27 hours recorded, £550 for my efforts. Playing the £1-£1 NL. This game has a hourly charge of £6, which means you pretty much have to be a BIG winner at the game to make a decent profit.
I mean say if you play 5 hours per day, 5 days a week, that will cost you £600 a month. That is a chunk of your winnings.
Game selection is crucial when playing these games, you need to get a balance of competent players and live fish /beginners. Simply because if you sit down at a table full of players who struggle to deal / shuffle, the game is significantly slowed down.
The rate of hands per hour is key. Majority of the players who play the £1-£1 are there to have fun, you know have a couple of pints and play some cards. You have to learn to respect that, these are the guys you want to make feel welcome, make sure they have fun! They are the dead money in the game. Rushing and stressing these guys make them not enjoy their experience, hence think twice about coming again.
The standard of play is very bad, playing ABC poker will certainly make you a winner. However, if you want to show a decent win rate (one which you could actually make a living of), you have to pound position, and detect weakness. Being card reliant when you are being charged £6 per hour is not an option.
I have been very happy with my play this week in regards to really showing aggression at the right times. I have simply "bought" pots which were not mine.
I have also at times made unnecessary bets, which have either have been outright bluffs, or bets which have turned my hands into bluffs.
Utilisation of chips / stack is crucial. What I mean is, say you are faced with a £18bet, you have to consider not only the hand in progress, but also the efficiency in which you will be using that £18. Questions which go through my mind, when I have a decision to make (especially when its a marginal situation) is can I pick a better spot for this £18? I may be sitting there with £400, but I may still be able to find a better spot.
I can utilise that same £18 to pound position at least 2 / 3 times, helping me accumulate.
I am focused on working on my game, continuous development and progress is essential. I haven't read any books or magazines for ages. I need to re educate myself.
However I have a massive edge on most players,and my "gut" is developing sickly!
Discipline is key.
He is an example of how I self destruct when I lose my discipline:
Last night, I was winning about £100 on the £1-£1, but for some reason felt unsettled, and moved across to the £1-£2 rake game, even though I had told myself I wont play this game until I have the sufficient bankroll (though it is probably softer to beat!).
I lost a decent sized pot when my flopped trip queens lost to a turned nut straight. I don't know if this tilted me, but the following hand came up 5 minutes after:
I was on the button, the hand had been straddled, with a couple of mid / late position callers. I pumped it up to £19 total with 4 2 suited. The blinds folded, and the straddle re popped up to £50 total, the action folded around to me.
£31 more to call. The guy had £150 behind. I had him covered. I always think people are making moves. That's my problem! I was convinced that the guy had read me correctly, as I was trying to steal, and he was re stealing.
I thought if I shoved, I would be representing a monster hand. So if he had junk he would fold, and if he had anything worse than QQ he would / should have to fold. But, that would cost me £150 to find out.
I decided I would call the additional £31, and see a flop.
Flop came down 4 J 7 rainbow. He open shoved £150, and I went into the tank.
I was convinced I was winning. Now this is "gut" coming into play. I cant logically explain my preflop call, nor can I logically explain my thought process on the flop.
I have always been reliant on my logical analysis of hands, and my thought processes have in the pass had a very small reliance on "gut" or tells, and I had always felt in order for me to progress as a player, my "gut" would need to influence certain spots.
And this was the spot. I called £150 with bottom pair, and I was rewarded £400 for my gut when he showed AK.
Mini blow up, recovered by my "gut"? I don't know. What I do know is that, I need to keep my discipline and play the £1-£1 until I have the bankroll!
Yigit's back.
And the girls still love a poker player (Kara on the left Gurdeep "The JibbaJabba" Jabbal's girl....Sanam on the right "Patrick "ShipMeThe$$" Donnellan 's girl...)
