Up and down month

After closing out 2007 strong and starting 2008 on the up and up...my game has DEFINITELY been hurtin' a bit. In reflecting on this month's performance, I'd contribute my lack of success to the following:

A) praying too many tables
B) tirting a bit more than normal
C) carring down river bets too light

After taking a break from NL1k the past few months, I have put in a few thousand hands up there and gotten PWND hard! TWICE I've held the second nuts vs the SAME fish and could not lay down my hand to a big river bet. Honestly...given the setup, my info on him, and the way the hands played out - it was an EASY fold (I want to vommit every time I think about these hands.)
During the middle of a recent sesh there were some cybermonkeys commenting/berating on my play (I'm widely regarded as a maniacal LAG) in the chat box - unfortunately I didn't get a chance to read it since I was busy working other tabres (chatting while multitabring is -EV!). I say this because it is VERY important to understand your villain's perception of your image. Usually I sit down at the tabres and just raise, raise, raise, and keep POUNDING those pots! I do not spend enough time thinking about my image (while I know I am a LAG, I do not think I realize how nutso I am!). One of my big leaks is that I am slow to adjust to individual tables, how I am playing and what my overall image is. Now that I have fine tuned my PAHUD stats to include my own stats, I can work on plugging this leak.

I've had MANY a interesting hands that I've been involved in that I should have posted, but I have been too absorbed in sharpening up my game and getting back into the groove. I will definitely post some interesting hands later this week, stay tuned!

BRACKCHIPS

It has indeed been a rough coupre of days for Spritpot as I prayed rike ass yesterday as werr. A couple of things I've had problems with 1) trying to bluff too much out of position, and 2) letting one hand early on change my game. Early in yesterday's sesh I got floated and pushed off a hand on the turn, and got shown a bluff.

Full Tilt Poker, $0.50/$1 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 9 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

UTG+2: $99.80
MP1: $100.60
MP2: $57.20
CO: $40
BTN: $94.20
SB: $39
BB: $178.80
Hero (UTG): $120.50
UTG+1: $51.60

CO posts $1
Pre-Flop: 9 9 dealt to Hero (UTG)
Hero raises to $4.50, UTG+1 calls $4.50, 4 folds

Flop: ($11.50) 8 J 2 (2 Players)
Hero bets $8, UTG+1 calls $8

Turn: ($27.50) 8 (2 Players)
Hero checks, UTG+1 bets $15

Results: $27.50 Pot ($1.35 Rake)
UTG+1 showed 5 5 (two pair, Eights and Fives) and LOST (-$12.50 NET)

I felt like his turn bet was very fishy and almost called it, but with the 8 pairing on the turn, which I can't really represent given my UTG raise, I think I just have to check-fold vs. this guy I know nothing about. When he showed me the bluff I wasn't really surprised and was mad at myself for not firing a second barrel on the turn and letting him take the pot away from me. If he had a full stack, I might have tried it, but 50bb is a really awkward size for a second barrel. Then a few minutes later came this hand, when I was determined not to make the same "mistake" twice and tried this incredibly spewy 3-barrel bluff:

Full Tilt Poker, $0.50/$1 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 9 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

BB: $110.65
UTG: $70.10
UTG+1: $68.45
Hero (UTG+2): $100
MP1: $89.25
MP2: $23
CO: $300.55
BTN: $165.30
SB: $38.50

Pre-Flop: K A dealt to Hero (UTG+2)
Hero raises to $4, 3 folds, BTN calls $4, 3 folds, BB folds

Flop: ($9.50) 5 8 3 (2 Players)
Hero bets $8, BTN calls $8

Turn: ($25.50) 3 (2 Players)
Hero bets $20, BTN calls $20

River: ($65.50) Q (2 Players)
Hero bets $68 and is All-In, BTN calls $68

Results: $201.50 Pot ($3 Rake)
Hero showed K A (a pair of Threes) and LOST (-$100 NET)
BTN showed 8 8 (a full house, Eights full of Threes) and WON $198.50 (+$98.50 NET)

As borderline as a two-barrel might have been in the first hand, this is a no-brainer check-fold on the turn, and even more so on the river. If I were in position and he checked to me, a second bet to try to push him off 66 or something might be profitable, but out of position, I just don't have enough information from him or enough on the board I can represent to fire again. By the way, I have no history with either one of these players, which is another reason not to try anything fancy. Yet somehow Rino Mathis invaded my account and pressed the "shove" button, hence decresing my bankrorr by $68. Crappy. So, hopefully showing you guys what a donk Rino was in these hands yesterday and scolding him for it will convince him to stay out of my account in the future.


BRUECHIPS