Independent Chip Model

Here is a site with an article about the independent chip model (ICM) and an online calculator. Hope it helps!

(The icm model helps to determine if you should play a hand on the bubble.)

Goal #4 - Work on my tilting problem

"To win at poker, you have to be very good at losing."
(Tommy Angelo)

I tilt. And I tilt a lot. I tilt easy. And I tilt badly.

All poker players tilt. I believe even Doyle Brunson or Phil Ivey tilt. It's a human reaction. You see something unfair. And tilt. Maybe after years of playing poker you tilt less. But I do believe. Even after eons of poker. There is a situation where you tilt. So. It's nothing to be ashamed of.

But I need to work on my tilting problem. Because that's what it is: a problem. I lost more money on my tilting sessions than I want to remember. It's like a second rake.

When do I tilt?

The funny thing is. I usualy tilt after I played my A game for a long time. Or after winning a tournament. My ego gets pumped up. It's huge. I return to the tables and expect to control them. I expect to win every single time. But that's not poker. AA vs 22. There's still a ~20% chance that my opponent wins. That is one out of five. Better than throwing a dice. So. I'm back at the tables. I feel unbreakable. And than it happens. I loose a race. I get rivered. I try to run over a table. A bad beat. And suddenly I'm on tilt. I know I'm on tilt but. Raaaaaahhhhhh. Hulk will smash. I can't stop. You know what I'm talking about, eh?!

I still don't have a plan, how to work on my tilt problem. I just play shorter sessions. I analyse all sessions after I played them. Especially if I lost.

And hopefuly. Some day. I will tilt less.

P.S. Here is a nice article by Tommy Angelo. At the end he talks about tilting.

Poker on TV

Arte shows the documentary "That's poker!" tomorrow night at 22:10. Sorry. German and French only.

Change of plan?

Right know I'm rethinking my strategy. As you know I play .05/.1 limit at party. But the rake at this limit is incredible 10% with no rakeback. My idea is to use the money I cashed out at PKR and drop it into my party account. That way i could play .1/.2 where the rake is 5%. Makes sense, huh? Well. Let me think about it.

Tomorrow I leave again for a business trip and won't be able to play poker until the weekend. So. I got plenty time to think. :P

Btw. I would like to join another pokersite.
Criteria:
- many players/tables
- PokerOffice support
- rakeback
Any suggestions?

A thought about PokerOffice:
If I ever have to pay the anual fee, I think I would drop PO and try PT&PAHUD. Especially since PT seems more flexible and supports Absolute, Ultimate etc.

The Stars are bright

Today is a bank holiday in germany (Pentecost?!) and my girlfriend went to visit a friend. A perfect day to stay at home, smoke a cigar (Flor de Selva Robusto) and have a good whisky (Oban). And of course: poker.

So I joined the big family at Stars and played a little recreational NL2. Great games & Loose donks (like me). I love you all! Within 20 hands i doubled up.

Then a friend dropped by. The weather was great. We walked to a cafe. And I think we had 5 pieces of apple cake each. Lol. So much for loosing weight.

After coming back I played some more. First a 9pl $1.2 SnG. On my second hand I gambled. I knew that the preflop raiser had at least an overpair (or AK). But I had Two pair on the flop. So I went all in. He called and hit his set on the turn: busted. Nevermind. I went back to the NL2 tables. Within 10 hands I doubled up again. Man. Why do I play limit? It's so much harder. I can't believe it. Well. Maybe I'm up for the competition. Lol.

Stars: +$4.64

Adieu PKR

Just played the PKR $100 tourney. Oh. Me so bad. I don't know. MTTs are not made for me. I finished itm. 30 places got paid and I finished 219/30. Thanks to the bubble boy.

In 30 minutes starts the forum tourney. I think this will be my last game on PKR for a while.

Well. The tournament didn't go to well. I had some good cards. But I played them bad. In the end Nemo kicked me with his AA vs my snowmen.

After the tournament I cashed out at PKR. My reasons are:
- too few fixed limit tables
- SnG blind structure
- slow gameplay

I enjoyed the PW24 tournaments. But in the end I played them only to chat with the other forum members. And to be honest. I think I was the only one chatting. Maybe the others put me on ignore. I don't know.

PKR: -$4.96

Rainy Day

It's a rainy and stormy day in Berlin. A perfect day for ... poker :D
(My girlfriend thinks different.)

Played three $1.2 STT SnG at Stars. In the first one I got busted on the first hand I played. KK vs. AA. It's a classic. You gotta love it. Then I made 1st and 2nd in the next two. After that I tried the 45 player $1.2. But didn't reach itm.

I also played a little bit at the NL3 cash tables. Well. "Me so bad" (Bizzaro) . I should stick to limit. After 1 hour I was $.09 up. Lol.

Stars: +$2.49

PKR - Reloaded

I'm back in Berlin. Finally. 10 days without poker is a drag.

Today I played with the updated PKR software. Well it's ok. Nothing revolutionary. You can stand up when you are all in etc. Try it!

I played a little S&G and made 2nd place. There are a lot of weak players. But I still think I'm gonna cash out. The blinds in the S&G tourneys just raise too fast for my taste.

On sunday is the last PW24 Tournament. I will play that one and decide afterwards.

PKR: +$1.9

Played two more $1.2 SnG at Stars. Finished the second in second place.

Stars: +$.3

Betting Draws on the Come

I just love the 2+2 forum. There are so many interesting threads and posts there.

Here's another one about "Betting draws on the come". This one is especially valuable for newbies.

How I learned to love my downswings

Another great thread in the 2+2 forum. This one is about downswings, luck and Doyle Brunson.

"Do you ever see Doyle Brunson play a hand on TV. Of course you have, did you notice his expression after the hand when he wins, he always has this little wry smile. It looks to me like he's thinking, I just must be the luckiest guy ever." (Bob T. "Something about luck")

How did you do it?

Here's a fascinating read in El Diablo's 2+2 Forum. A lot of different readers tell us how they achieved financial success.

How To Use Pokertracker

Here is a very good article in the 2+2 Forums on "How To Use Pokertracker". (Or PokerOffice). It's aimed at NL/PL players. But I think it's also quiet useful for Limit Donks like me.

Bubble Boy

Today was the Tournament of PokerWorld24. We played SH NL Texas Hold'Em. It was a nice tournament. I think I played quite well. But I was eliminated with TP2K against a set. I left as the bubble boy (22/4). That hurt. But that's poker, eh?!

I played three more tournaments at pkr. I played the Poker-Institut tournament. But I wasn't really paying attention because it took place at the same time as the PW24 tournament. When I reached the final table at the PW24 tournament I made some harakiri moves at the PI tournament and busted. (I think 80/33?!)

Well. I was a little bit frustrated after the bubble experience and played two more 1+.05 SnG at pkr. But I played really badly. In the first SnG I got busted very early. The second I finished 2nd place. To be honest. I played like a donkey.

I think I'm going to cash out at pkr after the PW24 series. I don't like the blind structure of the SnG tournaments at all. The blinds just raise to fast for my taste. I prefer PS.

PKR: -$7.9 (ITM 25%)

First Limit Session in a week

Today I played my first limit cash game in a week. It was good to be back at the tables. Even if I could play only for an hour. The table was great. Loose, passive players. I love them all! They are great.

I posted some hands in the Forum of Pokerworld24 (German): Hand #1, Hand #2, Hand #3, Hand #4 and Hand #5.

Party: +$.44 (4.4 BB)

It's sad. But I won't be able to play any poker for the next 10 days. I'm on a business trip and I don't have my UMTS card anymore.

If I'm lucky I can play the Pokerworld24 Tournament (German) on sunday.

Winning In Tough Hold'Em Games

I started reading "Winning In Tough Hold'Em Games" by Nick "Stoxtrader" Grudzien and Geoff "Zobags" Herzog. Hope it helps to develop my SH game.

Goal #3 - Play more short-handed games

Well. That's an easy topic. Until now I played mostly full ring limit games. Usually I left the table when it came down to 6 or 5 players. But that makes it quite difficult to play limits like .5/1 or higher because there are just too few full tables.

My goal is simple. Play more short handed tables. :D

Bad Hair Day

Played five $1+.2 SnG Tournaments on Stars. But I was eliminated in all of them before the money.

In the first tournament I was eliminated on the 2nd hand holding Pocket Rockets.

Second tournament. I raise preflop with QQ. Chipleader puts me All-In. I call and he shows me A7o. He wins with a flush.

The last tournament was especially despressing. I was the chipleader. 4 Players. We are looking for the bubble boy. I'm dealt QQ. Smallstack raises. I put him All-In. He turns over AJo and hits the Jack on the flop. So now I'm the smallstack. Four or five hands later UTG raises. I reraise him All-In with Pocket Tens. He shows me AJo (again). Well. The river is a Jack. And I'm busto.

Stars: $68.38 (-$6)

Goal #2 - Steadily build a bank roll and move up.

My second goal is to build my bankroll and move up.

This means three things:

• "There is no hurry!",
• Bankroll management,
  
• I want to play higher limits.
  

There is no hurry!
I start in the micro limits. From that point on, I want to build my bankroll steadily. I don't need to play in the low or middle limits just yet. Not today, not tomorrow. Maybe in a month or a year. If it takes longer, that's ok too. (It's a game, remember?)
Yes. I do have the money. I could deposit enough money to play FL 1/2, 3/6, 5/10 or even higher limits right away. It wouldn't even hurt me, if I lost that money. But I don't want that.


Bankroll management
My plan is to play according to a strict bankroll management. The rules are easy:

• my bankroll should be ~300BB (e.g. $30 for FL .05/.1),
  
• BB/100h > 1 for at least 10k hands before even considering to move up
• win 360BB before moving up ($66 for FL .1/.2)
  
• if I loose 60BB after moving up, I move a limit down ($54 -> back to FL .05/.1)

See also: "Basic Bankroll Management". A good article by Chris "Fox" Wallace. (Source: PocketFives.com)


I want to play higher limits
No. I don't want to grind a level forever. I'm a competitive guy. I'm up for the challenge. If I'm good enough on a certain level (according to my BR management) I'm going to move up. Even if it means playing Yo-yo :D

CU Around

Betcha Can't

"Betcha can't turn your computer off.

See. Told you."

Great Article by Tommy Angelo. (Source: TommyAngelo.Com)

I like the articles of Tommy Angelo. He writes about the game in a different way. It's not boring repetitions of odds and outs or how he played that hand blah blah blah. Usually he explores general concepts and applies them on poker. Very refreshing.

Greg Raymer for president

"Greg Raymer is considering joining famed sports handicapper Wayne Allyn Root on a Libertarian ticket at the run for the Presidency." (Source: Cardplayer.com)

Donk donk donk

Well. Today I wanted to play my first cash game in a week. But somehow I started playing S&G tournaments on Stars ($1.2, 5-Table).

In the first tournament I lost very early half of my stack, went on tilt and: busto. (It was all my fault.) So I took a small break to watch Dr. House. I love that bastard.

Back for the second tournament. It went bad bad bad. I became the rock. (VP$IP 19% at a table where everyone else was above 40%-50%.) Nobody called my good hands. The blinds ate my chips. But somehow I reached the final table as Mr.Very Small Stack. (Small like Tiny, like M=3). Then I got lucky on two hands. I eliminated the bubble boy myself. Tables turned. Three more players got eliminated. I played alot more aggressive. And suddenly I was the chipleader. And yes. I won the tournament. Nice feeling.

Stars: $74.38 (+$11.6)

"Since I got ten high, there's probably no way I'm gonna fold."

U gotta love Gus Hansen.

Goal #1 - Have fun playing poker

That's my #1 goal. Why?

I started playing poker in 09/2006. Saw it on TV and was hooked. The next day I bought alot of books (2+2 they are great!) and PokerAcademyPro (great too). I played 10k hands with PokerAcademy and (re)read my books. In November I started my online poker "career". I deposited $400 on party and started playing right away. No playmoney here. First I had a mayor upswing. Then some downswings. I played NL, S&G, Cash, MTTs. I tried multitabling. Had upswings again. I tilted. I had Good Beats and Bat Beats. I gave and received suckouts. I played every day. And sometimes I was wondering. Is this an addiction? Well if it was, at least I didn't loose money. Which was good, right?

But during the last month I became aware that I didn't have fun playing poker anymore. And that bugs me.

There are a lot of reasons for this. But I think the main reason is, that I was hoping I could make a living out of it or to become rich overnight. I tried too hard. Every suckout made me now angry. I tilted too much, too often.

I know I'm not gifted. For me to learn poker means hard work (that's ok). But at the poker tables you meet sometimes people who just instantly know what to do and how to play. Very impressive. It bugged me that I'm not one of them. But wait. Why? I don't even need the money.

Poker is a game. It should be fun.

I want that back :D

Zero Hour

Today I hit the big "RESET" button. I cashed out. Just left enought money on the sites I play, so that I can start over again. All the money left in my accounts is bonus money. I never reloaded. But I had some pretty huge swings. I tried too much, too hard, too early.

So. What are my goals:

1. Have fun playing poker.
2. Steadily build a bank roll and move up.
   
3. Play more short-handed games.
4. Work on my tilting problem.
5. Take the game serious.
   

The good thing is: i don't need the money. I've a decent job that pays well. There's no need to "get rich or die tryin" :D

So. Where do i start?

For me it's limit texas hold'em. I do play NL and tournaments, but only for recreational purposes.

I start with a bankroll of:

• Party: ~$30 = 300BB for .05/.1
• Stars: ~$60 = 50 Buy-Ins for 1+.2 S&G
• PKR: ~$55 = probably gonna cash out as well. Just playing on pkr because my favorite german forum Pokerworld24 organizes tournaments there.

That's it for today.

CU Around.

The beginning

A new blog, about poker, just what the world needs most.