3rd quarter report

The 3rd quarter was quite an interesting one for me. It started with wondering where to focus my game. Whether I should work on tournaments or ring games. I thought I should go with tournaments because the payoff is bigger and that is where I have done better. But with a pending September trip to Vegas, I became determined to kill some tables in Sin City. After reading Small Stakes Hold Em, I put in all in to play and had terrific results. Couple that with use of Poker Tracker and the quarter was pretty good. I went from $4300 to over $5800 with my online bankroll.

Yeah, there was a bit of bonus whoring going on, but for the most part, it was sitting back and playing some solid poker. My ring game play is much better than it was in June. I popped from 1/2 up to 3/6 and some 4/8. My aggression factor has picked up as well. There are many spots where I may have missed a draw with say A Q but with what the board is showing, I can take it down with the flop or turn bet. Or it has won be bigger pots.

The best part of it has been playing some straight forward poker. I mix up my game here and there when necessary but with the use of Poker Tracker, I have been able to play the players even better. Why I haven't used it earlier is beyond me. It has given me solid information on how to bet some people. And with the "tricky" plays too many people are trying to employ after watching the WPT, it has helped to take down huge pots. Next time you are playing a limit game, count how many times someone slow plays their flopped flush or straight. You will run out of fingers. Unless I know I have Mr. Aggressive behind me, I will always bet these hands out. Just about every single time. Because every jabronie out there thinks you are bluffing. When they see those 3 hearts hit the board on the flop, they think "He couldn't have flopped a flush, he would slow play it". That is when someone is raising you on the turn to take you off your "bluff". They end up capping the turn and paying you 3 bets on the river with their two pair. Seems to happen that way more than not.

My training online paid big dividends in Vegas where I didn't experience a losing session at the poker tables. I did very well in the 2/6 spread game at the Excalibur- even spinning the wheel once. Next time I need to play some higher stakes though. Hitting up the Mirage and the 6/12 is a must in December.

Besides improving my ring game, I also took down one of the next major tournaments in the making, the Good & Plenty Championship. Against a tough field of players, I took down the title and the prestige that goes with it.

About the only other thing to note about the quarter was playing at PokerShare. In about a month and a half I too my initial deposit of $250 up to over $1500. Being a UB skin, there are always player there. Best part is that most are pretty bad. I have played against people that see over 70% of all flops. They suck out to stay afloat for a while but just about always give it back. I may begin to just play limit games there.

As I look on to the 4th quarter, I am once again thinking of what goals I want to accomplish. I would still like to win a seat to a major WPT or WSOP tournament. But I am enjoying the ring games and the money that can be won there. I have played on Poker Blue to get in on the Sunday freeroll for a chance at a seat but lately I have had connection problems with them so getting the necessary 4 hours a week has been a problem. Couple that with football and it is even tougher to sit down at a PC on a Sunday afternoon. I see that Full Tilt will be offering more tournaments soon. I like the software there and enjoy the tournies. Though the structure isn't necessarily the best IMO, I do like it overall.

I know what I really need to do. I need to cut down on some sites and consolidate my money to a couple. I can see using PokerShare for ring games. I may use PokerRoom and Full Tilt for tournaments. For SnGs, I may keep Noble or Titan though that is doubtful. Then there is Bodog where the overlays are always there. The software isn't great but the players aren't either.

So somehow I need to mix in ring games with tournament play and football. I will probably lose a number of buyins on tournies but hopefully make that up in the ring. And maybe somehow football won't suck up my weekends. After reading this, I don't seem to have much of a plan. Guess I will have to dive in somewhere and just do it.