Normally I hate sessions like this. I hate when I am quickly down a buy-in or two. It’s pretty crazy cause I play super tight when I start a session. I like to pick my spots until I have some sort of image that I can work with. Also like I mentioned before, I tend to not have any Holdem Manager reads on players when I sit down – so for about the first 50 hands or so I basically just ignore any stats as the sample size is just too low (50 is still too low for some stats but ok for stuff like VPIP and PFR%).

Anyways I started grinding at the $10NL level and after about 2 hours had won back to even. I decided to call it a day because despite not winning any money – I was able to walk away feeling good about my overall play at the end.

Today I sat at my computer actually planning to play some SNG’s to mix things up a bit. Sometimes I do this as a sort of “reward” for myself as I enjoy some SNG and Tournament poker even though I feel my style is strongly more suited for cash. Anyway I logged in and noticed that I am only like 50 FPP’s from my deposit bonus of $50 and I decided to work that off before anything else.

So this time I decided to sit down at only three 25NL tables. Yes I know really it’s probably dumb – but I am stubborn and realize I can play at the level – and dominate – I just don’t have much room to move when variance throws a brick into my face when I first sit down. So I decide to only sit down at three tables rather then the normal four to increase my focus and concentration. I figure I have the $50 deposit as insurance and away I go.

Well let me tell you – I really need to start clocking some hours on the weekends and prime time. I played for overall about 3.5 hours and initially was probably down a buy-in across the three tables while I was just waiting to catch some hands. I had a couple hands where I rivered a second pair – only enabling me to then pay off some guy with a set. This happened twice and I hate when this happens. It’s an easy fold with one pair – but when I hit my kicker on the river it’s so hard to fold it to some of these passive players.

The first two hours were really odd. It seemed each hand I got it in good either pre-flop or on the flop – I ended up losing. So why isn’t this a bloodbath post about how much I hate poker? Cause when the reverse seemed to happen I sucked out some major river cards to take down some huge pots. It basically evened out.

I seriously think I am a much better player when I have a larger stack. Yeah I hear most of you saying “Duh” but I just think it really fits my game. I am able to apply much more pressure. And with my real aggressive style – when another player looks over and is trying to think “should I 3 bet him?” he knows that not only am I not afraid to mix it up – I also have the ability to felt them.

I think it just really lends itself to my styles’ image at the table. Now when I talk about style dont misunderstand. Generally at these levels image and style mean absolutely zero. But there is generally one – or maybe two people at a 6max table that will pay attention. You MUST identify these people and play accordingly.

For about the last 30 minutes of my session, I went on an insane run. It just seemed like I was getting good starting hands – and even when I didn’t my garbage turned to gold. I had two sets of quads (didnt get to win much with them though). I was also able to really assert myself on the table and was really being aggressive pre-flop. I also had the immense pleaser of tilting a few players with my constant aggression and 3betting.

Isn’t it an awesome feeling when you have raised this guy in the blinds 5 rotations in a row from the button, and when he finally decides to push back and shoves his $30 stack in against your $1 raise you look down at KK or AA. This happened to me. They finally got fed up with me and shoved trying to “make a statement” and wouldn’t you know it – I wake up with a monster. God that’s a great feeling.

Basically I milked this out for a bit – but I knew I was going to get caught at some point so I tightened up a bit and won a few more smallish pots and decided to just call it a day. It’s a great feeling in my quest to know that I basically just doubled up my bankroll (up $200 in winnings and the $50 from the bonus). Now my roll stands at $500 and I am able to comfortably and guilt free play $25NL.

I have another $300 on FullTilt but I think with all the deposit headaches going on these days I will just keep it there. I am nowhere near ready for 50NL right now anyways so I am in no rush to get my bankroll to that level.

Of course wouldn’t you know it the cards only come at the $5 table. Of course, what is new? I managed to almost triple that buy-in. At the $10NL table I lost my buy-in when my full house jacks and kings lost to full house kings and jacks. But that happens so I did not get too pissed about it.

I bought in again and wasn’t really able to do anything with it. I had AA once but it folded around to me on the BB (hate when that happens). I also flopped quad 4’s and tried to slow play it and let the flush draw catch up but it never did and I only got like a dollar out of it or so.

All in all I ended the session up about $5

My biggest problem right now is figuring out how to get max value on my hands. I have figured out what bets need to be made to thin the field out. But since people can be playing anything – and I mean anything – it’s hard to know what to bet when you have a monster.

I did manage to hit my raked hands target so I should get my license for Holdem Manager, so that should help me keep track of my play much better during this experiment. It is important to use these poker tracking tools, and if you do not, your opponents will use them against you and massacre you.

I plan to sit down and log another session at Titan Poker this afternoon hopefully. Let the poker gods be with me.