SplitSuit.com

So now that I am finally settled with internet (and dare I say, reliable internet?!)…I figured I would write up a blog post. Finally got moved into my new place. Spent the better part of this week getting things I would need (TV stands, desks, chairs, couches, food, and all the other crap you don’t think about till you don’t have it…like a can opener). This has resulted in lots of trips, and mostly midnight trips, to WallyWorld. I love low prices for things I’m just going to throw out after I use them…but OMG WallyWorld might not be worth it. I went at 11p last night, and there were an endless amount of families there, with little kids in tow screaming the entire time. Who the hell brings kids out of the house at 11p? Then as I’m packing up my car, some woman effectively climbs in my trunk to ask me for change. Though I guess I should expect nothing more from a WallyWorld that was checking TWENTY dollar bills. *sigh*

The house is pretty comfortable. Way too big for just two people, but no complaints given price. Our family room is pretty bare, but a TV, Xbox, and card table with decks+cards is all we really need. We’ve been playing lots of HULHE (not sure if I mentioned it or not…but I am back trying to learn HULHE again) and I am getting better, slowly but surely. It is such a different game, but cool in that it is helping me see some spots in NL that I was missing before (and this is why I always preach “learn other poker games when given the chance”). Fingers crossed I start getting the hang of this, and hopefully I can get up to like 10/20HU by Christmas. Very possible if I start grinding harder.

Speaking of which, I am not thrilled with my performance this month (more so in terms of volume than anything else). I haven’t even hit 10K hands yet (about 1 session away). Though I am blaming a lot of that on the move and also the stress that comes with moving (I will not play if heavily stressed). Sucks, because I wanted to be a better help to my team, but it looks like I might only be helping them with a +4PTs. I tried to put in a session tonight, but I felt like I misplayed a hand, then missed an easy VB because I was being lazy, so I shut it down. I, for the first time in what seems like awhile, have no students tomorrow, so I will try to get some grinding in to get this damn score taken care of =)

That is the gist of what is going on. I might write more on a biz topic later, but I am pretty tired. Here are some pix of the place for those that are interested:

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Poker Stars $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold’em – 9 players –
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

BB: $50.00
UTG: $47.20
UTG+1: $52.25
UTG+2: $60.30
MP1: $40.00
MP2: $35.40
Hero (CO): $53.00
BTN: $87.90
SB: $50.25

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is CO with Q 9
5 folds, Hero raises to $1, BTN calls $1, SB calls $0.75, 1 fold

Flop: ($3.50) 3 J A (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $2, BTN calls $2, SB calls $2

Turn: ($9.50) K (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $8, BTN calls $8, SB calls $8

River: ($33.50) 2 (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $42 all in

So this is the original hand. I am running about 29/25, and very aggro at the time. The BUT is a very solid reg running 26/20 over about 900 hands, with a fairly high 3b%. The SB is a 14/10 over 2K and the BB is a 17/11 over 800 hands. I minR here because BUT has a very high 3b%, and i think he will 3b a minR less often (being more inclined to call and try to play IP). Also, I like to minR quite often anyway…as it fits into my style quite well. So I end up getting called by the BUT and the SB, and see a gorgeous 3way flop.

I CB the flop, and nothing special happens…so we see a 3way turn card of a clean King. Here, is a great spot to make a bigger bet than your standard 2/3 bet. It is pretty unlikely either has a set, as i can assume that AA and JJ are rarely in the ranges, and also that 33 would have raised the flop in an effort to commit. The King is a good card as it makes a lot of 2prs (AJ/KJ), and also gives the NFD a pair. I bet large here to get calls from that part of the range, but also figure that Ax will come along often given my aggressive image.

The river is where I think I made a mistake. I get one check to me, and then shove for a little more than pot. This is bad because it doesn’t encourage Ax to call me, really only 2pr. Also, if they have a flush (a slowplayed babyflush which wouldn’t make too much sense, but I certainly should not rule out)…they will shove over my bet. A much better bet would have been $19.85. This stands to get called in both spots very often, netting me around $28.5 on average (thinking sometimes they wont both call)…and a shove will probably not get calls as often, esp not from both, only netting me an estimated $16.5. Multiway spots are special, and often times it can be more profitable getting called in both spots for smaller, than getting 1 caller for a bigger bet

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So my Internet has been glitchy as hell the last few days, and finally bust out completely yesterday. I think it was my first day that I can ever remember that I was unable to use the Internet. Odd feeling for sure. Anyway…ended up getting place all figured out, so I finally have an apartment. Very nice place, way too big for us, but no complaints what so ever. Spent a lot of yesterday getting stuff for the apartment…hurray WallyWorld and their cheap-as-shit prices!

As soon as I am fully moved into the new place I will write up something awesome, but in the meantime, just quick updates. Hopefully I will be moved in fully this week. Tons of fun, and hopefully no back pain =)

Hope all is well

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Just a quick update before everything starts moving quicker than I want it to. The situation in this current place got bad, so Chris and I are moving out. Hoping to get everything fully figured out in the next few days…fingers crossed!

That being said, I have been coaching a ton. Have my eight session this week this afternoon, and then am trying to not schedule anything until after the move is complete and I am set up. I really wanted to grind out some more, but stress + grinding = no go. Speaking of stress, I also got through my brother’s anniversary alright, just took the day easy, did 2 students, and then relaxed and passed out early. And to make up for this horribly short post, here is some awesome music to jam out to from Deadmau5. Enjoy!

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I’m not 100% sure what is going on, but it looks like I will probably be getting an apartment at some point in the next 30days. No biggie…Chris and I have a few options that are suitable, and it is amazing to see how cheap things are out here. Suuuuuuuuuper reasonable for a 2bed/2bath. So I’m just feeling things out and seeing how they develop. As is life…live and adapt I suppose.

Weekend was kinda meh because I was stressed about the whole moving thing. I hate when things are up in the air like that, and coupled with moving, it stresses me out. So I took it easy from work and really only put in like 4K hands. Ran like crap at 100NL (decided not to play 200NL when I was stressed), and like usual, made it all back at 50NL. 50NL is just the easiest game ever. I think there are like 2 ppl that give me fits…and the rest are pretty easy to steamroll over. Stats are looking lovely at 24/22, and people are not adjusting well =)

I also ended the stake with my first horse today. We ran it for about a year, and it turned out to be a 51%ROI/mo. Very profitable venture imo. Feels good to have a little more money in my accounts than I did yesterday. So congrats to Sevens113…great job bud. And on that note…lots of coaching this week. I have 8 sessions booked, and probably a few LF sessions that will be done, so I expect about 11 sessions this week. Not bad at all.

Other than that, life has been lame. Just work work work, and no real go out time sadly. Hoping to change that soon. Also, tomorrow is the 2yr anniversary of my brother’s passing…so I am going to probably just take tomorrow off and relax. Hope all is well with everyone!

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Here is the hand:

Poker Stars $0.50/$1 No Limit Hold’em – 8 players –
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

SB: $160.35
BB: $127.85
Hero (UTG): $114.05
UTG+1: $100.00
MP1: $107.85
MP2: $190.85
CO: $154.70
BTN: $155.95

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is UTG with A A
Hero raises to $3, UTG+1 calls $3, MP1 calls $3, 1 fold, CO calls $3, 1 fold, SB calls $2.50, 1 fold

Flop: ($16.00) K K K (5 players)

SB checks, Hero bets $11, UTG+1 calls $11, MP1 folds, CO folds, SB folds

Turn: ($38.00) 6 (2 players)

Hero bets $26

Preflop is super standard. I generally use 3x as my raise size from all spots as an open raise. My image at this point is probably about 20/16. The main villain in this hand, UTG+1, is a very tight 9/7 over 900 hands. Very hit or miss, never makes a big pot without a big hand.

The flop is a a standard CB spot. According to Zeebo theorem, we can expect that nobody is going to fold a fullhouse here. So I bet a little more than 1/2 pot, and only get called by the very tight guy. At this point, he has one of two hands. He has a worse boat that is drawing dead. Or he has a K, and we are drawing dead. This is the most extreme example ever of WAWB. However, if we look at the kinds of hands that UTG+1 would call pf that have a K in it…it is super rare. Maaaaaaaaaaaaybe he would have AK…but combinatorally speaking, that is damn hard to have. So he is going to have a worse, drawing dead, boat a lot of the time.

On the turn I bet for $26 trying to eek out some more value, and set up for a nice big river bet (if he calls this, there is about $90 in the pot, setting us up for a nice shove on the river). However, this is the mistake of the hand imo. A 9/7 is never going to get involved in a pot this large with a bad boat. He seriously might not get involved in a pot that large with QQ, yet alone TT or 88. Because of this, it is pretty much a bad turn bet. He never really gives me action with worse, and thus I am betting for no reason. The turn is a good spot to check, maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe induce a bluff or so, but really set it up so we get a big bet on the river ($31 or so). The turn bet was a pretty large mistake here, costing me about $27 in ee.

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Week has been going pretty well. Back to playing a lot more poker which is feeling great. Only averaging about 2hrs/day…but I am playing a much more intense style that is taking a lot of brain power. I think my stats have been averaging like 26/23 which is loose for 6max, and generally nutty for FR. I am absolutely running over tables, running meh, and looking forward to getting increasingly better at it. My goal is to get up to 5/10NL within the next few months. I have been over-rolled for quite some time, but really see no reason not to start being more aggro with my bankroll.

I’ve been working out most of the kinks at 50NL, played some 100NL today, and plan on playing 200NL over the weekend. Style will certainly have to change over the weekend to adjust for the amount of calling stations, but that should be no issue. It really is amazing how after only 6K hands my poker brain is so much stronger. I’ve been sweating with my 6max/HU roommate and am seeing spots that are just so profitable to bang away. I def suggest trying this style out every now and then…it’s not quite 100%vpip…but damn close =)

That being said, life has been pretty boring otherwise. A little business here and there, but we are doing a little beta-testing on the product to see if we should continue it as it is, or start changing it a bit more. This is the 2nd best part of starting a business. The best being when you actually full launch and then have the most stressful month ever trying to patch every little thing you could have never foreseen. Soon enough =)

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The weekend was pretty relaxing actually. Got some work done, but mostly relaxed and took it easy. Got my sleep schedule back to something respectable, and I’m feeling much better about everything right now. My live stake ended as well (staker wanted to clear everything before he left Vegas, which I fully understood), so I spent this weekend playing some more online. Felt good, though I played much too loose my first few sessions back. Playing overly-loose on the weekend = waste of time.

But it feels really good to put some grindcore in. My roommate has actually been sweating a few of my sessions, and I think my play is getting sicker because of it. We really got to discuss some of the pressure points in FR that are super exploitable, and my LAG (26/23 ftw) game is getting even better. I think playing during the weekdays will be super advantageous for me as the table VPIPs are like 13% and I can just run over tables with 3b-ing, ISO-ing, and postflop prowess.

So despite a few set < sets, AA < KKs, and random crap, I'm back in the green for the month. Decided I would spend the rest of the day relaxing and went out to shop for a little while. Bought some new running shoes (because I plan on running at some point), and a few shirts. I love getting new things. And speaking of such, my tattoo is doing quite well...just starting to peel, but it looks really solid. I'll post a new picture once the peeling is done.

And on that note...I'm exaughsted. Going to crash out and then get up for coaching and grindcore. Hope all is well, and enjoy this mix of songs I've been listening to non-stop this weekend.

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So this is the original hand:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $0.50 BB (7 handed) – Poker-Stars Hand Converter from HandHistoryConverter.com

Hero (BB) ($50)
UTG ($9)
MP1 ($48.25)
MP2 ($25.55)
CO ($62.45)
Button ($20)
SB ($30.95)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 3, 8
5 folds, SB calls $0.25, Hero bets $2, SB calls $1.50

Flop: ($4) 2, 4, 6 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $2.60, SB calls $2.60

Turn: ($9.20) 7 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks

River: ($9.20) 5 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $8, SB raises to $16, Hero calls $8

Total pot: $41.20 | Rake: $2

Preflop is very standard. Villain is 48/0 over 56 hands, super passive with no ATS, no CB %, a high fold2CB%. He open completes the SB, and I raise planning on taking it down now, and/or CBing the flop and taking it down. This is almost an automatic play whenever someone open completes into you.

On the flop I make a small 60%PSB CB. I am just trying to pick up the pot without risking much, and am planning to fold to a CR. He calls pretty quickly

I do pick up a gutshot on the turn, but opt to knock behind and draw for free. I doubt he will fold to a double too often in BvB, so a check seemed right.

On the river, however, I improve to the 2nd nuts. He checks, I bet big here thinking he probably has a lot of 2pr-ish type hands given the board texture, and am not folding if CR’d. He does end up CR-ing me, albeit a minCR, and I call. This is the mistake in the hand imo. After his minR, he has about $11 back, a little more than a min3b. I should really be shoving here and forcing that last bit of money into the pot. Let’s look at some of the hands he might have here:

= He like never has 98. He is passive, so he def folds 9hi to my CB
= He can certainly have a 3, especially if it was paired on the flop or coupled with a draw
= He can certainly have 2pr, a very likely hand given the texture of the board
= He could have a chopped 8
= He could have a bluff

Given that hand range analysis, a shove on the river is best. The bluffs will never call you, but every other part of the range will crying call, and we either beat it or tie it. I lost about $9 here in value (equity based on his range allocation) by not shoving…and hopefully you don’t miss this spot in the future =)

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The last few days have been a damn blur. My sleep schedule got epic bad. I think since Monday I have gotten about 24 hours of sleep (mind you the average person would have about 36). My productivity has been insanely low, and I am just now starting to get back into it all. So let’s recap the last few days, and things I forgot from last week.

First off, I forgot to mention that I did see fireworks on the 4th. I actually timed my trip to the strip (on purpose believe it or not) perfectly. I knew the Station casinos were having fireworks at 9:30 for 8min, so I left my house in time to not only see them from 95, but also the grand finale from the 15. Was a very cool experience seeing them like that, and also funny seeing people pull off on the highway to watch them. So I did see fireworks, and thus my 4th was a success.

My sleep started to fail over the weekend (as it tends to do), and got worse over the week. So my eyes have been in a lot of pain because my light sensitivity goes way up when I am overtired. But at least I have sunglasses so I was able to get all my errands done this week. Bills paid, checks deposited, food bought, etc. So although I felt like an absolutely shlub, at least certain things got done =)

Yesterday was my birthday, and honestly one of the best ones I’ve had in years. I woke up at 4:30a for some odd reason, and got some decent site work done. Also did some maintenance for this site, which I wanted to get get done for some time. Bummed the rest of the morning watching “Party Down”…an amazing show that sadly only has one season. Reminds me of The Office + Paul Rudd + speed. Finished watching that, then headed over to Club Tattoo at PH to get my tattoo done. I’ve been wanting to get my brother’s initials on my back for awhile, so my birthday seemed like a good day to get it done. Took about 45min to get the drawing fully finalized (I’m a nit yo), and then we finally got started.

Lucky for me, the pain was much less than the pain of getting my chest tattoo. However, I almost threw up within the first few minutes. I blame the fact that it was 105* and I was a little worked up from being over-tired and nervous. Lucky for me…no puking! So they put a fan on me, rubbed some alcohol on my back…and 30min later, it was all done. The pic was taken about 15 seconds after the artist finished, hence why its really puffy and red. Looks much better today after being cleaned up and the swelling going down. Second tattoo, done!

Went out to dinner with my house mates that night. Did CheeseCake Factory, and thoroughly enjoyed that. Then crashed out at like 9:30p. Felt so good to get good sleep, and I will say, it was nice to actually smile during my birthday…something I generally don’t do. Woke up today at 10:30a (I know…a real sleep schedule!) and did a last minute coaching session. I’m debating on putting in a 5hr session or work, or a bastardization of the two. We’ll see. Hope all is well!

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