Ready to start breaking things.

WOW.

Well, although I have still managed to have another winning week, this one has me on the verge of major life-tilt. I am currently running well over $600 US below my EV line. Obviously this is extremely aggravating, especially when you have a smallish time-frame of 1 month to try and put up great results. I am trying to stay positive, and I certainly am getting better about not whining about results, but it is still difficult. Here is a small sample of some of the BS I have endured in the last 24 hours:

Full Tilt Poker Game #13559839520: Table Sierra Brook - $0.50/$1 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:34:43 ET - 2009/07/22
Seat 1: reijsen ($77.50)
Seat 2: Nemo the Shark ($112.75)
Seat 3: PuckFav ($100)
Seat 4: pau7777 ($40.90)
Seat 5: Ricabelle ($28.60)
Seat 6: seat0 ($115.55)
Seat 7: M A G N S O E ($119.45)
Seat 8: MrCoolGuy123 ($84.50)
Seat 9: SchruteFarms ($100)
Nemo the Shark posts the small blind of $0.50
PuckFav posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SchruteFarms [6h 6s]
pau7777 folds
Ricabelle calls $1
seat0 raises to $4.50
M A G N S O E folds
MrCoolGuy123 folds
SchruteFarms calls $4.50
reijsen has 15 seconds left to act
reijsen folds
Nemo the Shark folds
PuckFav folds
PuckFav adds $1
Ricabelle calls $3.50
*** FLOP *** [Ts 4s 6c]
Ricabelle checks
seat0 bets $8
SchruteFarms raises to $16
Ricabelle folds
seat0 raises to $52
SchruteFarms calls $36
*** TURN *** [Ts 4s 6c] [3s]
seat0 bets $59.05, and is all in
SchruteFarms calls $43.50, and is all in
seat0 shows [Ad As]
SchruteFarms shows [6h 6s]
Uncalled bet of $15.55 returned to seat0
*** RIVER *** [Ts 4s 6c 3s] [Ah]
seat0 shows three of a kind, Aces
SchruteFarms shows three of a kind, Sixes
seat0 wins the pot ($203) with three of a kind, Aces
SchruteFarms adds $100
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $206 | Rake $3
Board: [Ts 4s 6c 3s Ah]
Seat 1: reijsen (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: Nemo the Shark (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 3: PuckFav (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: pau7777 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: Ricabelle folded on the Flop
Seat 6: seat0 showed [Ad As] and won ($203) with three of a kind, Aces
Seat 7: M A G N S O E didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: MrCoolGuy123 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: SchruteFarms showed [6h 6s] and lost with three of a kind, Sixes

Full Tilt Poker Game #13550227430: Table Oswald (deep) - $0.25/$0.50 - No Limit Hold'em - 12:23:36 ET - 2009/07/22
Seat 1: robinOwhy ($50)
Seat 2: pedro975 ($87.25)
Seat 3: pocket III ($49.30)
Seat 4: wbatmandark ($72.25)
Seat 5: netraam100 ($96.85)
Seat 6: wycliffe ($102.25)
Seat 7: SchruteFarms ($50)
Seat 8: robracing ($50)
Seat 9: squire123 ($50)
pocket III posts the small blind of $0.25
wbatmandark posts the big blind of $0.50
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SchruteFarms [5h 5c]
netraam100 folds
wycliffe folds
SchruteFarms has 15 seconds left to act
SchruteFarms raises to $1.50
robracing folds
squire123 folds
robinOwhy folds
pedro975 folds
pocket III has 15 seconds left to act
pocket III folds
wbatmandark calls $1
*** FLOP *** [4h Td 5d]
wbatmandark checks
SchruteFarms has 15 seconds left to act
SchruteFarms bets $3
wbatmandark calls $3
*** TURN *** [4h Td 5d] [Jd]
wbatmandark has 15 seconds left to act
wbatmandark bets $4
SchruteFarms calls $4
*** RIVER *** [4h Td 5d Jd] [Jh]
wbatmandark has 15 seconds left to act
wbatmandark bets $17
SchruteFarms raises to $34
wbatmandark has 15 seconds left to act
wbatmandark raises to $63.75, and is all in
SchruteFarms has 15 seconds left to act
SchruteFarms calls $7.50, and is all in
Uncalled bet of $22.25 returned to wbatmandark
*** SHOW DOWN ***
wbatmandark shows [Ts Js] a full house, Jacks full of Tens
SchruteFarms mucks
wbatmandark wins the pot ($97.25) with a full house, Jacks full of Tens
SchruteFarms adds $50
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $100.25 | Rake $3
Board: [4h Td 5d Jd Jh]
Seat 1: robinOwhy didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: pedro975 (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: pocket III (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: wbatmandark (big blind) showed [Ts Js] and won ($97.25) with a full house, Jacks full of Tens
Seat 5: netraam100 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: wycliffe didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: SchruteFarms mucked [5h 5c] - a full house, Fives full of Jacks
Seat 8: robracing didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: squire123 didn't bet (folded)

Full Tilt Poker Game #13545602658: Table MacKenzie - $0.25/$0.50 - No Limit Hold'em - 3:50:18 ET - 2009/07/22
Seat 1: p_dealer ($67.75)
Seat 2: THEballer00 ($50)
Seat 3: squeege55 ($64.55)
Seat 4: Finnmick ($53.60)
Seat 5: SchruteFarms ($65.45)
Seat 6: PkrOzzy ($62.15)
Seat 7: Default Folder ($18.75)
Seat 8: e-chizzle ($6.35)
Seat 9: Solaufein ($65.50)
Solaufein posts the small blind of $0.25
p_dealer posts the big blind of $0.50
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SchruteFarms [2c 2s]
squeege55 raises to $1.75
Finnmick has 15 seconds left to act
Finnmick calls $1.75
SchruteFarms has 15 seconds left to act
SchruteFarms calls $1.75
PkrOzzy folds
Default Folder calls $1.75
e-chizzle has 15 seconds left to act
e-chizzle calls $1.75
Solaufein calls $1.50
p_dealer folds
*** FLOP *** [2d 8c Js]
Solaufein has 15 seconds left to act
Solaufein checks
squeege55 bets $7
Finnmick folds
SchruteFarms has 15 seconds left to act
SchruteFarms raises to $14
Default Folder folds
e-chizzle has 15 seconds left to act
e-chizzle calls $4.60, and is all in
Solaufein folds
squeege55 calls $7
*** TURN *** [2d 8c Js] [Kd]
squeege55 checks
SchruteFarms has 15 seconds left to act
SchruteFarms bets $25
squeege55 raises to $48.80, and is all in
SchruteFarms has 15 seconds left to act
SchruteFarms calls $23.80
squeege55 shows [Ah Ad]
SchruteFarms shows [2c 2s]
e-chizzle shows [Qs Jd]
*** RIVER *** [2d 8c Js Kd] [Ac]
squeege55 shows three of a kind, Aces
SchruteFarms shows three of a kind, Twos
squeege55 wins the side pot ($114.60) with three of a kind, Aces
e-chizzle shows a pair of Jacks
squeege55 wins the main pot ($23.60) with three of a kind, Aces
e-chizzle adds $10
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $141.20 Main pot $24.80. Side pot $116.40. | Rake $3
Board: [2d 8c Js Kd Ac]
Seat 1: p_dealer (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 2: THEballer00 is sitting out
Seat 3: squeege55 showed [Ah Ad] and won ($138.20) with three of a kind, Aces
Seat 4: Finnmick folded on the Flop
Seat 5: SchruteFarms showed [2c 2s] and lost with three of a kind, Twos
Seat 6: PkrOzzy didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: Default Folder folded on the Flop
Seat 8: e-chizzle (button) showed [Qs Jd] and lost with a pair of Jacks
Seat 9: Solaufein (small blind) folded on the Flop

As you can see, it has been nothing but "LOL RIGGED" for the last little bit. I am definitely discovering that it takes a special type of person to be able to continue making optimal plays regardless of what the monetary results are. When things are going bad in a session even though you have gotten your money in good over and over, you need to either control your anger or stop playing. I can say I am thankful for the opportunity to practice this skill. It really is a truly hard profession, and anybody who thinks otherwise is obviously a grade A moran. Anyways, I am probably going to play live right now for a little break, so here is my graph and totals so far:

Almost at the halfway point!

I just finished Day 15, and so far so good I guess. I am trying to remain extremely focused, but I had several difficult days this week. I had one session at 100 NL in which I dumped $355 in about five minutes to some maniac playing 89/44. All of the hands were pretty standard, so I guess there is nothing I could do. However, I seem to finally be on the verge of an upswing, so I will keep my fingers crossed. The last 48 hours really have been very rewarding, and my confidence is the highest it has been since early June. I have been making a point to play only 2 hour sessions at a time, three times a day. This has helped immensely, as has my new pal Tucker the dog. The fresh air I get 2-3 hours a day in the ravine really helps. My team is still right in the thick of things, so hopefully I can continue post some big numbers. Anyways, here is my report tab and graph so far:

30k hands DONE.

Hey everybody, I am just about 30k hands into the challenge so I thought I would drop another update. I am currently running over 50 NL (as per usual) for just under 10.0 BB/100. However, my 100 NL play is still all over the map and I am currently down a couple buy-ins. I am up just under $800 since July 1st. I just finished my 100k hand stake with NL_Fool and I am excited to start up the next one. I think I will probably stay staked until I move out, as financially I have pretty much zero pressure under our current agreement. This really helps me play my best at all times. Anyways, here are my report and graphs up to today:

Slow start.....

Well, we are into Day 3 of the challenge and the grind was pretty rough for the first 48 hours or so. I continued my streak of running horribly, and basically had to work my ass off for a couple of buy-ins. I couldn't really seemed to get anything going at all, every time I had a winning session I spewed it all away in the second one. However, I tried my best to stay positive despite all my frustration as I knew that if I could have a big day today, I would be right back on track. Luckily for me, most people living in the States have a holiday today. The tables were full of fish, and I managed to have a great day, including a $250/hour session. Hopefully I can continue to play well and run better over the weekend. Anyways, I have attached my graph so far and I will be going over the top 4 most interesting hands of my last three days at the tables. In each of the hand reports I will try my best to explain my thought process and why I ended up doing what I did.

HAND 1:

http://www.holdemmanager.net
NL Holdem $0.50(BB) Replayer Game#13138816360

joha43 ($63.20)
SCHEYER123 ($50.75)
SchruteFarms ($50)
BrenSp9 ($10.75)
fishingcat ($50)
marrora ($49.25)
JohnyFilpo5 ($11.60)
MaJlKoBu4 ($65.55)
shawneyboy ($92.20)

joha43 posts (SB) $0.25
SCHEYER123 posts (BB) $0.50

Dealt to SchruteFarms Jd Ad
SchruteFarms raises to $1.55
fold, fold, fold, fold, fold,
joha43 calls $1.30
fold,

FLOP ($3.60) 9h Tc Th
check,
SchruteFarms bets $2.90
joha43 calls $2.90

TURN ($9.40) 9h Tc Th 4s
check,
SchruteFarms bets $7.90
joha43 calls $7.90

RIVER ($25.20) 9h Tc Th 4s 9c
joha43 bets $15
SchruteFarms calls $15

joha43 shows 8s 8c
(Flop 65.4%, Turn 79.5%)

SchruteFarms shows Jd Ad
(Flop 34.6%, Turn 20.5%)

SchruteFarms wins $52.45

In this hand, I made a standard raise with AdJd in middle position and ended up getting called by the SB. He was playing 14/11, and I had played with him before and had a solid read on how he played. When he checked the relatively safe flop, I fired a standard continuation bet of 3/4 of the pot as many times this well end the hand right here. When he calls, I figure his range was the following hands: 55-88, any ten, any flush draw, QJ, or maybe AK. Out of these combinations, I considered a small pocket pair or flush draw most likely as a 10 probably raises with a straight and flush draw on board. Anyways, when the turn comes the 4s, he checks again. This is where my coach (NL_Fool) has really helped my game. Before, I would be scared of his flop call and check behind, which pretty much ruins any chance of me winning the hand without an A or J hitting the river. Now, since the villain in this hand is 14/11 and has shown no strength so far, it is a good spot to fire a second barrel IMO. If he had been a 33/20 or above, I probably check back here most of the time because he is never folding a pair anyways. The pot was $9.40, so I fired a healthy bet of $7.90. He calls, and I realize I'm probably just going to have to check it down. However, the 9c falls on the river and something really strange happens. The villain now fires $15 into a $25 pot. This is strange mainly because he has shown no strength at all throughout the entire hand despite a relatively dangerous board. There is no way as I am giving him credit for a 10, because even if he slowplays the flop he is pretty much never not raising the turn if he actually had a ten. I time down, and even though I have no pair, I am about 90% sure my A high is still good. If he had 55-88, which I thought was most likely, he has now been counterfeited and his hand is no good. If he had a flush draw or straight draw, both of those have missed. I make what I thought was a relatively simple call, and he shows 8c8s and I take down the pot.

HAND 2:

http://www.holdemmanager.net
NL Holdem $1(BB) Replayer Game#13145787542

sugi2522 ($27.15)
SchruteFarms ($103)
BeHapa ($192)
RHM23 ($47)
Fish2s ($169)
johnnylittle ($100)
9I_Be3yH4uk ($103)
statking22 ($51.40)

sugi2522 posts (SB) $0.50
SchruteFarms posts (BB) $1

Dealt to SchruteFarms Td Qd
fold, fold,
Fish2s raises to $3.50
fold, fold,
sugi2522 calls $3
SchruteFarms calls $2.50

FLOP ($10.50) 7h 8c 9d
check, check,
Fish2s bets $7
sugi2522 folds
SchruteFarms calls $7

TURN ($24.50) 7h 8c 9d Ad
check,
Fish2s bets $16
SchruteFarms raises to $44
Fish2s raises to $159
SchruteFarms calls $49

RIVER ($210) 7h 8c 9d Ad Tc

SchruteFarms shows Td Qd
(Flop 26.9%, Turn 29.5%)

Fish2s shows 9h 9s
(Flop 73.1%, Turn 70.5%)

Fish2s wins $207

First of all, this hand happened at 100 NL, which varies slightly from 50 NL as the players are somewhat better. Games are usually much, much more aggressive and the hands shown at showdown are generally stronger. I do find that the bad players at 100 NL usually make it very easy to get their money if you play patient and trap them, but unfortunately for me this entire table is full of solid regs. The initial raiser is 19/17, and is a very good player. I flop an open-ended straight draw along with a running flush draw. I am obviously not crazy about my hand, but I think that calling a $7 bet to peel another card is very standard. When the Ad hits the turn, I decided to get a little creative. I really put "Fish2s", the villain in this hand, on a hand like JJ-KK. I thought that the ace really had to scare him, so I decided to check again with the intention of making a large raise if he obliged. Sure enough, he fired $16 into $24.50. I raised to $44 with my straight at flush draws, as the Ad also had given me 8 more outs assuming he didn't have a set. Unfortunately, he moved all in and I had most of my stack already in the middle. I had no choice but to call and I saw that he did in fact have a set. I couldn't hit a diamond that didn't pair the board, a six, or a ten, and he shipped a big pot. Looking back on the hand, I stand by my play. In most cases, he won't have a set here and my raise will take down the pot. If he does call, I still have 15 outs against an overpair.

HAND 3:

http://www.holdemmanager.net
NL Holdem $0.50(BB) Replayer Game#13146432466

The_Future92 ($58.10)
64 JUICEDUP ($52.25)
prinspoker ($125)
MELCHIADES19 ($29.55)
AralI ($50)
SchruteFarms ($65.40)
Kahleys ($10.75)
A_7th_Sign ($50)
Outbreaker59 ($9.25)

The_Future925 posts (SB) $0.25
64 JUICEDUP 64 posts (BB) $0.50

Dealt to SchruteFarms As Ah
fold, fold, fold,
SchruteFarms raises to $1.75
fold,
A_7th_Sign calls $1.75
fold, fold,
64 JUICEDUP 64 raises to $7.25
SchruteFarms calls $5.50
A_7th_Sign calls $5.50

FLOP ($22) Kd 8h 3c
64 JUICEDUP 64 bets $12
SchruteFarms calls $12
A_7th_Sign calls $12

TURN ($58) Kd 8h 3c 9s
check, check,
A_7th_Sign bets $30.75
64 JUICEDUP 64 folds
SchruteFarms calls $30.75

RIVER ($119) Kd 8h 3c 9s Qc

SchruteFarms shows As Ah
(Flop 91.4%, Turn 95.5%)

A_7th_Sign shows Kh Ac
(Flop 8.6%, Turn 4.5%)

SchruteFarms wins $116

This was a really crazy hand, and I put myself in a tough spot by slow-playing a big hand preflop. I got dealt the AsAh in early position, and I decided to make a standard raise of 3.5x. I have been experimenting limping with huge hands at 50 NL and have had moderate success. I do not recommend this play at all if you are a beginner, and have a hard time folding the hand if the board gets ugly. However, this table had several bad players and it is generally a huge mistake to not make them pay to see flops. I also was in middle position and had less people behind to raise my limp. I NEVER slowplay AA or KK if I am at a table with even one fish. Anyways, a 19/14 called my raise and then the 15/10 in the BB 3-bet to $7.25. Now, he had a fold to 4-bet of 100% over a decent sample and I wanted to maximize value. If I raise here, my hand is pretty much face up and I make no extra money. I expect the behind me to fold as the BB 3-bet was fairly large. He also calls though, and now I really need to be careful. The flop came K 8 3 rainbow and although a decent flop, I was worried about the possibility of KK. The pot was $22, and the BB bet out $12 which is a smallish bet. I decided to continue my slow-play and just called. When the player behind me called as well, alarm bells starting ringing in my head. With no draws whatsoever on the board, I was very worried about 88 or 22. The pot is now $58 dollars. The turn is the 9s. The BB finally slows down and checks. I check behind as well. The last player ships his remaining $30.75 into the pot. The BB folds and I request time. I think about what hands he can possibly have and narrow it down to 88,22, or AK. I am getting almost 3 to 1 on my money (30 into 88). I beat 1 out of the 3 hands that I put him on. Therefore, I give myself a 33% chance that I'm ahead of his range, and since I'm getting 3:1 on my money, I only need to be a 25% favorite to make it a mathematically correct call. I reluctantly call expecting to see a set, but am happy to see him turn over AK. He is drawing stone-dead, and I win a $119.50 pot.

HAND 4:

http://www.holdemmanager.net
NL Holdem $1(BB) Replayer Game#13165106742

1pablo-escob ($111)
SchruteFarms ($103)
Poodles1234 ($326)
VogelB5 ($100)
JoeNoodles ($182)
Poka_Chica ($21)
ShosuroA ($91.30)
tu_Momento ($112)
pabloka ($116)

1pablo-escobar posts (SB) $0.50
SchruteFarms posts (BB) $1

Dealt to SchruteFarms 8d 9d
Poodles1234 raises to $2
fold, fold, fold, fold, fold,
fold,
1pablo-escobar calls $1.50
SchruteFarms calls $1

FLOP ($6) 4d Td Qd
check, check, check,

TURN ($6) 4d Td Qd 9c
1pablo-escobar bets $4
SchruteFarms raises to $22
Poodles1234 raises to $40
1pablo-escobar raises to $109
SchruteFarms calls $79.45
Poodles1234 folds

RIVER ($248) 4d Td Qd 9c 4s

1pablo-escobar shows Kh Ks
(Flop 2.8%, Turn 0.0%)

SchruteFarms shows 8d 9d
(Flop 97.2%, Turn 100.0%)

SchruteFarms wins $245

This was also a really bizarre hand. "Poodles1234" a 45/14 fish makes it $2 UTG at a 100 NL table. It was a really great table, as plenty of players were spewing money everywhere. Poodles had a monster stack, currently at $326.80. It got folded around to the SB, where "1Pablo-escobar" called the min-raise. He was playing 29/17, with a tendency to get crazy post-flop. I had 8d9d in the BB, and it only cost me $1 to see a flop with a great hand for a multi-way pot. The flop came Qd 10d 4d. GIN, or so I thought. The SB checks, and I decided to check to the bad UTG player with the intention of making a big check raise. Unfortunately he did not oblige, and checked quickly behind. The turn could have brought a lot of bad cards, but the 9c was not one of them. This is where all hell breaks loose. Pablo decides to bet $4 into $6. Wanting to protect my seemingly vulnerable 9-high flush, I make a huge over-raise to $22. Not believing me, Poodles now decides to make it $40!! Somehow, Pablo now ships his entire stack of $109 into the middle. I am completely flabbergasted. Can I really be beat in this spot against two bad players? I break down the hand quickly and realize there is no way I can fold here. If they players had been 19/14 or below, I think is a pretty standard fold. However, when two giant fish get crazy and I flop a flush and dodge a diamond or a card that pairs the board on the turn, I'm never folding. I re-shove my $80 stack remaining. Poodles quickly folds what I can only assume was a poor bluff attempt. Pablo turns over the KhKs and is drawing completely dead. I though for sure he would have some sort of flush out, but luckily enough for me he doesn't. The meaningless 4s falls on the river, and I win a $241.25 pot.


That's it for now, I am off to sleep as I have a coaching session early tomorrow morning. Best of luck to everybody, except if your not on my team and are currently in the challenge. Here is my graph so far:

Almost game time.

Hey everybody.

Well, we are just over 3 hours away from the start of the 2009 edition of the 2+2 FR challenge, and I have to admit I am pretty excited. Nothing like a little friendly competition to bring together the Micro forum. I am very happy with being drafted by Kurt SF and hopefully will bring my best game to the tables on a consistent basis. I truly feel as if our team has an excellent chance of taking it down (GO Cheezburger Gangbang!) and hopefully I will be a big part of it. I have been doing a lot of work on my game in the past few months and it is slowly starting to pay off. I had my best month online in June, and I am obviously looking to beat it in July. Here are my final stats, graph, and hourly from last month:



















As you can see, I ran over $600 below EV near the end of the month, which really sucked. I would be lying if I didn't admit being extremely frustrated during the last week of June. I did primarily play 100 NL during that time, and it always hurts to take a shot and get doomswitched. But hey, that's all over now and July is a fresh start and I am sure running bad is a thing of the past! I really was happy with how much volume I put in (just over 70,000 hands) and will continue to dedicate myself day in and day out. I have also made several adjustments outside of my time on FT that will helpfully really pay off. I am eating better, sleeping more, and living a better lifestyle overall. Anyways, with all that out of the way, here are my goals for the challenge and the month of July:

1. Play at least 85,000 hands.

2. Earn a total profit of $ 4,500 for the month (before rakeback obv).

3. Finish in the top 3 overall in the FR challenge.

4. Last, but definitely most important : lead my team to victory!

I will update this 3-4x a week during for the entire month of July. Most of my posts will contain a rundown of my last few days at the tables, along with several interesting hand histories and analysis. Thanks for reading, and GL to everybody.

JD.