[Insert funny and witty diary title here]

[AJR14]

Not seen you on any social media lately rocketman.

Short notice but think some ppl r doing some hand reviews on skype this aft if u wanna join/have any you wanna look at.

If your bankroll permits, you should really be trying to play as much 30nl as possible atm, never seen the tables so good.

Prob coz u aren't there 

Will be from now till close of play anyway, if you're not around, good luck turning your fortunes round this week. Should only be a matter of time.

How do dohhhhhhh

Yeah been trying to avoid poker stuff for a few days so swerved skype for a bit. Wasn't much help in the review yesterday. It's strange what a bad run can do to the thinking processes .

Saw you had a few big stacks again last night.... another good session? I wont be at 30nl for at least a week or so yet. Depends when the dealers start to treat me better!

[AJR14]

The less said about the last 2 days poker the better. Still not running great and starting to make some poor decisions for stacks. Like chasing draws etc. oh well. I'm sure the cards will change soon.



I know i have mentioned Breaking Bad a couple of times in the thread when i started to watch it but i couldn't recommend it enough. Me and the missus have been obsessed with it. Was gutted yesterday, one episode finished and we thought 'shit we have to watch the next one.....' waited for the next one to start and realised we had finished the whole lot. Huge tilt!! Cant believe the last series isnt out for ages!! If you start to watch it you will find yourself watching 3 or 4 episodes in a row so waiting for it is gonna draggggg. Especially with how it finished.

Think its going to be the later series of Peep show next. We have the earlier ones but only just got the later ones. The next American one we will watch will either be 24 or Dexter i think unless anyone can recommend any better ones to watch?


Also Cant do an update today without mentioning United winning the title.



It's some achievement what Fergie has done there. Almost certain it will never be topped in my lifetime. Its strange, i used to hate United winning the title (like most other none United fans) but i probably prefer United winning it than City.




Another quick football quiz question i was asked a while ago if anyone is interested. May be more now but know the 6 i know are still there.

Name the 6 football teams the English Football League that end in the letter E. It has to be the full name so Newcastle wouldnt be one as it Newcastle Untied.

[Katais]

Not seen you on any social media lately rocketman.

Short notice but think some ppl r doing some hand reviews on skype this aft if u wanna join/have any you wanna look at.

If your bankroll permits, you should really be trying to play as much 30nl as possible atm, never seen the tables so good.

Prob coz u aren't there 

Will be from now till close of play anyway, if you're not around, good luck turning your fortunes round this week. Should only be a matter of time.

How do dohhhhhhh

Yeah been trying to avoid poker stuff for a few days so swerved skype for a bit. Wasn't much help in the review yesterday. It's strange what a bad run can do to the thinking processes .

Saw you had a few big stacks again last night.... another good session? I wont be at 30nl for at least a week or so yet. Depends when the dealers start to treat me better!

Last night was swingy. Decided to self destruct again. Got out up 2 n a bit though, despite being 'stackered' all night.

Peeling 3bets oop w/ 2 cards lower than 8 then c/calling 3 times with a pair lower than .

Seemed a good idea at the time.

Didn't work though. So tried it again.

Didn't work again.

 

Same again on Skype tomorrow aft 1 till 3ish if u fancy it.

GL if you're playing tneet!   

[KarmaDope]

Port Vale
Crystal Palace
Rochdale
Morecambe
Dagenham & Redbridge
Plymouth Argyle

[AJR14]

Port Vale
Crystal Palace
Rochdale
Morecambe
Dagenham & Redbridge
Plymouth Argyle

I failed miserably with this one. Think i only got 4 before i gave up!

[AJR14]

When looking back at when i started to play the game i used to play for the fun. I used to enjoy all aspects of the game and even though i lost my money i would finish the game wondering when i could next play. When did that enjoyment stop? I do still enjoy the game, i wouldn’t play it otherwise, but now i have become a profitable player it certainly becomes more about the money than the fun and therefore the enjoyment isn’t anywhere near what it used to be like 2 years ago. If we are lucky enough to become winners in poker does a large part of the fun of poker go and becomes a ‘grind’? or is it just the reasons for playing change, bringing a whole new mind set to the game meaning our enjoyment comes from winning rather than playing?

This may be what is holding me back. I have definitely started to play for the money and being unemployed makes taking a break from a potential source of small income becomes difficult as every little helps.


I remember my first ever poker win. I was playing in a £25 quid buy in for the first time. A small MTT in a pub with my dad and his friends and i won for £225.The feeling i got after that win was amazing, i was buzzing. Ive never recaptured that feeling again in poker. £225 at the time was huge. The most i played for before that was a fiver buy in winning about £20 quid. I was playing for the laugh and if i won it was a bonus. That win is still my biggest tournament win which may be the reason i haven’t recaptured the winning feeling but i have had bigger cash sessions and felt nothing.


This must read like i have had another few bad days at the tables but they have actually been quite good. Played some hands very poorly but on the whole been pleased with it. I may play 30nl tonight but if not i will definitely be back over the weekend. Im Just reflecting on certain aspects of my poker which is a huge part of my learning and if i can find leaks in my mind set then it will help a lot.


I would love to hear other grinders or pros views on whether their enjoyment levels have dropped dramatically and how important they feel enjoyment is to their success? Do we feel that the money being at the forefront of our mind when playing is a leak? I don’t mind losing the money, but i find i want to win money too much at times.

[AJR14]

Finally got the computer sorted on Friday and its now up and running. I know nothing about computers so know none of the technical side but in my expert opinin it seems to be running well. I can play more tables than before although the monitor doesn’t allow too many so will sort that sometime in the future. Think i will go to 8 or 9 until i get either a bigger monitor or a second one.

Im more happy at finally getting my Itunes back because t wouldnt fit on my laptop so havent been able to update it in about 2 years.


When going through all my back up stuff from my last computer to put on here i came across this vid that i forgot i had. Love my darts, unfortunately don’t have Sky Sports at the moment so my darts viewing consists of the odd match here and there and the BDO. The Leg of darts below is great, one of best i have seen. Ive not been to a Darts match live yet but its something i really want to do and soon. Looks a great night.





The poker has been the same really, been playing relatively ok with either one or 2 hands where i lose my discipline and call down light or get coolered which wipes the profits. I’m going to be looking to put quite a few hours in this week. I’m still going to be grinding 20nl but want to be at 30nl by the end of the week so going to put some work in.

Im also looking for some poker shows to watch at the moment if anyone has any good ones to recommend. I would prefer cash but dont mind watching MTTs or STTs. Ive just finished watching the big games which has been my favourite show and watched the high stakes poker series but struggling to find any other decent ones.

[AJR14]

A little late with the April review. It was a tough month both on and off the tables with a lot of off the table issues definitely affecting my game and volume. April was the lowest volume month i have had in about a year and most of that was due to either poor motivation or logging on, losing and then snap shutting down.

It was easily the toughest month i have had with playing and running really bad at times, all at the same time of starting this thread which unfortunately gave me a platform to moan so i decided to leave the updates for while. The amount of beats throughout the month really has been unreal at times and when you mix in a lot of bad calls it can get very frustrating.

Anyway thats the story of April in a nutshell and i want to forget it quickly so enough with the moaning. I’m starting the month in a positive frame of mind and ready to make a push up the levels.

What do i want from May?

Hopefully May will be a big month for me both on and off the tables.

Poker wise i want to be back at 30nl and making a real push for 50nl as soon as possible. I think i have the game to beat 20/30 and 40nl so if i apply my game and stay disciplined (something i struggle with) i will hopefully get moving in the right direction again.

It’s going to be a big month working on my game aswell. I have a lot of material to watch and read. I have been lazy with this over the last month or so and with a hand history review group getting more active it could be a big month for improving.

Away from poker the daytimes will be filled with job hunting. I haven’t mentioned this is in the diary yet but when i finished uni i took on a family business and was looking to take it in a different direction. Well, after 2 years of trying i finally decided it wouldn’t work and gave it up. Looking back i should definitely have given up with it way earlier but when you feel it will work and when it’s an old family business you get stubborn and don’t want to admit defeat. It was a tough time but if i can turn it around into a positive experience i think it will help me in any future plans.

I have always been really indecisive with a lot of aspects of my life and it really is daunting looking around for work and having no idea what i want from life when one thing you did want failed. I’m sure i am not the only one who has sat there and thought ‘what now?, what do i want to do’. It can get really frustrating at times. I suppose i am really lucky that i have been able to make small amount of money from poker. If only is was as easy as Alan Watts makes it sound here.



The start of this month has been quite good when it comes to poker. I have made a profit and my confidence and motivation seem to quite high at the moment. Hopefully this continues. With finally having a PC and getting all my music up and sorted i am really enjoying grinding to music, it used to be the tv but music seems to improve the mood while playing. I am going to be putting a lot of vloume in over today and tomorrow to try and get back to 30nl.

Record of the day. Damian Rice - Coconut Skins. Really into this record at the minute. If anyone is interested there is a vid of him playing this on Jules Holland which really is a great performance.



GL to everyone at the tables

[AJR14]

The power of positive thought

I said in my last update that i was starting the month in a positive frame of mind and looking to make a push up the levels. It really is quite amazing what positive thinking, a change in mentality and attitude towards poker can do. Before starting on Saturday i looked at my game and re-iterated to myself that i had the game to beat these levels and that i had done it numerous times before. I sat down with a competitive side i hadn’t had for a while and a renewed motivation for the game. Well, it worked. In the last couple of days i have effectively doubled my roll, i have felt good while playing and the number of mistakes where a lot lower than other sessions recently. Its feels pretty good to get a big win under my belt and even after a decent sized withdrawel the bankroll looks a lot healthier. 

I did however notice one thing at the end of my sessions that could completely help with my future bad runs in poker.

When it comes to the mental game i am a complete fish. I let all the negative aspects of the game override all the positive. I didn’t realise i was that bad until this weekend, when i have effectively doubled my roll but still come away feeling i ran bad at times. There is no doubt i ran hot for a lot of the weekend, to nearly double your roll in 2 days you need to be running hot but i come away thinking it could have been more which clearly shows how much i am focusing on the negative aspects rather than the positive (of which there was far more than the negative). This way of thinking has only really set in over the last month or two (maybe more), a period of time that i would class as one of my most difficult in poker but after the way i thought when coming away from the tables last night i am starting to think that all the problems are in my head and not just in the cards. Hopefully the realisation of this will be the start of the end of it.

If anyone knows of any good videos or articles etc to help with the mental game other than ‘The Mental Game of Poker’ i would really appreciate it.

So now i am back at 30nl which i am really pleased at. Although the standard at 20nl really is quite poor the games can be really mind numbing at times which can make for a few tedious hours watching people wait for the nuts and stealing their blinds. It really is so nitty at times.

Record of the day. Supergrass - Alright. Heard it for the first time in ages yesterday.

[AJR14]

Well that was a great Bank holiday weekend for poker results. I started the weekend at 20nl and finished around 30 buy ins up. Just the sort of result I needed to boost my confidence.

The tables were great, no regs and a lot of inexperienced players coupled with a lot of run good gave me the best results in months. At one point there was a half hour period where I stacked someone every 5 minutes ending in a nice 500bb pot with my AA v opponents KK. 

I’m now going to re start the push for 50nl that I abandoned earlier in the thread. I need  10 buyins to be at the level I would be comfortable to take a shot. I’m not going to be playing much over the next few days but I will start it now.

Target £300

What a big day for football as well. Like a lot of other none United fansI don’t like Fergie but there is no denying the man is a genius. We will never see those achievements topped in our lifetime. I reckon we won’t realise the true ability of how good he actually was for another couple of years. We all know the guy is the best there has ever been but we won’t realise actually how good until he has gone.   

I know who I would love to take over the reins for them. The best manager outside of the top 4 for many years, a guy that did a sterling job at his last club and is loved by many... Steve Kean. The guy will take them to the next level imo. You only have to look at where he left rovers to see it. 3rd in the championship after 7 games shows us that he can make it as a manager. If we just forget what happened for the other season and a half he obviously is the man to do it.

In all seriousness whoever takes the job on at United is in for a rough ride. They need to be made of steel to take on that job and United do love to come from behind and the excitement it brings so maybe Steve Kean is the man for the job. I’d would like to see Moyes given the chance and Mourinho going back to Chelsea.


Record of the day: The Prodigy - Diesel Power. You gotta listen to this loud, great record on a great album. If no one has listened to the album I would highly recommend.

[Tal]

One of my very favourite bands, The Prodigy. Have had the privilege of seeing the a couple of times, including the Warriors Dance extravaganza in Milton Keynes a few years back.

Do you like their rockier sound or would you be more partial to a return to the electro/rave roots?

What do you make of the song Keith Flint did with Caspa?



Will say this video comes with a parental guidance warning from Tal.

Some really good mixes of the song as well.

[AJR14]

One of my very favourite bands, The Prodigy. Have had the privilege of seeing the a couple of times, including the Warriors Dance extravaganza in Milton Keynes a few years back.

Do you like their rockier sound or would you be more partial to a return to the electro/rave roots?

What do you make of the song Keith Flint did with Caspa?



Will say this video comes with a parental guidance warning from Tal.

Some really good mixes of the song as well.

I'm more partial to the older stuff with The Prodigy but that's probably because I haven't heard much of their newer stuff. One of my first ever 12" records I got was Everybody in the Place (Fairground Remix) many moons ago. Love that track. Just had a quick look at their discography and pretty shocked they don't have many albums. I was checking to see which ones I don't have and I seem to have them all except the newest. Music for the Jilted Generation and Fat of the Land are incredible albums IMO. Just managed to get hold of the 12" of Fat of the Land at Christmas. Something I have been after for a while.

Unfortunately not been to see them yet. Seen them do a festival on TV and instantly decided I will see them one day. My bro just went to see them in Manchester and said he will keep an eye out for when they are next about.

Just remembered the Dirtchamber Sessions album which is a good one aswell. The intro to Sure Shot/Breakdance track is one of my favourite intros. 

Not heard the War track you put up before. Sounds a decent track. He do a lot of collaborations?

[Tal]

I don't think he does do many collaborations, Keef.

[Lambert180]

Glad to hear you're back to winning ways AJ, sounds like a pretty sick bank holiday weekend!

I've barely played any poker at all over the last 2-3 weeks (about 4 MTTs and no cash) but finally got back to the cash tables last night. I can definitely relate to the whole moaning abuot the small negatives more than appreciating the postives. Like last night I ran fairly well and finished abuot +£65 from 2.5 hours of 6tabling but all I kept thinking about was what it would have been if I hadn't took a couple of nasty beats towards the end.

Best one....

Raise the CO w/  

BTN and BB flat.

Lovely flop....  

I c-bet, BTN ships about £11 total, BB folds, I snap off and see

Turn  

River

[AJR14]

Glad to hear you're back to winning ways AJ, sounds like a pretty sick bank holiday weekend!

I've barely played any poker at all over the last 2-3 weeks (about 4 MTTs and no cash) but finally got back to the cash tables last night. I can definitely relate to the whole moaning abuot the small negatives more than appreciating the postives. Like last night I ran fairly well and finished abuot +£65 from 2.5 hours of 6tabling but all I kept thinking about was what it would have been if I hadn't took a couple of nasty beats towards the end.

Best one....

Raise the CO w/  

BTN and BB flat.

Lovely flop....  

I c-bet, BTN ships about £11 total, BB folds, I snap off and see

Turn  

River

Yeah the bank holiday weekend was very good to say the least. Havent played since though.  I wanted a break before that good weekend result but wanted to get back to 30nl as quick as possible so carried on playing.

Yeah was going to ask why I havent seen you on the tables, just been having a break?

When it comes to the negative I suppose people always remember them more than the positives. I think anyone who doesn't is very lucky and I have always done it on a small scale but I seem to be focusing on it a lot more recently. 

lolol I saw that hand in your diary, that is a beauty lol. At least he wasnt full stacked!!!