An Uphill Battle

The negativety lurking behind the King's recent bankroll downswing, is not from the bad luck of missing a 20 outer or taking some bad beats, but the nagging suspicion that his play was not good enough to win.  Playing the high offsuits like AJ, AT, QJ, QT and JT are a real problem and playing these cards have eaten away at his buy-ins.  There is still more poker studying to do and it's the football season.

Speed Poker - Woutstar

In his first year, the King witnessed speed poker by a player from Kopenhaven with the screen name - Woutstar.   There was a maniac on the table and he (she) was taking down pot after pot.  Woustar appeared and challenged the maniac to about 85% of all hands whilst the maniac was playing 100%.  In a matter of minutes Woustar cleaned out the maniac and increased his buy-in by $5 and this at the penny tables too.  The maniac never knew what happened because it happened so fast.

Studying poker and playing a lot of heads-up, the King is dominating the play money heads-up tables with his instantaneous decisions. Heads-up doesn't have the pot odds of full ring games and often a high pair wins. Winning and being on top of his game is fun.  How far he has come.

How to Play in a TAG

Play just your strong hands and move to another table when the blinds reach you.

A Period of Study

Until the end of month two, the King plans to study before his elation from his wins turn into loose, sloppy play and all of his wins get flushed away.

There are updates to do on his starting hands, the rules of split pots, and statistical studies are projects that he would like to do.

The King has played more 25-50¢ this month than the past 25 months. 

Thinking back to year one, he was experiencing a long period of junk hands - something like four hours of play and only winning five pots in full ring games. He jumped up from 2-4¢ to 25-50¢.  Won a few pots and quit for the year which was almost over. In a way, this was good because a great deal of preparation was for a game with about 50% seeing the flop. 

Back to the present, the King feels comfortable, but not totally familiar, at the 25-50¢ tables. Perhaps it is the numbers, but the the 2-4¢ and 25-50¢ tables have more action than the 5-10¢ and 10-20¢.

Overcard Hand Review

This review is from a hand the King played on a 25¢-50¢ loose eight-handed table at PokerStars.  After the session was over, he thought if he made the right play.  The King was in the second position and position one folded.  The King raised with A♥-K♦ the cutoff, button and big blind called (8.5 small bets).  The flop was 6♥-2♣-3♣, the big blind checked, the cutoff (Joe), a loose player, and the button called, and the big blind folded (6 big bets).  The turn was the 3♦, the King checked, the cutoff bet, the big blind folded and the King called (8 big bets).  The river was the T♦, the King checked, the loose player bet and the King folded.   The loose player collected a pot with 8 big bets. Thinking it over, the King wondered if he should have called the turn bet.

A Glimmer of Hope and Devasted

The King survived the battles on the poker tables and is totally devasted.  If his widthdrawal cleared, he would have been out of PokerStars totally.  His widthdrawal would have cleared in several days.  He made the widthdrawal request, but had to wait several days.  Six days of losses was just too much to take.  Doubt crept into his mind that this was just not fluctuations but that that 25-50¢ poker required skills that he did not have.

Early this morning he played for over four hours and it was bad beats after bad beat.  The King cashed out of Full Tilt Poker and tried to cash out of Poker Stars but had to wait. After some sleep, he played again and there was a good selection of tables to choose from.  Playing meekly, so the straight and flush draws could not have proper odds to call, he won a few pots with big unsuited cards and also caught two flushes. So for month two he is in the black.

The balance being in the black is so fleeting, he would like to savor the moment and lay off real money playing for awhile.  There is very little left, the devstation of a week of losses was beyond his tolerance.  But for now, there is a glimmer of hope and he will continue with Poker.

Make or Break, Do or Die, Raise or Fold

The King moved up to 25-50¢ and suffered a big downturn.  He recovered somewhat, but month two is a loss.  With a lower profit rate the fluctuations will be greater and only in the long term will there be stability.  Meanwhile, the present is hell.