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  <channel>
    <title>Southeastern US Poker</title>
    <link>http://www.tworags.com</link>
    <description>Tworags.com - poker guide for serious poker players who play Texas Holdem and Other Poker Games</description>
    <language>en-us</language>
    <lastBuildDate>Sat, 05 Jul 08 22:40:34 -0400</lastBuildDate>
    
    <item>
      <title>May Results/ June Goals</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2625]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Meh, swingiest month ever for me.  Took my biggest downswing to date, but fortunately I did learn how to luckbox PLO.

[IMG]http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w148/controlserv/NLHEMay08.jpg[/IMG]
Omahahahahaha
[IMG]http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w148/controlserv/PLOMay08.jpg[/IMG]


May Goals:
Go to the new Ameristar room:  Fail
Make platinum star:  Fail

I nearly quit playing FR NLHE after this 11 buyin downswing (or more depending on where you measure it from.)  I started watching Ribbo's vids on PLO and played a serious amount of it.  I made a trip to the  [url=http://tworags.com/HorseshoeBossierCity.html]Horseshoe Bossier City[/url]  and will hopefully be writing about it very soon.  I really like PLO and think that it will soon become my primary game.

June goals:
Buy the Goldstar bonus and clear it on Stars
Visit the Ameristar room 
Make money
Enjoy playing poker]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 01 Jun 08 15:30:37 -0400</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>April - a Goot month</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2458]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I took a trip to the  [url=http://www.tworags.com/HorseshoeBossierCity.html]Horseshoe Bossier City[/url] this month, once again I was unsuccessful in bluffing the live donkeys.  I've gotta quit trying to do that.  One guy called me down on the river w/ pocket 3s when I tried to rep a flush that had gotten there on the turn.  It seemed like an easy laydown for him to me, but he had a feeling that he was good.  

I also got set over set and the bad thing was that I knew it too!  I still paid off the $120 on the river because "you can't fold sets."  The guy couldn't have played his set any more obviously.  A huge pfr from the blinds into a multiway, limped pot.  A donkey calls so I feel obligated to call w/ my 4s and stack the donk.  The flop comes A[h]  Q[s]  4[c] and the big preflop raiser from the blinds checks his hand.  The donk checks, my radar shows bogies approaching but I make the obligatory bet of $50 into the $75 pot to see if the blind raiser is trapping. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Fri, 02 May 08 11:36:24 -0400</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>Biggest Hand won on Stars to date.</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2429]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[This hand helped pull me out of a 3 buyin hole.  It's my biggest hand won to date and I hope to keep winning bigger ones as I move up!

[color:3B5323]PokerStars Game #16997563087:  Hold'em No Limit ($0.50/$1.00) - 2008/04/26 - 00:20:26 (ET)[/color]
[url=http://www.tworags.com]Universal pokerstars Poker HH Converter[/url] Tool from [url=http://www.tworags.com]TwoRags.com[/url]

SB ($88 in chips)
[b]BB ($91.50 in chips)[/b]
UTG ($105.75 in chips)
UTG+1 ($36.60 in chips)
MP ($215.95 in chips)
[b]Hero (MP+1)($98.50 in chips)[/b]
[b]CO ($100 in chips)[/b]
BTN ($203.55 in chips)
SB:[color:0000FF] posts [/color]small blind $0.50, BB:[color:0000FF] posts [/color]big blind $1

[b]PRE-FLOP:[/b]
Dealt to Hero 4:diamond: 4:club:
UTG:[color:0000FF] folds[/color]
UTG leaves the table
UTG+1:[color:0000FF] folds[/color], MP:[color:0000FF] folds[/color], Hero:[color:0000FF] raises [/color]$3 to $4, CO:[color:0000FF] raises [/color]$8 to $12, BTN:[color:0000FF] folds[/color] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Sat, 26 Apr 08 01:26:22 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>A couple of interesting hands</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2338]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Before we look at the two hands that actually made me think tonight, I've got a question:
Why does organic milk have an expiration date that's 2 months out and regular milk expires in about 2 to 3 weeks?  Is all the crap that they put into regular milk gonna do us any good if it shortens the shelf life of the milk we drink?

I'm not a health nut, but I've noticed this in the last few weeks.  I was a big milk drinker as a kid and I still drink it on occasion as an adult.  I don't think that I'll ever buy "normal" milk again!

Villain is 14/10/4.5, it's a limped pot, so the SB could have anything here.
I know that I should raise this flop, but for some reason I didn't.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (9 handed) [url=http://www.learnhowtoplaypokerfree.com/convert/convert.cgi]Hand History converter[/url] Courtesy of [url=http://PokerZion.com]PokerZion.com[/url]

[b]saw flop[/b]saw showdown[/b]

[b]Landlord79 ($49.20)[/b]
UTG ($31.50)
UTG+1 ($10.75)
MP1 ($131. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Tue, 08 Apr 08 22:28:16 -0400</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>March results: BLAH!!!</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2309]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[March was absolutely blah!!!  I made 2 trips to the  [url=http://www.tworags.com/HorseshoeBossierCity.html]Horseshoe - Bossier City[/url], losing $600 and $150 for the trips.  Mostly I think that I was card dead but on the first trip I was trying to push around calling stations which is always a bad idea.  I learned some things in March about Cbetting and getting value out of weaker hands but I think that I referenced that last time.  Maybe I'm just playing bad but it seems like variance is flowing against me right now.

I did make $381 on the internetz, so that helped slow the bleeding some.  I was really disappointed as I hoped to make >$1k again in March.  Maybe I just need to reapply myself and start to focus more, but for now I think that I'm gonna try to focus on what's important which is my wife, kid and relationship w/ God. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 08 15:12:00 -0400</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>the Grind</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2202]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Sorry that I haven’t updated in a while, poker has been kind of up and down this month.  I’m up $300 or so online but down $645 in live play.  We took a trip to the  [url=http://tworags.com/HorseshoeBossierCity.html]HSBC[/url]  earlier in the month.  I saw lots of the same weak tight regulars and ran into a plethora of calling stations and over aggro bullies.  Playing overly aggressive tables isn’t my forte’ and I dumped 2 buyins in a little under 6 hours.  I finally got all $90 of the money that I had left with me into the middle on a big combo draw.  The pot was huge but I ran into a bigger FD who ended up making a pair on the river to beat my turned pair.

As for online play, my graph looks like the Andes mountain range since I’m having the hardest time beating 50NL consistently.  I’m crushing 100NL at a 17BB/100 rate over >700 hands, but that’s just taking shots. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 23 Mar 08 00:13:07 -0400</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>Feb Results/ Mar Goals</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2064]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[February turned out poorly.  I was having a decent month then I decided to take a shot at 200NL under sub-optimal conditions.  I quickly dumped 1.5 buyins and then proceeded to lose several more buyins at my normal stakes of 50NL.  I dropped down to 25NL and proceeded to win 6.5 buyins which got me up to over 20 buyins for 50NL again, but the momentum didn’t hang around and I have been stagnant to losing ever since.  I had KK 6x on the 28th and ran into AA 2x and lost to sets and a flopped str8 on some of the others.  When the 2nd strongest starting hand can’t hold up for you when you are dealt it 6x, then you are destined to lose money.  Crap, I had AA get 4 bet by K-Jo.  I smooth called with position to trap him into another bet, and of course he flops the joint on me.

Enough whinning, Feb turned out like this:

[img]http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w148/controlserv/Feb08.jpg[/img] 

($73.92) at FRNL - Lost $325.90 taking a shot at 200NL
+$10.00 in FT bonus
+$0. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Tue, 04 Mar 08 11:46:35 -0500</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>Theory Post: Initiative</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2013]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Theory:  He who controls the initiative, controls the hand.

If no player makes a good hand or a decent hand on the flop, turn or river, what determines who wins said hand?  Initiative 

What do I mean by Initiative?  
Initiative is what wins the pot until a real poker hand is made that can rightfully claim said pot.

Always ask yourself when you are getting ready to enter a pot:  Who has the upper hand (by being the aggressor) and who is in the position of having to make a hand?  

 [i]“If you constantly call other people’s raises, you will always be at a disadvantage (regardless of their cards.)  Also, if you are making them call you, they will always be at a disadvantage.” [/i] – Doyle Brunson (though I may be wrong on the quoter here)

I would like to theorize that initiative is a key weapon of a successful poker player.  Looking at initiative as a weapon to be wielded, then we, as poker players, must learn to use initiative. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Mon, 25 Feb 08 16:43:01 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>Mid-month Update on my Break:</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1944]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Mid-month Update on my “Break”:

My February goals were:
Reinvigorate my spiritual life.
Create new habits
  1. Prayer time
  2. Reading time
  3. Exercise program
Purify my body, through a strict diet.
Retool my calendar so that I am doing things based on what is important, not what I feel like doing.

Well, I can’t say that I have thoroughly kept any of my stated goals for the month.  I’ve played about 7k hands online, (which isn’t much.)  It’s definitely a lot less than I would have covered if I weren’t considering myself on a break.  I’ve done well in regards to live play though; I’ve declined several home game invitations and two invitations for trips over to the casino.  I’ll definitely be making a trip over to the Horseshoe on Saturday, March 1st (Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.)

I’ve done fairly well w/ increasing my reading time, but my prayer and meditation times are mostly unchanged. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Mon, 18 Feb 08 15:56:48 -0500</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>January Graph &amp; Results</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1811]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[January was a nice start to the year.  I had a good trip to the Horseshoe-Bossier City and got fully rolled for 50NL on PokerStars without having to deposit anymore money.  I wish that my earn rate at 50NL would have been higher, but a wins a win and a few of the losses that I took were unavoidable suckouts.  

In a borish economist voice, "The chart is upward trending with a few rough patches at the end.  It looks like we've found ourselves a winner."
 [img]http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w148/controlserv/Jan08-1.jpg[/img] 

I will be taking a break from poker in February.  It’s not that I’m burned out or anything, I just need to put my priorities back into order.

My goals are to:
Reinvigorate my spiritual life.
Create new habits
1.	A prayer time
2.	Reading time
3.	An exercise program
Purify my body, through a strict diet.
Retool my calendar so that I am doing things based on what is important, not what I feel like doing. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Fri, 01 Feb 08 12:50:49 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>My 29th Birthday Celebration</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1783]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[[b]Cliff Notes on my 29th Birthday Trip to the HS-BC[/b] 

In celebration of my 29th birthday,  [url=http://tworags.com/home/Mr_Taterhead]Mr_Taterhead[/url]  (the poker player formerly known as BJJIII) and I decided to make a long trip over to our favorite cardroom, the  [url=http://tworags.com/HorseshoeBossierCity.html]Horseshoe-Bossier City.[/url]    Last year at this time we went up to Tunica, MS during the WPO and the WSOP-Circuit Events.  This year we decided to forego the 5hr long drive in exchange for an hour and a half one and we got free rooms ta boot at the HS-BC!  

My holiday started on Wednesday since the Tunica trip was slated for the 16th through the 19th.  Because the drive was going to be less, we shortened our trip down to the 17th through the 19th.  We planned on leaving on the night of the 16th, but Harper (Mr_Taterhead’s kid) got sick and Mr_T had to stay back.  I decided to stay an extra night home w/ my hot wife and drive over in the morning. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Fri, 25 Jan 08 14:59:52 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>2007, My Year in Review</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1664]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I’d like to apologize for delaying so long in posting my 2007 results.  December was an absolute sputter after a great month such as I had in November.  I only made $275.00 in December, $100 of which came from bonuses.  Bodog didn’t give me a very fond farewell either, in fact, you could say that it kicked me in the rear on my way out.


Here’s how I closed out at Bodog:
 [img]http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w148/controlserv/BodogDec07.jpg[/img] 


I got a pretty warm welcome at PS to start off with though:
 [img]http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w148/controlserv/PSDec07.jpg[/img] 


2007 Looked like this:
[img]http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w148/controlserv/2008Graph.jpg[/img] 


 [i] [b]2007 Results:[/b] [/i]  
[b]$1,800 in Live Ring[/b]
$100 in MTT (17 of them)
($50) mixed games/other
[b]$2,810 online FR[/b] 
$255 in Home games (mostly tourneys)
$1,650 for the  [url=http://tworags.com/index.php? [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Mon, 07 Jan 08 16:55:17 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>Dec 22nd Horseshoe BC Trip Report</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1598]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[[b]Dec 22nd Trip to the Horseshoe-Bossier City[/b] 

I took a day off from work Friday to extend my holiday weekend and to give me some time to play cards and finish up my Christmas shopping.  Well, finish up really isn’t the correct word there; I had [b]to do[/b] my Christmas shopping.  After doing my shopping and errands, [b]BJJIII[/b] and I hit the road around 11:30 headed to our favorite card room, [b][url=http://tworags.com/HorseshoeBossierCity.html]the Horseshoe-Bossier City![/url][/b]  The Shoe was busy and almost full, but they quickly had us seated at the same table.  Within an hour we’re splitting a huge club sandwich, compliments of the $1/hr comp rate that we’ve accumulated that the Shoe offers its poker players.

 [b]Sputtering Start…[/b] 

I’ve been on a bit of a downswing lately, so I really didn’t expect to come out smoking like I did on   [b][url=http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&cat=2&todo=view&ID=1390]my last trip[/url][/b]. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Thu, 27 Dec 07 15:36:39 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1590]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Just wanted to wish everyone a [url=http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1633809528]MERRY CHRISTMAS!!![/url] with this Christmas card.

BJJIII and I made a trip to the  [b]Horseshoe-Bossier City[/b]  this weekend, I hope to have that report up soon.  I netted a $120 profit  [i]while BJJIII took home the chedda w/ a $700+ win. [/i]   

PokerStars has been good to me in December and I have all of my money off of Bodog.  I'm only 170 points away from Silver Star, which I don't feel is bad since it's my first month there and I'm still learning to multi-table well.  I hope to earn the rest of the FPPs by this weekend so that I don't have to cram just to make SS.  I've played up to 12 tables comfortably at 25NL and hope to move up to 50NL very soon where my FPP earn rate will double.  My 10k hand estimate appears to be on target for my moving up plans.  I'll move up to 50NL short for a while, but plan on staying there until I'm fully rolled for 100NL. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 26 Dec 07 11:28:50 -0500</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>Welcome to PokerStars</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1463]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[So, I decided to open a PokerStars account.  I've never had one before, so I took advantage of a promotion from Pokersourceonline.com to get an annual subscription to StoxPoker.  I'm really trying to get better and feel that playing tougher competition and joining a site like Stox will greatly benefit me.  

I need 250 FPPs to complete the bonus and I picked up 47 in 2 hours tonight.  I was able to get in 390 hands in 2 hours on PS, where I usually get in 300 in the same time frame on Bodog.  I really like the software and I can definitely see where people can play so many tables at once on this site.  I think I'll keep some money on Stars even after I finish the bonus.

I was actually doing really well tonight and was up 3 buyins at 25NL when this hand came up.

[color:3B5323]POKERSTARS GAME #13717389690:  HOLD'EM NO LIMIT ($0.10/$0.25) - 2007/12/07 - 22:05:12 (ET)[/color]
[url=http://www.tworags.com]Universal pokerstars Poker HH Converter[/url] Tool from [url=http://www. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Fri, 07 Dec 07 23:47:46 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>My New, Best Month Ever!</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1431]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[ [b]NEW BEST MONTH EVER!!![/b] 

October may have been meh, but November was ROCKIN’!  With one hot handed trip to the  [url=http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&cat=2&todo=view&ID=1390]Horseshoe-Bossier City[/url]  I posted my biggest single session win ever.  This trip propelled me into my biggest month ever.  I also had my best month ever at online Full Ring games, I won $1,013, mostly at 100NL on Bodog.  

 [img]http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w148/controlserv/NovGraphbmp.jpg[/img] 

I definitely earned it this month, I played a lot more hours than I usually do.  My typical month is around 20 to 30 hours, but I got in 53 hours this month online.  I was about 500 hands short of 10k hands with a 6.2 BB/100 Hands win rate.  I got in more hours due to my wife being gone for a play that she was dancing in.  This caused me to miss Monday night volleyball also, which just added to the time that I could play cards online after my son went to bed. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 02 Dec 07 20:45:57 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>Happy Holidays at the Horseshoe- Bossier City</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1391]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!  This was the worst Thanksgiving that I can remember.  We spent the day, cooped up in the house; my wife was sick and I had a two-year old running around that I had to keep up w/.  I did make a little online for Turkey day while my son was napping, but nothing significant.  I’m not depressed about it being the worst Thanksgiving or anything, but it was the first time that I wasn’t w/ my family and friends on this much beloved holiday.

Friday was much more rewarding!  My wife’s stomach bug was gone and we loaded up and drove an hour to her sister’s house.  We helped her move for a few hours then I caught a ride w/ my cousin over to my favorite card room, the  [url=http://www.tworags.com/HorseshoeBossierCity.html]Horseshoe- Bossier City[/url]  for some Live $1/3NL action!

 [b]OUT OF THE BLOCKS FAST![/b] 

Once again, I won the first hand that I played (this is always a good sign in my book. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1391]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 26 Nov 07 20:16:21 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>Hard way to make easy money...</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1334]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I came out of the gates flying on my first two sessions this month.  I was up 4.5 buyins at 100NL and felt like I could do no wrong.  I have started adding a table or three to my normal 3 Bodog tables, yes, it is AP, but they gave me $10 a few months ago and I’m just using it to learn how to multi-table better.  

I have taken 2 shots this month at 200NL, neither of which has gone well.  The first time I lost $450 before recovering half of my losses when I flopped a set vs. an overpair.  The 2nd time I just didn’t feel that I was ready for the new level.  I found myself not wanting to fire Cbets into the 2 pf callers that were in the hand w/ me.  The flop texture was gross every time, but it still felt like I was wussing out due to the higher stakes.  I’ve concluded that 10 buy-ins isn’t nearly big enough to feel confident when taking a shot.  

My graph looks pretty gross, (I’m at work so I can’t post it. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Fri, 16 Nov 07 10:46:30 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>October was meh...</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1235]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I just want to say that October was meh...  It was lots better than September, but only 1/3 as good as August.  I had a good turn around at the end of the month with my trip to the  [url=http://www.tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&cat=2&todo=view&ID=1211]Horseshoe - Bossier City[/url].  Mostly that trip offset this trip,  [url=http://www.tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&cat=2&todo=view&ID=1024]Return to the Shoe[/url], but I still ended up positive for the month in live play.  

My online play was still solid, my win rate has been running around 10BB/100 Hands, but I'm only playing 4 to 5k hands a month.  I've got to get my quantity up to really start making some money.

I played a few tourneys online, guaranteed money down the tube since I don't play them except very sparatically. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1235]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 02 Nov 07 17:35:17 -0400</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>King Me!!!!</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1212]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[King Me!!!!

[url=http://www.tworags.com/home/BJJIII]BJJII[/url] and I decided to make a run to the [url=http://www.tworags.com/HorseshoeBossierCity.html]Horseshoe-Bossier City[/url] this past Friday night.  BJ's friend  [i]Ben[/i]  was in town and also made the trip with us.  Ben is a great guy and an awesome poker resource.  Right now he's a student and making his living off of online poker, you could say that he's living the life.  I think he's gonna stay with it after he graduates here in the near future, so anytime I get a chance to pick his brain I jump on it.  He, BJ and I had some great strategy conversation on the hour and a half drive over there and I think that really put me into the proper frame of mind for a great live session.

Pulling into the Horseshoe's parking garage I felt mentally ready to take on the live donks.  I also felt the "ON" switch click over on my luck box.  Literally, I felt lucky! [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1212]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 29 Oct 07 16:36:03 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Bodog Poker Blogger Tourney #2</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1146]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Bodog Poker Blogger Tourney #2

Filed in archive Internet Poker by David Aydt on September 11, 2007

Info from this site:  [url=http://www.keepyourpokerface.com/50226711/bodog_poker_blogger_tourney_2.php]Keep your poker face.com[/url]

Bodog... er NewBodog.com (thanks to the wonderful people that are taking advantage of legal loopholes because of the UIGEA) is staging the second part of its Online Poker Blogger Tournament.

Bodog, well known for its soft bonuses and even softer ring games, is putting up $125 in tournament credits in addition to the money put up by your fellow bloggers to compete for. Again, thanks to the wonderfully vague UIGEA, its become difficult for players to transfer funds from the bigger sites such as PokerStars or Full Tilt to compete. 

But, who doesn't like free money? [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1146]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 23 Oct 07 15:23:52 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>The Buffetology of Poker</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1113]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA["The important thing is to keep playing, to play against weak opponents and to play
for big stakes."- Warren Buffet

This is my motto for online poker.  In fact, I might just make it my signature
statement.  Warren is speaking of playing bridge in this situation, but boy, does it
ever apply to poker!

"The important thing is to keep playing," if I don't have a bankroll because I blew
it on playing some game that was out of my league, I'm out of the game and can't
continue to make money.  Taking shots is one thing, but over estimating your
abilities and over extending your bankroll is just arrogant.  Spending your bankroll
is akin to being a quitter, IMHO.  Bankroll management is key in our game, if you
don't have any tools you can't do any work.  Our Bankroll is the tool of our trade. 
No money, no play, it's that simple.  

"To play against weak opponents," Many people have ego problems that keep leading
them to play tougher and tougher games. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1113]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 18 Oct 07 19:30:52 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Return to the Shoe!</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1025]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[It’s been well over a month and a half since I have been to my favorite card room, the  [url=http://www.tworags.com/HorseshoeBossierCity.html]Horseshoe-Bossier City[/url] .  After the hit that my ego took when I went down to Biloxi, MS, I decided to slow down a bit and take some time off from the live felt.  I thought that I might be a little rusty with my reading of tells, but I ended up picking up on some things, but wasn’t as sharp on it as I had been the last time that I visited the Shoe.

There were two changes at the Shoe that I noticed.  The first was a flat screen added at the back of the room, this flat screen was much bigger than the rest of the flat screens, and a little lower down on the wall.  I guess this was so that the seated players near the back of the room would be able to watch TV w/o having to strain their necks while looking way up near the ceiling.  It was a nice addition to the room. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1025]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 08 Oct 07 20:14:04 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Luckbox Wars!!! and Sept Results...</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=962]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[ [b]Well, the Battle for the Luckbox has officially begun and the Landlord nation has suffered some defeat![/b] 

Bodog No-Limit Hold'em, $1.00 BB (9 handed) [url=http://www.learnhowtoplaypokerfree.com/convert/convert.cgi]Hand History converter[/url] Courtesy of [url=http://PokerZion.com]PokerZion.com[/url]

[b]saw flop[/b]|[b]saw showdown[/b]

[b]UTG BJJIII ($225.75)[/b]
UTG+1 ($76.15)
MP1 ($174.65)
MP2 ($56.50)
[b]MP3 ($52.00)[/b]
[b]CO ($158.35)[/b]
[b]Landlord79 ($92.00)[/b]
SB ($101.50)
BB ($156.50)

[b]Preflop:[/b] Landlord79 is Button with 7[c] , 7[d] .    
UTG BJJIII raises to $5, [i]3 folds[/i], MP3 calls $5, CO calls $5, Landlord79 calls $5, [i]2 folds[/i].

[b]Flop:[/b] ($21.50) 7[h] , 9[h] , 9[s]  (4 players)
BJJIII bets $25, MP3 folds, CO folds, Landlord79 bets $87 (All-In), BJJIII calls $62.

[b]Turn:[/b] ($195.50) K[c]  (2 players, 1 all-in)

[b]River:[/b] ($195.50) A[d]  (2 players, 1 all-in)

[b]Final Pot:[/b] $195. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=962]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 30 Sep 07 21:11:04 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Rules of Engagement</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=924]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Rules of Engagement 

For all of my loyal fans out there who check my blog every day hoping to get a line or two from me, =) sorry that I haven't written in a while but it's the end of the quarter and it's crunch time at work, we've also had lots of stuff going on at church, so I have been uber busy and have taken any spare time that I have to actually play poker instead of write about it.  (Wow, that's a long sentence.)  

I want to talk about managing when you play poker to optimize your win rate and minimize your losing sessions.  I really feel that the players who can better manage themselves will end up making more money at poker and that they'll be the ones who are still around 10 or 20 years from now.

Everyone has his or her own quirks as far as what works best for them concerning optimal playing times.  For me, I know that I play bad when I'm tired or rushed.  On my trip to Biloxi, MS earlier this month, I was coming off a bout with strep throat. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=924]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 27 Sep 07 15:12:49 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Coming Back!!</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=870]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Well, things are definitely running better here at the end of the month.  I recouped my online losses and am now in the positive for online play.  In fact, I've recovered everything except 4 buyins of the Live $200NL losses that I took at the first of this month.  I made it back into the black on Tuesday, but I had a session that put me into the clear on Thursday night.  I only played an hour or so, but was able to pick up a little more than 2.5 buyins at $100NL.  Here are the main 2 winning hands from last night, one is an auto call, the other is very close.  In fact, I was so unsure of the quality of my decision w/ the Qs, that I posted it on 2+2 for review.  The consensus was to call and let the variance sort it out.

Bodog No-Limit Hold'em, $1.00 BB (9 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

saw flop|saw showdown

UTG ($122.02)
 [b]Landlord79 ($100.00)[/b] 
MP1 ($158.00)
MP2 ($25.25)
MP3 ($104.25)
CO ($126.75)
Button ($127.00)
 [b]SB ($106.75)[/b] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=870]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 21 Sep 07 17:25:26 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>My good lady friend is smiling back on me again!!!</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=818]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[After a 10 Buyin downswing between Live $200NL and $50 to $100NL online, this is a welcomed change!!!

Bodog No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (9 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

MP1 ($65.90)
Landlord79 ($57.25)
MP3 ($8.40)
CO ($30.25)
Button ($6.75)
SB ($66.05)
BB ($121.80)
UTG ($43.15)
UTG+1 ($38.45)

Preflop: Landlord79 is MP2 with T[h] , T[s] .
UTG calls $0.50, UTG+1 calls $0.50, MP1 calls $0.50, Landlord79 raises to $3, 3 folds, SB calls $2.75, 1 fold, UTG calls $2.50, UTG+1 calls $2.50, MP1 calls $2.50.

Flop: ($15.50) T[c] , 9[s] , 5[d]  (5 players)
SB bets $10, UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, MP1 calls $10, [b] Landlord79 bets $54.25 (All-In), SB bets $63.05 (All-In), MP1 bets $62.9 (All-In).[/b] 
Turn: ($195.70) 9[d]  (3 players, 3 all-in)

River: ($195.70) K[c]  (3 players, 3 all-in)

Final Pot: $195.70

Results below: 
SB has Q[s]  Q[h]  (two pair, queens and nines). 
MP1 has 5[h]  5[c]  (full house, fives full of nines). [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=818]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Sat, 15 Sep 07 20:20:52 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Reversal of Fortunes</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=812]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Well, I wish that I had an awesome trip report to come back with, but unfortunately, ole lady Luck has reversed her favor on me.  After posting my best month ever last month, I've proceeded to drop 8 buyins between Live $200NL and online $25 to $100NL.  This has erased 2/3's of my win from last month, but I'm playing it safe and hanging in there.  

One thing that I'm doing while running bad is playing less and studying more.  I believe that desire has a lot to do with our win rate, "If I want to, I will.  If I don't care, I won't!"  It's that simple.  By playing less, I'm letting my desire grow and keeping my money off the table when things just aren't going my way.  I wish that I would have played a little less in Biloxi though so that I could have saved some more of last month's win.

Good friends are necessary when you are running bad, especially when it's a big fall after you're been running golden.   [b]BJJIII [/b] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=812]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 13 Sep 07 21:14:48 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>My Best Month Ever</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=724]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I just wanted to report in about what my best month ever looked like:

 [img]http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w148/controlserv/AugBME.jpg[/img] 

+$690 at online full ring cash games
+$725 at live $200NL at the Horseshoe-Bossier City
+$160 in MTT sharing
-$100 in Insurance
-$25 at online Omaha 8
+$200 in Home Games

 [b]Total profit of $1,650.00[/b] 
This breaks down into $26/hr total
Online win rate was 31BB/100 Hands

I know this isn't Balla or anything, but Brian Townsend once played $50NL too!

 [b]In Retrospect:[/b] 
Going busto on Full Tilt was the best thing that could have happened to me.  It got me to quit playing $10NL and got me back on Bodog where I ended the month playing $100NL.

My live cash game is really going good right now.  My game fundamentals are getting stronger coupled with the research and reading that I have done in the past concerning tells, I feel that I am really on top of my game. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=724]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 31 Aug 07 11:52:31 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Things keep getting better!!!</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=701]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[[b]Sputtering start, but a start indeed[/b]

My week started off very well as I picked up a buyin at $50NL on Monday night.  On Tuesday night I played 9 hands online for a $0.50 win.  I felt that my eyes were heavy and that I wouldn’t be sharp, so I quickly got offline.  After watching some T.V., I decided to try my hand at Omaha 8.  I know very little about that game but have played plenty of Stud 8, so I thought, what the heck!  I quickly dropped my $25 buyin and decided that I might want to learn a little something about that game before I try it again.

I played about 2 hours on Wednesday night, though I still didn’t feel that strong of a drive to crush the tables.  Only intending on playing for a quick 30-minute session, I found myself a slight loser when the 30 minutes was up.  Not having booked a losing session in my last 9 trials, I didn’t want to swallow that bitter pill. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=701]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Sat, 25 Aug 07 15:26:31 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>A Tough Day at the Horseshoe - Bossier City</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=690]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[This trip to the Horseshoe-Bossier City was filled with perils and pitfalls for me, both on the table and psychologically.  If you keep up w/ my blog, you know that I am on a total heater for the month of August.  One of the problems with running hot is that you can become over-confident in your own abilities.  Over-confidence leads to bad play, bad play leads to resignation to the variance of the game, resignation leads to acceptance of failure, and acceptance of failure leads to playing not to lose.  Playing not to lose isn’t winning poker; it’s a slow bleed of your bankroll that demoralizes you.  It’s a downward spiral and is very tough to pull out of.

[b] I continue to run WHITE HOT:  Parts I & II[/b]

[i]Part I[/i]

In the first hour at the table, I was playing tight and well.  I had basically broken even for a little while, when I got dealt [b] Pocket Rockets [/b] in MP.  There were 2 limpers ahead of me and I made it $12 to go. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=690]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 20 Aug 07 15:45:32 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>I'm still on FIRE!!!!  May this card rush never stop!!!</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=667]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I'm running so good I keep pinching myself and I have the bruises to prove it!!!

Bodog No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (9 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

saw flop|saw showdown

MP1 ($21.10)
MP2 ($47.56)
MP3 ($41.35)
CO ($49.25)
Button ($77.65)
SB ($68.65)
BB ($41.60)
[b]UTG ($24.30)[/b]
[b]Hero ($131.55)[/b]

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with 6[h] , 6[s] . 
UTG calls $0.50, Hero calls $0.50, MP1 raises to $2, 6 folds, UTG calls $1.50, Hero calls $1.50.

Flop: ($6.75) 5[d] , 4[s] , Q[c]  (3 players)
UTG checks, Hero checks, MP1 checks.

Turn: ($6.75) 7[h]  (3 players)
UTG bets $2, Hero raises to $6, MP1 folds, UTG raises to $10, Hero calls $4.

River: ($26.75) 6[d]  (2 players)
UTG bets $12.3 (All-In), Hero calls $12.30.

Final Pot: $51.35

Results in white below: 
UTG has Q[d]  4[d]  (two pair, queens and fours). 
Hero has 6[h]  6[s]  (three of a kind, sixes). 
Outcome: Hero wins $51.35. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=667]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 16 Aug 07 20:35:30 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Bankroll building Cont: En Fuego!!!!</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=647]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I'm not going to claim that I'm a good poker player, but as of right now, I'm having the best month of my poker career!!!  Well, except for the month that [b] BJJIII[/b] and I hit the BBJP at the Goldstrike in Tunica, MS, but that wasn't due to poker skillz, that was just dumb luck!  It's goot to travel w/ a luckbox like [b] BJJIII[/b] !!!

I moved up to $50NL on Sunday night and have been killing that game!  These folks fold and they fold after committing money to the pot.  They also commit their stacks on 2nd best hands way too often.  I'm up 5 buyins over the 4 short sessions that I have been playing 2 tables on Bodog.  I'll move back up to 3 tables when I get my gig of RAM in that I ordered this weekend.  I'm currently running w/ 256mb of RAM, and anyone who knows anything about Bodog knows that you need a ton of RAM to scratch all your itches on the Dog.  I also just bought PAHUD, though I am a little undecided on whether or not I like it better than GT+. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=647]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 14 Aug 07 21:08:16 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Bankroll building Cont: Official welcome to Bustoville!!!</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=631]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[[b] Bad News [/b]

Well, it finally happened.  Even after a cash influx I have still officailly hit bottom on my FT acct.  It's the 2nd time an acct has ever gone busto on me, and both times it has been on FT.  The hand was my AQo from LP that was called by the BB.  The flop was A-Q-6 rainbow, the BB leads into me, I raise, he reraises and I stuff my last bit of pocket change into the pot and he eventually calls.  Of course, he's got 66 for the bottom set and I'm just SOL.  I hate FT and FT hates me, this is probably better for both of us.  

[b] Good News [/b]

My Bodog acct took a shot in the arm today as I let a friend of mine play the Poker Source Online freeroll that I was entered into via the affiliate program offered there.  I had to attend a college graduation for one of my wife's friends, but he came through for me and took 3rd for a $320 payday, (I'll get to keep half of that. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=631]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Sat, 11 Aug 07 22:19:33 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Bankroll Gainer 5000! @ the Horseshoe-Bossier</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=621]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[ 
What can I say?  It was an awesome trip, I was reading people really well and the [url=http://www.tworags.com/HorseshoeBossierCity.html]Horseshoe - Bossier City[/url] was up to its usual high standards, I couldn’t have scripted a better weekend.  As I look through my notes I feel that I was clicking on all cylinders.  I made one really sick call and one really big lay-down—lay-downs aren’t that tough for me, but playing sheriff isn’t my forte.

The ‘Shoe recently replaced some of the pads around their tables and, boy, was that a welcome home for my elbows.  The staff was ever knowledgeable as a few situations came up that caused some players to get upset.  Which, if someone could clarify for me, I know it isn’t against the rules to turn your hand face up to try to get a read, but is it unethical?  I see nothing wrong w/ the play, especially if your opponent is already all in and you are considering a call. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=621]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 06 Aug 07 15:46:49 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>7/20/07 Tunica Trip report</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=589]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[To start this trip report off, I’d like to say that I love going to Tunica, it’s such an awesome place.  The food is awesome and the poker action is hot.  If you can find time to visit Tunica, you should go, but be prepared for some tough poker playing.

[b]The Gold Strike [/b]

It’s about a 4.5hr drive to Tunica, MS from where we’re at, which isn’t really that bad when you’re going to stay more than two nights.  The drive back does suck though, especially since all there is to see are farms and water towers to keep you awake after two long nights of poker playing.  We left early and arrived at the [url=http://www.tworags.com/GoldStrikeHotelCasino.html]Gold Strike[/url] casino for check in around 1pm and didn’t waste anytime getting to the card room floor.  I was really card dead for about 5 hours and basically just limped a lot and folded on the missed flops. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=589]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 23 Jul 07 18:53:00 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Bankroll building Cont:  I run BAD!!!!</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=569]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I run sooo Bad!  I wish I had BJJIII's luck!!!  AQ hand is a bad push on my part, the SB had just lost a vicious hand and I assumed he may be tilting, but the other 2 are just horrific.  I'm glad the broadway hand was against a short stack.

Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (9 handed) 

MP3 ($9.65)
Landlord79 ($15)
Button ($26.55)
SB ($11.35)
BB ($14.75)
UTG ($24.50)
UTG+1 ($11.90)
MP1 ($26.95)
MP2 ($27.05)

Preflop: Landlord79 is CO with A[c] , Q[h] .  Landlord79 posts a blind of $0.25.    
1 fold, UTG+1 calls $0.25, 2 folds, MP3 calls $0.25, Landlord79 (poster) raises to $1.5, 1 fold, SB raises to $4.75, 1 fold, UTG+1 folds, MP3 folds, Landlord79 calls $3.25.

Flop ($10.25) 5[c], Q[s], 5[h] (2 players)
SB checks, Landlord79 bets $10.25 (All-In), SB calls $6.60 (All-In).

Turn: ($27.10) 7[c] (2 players, 2 all-in)


River:($27.10) 3[d] (2 players, 2 all-in)

Final Pot: $27.10

Results below:
SB has Qd Qc (full house, queens full of fives). [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=569]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Sat, 14 Jul 07 15:11:57 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Variance and Insurance for Ring Play</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=559]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Poker is a game of ups and downs that we commonly refer to as variance.  For periods of time, whether they be days, weeks or months, players can run really hot or really cold.  I’ve seen absolute morons walk into a home game and destroy the room because the cards just hit them square in the face.  The average players complain about how bad the new guy is playing, but the truth is, you want him to come back and keep playing like he is playing, it will all average out in the end once variance has corrected itself.  And when that happens, the good players will be the ones holding the fat wallet.

Are we completely subject to variance?  Do we have any control over poker’s natural swings?  Most would say yes, we have no control and lady luck is holding all of the cards, all that we can do is get our money in good and hope that the cards hold up. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=559]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 10 Jul 07 17:07:28 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Horseshoe Bossier 6-23-07, Session Review</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=461]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Horseshoe, Bossier City, LA
6/23/07

One thing that I am starting to realize in live play is that table selection is vastly more important than it is for online play.  Equally important is being able to change gears to the needed style for the table.  Walking into the Shoe this Saturday, I was feeling great about my game and well rested.  Upon being seated I immediately recognized one young player as a very tough and aggressive opponent that I had played with before.  He already had a deep stack and was pushing the pace at the table.  To his left was another aggressive player, but I had never played with him before.  It seemed that one of them was raising pre-flop on 2 out of 3 hands, and I’m not talking about $6 or $8 raises, it was costing $17 to see a flop whether they were in position or in the blinds.  The rest of the players looked decent, and there didn’t seem to be a really soft spot anywhere. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=461]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 24 Jun 07 20:34:44 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Back on the slow-train</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=435]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[All right, since my last post there has been a little activity.  I played 2 SNG’s Saturday morning to try to pick up a quick addition to my bankroll.  I played a $4+.40 for a $26 token, but ended up losing out of that one in 5th.  I was looking for a FTPs SNG to win a seat or token but none were present.  I think the WSOP has gotten all of the satties and promos tied up for now.  I’ll keep looking for a +EV points tourney, I don’t like qualifiers into satellites because I just don’t have the time and in all honesty it just seems like a crapshoot.

I also played a $5+.50 SNG and got out of it rather quickly, maybe 7th.  I had one limper ahead of me and I was on the CO.  I’d played really tight up until this point and decided to make a move to pick up some chips.  This was probably a bad move as I was in a comfortable spot chip wise, probably 3rd or 4th.  I had 9-7s and raised the limper, both blinds folded and the limper called. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=435]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 19 Jun 07 16:31:13 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Bankroll building Cont:  a blow up!!</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=415]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I must say, June is turning out to be a very bad month so far.  I'm down about $250+ and am just not able to put in any wins.  After picking up $15 or so in my last post playing Stud 8, I turned around and dropped $14 Sunday night. Mostly due to going on tilt as I was agitated about some beats I had taken and why this stinking FT BR won't take off like my Bodog account.  I followed this up w/ some decent play at 10NL on Monday night, but one bad call put me down for the night and I wasn't able to recover.  I did cut my loss down to only $5 for the night, but the current roll stands at $40.40.


Check that, I just played tonight and picked up $7.75 at Stud 8 in 1 hr 15 min.  Bankroll is back up to $48.15.  I love making 7 high str8's to scoop the pot.  Stud 8 is so funny, you feel like you're are folding your life away then you catch a monster hand to scoop a big pot! [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=415]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 14 Jun 07 19:21:31 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Horseshoe Bossier 6-1-07</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=369]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I went to play cards at my favorite location this weekend, the Horseshoe- Bossier City.  I actually rented a room this time and was able to play some shorter sessions.  I really like staying at the place where you are playing because it is so convenient to take a break.  The hotel room was awesome, though I did get a smoking room instead of a non-smoking room.

The poker room was up to its usual high standards.  They created a new $1/2 NL table for us when we got there around 7pm and soon enough the entire poker room was schooling with fish.  The table this trip was much softer than the previous trip and a lot more talkative which makes playing that much more fun.

The only two big pairs that I had all weekend came semi-early.  I had 9-9 and K-K, both of which won uncontested with my continuation bets.  I know 9-9 isn’t a big pair, but when it is the 2nd biggest pair that you have all weekend is 9-9, you can call it a big pair. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=369]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 04 Jun 07 15:23:07 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Bankroll building cont: Stud 8   =)</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=363]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Just a quick update.  My wife was out of town last week, so I got a lot of card playing in, including a trip to the casino which I'll write about tomorrow at work!  =)  I'm just gonna throw in a quick line about Stud 8 that I played today while relaxing and taking a break from the NLHE grind. 

I'm no genius at stud 8, but the play seems really bad online.  I might invest in a book or two for the game (if someone could recommend something) because the players are just chasing rediculous stuff with no pot odds and no real draws.  They're chasing bad lows in heads up pots and generally just blowing money.  Like I said, I'm not very good at the game, but I've read Super System 1 and try to stick to those guidelines.  I love the freerolling part of the game when you make the nut low or a really strong high hand and are just blasting a three way pot, then you end up scooping the whole thing when they miss their low draws or you complete the wheel on the river. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=363]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 03 Jun 07 13:38:32 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Bankroll update!!  River plays</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=361]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Bankroll update!!

I know it’s been a while since I have posted about my Full Tilt bankroll building process, so I’m gonna try to get everyone up to date on where I’m at.

After running my roll up to $91+, I decided to take a single table shot at 25NL to try jump starting things.  The cards ran really bad and I was folding my life away so I opened a 10NL table just to help keep me occupied.  Two tables still wasn’t enough and the cards were still running cold, so I opened a 3rd table.  Things never turned to the good for the night and I ended up dropping over $30 on the night.  

Good fortune came my way in the form of a new poker friend during the last week or so.  We discussed strategies and theories and traded some hands for reviewing.  Despite running 19/8/2 ish, my new poker pal informed me that I was still playing weak tight.  OUCH!!  He referred me to an article concerning 6 max tables that talked about what hands this winning player was raising with preflop. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=361]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Sat, 02 Jun 07 20:33:35 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Bankroll building Cont: A goot night!!</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=326]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Wow!  I had a great night online Tuesday night!  I picked up $19.00 over 500 hands while 4 tabling.  This was the first time that I have played more than 3 tables, so it was quite a challenging experience.  I actually played 2 sessions Tuesday night, one before House and one after House.  I was down around $5 before House, but boy did things take off after House!  For the night I ran 23/9/5 which is right where I feel like I’m playing my best!

The hand that put me down early was AA, I’ve had this hand several times this month and it has been a loser for me.  In a raised pot pf, the flop falls K-Q-3r, and I led out strong on the flop.  I was smooth called by a rock but I thought he might be on AK or something.  The turn was a brick and I just pushed All in because a decent bet by me would have been $3 and the villain only had $6+, so I figured I was obligated to call a raise from him regardless, so I might as well push it in. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=326]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 18 May 07 15:12:36 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Horseshoe Shreveport 5-11-07</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=314]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[A friend and I arrived at the Horseshoe about 5pm on Friday the 11th.  We had called in 30 minutes out to put our name on the list and sure enough, we were close to the top of the $1/2NL list when we got there.  It didn’t take me but a second to clear up an issue I had concerning the reward points from the last session that I had played here.  I had played a 13.5 hour session last month and when I checked my players card online the preceding Monday I didn’t see the matching rewards dollars on my account.  The PRM assured me that it would be taken care of and sure enough, when I ordered my food later that night, there was plenty enough points to order my buddy and I an excellent meal each.  

Three or four tables were empty when we arrived, but within minutes the PRM had started a new table for us and we were off and running.  

The room is still my favorite so far, but the tables are starting to shed a little. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=314]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 16 May 07 16:00:24 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>BR building:  Playing scared...</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=312]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Sorry about the delay, work has gotten busy and it is harder to take some time and give updates about my bankroll building process.

I have been having a dilemma with Full Tilt about the size of their rake at $10/NL.  Two times the other night I had a split pot that ended up costing me money.  The rake of 10% for $10/NL with a $2 max is absurd.  Deciding whether or not to move up to $25/NL, which has a rake of only 5%, has really had me perplexed.  I had my mind made up until a fellow 2+2er made a comment that really hit home when he said something about playing with “scared money.”  Playing with scared money means that you don’t take a lot of chances and that you play so defensively that you almost cannot make money.  That really got me thinking about how I play and when I feel the most comfortable in my game.  

Take my current bankroll on Full Tilt, for $25/NL it represents less than 3 buyins. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=312]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 15 May 07 13:43:57 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Bank roll building (cont)</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=304]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I broke another of my disciplines Friday night, I have figured this one out with trial and error and I know I should abide by it.  I had a date night with my wife on Friday, and we skipped the movie after dinner to have a night alone at the house.  After being dazed for about 30 minutes I woke back up and was bored out of my mind.  The wife was out cold and wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon.  So, despite knowing that I play passively after intercourse, I jumped on the Internet to do the next best thing behind intercourse.  I only allowed myself to play one table of $10/NL, and I jumped on a $0.50 big bet Stud 8 table because I really enjoy that game.  It didn’t take me more than 30 min to lose my buyin on the NL table.  I got reraised by a very loose player from the big blind, I was in a steal position w/ 10-10 and thought that he was doing some defending.  The flop was a low one and I raised his bet all in.  He beat me to the middle w/ QQ.  I also lost $4.40 on the stud 8 table.  [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=304]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 08 May 07 08:49:10 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>This is way better than a Nascar points race!</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=298]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Moving up in the points race!
I played in my “other” home game last night.  The host set it up after my structure and it is a very enjoyable game.  He is also doing a points race with a “tournament of champions” at the end.  He is having 12 games and dropping your 3 lowest scores whereas I am doing 10 games and only dropping one score.  His TOC will only be a 6 handed table whereas mine will be 9 handed.  (I’m more interested in preserving the comradary of my game whereas he wants the competition.)  Last night was the 5th game in this series and I came into it in 4th place, trailing the leader/host by 22.8 points.  I ended up outlasting everyone who was ahead of me in points and finishing 3rd, which was good enough to move me into 2nd place in the points.  I have never pushed all in so many times in one game in all of my life. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=298]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 04 May 07 13:53:31 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Rags to Riches, Running Goot!!!</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=290]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (Landlord79)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Last night was a great night for my bankroll.  I made 17.79 BB/100 and played 312 hands while 3 tabling   (In English, that’s $11.10.)  That may not seem like much, but combined with the $5 bonus that Full Tilt released into my account, I had a net increase of 25.5% in my bankroll last night.  For the night I ran 16/ 7/ 4 and won 54% of my showdowns.  To me, that seems like the ideal numbers combination and is what I seek to achieve on a long-term basis.  

The bankroll stands at $79.20, which is a pretty good increase from the $12 that Two Rags gave me two weeks ago.

I had two hands last night where I utilized the check-behind.  The check-behind is when you have the initiative and are in position, you bet the flop when it is checked to you and check behind your opponent on the turn.  The check-behind is used for two main reasons.  First, you effectively control the size of the pot when your hand is not a big pot type of hand. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=290]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 02 May 07 12:29:26 -0400</pubDate>
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