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    <title>nath's blog</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>Thu, 07 Aug 08 21:17:04 -0400</lastBuildDate>
    
    <item>
      <title>Rebuilding mode</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2928]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Like an NFL team who bought a couple of expensive free agents to make a Super Bowl run and now finds themselves well over the cap, I'm in rebuilding mode.

I took some time off after Las Vegas to recharge my batteries, and now, reassessing the situation, my expenses there plus a downswing online have put me into rebuilding mode.  So I'm pulling up stakes and planning to grind lower limits for the month.  Low variance, low stress, good edge.  Without any significant travel expenses upcoming, I'll be able to do so without worry that I "need" to make money.  I can focus on playing my A game and just watching my bankroll grow.  I'll probably mostly play HU NL cash and Stud/8, two games where I feel my edge is relatively large / my variance is relatively low.

I may travel to Club One for the tournament series there in a week, but that'll be a short stay and not a major expense if I do go. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 30 Jul 08 17:20:56 -0400</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>Unwinding at home</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2897]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Well, I've been home for a week now, just unwinding.  Very little playing poker-- I tried for a couple days, but I still needed to decompress before I can play well.

However, I've got a few things up-and-coming there.  I'm going to transition more to cash games; my goal from here on forward is to identify whereever my biggest edge is, and take it.  That could be in any game; I've got to be properly rolled for the game and prepared to play it well.

I've also begun coaching MTTs.  I've received some interest since I've been back, so I'm looking to take on a few more students and see how it goes. I feel good about the sessions I've run so far; I find it pretty easy to talk about the game while it's going on, and about what I would be doing and why, how I think about tournaments.

I don't have any specific plans to play tournaments until the FTOPS; I'll be selling action for that (and the WCOOP as well). [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Sat, 19 Jul 08 23:50:34 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Out of the main event</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2856]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Not very interesting.  I raised ATo and won the blinds and antes; I raised A7o on the button and folded to a shove (he showed AQo); I shoved AKo over a raise, got called by TT, and lost.

My goal for the day was not to make any mistakes, and I didn't.

I'm leaving Vegas soon-- not much other reason for me to be here.  After some time to decompress, I'll be back to finding a way to make that money... I have a few new ideas I'm working on.  Oh, speaking of ideas, I have a couple good ones for blog posts, that I hope to finish soon and post (I'll find motivation one way or another).]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Jul 08 23:08:39 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>and on to Day 3</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2848]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I have 38,700 chips.  It was a rocky day for me, and I had something to do with that, with my impatience and attempts to make things happen when I didn't need to.

Tomorrow's goal is to stay relaxed and mistake-free.  Making the money would also be nice.]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Jul 08 07:40:04 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>WSOP ME Day 1</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2818]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I finished day 1 with 58,825 chips.  After I won a big pot in the first hour, I basically did nothing until the last hour, when I caught a big rush.

It started when I called a CO open from the button with A4ss (1050 at 200/400/50; I have 28k and cover him but not my much).  The SB with 20k or so also calls.
The flop is Q6s3s.  Checks to me and I bet 2200.  The small blind makes it 5500, so I think for a few seconds and put him in.  After a couple minutes he finally calls with the KQ.  I turn an ace (and bink a four as well, just for good measure).
Very next hand I'm stacking my chips and it folds to me with QQ; I throw out 1200.  The young kid in the SB pretty quickly makes it 4200, so I grab all the orange chips I just won and stick them in the middle.  He tanks like 3 minutes (he had 30k behind-- oops) before folding what he said was AhQh.  I didn't realize he was so deep, or I would've picked a different raise size. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Mon, 07 Jul 08 06:18:24 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>WSOP Voice Blogs - Day 1d</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2809]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[[url=http://tworags.com/files/nath_voiceblog1.mp3]Day 1d - First Update[/url]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Mon, 07 Jul 08 00:11:33 -0400</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>the $1500 and the Main Event</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2795]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I busted 82nd in the $1500.  The hands have been reported, but basically, I doubled up in a huge pot when I called a shove with an overpair on the turn, and then I gave some away steadily until I punted 2/3 to Matt Matros with the 22 < 77.  I'm still debating my shove; there were a lot of factors that made it very close, and mostly I'm upset that I didn't take more time to think about them.

Since them, I've been resting some and preparing for the Main Event.  I'm trying to keep my mind fresh; I was playing some stud hi/lo earlier in the week to try to grind out some money, but I gave some back in the last couple of days and realized that I had let myself get complacent with my play.  It's funny what a continuous struggle that is.

I'm planning to play the Main Event on Sunday.  So meantime I've been trying to keep my head clear... I've been mixing it up with rest, physical exercise, and trying to play other games to keep my poker mind sound (but to not burn out on tournaments). [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Fri, 04 Jul 08 17:47:51 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Made day 2 of the $1500</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2766]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[First day 2 and first cash of the series.  I have 65k going into day 2 at 800/1600/200.  I'm exhausted so no full writeup but more will come when it's all over and I'm rested.]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 08 07:17:34 -0400</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>Not setting the live poker world on fire</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2752]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Brief review of my last three live tournaments:

-I start at a very tough table in the 5k six-handed and bleed chips until the table breaks.  I double up AQ > 55 the last hand before that table breaks.  I take my 11k to 22k at my new table and then slowly hover and bleed away until I inevitably bust shoving the T6o with 9100 chips at 600/1200/100.
-I ran my stack up to 9k early in the 2k, then gave away a bunch of it check-shoving 77 on a 468 flop in a reraised pot.  AA good.  Oops.  I short stacked the rest of the day until that table broke; the third hand at my new table I open shove 99 from the SB with 2200 chips at 100/200/25.  A young-ish Euro calls with A2 and flops 345.
-The $1500 actually had a lot of interesting hands.  I couldn't find my wallet this morning, so I showed up an hour and a half late, but I more or less short stacked until I caught a huge rush at 100/200/25 and ran it up to 17. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 29 Jun 08 05:48:34 -0400</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>Ordered a new laptop today</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2728]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[After some hassles with a bank that has a dim view on shipping to a different address than the billing address, the order should go through today and I'll have a new one in time to start updating when stuff goes down again.

Conveniently enough, I had a vacation scheduled these few days already.  I've been utterly refusing to play poker, and it feels good.  My brain needed a rest, and I clearly needed to stop pressuring myself so much to win.

Sunday's results were nothing special (651st in the million, 8th in the 215 HU), but overall a profitable day, and more importantly, I had mentally reminded myself to keep attacking, to not shy away from big pots, to not fear busting out, and I feel my play, at least initially, was much better as a result.  I wasn't able to maintain the same level of play throughout the day, but getting off on the right foot felt good.

Anyway, it's more rest until the $5k shorthanded at the WSOP on Thursday.  I pretty much [i]have[/i] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Tue, 24 Jun 08 21:40:44 -0400</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>Technologically deprived</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2716]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Apologies for no updates the last few days.  I've been out of communication because my laptop-- which was already my backup laptop, broken keys and prone to fits and starts-- finally stopped taking a charge, and thus for all intents and purposes no longer functions.  This may be fixable, and as soon as I get some money offline from Saturday's scores, I'll likely buy a new one.

On top of that, my iPod inexplicably gave up the ghost a couple of days ago.  So now I have no music and no reliable source of communication with the Internet world.  This is a little difficult for me.

I'm making it, though.  I still have my blackberry (when it doesn't run out of batteries).  It's just hard for me to post unless I can sneak onto someone's laptop long enough to do that.  Usually this means someone has made it deep into a live tournament, though, so they don't mind.

Anyway, updates will be sporadic until I get a permanent means to update.  Meantime, nothing exciting has happened. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Thu, 19 Jun 08 21:17:22 -0400</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>the groove, and the grind, pays off</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2692]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I busted the $1500 today about 3 1/2 hours in; I donked my stack down to 600 at one point, fought valianty back, then lost A9 < QJ and A3 < A4 to end it.

I felt like I still had some poker in me, though, so I fired up an online session.

...I was right!  I took 2nd in the Stars nightly $100k and 1st in their $55 50k.  I took a series of gross beats HU in the $100k, but won a long battle in the $55 where I blew a chip lead, fought back from down 3:1, and eventually closed out.

It feels like.  I definitely ran good-- I picked up hands at the right time and won some crucial flips.  But I felt my play on the whole was solid, in retrospect.  I feel like a few days here, playing lots of poker and surrounded by poker players, as well as a day of rest, is keeping my game sharp.

I'm gonna try to wind down now.  I'm debating whether to play the Sundays or the $3k at the WSOP.]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 15 Jun 08 06:04:33 -0400</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>I posted yesterday's hands</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2690]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[on 2+2 in the High Stakes MTT forum:

 [url=http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthread.php?t=226345]Four quick decisions from yesterday's $2k nl[/url] 

 [url=http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=226352]interesting pf spot from yesterday's 2k NL[/url] ]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Sat, 14 Jun 08 06:21:59 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Two long and fruitless days</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2686]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Well, I arrived Tuesday night and jumped right into Wednesday's 5k and Thursday's 2k.  In each tournament I made it to the break after dinner with 12.5k going to 500/1000/100, and each time I busted 15-20 minutes into the level, with about 80% of the field gone.

So I've played two eleven-hour days and had no cashes.  I think I'm playing mostly well, although I made several mistakes each day that I could have avoided.  I absolutely have to clean those up; mistakes in NL tournaments are incredibly costly.

I'm taking the day off to do just that, rest and relax before hitting Saturday's $1500.

I do have some interesting hands I played, but I'm too tired right now to describe them in anything but shorthand, which makes for terrible reading.  Plus, I've talked about them incessantly today. I'll post them tomorrow.]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Fri, 13 Jun 08 08:17:15 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Last Call Before Las Vegas</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2666]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I'm leaving for the WSOP on Tuesday.  I'm getting there a little late, but I wasn't quite ready to go.  I had to finish some things at home, not to mention get myself ready.

I've been playing little poker in the last week, but I've been embarking on a more general crusade to get myself (and keep myself) physically and mentally sound for the series.  I feel like, at this point, I'm playing pretty well, and have a good idea and understanding of what to do in given situations, so now it's a matter of keeping myself in game shape so I can have the stamina and patience for long sessions of live poker, and be mentally sharp and aware of all the information being transmitted.

I'll be putting in about a dozen events there, after which I'll be back home, resuming a (relatively) ordinary life.

Oh: I had my first coaching session a few days ago.  I thought it went pretty well, although I was unfortunately unable to find too many interesting spots to use as examples. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Mon, 09 Jun 08 04:18:54 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>There are good times, too</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2605]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Full Tilt Poker Game #6601960394: $14,000 Guarantee (Rebuy) (49477142), Table 6 - 100/200 - No Limit Hold'em - 18:16:42 ET - 2008/05/28
Seat 1: wookie78 (8,680)
Seat 2: cimeronn100 (1,376)
Seat 3: jojodezil (8,936)
Seat 4: Hennesy x (5,015)
Seat 5: scope-dee (13,920)
Seat 6: orllv (6,543)
Seat 7: vasika (13,340)
Seat 8: sintik222 (7,816)
Seat 9: Tony Pisser (9,620)
cimeronn100 posts the small blind of 100
jojodezil posts the big blind of 200
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Tony Pisser [Jc Jd]
Hennesy x folds
scope-dee raises to 13,920, and is all in
orllv folds
vasika folds
sintik222 folds
Tony Pisser calls 9,620, and is all in
wookie78 folds
cimeronn100 folds
jojodezil folds
scope-dee shows [Qh 3d]
Tony Pisser shows [Jc Jd]
Uncalled bet of 4,300 returned to scope-dee
*** FLOP *** [Kh Ah Kd]
*** TURN *** [Kh Ah Kd] [3h]
*** RIVER *** [Kh Ah Kd 3h] [5d]
scope-dee shows two pair, Kings and Threes
Tony Pisser shows two pair, Kings and Jacks
Tony Pisser wins the pot (19,540) with two pair, Kings and Jacks
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 19,540 | Rake 0
Board: [Kh Ah Kd 3h 5d]
Seat 1: wookie78 (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: cimeronn100 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 3: jojodezil (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: Hennesy x didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: scope-dee showed [Qh 3d] and lost with two pair, Kings and Threes
Seat 6: orllv didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: vasika didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: sintik222 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: Tony Pisser showed [Jc Jd] and won (19,540) with two pair, Kings and Jacks


More later, but just a reminder that this thing gets goofy, silly, and fun sometimes.  (I complain too much.)]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 28 May 08 18:21:11 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>speaks for itself</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2562]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[16 left in the FTOPS $300r 6-max. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Thu, 15 May 08 04:19:30 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Slaves to fate</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2550]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Sunday my run in the Million was cut short in 82nd.  These three hands took me apart:

Poker Stars $200+$15 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t10000/t20000 Blinds - 9 players
The Official 2+2 Hand Converter [url=http://www.deucescracked.com/?referrer=converter_2p2]Powered By DeucesCracked.com[/url]

BB: t387978
UTG: t576253
[b]UTG+1: t78438[/b]
UTG+2: t326300
MP1: t275780
MP2: t311466
[b]CO: t398967[/b]
BTN: t189438
[b]Hero (SB): t557064[/b]

[b]Pre Flop:[/b] Hero is SB with K:diamond: A:diamond:
[i]1 fold[/i], UTG+1 raises to t76438 all in, [i]3 folds[/i], CO raises to t396967 all in, [i]1 fold[/i], Hero raises to t555064 all in, [i]1 fold[/i]

[b]Flop:[/b] (t908372) 4:spade: A:heart: K:club: (3 players - 3 are all in)

[b]Turn:[/b] (t908372) 2:heart: (3 players - 3 are all in)

[b]River:[/b] (t908372) T:heart: (3 players - 3 are all in)

[b]Final Pot:[/b] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Tue, 13 May 08 03:43:24 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>If you don't grind, you don't shine</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2502]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[And a diamond is just a lump of coal until it's been under pressure.

And other platitudes to make me feel better about the frustration of the last few days.

I've been trying to put in lots of volume, both to rebuild my online bankroll and to prepare myself for Vegas.  Unfortunately, there have been a lot of close-but-no-cigar chances at scores-- slight cashes, money bubbles, and the like-- and even the occasional final table doesn't quite pan out.  Tonight I finished 6th in the Stars $22r for $1600, which put me at +600 on the day-- which does beat losing, but it's a far cry from the big score I could have used.

I busted many things in painful fashion as well-- getting outdrawn, losing races, and being victimized by the Timex theorem more than once (essentially, your opponent always has the weakest hand possible that dominates yours).  Just seemed like a day where I couldn't make the right decision in any close spot. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Thu, 08 May 08 06:12:15 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>A disappointing Sunday, but not one without hope</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2433]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[So I decided to give it a full Sunday schedule today.  Started at 1 PM (Central) with the $109r on Stars and the $240 knockout/warmup/I'm-not-sure-what-they-call-it on Full Tilt, and just ended with a 7th-place finish in the afternoon 11r-- I came in 3rd in chips and proceeded to lose all three pots I played.

So with that and a 150-something finish in the million as my only cashes on the day, I can call my day disappointing-- holding the promise of bigger paydays only to leave me short yet again-- but at the same time, I have reason to feel positive about my play.  I avoided major mistakes and got value in good spots, and evaluated situations accurately (or at least I felt that way in retrospect).  I also started noticing mistakes I was making as I played, and I think I did a good job of plugging them as I went along.  This says good things about both my ability to objectively evaluate my play and to keep focused for long periods of time. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Mon, 28 Apr 08 02:42:11 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Even &quot;normal&quot; life isn't that normal</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2410]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Well, April has been, among other things, hectic and bizarre, so if you're wondering why I haven't written in a long time, you'll have your answer soon.

The end of March and early April was spent locating and moving into our new house.  The short version of this story is that I've been looking to settle back into Houston for a few months now-- I've had no real permanent home for a long while, and wanted a day-to-day life that was more stable and where I spent more time with my friends. With some luck and some work, I landed a house I had my eye on and moved in with a couple of friends.  It's beautiful, in my part of town, and not too expensive (although furnishing it hasn't been particularly cheap).

Of course, this would be taking up enough of my time until now weren't it also for the series of absurd events I encountered. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Tue, 22 Apr 08 01:44:53 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Is April the cruelest month?</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2242]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[So my vacation from poker is about to come to an end.  I'm currently in Seattle, where I've been hanging out with my cousin the last few days.  (I went to visit some other people, see some shows, and clear my head a little, and when I remembered she was here, I got in touch with her.)  It's been great-- she and I haven't gotten to spend much time in close proximity over the years, but we've always been close, and as we've gotten older we've stayed surprisingly similar.  Being around family who are like you, where you can relax and be yourself and be loved and accepted, is exactly the sort of thing I needed to get centered before tournament time.

Speaking of tournament time: I'll be spending the next few days in Houston, seeing friends, and more importantly looking for a new place to live. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Sat, 29 Mar 08 02:39:22 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>Time Flies, but I Still Try to Plan</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2173]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Sigh.  I just wrote a really long entry detailing my upcoming plans and lost it when I had to re-log in.  Note to self, write long entries in a Word document first.  Here's another go, albeit shorter and more succinct:

So I apologize for not writing sooner-- time has, indeed, been flying.  I haven't been doing anything poker-related; in fact, the last week has been a complete party, which would be irresponsible if I hadn't budgeted my schedule for it well in advance of the LAPC.

I'm going home for a few days, though, to rest, relax, and see my family.  After that, I'm hitting the road again.

First comes the last leg of my vacation: I'll be in Seattle; I need to visit a few people there, and I found a couple of good concerts to go to as well.  I've never been, and I'm pretty excited.  

After that comes business. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 19 Mar 08 02:51:04 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>checking back in</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2062]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Been taking time off poker lately since I've gotten back from L.A.  (Okay, I did enter some events on Sunday, but after busting out of the two biggest ones after getting my money in as a big favorite in big pots, I said "fuck this" and quit.  It's just as well; I certainly wasn't at my sharpest that day.

That's the only thing I've played since I left, though.)  Mostly I've been just hanging out with friends, nothing too exciting.  Looking for a place to call home in Houston the next few months (and possibly beyond, depending on where my life takes me).

One thing I have been doing is finding other stuff to keep me occupied and mentally sharp.  I haven't been sitting around watching TV-- there's been chess, basketball, [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonggi]gonggi[/url], yoga, and more.  The physical stuff helps, too-- much of it involves focus, discipline, and technique, all of which comes into play at the table. [[ 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 04:57:17 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>leaving Los Angeles in approximately twelve hours</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2025]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I feel a need to get back home.  I've had enough of poker and enough living in a casino.

I didn't really even get to see Los Angeles-- just like last year.  And while I played well early, I felt my game slipping as it became more and more difficult to eat right and exercise.  I can already feel the effects after not even ten days.

I realized just how much better I feel when I'm living right.  It's damn near impossible to do on the road.  I need a consortium of likeminded players who seek to stay healthy and active while they're traveling the circuit.

Anyway, I need to get back to that.  The 10/20 did not treat me well; I did not play well.  [i]No más.[/i]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 27 Feb 08 06:16:23 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>the socialism of the tournament poker scene</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2009]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[(subtitle: How people support each other on the road and how they improve each other's games.)

It starts with the small things.  Poker players are among the most generous people in the world when it comes to the small things.  When you're used to playing for four-, five-, six-, and even seven-figure amounts, writing off $5 or $10 for a friend, based on whoever has the most money on them at the time, knowing you'll get it back the same way, isn't anything you think twice about.

And when someone hits a big score, they'll usually have something celebratory.  The degree, of course, varies depending on the size of the score or the particular ostentatiousness of the winner.  (I myself usually like dinner and drinks.)  But they'll do it with friends.  And these friends are friends who sweat and support them and talk about hands with on breaks.  Friends who are there for moral support and to make sure you play your best at a time when the money is the biggest. [[ 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 06:55:21 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>talked to some people about my bustout hand</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2007]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Most of them think I played it fine.  I disagree, because my initial instinct was to squeeze preflop, and I strive to always trust that first.  But it is a good reassurance that the mistakes I made this trip weren't [i]big[/i] mistakes-- either small pots or close, tough decisions.]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2007]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 25 Feb 08 05:55:02 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>busted LAPC ME</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=2003]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I won my first pot at showdown of the entire tournament at the 200/400/50 level.  Then the next level I screwed up PF when gbecks opened 1800 in the CO and Fred Goldberg called the button.  I had 66 in the BB and should have made it 7800 like my first instinct told me to; instead I flat called.  Led 4k on a 432cc flop and gbecks called; when he shoved 2x pot on the 9d turn I thought it through and decided some sort of combo draw was his most likely hand and called.  No, he had A5.  The 6 turn just added insult to injury.

Just another painful reminder that one mistake is all it takes.

I'll probably play some cash for the next few days and then take off.  Lingering around after a bustout is no fun.

[i]edit: I had about 25k on my bustout hand.[/i]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 24 Feb 08 18:16:19 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>survived day 1</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1997]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I have 16,300 chips.  I would very much like to have more but Michael Mizrachi runs like god against me postflop.  To wit:

(all of these hands happened after the dinner break)

100/200/25.  Nam Le limps in EP, another guy limps, I limp 74hh two off the button, SB completes, Grinder checks the BB.  Flop is Q62 with two hearts.  Grinder bets 625, I call, SB calls.  Turn is 5h.  Checks to me and I bet 1700.  Only Grinder calls, and when the 9h hits the river he donks out 2k or so.  sigh.  I just fold, although maybe I should have bluff-raised.  My hand isn't good anymore, anyway.

150/300/50.  Grinder limps UTG, two off the button limps, I have KK on the button (side note, the first time I've picked up kings this entire trip) and make it 1700.  Grinder calls and other limper folds.  Flop comes Ah9h9x.  Grinder donks 2500.  Sigh.  In frustration I call to see if he'll fire the turn. [[ 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=1997]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 24 Feb 08 02:06:23 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>took 2nd in the $1585</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1980]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[as much as i want to win i really can't complain about cashing for 80k.  michael binger won and he played well so i can't fault that.  it unfortunately for me came down to two big hands where i lost AK < JJ and AT < KQ and thus went from a 2:1 CL to out.

i'm not sure if i have any specific exciting stories; the name of my game was more or less "stay patient and focused and whenever you find aces someone else will pick up a hand too".  i did make some clutch resteals in the late game (12-9 players) where i seem to have inadvertently folded a better hand a couple of times.

maybe tomorrow i'll have more.  i'm too tired to put together a coherent narrative (or use the shift key).  i'm going to take friday off and get myself physically and mentally sharp for the main event.]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1980]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 22 Feb 08 06:44:23 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>made day 2 of the 1585</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1970]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I have 54,000 in chips going back at 1k/2k.  18 of us left; tough field.

I'm too tired to post specific hands, but what's most notable is that I had to exhibit some extreme patience-- getting almost no hands the first few hours, followed by QQ in the BB vs. KK on the button that knocked me down to 200 at 75/150.  By the end of 100/200/25 I had 23.5k.

How to go from 200 to 23,500 in 14 easy steps:

1)Call all-in in the SB with Q8o after button opens 32s and hold.
2)Shove 550 with K9o, get called by AQs, flop a 9.
3)Shove AQo from BB over CO open, get called by A3o, and chop.  (Boo)
4)Shove 77 over UTG open, get called by A2s, double up.
5)Go to dinner break with 3k.
6)Come back from dinner (at 100/200 now), pick up AA in SB, shove over EP open, pick up pot.
7)Open QQ in LP, call all-in from the BB, hold vs. AKs.
8)Open JJ, get 3 callers, bet the KKK flop, take it down.
9)Open AA UTG, get called by BB, raise his donkbet on the Q42 flop.  Now we're at 14k. [[ 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=1970]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 21 Feb 08 07:21:13 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>fun hand from LAPC $545</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1963]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[This hand was against the man who doubled me up with the 77 vs. my JJ.

Let me set up the action with an earlier hand:

Blinds 25/50, pot is five or even six ways.  Flop is 4h 7d 8d; SB (the young / predictable kid with the kings earlier) bets out 250, and the man from the last hand calls.  Turn is 2c; check/check.  River is offsuit J; check/225, and SB thinks a bit, grumbling, finally calling and being shown Jd Td.

Now onto the hand I played:

50/100.  He open limps (I believe he was CO at this point).  SB completes and I check K2cc.  Flop is A55 rainbow.  Checked around.  Turn Qh puts up two hearts.  I bet 150 to try to take it down.  He shrugs and calls. River is a black 7; I check, he bets 375, and I call.

Why did I do that?  Some tells and some logic.

The tell:  He didn't do anything specific to reveal his exact hand, obviously. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 20 Feb 08 04:12:46 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>LAPC $545 and a fun hand</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1964]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I busted out shortly after the first break.  Important facts and hands:

2500 starting chips, blinds 25-25, 40 minute levels.

The table was a reminder of why i need to play live more: Mostly loose, mostly passive, occasionally bluffy, very straightforward.

Possibly interesting hands:

Second or third hand at the table I pick up AQs and open to 100 in MP.  Older gentleman two seats down calls.  Flop is K83 two hearts (I have spades).  I c-bet 150; he calls pretty quickly.  Turn is an offsuit 10; I think a few seconds and check; he bets 300 pretty quickly.  I start to wonder if he's a floaty type and that's a timing tell; I don't have anything to go on so I just fold.

A very friendly and not-bad-but-not-good-either middle-aged lady raises in EP to 100 and I call with 55 on the button.  Flop T64; check/check.  Turn Q; check/100 because I know I have the best hand; she calls quickly.  River J; she thinks a few seconds and checks.  I check; AJ good.  Sigh. [[ 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=1964]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 20 Feb 08 04:07:04 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>last thoughts before L.A.</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1906]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Life has been busy lately; I've been looking for a new place to live and been bouncing around a little as a result.  I've managed to play some poker; oddly enough, I've had my best sessions in late nights or hanging around other people.  My worst are when I'm focused and commit to grinding.  This makes me worried, because I'm obviously going to spend more time playing online when I'm by myself than with other people.  I think I encounter severe tilt problems when I'm alone and hit a bad streak.

This is a huge problem because I end up dusting off tons of money after hot streaks when I put in one bad day where I shouldn't play, but do anyway, and don't make myself quit.  Three times this calendar year already I've had a winning streak abruptly crushed by one terrible day.

The days where I work out and take care of myself I do well.  The days I just play poker and don't have a life I do poorly.  Seems like an easy correlation and one that's easy to manage. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Fri, 15 Feb 08 18:27:28 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>Sorry about the lack of recent updates</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1817]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I'd been really pushing myself to play a lot this week, and as a result, when I finished a session, I didn't always want to think, talk, or write about poker right away. (Or, at least a few times, I was venting to someone about the bad run I was having.)

I did run pretty badly this week by, I think, about any measure.  But I also played a lot and put in a lot of hands, and so even though I ran badly, I feel like I learned a lot from them, that getting back into the mix shook the rust off my brain a little.  Now that I was playing regularly, what people were doing and why clicked much faster with me.

Just looking at my stats now, I put in a shade over 12k hands and all of my profit came at HU.  I was a slight loser overall at 6-max, but I put in solid winrates at 1/2 and 2/4 HU.  Of course, it's only one week; my 6-max results were partly due to bad luck, and partly because I probably tilted some off (though I can't think of any specific hand I played badly right now). [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 03 Feb 08 06:20:38 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>Professional, at least for a day-- and an ill-timed analogy</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1773]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I put in over 4,000 hands on Monday.  I rarely do anything like that, but I was feeling the need to work, and I decided to just stay home all day, buckle down, and multitable.  Playing mostly 6-max and mixing in HU matches when a good one was available, I came out a small winner.  I ran pretty badly (there's a funny stretch in PokerEV where you can see me break even on "Sklansky bucks" for 200 hands and drop something like 5 BI in showdown winngs), but even so, I played my B-C game for the last 1000 hands or so, and I definitely spewed a couple buyins in bad spots.  So, running badly or not, I have much work to do.

But I did feel good about the fact that I stuck to it and put in 4000 hands.  Not that I plan to do that frequently (and obviously, it's [i]bad[/i] to do that if I'm playing my B-C game), but knowing that I'm capable of it when I need to be was a big boost of confidence. [[ 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=1773]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 23 Jan 08 19:44:32 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>First few days in the books</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1743]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[So far the grinding is going well.  I need to put in more hours, but I'm playing well and game-selecting well, and as a result I'm up about 3k in the last week despite not putting in enough hours.

Of course, sometimes it's just being in the right place at the right time.   [url=http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showpost.php?p=2254738&postcount=2405]Here is a thinly veiled brag on what happens when you find yourself with a player itching to make moves and give his money away.[/url]

I've been doing my best to avoid falling into the "2+2 Standard Line" trap.  What I mean is, there is a tendency by people on 2+2, particularly in SSNL and MTT, to take certain "standard" lines to avoid giving away information or avoid being "exploitable".  The problem with this is that they rarely adapt to their opponents; they don't size their bets in an efficient manner, they don't realize that a 60/5/0.7 checkraising the flop is not the same as a 32/28/5 doing it. [[ 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=1743]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 17 Jan 08 19:20:00 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>a humbling moment</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1696]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Even after everything I've done, I have a long way to go, and a lot to do before I really "make it".  Today's reminder of that:

My [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nic_Pizzolatto]brother[/url] and [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darcy_Verot]brother-in-law[/url] both have wikipedia pages, and I don't.

Hopefully, by the end of 2008, this won't be the case.  (Out of merit, not pity, guys.)]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1696]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 11 Jan 08 01:50:39 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>I have not disappeared</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1690]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Haven't played poker at all this year.  I went to Houston for a few days, then Baton Rouge for the BCS Championship Game (Geaux Tigers!) and now I'm in Lake Charles, visiting family (I have three nieces and a nephew under five, and I get to have all the fun with none of-- well, minimal-- responsibility) and hitting a few medical appointments (my family physician and dentist are both here).

I'll be living in Houston for the rest of the month, and it's gonna be grind grind grind (and occasionally play guitar and go out on dates).  Once I get back I'll have more to write, both about my play and some ideas I've been kicking around (I always say that-- and I would do something tonight-- but all my material is on my desktop and my regular laptop, which needs repairs).  In a couple of days, poker will be #1 priority again, and you'll hear a lot more from me.]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1690]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 09 Jan 08 23:41:16 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>2007 year in review/what's coming in 2008</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1612]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[So I got hammered yesterday-- mixing in no tournament cashes with a 12-buyin cash downswing.  My "big month" that I had anticipated after the 2nd place HU finish and the big Sunday with the few deep runs evaporated; I had something like 27k in tournament cashes, and if I hadn't, I would have gotten stomped badly this month.

Even so, the year ended okay.  Making myself focus on cash for a while improved my game in both areas, and even though I kept running into obstacles moving up, I'm confident that with some discipline and care in game selection, I will succeed.

So what does success mean, exactly?

In 2008, I have a few goals both in terms of what I want to have accomplished as a poker player, and how I want to approach the game.  

In terms of how I want to approach the game, I think it can be best summarized in these two words:
Be Professional.

That means it's time for me to approach poker like a job, not a hobby. [[ 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=1612]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 31 Dec 07 18:36:37 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>Merry Christmas to all</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1586]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[...regardless of which particular holiday you celebrate, today is a day for love and joy, a reminder of what really matters in life.  I am in Lake Charles visiting family after spending a few days in Houston visiting friends.

Last night I played a session of 2/4 cash because I heard the games were really good.  I dropped 4 buyins in about 1k hands.  I ran pretty badly but I'm sure I made a ton of mistakes, the first one being sitting in at all when I had resolved not to play any poker over the holidays.

This week I'll have posts up about my 2007 year in review and what I'm planning to do in 2008.

Also I have a couple theory things I'm working on.  They need some serious editing before I put them in the public eye, though.

Happy holidays.]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1586]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 25 Dec 07 19:05:26 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>donkaments, life, psychology</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1511]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I final tabled my second consecutive UBOC event on Wednesday night (I didn't play Monday or Tuesday's events), taking 8th in the PLO8.  Obviously 8th is a frustrating result-- especially since I won a big pot when the FT started to take the chip lead with 9 left.  The next four pots I played where money went in post flop, I got 0, 1/4, 0, and 0 from.  I may have overplayed some hands, but I'm pretty sure in a split-pot game that counts as running bad.  (Speaking of running bad, I had dodged some bullets and stealthily skulked around with a short stack in the FTP 55k last night, to get into the money, and then the servers crashed.  The way I was playing I felt sure I would win it.  Oh well.)

I've been considering returning to the live circuit in 2008.  I feel like I'm playing well, when I trust my instincts and the reads I make.  I almost owe it to myself to try for another big score, and this fits well when the plan I've laid out for my life in the next couple of years. [[ 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=1511]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 14 Dec 07 23:04:24 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>Quick Sunday update</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1476]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Had one of the simultaneously most successful and frustrating Sundays I've had in a while.

to summarize:

-16th in the Stars Sunday Warmup.
-25th in the Stars Sunday Million.
-6th in the UltimateBet UBOC event (a $200 NLH, like their usual Sunday)

Overall I made almost 17k but the three first prizes combined for something like 330k.  And yes, I do believe I could have won all three of those.

More later.  I'm exhausted now.  Playing for 12 hours without a break, running the high-wire act that is tournament poker, will do that.]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1476]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 10 Dec 07 01:02:45 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>November wrapup</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1437]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[November was not my best month in poker.  Buoyed by my success at 1/2 and my desire to take it slow and play overrolled, I found myself, either consciously or not, slacking.  Since I was sitting overrolled, and I had been winning, I made a fatal mental mistake:  Assuming that just showing up would get me the money.  It did not.

I wasn't bringing my A game, and my winrate was slipping noticeably.  Once I realized this, I also realized something about myself: I [i]need[/i] to move up aggressively, because I have to keep challenging myself to stay engaged.  If I play a game overrolled, I become less concerned with winning or losing, and I stop trying, assuming that if auto-pilot I'll make money.  Realizing this was important and caused me to change my approach; I now intend to move up aggressively whenever possible.

I did take a couple shots at 2/4 HU and ran pretty badly at them. [[ 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=1437]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 03 Dec 07 15:09:44 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>Rolling right along through the holidays</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1361]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[So I'm back in Louisiana visiting the folks for Thanksgiving.  In between big homecooked meals and football, both televised and backyard, I found the time to play a little poker.

First, though, I forgot to mention that I finished 21st in the Stars 2nd Chance on Sunday.  A really disappointing and frustrating run, but the positive note was that I played a better tournament game on Sunday (including the Million and FTOPS ME) than I had in a long time.  I feel confident enough in that to start mixing in a few more tournaments,

Heads-up has been pretty variance-filled lately.  I took a couple shots at 2/4 recently that went poorly.  Today my session started out terribly but I stuck with it and ground back about half of what I had lost, which is at least something to be happy about.  Just gonna keep at it...

I meant to write more, but it's late and I'm pretty tired.  Maybe tomorrow.]]></description>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1361]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Sat, 24 Nov 07 05:09:08 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>Tournaments are silly</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1313]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Now that I've played a few FTOPS events, I feel qualified to comment on what I've observed since my return to tournaments.  My conclusions?  Well, read the subject line.

I found a few things stood out as noteworthy in my tournament play this week:

1)People are even worse than I remembered.
2)It's really hard to take advantage of that.
3)I don't have the patience to wait around at a nine-handed table for premium hands, if I think making a move will work.

Unfortunately, none of my moves worked, despite my reads frequently being correct.  I busted Sunday's event thusly:  Opening with a pot-sized raise on the button with AQ, the BB called.  He pretty quickly potted the 652 flop, which I took as an obvious sign of weakness.  I called to take it away on the next street.  The 8 turn came, he thought for a few seconds and potted again.  I had a pot-sized shove left over his raise, so I shoved.  He called pretty quickly with K6o. [[ 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=1313]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 13 Nov 07 17:32:56 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>Back home, upcoming plans</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1271]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Was out of town for four or five days there so I didn't get a chance to play or write -- I was hardly ever at a computer.

However, the FTOPS is starting today, and while I won't be playing tonight's event, I will be playing some of them later on, for my first tourney action since the WCOOP.  I'm not going back permanently-- I'm still playing HU cash-- but this seems like a good time to give tournaments a shot on the side in hopes of a big score.

I'll probably have something to say about what I observe returning to the tournament game; I have a hypothesis that people get too wrapped up in current trends on how to play, and forget how to simply play well.  I plan to test that and report the results.

I have a couple of ideas for strategy posts; to be honest, I'm kinda waiting to play hands that illustrate them well.

And I'll have, as requested, a bit of a report on Austin, what I like about it, and why I live here now.]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 07 Nov 07 17:13:01 -0500</pubDate>
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      <title>grinding</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1175]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[It's been a while since I wrote, but to be honest, there isn't a whole lot to talk about.  I'm still grinding that heads-up; I played less last week than the one before, but a long session yesterday made up for it-- I got in around 3,000 hands, which is a huge number at heads up, especially for me, who doesn't exactly put in lots of hours.

Anyway, let me update you on a few things:

-I got a new desktop!  For the first time since I started my poker career I have a real home setup.  This has made it easier to put in longer sessions of more tables, among other things.

-In addition to this, I'm going to look into the possibility of recording a video or two.  I'm not sure what their nature will be, exactly, if it will be instructional, or commentary, or my own sessions, or otherwise.  But I'm gonna tinker around with it some and see what I come up with. [[ 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=1175]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 25 Oct 07 12:32:41 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>capped off my first full week of heads up</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1065]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Played close to 7,000 hands at $1/$2 and made ~$5100.  Ran about 18 PTBB/100.  I have no idea if that's an indication of running really hot, or just the massive skill difference between me and my competition.  (After all, this is a much smaller game than I'm accustomed to, and I'm pretty tight about my game selection.)

I did plug the stats into PokerEV and it turns out I actually ran badly in all-in situations, to the tune of $900 below expectation or so.  Obviously this doesn't affect me in heads-up as much because I'm winning so many pots without showdown, but it was neat to see [url=http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/9170/pokerevgraph1lc9.jpg]the graph[/url] and see a 5,000 hand breakeven stretch in "Sklansky Bucks" where I actually LOST $1500 at showdown, but still made $1500 overall.

So I feel really positive about these results.  Gonna keep plugging away and move up after I've logged some more significant time. [[ 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=1065]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 14 Oct 07 16:54:33 -0400</pubDate>
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      <title>First full day of heads up goes well</title>
      <link><![CDATA[http://tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=blogs&todo=view&ID=1027]]></link>
      <author>admin@tworags.com (nath)</author>
      <description><![CDATA[My car's in need of repairs, so I spent most of the day at home.  Luckily for me, I decided to put in some hands at $1/$2 heads up.

I had a really, really good day and I feel like I played really, really well. Dropping down has helped my confidence a ton, since I feel I'm clearly better than the opponents I face, and I don't mind losing a buyin if I get caught doing something crazy.

There isn't a whole lot interesting to report handwise, although I did have a fun spot where after I check-raise bluffed a chronic minbetter on the turn and bet again on the river and showed four high after he folded, I stacked him two hands later when he called my river shove with the nut straight with... queen high.

I just feel like at these stakes I'm playing much more fearlessly, and not worrying about the variance really opens up my game and lets me run over my opponents.  I'm hoping that I can keep this consistent. [[ 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=1027]]></guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 09 Oct 07 04:00:18 -0400</pubDate>
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