The D3rv's Blog

[D3rvish]

It's 2009 so I figured that's as good of a reason as any to start my poker blog. I'm going to try to use this blog to track my progress as a poker player in the new year. I think it will help me be more honest with myself as a poker player and hopefully some people will find something helpful or interesting here. First, a little history...

I started playing poker in September of 2008. I deposited $50 on Full Tilt one night out of pure boredom. I had been playing for play money here and there sometimes when I had a bit of time to kill and figured what the hell. So I began 1 tabling 10NL on Full Tilt Poker (FTP). I played even more donktastically back then than I do today and managed to get my roll up to $150ish. Thinking that I was the be-all-end-all of poker godliness after winning a bit of cash, I jumped to 50NL and ran my roll up to about $300 before going busto. I couldn't believe it.

In October I found out about PokerTrikz from the YouTube video. Coming here and watching the videos changed my life. I wanted to be a poker player.

I signed up for a rakeback account on Absolute Poker (AP) and actually made a bit of cash. I again started out with a $50 deposit, ran it up to about $600 playing Blackjack and 25NL. I cashed out all but $100, grinded 10NL to $200, played a bit of 25NL before getting impatient and jumping straight to 100NL with about a $300 roll. I ran this up to $700ish before losing 2 big hands (here is one), going on tilt and donking off my entire roll. But hey, at least I was still in the black overall. Somewhere in this time period I also bought HEM and a CR membership.

Lately, I've been playing exclusively on Cake. I deposited $200 and have been playing mostly 20NL. After hitting $600 and clearing the bonus, I decided to take a shot at 50NL. I was doing well for the first few days, getting up to $778 before my latest 6 buyin downswing, all due to variance. My AA got busted by QJo after getting it all in preflop. I flopped a straight with A2s, villan flopped a set of 3's, we got it in and he turned a 5 for a Bob Sagat. A few set over sets, KK running into AA, and here I am back at 20NL with a $476.62 roll.

From here on, I am vowing to stick to a 20 buyin rule, control my tilt issues, and start comfortably playing 50NL by the end of February. I have started a new HEM database to coincide with my blog and plan on posting a graph here weekly, starting next week.

Current Roll: $476.62
Limit(s): 20NL
Hands Played: 0

[postoakpoker]

Good luck sir, should be interesting to follow along. Have you outted you cake sn? You can PM me if you want, or if you prefer to remain anonymous, that's cool too.

[D3rvish]

I change my name a lot. It's usually something really dumb like BrwnEye or TurdGoblin.

EDIT: On a side note, I haven't been able to get HEM to display my stats properly even with the Cake HH converter. If anyone has any tips or a link that would be awesome.

[dansiek]

nice story, is shall try to follow this =p

[D3rvish]

Double posted.

[D3rvish]

I have been running BAAAD.

A few hands before this one, I squeezed in the SB with Jacks and the featured villian shoved over it with 33, hence my stack.
*****
Cake Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.20 BB (6 handed) - Cake-Poker Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Button ($34.09)
SB ($15.75)
Hero (BB) ($38.20)
UTG ($5.80)
MP ($15.30)
CO ($25.55)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 8, 8
2 folds, CO checks, Button raises to $1, 1 fold, Hero calls $0.80, 1 fold

Flop: ($2.10) 8, 10, K (2 players)
Hero bets $1.40, Button raises to $2.80, Hero raises to $37.20 (All-In), Button calls $30.29 (All-In)

Turn: ($68.28) Q (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($68.28) Q (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $68.28 | Rake: $2.70

Results:
Button had K, K (full house, Kings over Queens).
Hero had 8, 8 (full house, eights over Queens).
Outcome: Button won $65.58
*****
This hand also sucked.
*****
Cake Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.20 BB (6 handed) - Cake-Poker Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

SB ($19.25)
BB ($19.50)
Hero (UTG) ($31.55)
MP ($10.95)
CO ($19.40)
Button ($25.35)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with Q, Q
Hero raises to $0.70, 1 fold, CO raises to $2.20, 3 folds, Hero calls $1.50

Flop: ($4.70) 8, 7, 9 (2 players)
Hero bets $2.55, CO raises to $6.50, Hero raises to $29.35 (All-In), CO calls $10.70 (All-In)

Turn: ($39.10) 2 (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($39.10) 8 (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $39.10 | Rake: $1.95

Results:
Hero had Q, Q (two pair, Queens and eights).
CO had K, K (two pair, Kings and eights).
Outcome: CO won $37.15
*****
This one wasn't fun. The raise on the river was probably a mistake, especially with the paired board, but this is just an example of how I've been getting crushed by Cake the last week or so.
*****
Cake Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.20 BB (5 handed) - Cake-Poker Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

SB ($14.10)
Hero (BB) ($53.35)
UTG ($20.70)
MP ($19.90)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 3, K
UTG raises to $0.40, MP calls $0.40, SB calls $0.30, Hero calls $0.20

Flop: ($1.60) 5, 6, 4 (4 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, UTG bets $0.80, 1 fold, SB calls $0.80, Hero raises to $2.40, UTG calls $1.60, SB calls $1.60

Turn: ($8.80) 8 (3 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, UTG checks

River: ($8.80) 4 (3 players)
SB bets $4.40, Hero raises to $11, 1 fold, SB calls $6.90 (All-In), Hero calls $0

Total pot: $31.10 | Rake: $1.25

Results:
SB had 2, A (flush, Ace high).
Hero didn't show 3, K (nothing).
Outcome: SB won $29.85

This is how I've been running the last week or so. I always thought that a 20 buyin downswing wouldn't happen to me, especially after being a winning player for the last few months. Variance is a bitch.

Current Roll: $303.79
Limit(s): 20NL
Hands Played: 2532

[Padawan]

so ummmmm you dropping down to 10NL?

[D3rvish]

Originally Posted by Padawan

so ummmmm you dropping down to 10NL?

I probably should, but I'm not going to unless I drop below $200, which is totally possible considering how horrible I've been playing. I played a few more hands last night and things are starting to look up again. We shall see...

[D3rvish]

The awful variance continues. I was running well and made $70 in about 500 hands putting me at $376.12. People were just donking off cash to me left and right. Then, of course, here comes the doomswitch again.

This first hand I feel I played perfectly. Getting value for a set OOP can be tough, even against donks like this. I really like my line here with the small spaz bet on the turn.

Cake Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.20 BB (6 handed) - Cake-Poker Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

SB ($19.60)
Hero (BB) ($20.55)
UTG ($13.50)
MP ($20.70)
CO ($15.15)
Button ($7.80)

Preflop: Hero is BB with K, K
1 fold, MP calls $0.20, CO calls $0.20, 2 folds, Hero raises to $1.10, MP calls $0.90, 1 fold

Flop: ($2.50) 10, K, 5 (2 players)
Hero bets $1.65, MP raises to $3.90, Hero calls $2.25

Turn: ($10.30) J (2 players)
Hero bets $4, MP raises to $15.70 (All-In), Hero calls $11.55 (All-In)

River: ($41.40) Q (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $41.40 | Rake: $2.05

Results:
Hero had K, K (three of a kind, Kings).
MP had 9, 10 (straight, King high).
Outcome: MP won $39.35

This next hand the guy said he thought I was bluffing. I think I'll experiment more with the "just over minraise" sized raises before this play becomes a staple in my arsenal.

Cake Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.20 BB (6 handed) - Cake-Poker Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

SB ($26.15)
Hero (BB) ($20)
UTG ($8.75)
MP ($12.80)
CO ($22.85)
Button ($13.25)

Preflop: Hero is BB with Q, Q
3 folds, Button calls $0.20, SB calls $0.10, Hero raises to $1, 1 fold, SB calls $0.80

Flop: ($2.20) 4, 10, 5 (2 players)
SB bets $2.20, Hero raises to $5, SB raises to $25.15 (All-In), Hero calls $14 (All-In)

Turn: ($40.20) 9 (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($40.20) A (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $40.20 | Rake: $2

Results:
SB had A, 4 (two pair, Aces and fours).
Hero had Q, Q (one pair, Queens).
Outcome: SB won $38.20

I guess its not bad to make $3 over 1K hands when you run like I have been. Gonna keep grinding and hope the dark cloud passes...soon.

Current Roll: 306.64
Limits: 20NL
Hands Played: 3473

[postoakpoker]

I laugh at your opponents comment. a minraise/very small raise is almost always the nuts, especially at these limits, almost never a bluff. when you get up to 200/400 nl, maybe you'll start to see people getting cute with minraise bluffs, but people at these limits call the raises so much that they're not very good bluffs, despite the amount of strength they're supposed to convey.