Haven't been blogging.

Just haven't had the motivation. I meant to write a retrospective re. my first calendar year as a pro, but just didn't get to that point. I'm not one that likes to expend too much energy whining about big downswings, and I'm still working on crawling my way out of a crazy one.

Starting just prior to my $12k score in the tournament at the start of December, I've (until recently) experienced pretty much an uninhibited freefall, losing just shy of $6k in around 26k hands. For those paying attention, that's not good. I don't think I was playing that horribly in the stretch - maybe not my A-game, but certainly not that bad - and for whatever it's worth was down more than $2k in all-in equity during that swong. More than that, stuff that doesn't show up in all-in equity, like coolers, beats that hit on the river before the money gets in (and sometimes even more frustratingly, when it doesn't - like when I have AQo on a QJ9 flop, my cbet gets called, the turn bricks, I check-call a substantial bet, and a J hits the river - it goes check-check and I lose to AJo - that actually happened not long ago).

Thanks to my tournament score I still had a great overall December, my best month yet in terms of total cash won, but dropped almost $2700 at the cash tables which took a bit of the edge off my win.

I resolved to transition to 6max this month and have been playing that since the start of January. It's a different game, more aggressive preflop, but with (imo) a bigger donkey ratio and most of the regs are hugely exploitable. More than that they seem more exploitable with my favored strategy, which is just to sit tight and make thin calldowns, which doesn't work as efficiently against the nits at FR.

Still, the month started poorly, with a nearly $2k extension to my downswing before going well in the past few days. My last 7 sessions have been winning ones, and I've gone up about $1600 in them. Back in the black for the month, I feel good about my game again. I've been focusing on shorter, but more frequent sessions, and on quality over quantity, only playing when I'm feeling like it. The result has been only 6k or so hands this month, but I feel like it's paying off as my game has been very sharp.

If there were any justice in the world...

...this would have been a hell of a motherfucking comeback.



What a brutal fucking game.

The highlight reel:

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $2.00 BB (9 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP1 ($409.50)
MP2 ($203)
MP3 ($206.20)
CO ($47)
Button ($283.45)
Hero (SB) ($383.95)
BB ($258.25)
UTG ($29)
UTG+1 ($223.10)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A, A
6 folds, Button raises to $7, Hero calls $6, BB raises to $28, Button calls $21, Hero raises to $96, BB raises to $258.25 (All-In), 1 fold, Hero calls $162.25

Flop: ($544.50) K, 8, 5 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Turn: ($544.50) 10 (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($544.50) J (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $544.50 | Rake: $3

Results:
Hero had A, A (one pair, Aces).
BB had K, K (three of a kind, Kings).

Outcome: BB won $541.50

Had this guy right where I wanted him. Button was a nitty TAGfish with a 20% steal and an 82% fold to 3bet, thus the cold-call. BB is a decent enough reg. Standard AA vs KK cooler but Jesus Fucking Christ did this come at a soulcrushing time, right when I'm mounting a hell of a comeback.

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $2.00 BB (9 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP1 ($268.30)
MP2 ($103.95)
MP3 ($59.40)
CO ($322.65)
Hero (Button) ($200)
SB ($200)
BB ($38)
UTG ($300.80)
UTG+1 ($200)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 9, 7
1 fold, UTG+1 calls $2, 4 folds, Hero calls $2, 1 fold, BB checks

Flop: ($7) K, 10, 8 (3 players)
BB checks, UTG+1 bets $7, Hero raises to $23, 1 fold, UTG+1 raises to $76, Hero raises to $198 (All-In), UTG+1 calls $122 (All-In)

Turn: ($403) A (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($403) A (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $403 | Rake: $3

Results:
Hero had 9, 7 (one pair, Aces).
UTG+1 had K, K (full house, Kings over Aces).
Outcome: UTG+1 won $400

This one was early. Not technically a beat, as I only had 40% equity in the pot, but I just happened to run into the motherfucker that open limped kings and flopped top set, still had a straight flush draw, and whiffed.

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $2.00 BB (9 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

UTG+1 ($46.75)
MP1 ($113)
MP2 ($265.65)
MP3 ($67.95)
CO ($183.20)
Button ($361.15)
Hero (SB) ($225.90)
BB ($100)
UTG ($206.60)

Preflop: Hero is SB with Q, Q
2 folds, MP1 calls $2, 1 fold, MP3 calls $2, 2 folds, Hero raises to $12, 1 fold, MP1 calls $10, MP3 calls $10

Flop: ($38) 3, 7, Q (3 players)
Hero bets $20, 1 fold, MP3 raises to $55, Hero raises to $213.90 (All-In), MP3 calls $0.95 (All-In)

Turn: ($149.90) 2 (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($149.90) 10 (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $149.90 | Rake: $3

Results:
Hero had Q, Q (three of a kind, Queens).
MP3 had Q, K (flush, King high).
Outcome: MP3 won $146.90

This one made me want to shoot something.

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $2.00 BB (9 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

BB ($102.45)
UTG ($210.55)
UTG+1 ($88)
MP1 ($68.40)
MP2 ($176)
Hero (MP3) ($387.65)
CO ($271.15)
Button ($78)
SB ($208.70)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with A, Q
1 fold, UTG+1 raises to $4, MP1 calls $4, MP2 calls $4, Hero calls $4, 1 fold, Button calls $4, 1 fold, BB calls $2

Flop: ($25) Q, 3, 8 (6 players)
BB checks, UTG+1 checks, MP1 bets $8, 1 fold, Hero raises to $38, Button raises to $74 (All-In), 3 folds, Hero calls $36

Turn: ($181) K (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($181) 7 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $181 | Rake: $3

Results:
Button had A, 10 (flush, Ace high).
Hero had A, Q (one pair, Queens).
Outcome: Button won $178

Standard I suppose.

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $2.00 BB (3 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Button ($50.65)
Hero (SB) ($274)
BB ($187.70)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A, K
1 fold, Hero raises to $6, BB raises to $18, Hero raises to $60, BB calls $42

Flop: ($120) 8, Q, 8 (2 players)
Hero bets $86, BB raises to $127.70 (All-In), Hero calls $41.70

Turn: ($375.40) 4 (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($375.40) 3 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $375.40 | Rake: $1

Results:
Hero had A, K (one pair, eights).
BB had A, Q (two pair, Queens and eights).
Outcome: BB won $374.40

Emblematic of my whole night, really. Although most of the money didn't go in with me as a favorite, my opponent can't help but flop top pair with a dominated hand in a 4bet pot. Even then I don't think my opponent is in good shape against my range on the flop. AK is the only hand I have that he beats here.

Such a brutal, brutal, brutal fucking game.