So far, so good

My move up at PokerStars has been a modest success so far. I have managed to eke out some nice wins and have boosted my bankroll by two buy-ins. I have been playing one table at the $25 limit and one table at the $10 limit and have had success at both. I think I will do that for a while longer until I get more comfortable at the higher amount and my bankroll gets a little more padding.

I could have named this post, "What the Poker Gods giveth, they taketh away" as I have been successful at PokerStars but have had a couple of losing sessions at Full Tilt Poker. I have made some bets at the wrong time like when I put my pocket Jacks up against pocket Aces and when I had a semi-bluff trying to make my opponent think I had the flush when he was holding the nut flush all of the time. I was ahead in the hand until the river and then I threw caution to the wind and took it on the chin. I have been playing tight but haven't had any action with my good cards and have bet at the wrong time against better hands.

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I managed to snag a couple of six packs of Spanish Peaks Brewing Company American Pale Aleat an excellent price. This is one of the fine brews that you can find at the Black Dog Ales web site. Spanish Peaks Black Dog Ale was first brewed in 1991 in Bozeman, Montana near the foot of the Spanish Peaks Mountain range. Spanish Peaks is dedicated to brewing the finest possible ales for your enjoyment.

American Pale Ale is a classic Pale Ale. It is describeds as, "medium bodied with golden amber color. It has a very pleasant hop character that integrates nicely with its smooth malt flavors. A classic pale ale with very good drinkability.

That describes this ale perfectly. It is a nice pale ale with a bite to it. Beer Advocate rated it a solid "B" and, though there were a few critical reviews, many were very complimentary like the following:

Full hearty malt and a hoppy citrus flavor. Nothing special or out of the ordianry, jsut a really solid drink. A fine example of an APA.

A nice beer. Glad to have a sixer of this one. The next beer I will decant a little more carefully in order to perserve the appearance. Certainly recommended if you like the sweeter side of the style. I prefer the hoppy side.

This is a really good American Pale Ale and I am glad I have 10 more beers sitting there waiting for me to quaff.

Moving UP

I have earned enough money on PokerStars to move up to the next level. I have managed to put together some nice runs at the 6-Max $10 No Limit tables and feel I have enough of a bankroll to move up to the $25 dollar tables. I think the play at the $25 dollar tables will be better than the $10 tables. When I was able to move up at Full Tilt and Absolute Poker I found that the players were playing a better, more by-the-book style of poker. The $10 dollar tables get a lot of low buy-in players that are going for the "home run" hand where they can double up quick.

I am going to play a little tighter than usual when I start so that, hopefully, I can put some winning sessions under my belt as I get more comfortable at this level and feel out the type of players at the $25 dollar tables. I am really confident that I will be able to continue my upward march and look to add some significant numbers to my bank roll.

I was one of those players that use to say they could never win at Microstakes No Limit but now I feel I can win at the microstakes and low limit levels. I have to to give credit to my new and improved game to Trikker at Poker Trikz and the players who recorded the training videos at Flop Turn River. I am a big fan of any and all Poker Training Videos and I can't express enough how much they have improved my game.
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I have been to the golf course a total of 6 times in the last two weeks. I have played nine holes 5 times and 18 holes once. The first three times I went out I was just using them as practice rounds and hitting anywhere from 2 to 5 balls a hole. Last week I went out and started to record my scores. I shot 41, 42 and 85 for my 18 hole round. I am really happy with how my game is right out of the gate. My putting and improved chipping have helped to keep my scores respectable. I haven't been able to get off of the tee with any consistantcy but have made up for it by chipping pretty close and hitting some middle to long putts. I have been able to drop almost every knee knocker putt (the 4 to 6 feet long putts) except for one and that has really helped my score.

The wind has been hard to play in but maybe it is making me concentrate more as I have done quite well on the most windiest of days. The wind just really plays havoc with any shot that is mishit and seems to really turn a bad shot into a terrible shot. Hopefully the worse of the wind is behind us as we head into May.

I won't be able to play much this week but that is all right as the weather here is going to take a nose dive and we may even get some snow. I'll try to get in a couple of rounds but next week I should be raring to go.

Bell's Winter White Ale

I found a nice buy on six packs of Bell's Winter White Ale and have been drinking it for the last couple of weeks. It is a very nice beer with a mild flavor. This could be a session beer for me as it tastes very smooth and goes down nice.

Bell's Winter White Ale is described as-
A Wheat Ale brewed with American Wheat and a proprietary blend of Hefe and classic Belgian-style yeasts. A refreshing winter alternative created from the subtle fusion of two classic flavors.

Beer Advocate rates this beer a "B" overall and there are some really nice reviews for this beer. One I totally agreed with stated, "Very drinkable, thought it might be 7%-8% before looking, a nice spring/summer session beer, I'll be looking for more." I thought this could be a nice summer beer. It is very different from the stouts that seem to taste best on a cold winter night.

The Eminent Domain Blog gave it a nice review and even he stated, "I think that the Bell's Winter White Ale would be a perfect summer beer. It's not heavy, the alcohol content is moderate, and it's got a clean finish. That would make it an ideal beer for a warm summer night. It provides a refreshing flavor but doesn't weigh heavily in your stomach. If you enjoy hefeweizen style beers, you will love this."

I just really enjoyed this beer and could drink quite a few of them on a hot Saturday after golfing or just listening to the Detroit Tigers or the Detroit Red Wings beat the Colorado Rockies as they go after another Stanley Cup.

Adding to the Bank Roll

Here is a nice hand from Absolute Poker that helps my bank roll grow on that site.

Absolute PokerNo Limit Holdem Ring gameBlinds: $0.10/$0.255 playersConverter

Pre-flop: (5 players) Wolverine Fan is SB with 2 folds, Button raises to $1, Wolverine Fan raises to $3.1, BB calls, Button raises to $12.4, Wolverine Fan raises all-in $22.73, BB folds, Button calls.

I had been playing pretty good on this site and had built my $20 buy in up just a couple of dollars so I was ready to take down a big pot. May have been a donkey bet but I liked my Queens here.

Flop: ($48.56, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: $48.56)
Nice flop for me

Turn: ($48.56, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: $48.56)
Nice Turn for me.

River: ($48.56, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: $48.56)
Not too afraid of this River card.

Results:Final pot: $48.56
Button Shows As Ks
Wolverine Fan Shows Qh Qd

The Button and I went all in preflop so I saw that he had Ace/King of spades and I knew he had a lot of outs. He had at least 20 outs amd I figured I would lose to a flush. Fortunately for me he didn't hit any of his many outs and I took down a nice pot.

I was two tabling and I was up almost a buy in on the second table so overall I won over two buy ins for the night. This was a nice addition to my bank roll on the Absolute Poker Site.

This and That

My middle daughter came to visit this week-end and sat and played SitNGos all week-end with some nice results. She is really getting into the 45 Man Turbo SitNGo on Poker Stars and was able to finish in the money about half of the time winning around $20.

We talked quite a bit about the difference in the way we play poker. I am trying to me more aggressive and she is more conservative. We were able to discuss quite a few hands and we were pretty much polar opposites on how each of us would play them. It is hard to argue with her results, though, and she was having fun, which is the bottom line.

I have played a few hands the last couple of days and am starting to win some nice pots. I am getting back my two big losses outlined in my last post and, so far, have won back about half of what I had lost. Hopefully tonight I can get it all back and start to rebuild my bankroll on Full Tilt.
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I bought a 12 ounce bottle of Winter’s Bourbon Cask Ale, a rich, full-bodied seasonal draught hand-crafted by Anheuser-Busch brewmasters. It's description states Winter’s Bourbon Cask Ale treats beer lovers to an exceptional drinking experience, full of rich aromas, hints of vanilla, and flavorful hops. Its uniqueness and complexity will appeal to adults who have a passion for beer.

You can really taste the vanilla. It is a deep amber, almost copper color and quite a few of the beer aficionados are turned off by the heightened vanilla flavor. The Beer Advocate gave it a C rating and that is probably about right.
It is a sweet beer with a very vanilla taste to it. I could drink one or two of these but that is about all. I am glad I tried it and would drink it again.

Don't Bluff and Don't Slow Play

I have been watching a lot of Poker Training videos and am really, really trying to escalate my No Limit Holdem game. So far I have had fairly good results but the other night I made two very, very big mistakes while playing that caused me two buy-ins.

The first mistake I made was when I made a massive bluff with A/10 only to find out my opponent had a set of 7's. BIG MISTAKE!! I am not really sure why I did it because it was such a donkey move. It was almost like someone else was controlling my mouse and making it click on the maximum bet button.

The second mistake I made was when I turned pocket nines into a set when a nine came on the flop. I tried to slowplay the set only to find out that my opponent made their straight from the free card they got on the turn. A good bet by me on the flop probably would have taken down the pot as my opponent was looking at a gut shot straight and wouldn't have the odds to continue with that hand. Instead, my slow play cost me a buy in.

Two big mistakes within 20 hands of each other and I am down two buy-ins. I can honestly say that I rarely bluff and rarely slow play hands anymore but I did both and they cost me quite a bit of money.

Played Longer, Lost More

I was able to play longer today like I had hoped but the results were not what I was expecting. I dropped at least two buy-ins because I would shove my good pocket pair into someone who had a better pocket pair. I really never got much action with my good hands like A/A or K/K but did manage to lose once with Kings and once with Jacks.

I did win a hand with J/J against K/K when I rivered the 3rd jack. I managed to win quite a few nice pots but I lost way to many when my continuation bets were reraised or my all-ins ran into Aces. My losses added up to more than my winnings. I really never hit the flops very good so I think dropping two buy-ins was acceptable given my new, aggressive style. My VP$IP was just 17% so I really wasn't playing that many hands but the ones I did play I raised preflop and usually had a contiuation bet.

I have to work on when and when not to continuation bet. I really am having a hard times with that. Basically, I continuation bet almost every raise I throw out there. Many times I take down the pot with just air but other times I get reraised or called and then I'm not sure what to do on the turn.

I lost several pretty nice pots to middle pocket pairs when I never hit anything on the flop, turn or rver and I couldn't get a fold from my continuation bet. I wasn't real happy with my play and know I have a big leak to fix but overall I think I did all right but needed to have my cards hit more flops.

I'm going to continue watching videos and will give it another try tomorrow night.
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I have usually played a couple of rounds by this time of the year but not this year. There have only been a couple of nice days to play and I had other obligations so wasn't able to get out. Looks like it may be next week before I make it to the course.

Down a Buy In

I played about 90 minutes of poker today and finished down a buy in. I was pretty happy with my play but I could see there were several pots that I should have raised preflop and would probably have taken them down. I know I sound like a broken record but the poker videos are really helping my game. I just have to make myself play optimal poker. I was pretty tight on Full Tilt with a VP$IP of around 16% at 6 max. I am comfortable with that but I can see where there are some hands I could be playing to get it up around 20%. Still, at 16% with optimal play, I should be a winning player. Of course, it helps to get good cards today.

My big loss today was when I ran my pocket jacks into pocket Kings. Everything went in preflop which was stupid on my part as pocket Jacks are not that strong of a hand. I did suck out against another play when I four flushed with the worse hand to win the pot. So, all in all, it was a fair session and I am looking forward to playing again tomorrow. I hope to get as many as 3 hours in playing later today.

Kansas Jayhawks NCAA B-Ball Champs

The Kansas Jayhawks downed the Memphis Tigers in overtime. Kansas had to hit a last second 3 point shot in regulation and then dominated the overtime. This offically ends men's NCAA Basketball for 2007-2008 and, with that, I'd like to comment on the state of my beloved Michigan Wolverines.

My Michigan Wolverines basketball has fallen to its lowest point in the history of a once storied program. The Wolverines finish their 2007-08 season with a 10-22 overall mark and a 6-14 record in Big Ten play. How did it ever get to this point. In 1989 the Wolverines won the National Championship and in the early 90's the Fab Five was wowing them at Crisler Arena. But, in retrospect, that was the beginning of the demise of this once proud program. The Fab Five were less than fabulous with the leader, Chris Weber, found out to be taking money under the table from a shift booster who made his money with illegal gambling operations. The program goes on probation, hires shitty coaches and the next thing you know it is almost a decade since we even played in the NCAA tournament.

Where does it go from here? Up is the only direction this program can go. Coach John Beilein has been a proven winner at the other stops on his career. His first year at Canisius was less than stellar but he turned things around quickly and won over 20 games the next two years. His first year at West Virginia he was just over .500 and then went on to win over 20 games the next 3 out of 4 years. His West Virginia players under Coach Bob Huggins made it to the NCAA tournament and won their first two games in the tournament, one of them over the Duke Blue Devils.

So there is hope for my Michigan Wolverines and I hope it begins with next year.

Aggressive play or Donkey play?

I have been watching Poker Training Videos and am trying to be more aggressive in my play. There is a fine line between being aggressive and being a donkey and I think I may have crossed it with this hand.

Full Tilt Poker, $0.10/$0.25 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

CO: $35.05
BTN: $24.95
SB: $10.50
LZFSB3 (BB): $17.95
UTG: $25
MP: $49

Pre-Flop: J A dealt to LZFSB3 (BB)
UTG folds, MP raises to $0.50, 2 folds, SB calls $0.40, Hero raises to $2, MP calls $1.50, SB calls $1.50

Flop: ($6) 9 8 T (3 Players)
SB bets $3, LZFSB3 calls $3, MP raises to $18, SB calls $5.50 and is All-In, LZFSB3 calls $12.95 and is All-In

Turn: ($46.40) Q (3 Players - 1 is All-In)

River: ($46.40) 5 (3 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: $46.40 Pot ($2.30 Rake)
SB showed T 9 (two pair, Tens and Nines) and LOST (-$10.50 NET)
LZFSB3 showed J A (a straight, Queen high) and LOST (-$17.95 NET)
MP showed K A (a flush, Ace high) and WON $44.10 (+$26.15 NET)

Almost Tilted Today

My last post was about how I didn't Tilt anymore and, don't you know it, I played today and almost became tilted. I think if it wasn't for writing my last blog post I would have tilted but that reminded me that I am bigger than tilting over one meaningless hand.

I was down early at both Full Tilt and Absolute Poker but was able to come back and make a profit at Full Tilt but ended down a bit on Absolute. I only played for one hour today and I was a bit out of sorts so probably shouldn't have been playing at all. Today was one of the few days that I could tell I wasn't on top of my game and I probably shouldn't have even started.

If your remember back to when I first started to seriously play No Limit, I was buying in short at the tables and waiting for the big hand to double up with. I have progressed past that point and am coming to the table with almost a full buy in now and today I really noticed the short players. I had two players buy in for $5 dollars on the Full Tilt $25 dollar tables. I never bought in that short. I would at least buy in for $10 or $12 dollars but never $5 and you know what? They really annoyed me. I couldn't wait to get a good hand and stack them and finally it happened. One of the short stacks had won a couple hands and built their $5 to around $7 or so and limped in from MP. I was in the BB with Q/8 and should have raised but just called instead. The flop was a beautiful Q, Q, 6 rainbow. The shortstack went all in and I called. The only thing I was worried about was getting out kicked but it turns out they were holding a 6 and my 3 queens held up to stack them. They left right after that.

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I bought a six pack of Genesee Cream Ale and have been imbibing it the last couple of days and I really like its taste. This beer is brewed by the High Falls Brewing Comapny. High Falls Brewing Company (High Falls) is an American brewery located along the Genesee River in Rochester, New York. Until 2000 the company was known as the Genesee Brewing Company.

The High Falls Brewing Comapny is also the brewer of J.W. Dundee's Honey Brown and other lagers.

In the Movie A History of Violence, Viggo Mortenson orders a "Genny Cream" at a Philadelphia bar.

The Beer Advocate gave it a C and that is about what it deserves. It is on par with Rolling Rock or Michelob and at $5 dollars a six pack is a beer that I can have again. I can't always be shelling out $10 for a six pack of higher end beers so will be partaking in some of the lower priced but better tasting lagers than Budweiser or Miller.

No More Tilt

My poker game is in a bit of a roller coaster mode right now. I play primarily 3 sites and interchange which one's I am playing at any one time. I am happy with each site and there really isn't any one reason I would play one over another at any time. What I am experiencing now is that I will win at two of the sites and lose at one. Its never always winning at one site and always losing at another. The site I win big on today may be the one I lose on tomorrow. Thus, I am winning overall, but am only slowly building my bankroll because I am in "two steps forward, one step back" mode. More like one and a half step forward, one step back mode.

I have been watching quite a few Poker Training videos and feel like my game has grown because of them. I am comfortable at the tables and feel that I can win every time out. The funny thing is, I don't win every time out, and when I get a bad beat or my aces cracked, I'm not tilting. I may type, "Lucky you" and reload and keep playing or just reload and keep playing. I know that in the long run I will win and I want that donkey to play those cards against me. I can beat thise pocket jacks 7 out of 10 times. You will only get that 3rd jack once in a while so keep going all in with those cards and I will stack you.

You may say, "So what if you don't tilt. You shouldn't be tilting anyway." But I was a notoriously bad tilter. If my aces got cracked by a junk hand or if I lost several hands by the slimmest margins I would go off the deep end and pretty much piss my bankroll away. I would have to make myself close down the tables and then I would stew about it for the next 24 hours or more. Now that is not happening. I am just continuing on and making every effort to play each hand to maximize my expected value and, so far, it has been happening. Today I lost my stack to A/K when I had A/Q. I was able to reload and over the next 40 minutes win back what I had lost and finish with a slight profit. And I have been able to do that on other days, too.

I am really likeing this new found confidence and I think my game is reflecting the better play on my part.

(Note to the Poker Gods - I'm not saying I am running good but just telling me two readers that I am a calmer, better player so don't smite me with your bad vibes, please)