But They're Suited!

Session 1:
Starting bankroll: 13.65
Ending bankroll: 12.45
Played: 1.00 + 0.20 Sit and Go

First let me explain the discrepancy between the starting bankroll today and the ending bankroll from the last post. I played a few times this last week that I shouldn't have. I played when I only had 30 mins or so at a time to sit at the table. Not enough time for me to keep me calm and make me ride out variance. Lesson learned here is don't sit down if you can't stay awhile.

I jumped in a tournament game this morning. First hand, sitting at small blind, I got a pair of 7's. Decent flop (don't recall it) and I start betting. Just barely beat by another player, lost almost 500. After that, all downhill. Went all-in on a boat 5's full of 9's, but the opponent had 9's full of 5's. So much for that tourney. I'm happy with my play, so not too disappointed.

Time to play a ring game and get my tourney buy-in back, plus a couple more tourney buy-ins.

Starting bankroll: 12.45
Ending bankroll:
Played: 0.05/0.10 ring game
Game Buy-in: 10.00
Left game with:

I'm trying not to make this a hand history blog. And when I do put one in, I try to make it short and sweet with a more narrative style. Am I successful?

About 2 months ago I checked out Harrington on Hold'em from the local library. I got about halfway through it before it's due date came and I had to leave town for a week. I learned quite a bit, and my game improved. Then I took a bit of a break from poker. After getting back in, I seem to have forgotten much of what I learned, especially about good starting hands relative to position. I need to get that book again.

So I just played a hand - don't even recall what I had, something marginal. A couple rounds of betting, leading player betting .50 and a couple of us calling. After the river, he bets 2.30 (all-in). We both fold. He no-shows. Then has the gall to ask us why we didn't keep betting. "Y'all were betting big, why not stay in?". My response was that .50 was not big relative to 2.30, and if you had the nuts, why not show? Why does he want to know why we didn't stay in? Maybe I wanted to give some money away. Not like he's been playing stellar today. I took money from him several times at showdown when he should have folded (based on my betting) long before that.

One thing I do remember from the Harrington book is that not betting/raising will keep too many players in. This is definitely playing itself out in this ring game today.

Hole in my game: I have learned to manage my tilt for the most part, but it still peeks out once in a while. I need to learn to control it even more.

Mid afternoon update: This has been a bad overall day. Played two more tournaments, lost them both. Made a couple of stupid moves in a ring game, and had one bad beat. Bankroll (yes, total bankroll) now down to 2.10. Clearly I need more practice. Time for another deposit.

Maybe this time I'll try party poker. I've heard about it, but never tried it.

Update: Bankroll back up to 4.15. That's enough for now. The Notre Dame game is getting good, and I'm tired of staring at this screen.