I normally try and get to the Western on a Thursday to play the double chance, but with the Stars promo, I had it in my mind that I'd just stay in and play online. I was back ok mentally after the knocks on Wednesday, after all, I wasn't that much down, but I still thought that getting out may be a better idea and thought I'd finally get myself up to Luton and play the £50 comp. Things didn't start off great, but not bad either, I'd hardly played a hand going into the third level, but with a 30 min clock and 5k in chips, it was nothing compared to the Westerns fast structure. I'm not sure why I did it but I completed from the small blind with Q2o for an extra 100 - there were 4 in the pot and I was more bored from folding I guess, so I limped in. The flop came Q 6 Q which I was quite pleased with. Check from me, check from the BB, the other two checked and a suited card to the board came on the turn so I've lead out for 600. The BB calls, the others fold. Ace on the river and I'm pretty happy now. The BB must have played about 90% of hands and has been calling/betting on draws so I'm still feeling good so am ready to check raise. He duly obliges and bets 800 and I make it 2.5k more. After a short think he calls with 6's and scoops the pot. I was gutted to be honest and only had 550 left and the break was less than 10 mins away. I folded for a while then the blinds passed me and I know I should have chucked them in without looking, but I didn't for some reason. Down to 250 and two minutes to the break and I stick them in with A2. Get a treble up, then stick them in again with T9 and get another treble up. A couple more shoves before the break and I'm back to where I was pretty much with just under 4k. After the break, I continue to be busy but get no opposition and manage to take plenty of uncontested pots. Eventually I'm back in decent shape, then we break for the final table. I didn't make the FT in great shape, but neither was I the shorty. There was a clear chip leader who had most of the chips in play, but I was feeling good. At the bubble with 6 left it was suggested a saver for 6th was sorted which to be honest, I'm usually happy to do. The bubble didn't take too long, 5th went, 4th went and we're down to 3, with me 2nd in chips, but a long way behind. There was 165,000 in play, and I guess between me and 3rd, we had maybe 35k between us. I thought I was going to knock third out when on a T 3 T flop holding 7's I lead out for 4k, the shove came. I had a feeling I was ahead and obviously called and she showed Q3, but the queen came on the river and I was now the shorty. Couple of hands later, the worst thing for me came, the chip leader knocked out the lady in 3rd so now he had about 150k of the chips. Heads Up didn't last too long, I called with A2 against his J9s but he hit a flush.

Certainly no complaints about it and I was pleased with my game. Despite the Q hand early on, I think I played pretty good and made some nice plays on the final table that got me a few nice pots. Also, it was my biggest live cash so far at £410 which is pretty decent.

Nice crowd at Luton, certainly a friendly place and the guy that won was a nice chap too. Would like to go back, but I'd like the M1 fixed first!

I run bad

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2835574

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2835589.

Takes my losses for the day to just under $90. I didn't bother to check my points, too gutted to care at the moment. Why didn't I stick to tourneys?

I'm again finding myself on the brink of tilt. I'd done exceedingly well and built up some nice profits. I've had one nervy handd that I got away with and 5 big loss hands that I'm really not sure what I could do about.

Firstly, I'm only buying in for $30. I don't have enough to multitable at the full buy in. I know it's not good value, but the way I'm running, it's saving me money!

These are in the order they happened so you can maybe feel my tilt building.

First - AK on the BB, auto 3 bet?. Trouble is that the raiser to me has but $10. I bet $6 with the view that it's more than likely all going in preflop - I lose, fair enough, I didn't hit, he had a medium pair and hit trips anyway.

Second - Lost my small buy in here. I guess I should have folded to the 4 bet - my mistake. I've learned that the 4 bet is strong so will respect it from now on.

Third - Queens again - joy, another small buy in gone when I run into kings

Fourth - I put goldberg2 on the flush draw which is why I raised. I'd have thought common sense would say that if there's a bet, then a raise, then perhaps the flush draw isn't great. When the turn made a flush possible, I'm awkwardly out of position - what do I do here? If I check, I have to fold to a bet (obv the option) but I didn't expect him to call a reraise on a flush draw and another buy in is down the swanny.

Fifth - What can you do here? I knew I was ahead, but he's still called of all his stack on the flush draw which he's duly hit. Obv I'm not folding for his last $2 when $30 is in the middle. Hmm, actually that one is only half a buy in for me. I didn't realise until now.

Anyway, I've decided that it's a good time to take a break as I'm on the verge of smashing my keyboard at the moment.

Stats so far.
Hands played - 3067 (fk me! in 1 day - I average that a month usually!)
Profit/Loss - [color=#FF0000]-52.95[/color]
BB/100 - [color=#FF0000]-1.73[/color]
Points Earned - 1030.

Actually, the profit and loss is a real bitch. I'm only down $9.35 for the day, if it weren't for my hands above, I'd be well up. In an ironic lolable twist to the problems above, I've had Aces 11 times today and am only up $29 from them - seems every time I raise with them, everyone just folds :roll:

OK, chin up, I'm only down $9 on the day, I've had worse and I'm nearly at silver.

For one week only, I'm back on the cash! I know, it's not good, but Stars have the 2xFPP scheme on at the moment and if I can make Gold, I can do something nice with my points. I have over 50k of them but everything nice you can get you either need to be silver or for the better stuff, gold. I started off ok but managed to lose $40 by the end of my first session. Then last night, I played again and was going great until I managed to try a move on someone and they clearly didn't respect it and called and reraised me. I obviously gave him too much respect and thought my bottom pair was good but his top pair was good and I lost $20. In my defense, the line I sold him was that the board paired with 4's and I played it like I had one (called flop bet, then c/r the turn when the other 4 appeared) then lead on the river, but he clearly wasn't having any of it. My moves are obviously too sophisticated for the average NL50 player ;) Later on I was in the big blind with JT and it folded to the small blind who raised. He's raised me numerous times like this so I flat called. Flop came J high and he lead out for $2, I reraise to $5 and he shoved. I obviously called, but he had the aces and that was that, another $35 gone and with it my profit for the day.

So my new plan is to play really really tight and conservative. I'll make a profit like this, but I just need to respect raises a bit more. I'm going to crack on with 9 tabling later on but as I've almost busted my Stars account, I'm going to have to buy in on the cheap. I'm going to stick with full ring though so it's not the end of the world.

366 points so far, I could do with around 1,00 by the end of the day.

Poker's a funny old game. Spent a couple of weeks online suffering all manner of beats, but last night I managed to take down the iPoker (on Blonde $10k for a lovely $2.2k. Blonde organise the 'get together' on Wednesdays and usually have a much coveted polo shirt up for whoever lasts longest out of the blondes taking part. In the past I've made two top 20 finishes and also a top 50 but still failed to win the shirt, but last night I sailed past 906 other people (yes, small overlay too!) and claim the top spot and also my biggest win to date.



I think I'll just stick with mtt's. Trying to build a bankroll from hard graft in cash or stt's is certainly for some people, but I don't think it's for me.

Happy Days.