Today I am still continuing the most ridiculous run I have ever been on playing NL10. The hands won't stop, the juicy tables are plentiful, and the donks are more than willing to hand me their money. I played only a very short session so far today (maybe no more than 60 hands) because one table broke down quickly and I cleaned out the two donks on the other. I was up 1 1/2 buyins again. I managed one nice sized pot when I hit a flush while drawing to straight and flush draws. After that pot I continued to play aggressive against the fish at the table and then took another nice pot with KK......

$15 Pot w/ KK

I wish I could have looked for new tables to play but unfortunately it's time to get ready for work. I work a short shift tonight so there should be plenty of more cards to come. Hopefully I can keep up my 26 ptBB/100 win rate. LOL. Rakeback came in last night right before I went to bed. That juiced me up another 4 buyins. Like Christmas in October... I've gotta stay disciplined and not move up early but I am really itching to take another shot NL25. I'll keep you guys updated, I'm sure I will post soon.

Wow.....I've possibly been running as hot as ever. I have made a few good plays here and there. Thing is, I've managed to pull a 1-outer, catch AA 7+ times, hit a backdoor royal flush, and flop top set countless times in the past two days. This is the first time in recent memory my cards haven't seemed to be arctic. I have taken only a couple rough beats but with the hands I've been catching I can't complain. Since the 30th of September I am up 5 Buy-ins over only 1200 hands. That plays out to about 20 ptBB/100 hands. Ship It. Rakeback should be coming in the next couple days and will bump me up another few buy-ins. I've gotta stay focused, NL25 could be in my future before the end of the year.

On another note, I signed up for an account on Carbon Poker. I've played the freerolls just trying to get a feel for the site. I really like the program overall. Only problem is that PokerTracker doesn't support it. Big problem if I wanna multi-table cash games. Well I'm looking for some sites to expand to. Tough here in America though... Any suggestions just post them as comments... Bodog? UB? Red Nines? Cake? Anything else?

Well here's the sick hand history from my backdoor royal. Really a bad call by me but with the short stack he could have anything and I may have more outs than I think (Yes, I know I'm a donk).

Backdoor Royal (LOL!)

Well I really hope this winning trend keeps up... Well I'm off to a Carbon freeroll...Have a good one guys....

Today I was up 1 1/2 buyins after only playing about 90 minutes. I feel like I'm playing well once again. I have gotten plenty of sleep lately and I think it contributed to my solid play. I have also focused on separating my personal life from the poker tables and it helps a lot. Poker gives me a chance to get away from things and really focus on something I love. Anyway... I was on quite a hot streak of cards today and I played at some juicy tables but I don't feel like I should take all the credit away from my play. I would never have been ahead if I wasn't playing good poker. Now for a couple hand histories.....

This was one of the first hands I played... I decided right away that I would snatch up every pot I could...I wasn't about to be pushed around....
PokerHand

Here is a hand to prove I was running good....Thought I just got outdrawn...but...not so fast!
PokerHand

Later, a complete donk comes to my table raising nearly every pot. I catch a monster in my SB, his BB, I just shove LOL, my trick play confuses the donk and he calls (wow us micro-donks are ridiculous)
Poker Hand

Well none of those hands really displayed skill but more memorable hands.....I think there is more skill in picking spots and picking up small pots and getting the donks to pay you off on the big ones.. At least that's how it is at the micros...Well, that's all for now, hopefully I can post some more positive sessions soon....

Once again I have another disappointing poker moment to post in the first week of my blog. I arrived home at midnight once again with no homework to do and able to sleep until at least 9:30. I figured that gave me time for an hour or so of poker. The only problem was that I didn't go to bed last night and my tank was running on empty. I told myself months ago that I would never again play when I was too tired. But tonight I figured all would be fine and it was no big deal. My cards ran cold for the half hour I played but I made so many terrible decisions it sickened me. I am truly, utterly embarrassed to post these hand histories... Here is the first hand...

Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

CO ($16.45)
Button ($31.70)
AHMWM ($9.75)
BB ($10)
UTG ($4.30)
MP ($9.25)

Preflop: AHMWM is SB with 9[], 9[].
1 fold, MP calls $0.10,1 fold, Button calls $0.10, AHMWM raises to $0.5, [color=Gray]1 fold[/color], MP folds, Button calls $0.40.

Flop: ($1.20) A[], 5[], 3[] [color=Blue](2 players)[/color]
[color=Red]AHMWM bets $0.8[/color], Button calls $0.80, [color=Red]AHMWM bets $2.2[/color], Button calls $1.40.

Turn: ($5.60) J[] [color=Blue](2 players)[/color]

River: ($5.60) 2[] [color=Blue](2 players)[/color]
[color=Red]AHMWM bets $2.5[/color], Button calls $2.50.

Final Pot: $10.60

Results in white below: [color=White]
AHMWM has 9c 9h (one pair, nines).
Button has Ad 9d (one pair, aces).
Outcome: Button wins $10.60. [/color]

I tried to three barrel for no apparent reason and my bet sizes were terrible. This hand is obviously a side effect from being tired and my mind not working correctly.......Here's the next hand

Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

MP ($4.70)
CO ($14.80)
Button ($12.15)
SB ($57.30)
AHMWM ($8.40)
UTG ($0.90)

Preflop: AHMWM is BB with K[], K[].
[color=Gray]1 fold[/color], MP calls $0.10, [color=Gray]2 folds[/color], SB completes, [color=Red]AHMWM raises to $0.5[/color], MP calls $0.40, SB folds.

Flop: ($1.10) 4[], Q[], A[] [color=Blue](2 players)[/color]
[color=Red]AHMWM bets $0.8[/color], [color=Red]MP raises to $1.6[/color], [color=Red]AHMWM raises to $5.9[/color], MP calls $2.60 (All-In).

Turn: ($11.20) 9[] [color=Blue](2 players, 1 all-in)[/color]
.

River: ($11.20) Q[] [color=Blue](2 players, 1 all-in)[/color]

Final Pot: $11.20

Results in white below: [color=White]
AHMWM has Kd Kc (two pair, kings and queens).
MP has Jh As (two pair, aces and queens).
Outcome: MP wins $9.50. AHMWM wins $1.70. [/color]

How could I possibly think that he was bluffing me? I don't even know the answer and I was the one playing the hand...The table was extremely aggressive but why the hell did I put my chips in here? I can't answer it myself.. After this hand I came to my senses and left all 3 tables...

I have completely embarrassed my game by posting these hands and likely lost all respect from everyone reading my blog. I know the right plays but because of my inability to stick to my rules I lost 2 buy-ins tonight. It's amazing that I think I can be a mid-stakes winning player and still make plays like these. Hopefully I will truly learn something from this as all good players learn from terrible mistakes like these. I am truly disappointed in myself and I am now determined to turn this around....hopefully it's soon....

Tonight I arrived home at about 12:30. For the first time in several days my head felt clear and I was dyin to play some poker.

I bought into 4 tables of NL10 and quickly got felted when 1010 flopped a set against my KK. I was afraid that beat for one buy-in early would really hurt my confidence. I reset myself and said....one beat no big deal...and I turned the focus on. I did make one bad call down with KK later when I had just an overpair to the board. I felt he made a bluff and I had to trust my gut....I lost 3/4 of a buy in but I don't regret calling. I'm sorry I didnt post the hand history, I just feel too lazy tonight after writing a 4 page essay. I will start to post hand histories more often so you guys can make some judgments on my style and plays.

Anyway, I battled back for an hour to be up almost one buy-in. I made some great call downs and had a few hands held up and I felt for the first time in at least a week I was playing very close to my full potential. My hands died off and I lost some blinds and a few small pots and decided the games were not as profitable any more and it was time to call it a night.

Hopefully, the homework and personal stress will stay at a minimum for a while... If it does I know that I will be back to my 9+ PTBB/100 hands win rate in no time...I am determined now more than ever to prove that I can become a feared Mid-Stakes player within the next year or two. I'd like to be rolled to 4-table NL25 by the end of the year.....guess I'll just take it one step at a time....

Time to watch Poker After Dark....This week's table is absolutely the best poker show I have watched in terms of "fun, friendly poker." Hellmuth, Laak, Sheikhan, Negreanu, Esfandiari, Matusow........Gotta Love It