redsimonpoker

I don't do resolutions, as mostly they are things that are broken early (stop eating chips, smoking etc), and anyway why pick one day in the year over another?

The quiet period between Xmas and the January sales has led me to review my poker playing in 2004 and I've decided on a number of projects. These are listed more for my own benefit but if anyone has any ideas please say!

Pokerstars

I had some good results in late 2003 and early 2004 in $20 and $30 NLHE SNG's. For some perverse reason I stopped playing them in mid 2004, apart from the occasional one. My first project for 2005 is to solely play SNG's on Pokerstars. I like the PLO8 ones, mostly they are $5 or $10, but I have a decent sized 'roll. Until I have a few hundred under my belt to work out a provisional hourly rate etc I will not play higher than $50 and mostly $30 or $20. On 'Stars I will still dabble in Multi table tournies, mostly Omaha and super satellites. I had a tremendous win rate in the $215 event supers, but also stopped playing these all in the name of "getting ring experience".

Party Poker

Similar to Pokerstars I will be playing more SNG's and only playing ring games when I have a bonus to clear. I have also set my sights on the PPM cruise and early in 2005 I will be trying to win a seat.

Ultimatebet

I accumulated a lot of bonus $'s on this site in 2004 and you can only redeem them in ring games. So this will be my site for that. I will treat the bonus $ as "rake rebate" as it's not time barred to be cleared. Don't be too surprised to see I have still over $1000 bonus to clear in 2006!

VCPoker and it's skins

I have withdrawn all my funds from these but have 10's of thousands of Action Points on my two accounts. I am intending to play Action Point tournies to build up a 'roll. If I'm successful I will use the $ to plat SNGs using the "20 buy ins" bankroll method, starting at $1 SNGs! This is a bit of fun and will be used to "chill out" at the end of a session on my "more serios" sites. I have already turned some APs into $4 so I'm on my way. Watch this space!

Other Sites

I have accumulated small balances on Paradise, Bugsy's and Prima poker. First aim is to clear the small bonuses left there and redirect the $ to Party or PokerStars.

So thats 2005 online pokerwise!

A quick round up of 2004 and plans for 2005. (I don't do "New Years resolutions").

RIP

Brian Clough

John Peel

2004 High points

Joe Kinnear rescuing Forest in Spring 2004

2004 Low point

Joe Kinnear incapable of stopping Forest's decline in Autumn 2004.

Poker

A good year online. Not at the level of other bloggers but I saw my online 'roll increase by over 100%. On the usual scale of things I should be playing 5/10 limit, but still getting used to 3/6 so caution is the keyword for the last year. Progressed up to 3/6 from 1/2 at the end of 2003. Key changes for me are that I rarely play NLHE Tournys online, and only rarely play Hold 'em for cash. Benefitted from a lot of Omaha Hi/Low tournaments and cash games. Still learning, but touch wood it's going well. Still not "got" PLO cash but had a few nice pay days in PLO tournies.

2005

Expecting to be back in the "9 to 5" grind in January so my live play will be severely restricted. I'm hoping I can progress on-line and carry on building my 'roll. (Be great to double it again!).

Holiday poker expected in Slovenia (May), hopefully Vegas during WSOP and possibly an Autumn/Winter trip, either to Vegas or Tunica. I can but hope!

Have a good Xmas and a prosperous New Year!

Got to the PLHE/PLO final in 9th spot. My hopes were raised by talk of a deal to pay 7th to 9th. This was quashed by the second biggest stack(who then busted out of the money, what's Italian for Karma?).

I fold for one round and the game changes to Omaha. I am in blind with JT79. No one raises and I see flop 5 handed. Flop is JT6...I go all-in and get 4 callers. Turn is a 8 giving me straight 789TJ...Q9 in a foes hand will kill me, but they all check. River is a 3 and there's no flush possible. they all check again, so either they are being cute or I have the winner. I hate slowrollers so I announce my "Scala" and they all muck face up hands such as JJxx, QQKx, etc. I dodged a lot of bullets and am now back up to 11000. Very next hand I limp in small blind with QT6J Flop QT6 and I run into Q66T in Robert Binelli's hand. This knocks me back to 2000 chips.

Next time I play I'm in bb with AJ in Hold 'em. sb raises and I go all-in. He has KQ and misses his outs. I am up to 11000 and soon am in the money. Another guy busts and I'm 4/5. 5th and 6th pays the same, but 4th is twice as much. Blinds are 3000/1500 and the short stack has 1200 left. I get 55 in bb. Robert raises 3000 and I stupidly call. Flop is 764 I go in. He has KK and calls. I miss my outs and the short stack is very happy!

Oh well that was dumb call of the year!

So to round up Slovenia:

Cash games were very good for patient players. Limit Hold 'em was especially loose.

The tourny structures were good.

The hotel treated us very well. Excellent food and drink.

Nova Gorica is a quiet town, so gambling is the only "game in town".

If you are interested in going on a tour in 2005, Derek will be organising a trip to Nova Gorica. Contact him colepoker@yahoo.co.uk

The last event was a PLO/PLHE tourny on Monday. Andrew was leaving today and after a group photo and breakfast our group was reduced to 3. Andrew had won a satellite, cashed in the NLHE event and killed the 10/20 and 20/40 Limit Hold 'em cash games. A great player and all round good guy!

I warmed up for the tourny with €10/€20 Limit Hold 'em. I had my usual cold start, QQ losing to 42 suited! but went on a mega rush and was up €585 when I left to register for the tourny.

The tourny got off to a slow start and with a reduced field only paid 6 places. I had a rebuy and top up and entered the "freezeout" with exactly what I had bought in chips. I then had two massive hands.

I have K9 spades in big blind. One early position limper, all pass so I'm heads up. flop K97 all hearts. I bet pot, limper calls after long stare down. Turn is 4 hearts. I decide aggression is best and if he has hearts I have some outs. i bet the pot which would put my foe all-in. He dwells for what seems an eternity and passes KK! He said my bet convinced him I had flush. Well I thought my two pair was good so must have exuded confidence! Lucky escape for me!

Next big hand I have T3o in bb. Limper and sb call. Flop A33. Limper bets 300, sb calls I raise to 900, limper passes, sb reraises 3000 allin. Yikes has he A3? I decide I can't pass and I still will have 2500 if I'm losing. I call. sb shows 34o T on turn and I'm chipped up!

WE move tables. 18 players left. I lose two pots when my steal raises are repopped and I fold. I am down to 2400 and in PLO round flop two pair. My bet is reraised and my bottom two pair feels weak but I have 400 left and call. Raiser shows same two pair as me. Then in Hold 'em round I get KQ and go allin to a raiser with KT. Flop TA7 I call for a J or Q J on river saves me.

This gets me to the final table.....

After the disaster of the first tourny, only saved by Derek winning it and me getting 10% of his profit! I played a single table satellite for the €1000 main event. Derek won the satellite, I finished 9th. Is there a pattern developing? Yes!

I bought into the €200 PLO event and had 1 rebuy. I busted early and Derek busted 18th. One of our party, Matt, despite an "expert" PLO player's advice that he was "wasting his money" entering, got 8th spot despite being down to 1 chip with 11 players left!

Friday was Main Event day. I played one more satellite, busted early, Derek chopped it (sickening isn't it!) and decided to play cash games instead. I got into a juicy PLO game and after a few ups and downs left up €45. First win of the week. Andrew, one of our party won a seat in the Main event and got to the final. This meant of our party all had made a final apart from me!

Saturday was €750 Limit Hold 'em. I managed to find a nice PLO game beforehand and left that up €215. I bought into the limit tourny. Never really got a run together and departed in mid 20s. Derek got to the final! I then lost €180 playing 6/12 Limit Hold 'em. I need to find a better game!

Sunday was Pot Limit 5 Card stud so I played Cash instead. Derek entered the tourny after winning yet another satellite and he got 5th too in the tourny!

My cash exploits improved. I had a rocky start after sitting down with €500 I was down to €250 double quick. I then hit a "rush" and an hour later was up €500! After a couple more hours I left with €910 for a nice profit.

This was the start of my revival....

Flew out on Tuesday 30/11/04 a day early so I wouldn't be too tired for the first event. Three of us brits turned up at the airport, myself, Derek and Andrew. Andrew is more of a Limit Hold 'em cash player but myself and Derek were looking forward to the tournaments.

I expected a snowy Slovenia but it was warmer than the UK and absolutely pissing down!

Our driver dropped us off at the hotel and after a tour of the casino and a meal I retired to bed.

The first tourny on Wednesday was €100 NLHE with unlimited rebuys and a double add on which made it in reality a €200 minimum event. I had visions of small fields but was pleasantly surprised to see a 63 strong line up including a few UK pro's.

I lost my first buy in on two hands. KQ in bb Flop KQT, Turn A and I gave up to a guy who showed a J after I passed. Then I flopped a flush draw with KJ suited. Flop Q37 vs QT and 33 Turn Q and I'm drawing dead!

After rebuying I get a double through and end the rebuys with 2700 from a purchase of 3000. I took the add on. Derek is going steady though at the dinner break he thinks he is going to lose his stack soon. I go on a rollercoaster ride. I have QQ run into KK then I move in with AA and AQ calls and I'm back in action. I move tables and am anteing away when I call with KQ in bb. Flop TJ9 and A9 puts me allin. Nothing saves him and I survive another round. Blinds are doubling every twenty minutes and I bust with three tables left after raising with A9 and running into QQ!

Derek is still in and I watch for a while. we had swapped 10% before the tourny started and I was proud as he ran through the field and ended up winning the event on a chip count for €4800+ making me a nice profit in the meantime.

This was to become the theme for our trip.....Derek cashing, me watching!

Meanwhile, Andrew and Matt (a late arrival) were tearing up the cash games. 10€/20€ Limit Hold 'em was being played like a 0.50/1.00 Party Poker game!

I managed to get the 10000 Action Points on Doyle's Room and they kindly sent me Doyle's book Super System 2.

As I had cashed out, I had 10038 APs left and 12 cents in my account. I have seen some other bloggers start a "challenge" to turn pennies into a $1K bankroll. In my own modest way I am going to try to turn the 10000 APs into a playable bankroll. Once I have exhausted the points playing freerolls (25 at 400 APs a pop), I will grind it out in STTs and low limit O8 and Hold'em.

So tonight was step 1:

A 400 AP "Speed" $100 pool NLHE event. 160 runners and 27 places payout.

I get an early pot with KQo when I flop a straight vs 88 and AK and get up to 6000 chips. We started with 2000 and I figured 12000 would be safe for a cash in. I had a succession of foldable hands until we got to 35 players and I get AK utg. I limp and 3 call. Flop AQ8 and I go all-in. No one calls and I'm chipped up. 66 next hand, they all pass and I'm in the money ($1 guaranteed!).

Get anted down until I have 88 and not enough chips to raise. I go all-in. BB has K7 and K flops. 8 on river and I'm back in. J3 next hand in BB. No preflop raise and I see a flop of J35. I check utg bets all-in I call. He shows A5 and my two pair hold up.

Lose a big pot 11 handed with AK vs KJ and A6 (A6 made a flush!) and we move to last 9. Luckily I move into button seat and within 2 hnads we are 7 handed. I get JJ, call all-in. My opponents have A6 and...JJ! Flop misses all of us and I chop with JJ man. A6 is out so its my bb next hand I get T4 vs JJ and J on river is overkill. This busts me 6th for a $3.50 pay day, allin 50 minutes. A bit of fun, lets see if the next 24 AP tournies are as fun.

Have been hit by a strange sort of lethargy since I got back on Tuesday from Slovenia,

I have pages and pages of my trip report to upload. Just cannot be arsed to blog at the moment.

Not even played any on-line poker since returning!

Will try to update after the football tomorrow.