I'm in Sydney at the moment, spending some time with the family over Christmas. I'm sure I'll catch up with many of my Sydney friends while in town as well.
I've also got a few things happening over the next month ... two chess tournaments - one in Melbourne (the Canterbury Summer Swiss) & one in Sydney (the Australian Open) ... a poker homegame (let me know if you're interested in attending) ... as well as the Aussie Millions!
As far as the chess stuff goes, I would like to do some sort of blogging/podcast type thing around it. I suspect this may involve setting up another blog, though it might also end up here, but either way I'll let you know.
As for the 'you' ... there's been 8 downloads of the latest episode, which only went up about a week ago, so I suppose that means there's at least 8 people who read the blog & listen to the podcast (or perhaps fewer readers/listeners who have trouble downloading & need to download multiple times ... but I'll go with the optimistic numbers!) ... one would almost call it a following, although I think such terms should be reserved for times when you run out of fingers when counting.
As for the Deuces Cracked 50,000 hand challenge, I'm currently around 11,500 hands in and down about $40. I've been going in the right direction lately playing micro-NLHE, which has seen something of a recovery from my earlier efforts with Rush poker & limit holdem, where I ran horribly. At the moment, I think the leaders in the challenge are up around $300, so I'm not entirely out of the running yet, although the graph needs to keep heading in the right direction.
I'm sure I'll also be playing some poker while in Sydney & I'll let you know how it goes.
If I don't get around to updating beforehand ... have a great festive season!
Showing posts with label online challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label online challenge. Show all posts
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The watch is here!!
It looks like Full Tilt deliver a lot quicker than they say they will!
I returned home from a brief trip to the shops today to find a package underneath my door mat. Inside was the Full Tilt watch I had ordered a few weeks ago. 6-8 weeks shipping ... not with Full Tilt!
Of course the watch will now be part of the things I wear pretty much where ever I go!
Now to work on actually turning a profit in this Deuces Cracked 50,000 hands challenge ... and finish recording a podcast!
I returned home from a brief trip to the shops today to find a package underneath my door mat. Inside was the Full Tilt watch I had ordered a few weeks ago. 6-8 weeks shipping ... not with Full Tilt!
Of course the watch will now be part of the things I wear pretty much where ever I go!
Now to work on actually turning a profit in this Deuces Cracked 50,000 hands challenge ... and finish recording a podcast!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Another Deuces Cracked Challenge
I've decided to get involved in another Deuces Cracked challenge ... this time a bankroll-building challenge to see who can turn $100 into the most after 50,000 hands. The challenge starts on December 1 & runs for three months (or 50,000 hands, whatever comes first). Part of the reason for getting involved in this is not only for the potential win (two coaches have offered a free coaching session to the winner), but also to see how long it takes to actually get through 50,000 hands. At the moment, while I have been playing some micro-limits to gain Full Tilt Academy points through challenges, I have played just over 25,000 hands on Full Tilt since September ... which means I need to be playing more to fulfill the 50,000 hand requirement.
Also coming into consideration in this challenge are the issues of bankroll management & game selection. The main issues being how aggressively to use (or ignore) bankroll management ... and what games to play.
Issues to ponder:
What level & game should I be starting at?
* 2NL
* 5NL rush (there is no 2NL for rush)
* 5NL
* 10/20c L
* 25/50c L
How many tables should I be playing simultaneously?
* 1
* 2
* 4
* 6
* 8
* As many as possible
At what point should I move up in limits?
* 20 buy-ins (NL)
* 30 buy-ins (NL)
* 40 buy-ins (NL)
* ?? buy-ins (NL)
* 200 BB (L)
* 300 BB (L)
* 500 BB (L)
Will the progress of others (assuming others post their progress) affect how I play in terms of game choice & limits?
I'm sure there's a few rather obvious questions I'm missing at the moment ...
At present, the thought is to start at 2NL & move up when I have 30 buy-ins, although that might change ...
In other happenings, I've completed enough of the FTPA challenges to get over the 5000 point mark, have converted these points into Full Tilt points & have put in an order for the watch I have been mentioning on the blog ... apparently it takes 6-8 weeks for delivery, so I suspect it might become a late Christmas gift, but I'll see what happens.
I also plan to get a new (now long overdue) episode of the Donkcast out in the next few days ... but with so much to try to catch up on, it might almost become a news-only episode!
Also coming into consideration in this challenge are the issues of bankroll management & game selection. The main issues being how aggressively to use (or ignore) bankroll management ... and what games to play.
Issues to ponder:
What level & game should I be starting at?
* 2NL
* 5NL rush (there is no 2NL for rush)
* 5NL
* 10/20c L
* 25/50c L
How many tables should I be playing simultaneously?
* 1
* 2
* 4
* 6
* 8
* As many as possible
At what point should I move up in limits?
* 20 buy-ins (NL)
* 30 buy-ins (NL)
* 40 buy-ins (NL)
* ?? buy-ins (NL)
* 200 BB (L)
* 300 BB (L)
* 500 BB (L)
Will the progress of others (assuming others post their progress) affect how I play in terms of game choice & limits?
I'm sure there's a few rather obvious questions I'm missing at the moment ...
At present, the thought is to start at 2NL & move up when I have 30 buy-ins, although that might change ...
In other happenings, I've completed enough of the FTPA challenges to get over the 5000 point mark, have converted these points into Full Tilt points & have put in an order for the watch I have been mentioning on the blog ... apparently it takes 6-8 weeks for delivery, so I suspect it might become a late Christmas gift, but I'll see what happens.
I also plan to get a new (now long overdue) episode of the Donkcast out in the next few days ... but with so much to try to catch up on, it might almost become a news-only episode!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Mini Challenge ... slow start
First decent session ... and I've already broken some of the rules. At some stages I had as many as 6 tables running at a time & with a $10 buy-in on each table it meant that I had gone over the theoretical $40 bankroll I had for this challenge ... but its more about the principle than anything.
Of course it didn't help that I ran horribly! End of session total ... -$22! Eeek!
Some highlights (excuse the sarcasm & the multiple hand history descriptions):
Raising AA UTG+1 & getting called by the cutoff & BB.
Flop 248 I bet & cutoff calls.
Turn 5 (3 spades - I have the As) I bet & cutoff calls.
River 6 (3 spades, 2 diamonds) I bet, cutoff raises & I call.
Cutoff shows A3o for turned wheel.
New player Posts in cutoff & I raise QJs in the hijack. Cutoff 3-bets & I call.
Flop Q32 rainbow. I check-call.
Turn 4, river 8. I check-call both streets.
Cutoff shows AA.
I raise UTG+1 with AKo & called by both blinds.
Flop K94 all spades. BB bets, I raise & both call.
Turn 2s & it is checked through.
River is Kd. BB bets. Both I & SB call.
BB has AsQd SB has 7s7c & my AcKh is coming last. Any other river card (with the possible exception of a river A) & I simply fold the river ... but no, the card that makes me call & lose is right there!
I raise KJo from hijack & BB 3-bets. I call.
Board runs out J5436 & I call every street.
BB shows JJ for top set!
I raise KQo in MP & get calls from cutoff, button & BB.
Flop Q87. I bet, button calls, BB calls.
Turn 9. I bet, button calls, BB raises, I call, button calls.
River K. BB bets, I raise, BB 3-bets, I call.
BB shows QQ for flopped top set! No raise pre-flop or on the flop (flush draw on flop) & not only does his hand hold up, but he finds a river that gets me to raise!
I raise A7s in the cutoff & called by BB.
Flop 732. BB bets, I raise, BB 3-bets & I call.
Turn 8. BB bets, I call.
River 3. BB checks, I check.
BB shows 33 for quads! Somehow BB was hoping for a check-raise on the river, but I'm almost definitely going to call a bet on the river as it changes very little about the hand. If my 7 was good on the turn, then its most likely still good on the river (and vice-versa obviously).
UTG+1 & UTG+2 limp, SB calls & I check A4o in BB.
Flop A84. I bet. UTG+2 & SB call.
Turn 5. I bet UTG+2 calls.
River 8. I bet. UTG+2 calls.
UTG+2 has 67o for a turned straight!
I raise UTG+2 & BB calls.
Flop 469. BB bets, I raise, BB calls.
Turn 7. BB bets. I call.
River A. BB bets, I call.
BB shows AQo for rivered top pair!
Cutoff raises. I call on button with KQo & BB calls.
Flop KJT. Cutoff bets. I raise. Cutoff 3-bets & I call.
Turn 9. Cutoff bets, I raise, Cutoff 3-bets & I call.
River 6. Cutoff bets, I call.
Cutoff shows AQo for flopped broadway!
I raise AQo UTG. Called by button & BB.
Flop QTT. I bet, button calls.
Turn 6. I bet, button calls.
River 9. I bet, button raises & I call.
Button shows 99 for rivered full house!
Cutoff raises, button calls, I 3-bet from SB with KK, BB calls, cutoff calls & button calls.
Flop T32. I bet, BB calls, cutoff calls, button calls.
Turn 4. I bet, cutoff calls, button raises, I 3-bet & button calls.
River 9. I bet, button raises, I call.
Button shows 24s for turned 2 pair.
UTG & UTG+1 limp. I raise KK from SB. BB 3-bets, UTG calls, UTG+1 calls, I cap & everyone calls.
Flop 322. I bet, all call
Turn J. I bet, BB calls.
River A. I bet. BB calls.
BB shows AQo for rivered top pair.
I raise AJs in MP. cutoff, button & BB call.
Flop AQ6. I bet & all call.
Turn 7. I bet & button calls.
River Q. I bet (all-in - yes, it was that bad) & button calls.
Button shows KQo for rivered trips.
I raise UTG+1 with AQo & get called by MP, hijack, SB & BB.
Flop QQ8. I bet, MP calls, hijack raises, BB calls, I 3-bet, MP calls, hijack calls & BB calls.
Turn K (3 spades on board). I bet, MP calls, hijack raises, BB calls, I call, hijack calls.
River K. BB bets. I call, hijack raises, BB calls & I call.
BB shows Q8o for flopped full house.
hijack shows KK for turned full house & rivered quads.
I muck ... behind all the way & drawing dead from the turn! Yes, a good old $12 pot at 25/50c!
Of course I did actually win some hands in the sessions ... but still ... not the start I was looking for in the challenge.
May the weekend grinding while watching the footy grand finals prove to be more fruitful!
Of course I'm going for the Roosters in the NRL & the Saints in the AFL by the way!
Of course it didn't help that I ran horribly! End of session total ... -$22! Eeek!
Some highlights (excuse the sarcasm & the multiple hand history descriptions):
Raising AA UTG+1 & getting called by the cutoff & BB.
Flop 248 I bet & cutoff calls.
Turn 5 (3 spades - I have the As) I bet & cutoff calls.
River 6 (3 spades, 2 diamonds) I bet, cutoff raises & I call.
Cutoff shows A3o for turned wheel.
New player Posts in cutoff & I raise QJs in the hijack. Cutoff 3-bets & I call.
Flop Q32 rainbow. I check-call.
Turn 4, river 8. I check-call both streets.
Cutoff shows AA.
I raise UTG+1 with AKo & called by both blinds.
Flop K94 all spades. BB bets, I raise & both call.
Turn 2s & it is checked through.
River is Kd. BB bets. Both I & SB call.
BB has AsQd SB has 7s7c & my AcKh is coming last. Any other river card (with the possible exception of a river A) & I simply fold the river ... but no, the card that makes me call & lose is right there!
I raise KJo from hijack & BB 3-bets. I call.
Board runs out J5436 & I call every street.
BB shows JJ for top set!
I raise KQo in MP & get calls from cutoff, button & BB.
Flop Q87. I bet, button calls, BB calls.
Turn 9. I bet, button calls, BB raises, I call, button calls.
River K. BB bets, I raise, BB 3-bets, I call.
BB shows QQ for flopped top set! No raise pre-flop or on the flop (flush draw on flop) & not only does his hand hold up, but he finds a river that gets me to raise!
I raise A7s in the cutoff & called by BB.
Flop 732. BB bets, I raise, BB 3-bets & I call.
Turn 8. BB bets, I call.
River 3. BB checks, I check.
BB shows 33 for quads! Somehow BB was hoping for a check-raise on the river, but I'm almost definitely going to call a bet on the river as it changes very little about the hand. If my 7 was good on the turn, then its most likely still good on the river (and vice-versa obviously).
UTG+1 & UTG+2 limp, SB calls & I check A4o in BB.
Flop A84. I bet. UTG+2 & SB call.
Turn 5. I bet UTG+2 calls.
River 8. I bet. UTG+2 calls.
UTG+2 has 67o for a turned straight!
I raise UTG+2 & BB calls.
Flop 469. BB bets, I raise, BB calls.
Turn 7. BB bets. I call.
River A. BB bets, I call.
BB shows AQo for rivered top pair!
Cutoff raises. I call on button with KQo & BB calls.
Flop KJT. Cutoff bets. I raise. Cutoff 3-bets & I call.
Turn 9. Cutoff bets, I raise, Cutoff 3-bets & I call.
River 6. Cutoff bets, I call.
Cutoff shows AQo for flopped broadway!
I raise AQo UTG. Called by button & BB.
Flop QTT. I bet, button calls.
Turn 6. I bet, button calls.
River 9. I bet, button raises & I call.
Button shows 99 for rivered full house!
Cutoff raises, button calls, I 3-bet from SB with KK, BB calls, cutoff calls & button calls.
Flop T32. I bet, BB calls, cutoff calls, button calls.
Turn 4. I bet, cutoff calls, button raises, I 3-bet & button calls.
River 9. I bet, button raises, I call.
Button shows 24s for turned 2 pair.
UTG & UTG+1 limp. I raise KK from SB. BB 3-bets, UTG calls, UTG+1 calls, I cap & everyone calls.
Flop 322. I bet, all call
Turn J. I bet, BB calls.
River A. I bet. BB calls.
BB shows AQo for rivered top pair.
I raise AJs in MP. cutoff, button & BB call.
Flop AQ6. I bet & all call.
Turn 7. I bet & button calls.
River Q. I bet (all-in - yes, it was that bad) & button calls.
Button shows KQo for rivered trips.
I raise UTG+1 with AQo & get called by MP, hijack, SB & BB.
Flop QQ8. I bet, MP calls, hijack raises, BB calls, I 3-bet, MP calls, hijack calls & BB calls.
Turn K (3 spades on board). I bet, MP calls, hijack raises, BB calls, I call, hijack calls.
River K. BB bets. I call, hijack raises, BB calls & I call.
BB shows Q8o for flopped full house.
hijack shows KK for turned full house & rivered quads.
I muck ... behind all the way & drawing dead from the turn! Yes, a good old $12 pot at 25/50c!
Of course I did actually win some hands in the sessions ... but still ... not the start I was looking for in the challenge.
May the weekend grinding while watching the footy grand finals prove to be more fruitful!
Of course I'm going for the Roosters in the NRL & the Saints in the AFL by the way!
Mini Online Challenge
After reading Joe Tall's blog where he talks about how he got started in poker, I've decided to give myself a challenge along somewhat similar lines.
The challenge is as follows:
Site of choice: Full Tilt Poker
Starting challenge 'bankroll': $40 (conveniently my current Cashier balance ends in $40.65)
The plan: Play 2-4 tables of 25/50c LHE until 'bankroll' is over $100
Move to 2-4 tables of 50c/$1 until 'bankroll' is over $200
Move to 2-4 tables of $1/2 until 'bankroll' is over $400
If things go belly-up, I'll have up to three more cracks at it. There's also the drop down if things are going badly (but before they reach 'busto').
Hopefully I'll get there.
I'll be interested to see how long it takes, both in terms of number of hands & actual hours at the tables.
If successful, it should be the 'kick start' I need in order to take online poker more seriously!
Wish me luck!
The challenge is as follows:
Site of choice: Full Tilt Poker
Starting challenge 'bankroll': $40 (conveniently my current Cashier balance ends in $40.65)
The plan: Play 2-4 tables of 25/50c LHE until 'bankroll' is over $100
Move to 2-4 tables of 50c/$1 until 'bankroll' is over $200
Move to 2-4 tables of $1/2 until 'bankroll' is over $400
If things go belly-up, I'll have up to three more cracks at it. There's also the drop down if things are going badly (but before they reach 'busto').
Hopefully I'll get there.
I'll be interested to see how long it takes, both in terms of number of hands & actual hours at the tables.
If successful, it should be the 'kick start' I need in order to take online poker more seriously!
Wish me luck!
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