[Closed] Summer blog - Closing post inside.

18th June.

:diamond:Put in a good amount of volume in SNGs. 33 to be exact. I don't play sets, I just open 4 tables and if bust I open another immediately. Here's the graph so far. Until the 19th tourney my BR was over $150. I took a break and started playing again later so I actually made money after OP.

Graph

(graph says it's 2 days but that's because I played before and after midnight)

I think I played decent. Posted some hands for evaluation, of course, and have been working on ICM in HU mostly. I was pushing way too tight according to some hands that I posted some time ago in the evaluation section and thought it was time to try and fix that.

Here are my stats for those 33 SnGs:

Details

That's all for the day. I would have time to play more but I'm just sooo sleepy I'd rather start fresh tomorrow.

$174 BR

Good bye!

PS:I can't insert image, only a link. Could you please help me with that?

G'day Emanuel, cool blog. I'll be sure to stop by every now and then.
To insert an image you need to upload it to photobucket or something like that and then insert the uRL for that image.

Good luck with Uni entry and at the tables ♦
Ged

Thanks for stopping by!

Images are uploaded on imageshack. I'll try photobucket next time. The "url" (no spaces between letters) BBCode just gives me a blank line in my post.

I'll start following your blog too. Seems like you are playing the same limits and (what do you know) you are my age. It should be cool to see both our progress.

LE: Heh... It's because of Imageshack. Gonna upload somewhere else.

its nice that u can find some time to write a blog bfore bacalaureat...its just a bit till the real summer comes!also nice seeing rom. Fellows writing a blog!after my last exam mid july i ll also start a blog!keep good work healthy and gl in pkr!

:heart:19th June

Wooohooo! Second consecutive day in which volume goal is met. Though I'm down it's just 5BI's and I feel I played well. I think I also met a PokerStrategy member in my last session. Proky11, you out there?

Here's the graph. Looks like I'm trying to draw the Carpatian Mountains so far but I'm not worried since it lacks volume. Still the rakeback will be well received :f_biggrin:.

I also managed to read some commentaries and shit I need to learn for my Romanian exam. Jeeez, are those things boring and, most of all, useless in forming me as person (which theoretically is the main purpose of school)!

Btw, has any SNG player tried to satellite into the Daily Double thorough the $2 SNGs? Is it worth it or is it just better to buy-in directly?

Almost forgot:

$163 BR

Hi Manu!

just found your blog! good luck with your Uni admission.

keep posting hands on the forums and practicing your ICM, if you do these two things you will be on your way to the higher limits in no time

Good luck!

<3

:heart:21st June

Hi everyone!

First of all, thanks for stopping by <3. I'm still gonna post hands as it's really been useful. Not just posting, but really discussing the hands with others. As for the ICM, I practice it a few hours (~1k hands) every couple of days. So far, I feel like it's more than enough for my limit.

Didn't update until now, because I didn't have much to say really... I'm really cheerful today and I'll also post 2 hands that really cracked me up. Hands that 1 month ago would probably tilt me to bankruptcy (or at least half way there), especially one of them.

Hand #1.

This guy should be in that FTP video explaining The Trap ♠_cool:

Full Tilt Poker $2 + $0.25 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t80/t160 Blinds - 8 players - View hand 765266
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

BTN: t1070 M = 4.46
Hero (SB): t2520 M = 10.50
BB: t1825 M = 7.60
UTG: t3000 M = 12.50
UTG+1: t990 M = 4.12
MP1: t2180 M = 9.08
MP2: t570 M = 2.38
CO: t1345 M = 5.60

Pre Flop: (t240) Hero is SB with K K
3 folds, MP2 calls t160, 1 fold, BTN calls t160, Hero raises to t2520 all in, 1 fold, MP2 calls t410 all in, BTN calls t910 all in

Flop: (t2870) 3 A 3

Turn: (t2870) A

River: (t2870) Q

Final Pot: t2870
BTN shows 8 9 (two pair, Aces and Threes)
Hero shows K K (two pair, Aces and Kings)
MP2 shows A A (four of a kind, Aces)
Hero wins t1000
MP2 wins t1870

Hand#2.

The guy just got great odds for his backdoor flush, gutshot and over. Really played it like a huuuuuge fish.

Full Tilt Poker $2 + $0.25 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t30/t60 Blinds - 8 players - View hand 765265
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG+1: t2605 M = 28.94
MP1: t1155 M = 12.83
MP2: t1380 M = 15.33
CO: t1890 M = 21
BTN: t1370 M = 15.22
Hero (SB): t1415 M = 15.72
BB: t1980 M = 22
UTG: t1705 M = 18.94

Pre Flop: (t90) Hero is SB with K K
UTG calls t60, UTG+1 raises to t120, 4 folds, Hero raises to t360, 2 folds, UTG+1 calls t240

Flop: (t840) 3 5 2 (2 players)
Hero bets t420, UTG+1 raises to t900, Hero raises to t1055 all in, UTG+1 calls t155

Turn: (t2950) 4 (2 players - 1 is all in)

River: (t2950) J (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: t2950
UTG+1 shows A 6 (a straight, Six high)
Hero shows K K (a pair of Kings)
UTG+1 wins t2950

The second one just made my day! Although I busted I realized that with volume I can win a lot of buy-ins off these guys so I kept playing even more focused than usually, to try to spot the guys that were willing make that move. It went pretty well in the end

Not much to say about the graph... I didn't play 40 SNGs in the last 2 days but on average I'm still >20 daily.

One think I've noticed is that I usually don't win at the beginning of the session. Usually hands like #2 happen in my first or second SNG then it's 3rd or 4-5th place going out on flips. I guess I really improved my tilt resistance, since situations like these would be enough to set off any beginner.

Really starting to notice PS.com members playing the $2's on FTP. Don't know if they've noticed me, as I tried to chat with them but none responded during the game. Max focus I guess ♠_cool:! Good luck guys, just not against me :f_biggrin:!

I've stopped posting stats as they are standard and just don't give enough info considering the volume. I'll probably ask someone to analyze them or try to do it myself later, when I'll take shots at the next limit. Hopefully that will be soon.

That's about it. It's my longest forum post ever!!

$178 BR

Originally posted by EmanuelC16
:
Really starting to notice PS.com members playing the $2's on FTP. Don't know if they've noticed me, as I tried to chat with them but none responded during the game.

Yeah dude most of us switch off chat... I have mine on, because it can give useful reads and sometimes I like to chat if i'm HU in the last game of my set

You playing Normals or Turbos on FTP? I've just switched back to Normal SnGs and they are SO much more profitable, really.
also, not sure if i have you on skype.. if i dont, add me, ged.forrest

Keep up the good work dude. ♠_biggrin:

emanuel did u finish ur primary school in navodari school nb.1? i m thinking that u re one of my old best friends during first 4 classes ....did u finish high school at telecom?
w8ing for ur answer thx

@jhustincase: No, born and raised in Lipova.

@ged: Just installed Skype. Most of us use Yahoo in Romania and I didn't have a mic. I think I'll add everyone from the Micro Study Group after my exams next week. Hope you stll have a spot open for me ♦. I don't turn off the chat because it doesn't bother me as I only play 4 tables. And I just love it when people limp and go all in against me holding the nuts and then complain :f_love:. I play turbos for volume and to reach P/F stage faster. Although with normals I should win a lot before P/F. Will see.

I'll post an update on how I'm doing pretty soon.

23rd June

Hello all!

I've installed Poker Tracker 3 on my laptop and from now on I'll not use my desktop for poker. I've tried to transfer the database but there were some small errors. 18th June grapsh don't match so the one on my notebook is a bit better (It left out something like 15-20 SNGs where I ran like -3BI). But it's shape is still quite accurate so I'll continue with it. That being said here it is:

>120SNGs in 5 days. Last two sessions were bumpy but I just couldn't seem to win a flip so I'm not worried.

@ged: Tried a set of normal SNGs. They just take too long. I mean, I'm card dead until 5 handed and I wake up with 15bb stack against monster 50bb stacks. Maybe some other time... For now I'll stick with the turbos...

OK, now about the transfer to my laptop. The microphone from my headphones doesn't work on my desktop. It's something to do with the fact that it needs it's own power and the motherboard doesn't supply it or something like that (googled it). Second advantage I have is that I'll be off to Arad for my exams next week and I can still play if I have the time. Best thing though is that I have an extra 60 days trial on PT3 as the other one was about to expire and I don't have the money to invest in poker software just yet. I also installed Skype but I didn't add anyone. I'll post the username on the Micro SNGs Study Group thread after my exams, because until then I won't be able to be an active member...

That's just about all for these few days. I'm thinking of taking shots in that Face The Pro daily freeroll to qualify for the final online tourney in August.

$154 BR

LE: Just found a cool hand:

Full Tilt Poker $2 + $0.25 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t15/t30 Blinds - 9 players - View hand 768515
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

MP1: t1485 M = 33
MP2: t1315 M = 29.22
CO: t1245 M = 27.67
BTN: t1730 M = 38.44
SB: t1350 M = 30
Hero (BB): t1500 M = 33.33
UTG: t1800 M = 40
UTG+1: t1605 M = 35.67
UTG+2: t1470 M = 32.67

Pre Flop: (t45) Hero is BB with 9 9
2 folds, UTG+2 raises to t135, 2 folds, CO calls t135, 3 folds

Flop: (t315) 7 A 7 (2 players)
UTG+2 bets t210, CO calls t210

Turn: (t735) T (2 players)
UTG+2 checks, CO checks

River: (t735) K (2 players)
UTG+2 checks, CO bets t900 all in, UTG+2 requests TIME, UTG+2 folds

Final Pot: t735
CO wins t735

Looks normal for $2SNGs, right? Well... UTG+2 said he folded KK. w000000t??? ♠_confused: ♠_o:
I'd really love it if I could chat with him... It's just that I was busy at other tables... Just saw his text in the chatbox. Aahahahhaha! Against me they never fold FH, I just don't get it! What am I doing wrong?

:heart:26th June

It's been a few days since my last update. Took a break for a day and when I started playing a losing streak hit me. Maybe it was because I played at a different hour than usually. From now on I'm sticking to late night GMT+2 which is about 17:00 - 21:00 ET (rush hour on FTP because of the American players). I think I've gone past it though since my last session was quite successful (it started from dead bottom of the graph).

After next week I'll try doing poker related stuff (play, watch, study, review, discuss) ~6h a day. Even more if I don't have anything better to do. So far, I'm about break even in terms of money, thanks to rakeback, but losing 3-4 buy-ins without it. I don't know if that's bad or just normal after 180 SNGs, so you tell me. What should a decent players winnings in terms of BIs be over 100 games? Or only 1k would be a realistic sample?

The day after tomorrow is my first exam. Second is on Wednesday and Friday it's the 3rd and final one. Fingers crossed for those!

Until next important update here's a hilarious video on youtube:

$153 BR

Manu

Quick update: One more exam to go in the BAC, hard part over. Posted some hands in the evaluation forum, so feel free to visit and evaluate. Actually please do that :f_love:.

how did the romanian and math/history exam worked for u ?were it fine? expecting some nice value ...+ev?-ev exam`s? here was fine and i m expecting pretty nice notes ♦ i think 9.2 + its a must :)) gl

4th July

BACK IN BUSINESS

Good news! My exams went well, not as well as I hoped for, but well enough so that my plans still stand strong. This is an experience I definitely had to have. It opened my eyes and now I KNOW I have to get out of Romania. I always knew this country was kinda fucked up but still had some hope. By the way this examination was organized I know for sure this country is just doomed, believe it or not... I'm sorry I didn't apply for University in UK, France or Denmark. What are you gonna do... money issues are hard to surpass.

This week I played some poker it's just that I think that a downswing combined with my lack of experience and the lack of my perfect environment resulted in poor results. So, I'm down quite a bit but with focus and dedication I can crawl back. It's not like I've never lost more..

This being said, I guess it's time to add all the members of the Micro SNG Study Group to Skype. I've never used this before so have a little patience if I screw up something ♦.

:club:$104 BR

Manu

Come study to Portugal, you'll love it!

17th July 2010

BUSTEEEED!!! LOL, jk... I still have $34.

Didn't write in awhile now 'cause of lazyness and some.. lets call it life tilt. Life tilt which obviously tilted me in poker too. Oh well, back from scratch. I guess I have LOADS to work on self management even for a beginner :f_frown:.

Playing $1 right now, not too much volume since I took a break before tilting away everything. A 93% fav all in during a Rush SNG hand made me really wanna throw my computer away and I realised it's just better to stop for a few days. Played some 9-max SNGs and I'm winning by just a bit. Gotta review some of the basic articles and practice the ICM.

But all this after THE exam! On Monday I have the Math exam for University admission. Really weird thing though: more spots open than people applied, so basically I just have to pass the exam. If I don't then I'm really a big donk...

New Internet connection coming soon. Finally Skype will work properly and FTP too hopefully. And watch PS.com videos... 384Kbps weren't enough :], but hey, it was free and the only option 'till now... at least I have an acceptable back up connection ♠_cool:

PS: No graphs because I'm not posting from home nor my PC.

And in the words of a Friends (my favourite TV Series) character:

C'ya palls!!

Manu

quick update: I'm fed up with SNGs. Can't win more than 1BI on the $1s means either I'm just plain awful either the competition is too tough. Either way, I'm gonna play cash and small BI MTTs for now.

LE: Watch your feet there's bugs everywhere!!!

:heart:21st July 2010

Hello again everyone!

First of all, I'm finished with University admission. I'm a "Politehnica" University of Timisoara student, Computers and Information Technology major. That's great as it was my first choice of both University and major. So now I can focus on other stuff. Like poker!

I will no longer be playing SNGs. I just don't feel like SNGs being my game. So I changed to NL BSS strategy. I started playing NL 5 Rush with $35 (yeah, not really the best BRM) and felt really comfortable. It's easy to put in a good amount of volume and most are either nits either maniacs. The only thing you have to do to beat the game is figure out which is which. I guess I like it more because I always have at least 100BBs in my stack while in SNGs I just can't play a hand as I start with 50BBs and mostly go down from there. I will start playing some MTTs in weekends when I get the time. Of course, very small BI for now. Any advice on some good tournaments running on FTP on weekends? I mean aside from the ones with a guarantee prize pool.

As I have a lot more time now I'd like to start reading books on poker. What do you think my first choices should be? Something suitable for a .

Oh yeah, here's the graph for my first few sessions on Rush: