72 Hours and 10 Hours of Sleep!

Wow the Downswing really hit on Friday! I woke up and played some $2/$4 Heads up that went really bad, this one guy just had me in a choke hold, no matter what I did or how the cards fell I just could not get going, this is where I definitely lack discipline, I really need to learn to just walk away from games like that especially heads up games. I lost a $1,100 pot with AK on a A J 9 K board, money in on the turn he held QT, and had QQs and AAs cracked by 24 and 95, but hey that’s poker!!!! I really should have realised when to stop and or to take a break but I kept playing and kept looking at my poker balance decreasing and decreasing!!! I ended up losing $2000 in one day!!! Which made me feel just sick!!!!!!!!

On the bright side I have reached the million points on rivercard!!! Which means they will pay out a $1,000 although speaking to them recently they mentioned they may buy me in the $1,500 anyway as I think I will get enough points for maybe $1,300 and just pay them back in time in terms of points, which is very nice of them!!!

After realising I need to stop playing online I watched more episodes of heroes!! I saw the whole season in about 4 days! Pretty impressive I think! Or just sad! The thing I love about the show is that it seems so mystical and different almost spooky, which gives it an edge on the rather series at the moment!! Definitely a must watch!!!

I head down to London on Friday night to pick up my passport, planning to go Spain with uni lot before Vegas so driving back to London seemed ideal with the Oxford cup on Sunday. I drove straight to Gutshot and sat down at the £50 No Limit game, 1st time I have played no limit there but the £50 pot limit games were two tables full!! There is no max buyin and people were in for £50 , £100, £200 and I was in for £250 although someone else was in for £1,000. It was a soft soft table the pot limit vs no limit game did not make much of a difference to me as I never bet pot (except pre) but this definitely allows the weaker players to make larger mistakes. Not too many interesting hands to be honest I played pretty simple poker and got paid off when I had a hand, I tried bluffing early on but that really did not work but helped to build me a loosish image, which is fine by me. I struggle between £250 and £200 but once I got over the £250 mark I never looked back. I won a nice pot with 33s, I limp with a few others and the BB makes it £7 to go, 4 callers. Flop is 4 4 6, a good flop for me assuming no over pairs. The initial raisers checks and it checks to me, I bet out £30 and everyone folds the initial raisers then goes in for another £15 more, I call! Not happy but not folding to a small raise and I don’t want people on the table thinking I will fold to a small raise later on in the game. The turn is a 3 and the river is an Ace. I show my house! And he is upset and a bit angry saying how unlucky he is, but the truth is he had Ace high when the money went in, he was drawing dead on the turn and hit his pair on the river!!! But people love to complain!!!

I won a few nice pots with 78’s the same seemed to work for me and I managed to get maximum value out of people! In live poker certain people just do not want to be bluffed especially by a young looking Asian guy.

A topic I would like to introduce is ‘Friends at a Poker Table’, yes yes there are no friends at a poker tables, and in tournaments I totally agree!!! But in Cash games especially Live and in a non home game environment I do not like to sit on the same table as a friend of mine, so I avoid it but what happens when the guy next to you becomes your best friend after talking to him for four hours, which is just delaying the big pot you two are meant to play! If you play a lot of live cash you end up talking to people well I do! I know some people stay VERY quiet but its just boring after a while, also by talking to people you can gain soooooo much information. But there comes a point where this can cost you. For example there is this very very aggressive player who does not fold draws full stop, he loves them and willing to get his money in but he also been talking to me all day! He has won huge pots by getting lucky and paid off a lot of people, I raise with QdTd and he calls, flop is Jd 8c 9d!!! Bingo!! Bango!!!! Bongo!!! Oh btw this was a while ago at gutshot and I was stuck about £400 and waiting for a hand like this to get my money back against the perfect player! I bet out and he calls! The turn is a brick I bet again and he folds his lower flush draw!!! HUHHHHHHHH!!!! He is NOT supposed to do that! The dealer the rabbit hunts for some reason and the flush hits, he then says look I hit a flush I saved you money cause I like you!!! I go on mad tilt in my head, thinking I have you beat!!!!

So where do you draw the line? (in cash) I like to be the nice guy at the poker table because I am a nice guy and I respect the rules and the game. Therefore I tend to make friends which allows me to bluff more and get away with pots, I think the key here is do not be too friendly with pay off wizards!!!

I then went home and watched more Heroes with about £505 in my back pocket, so I made back some cash I lost playing online! But still down for the day!!!

I woke up the next day eagerly waiting to watch more heroes!! I’m starting to wish I had a super power!! If I did have one it would not be anything to do with poker!!! That’s just cheating!!!!

Then went out to see Oceans 13’s ---- Really bad films!! Do not watch it!!! No twists no turns nothing special just a bunch of technical jargon in my opinion. Then went to go eat at Nandos with my brother Veer, my cousin Amar and my mate Niraj, they liked the film but I did not!! I then watched Pirates of the Caribbean, the 1st one! I know I am a bit slow but planning to see the 3rd one so got to see the other two soon! Well other one now! Dam I bet all those people who work are thinking! This student is really having a good time!! Well dam straight!! Life has to be enjoyed before all the responsibilities kick in when work starts!! You are only young once!!!

I stay up till about 6am finishing off the series of heroes, get one-hour sleep and woke up to drive to Oxford for the 9am registration!! This blog entry is getting a bit long like all my other! So will blog about the Oxford cup in a couple of days! As well as more online and live poker experiences!!!

Rivercard : $1,500 Poker Stars : BUSTO!!! Live: $1,650