Big Deal

ANOTHER STEADY MONTH

Neteller: Last week $108; Current $108
Full Tilt: Last week $45; Current $45 (-)
Ultimate Bet: Last month $140; Current $188 (+48)

Total = $341

Profit on the month = +$48

I've played 30 games this month for a profit of $48, which gives me a "Return on Investment" (roi) of 29%. Not as good as the 50% last month, but that was hardly something I was likely to be able to keep up. I cashed in 16 of the 30 games I played which seems to be my consistent figure and one I am happy with.

I had several $6.60 games, which are certainly no harder than my normal $5.5 ones, but you don't get a field for them so often - more's the pity.

When I get over $200, which looks to be coming up next month, then I'll have a dabble at the $10 +1 games.

The game at the Cricket Club is getting a bit embarrasing. I've finished 1st in 3 of the previous 5 and second in the one this week (and should have won that too in all honesty). One of the regulars, a long time friend, is still utterly convinced that there is no skill in poker, saying "it's all down to luck". When I point out to him that I am winning an awful lot more than the 1/12th of the time that pure luck would indicate he just claims it's because I get good cards near the end of the game. He just can't recognise why I am always at the end of the game or see that the way I play then is totally different to the way I play at the beginning. Oh well, it's not my problem and I did manage to explain pot odds to him.

Neteller: Last week $108; Current $108
Full Tilt: Last week $45; Current $45 (-)
Ultimate Bet: Last month $100; Current $140 (+40)

Total = $293

Profit on the month = +$40

I've played 13 $5.5 "sit and goes" this month for a profit of $40, which is of course very encouraging. That makes a "roi" (return on investment) of 56%, which would be pretty awesome if I could keep it up (which I doubt if I could). Anyway it does encourage me to have a go at some $6.6 games which are also available on Ultimate. I'll look at $10 + 1 when I get to $200.

I like the slow build up of the games on UB as it suits my style very well. There are 4 low blind levels, so you have played 40 minutes before you get to the 50/100 mid blind level. This gives the non-thinking players lots of scope for getting all in and therefore out of the game. There is also a fair chance of being able to limp in with low pairs or suited connectors and double up if you hit.

Playing only when it suits me - rather than trying to chase bonuses, "points" and the like - is also a plus I think. My wife certainly appreciates it.

BurnleyMik was asking about the game at the local Cricket Club. That's going very nicely. Because I tend to do so little early on, I am given a lot of respect for my raises later in the game, which is very useful when you have air but need to make a move! We regularly start with 2 tables now and I can see us having 16 plus players in the Autumn when we will go back to a league format again.

Neteller: Last week $108; Current $108
Full Tilt: Last week $45; Current $45 (-)
Ultimate Bet: Last week $119; Current $100 (-19)

Total = $253

Profit on the month = -$19

A nineteen dollar loss on the month might look less than thrilling but it actually represents a significant recovery. I played some more .5/1 Limit and had a dismal run which saw me down to $47 left on the site at the worst point. I decided,
since I was no longer rolled for the Limit anyway to change back to $5.5 SnG's and see what that brought me. On reflection I shouldn't really have been playing Limit, since I am not putting in the hours needed to overcome the variance. Seduced by a desire to work off the bonus I'm afraid.

Anyway my SnG game seems to have returned and in the 25 games I've played this month I've made a profit of $53. Not overly exciting in itself, but a significantly good roi which has cheered me up a bit.

The face-to-face game at the local Cricket Club continues to go nicely with 14 players quite often now. I'm running a very steady profit here, helped by the fact that one of my main competitors turns up less frequently since he's become romantically involved - ah the follies of youth!

The best poker news this month was nothing to do with me. Old "Diplomacy" (the board wargame) mate and long time Poker player (he's mentioned in Tony Holden's first book) Pete Birks won $1,000 and an all expenses paid entry to a big tournament in Monte Carlo from Full Tilt. Pete's regular game is $200 No Limit at which he is very successful. It will be interesting to follow his progress. There is a link to Pete's blog on the sidebar.

Neteller: Last week $108; Current $108
Full Tilt: Last week $45; Current $45 (-)
Ultimate Bet: Last week $169; Current $119 (-50)

Total = $272

Profit on the month = -$50

Not much joy online this month. I had a miserable run on the 9 man $5.5 SnG's with a sequence of 12 games without cashing, 6 of them 4th places...SIGH. I couldn't even find anything that I was doing that was particularly poor - I just kept getting caught in key bubble all in situations with someone having a big hand they could call me with and then not getting lucky. I also suffered from the reverse syndrome of having good hands called by big stacks and them getting lucky (my unfavourite being AA called by QJ off which hit a straight on the river). Having had a run of 8 games where I cashed every time previous to this dismal experience at least helped offset it a bit. Not fun though.

Meanwhile the Thursday night game at my local cricket club is going from strength to strenght. We have 10+ regularly now which is great. Talking of statistical anomolies, we had an amazing night last Thursday - quads 4 times in the evening. We had Aces, Kings and 8's twice. What's more I had the Kings and one of the 8's! The odds on that in one night must be incredible. I still only finished 2nd though as one player chipped up hugely near the end when (and I kid you not) 24 suited was called by J9 off. For the record the J9 off, held!

Neteller: Last week $108; Current $108
Full Tilt: Last week $85; Current $45 (-40)
Ultimate Bet: Last week $150; Current $169 (+19)

Total = $318

Profit on the month = -$15

I continued my losing run at Limit on LuckyAce so I packed the site in (since there was no bonus or rakeback). I signed up at UltimateBet and didn't have much success at Limit there either. I had to come to the obvious conclusion, which was that I wasn't remotely bankrolled for the level I was trying to play at (2/4) so the variance was killing me. It's a shame, as the standard was very weak (40%+ seeing the flop sometimes and always 30+ tells you that) but a couple of bad beats could be totally killing.

That being the case I thought that I might as well go back to playing SnG's. I didn't really want to get back into Limit grinding for bonus money anyway. It worked out pretty well. I played 6 games this week, cashing in 5 of them, to put me into profit on the site.

The $5.50 SnG players are distinctly weaker than those at the same level on Full Tilt (who aren't that great), so it looks like I've found something I can start winning regularly at again.

Meanwhile Laddies bunged me a tenner to go and play there again. Sadly it's totally hopeless. Every game I tried to play the software kept crashing, even after I followed the instructions from the support staff. Still very little traffic too. Laddies looks dead in the water to me.

Neteller: Last week $108; Current $108
Full Tilt: Last week $109; Current $85 (-34)
LuckyAce: Last week; $299; Current $201 (-98)

Total = $333 (-132)

Profit on the month = +$45

What a shame that a month that started so well should take a major nose dive at the end. I had the FT wedge up to 330, but then hit a major run of "second best handitis" which cost me dearly. I was only seeing 14% of flops against a table average

of 35%+ but when I did hit a hand someone else always seemed to either have or hit something better. I had Kings v Aces, Jacks v Queens, a flopped flush beaten by a full house on the river - the whole nine yards. I've got to expect such a hammering to come along at 2/4 and I managed to take it without going completely on tilt. I should have got away from the Jacks v Queens hand though since I knew the player I was up against was decent and had to credit him with something good.

So it goes.

No luck on FT either. The games there were a bit nitty and I found myself breaking my "no playing sub 30% seeing flops" rule. I won't do that again.

We battle on.

Neteller: Last week $108; Current $108
Full Tilt: Last week $111; Current $109 (-2)
LuckyAce: Last week; $299; Current $248 (+51)

Total = $465 (-53)

So, right on cue it happened. The usual story, sad to say. I was sucked out on right left and centre. On the 2/4 game on Lucky Ace I couldn't hit a hand to save my life and on the few occasions when I did I was collared on the river by flush chasers and paired middle card chasers. Still, I stuck to my guns and managed to battle back up from being -100 at one point. I have the experience behind me to know that really I want to be playing with these people - I shall return.

Nothing doing on Full Tilt either, when I couldn't get a decent game on LA. Similar problems, though I played very cautiously and managed to break even.