Originally posted by Harrier88
Well, better luck tomorrow, for both of us.
Tommorow is the triple draw? I forget.
In any case, to console myself I played some NL 25 5-Card Draw and got back about 8 bucks.
I also bust out of the Playnow.com PLO8 tournament, but there was a cash table going, and I won about net 5 bucks there (but not before going down an entire buy-in)
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A Silver Lining?
First of all, I did not play the MicroMillions 2-7 Triple Draw. It starts too late, I need to get up at around 5 AM for work tomorrow. The $7.50 8-Game was awful, continuing the trend from this week. Early on, I ran JJ into QQ and KK at a four-handed FL Hold'em table. Then I kept betting into someone in Stud Hi who eventually caught an open pair that beat mine, making me do a not too cheap fold. And when I then finally picked up 55 in NL Hold'em to make an ICM shove, I ran into AA.
Absolutely terrible results this week, it could hardly get any worse... so what's the silver lining? I decided to play two Stud Hi/Lo SNGs to get some practice. While I did all right in the first one, I only managed to finish in the middle of the pack. The second one, on the other hand, was shipped - marking not only my first 1st place, but even my first cash altogether in a dedicated Stud Hi/Lo game of any kind.
It also included a spectacular hand to end the bubble.
It's a drop in the bucket compared to what was lost during the week, but it was an important confidence boost after taking such a beating earlier on. I already took some notes on this format before my games, and I will continue to look for games in order to get some practice - despite the puny traffic.
Have a look at another hand from past the bubble, which seemed to be amazing, but only managed to take down a part of the pot at the end:
PokerStars, $1.76 + $0.24 - 7 Stud H/L Limit - 250/500 (100 ante) - 3 players
Hand delivered by CardsChat
Seat 5: 1,649 (3 bb)
Seat 7: 6,162 (12 bb)
Seat 1 (Hero): 4,189 (8 bb)
Third Street: (300) Hero is in Seat 1
5♠ 3♠ 2♠ Hero bring-in 150____Hero calls 850
Xx Xx 3♦ UTG raises to 500____UTG calls 500
Xx Xx K♠ BTN raises to 1,000
Fourth Street: (3,300) (3 players)
Xx Xx 3♦ Q♦ UTG bets 500
Xx Xx K♠ T♣ BTN calls 500
5♠ 3♠ 2♠ J♠ Hero calls 500
Fifth Street: (4,800) (3 players)
Xx Xx 3♦ Q♦ UTG bets 49 (all-in)
Xx Xx K♠ T♣ Q♠ BTN calls 49____BTN calls 951
5♠ 3♠ 2♠ J♠ 4♠ Hero raises to 1,000
Sixth Street: (6,849) (3 players, 1 all-in)
Xx Xx K♠ T♣ Q♠ 2♦ BTN checks____BTN folds
5♠ 3♠ 2♠ J♠ 4♠ 5♣ Hero bets 1,000
Seventh Street: (6,849) (2 players, 1 all-in)
3♥ J♥ 3♦ Q♦ 3♦ 3♣ - Seat 5
5♠ 3♠ 2♠ J♠ 4♠ 5♣ A♦ - Seat 1 (Hero)
Total pot: 6,849
Showdown:
Seat 1 (Hero) shows 5♠ 3♠ 2♠ J♠ 4♠ 5♣ A♦ (HI: a flush, Jack high; LO: 5-4-3-2-A)
Seat 5 shows 3♥ J♥ 3♦ Q♦ 3♦ 3♣
Seat 1 (Hero) wins 4,375
Seat 5 wins 2,474
Well, clearly that converter messed up, with the two 3♦♠ in my opponent's hand... I believe he actually had a full house and the 3♦: was actually a :Jx:. But you get the idea.
The raw output shows "[3h Jh 3d Qd ?? 3d 3c 3c 8h 8h Jc Jc Qd Qd] (HI: a full house, Threes full of Jacks)"... I guess I better take some screenshots too in the future.
Originally posted by Harrier88
The raw output shows "[3h Jh 3d Qd ?? 3d 3c 3c 8h 8h Jc Jc Qd Qd] (HI: a full house, Threes full of Jacks)"... I guess I better take some screenshots too in the future.
That's twice that that converter messed up
Final Table in the MicroMillions!!
To think that I considered my buy-in wasted shortly after spontaneously regging this tournament, not believing that I could get anything going with my rusty 5CD skills... We FT'd the MicroMillions Event #118 - NL Five Card Draw! 
Finishing position was 4th out of 689 (including re-entries) for $199.62. 
While I just barely inched on to the FT, I actually could have made it a little further, I showed some nerves at times... but who cares, this is a fantastic score. Far, far, beyond any expectations.
Not only that, but apart from recouping last week's losses, we also instantly reached our bankroll goal, which I was hoping to crack by the end of August under optimistic expectations.
It's surely a reason to celebrate... but I need to work another early shift tomorrow, so... it's back to bed for me soon. 
Defensive Snow?
Here's one hand that I would like to show, from the 4th or so cash ladder, I believe. Not sure if this kind of move is a thing, or should be, but here's how it went:
I was on track for FT or another good finishing position with a good stack, and picked up trip 6s, which is normally a very good hand - but could also lose a very big pot, if not the whole stack, by running into bigger trips, which were certainly a possibility for my opponent, who easily had me covered. It was pretty much way ahead / way behind. Tough to fold, but potentially very costly to call.
What I ended up doing was to stand pat in position to get a cheap showdown, since my opponent would have had a very hard time justifying any bets or shoves unless they hit a good full house or quads - and even then, they would more likely go for a check-raise. That way, if my low trips are beaten, they won't lose me any further chips, and if they win, they still take down a decent pot. It was a way of giving up value for some risk mitigation on a potentially deep run.
Would my opponent have folded if I had shoved after snowing? Possibly... but maybe not. It was all about risk management, not much else.
PokerStars, $4.90 + $0.60 - 5 Card Draw No Limit - 8,000/16,000 (2,000 ante) - 6 players
Hand delivered by CardsChat
UTG: 112,866 (7 bb)
MP: 668,311 (42 bb)
CO: 70,245 (4 bb)
BU (Hero): 530,021 (33 bb)
SB: 737,526 (46 bb)
BB: 396,162 (25 bb)
Deal: (36,000) Hero is BTN with Q♦ A♥ 6♥ 6♠ 6♦
3 players fold, Hero raises to 32,000, SB 3-bets to 96,000, 1 fold, Hero calls 64,000
Draw One: (220,000) Q♦ A♥ 6♥ 6♠ 6♦ (2 players)
SB draws 2, BU (Hero) stands pat
SB checks, Hero checks
Total pot: 220,000
Showdown:
SB shows J♦ J♥ J♣ 2♣ 4♦ (three of a kind, Jacks)
BU (Hero) mucks Q♦ A♥ 6♥ 6♠ 6♦ (three of a kind, Sixes)
SB wins 220,000
A completely daft move, or perfectly justifiable? Or maybe something in-between? You be the judge, but I'm happy with the run that followed - which could have possibly ended right there.
Harrier, that´s awesome!!! ♠_love:♠_love:♠_thumbsup:♠_thumbsup:
Super cool! ♠_cool:♠_thumbsup:
So, now you can invite your dear friend Prim for a nice dinner ♠_ugly:♠_ugly:♠_ugly:♠_ugly:♠_ugly:♠_ugly:
Originally posted by Harrier88
Defensive Snow?A completely daft move, or perfectly justifiable? Or maybe something in-between? You be the judge, but I'm happy with the run that followed - which could have possibly ended right there.
Or both?
The benefit is that if opponent does bet, you can fold,
This is precisely how I got knocked out too — my opponent had done precisely this once, then the second time, when I assumed that he was doing it again, he had the pat hand.
One of the most important things about snowing is that someone sees you do it.
Congratulations!
Originally posted by VorpalF2F
This is precisely how I got knocked out too — my opponent had done precisely this once, then the second time, when I assumed that he was doing it again, he had the pat hand.
Did he have a vulnerable value hand too?
In my case, it did what I was aiming for, getting a cheap showdown. The question would be whether I should have put the chips in, trying to get my opponent to fold, or whether I should have tried to draw out on him myself.
I'm pleased with how it turned out that time, but it may not be something to add to the "playbook".
What I didn't have time to tell last night, of course, is that I'm starting to really enjoy Stud8. I've played a few SNGs by now, shipped another one today and placed 2nd in one yesterday, otherwise several losses. Still, I'm in the learning process, so it's not primarily about grinding out big profits, it's about gaining an understanding and feel for the game, and I believe I have made very good progress in that regard so far.
How about some MTTs? There are two of them running per day that might be feasible for me, a $3.30 starting at 14:43 my time and a $16.50 at 22:13. Obviously, the $3.30 one is a much better choice right now, and in weeks where I'm working early shifts, I would actually have time for it too, though there might be some overlap with lunch. As for the $16.50 one... I'm actually now properly rolled for it, but it's not very wise yet to jump straight into such expensive tournaments with my current level of experience. If I can show some success in the SNGs and $3.30 MTTs, I might take occasional shots some time, especially on weekends.
Speaking of that bankroll, I originally wanted to just keep cashing out anything in excess of $3K by the end of each month, but with the "Road to the Midstakes" and all those other plans in progress... I think I'm going to let it sit there for a while first to have some money to burn for certain experiments if they require it. Still, I'd consider anything in excess of $3K spare money for now, even if I won't withdraw it yet.
I might play that $3.30 Stud8 MTT tomorrow already, who knows... And I'd love to show some more hands, but we know how much that converter is struggling.
...and I will be playing the MicroMillions Badugi, of course, don't even ask. 
Originally posted by Harrier88
I might play that $3.30 Stud8 MTT tomorrow already, who knows... And I'd love to show some more hands, but we know how much that converter is struggling....and I will be playing the MicroMillions Badugi, of course, don't even ask.
Just a little update before we get started with the MicroMillions Badugi: I did play the $3.30 Stud Hi/Lo MTT... and shipped it.I think we might be on to something with this Stud8 thing...
Best of luck in the MM Badugi to all who are playing.
Originally posted by Harrier88
Best of luck in the MM Badugi to all who are playing.
I reg'd late and lost drawing to a 6 for 1/3 my stack, then drawing to a 5 for the rest.
In the latter case, a defensive snow might have saved the day, since opponent with a huge stack had patted a Q
Originally posted by VorpalF2F
In the latter case, a defensive snow might have saved the day, since opponent with a huge stack had patted a Q
Possibly, but you'd need a pretty good read on him. Aside from a few known players, the majority of the field in Badugi seems to play pretty straightforward, in my experience, and can also be beaten with straightforward play.
Just finished the MicroMillions Badugi with a mini profit, got a second ladder cash and a bounty. I stood up to the table bully with a good three card 6, he called with a worse draw but managed to hit right at the end. It's okay, I got the chips in good and it was a risk worth taking.
It was actually a pretty uneventful game for me, as you can see from the chip graph too. Pretty steady until that hand at the end.
I think that's enough poker for today anyway. And I'll skip tomorrow too, I believe. I considered giving the MicroMillions Courchevel event a shot tomorrow, but not with over 2 hours of late reg. Also, it's No Limit.
I got a special visitor on Friday... But I might late reg the MicroMillions Stud Hi/Lo later that night, if I get the chance.
Originally posted by Harrier88
I think that's enough poker for today anyway. And I'll skip tomorrow too, I believe. I considered giving the MicroMillions Courchevel event a shot tomorrow, but not with over 2 hours of late reg. Also, it's No Limit.I got a special visitor on Friday...
I had a look at the Courchevel, but it isn't H/L and it is No-limit, which leaves me out.
Originally posted by VorpalF2F
I had a look at the Courchevel, but it isn't H/L and it is No-limit, which leaves me out.
Oh, I didn't even notice the hi only part. But the other things I mentioned were already enough of a dealbreaker for me.
Oh dear, way too many tables tonight... There were several Stud Hi-Lo SNGs, the Badugi, the 6-card Omaha PKO MicroMillions event... and on a crypto site, I even played a few NL Hold'em freerolls, which is a flop based game that enjoyed some brief popularity in the late 2K's and early 2010's. I'm sure you can find some rules online, if you're interested.
While there was the odd misclick, the results leave little room for complaints. 6-card Omaha finished with nice returns, as you can read on our Troll Challenges blog, Stud Hi-Lo gave me same nasty suckouts on 7th street, often right on the bubble, but still finished in profit, and as for the Badugi...
We got another 1st place, for $100.33 including bounties. We even managed to skip the heads-up phase entirely, which doesn't happen too often:
PokerStars, $3.92 + $0.48 - Badugi Pot Limit - 2,800/5,600 - 3 players
Hand delivered by CardsChat
BU (Hero): 199,843 (36 bb)
SB: 15,609 (3 bb)
BB: 96,548 (17 bb)
Deal: (8,400) Hero is BTN with 3♥ 2♦ A♣ 8♣
Hero raises to 11,200, SB 3-bets to 15,609 (all-in), BB calls 10,009, Hero calls 4,409
Draw One: (46,827) 3♥ 2♦ A♣ J♣ (3 players, 1 all-in)
SB draws 1, BB draws 2, BU (Hero) draws 8c
BB bets 46,827, Hero raises to 93,654, BB calls 34,112 (all-in)
Draw Two: (221,420) 3♥ 2♦ A♣ Q♥ (3 players, 2 all-in)
SB draws 1, BB draws 1, BU (Hero) draws Jc
Draw Three: (208,705) (3 players, 2 all-in)
SB draws 1, BB draws 1, BU (Hero) draws Qh
Total pot: 208,705
Showdown:
BU (Hero) shows 3♥ 2♦ A♣ T♠ (a Badugi: T,3,2,A)
BB shows A♥ 3♠ 2♣ 6♣ (a 3-card: 3,2,A)
SB shows A♦ 6♥ 3♣ 5♣ (a 3-card: 6,3,A)
BU (Hero) wins 208,705
So far, we're really rocking this summer. I look forward to present some graphs and stats in the next few days.
Originally posted by Harrier88
While there was the odd misclick, the results leave little room for complaints.We got another 1st place, for $100.33 including bounties.
Odd misclick is fine — it is the even misclicks that lose.
Congrats on the double KO in the badugi!
Studmeister
I discovered a new feature on Sharkscope the other day, the real time leaderboards. It compares your profit in the current month to all other players Sharkscope has access to, both from your country and from around the world.
Here are the stats for this month - which, of course, isn't quite over yet.
It's about total profit, so volume matters. The green areas on the bars on the left represent the portion of the player pool that is in profit, while red represents losing players.
What are Hold'em and NLO8 doing there? I just played one SNG each because I discovered that I had a ticket which was about to expire that same day.
5CD and 8-Game SNGs only had three or two games this month, respectively, and in the case of 5CD, they didn't even go very well. Our success in scheduled tournaments put us in the top 4% worldwide and top 2% in Germany, despite our low stakes, which of course is very nice.
Most importantly, though: Wir sind Nummer 1 - at least for the time being, when it comes to Stud Hi-Lo SNGs among German players. A 5th place among 133 players worldwide is also a nice achievement. Also, we only played this week, so our volume is not as high as the one of other players. This month, we played 13 SNGs in total - actually some pretty decent traffic for a game like this.
Not only that, but we even managed to get a 5th place finish in today's $3.30 Stud8 MTT, making it two FTs for two games being played.
This format seems to have crazy potential... I should definitely stick around, and this includes the $16.50 MTTs that run in the evening. Not today, though, most likely. I've had quite a session already, and I need a bit of a break. I think I'll just play Badugi and maybe some more SNGs, even though that jeopardizes my #1 rank in Germany, but who cares.
Maybe we will give other games a shot next week, when I'm working late shifts again.
Well, we couldn't quite hold on to it...
I played two more SNGs and lost them. I guess I played too much today, tough to keep your focus after all those hours.
Badugi still went well, but I unfortunately couldn't quite make it two in a row. I was heads-up against a skilled opponent who showed great judgment. As you can see from the graph, our game was hotly contested and could have gone either way, but in the end, I had to settle for a 2nd place finish and $48.74 including bounties.
No stats coming up yet, I need to clear my mind from all that poker today, which at least was successful, even though it missed the big scores twice. Back to the regular blue-collar grind tomorrow, but I should find time for some games in the evening again. Maybe I can start collecting the first stats for July too.
Stats Time
We got some stats for last month, and they're looking pretty darn good. 
The weekly profit graph demonstrates just how good that last week was. And it followed what was so far the worst week this year.
More than twice as much profit as the best week so far, we are very unlikely to have another one like that. Not surprisingly, it also made July our most profitable month this year.
The candlestick charts demonstrate the kind of spike we had last week even better.
A lot of this was caused by those great runs in the MicroMillions, but Badugi wasn't too shabby either.
8-Game, on the other hand, continues to decline. "Higher" stakes tournaments (currently defined as anything above $7) have a larger impact, of course. I hope I can reverse the course again when I have more time for these games, even though I prefer to focus on Stud Hi-Lo for now.
No stats for the SNGs this time, there just weren't enough games to make it worthwhile. I hope, however, that I can present some nice stats about those Stud8 SNGs by the end of this month - and ideally a good leaderboard position to go along with them too.
There's also no point in displaying stats for those two Stud8 MTTs that went so well, but let's take a look at the other games, as well as our overall MTT statistics:
The MicroMillions have surely been kind to us. More than 100% ROI overall... that would be a pretty sexy stat to maintain, but it's going to be extremely tough.
Badugi, meanwhile, is already way past the range that I think can be realistically maintained at all, at over 170% ROI, but let's enjoy it while it lasts - and keep working to keep it as high as possible. Finishing the year with something between 120-150% would be a fantastic result, but I'm happy with anything above 100%.
8-Game, on the other hand, is starting to approach break-even territory.
Eliminate some "higher" buy-in afternoon games, and the stats for the evening games look a little better, but still nothing great.
Overall, an exceptional month, likely the best we're going to get this year. We can only hope to keep the momentum going as much as possible. The motivation is definitely there, morale is up - but time is lacking. Let's make the most of it, either way.