Flip a coin...

OK so in poker there is no such thing as running bad. Each hand is an entity of its own right?

The previous hand will have no influence on the current hand nor will it have any influence on the next hand.

Basic math and probability dictates this. However there will be periods where certain possibilities, be it negative or positive outcomes are concentrated within a short period of time.

The best way to illustrate this I think is flipping a coin. 50/50 chance right? You would expect the coin to land on heads as much as it will land on tails. But there is also a chance that if you were to flip a coin ten times now, that you may get a result which is against the expected probability.

I just flipped a coin, and it landed on heads 7 times! Fuck my life I run bad!

But if you continued to flip this coin, say 20, 30, 100, 500 times, you will get closer to a 50/50 spread of results.

This is what poker comes down to. Volume. Pure volume. Every situation you find yourself in, every decision you are faced with has a certain possibility for the outcome.

Studying, learning, and ultimately being able to work out your probability of getting a positive outcome in a hand (which is referred to as your "equity") is the easy part.

For example, you have AA and have managed to get all your money in the middle versus some moron who has 1010. Its a $1k pot, late into a tough session, where things haven't been going your way. This is the break you were looking for. You win this pot, you secure a sweet winning session. Weeee....

Good news is about 80% of the time, you will hold and win. But not this time, this guy has found the 20% of the time and has hit another 10 to beat you.

This right now is the hard part.

In order to be able to capitalize on the mathematical edge you hold over these morons, you must continue to keep your shit together.

Keep finding these "positive equity" spots, over and over and over again. Like flipping that coin, you will begin to see the expected results come through.

It may take 1 of these hands, or 5 of these hands, or maybe 20, or maybe 80 or sometimes (touch wood it wont) more! But every time you do get yourself in a spot where you have a favourable equity, you win! It may not seem like it because you may lose, but in the long run, you win!

Imagine someone said to you (and I hate to bore you with coin flipping), OK every time this coin lands on heads I will give you $5, and every time it lands on tails you give me $2. Would you not take it?

Well lately I have been finding myself in games where basically these morons are saying the same thing to me (but in poker terms obviously!), and I take them up on their offer.

But lately they have been beating the variance (going against the expected probability / possibility).

I know this shit as good as any other fucking cunt, this is the basics, the fundamentals of poker! But the problem is the control over my emotional stability.

I get upset, I get frustrated. I tilt. A mild form of tilt but still I tilt, and the moment you tilt you have no chance! Forget it.

Poker is all about that unbreakable resolve. What is the fucking point knowing whats right, and what to do if you cant have the mental strength to implement your strategy?

I am on so much edge right now, that the other day I was absolutely ready to roll around with some French cunt. I swear to fucking god, I had so much un vented shit inside of me that I would of fucking bit his ears off.

Not good! But good news is I have been feeling a lot better last few days, and feel a lot more at ease.

I wanted get this shit down, to re enforce what I have been thinking about, and keep me on the tracks!

I am the luckiest guy in the world, regardless of all the beats and negative variance I have to endure.

I love my life and everything and everybody in it!

Especially because of my ever supportive girlfriend...

Tough times, she is selling her t-shirt to raise money for buy ins for me...

Gorgeous! x

Please pray for me people! Even though I don't believe in god! Meh...

Meh...

I am not fresh, in fact I am pretty "burnt out". But not in an obvious way. You know sometimes you go to play and you can feel you are tired. That's cool. You can quit, go home and sleep.

I am not tired like that. Physically I feel fine. But I am not. I am not 100%, and haven't been for a long time.

I take shit for granted, I think I can clock in at a table, wait for hands, get paid and book a win. I feel I don't need to pay attention, I have a real bad attitude problem. That's for sure.

I play bad. You know what is the worse thing, its when you know what to do and you don't do it. Like these fish they don't know any better, so its OK, you see for them if they don't win, or the times they do win (especially when they make a bad play and lucky), they don't know any better.

They go home happy either way, or sad. But that's it. They are not the cunts sitting at home beating themselves up over incorrect decisions and mistakes.

We all make mistakes. I am not a "bot", I will make mistakes. The fewer mistakes you make the more money you make.

During a session there are 1,000s of mistakes ready to be made. Even before you play a hand you can make a mistake or make a bad decision.

Focus, discipline and an unbreakable resolve. Get your shit together, have a strategy (which is flexible to adapt and cope with the ever changing dynamic of the game) and put that shit into play.

Positivity. For fuck sakes, you are playing a fucking game, yeah for sure rent money is on the line. But fuck my life you could be out selling crack, or whoring your ass for £65 a spin. Or more in context be in a 9-6 job which you hate and makes you depressed.

Meh, pointless ranting!

Best tip on how to get good at poker apart from the basic best tips (like focus, tilt control bankroll management, mood management, position etc)?

Question your shit? Why do what you did? Why bet? Why call? Why fold? Why play in this game? Why sit in this seat? Why? Why? Why? Answer that shit!

Then, ask that shit DURING THE FUCKING HAND, AT THAT FUCKING MOMENT, and answer it, THEN ACT.

Don't ask! On unrelated matter me and the boys went bowling tonight. Rob tried to hustle us, but no money was lost and fun times were had!

Americans the new Bulgarians...

***WARNING WARNING***

***THE FOLLOWING ENTRY IS NOT SUITABLE FOR AMERICANS ***

***PS I AM NOT RACIST...JUST IGNORANT...PLUS I WAS BORN IN TURKEY ***

Finally I have found a nation packed with more fucking cunts than Bulgaria!

After my time in Bulgaria this summer (and several years spent getting to know Andre at The Vic), I concluded there could not be bigger cunts than Bulgarians....but I was wrong.

I take it all back Andre, you and your people are cool with me. I will embrace you like a brother from now on.

After only 3 week spent living in Vegas, I can no longer withstand Americans. What a fucking bunch of morons. Seriously! Fuck me, I didn't realise how dumb, retarded, moronic, cuntist certain people can be....and then I find hundreds....NOOOO....thousands of these people.

Please go find a room, and kindly fuck yourself really hard until you fucking die! Because you are a fucking cunt! AHHHHHH!

I know I am not what you would call a "people person" but seriously! What the fuck? Please go kill yourself ASAP!

So I haven't had the best week (can you tell?), in fact I have had a horrible week, followed by a day off and then a fucking horrible start to the week yesterday.

Where should I start?(even as I write this I am starting to feel better! I know I say this everytime I am ranting and raging...but my god this shit really helps!)...

I am sat here in Vegas listening to Chris "Moorman1" Moorman's playlist...hoping some of his luck (not skill) will somehow rub off on me.

Dude listens to some sick tunes!

And don't get me wrong I would love his skill, but I don't need skill right now, I just need luck. In fact not that I need luck, I need not to get unlucky, or further more I don't mind getting unlucky, just let me get unlucky at a normal rate, don't condense all my bad luck together and give it to me in one goat fucking serving...

http://www.playlist.com/playlist/10785874955/standalone

"...i lied when i told you that...i was chilling with my girls...really i was somewhere else....maybe if you gave me all the love i needed....then this wouldn't of happened...." (n-dubz)

"...i can ride my bike with no handle bars....i can ride my bike with no handle bars...look at me...look at me...hands up in the air like its good to be alive..." (flobots)

I swear down, tunes!

Anyway....so let me start with today.

Today was a good day, I didn't get fucked. Well I did get fucked, in fact I got fucked twice. But I still managed to accumulate a $1,300 stack (on a $1-$2 table).

So I get to The Venetian, with my fresh attitude even after yesterday's ass raping (which I will go on to discuss).

After 2 weeks of "nut peddling", I decided (on Sunday) to bring out the old Yigit out the closet.

The open, raise, re raise, or fold Yigit. Armed with "multiple barrels" Yigit. The "I will fucking ground donkeys like pepper" Yigit.

And similar to Monday (before the poker gods got horny and decided to fuck my ass), I chipped up to about $600.

Then I lost a $1,200 pot. 4 way all in on a flop of Qc Jc 2d, I hold QJ vs AQ / 5c 2c / KQ.

Incidentally I am on the button and the guy holding 5 high, actually open limped and called my raise of $17 pre flop.

He must of known he would not only flop a flush draw but manage to convince himself to call after 3 all ins in front of him, and spike the flush to take down a beast of a pot.

Its OK, I never said a word. Even when this guy was sitting to my immediate right, and proudly stacking what should of been my chips. I didn't even say anything when he actually said, and I swear I am not making this up...

"...you have been raising a lot....I didn't think you had it..."

HAD WHAT? WHAT THE FUCK? HAD WHAT? 5 high beat? Moron! In that moment I felt this overwhelming urge to....I don't know how describe the feeling...ammm I suppose I wanted to rape this guy's wife....and have him walk in on us....and for her to be enjoying it...I know, I know...I need help.

But on the surface, I said nothing. I didn't blink. That pot pretty much put me back to where I started. Even.

It could be worse. Well it very suddenly did get worse! An orbit later I opened with 6 5 off in the cut off, and flopped a straight on a 7 8 9 (two diamond board) in a 3 way pot. The "rock of America" checked, the fish bet, I raised, the "rock of America" shipped, the fish called, it was only $75 more to call with nearly $300 in the pot, and fuck my life I had to call drawing dead to the rock's nut straight J 10.

Cooler! Fuck my life. As Rob would say. Rosh said I should / could fold once the rock ships. Maybe. Still a fucking cooler. 2nd nuts. Meh.

So I find myself in the hole. In for "telephone numbers" (with international codes), in for "90201"....I miss you Pratik!

I re group (after fucking myself in the toilet).

Then I make a "Rob Play". I open 6 5 suited under the gun. Open for like $17. Some French cunt re pops on the button to $57 or something. I have $380, he had me covered.

1: Dont open with 6 high under the gun.
2: Dont call a 3 bet with 6 high out of position in a heads up pot.

But as Rob would proudly explain.."...well if I flop my hand I am stacking this cunt..." So I call.

I flop the STONE COLD NUTS. 4s 7h 8h. French cunt checks. I bet $100. He calls.

Turn is a black Queen. I know this cunt has KK or AA. He checks again. I ship for over $200. He is sweating me, saying I must have QQ.

I show him the 6 of hearts, and tell him I have a big hand. Implying I have a gut shot with the nut flush draw.

He calls. I win a $700 pot. Fuck his life! He tells me how bad I am, I tell him, I put in $50 when I was behind, he put in $300 when he was drawing dead, and told him he was a moron.

I acted like a cunt to be honest, but I think it was just the emotion / frustration of the previous week (and day) catching up with me. Meh. Maybe I am just a cunt myself. Probably.

From there I didn't look back. Raise, re raise, bet, bet, bet, bet, flop it sometimes, but most the time just bet myself through. Couple of suck outs (weeee feels good to suck out sometimes!), and before I knew it I was up $800. After being in the hole for +$300.

That is a +$1,000 swing in one session. The same shit happened yesterday, and all last week. Sick swings, not just day to day, but during sessions.

Lets go back a few days. After let another losing session on Saturday, I was a little bit upset. I had a losing week. So had Rosh. We had played good. We had been unlucky. We took some brutal beats, and found ourselves in sick coolers.

But I am realistic, so is Rosh. We didn't blame variance. But discussed our approach to the games, along with our overall discipline through tough periods and long sessions.

Rosh took a couple of days, he met one of the dealers from The Vic (I wont name names just in case he or she gets in trouble) who was in Vegas, and went out partying! What fucking party animal Rosh is!

While Rosh was out, I read books, browsed poker forums, and worked on my game. Over the previous 3 weeks I had put into practise a rigid solid strategy, which was pretty much card dependant.

Which is not totally wrong, because there are some real cunts here and they will pay you no matter what, you just have to wait. But if you run bad, are card dead, and when you do eventually get "dealt" or "flop nut (or nutty)" hands and end up losing its hard to recover sessions.

I don't think it would be arrogant to say I have a significant edge into terms of experience and ability on most players out here, so I why should I wait for hands, when I could simply out play them?

So I decided to put into action the following simple game plan:

Never play out of position. Imagine I am sitting out while I am out of position, pretty much auto muck all but premiums early position.

Play super loose and super aggressive in late position. Open any two, isolate, re isolate, 3 bet, 4 bet, super aggressive. UNTIL I find people who either adjust and play back at me. At which point either re adjust, or move tables.

Value bet real thin post flop. Bet bottom and middle pair. I am talking barrels.

Identify weak players and get suitable seat changes to be able to constantly isolate these players.

Nothing revolutionary here, chip up, so you can take the inevitable beats without killing your whole session.

This approach will no doubt will be high variance, but ironically I think it will have a more controlling result on the overall variance of my sessions.

I have been pretty much variance controlled over the past 3 weeks, meaning if I ran well I would win, if I ran bad I would lose. This is not all bad, because over the course of the 3 months, I know I would win.

So with my game plan in hand, I went in at 6 am on Monday, and had the worse day of my life! I took so many fucking bad beats I actually at one point felt physically sick!

The session started off well, I chipped up to about $700, through just barrelling bluffs, and thin value betting.

I moved seats to gain position on a guy I had played with in previous sessions, and had identified as a "weak" player. But I hadn't quite realised how bad this dude was.

This guy has to be the worse fucking player I have ever played with. I'm serious! He would limp and call raises with every hand. I don't think he folded a single hand over a 13 hour session. I swear!

And you know some fish are cool, they are likable. This guy was an outright cunt. Probably the most horrible person I met in my life. He looked something like this...


Cunt! Anyway, I sat to this moron's immediate right, and raised every time he limped. I isolated him, and pounded away for hours on end. I bluffed this guy so much it became a joke.

I would have to fire 2 barrels, and sometimes 3 for him to fold. Reason being this guy had the following theory about poker, never fold pre flop, and never fold on the flop, because you might pick up a pair or a draw on the turn! So he would only fold after seeing the turn.

The betting pattern was $17 pre flop / call, $29 on the flop / call , $38 / $48 on the turn / fold. Sometimes he made a pair, and had me beat and I would fold if he bet, if I had a "pair hand" I would either check call the river, or bet for value vs his weak holdings.

It was all going to plan, except for one thing. I lost with all my big hands. KK x2 QQ x1, AA x1. All against this dude (not surprising because like 70% of pots were heads up with me and him due to my heavy isolation strategy).

He won the big pots and I won lots of small pots. So I was about even, but should of been up like $2k, if my big hands held. But they didn't!

But I was happy with the way I "owned" this fish.

Late into the session I took 2 back to back beats against another cunt, and this dude was awful too.

I lost like $1k (total) with AK vs 109 and AA vs KQ, money went in when I was ahead both times on the flop. Fucking sick! But I was still happy with the way I played and my new approach.

I played from 6am until 7pm, then played the $120 tournament. I bubbled out in 10th out of 120+ players, 1st paid $3k. I took the worse beats ever, and witnessed the worse plays. Cunt mania! I cant be bothered to tell you about the hands, but trust me I got fucked again.

I played this same tournament last week too, and busted deep when I shoved over an early position limper, who limp called my shove with K7 off, I had KQ and obviously lost, 40k plus pot (with 2 tables left). Meh fuck my life! Or not.

One cunt that really stood out yesterday was this guy who, at the blinds at 1.5k -3.0k I have a stack of 20k ish (after taking a beat), I ship AA early position, and everyone folds. I show (because I am in shove / fold mode, and will be shoving a wide range and want to show AA now so these morons think I am shoving only premiums).

This guy who has a 15k stack says "...you should of seen a flop, I had a suited ace, and would of liked to have seen a flop and you could of made some money out of me if you min raised..." This guy! What a cunt!

Enough! I wrote a lot, and have so much more to write. But this is enough. I feel better.

Good day today. Good week I hope. The Horse is in town tomorrow! Weeee...