All downhill from here...

Don't seem to be catching too many breaks at the moment! It's been a bit tough. Not too sure if its my play and I'm getting a reality check after my good start to the month or just standard variance. I'm hoping the latter and think it probably is to an extent. Obviously there's always room for improvement and i know that ive made a few sloppy & spewy plays recently which have probably cost me about $25 in total - not a lot but it adds up and effects your BB/100 a bit which is largely what I'm playing for. The money isn't really enough to be of big interest as I'm used to trying to take down a few thousand in the mtt's - $25 is just one buy in so i cant think about the stakes too much - I'm actually impressed how Ive focused on just playing solid poker and not thinking about the stakes too much.

Early Sunday morning before i headed to bed after a long wet night out rallying, i thought I'd have a crack at Stars games again to try to at least get my graph into the green... It wasn't to be though. Just seemed to pick up big draws and never hit in this session. For example, raised from the button with AT suited and got a re raise from the SB. flop came K42 with 2 spades giving me the nut flush draw and a pretty good flop. The sb cont. bets the flop in position strongly so i decide to re pop him, expecting a fold but instead got a call from Q's somehow - not sure how he could have done that given the way I'd played the hand but there we go... obviously the board bricked out. Stacked for the first time.

Next big pot i limp in from sb with KJ suited and get re popped by the bb so i flat him. Flop come 39T with 2 spades giving me a flush draw, straight draw and 2 overs. I opt for the check raise and he obliges by betting $3.5, i raise to $9 and he re shoves all in. At this point I'm expecting to see Q's. K's or A's but am obviously still calling given the pot size and my many outs. Of course, he flips over AKos with no spades and once again the board bricks giving him the pot with A high! Stacked for the 2nd time...


So frustrating although i can see the positives in it too as these people aren't too great. I'm certain the 2nd hand was the correct play. My first flush draw hands was just down to a wrong read and i perhaps built the pot up too much pre flop/ on the flop which meant i had no choice but to call with my flush. Still, i don't think i did too much wrong. Please feel free to disagree!

Basically, i ended up ending the session $44.95 down overall which wasn't the best.

Decided to have a shot at one of the matrix sng's on Full Tilt just for fun and a change to the cash games which weren't going my way and ended up doing quite well. Won 2 of the 4 tables, 3rd on another and 2nd overall... Perhaps i should go back to sng's/mtt's?! lol

Sunday night/Monday morning i was feeling a bit tired and unwell but thought id have a game anyway to pass the time (or more to put off going to bed)! Wasn't too sure what to play. Was very tempted to play some sng's again but told myself to stick at the cash games... Sat down at a $2/4 razz tables for about 10 Min's but couldn't really track it properly (as i haven't bought PT stud) so opted to leave after I'd won a couple of pots... $20 up wasn't a bad start given i only played about 5 hands!

Then sat down at the Full Tilt cash tables which have so far been fairly kind to me unlike Stars! My bad luck/play decided to follow me over from Stars though and it was the start to another dull session. lots of small insignificant pots then when i get it all in I'm either behind or failing to win the hand! i decided to 4 tables and accidentally sat down on 2 $50NL tables but thought I'd take a shot as I'd been quite good so far with my bankroll management! The other 2 tables were $25NL tables...

My $25NL tables were OK really. just standard ups and downs but as has been the case recently, a bit of a grind. The $50NL i found were surprisingly soft. They seemed almost softer than the $25NL tables, part of my reason for sticking around. The 1 table i was pretty much break even the whole session but the other one got all the action.... I actually ran quite well with starting hands but they weren't good news.

First up, dealt K's and think excellent, time to double up (as I'd already lost a few small pots but use auto top up so had a full stack of $50)... Raised from early position 5 handed and got 3 bet by a fairly solid seeming player but I'm not folding K's the way i feel. i guess you could say i was chasing a bit which isn't good but I'm not folding K's anyway i don't think! After his 3 bet i think we can get in pre as he wasn't 3betting me lightly and i was correct when he re shoved my 4 bet all in. I obv called only to run into the inevitable A's and despite making a set, it couldnt beat his set! Not a lot done wrong, just a cooler so i battle on just dented slightly. A few hands later i pick up A's and have a lot of people enter the pot so i make a big raise only to get re shoved pref lop. i was clapping my hands as thought i was going to get my original $50 back as didn't think he was too strong given his stats and weak open. i obviously call only for him to have A's too so we chop it up! ahh well, onto the next hand i think. Next i run T's into K's although this is a hand i think i may have slightly overplayed as he played his K's strongly. i think i may have been on tilt a bit, mixed with no sleep, i just wanted some chips back! lol lost another pot of about $12 when a short stack open shoved preflop so i re shoved to isolate and got HU's with my AQ v's his 4's. Q on the flop but a 4 also spelt the end to that hand... i lost another biggish pot with AQ v's K's against a LAG player, overplay JT trying to outplay someone tight on a safe flop, Q's into A5 on a AA3 flop - you get the idea.... lol

I played 262 hands in the session and had only 5 hands i won which were over $5 pots! and they were all fairly marginal ones like AK, 5's and KQ which most didn't even get to showdown (as you'll see my my graph below in a sec.)

Sorry for the bad beat diary today! I'm just tired and fed up! looking back over my hands I'm not too surprised i feel like i do mind. Ended the session $92.05 down. it gives me a BB/100 of 6.5 overall for the month which isn't actually all that shabby i suppose. still $48.25 in profit overall although it's not going to be that way for long if things don't change around pretty quick!

Not too sure what my plans are now to be honest. Do i continue plugging away at the cash games, concentrate on a different form of cash game as I'd originally intended - i always seem to do quite well at the razz games and enjoy the plo games too - they're probably more profitable than the hold em too! or shall i go back to mtt's. not too sure. I'll have a think and come back with the answer in the future. It's likely to be a combination mind. lol

5.08am been tired for the past 4 hours so I'd better head to bed. Before i do though i'll end on a positive note... Excellent evening of hockey with Devils beating Capitals 9-nil, 2 fights and generally an entertaining game - Went for a skate after too and was chatting with Peter Aubry (Devils net minder), congratulated him on his shutout. Pleasant to catch up with him again after our 2 hour long chat at the bowling evening a few weeks back! :) lol I have a weird thing about being friends with Canadian hockey players i think. lol

One final question... Should i start playing myself again?.........................................