DON'T PLAY AT JUNGLEPOKER!!!

Informational Betting

Oftentimes, it is very feasible to put out a minimum bet or a minimum raise to get information from another player about their possible holdings. When I am in late position or on the button, I will sometimes put out a feeler bet(minimum bet) when I am checked to by 2 or more other players, or the minimum raise if the player comes out with the minimum bet. Two outcomes can occur, they can all fold leaving me with the pot which is good or 1 or 2 of the players can call indicating to me that they either have a hand of equal or better value to mine or they could be on a draw.
When the second outcome occurs, it's usually a good indicator to me to check in early position or to fold to a substantial bet from someone in late position. This single tactic in my play has been a crucial determining factor in how well I've done in tournaments in the past. With disciplined play, informational betting can be a great asset to your game.

The Importance of the Decision Making Process

The Importance of the Decision Making Process
In this game, It seems it can’t be stressed enough the importance of the decision making process on any given play. I’m writing this for my own good as much as for anyone else who may be struggling in this area. Making bad calls, checks, or raises in my game is the #1 offender to my loss ratio. For example, the tourney in question I am referring to one player limped, all else folded to the big stack. Big stack raises to 400(blinds 50/100), I have 99 and push to roughly 2400. Honestly looking at it in retrospect, with 99 here, I would be hard pressed to even call this bet let alone raise all my chips. The limper folds, the big stack calls, turns over QQ and I lose the tourney.
The factors I should have taken 15 to 30 seconds to think about were my position and the myriad of hands I could have put him on that would allow me to make the proper DECISION about my action. Instead, in my mind, I wanted to “gamble” at that point in the tourney because all I could see was what position that would put me in had I won the hand. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Side note: It wasn’t late enough in the tourney to make a play like this. Note to self, must try to be less ignorant in my thought and decision making process at the table. How can I expect to make any headway in a 50 or 100 tourney one day when my thought process here is off in a $1 tourney?
There’s also a large mental block here that has been creating hindrances in my recent game performance. I have been finding myself wanting to blame other things besides my own play (the site, “luck”, other players’ actions/attitudes, the rng, etc.). Does this sound familiar, too? I’m not trying to call anyone out or pinpoint a particular player by asking those questions, just trying to provoke thought about your game in these areas. Yes, referring back to the above hand analysis given, poker is very situational. But, in that instance, I believe the “situational” excuse could have been left out of the equation.
One final thought, I must always try to remember to play when I have enough time to play a tourney, and when I am NOT hungry, angry, or tired. I thought I would post this here because sometimes knowing what not to do can show us what we should do. Doc out.

At a crossroads

I came here today to find some solace in my thoughts about poker and how far my game has come at this point in time. Truthfully, I had as a pipe dream always thought about being a real money player on a regular basis. Well, here lately, those thoughts have been coming back and for good reason. I have begun to realize a stable income at the tables over the last month now. It may be a run or it may not be. If it is a run, its the longest one I've been on. Part of me strongly wants to believe that its because my game has come to the point of very solid and able to adapt to and calculate wins based on others playing styles. And then another part of me wants to say its just poker and your having a good run of cards, save all you can now for when the cards stop. But in some starange way, I feel more prone to the first thought of my game is solid now and I can compete with and stand up to the comepetition. I also feel that both thoughts are a healthy approach to being a money player on a regular basis. Because you really do want to save all you can for when times are lean and cards are not running.
At this point in time, I still do not make enough to pay ALL my bills yet, so it remains a "pipe dream". But, what creates a little curiosity and fear in me, is the fact that I can now really see that making a living with this game is completely possible. And if I continued improving my game, I could at some point in time, throw my hat into the playing for a living arena. The problems: the bad beats that keep you from winning a certain amount of money, and in turn, that leading to a bad month that keeps a bill from not being paid. So, i guess that would be the biggest fear of all if I decided to go about playing for a living, that fear of knowing that I have to win now. And having that fear can cause even the best player to crumble with his performance level at this game. I know that I don't fall into the saint category and it would be perfectly possible for me to crumble at this point in time. Which, of course, I could recover from, on a game speaking basis, since I dont rely solely on this as a form of income. Several points to ponder concerning this, I will post more later. Good luck to all and come see me at the tables. I'm Doc999 at AP.

Thought for the day.

The more I think about playing poker for a living, the more I like getting ready for work in the morning. Had I been playing at the level I was thinking about last night for 3 hours, instead of losing $3, I would have lost $80. Points to ponder and things I must look at and analyze about my play and where my game really is before I make any silly attempts at something like this. If I am not capable of a steady enough win rate, what's the use.

Right off the top of my head.

News for the day

Abs $1 mtt, 10th place (bubble busting wall-bashin head banger)

Well, I made it through the fourth of July. Thank God. It is rough on me the last couple years for a few personal reasons I elect not to divulge. To put it in a nut-shell, I am glad it's over :). And hope that by saying this I have not sparked way too much curiosity in anyone who wants to know more about it. Okay, enough with all that drama crap, poker talk time.
A very interesting tourney this morning indeed at abs. I steadily built my stack throughout the tourney and had it up to 24,000 at one point. The problem came when it came down to the last 10 and I was too aggressive with some of my play "on the bubble". The original reason was to attempt to gather more chips for the final table or go out trying. Well, the latter basically happened on a Q9 that 2 paired itself on the river against an AJclu flush. It was very frustrating to say the least. 3 months ago, I would have been half happy to have made 10th place. Now listen to me, LOL.
Hey craphand, when I have more time, I will post some of the info found in my blog on 72os. If one player can say what you said, then maybe 10 players could use the advice. Ok, all for now, have a nice day folks!! :)
P.S. I am also going to be checking up with a site or two to sign up as an affiliate in the near future, so I can have some nice things to look at on this blog for any visitors.

Thinking about some things

I'm currently going through a phase of dis-interest in poker. I may continue with the small break I had started with mom's injury to look at some other priorities in my life, read Harrington's book, read a spiritual book I got weeks ago, and just to find a little direction and some answers to a few issues being kicked around in this silly little head of mine. Some of my questions about my life that are needing answers and even more so, ACTION, are: When I obtain the suggested bankroll, am I really ready for the next level?(I may not know this unless I try over a certain period of time)<---that would be a risk that I am willing to take just to see where I truly do stand with my game. Why have I not made my resume and applied for a job somewhere yet in my new field?(I think it has a little to do with fear). Just got 1st place in an sng at abs. One thing I do know about playing poker is that I really like to win. I never thought I was a very competitive player in any particular game. But, when it comes to poker, if there is a method or a way for me to play and take someone out of the game, more than 50% of the time, I will employ that method to win without the fear of losing. That is the biggest fear I had to overcome concerning poker in the beginning, the fear of losing. And once I lost some of that fear and told myself, "Hey, get a little gamble in ya!" and, more importantly, "You've been given some free knowledge from the forum, USE IT!!!!", I began to win more often and with less fear. Another thing I have been able to accept and say to myself is, "Yes, I am a good player." For someone like me, that is difficult to say, because I am naturally very modest. But, in the same breath of air, I know and realize that there is so, so, so much more to learn about this game. My earlier goal was to go to the wsop by 2006. I am now planning to put it off until 2010. Going into it with the feeling that I could have a chance of making it through the first day would be better than the current feeling I have of just surviving the first blind level. Still a big pipe dream at this point, but maybe one day it could happen if I continue to pursue perfection in this game. And yes, I would be interested in playing other tourneys aside from the main event. I would want to win an entry online somehow into the main event and then take over a $5-$10K roll for other tourneys before the main event. Just know, whoever reads this, is that I understand preparation for something like this takes years and sometimes a whole life. And if I die having only become a successful money player and substantially supplementing some of my income as a poker player, then I would be all too grateful for that as an accomplishment. But, saying that, I am going to continue learning and take several shots at these tourneys in the upcoming years of my life, until I've lost a little and learned a lot about how to successfully win at the higher end levels of poker. TV does nothing for me, because it is only a small part of the tournament. <---Not completely true, I am a little inspired by it. In the last month, a whirlwind of events have happened in my poker game. All of the events center around the fact that I have started winning. And, in the beginning, I thought I was just on a "streak" as they call it, but the streak has not ended. So, i'm thinking my game has achieved a higher level. I am currently maintaining a stable small stakes income at this level. And actively seeking, seeing and pursuing the next level of tournament play. My real money game could still use some work, to be honest. Which I will put some time into in the near future. Being able to be personally involved in tournaments up to and including the final table has really made me see and look at a lot of different aspects and details involved in tournament play. I have also found recent success and an easy way to bolster and build my bankroll at the sng level. I can easily see how some people might make a living just by playing sng's. BUT, I can honestly say that there is probably no better feeling for me than to make it through a field of players and arrive at the final table. Because of everything involved and all of the details and adjustments that must be made during a tournament, I find them very challenging and fascinating at the same time, all in a good way. Not to mention, the payoff$$ in the end compared to the entry fee. When I won that first one out of a small field of players, it was the closest thing to ecstacy that I have ever felt before in my life(no drug pun intended). But I must say it was quite a natural high. This is the monster that I have been waiting to write, so bear with me, this could be close to the end or only halfway through.
One other great gift I have received from my play in the past few months and a contributing factor to a lot of my success in the game is a new friend. He gives me large amounts of advice that most other people are probably paying for to have given to them. I try hard to listen to most of it, because he gives a lot and I am sometimes hit and miss with some of the math. I am deeply indebted to him. If there is ever a way I can repay him for all of his great advice, I will gladly jump at the chance. And, at some point in time, I will have to pass along some of his knowledge to other players. And, yes, I know what is not supposed to be shared with anyone, still. I will honor your request concerning that. But translating some of the basics you have given me would be one way I could show my gratitude for you and sort of repay you for all you have done(so unselfishly) for me. After reading this paragraph, I'm sure you know that it's you I'm talking about. Coo. :)
Folks, I honestly haven't kept accurate upkeep of my blog or my records. And it is hard for me to discuss key details concerning the 2 weeks of final tables I recently experienced. But I am going to make a better effort of record keeping and reporting to you more often. Even if no-one sees this, it is good for myself and my game to share these thoughts. But, the better thing behind all of this is if it could actually help someone else in improving their game in some way, shape, or manner. I'm capable of professor status by no means. But maybe some of the things I write could inspire a new player to make the attempt at this.
The better I've gotten at this game, the more boring it's become. Let me explain. Often, there are times when it is early in a tournament that I have to sit and wait a lot for a decent hand to get that first win and a few chips under me. It can be boring having to sit there, but I use that time wisely, by observing my opponents and how they are playing. This way, when it is time for me to play in a hand, I have a brief history of someone's current play and know better how to respond to their bets or lack thereof. Not always am I able to observe them well, it is still something I am trying to improve upon. You can learn a lot by watching. I know hand selection is key, placing bets commensurate to the pot, folding and raising in the right places, and not calling someone with a below avg. hand with low odds(outs). Players who do the opposite of this set themselves up to lose in the long run. So this is why I watch what they do. Because if I am on a solid hand against a loose player whom I feel may have a weaker hand, I will either call his large bets to the river and let him "feed" me or raise him heavily. But the real key for me is to get his money into the pot if I know I have him, so sometimes I play a little slow where I know a raise may create a fold and stop me from maximizing my income on the given hand. Then, on the river, if it's just he/she and I, and I'm confident about my hand, I might either throw a half-pot or larger bet out in the hopes that they call or just one more light bet that is most definitely going to get a call(a value bet) and thicken up the pot for me when the cards turn over. One of the many facets of betting I have been learning about in this game. I can also say that the best instructor in this game is good old trial and error. Play, play, and play some more. Make a mistake, good, learn from it and play another game. I think by playing thousands of hands the last 7 months, I have really gained some extra knowledge of the game this way.
I would like to relax and enjoy the rest of my holiday now, so I hope this post has been entertaining to all. And I will be making a better effort to post more often. Thank you for your time and Happy 4th of July!