Feb 22

Dear poker diary,

Ends up I was down to the low 80's when I quit last night.
I logged back in and got it to 93K.
I logged in this morning but lack of cards and a tight table cost me 3k.

I should pass 100k the next time I can sit down for awhile. I can't hit the super-loose lunch break play because I'll be doing the 'puters at St. C's all day long.

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Here's my current Full Tilt cash game strategy:

1) First I look at 5/10 games that have the biggest average pots.

2) Next I find one with the chip leader on my right (so I can avoid and exploit him).

3) I post a big blind to play ASAP, unless I'm the BB a hand later. ($10 is nothing.)

4) An all-in $1k pre-flop bet will usually be called by three or four people. Two of those people will call with crap like 6/7. But post-flop only one or two will call an all-in because their crap failed to improve. So I when I have Ace/8+ I'm likely to go all in with my initial $1k.

5) As soon as go all-in I re-order chips, so my stack at the table is instantly refilled to $1k should I lose. That way I don't miss out on the next hand.

6) I lose those all-in's about 2/3 of the time. When I win, I'll usually have about $4k. With $4k I'm looking to go all-in pre-flop one more time, which will usually make me double-up to ~$8k. I'm a little pickier about my hand, but not too picky. I don't usually go broke when I have 4k, but it's not uncommon to split a pot and only get back $2k of my $4k investment. Oddly enough, winning an all-in pre-flop with $2k usually nets close to $8k anyway, so it's not a big deal.

7) When I have about 8k (winning two all-ins) my position to the chip leader(s) becomes really important. I want to avoid getting in situations where they can bust me out. Also, my stacks a bit more dangerous so they're less likely to call my all-in. That goodness for position! If they've already call a pot that has a few thousand chips in it (which they often call with not-so-good cards) and then I go all-in, they much more likely to give me action, thereby at least doubling me up, or at least allowing me to win the side pot against them.

8) When you have chips you're in a different game. You're playing for side pots. Lets say that three noobs go all-in for $1k, one all-in for 2k, one goes all-in for 8k, and you go all-in to call the 8k. If you have the second worst hand, only beating the guy with 8k, you make a $6k profit.
Or, if three go all-in for $1k, one bets $4k, and you call with OK cards (because a pre-flop raise will get called more often than not, so only raise with really good cards), then after the flop you go all-in, unless he hit the flop he'll likely fold and you'll get an easy $3k regardless of whether or not you beat the other 3 players for their $3k pot.

9) What feeds the food chain is that people can get $1k every 5 minutes so many people call a $1k all-in, it's like the first round of the tournaments. $1k all-inners are like a school of beached sardines. People (seagulls) with an ounce of restraint swoop in and take their money. Sure they get lose a lot of small investments, but winning 4 times your investment ever 3 hands does make money. At this point in the game I'm not after sardines, I'm after the fat seagulls. I wait for a good hand, then get the seagulls. Once they're invested seagulls find out that they're not as smart as they think they are, and make some dumb calls.


Here's the golden rule to sum it up:
The difference in play pre and post flop is INCREDIBLE. Pre-flop people are calling machines. Post flop they've had some reality beaten into them and they're likely to fold, unless of course they have a hand that's dangerous to you.

So big bets with good cards before the flop are profitable in the long run. Big bets after the flop tend to scare people away, hopefully chasing them off the side pot.

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I'm up to $103k!!!!
I'm done playing for awhile. :)
Or... at least until I get bored.

I wish I had those chips in my new account instead of this one.