lucky_scrote's (b)log/diary

[lucky_scrote]

Day 6

Utterly disappointed to last all of 4 minutes in day 2. Bluffed a ton of them off then got it in good to bust.

Completely bricked stars today, winamax was a bit better. Will have to drop down stakes a little bit so that my make-up doesn't pile up.

If there's a silver lining, I made it to day 2 in W Series #10 which is a €100 but with multiple re-entry days it's not much of a sweat yet, not even in the money but sitting in the middle of the pack. I also save €200 not re-entering, booya!

Hours played: 7

Profit/loss: -$779

[dino1980]

Hey Dan,

Looking forward to this diary. I've known you for a while and you've variously specialized in various forms of poker over that time. So a few questions...

- Do you think tournaments suit your specific skill set better than cash games?
- What gives you the bigger rush, a massive pot in a cash game or reaching a final table of a big tournament?
- if you could only play one form of poker for the rest of your life what would it be & why? e.g live cash, online mtt's etc
- If you could go back in time and give yourself one bit of poker advice when and what would it be?
- In terms of importance (in improving) how do you rate: 1on1 coaching, posting hand histories, watching videos, chatting poker to mates, other methods.
- Please tell the story of getting more than 1st place in the Sunday $500K? on Stars when you chopped it.

x

[lucky_scrote]

Day 7

I think these updates are starting to hurt, I had to wait until today to post yesterdays update after another poor session. I am still enjoying the game and not tilted away from the computer but I think this is the fastest I've burned through money in a long time, I think I must be in around 4.7k MU after 4 big losing sessions on the bounce.

I played the €300 HU event on winamax as a part of a package I sold. Around 40% of the field got a bye (obv not me) and I had some kind of reg in the first round that I feel I bashed up pretty hard. The second round I played a fish that was down 30k and managed to flop top pair every hand. It reminded me how frustrating HU poker can be.

Profit/loss: -$1171

Hours played: 8


Another €300 event tonight, it's 6max so fingers crossed this time. I will answer the questions above very shortly...

[lucky_scrote]

How'd ya find the drive over Dan?? Done much sightseeing yet?  Spacious country huh?

I've made this drive a couple of times, this time I used no tomtom or map as it's so easy driving in Europe (as long as you know the big cities to go via).

Sight seeing in the Netherlands? Hmmm, well I've already seen quite a bit of the Netherlands. I wouldn't exactly call it a schilderachtig (picturesque) country being as flat as a pancake but I do absolutely love Amsterdam and I spent a couple of days there after Christmas.

Spacious country, yes. It's as densely populated as England but so spread out. Everywhere you drive you just see canals and fields. Everything is so linear.

[lucky_scrote]

Hey Dan,

Looking forward to this diary. I've known you for a while and you've variously specialized in various forms of poker over that time. So a few questions...

- Do you think tournaments suit your specific skill set better than cash games?

Maybe 6 or 7 years ago people were better skill set to whatever games they preferred to play in. Now, a professional poker player will be better suited to whatever he puts a lot of time and study into. For me it's mtt's for sure although I do think I'm very good at sngs but I don't care too much about them. They are very stale and you have to play a lot of poker with no excitement of ever really 'winning' much money.

- What gives you the bigger rush, a massive pot in a cash game or reaching a final table of a big tournament?

I definitely find tournaments more exciting, from a money point of view I shouldn't have stopped playing cash games as I did win quite a bit of money at them around 2008/2009. I was playing euro sites though and the games were really easy. Who knows if I would have adapted sufficiently to beat the games like some of the decent regs do now. Probably not.

- if you could only play one form of poker for the rest of your life what would it be & why? e.g live cash, online mtt's etc

I don't think this one is close. Online mtt's.

- If you could go back in time and give yourself one bit of poker advice when and what would it be?

You are terrible at poker, and everyone else is going to get good real soon...

- In terms of importance (in improving) how do you rate: 1on1 coaching, posting hand histories, watching videos, chatting poker to mates, other methods.

I think a general willingness to learn is the key. Talking poker with mates and posting HH's is the way to start though, from there I think 1on1 coaching is better than watching videos but that is only if you have a really good coach. I've been coaching for around 6 months now and I've gotten a lot better at it. It really does take some practice, especially when you are coaching people who are a long way behind of your own skill set ability. If my student(s) read this, I don't mean this a bad way because you've all improved so vastly!

- Please tell the story of getting more than 1st place in the Sunday $500K? on Stars when you chopped it.

Oh my. I shall tell this one.

I hadn't long turned 18 and I was mainly playing $2/$4 cash for a living as well as going to a couple of poker festivals in the UK. This is when poker festivals ran very rarely. I managed to go to the Walsall midland masters in October/November (I forget which) and then the Luton Christmas Cracker in December. The tournament you are referring to was very shortly called the Sunday million, but I am so old school that I played it before it was called that . Early hours on a Monday morning I had gotten 3 handed when the tournament was paused and we discussed a deal. This chat is such a long time ago that I am not embarrassed by my rather youthful and cocky manner. Please excuse me...

The chip counts were something like:

papoorboy: 45%
danistheking: 30%
karen19: 25%

Sunday 500k. January 2006

danistheking: 3 way even split
papoorboy: give us chip chop
danistheking: play for the 10k
papoorboy: im way ahead
karen19: king
karen19: u gotta give pa a lil more my goodness
danistheking: no
HostJeff [Supervisor]: Let me calculate the chip chop numbers.
papoorboy: come on dan
papoorboy: lets see
danistheking: u can have less if u want karen lol
HostJeff [Supervisor]: Please remember that this is but one way to chop an event, and just a starting point.
karen19: lol
HostJeff [Supervisor]: I'll "save" 3rd place for all three of you, and then divide  the rest by chip percentages.
karen19: lets see the digits
HostJeff [Supervisor]: 3 minutes, please.
danistheking: im only taking an even split i think
papoorboy: dan
danistheking: yea
papoorboy: even
papoorboy: what is even
karen19: even is alot
danistheking: 3 way split of an equal amount
danistheking: or you can play and see what happens
karen19: prolly like 100 each
papoorboy: how about 110 for me
karen19: sick cake
papoorboy: 105 is basically even split
papoorboy: but we have to play for 10K
papoorboy: right jeff
HostJeff [Supervisor]: dan, do you want to see the numbers?
karen19: dan will u give up 5k?
karen19: 100 each 110 pa
danistheking: $101973 each then play for the 10k
HostJeff [Supervisor]: (Yes, you must leave $10,000 out there to play for no  matter what
papoorboy: come on dan
papoorboy: i got 5. 5M
danistheking: up to you
papoorboy: you want even split
danistheking: yep
papoorboy: 101k each
danistheking: yup
papoorboy: play for the 10
danistheking: yup yup yup
papoorboy: what u think karen
danistheking: lol
karen19: sounds good
HostJeff [Supervisor]: There's $315,921 that you can chop, and another  $10K you have to play for.
danistheking: stupid question
danistheking: deal
karen19: deal
HostJeff [Supervisor]: papoorboy, what say you?
papoorboy: dan
danistheking: do itttttttt
papoorboy: hold on
papoorboy: give me a sec
danistheking: imagine papoor, 1 hand, u double me up, u go on tilt and go  out 3rd
danistheking: you would be gutted
papoorboy: i hear ya
papoorboy: imagine i bust you
karen19: lol
papoorboy: you not giving at all
danistheking: so $150k each then play for the other 10k
papoorboy: hold on
papoorboy: what is it
papoorboy: exactly
danistheking: 105*
papoorboy: how does that work Jeff
papoorboy: you put the $ in accounts
karen19: yes
papoorboy: we play for the 10K
danistheking: $101973.67 into our accounts
karen19: my goodness
danistheking: then we play for $10,000
papoorboy: k hold on
karen19: look at them numbers
karen19: i getting a new carrrrrrrrrr
danistheking: hehe
HostJeff [Supervisor]: papoorboy, they are proposing that you each take $101,973.66, and play for $10,000.
karen19: i agree
HostJeff [Supervisor]: There is $305,921 to divide, and $10,000 that must be played for (correcting my earlier statement)
papoorboy: hold on
papoorboy: please
karen19: np
danistheking: its 5:42am hurry up lol
karen19: where u at king?
danistheking: UK
karen19: king
karen19: why dont we take 100
karen19: give pa the diffrence
danistheking: NO
karen19: wow
karen19: ok
papoorboy: hold all pleas
papoorboy: e
danistheking: u on an abacus or something papoorboy?
papoorboy: discussing with friend
papoorboy: s
papoorboy: another minute please
karen19: pa you will get the leftover 10 easy with all those chips
karen19: i going all in first hand
danistheking: pa, if u want an extra 5000, take it off karens stack as i have more chips than her
karen19: easy killer
karen19: it is really anyones game
karen19: ask gollum
danistheking: LMFAO
karen19: hey gollum
karen19: u wish u chopped now?
danistheking: hahahahahah
papoorboy: hold on guys/gals
papoorboy: almost
karen19: guys/frogs
danistheking: hangon i need to ring my parents...
danistheking: lol j/k
danistheking: deals off in 1 minute
papoorboy: we play
danistheking: ok
danistheking: carry on then
karen19: pa
karen19: how much more you need?
HostJeff [Supervisor]: That sounds pretty definitive.  I'm restarting.  Good  luck!
karen19: 5
papoorboy: what karen
karen19: hold on
danistheking: oh wait
karen19: i give up 5
papoorboy: 5
karen19: u got it
danistheking: $5 or $5000?
danistheking:
karen19: 5k
karen19: of course
danistheking: lol i know
karen19: 101 and change for king
papoorboy: so what are #'s
karen19: 106 for u
papoorboy: 96 and change for u
karen19: and 95 for me or ehat ever
karen19: and we paly for 10
danistheking: 101973.67 for me
papoorboy: ok
papoorboy: i do
karen19: jeff u got that
danistheking: 96973.67 for karen
papoorboy: what are exact #'s
papoorboy: please
danistheking: 106973.67 for pap
HostJeff [Supervisor]: OK, here is how I understand the current proposal.
papoorboy: 101973.67 for u king
HostJeff [Supervisor]: karen19:   $96,973.67
karen19: its silly to not deal everyone still makeing 2nd money
HostJeff [Supervisor]: Shhhh
papoorboy: ok
HostJeff [Supervisor]: Here is the deal as I currently understand it.
HostJeff [Supervisor]: karen19:   $96,973.67
HostJeff [Supervisor]: danistheking:    $101,973.66
HostJeff [Supervisor]: papoorboy:   $106,973.66
danistheking: i want the extra cent
HostJeff [Supervisor]: Play for $10,000 to the winner.
papoorboy: come on now
danistheking: lol
papoorboy: i say deal
danistheking: kidding man
papoorboy:
karen19: i agree
danistheking: yeh its a good deal
karen19: ship it
papoorboy: sorry bro
papoorboy: deal guys
papoorboy: great game
HostJeff [Supervisor]: OK, then for the record, all nice and official.....  let me  state the deal, and then all type "i agree" when I ask.
karen19: i still gotta witn this 10k
karen19: put the bricks out there
HostJeff [Supervisor]: karen19:   $96,973.67
HostJeff [Supervisor]: danistheking:    $101,973.66
HostJeff [Supervisor]: papoorboy:   $106,973.66
HostJeff [Supervisor]: Play for $10,000 to the winner.
danistheking: i agree
karen19: i agree
HostJeff [Supervisor]: If you agree, please type "I agree"
papoorboy: i agree
karen19: good game all
danistheking:
HostJeff [Supervisor]: OK, we have a deal.
danistheking: gg
papoorboy: gg all

 

[Tal]

Any FT deal I've ever been part of in any situation ever since I started playing poker back in the Stone Age, one phrase has been uttered at some point on the negotiations.

danistheking: imagine papoor, 1 hand, u double me up, u go on tilt and go  out 3rd

[willrobrobu]

epic. how'd u celebrate after that win?

[lucky_scrote]

Day 8

Things turned around quickly yesterday. After my quickest downswing in a very long time (possibly over a year) I booked a nice score as well as making day 2 of the €300 6max on winamax.

Click to see full-size image.

Whilst being HU for 2 hands I typed "ICM Chop" because I am always happy doing a chop against another winning player. The guy wasn't excellent, I definitely had a small edge but I had other stuff to focus on. We both had exactly 50bb each when we both clicked "Deal" and one more hand was to be played. I was dealt AQo on the button and opened as usual, got 3bet to 4.5bb so instead of making a standard 5bet size, I went for around 16bb. Huge yes, but it gives him the option of jamming. I was hoping he'd be greedy with this as he'd get a few extra bucks in the chop if I fold. He jams 87s and gets there. Oh well.

I didn't play many tables after this because of the 6max on winamax that I was focussing hard on. Even though I put the hours in yesterday, I didn't necessarily work really hard because I had less than 4 tables for half of the night.

Profit/Loss: +$1986

Today, I play day 2 of the winamax €300 6max and the €100 full ring where I have just below average chips in both with the 300 being fairly close to the money. I finished 34/68, 48 paid.

[lucky_scrote]

epic. how'd u celebrate after that win?

I got to bed at 6:30am and had to get up at 10am to go to center parcs with the family. It was a trip I paid for because I had been once before and loved it but my family didn't exactly have money floating around at the time. I'd only been on holiday once with the family before so since I had won a tourney a month previous in Luton for £10k or so (I forget how much exactly) I thought it'd be nice for me to treat them. Being January it was really cheap anyway.

I actually got ill the next day for the whole trip. I don't know if your immunity becomes week after a huge rush of adrenaline and being thoroughly exhausted afterwards but I felt like staying up till 6am winning 100k did that. #firstworldproblems

[lucky_scrote]

This can qualify for hand of the day: http://www.boomplayer.com/en/poker-hands/Boom/6824038_06CD613A79

[david3103]

This can qualify for hand of the day: http://www.boomplayer.com/en/poker-hands/Boom/6824038_06CD613A79

mbn
mbvfn indeed

[lucky_scrote]

Day 9

Pretty crazy day really. I kept my table count low when I started at 3:30GMT because at 7 two of my day 2's on winamax were popping up as well as 4 other tournaments on there starting at that time.

On stars I managed a 3rd for around $700 in one of the 27ko's and not long after I finalled a $55fo with pinchop:

Click to see full-size image.

Got the guy down to 5bb and a 15-1CL but still couldn't finish him off.

Over on winamax I busted the €100 2 day event fairly quickly, but the deeper more exciting €300 6max event I managed to go a bit deeper in, busting just a few moments ago in 19th for a ~€1k payday. Not quite the €27k UT!

Profit/loss: +$3343

Hours played: 8

Tomorrow is a day off before getting back on the grind pretty hard for another few more days.

[lucky_scrote]

Day 10

Planned day off. Decided to play my very first game of golf in the Netherlands and my first game of golf in a couple of months.

Scored very poorly, it felt like I was putting with a rope at times.

I started on the "Noord" 9 first so the 9's are in reverse. The course was actually decent, the "Zuid" 9 being a much much better 9 holes that was more picturesque and tricky. The "Noord" 9 was fairly plain and easy and I don't think I've ever played well on plain easy courses. They just don't inspire me!

Click to see full-size image.

I have unsubtly squared my eagle 3 on the effective 14th hole. Considering I was playing fairly crap, a decent drive with a crushed rescue wood to 6 feet really made my day when I followed it up with an eagle 3.


Looking forwards to my grind today that I will start with shortly...

[lucky_scrote]

Felt a bit under the weather towards my session yesterday so cut it a little short. I also did pants.

Won a seat to the €320 Saturday super KO on stars but busted in 22 minutes. Boooo.

Profit/loss: -$1717

Hours played: 9

[shipitgood]

Hey Dan,

Just seen you had a thread yesterday.

Good luck with the year!

Must say your chat transcript around the chop 3 handed was one of the funniest things I've ever read on a poker forum.

Loved the "wiiiiiii i'm going to buy a car" from 3rd chip leader. For them 2 seconds later 2 drop 5k lol Brilliant negotiating and a great deal.

Also echo what Pleno said, always love your feedback on hands in the poker analysis section.

All the best for the forthcoming year.