going to happen.

A shift of schedule to the mornings: I now play from about 4.55am - 7.15am each week day morning. This puts me in a position where I can get in at least 1000 games a month (not bad for a guy who works around 50 hours a week in his 'real' job) with no problem at all. My standard session involves registering every $8 & $15 - 180 Man up until 5.25am, every $7 & $15 - 45 Man up until 5.55 am (up to 30 tables max) and then keeping at least 24 tables open until 6.15am by adding $7 & $15 - 18 Mans. Playing three different types of game can be a challenge for some but I find it quite easy to manage; especially because of the Custom Title Bar software. I absolutely love this schedule. It is a great way to start the day and I generally get 40 - 50 games in each morning. It also means that my playing has almost zero impact on my family time (they are all asleep while I am playing).

This is the most content I think I have ever been playing poker. I study hard, review my games, read strategy forums and make sure I am improving all the time. I have been able to put in almost 4,000 games since I started (I have had some time off for holidays and when I had to replace my computer) and have made nearly $2,000 profit so far. I am looking to build on that profit all the time.

2012 Goals
I am going to have a shot at a high finish on the Sharkscope Leaderboard (overall rankings for all online players and sites) for 45 Man SNGs ($5 - $15). I am confident I can achieve a high ranking by the year's end. I will blog about my progress regularly.

End of December Report

2011-12-26T19:23:00.002+10:00

I'm very pleased I managed to get in over 1000 games this month, given that the last time I played was December 19. Again, my 180s are 'saving' me, when I seemingly can't get any traction in 45s (well, $15 - 45s anyway) if I tried. Also lost a little on 18s this month, but had a small sample of them so no biggie.

Monthly Summary:

Played: 1048

Wins: 35

ROI: 7.6%

Profit: $846.79

Bonuses: $50

VPPs: 4,932.47

180 Man SNGs:

Played: 282

Wins: 4

ABI: $10.76

ROI: 65.9%

Profit: $1999.40

Av Profit: $7.09

(another great month of 180s, let's not be troubled by the small sample size!)

45 Man SNGs:

Played: 489

Wins: 10

ABI: $9.88

ROI: -19.4%

Profit: -$935.98

Av Profit: -$1.91

(getting my soul owned)

18 Man SNGs:

Played: 277

Wins: 20

ABI: $11.74

ROI: -6.7%

Profit: -$216.63

Av Profit: -$0.78

45 Man SNGs; $7 vs $15

2011-12-22T06:50:00.003+10:00

I have been really struggling with my lack of success in 45 man SNGs. I find this difficult to process, given that I am making some profit in 18 mans and good profit in 180 mans (albeit with marginal sample sizes of 1,205 & 785 respectively).

The big 'what the' for me in the 45 mans is the gap between the $7 and $15 games. I looked at the high volume regulars on the Sharkscope leaderboards (world rankings) and there seems to be a 3% - 7% gap between the two stakes. Meaning, that if you ran at at 16% in the $7s, you would be at 9% - 13% in the 15s. This seems about standard given that the $15s feel a little harder than the $7s. Amazingly, the number 1 player on the leaderboard, who also has the most volume, has performed better in the $15s, over a huge sample.

This brings me to my problem (see graphs below).

$7 45 Man SNGs:

Now this is obviously great news! Running at above 20% ROI. I like. This graph makes me smile.

$15 Man SNGs:

This is obviosuly not a pretty picture. -20% ROI for some major bankroll pain.

Now I know there are sample size issues here (1,200 x $7s and only 660 $15s), but I feel like that $15 graph has no intention of levelling out.

When you play the two different stakes, the $15s feel a little harder, and this was validated by the gaps between the two stakes I saw on the Sharkscope leaderboard.

I truly hope that I have been having a SHIT run in the $15s and things turn around soon. I am also conscious that I may have been running hot in the $7s as well ;)

In the end, if my $7s 'calm down' to about 16%, and I can grind it out and get my 15s to about 11%, I think I will be very happy.

Just so I can feel better about a graph, here are my $8 & $15 180s (little variance between the two stakes):

No smart-arse comments about sample size please! I like that graph and that's okay :)

Sunday Meh

2011-12-19T14:47:00.001+10:00

I went crashing out of the Sunday Million in about 35,000 place. Apparently KK < JQ and JJ < Q3. Then I get AQ and it runs into KK. I did have my deepest run ever in a big field though. I came 65 / 20,000 in the Bigger $11 for $300. Would have been nice to run deeper but $300 is $300. I had a good little side session of MTT SNGs as well, netting about $400. I guess not a bad day...I suppose. I will probably go into Christmas poker hibernation for a while now.

So I Grinded...

2011-12-18T19:45:00.003+10:00

I was 450 points short of my FPP target for tomorrow (about 45 of my 'standard' games) and I thought 'I should have a crack at one of those $11.70 shootout satellites to see if I can win a ticket'.

Played one and binked, played another and shipped it! So I got my ticket (one way or another). So tomorrow, I will be a little part of online poker history:

Mini-FPP Challenge

2011-12-13T19:31:00.000+10:00

I really want to play the PokerStars Sunday Million 10th Anniversary Special on Monday (Australian time). Problem is, I'm too much of a tight arse to fork out the $215 entry fee. I can get a ticket from the VIP store, if I can grind out 5,000 FPPs this week (I already have 8,500). This is actually a lot for me! I'll need to play around 450 45s / 180s between now and Sunday night, which will be tough. At least I am on holidays so I have a little more spare time. Tomorrow my wife and kids are out for the morning so I can put in an extra long session to get the ball rolling. Wish me luck!

The New Set Up (just posted on 2 + 2)

2011-12-04T09:05:00.003+10:00

End of November Report

2011-12-01T15:04:00.003+10:00

I would like to report...that there is no report. With no computer for over two weeks I had a very short month at the tables (less than 500 games and I ran crazy anyway, which included my best and worst days of SNGs ever in the same week). The highlight of the month of course has been getting the new computer. I played my first session on it this morning and it is truly awesome. It is so, so, fast, with no sign of lag at 24 tables. I'm extremely happy with it.

This month will also probably be light on with Christmas and holidays coming up. This is fine, because on January 1, I start my campaign to get a high annual finish on the Sharkscope leaderboard for 45 man SNGs. I think I definitely have a top 10 finish in me and hopefully even higher. The only thing getting in the way is volume, as I think I will struggle to play 8,000 - 9,000 in a year. I'll blog about my progress towards this goal regularly in 2012.

The New Rig (slightly excited about this machine)

2011-11-21T17:52:00.000+10:00

RIP Computer

2011-11-19T13:51:00.000+10:00

It is dead. I suspected for a long time it was not well, but now it seems it is dead and buried. So...after grieving for 12 seconds I am now in the market for a new gaming PC. I was planning to have the whole of the December off the tables anyway so I'll just start that a bit early. I must admit I'm looking forward to getting a new rig with some real grunt.

Grrr...computer

2011-11-17T08:41:00.002+10:00

I have had to do a full Windows 7 reinstall and it is taking AGES to get it set up again with all my programs and settings. Missed two regular sessions so far working on it and I'm not totally confident I'll even be back on by tomorrow.

Grrr...Holdem Manager

2011-11-16T15:02:00.001+10:00

I sometimes wonder why I bother with this laggy, shitty software. Today I lost connection to my database, resulting in a Postgres reinstall, a reimporting of my hand history files and an apparent loss of about 60 games. Not happy!

Worst Session Ever!

2011-11-12T21:03:00.002+10:00

Well I thought I was entitled to sneak a peek at my results this evening because I could see I was having a very, very bad session. It was a new record for a multi-table SNG session at $452 loss! What is amazing is that it could have been even worse as I managed to scrape my arse over the line in a couple of 18 mans. I played 77 and managed to get blown out the back door 66 times. Ship it (run bad) to the dog!

Best Session Ever!

2011-11-08T13:43:00.002+10:00

Well I thought I was entitled to sneak a peek at my results this morning because I could see I was having a very, very good session. It was a new record for a multi-table SNG session at $736 profit! What is amazing is that it could have been even better as I was on the rough end of a few beats and coolers in spots that were worth some good $. I played 44 and managed to ship a $8 - 180, $15 - 45, $7 - 45, and also a handful of top 3s and final tables. Ship it to the dog!

Hmmm...so weak.

2011-11-07T08:51:00.000+10:00

Okay I cracked and looked at my results. I lasted a week. Maybe a once a week check (on a Sunday) is not such a terrible thing.

I'm not going to look at my results until November 31!

2011-11-02T08:37:00.003+10:00

James Atkin's last blog post was very interesting.

He said 'with each day and week that I wasn't winning, I was becoming more and more preoccupied with my short term results. I think it is sensible to check your results as infrequently as you can manage, and I've only ever found checking them during your play to be counter productive. But I had gotten to the point where I was treating the refresh button on Hold 'em Manager as though it would give me a penny every time I did so'.

I am so, so, absolutely guilty of clicking that refresh button on Holdem Manager too often.

As a result, as a personal challenge, I am not going to look at my results until the end of the month. I have become far too preoccupied with short term loss and gain and I think it has a negative impact on my game. Of course, I am not going to look at my Pokerstars balance either, as this would effectively provide similar information (I've got about 150 buy-ins sitting in my Pokerstars account at the moment, so the inability to register for a tournament due to a lack of funds would also in its own way provide information about my results!)

Wish me luck!

End of October Report

2011-10-29T23:09:00.008+10:00

This has been an extremely, extremely frustrating month of swinging up and swinging down (including an ugly 100 BI swing in my 45s). Surprisingly, a great run a week or so ago in 180s stopped the month from being a complete write off. In the end, Pokerstars VIP bonuses actually got me over the line this month.

One highlight of the month was that I had a 1 hour coaching session with 'itscml' who is an excellent 45 / 180 player. It was really, really good. I could see a lot of spots where I should be shoving and also a lot of occasions where I am playing too passive. I had the lesson late in the month but as I couldn't win a fucking hand if my life depended on it, it was to no avail. See below:

Monthly Summary:

Played: 1036

Wins: 44

Profit: -$219.92

Bonuses: $250

180 Man SNGs:

Played: 193

Wins: 1

ABI: $11.23

ROI: 36.6%

Profit: $792.82

Av Profit: $4.10

45 Man SNGs:

Played: 411

Wins: 11

ABI: $11.25

ROI: -18.6%

Profit: -$858.34

Av Profit: -$2.09

(very difficult to have a good month when the graph of your 'bread and butter' game looks like that)

18 Man SNGs:

Played: 432

Wins: 32

ABI: $11.67

ROI: -3.1%

Profit: -$154.40

Av Profit: -$0.36

Double Sunday Million

2011-10-17T11:25:00.004+10:00

Not much to report there. Pokerstars were offering 2 x Sunday Millions today for the first time ever. I had a ticket I had bought with loyalty points a while back and I ponied up a real live $215 for the other one. I have been waiting a long time for something good to happen in a Pokerstars MTT, but today wasn't the day. AK < JJ and TT < 88 meant good game me (I did manage to scramble my way to two very unimpressive min-cashes in other events). I know the sample size is small, but seriously, look at the dent that Pokerstars MTTs have made on my overall MTT profit (fucking ridiculous):

Little Bit of a Break

2011-10-11T18:34:00.001+10:00

I am staying at the beach with my family for a week so the volume is practically non-existent (zero since arrival in fact). I have been watching some training videos while I relax on the sofa though. I subscribed to Deuces Cracked so I could download OMGClayDol's 180 man SNG series and found a few other good 18 and 45 man videos as well. I'm really enjoying them. Hoping that this little break not only refreshes me for when I return, but sharpens up my game as well.

End of September Report

2011-09-30T22:57:00.011+10:00

Overall a much, much, much better month (in fact my best overall month for profit since April 2010 by a whisker). Shifting to 18, 45 and 180 man SNGs (mainly 45s) has been a great change. I have been on holidays this month, so have managed a record month for volume at exactly 1000 games. I know that is no big deal for most grinders, but it is a lot for me.

Monthly Summary: · Played: 1000 · Wins: 36 · Profit: $1488.26 · Bonuses: $180.00	MTTs: · Played: 14 · Wins: 0 · ABI: $31.65 · ROI: -24.66% · Profit: -$109.23 · Av Profit: -$7.80	180 Man SNGs: · Played: 121 · Wins: 1 · ABI: $11.01 · ROI: 28.2% · Profit: $374.97 · Av Profit: $3.10
45 Man SNGs: · Played: 495 · Wins: 13 · ABI: $10.34 · ROI: 15.7% · Profit: $802.29 · Av Profit: $1.62	18 Man SNGs: · Played: 370 · Wins: 22 · ABI: $12.16 · ROI: 9.3% · Profit: $420.23 · Av Profit: $1.13

So overall, the numbers look 'right' the volume was good, I played well and couldn't be happier.

Poker X Factor Leakfinder Series

2011-09-16T22:10:00.003+10:00

I submitted a hand history to Chris 'Beanmo' Mozingo (coach at Poker X Factor) ages ago to see if he wanted to make a training video about it. Well fuck me; he did! It was published at the site today (part 1). It's a bit embarrassing because I was playing like a tight arse nit pre-flop (early on) and made a few folds that were quite obviously calls. Ah well...

Edit:
Beanmo finished the second half of the video and his assessment of my play was far more positive than earlier. Phew!

I wonder what this means?

2011-09-16T09:27:00.005+10:00

Am I that bad in the blinds? I have posted this on the 2 + 2 MTT SNG Forum to get some opinions (this is from a Holdem Manager report showing profitability based on position):

Edit:

I had some light shed on this at the forum:

"You're compelled to pay 100bb/100 and 50bb/100 in BB and SB respectively just to get dealt some cards. Stood against that, you're probably doing OK to get those losses down to -45bb/100 and -21bb/100"

"He's not winning too much from button. That's precisely where you should be winning most of your chips from. Then you should be winning slightly less for each earlier position, so you should be winning most of your chips from BTN, then CO, then HJ, and so on back round the table. This is why we talk about how powerful position is in the game of poker".

Seems my stats are not so bad after all!

Stack & Tile Software Part III

2011-09-15T08:08:00.004+10:00

Yep. It's official. This software is awesome! Played a solid set this morning where I had 18 tables going for a long time and it didn't miss a beat. It's hard to resist the temptation to click the 'dormant stack' though.

Stack & Tile Software Part II

2011-09-14T20:38:00.000+10:00

I am home (early) from holidays so I set up the software on my desktop computer. I am so, so, so, impressed with it. I only played a little set of 12, but even in that brief time I could see how awesome it is. Playing 12 is quite comfortable, so I think when I am used to it I will be able to go beyond my current 18 tabling pretty easily. Great stuff! Volume = $

Stack & Tile Software

2011-09-12T16:43:00.001+10:00

I've downloaded the trial version of Stack & Tile software. I think the Pokerstars stacking feature is quite unreliable and I was in general having a lot of trouble with it. The new software seems to be really neat and very reliable. I am looking forward to having a run with it on my home computer as my laptop screen is really too small to be effective with the 'stack & tile' setting. What is that setting, I hear you say? Basically it keeps all the inactive tables in a stack and then pops the active ones out onto a tiled grid (that you design) where you play the hand out before the table returns to the stack (as soon as your participation is finished). It looks really, really, good. I'm imagining on the home computer I will have 18 tables going with a grid of maybe 6-8 tiles for hands in play. If I go with this, I will have 4 after market computer programs in operation when I play (Holdem Manager, Table Ninja, Custom Title Bar, Stack & Tile). Some people may think that is ridiculous; but I am not some people!

Is stacking the answer?

2011-09-10T20:43:00.000+10:00

I don't know what the question is, but stacking could be the answer! I'm on holidays (as I said) so only have my laptop to play on. I had my first ever go at stacking in a mini-session of 7 x 18 man SNGs (ran as hot as lightning too thank you very much). It took a little to get used to, but I really think I like it and will have a proper go at it when I get home and back on the big computer. I'm guessing it's hard to get the shits about being bad beat if you don't actually see it happen...

Holding! Holding!

2011-09-10T08:28:00.000+10:00

I'm touching everything made from wood in the house as I type this. The month is still progressing nicely. I think I've put in more volume in 10 days than I have in a long time. Will slow down now though as I am away on holiday with the family for a week. I do actually have 6 weeks in total off work now, so overall should be able to spend heaps of time on the virtual felt.

A nice start to the month

2011-09-05T14:04:00.002+10:00

If this jinxes me I will have some kind of explosion...but...the month has started well. Have ground four good sessions of 18s, 45s and 180s and I have not run well...I have run pure. This has been awesome! You know what I mean? AK vs AQ and the Q doesn't come? AA holding against 99? Sure there have been a few beats here and there and I have sucked out as well, but overall, there is a sense of balance to the random delivery of the cards I have not seen for at least three months (in SNG land anyway). So all is good and I'm enjoying it A LOT!

End of August Report

2011-08-31T19:25:00.018+10:00

A slightly better month overall, but still waiting for my dose of 'run pure' at Pokerstars. Now that I have cast single table SNGs out of my life I feel there are better days ahead. Playing a few MTTs again, shifting my primary game to 45 man SNGs (with 18 man SNGs thrown in for volume) has been a very, very good thing for me.

Monthly Summary: · Played: 508 · Wins: 35 · Profit:-$913.69	MTTs: · Played: 31 · Wins: 1 · ABI: $25.48 · ROI: 65.6% · Profit: $518.07 · Av Profit: $16.71	180 Man SNGs: · Played: 39 · Wins: 0 · ABI: $11.41 · ROI: -58% · Profit: -$258.04 · Av Profit:-$6.61
45 Man SNGs: · Played: 194 · Wins: 6 · ABI: $11.68 · ROI: -8.8% · Profit: -$199.95 · Av Profit: -$1.03	18 Man SNGs: · Played: 23 · Wins: 3 · ABI: $13.78 · ROI: 73.8% · Profit: $233.97 · Av Profit: $10.17	6 & 9 Man SNGs: · Played: 222 · Wins: 25 · ABI: $33.51 · ROI: -16.2% · Profit: -$1208.64 · Av Profit: -$5.44

I say clearly, loudly and proudly to single table SNGs:

Weekly MTT wrap up

2011-08-27T23:49:00.001+10:00

That heading implies this will be a weekly thing? Not likely! I did play a set of 8 MTTs tonight and about 17 180 man SNGs. Had a couple of 3rd places:

bwin, $11 ($1,700 GTD) - 3rd for $216
Pokerstars, $8 (180 man SNG) - 3rd for $157

I was going well in two other MTTs on Pokerstars and took ridiculous beats to get knocked out (no way! seriously?)

Oh really Pokerstars?

2011-08-27T13:29:00.007+10:00

I've been pretty much playing only the 45 man SNGs the last week or two, but have still had a few short sessions of 6 & 9 mans when I have been short on time. It is truly breathtaking how bad I run in them (and have done since I came across to Pokerstars). They have been my most unsuccessful game in 6 years of online poker.

In fact, it is fair to say (after some results analysis) that if I had never made a Pokerstars account, I would be about $5,000.00 better off. I played about 2 000 games there when I first started playing micros with a little tiny bit of profit. It has all gone downhill since then. Look at my MTT results for example (sample sizes are too small, yada, yada, yada):

The very embarrassing thing is, if you were to search me on Sharkscope. com (no link added because I have my statistics at Pokerstars blocked), I am actually a fish:

So work that out! Shark rated (for MTTs anyway) at Party Poker, bwin and Titan Poker, and at Full Tilt Poker for Rush MTTs, and an overall fish at Pokerstars? Yes the play at Pokerstars is harder (of that there is no doubt), but combined with that, I have just had the more phenomenal run of shit luck there I can imagine; especially in the last year or so.

So it would be nice to have some run good there one day. Wish me luck...

Hmmm I quite like the 45 man SNGs...

2011-08-16T09:22:00.001+10:00

Way back in 2007, after I had my very first lesson with Jennifear, I played a lot of the $3.25 45 man SNGs on Pokerstars and really enjoyed them. In the interests of playing something a 'bit multi-table' and to have a break from the 6 & 9 man SNGs (where I am getting my soul owned by variance), I have had two sessions of 45 mans in my usual morning time slot.

I can easily multi-table 12 of them, and even though my volume is reduced (13-15 in a session as opposed to 18-22 6 & 9 mans) they are a whole lot more fun. The play in them is WAY softer than 6 & 9 mans as there seems to be a lot more recreational players and fewer good regulars (which is of course a good thing).

So I'll switch games for a while to see how it goes. So far, I'm liking the change a lot.

Surely this is a sign?

2011-08-14T00:48:00.000+10:00

What was I saying about MTTs? I had my first session (13 MTTs in total) since March this year and end up with this:

Party Poker, $33 ($1,000 GTD) - 1st for $549
bwin, $54 ($3,000 GTD Aussie Daily) - 3rd for $418
Titan Poker, $11 ($1,000 GTD) - 3rd for $125

Great session!

Unbelievably, that was my first win in a Party Poker $33, after 141 attempts!

There has got to be a way I can play more MTTs...

There are obviously no rules about the length of downswings...

2011-08-13T08:26:00.001+10:00

Title says it all! 70 buy ins now and going strong. I have cut myself back to only $30 games to minimize the damage and play in softer fields, but it seems to be having minimal impact. Now I understand that a sample size of 644 games (since I moved across from Full Tilt to Pokerstars) is a drop in the ocean, but it still doesn't hide the fact that this is the longest downswing ever in terms of buy ins (@70) and in terms of real dollars (@$3,000).

I have been working very hard on post game analysis through Holdem Manager Leakbuster Reports and by using the Poker X Factor replayer to watch entire games alongside SNG Wiz and the online Nash Engine. I really feel like I am playing well. Very often SNG Wiz gives me a perfect (no red Xs) result and when I am getting hands wrong, in both Wiz and Nash I am very close (like I push J7s when it should have been J9s or better). So in short, I can't see any glaring problems with my game (Beanmo couldn't see any either in our lesson, except my 'too tight' play heads up which I have fixed immediately).

I often wonder if I am putting out some negativity that is impacting on my results (yes I believe that we can control our world by how we think about it). SNGs are not my favourite game. I believe however, that I am good at them and can make good money from them. My heart, my fun, my excitement and my best results are in MTTs. I simply do not have time in my life to make MTT sessions a regular thing anymore (although I am sneaking in a session this evening). I often find myself longing for the days when I was crushing the low and mid-stakes MTTs, having a blast and making great coin. My point being, by being so inadvertently negative about playing SNGs, maybe I am putting something out there that is impacting on me. Anyway...

Custom Title Bar Software

2011-08-03T11:53:00.001+10:00

I mentioned this new software two posts ago. I wanted to mention it again as I have just finished playing a full session with it. It is absolutely awesome. I have $30 6-Max, $30 9-Max and $60 9-Max SNGs all going at once and you can see instantly which is which. It seems to work faultlessly and I am very impressed with it.

Beanmo lesson was awesome!

2011-08-02T08:37:00.001+10:00

Had a great two hour lesson with Beanmo on Skype this morning. Had some solid conversations about playing mid size stacks which was very helpful. We also analyzed 23 hands I had played earlier. The best part though, was getting some major leaks in my heads up game plugged. I'm looking forward to a session with all my new found knowledge.

Some very handy software

2011-08-01T06:55:00.000+10:00

I stumbled across some really cool software on UK online professional James Atkin's blog (it's a good blog by the way, check it out: http://www.atkinator.net/). It is called Custom Title Bar and it basically adds a different colour title bar (or entire border) to your Pokerstars tables. The colours differentiate between various types of game. For example I have $30 6 Man, $30 9 Man, $60 6 Man and $60 9 Man, all displayed as different colours (not that I ever play all four together). It allows you to quickly see what kind of game you are playing, which helps with the obvious (and not so obvious) differences. It's quick to set up and I highly recommend it: http://www.customtitlebar.com/

Pokerstars and the month of July can both get ^%&*#$!

2011-07-31T12:48:00.010+10:00

Awful, horrid, shit, bad running, playing frustrated and 'over it' month:

Game Details:

Games played: 431
Wins: 53
ABI: $37
ROI: --12.3%
Profit: -$1939.16
Av Profit: -$4.49

Now I know the all in -ev line is not a 'total' indication of the month (I am not stupid enough to ignore the fact that I may not have been on my 'A game'), but in this case it's worth over $1,000 of that shitty month (red line is all in ev and green line is actual profit):

Well, at the end of June I said 'bring on July'. At the end of July I am saying 'bring on August'. I want Beanmo's advice and some serious fucking run-good to combine to give me a massively profitable August.

Two hours with Beanmo

2011-07-30T15:37:00.000+10:00

I have a two hour donline coaching session booked with Poker X Factor high stakes SNG coach Chris 'Beanmo' Mozingo. We're going to work through two complete hand histories with a focus on bubble and heads up play. I'm really looking forward to it. Beanmo is one of the most succesful high stakes SNG players ever and his insight will be invaluable. It's also a good way to get my head in a positive state and try to forget about this ridiculous fucking downswing.

For a second there I thought this bullshit was over...

2011-07-29T22:51:00.001+10:00

All June I thought 'I can't wait until this shitty fucking month is over'. I never would have believed it was possible, but July has been even worse. The biggest mistake I made was finishing my morning session about 7 buy-ins up (I had actually run better than average) and thinking 'this downswing might be over'. Well I played another session in the evening and managed to dust off nearly 20 buy-ins. I can seriously see why those idiots get on website discussion boards and say 'online poker is rigged'. I'm not that fucking stupid, but I can tell you this has been just a fucking unbelievable patch for me. I just can't get any traction...

Just for the record, I need to use the word 'fucking' more on this blog.

Looking forward to WCOOP

2011-07-27T13:22:00.001+10:00

I've never actually played a World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) event because it is always on when I am working. This year, I have a 6 week break from work and by some amazing coincidence the WCOOP is on at the same time. I am more than likely going to play two of the $215 buy-in events. Looking forward to this very much.

Just some stuff

2011-07-22T13:28:00.003+10:00

This has been a nearly two month stretch now when I have been given a good lesson in variance. I've been up and down so many times and unfortunately have had two 'all time top 5' downswings in the midst of it all. I'm still confident I'm playing well, but have been playing $30 SNGs exclusively (this is also because more than half of my bankroll is inaccessible at the moment because of me using it for some personal financial reasons). Oh and also because Full Tilt have $2,400 of my money (arseholes).

The other thing is that I am longing to play some MTTs. They are still my favourite game and still the format in which I have made the most $. I am going to have a few sessions of 180 Man SNGs on Pokerstars to see if that 'scratches my tourney itch'.

I look forward to reporting back about some shippage!

It's gotta stop soon...right?

2011-07-13T11:22:00.001+10:00

I am the guy who never tilts, stays positive, is a bankroll nit and a student of the game (lots of review and study)...but this is just ridiculous.

I have been playing SNGs (6 & 9 man) at Pokerstars, mainly $60s and $30s with a handful of $100s thrown in.

I have truly never, ever experienced anything like the past five sessions. I'm 50 buy ins down (which I know can be standard). But, it is the 'creativity' of the beats that is doing me head in. It is always on the river and is always extremely unlikely.

My 'standards':

AK vs A3 on 892 Q3
JJ vs TT on K56 3T
QQ vs 89 on Q76 A5

And of course when I do have a good one it is:

QQ vs KK
KK vs AA
AQ vs AK

I'm not (and never will) talk the 'rigged' bullshit. What I do say though, is that handling the variance of this game is just an incredible challenge in times like this.

On a positive though, I have been reviewing my games intensely and I am still pushing and folding as I should and there are no other obvious leaks.

My all in ev line and profit line on Holdem Manager look like sworn enemies who never want to meet.

End of June Report

2011-07-03T11:56:00.003+10:00

Well it was a month of running up, down, up, down, down, down.....to the biggest down of all, which was obviously having Full Tilt taken off the air:

Game Details:

Games played: 459
Wins: 64
ABI: $42
ROI: -5.6%
Profit: -$1093
Rakeback: $437
Total Profit: -$656
Av Profit: -$1.42

Full Tilt Leaderboards (as at 29 June 2011):

High Limit Overall: 1st Australian
$36 Games: 1st Australian

An absolutely shit month at the tables (no doubt).

This Full Tilt Thing is Really Shitting Me to Tears...

2011-07-01T13:20:00.000+10:00

What a year! I keep changing my regular games because of personal demands, actions of the US government and now it seems Full Tilt Poker's own inadequacies. Two major issues for me. Firstly, the SNGs on Full Tilt were working out nicely. 27% rakeback and I was just about to qualify as a Black Card holder, giving me access to some nice cash bonuses. Secondly, by my quick calculations I am at risk of losing nearly $3,000 (the small bankroll that was sitting with the guy in the US I was backing and what I had sitting online this week). I know lots of US players lost tens and hundreds of thousands (and I really feel for them), but $3,000 is $3,000. There may be a solution on the horizon though:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-online-poker-20110701,0,6054543.story

In the meantime, I have been playing a few smaller sets on Pokerstars. The software is of course great and there is a little more volume than at Full Tilt. If I had started there in January I would have quite easily qualified as a Supernova and had access to some great cash bonuses, but don't have a chance of getting to that level in only six months. I think I will stay there for now and see what happens.

I did play a few sets on Party Poker but I had forgotten how dreadful their software is (especially for multi-tabling).

Is this the End?

2011-06-29T20:57:00.000+10:00

Half the world will say 'I told you so'. I had 8 SNGs going (about $300 - $400 worth) and another $1100 or so sitting in my account, when the plug was literally pulled:

http://www.egrmagazine.com/news/1673787/breaking-news-alderney-suspends-full-tiltsoperating-licence.thtml

Don't have a good feeling about this at all...

Best of the Full Tilt Aussies

2011-06-24T16:02:00.001+10:00

At the moment I am the highest placed Australian on the Monthly Full Tilt High Limit SNG Leaderboard (this is one of their official leaderboards). I'm very keen to stay there for the end of the month and see how far up I can get overall (with all countries included):

A Funny Old Month

2011-06-22T09:07:00.001+10:00

This has been one of the most up and down months I can remember ever in poker. Not much 'evenness' about it either; I'm either hitting everything that moves, or getting sucked out on big time. I'm still a big fan of the rakeback though. It keeps everything just that little bit 'smoother'. But what the hell, I still love the game and am stoked I am getting to put some decent volume in again.

Nice Little Recovery

2011-06-17T20:31:00.000+10:00

Just as they always do things seemed to have turned around. For every downswing there is a heater (although I wouldn't go as far as to say I am on a heater).

I have increased the number of tables in my sessions from 6 to 8. This will obviously help me get more volume in and I feel quite comfortable with 8 tables going.

Time to Stop Moaning

2011-06-13T20:03:00.000+10:00

Time to stop moaning...although compared to previous downswings I'm probably taking this one pretty well. It is time to do a bit of study, review some hands and watch some new Poker X Factor videos. I have no doubt I have been running like shit, but it is still a good opportunity to make sure my game is on track.

My hand has improved to the point where I can play long sessions again. This means I am going to get back into my regular routine of 5 x 8 game sessions in the morning before work and 2-3 x 30 game sessions in the evenings.

I need to remember that my approach to the game is totally professional. I am organized, focused and analytical. I study, review and use strict bankroll management. I am a professional (without being a professional, if you get my drift).

In the interests of rebuilding I will focus just on the $36 games for a while.

Oh Dear...

2011-06-12T23:20:00.002+10:00

Get ready for an 'it's so hard to stay positive rant'. It has been a long time since I have had a run like I have had this weekend (in fact, I can tell you it was April 2008). Just quite incredible actually. Over and over and over again. I have had two tricks this weekend:

Trick 1: AT (me) vs A3 (them), I shove, board comes 763 J 4 (and so on, and so on, and so on).

Trick 2: QQ (me) vs KK (them), I shove and the rest is history (over and over and over).

Yep. That does say $1000. Can't say I can ever remember hitting a four figure loss in a weekend (especially playing mainly $36 SNGs, which I was this weekend). The red line is my all in EV line (where I would have run in all in situations assuming 'average' luck).

Sigh...thank fuck for rakeback.

Sit N Go Wizard Software

2011-06-07T22:28:00.000+10:00

I remember downloading this software years ago. I struggled with it, because my post-game analysis involved Independent Chip Modelling (ICM) whereas the program mainly dealt with situations in terms of chip-EV. Now, a few years down the track, Sit N Go Wizard has an inbuilt ICM link to review decisions. This is a truly awesome feature as that detailed post-game analysis using ICM is just so, so easy.

If you want to talk in terms of 'raw' or 'pure' ICM, I'm getting most of my shoves and calls pretty right Although, it does seem I'm holding back on the shorter stacks unless I am the big stack. This is something for me to look out for.

I still believe though, that the key to making the $ in SNGs is being able to modify your shoving and calling ranges according to your opponents tendencies. As stupid as this is going to sound, I think it is actually easier against the good regulars, as I know what they will be calling with when I shove and vice-versa. If they are playing a heap of tables then their decisions will be even more robotic and automatic. The challenge comes when you are against randoms (good or bad). They won't be shoving or calling 'correct' ICM and you need to adjust accordingly. As I said, I really think this is the key to making the $.

So Over this Hand...

2011-06-07T08:58:00.000+10:00

Had an update from the doctor yesterday that the original 4-6 week estimate for having my hand in a splint has been extended to 8-12 weeks. This is obviously extremely frustrating as my volume is being compromised (big time). I am so, so, so, absolutely over the whole thing...

End of May Report

2011-05-31T21:29:00.005+10:00

It was obviously a low volume month because of my hand injury. I still managed to make a little bit of coin, but didn't make much of a dent on any of the Full Tilt Leaderboards.

Game Details:

Games played: 252
Wins: 44
ABI: $38
ROI: 8.2%
Profit: $803
Rakeback: $216
Total Profit: $1019
Av Profit: $4.04

Full Tilt Leaderboards:

High Limit Overall: 443rd
$119 Games: Did not play in May
$60 Games: 117th
$36 Games: 133rd

It was a funny month because I ran hot, ran bad, then ran hot again. Overall though, an 8.2% ROI is pretty good. I am pleased with how my game is going. I think I am getting closer to making really good shoves and folds against the regulars and I am getting better at adjusting against the randoms.

I am starting to really enjoy the 6 man games (instead of the 9 man games). There is a little more play in them and I feel I have a bigger edge heads up, because of the larger stacks at that point.

I'm sure I've mentioned before how keen I am to get this hand better so I can start putting some decent volume in again.

A Mini (and oh so lame) Achievement

2011-05-28T10:30:00.000+10:00

I managed to grind myself out of the negative in the $24 SNGs. I know (I know) it's ridiculous and doesn't matter, but seeing a profit (and in green font) on my Holdem Manager reports just makes me feel a whole lot better. Looking forward to my hand getting better so I can get into some decent sessions of $36s / $60s / $119s.

Struggling Along with a Dodgy Hand

2011-05-25T22:33:00.004+10:00

It's very tough playing on my laptop (with a touchpad), but I am still managing to get a few games in. I can actually 2-table so at least I am not falling asleep.

I have had this frustrating (stupid?) thing happen though. It has been nearly two months since I switched exclusively to SNGs at Full Tilt. The first two sessions I played $24s, $36s and $60s. I went okay so quickly switched it up to $36s, $60s and $119s. I realized after a few weeks (by looking at my Holdem Manager results) that in the handful of $24s I had played, I was at about -$100 profit. I couldn't stand seeing that, so decided I would play $24s until I wiped that negative balance out. So what happened? I went on a $500 downswing! Unbelievable. So I have been grinding the $24s to get myself out of it and have managed to get back to about -$120. I'm staying positive though, because downswinging in $24s is a hell of a lot better than it being in the $60s or $119s.

New Blog

2011-05-25T11:58:00.003+10:00

Welcome to my new blog. I have changed blog host and am much happier with the new product. I try to keep regular updates on here as well as providing other information. The blog is a great way for me to keep track of my poker world, but you may enjoy following it as well. Enjoy.

Blindsided by Hand Injury

2011-05-22T19:51:00.004+10:00

I've got tendon damage in my right hand so have to wear a splint on it for 4-6 weeks (I dropped a lawnmower on my hand lifting it over a fence). I'm also banned from clicking a mouse! I can still use a touchpad, so I can play a few games on my laptop. My usual 'grind' though is out until my hand comes good.