Dead Money- Bub goes pro

[vtbub]

I think it was FOFC Veteran stalwart, SirFozzie, who was the first to wax poetic about Poker Stars. I downloaded it, and played a bit. Feeling lost at the 5/10 Hold 'em tables, where everyone goes all in each hand, I moved up to the relative serenity of the 10/20 play money tables and did alright. I never progressed much, but kept my original 1000 in fake chips for awhile. 2-3 months.

I'd get into a freeroll or two, and more often than no would survive the first break, but with the blinds getting bigger, my luck would get smaller and I would pride myself with a top half finish.

Then I stopped playing for awhile, and only recently picked it back up. After reading Radii's dynasty threads and watching the pro's on TV, I changed my strategy after getting caught by some of those raise and reraise on every hand with 28o. I started only carrying 1000 chips at a table, 10/20 limit no hold em. In a week I had over 5k in chips, my highest number. The back of my mind said, "Can you play for real?"

Played with a buddy at party poker, with unlimited fake rebuys after busting out, in an afternoon at a NL 2000 table, I had 14k. Some good play, some bad. Then I read Gary Gorski's thread about playing for money. I noticed that the advice was to sit at sit and go's. Poker Stars had play chip SnG's so I tried one, which I won. Next time, 2nd. Bad bust out, followed by a "money" finish. I felt my play improve.

Like an aspiring golfer who struggles on whether his game is ready for the next step, my take on my poker skills have reached the same. I've tripled my chip count to 15k playing in assorted 300+20 and 2000+110 SnG's and with grudging permission from Mrs. Bub, I have setup my netteller account and will invest the 50 bucks tomorrow.

Reading the poker boards seems like reading greek, but I think I can break even. Let's test the water.

[vtbub]

Ugh.

45 hands at .01/.02 NL Hold 'em and down $2.

[Radii]

good luck! I'll definitely be following.

[vtbub]

This time it took 80 hands to lose my $2.

[vtbub]

I have posted my hand histories at:

ronjuckett.com/poker.txt
ronjuckett.com/p2.txt

I'll take a look after dinner on what I'm doing wrong, and give a full accounting of my first day.

[SirFozzie]

problem is that .01/.02 is pretty much play money.

[Radii]

looking through the hands, it looks like a very very loose game, but probably a noticible step up from play money. I think in general you're playing way too many high cards and suited cards, and going way too far with just marginal hands(the 66 all in comes to mind).

you'll clean up at this level quickly once you tighten up a bit I bet.

[vtbub]

Someone should E-mail Andy Rooney and have him ask why yoyu can purchase Oxycontin with your debit card, but can't put $50 in a gaming account without going through a process slighty more uncomfortable than dinner with ur drunk in-laws.

My bank rejected a direct transfer to Poker Stars, no big surprise there but rather annoying.

I had set up the basics of my NETeller account last night, and was ready to transfer those funds this morning. Tried to debit card there, but they only take Visa. MasterCard here. Figured that EFT transfer would be account and routing number, no. Wifey was out grocery shopping with the checkbook, so I could not go any further.

She gets home, I ask for the checkbook, the female equivalent of the TV clicker. With great disdain and skeptisim, she hands me the checkbook. Yes, she asks me why they didn't take the debit card. I reply that the bank thinks that online gambling is illegal and smile. You could hear the alarm bells going off inside her head. At that moment, Bill Simmons and the Sports Gal were channeling into us. Trust me, his cartoon will deal with this soon. Sarah leaves me alone with the checkbook as she makes lunch.

OK, proceed through a series of secure web pages, getting ready to be asked to regurgitate all the personal info that I gave them last night. Surprise! Four multiple choice questions asking if these very personal things means anything to me and if so what. My word, Who wants to be a millionaire would be much more interesting if Regis asked for the big question, "How old is your mistress?" Imagine the look on the guys face at that with his wife looking over his shoulder. While they didn't ask that, they did want Sarah's age range(Sorry shorty, over 30).

So after a few minutes of that and clicking on a bunch of buttons to simuate a check, I transfer my 50 plus a mild fee from my bank to these folks and await the dreaded phone call. My sister in law decides that now is a good time to call. Fortunately, Sarah's hungry and they don't talk long, but NETeller doesn't call back.

After following instructions in the E-mail, I call them. First time, I accidently hit the wrong button after connecting and get hooked up with a Verizon operator, who doesn't identify herself as an operator until I clumsely ask to verify my transaction. Feeling 14, I apologize and redo my call. Instead of hitting send after hitting 0 in the automated phone system, I hit 1, the right button, and connect with a female from god knows where. While she was very pleasant, I could only understand about every other word she said. I answer her questions, while my wife watches with more alarms ringing in her head than two kids in the back seat of a car on a summer night. I answer her questions, the lady from wherever, and finally I can play poker.

[vtbub]

Echoing Radii's comments, it certainly felt very different going from play to real. For whatever reason, Pokerstars didn't display my avatar at my first table today, and for whatever reason, it really felt like I was a rookie. At no point today, did I feel comfortable.

After reading other threads, the general consensus seems to be to play tight. The talent level I play against seems to bet everything and ask questions later. I need to learn to go to another table when that happens. At the sit and go's, I felt in control of what I was betting and was playing less than 50% of hands and under 40% of non-blind hands. Too loose? Yes, but I suffer from seeing the pot-itis. Beginner's Syndrome.

On to the highlights:

Hand 6: I'm the button, I get 84c. I bet. Why the hell I do that? The flop comes down decidedly diamonds and Ifold to the next beat. I'm fishing with nothing and down 12 cents in six hands.

Hand 7: I bet on Q4o. (.02) I know now that's a dumb move, but acceptable at play money ring games. BB bets a dime pre flop and I fold. I'm leaking pennies.

Hand 11: I'm the small blind, draw QTo. I play it. Flop is JJ5. QJ5 are all clubs. I'm still in a position for a straight. I call the .04 bet. Turn is a Q, two pair. I bet two, raised to .04 and I call. River is a 7D, just 2 of us left, I check, he bets .20, I call, he shows the third jack and takes .75. I'm down .50

I bust out 20 minutes later mis-betting on a flush, wiped out my .67 left. Just a bad bet.

Hands are available further up. I really need to tighten up. I'll go through my next table over the weekend, I won't play for money again until the FOFC Sunday deal.

[Mountain]

One thing you also need to consider is your position at the table. Your play with the Q 10 off on the button is okay in a late position. Never ever play Q 4 off or 8 4 sutied. Its just throwing away money.

Also almost never cold call a raise. If you're cold calling a raise more than once every three hours or so, you're doing it too much. Play tight. Then when you think you're playing tight enough, play tighter.

For sit n gos, play tight in the beginning and then when the table gets down to about 5 players start to become aggressive. This works because all of the loose maniacs are off the table at this point leaving primarily tight players and you have established an image in their mind that you are a tight player and will only play with the goods. Good Luck.

[SirFozzie]

Originally Posted by vtbub

Hand 11: I'm the small blind, draw QTo. I play it. Flop is JJ5. QJ5 are all clubs. I'm still in a position for a straight. I call the .04 bet. Turn is a Q, two pair. I bet two, raised to .04 and I call. River is a 7D, just 2 of us left, I check, he bets .20, I call, he shows the third jack and takes .75. I'm down .50

Ron, you know you're my homey right.. but..

What the hell are you doing calling a bet.. ANY bet playing the board Queen High, with needing runner runner straights or flushes. That just opens you up to trouble down the road.

(which happens here)

[vtbub]

I like fixed limit better.

Made .09 this morning.

ronjuckett.com/fixedpoker.txt

[GoldenEagle]

Originally Posted by Mountain

One thing you also need to consider is your position at the table. Your play with the Q 10 off on the button is okay in a late position. Never ever play Q 4 off or 8 4 sutied. Its just throwing away money.

Also almost never cold call a raise. If you're cold calling a raise more than once every three hours or so, you're doing it too much. Play tight. Then when you think you're playing tight enough, play tighter.

For sit n gos, play tight in the beginning and then when the table gets down to about 5 players start to become aggressive. This works because all of the loose maniacs are off the table at this point leaving primarily tight players and you have established an image in their mind that you are a tight player and will only play with the goods. Good Luck.

The only way you ever play Q10o is if you have a ton of action in front of you and you can limp in maybe from the SB. Your going to have to a 9 or two pair on the flop to really stay in the pot. Playing with marginal hands before the flop can you get you in trouble regardless of position.