Month: January 2009

  • Seats to FTOPS #7 and #17

    IDStart TimeNameBuy-inEntrantsPositionWonNotes
    76290622Jan 15 23:21ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #10$24.00 + $22725–
    76287710Jan 15 22:56ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #17Add onSix Handed$6.00 + $0.60121$322
     
    You made 9 rebuys/add-ons for $54.00 .
    Entry to tournament #73890892
    76395129Jan 15 22:44ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #13Add onTurbo$10.00 + $1297–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $20.00 .
    75948787Jan 15 22:16ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #12Turbo$150.00 + $132918–
    76282477Jan 15 22:11ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #10$69.00 + $694–
    76387912Jan 15 21:44ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #7Add onTurbo$3.00 + $0.30548–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $6.00 .
    75949556Jan 15 21:31ETThe Fifty-FiftyDouble Stack$50.00 + $5642–
    75958300Jan 15 21:01ETWPT – LAPC QualifierDouble Stack$500.00 + $35605$1,200
    75510490Jan 15 20:31ET$22,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add on$30.00 + $3339238–
     
    You made 3 rebuys/add-ons for $90.00 .
    76269131Jan 15 20:16ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #17Add onSix HandedTurbo$20.00 + $2124$33.60
     
    You made 5 rebuys/add-ons for $100.00 .
    76267355Jan 15 20:01ET$32,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$24.00 + $21,495594–
    75949190Jan 15 20:01ET$65,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $13505251–
    75948704Jan 15 19:46ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #12Turbo$150.00 + $132321–
    76373411Jan 15 19:44ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #7Add onTurbo$3.00 + $0.30461$109
     
    You made 1 rebuy/add-on for $3.00 .
    Entry to tournament #73884677
    75503611Jan 15 19:31ET$33,000 Guarantee (1r+1a)Add onSix Handed$100.00 + $9170141–
     
    You made 1 rebuy/add-on for $100.00 .
    76260135Jan 15 19:01ET$40,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$69.00 + $6659579–
    75958870Jan 15 18:31ETWPT – LAPC SatelliteTurbo$100.00 + $93814–
    75961672Jan 15 18:11ETWPT – LAPC SatelliteTurbo$69.00 + $6191$535
    Entry to tournament #75958300
    75492858Jan 15 18:01ETTurbo $40K GuaranteeTurbo$200.00 + $1625444–
    75485763Jan 15 17:01ET$30,000 KO GuaranteeDouble Stack$120.00 + $9347149–
     
    You collected $20.00 for 1 Knockout.
    76243480Jan 15 16:41ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #10Turbo$69.00 + $61514–
    76242308Jan 15 16:31ET$18,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add on$30.00 + $327271–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $60.00 .
    75193574Jan 15 16:01ET$40,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add on$100.00 + $914390–
     
    You made 4 rebuys/add-ons for $400.00 .
    76346755Jan 15 15:44ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #7Add onTurbo$3.00 + $0.306613–
     
    You made 3 rebuys/add-ons for $9.00 .
    75948654Jan 15 15:16ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #12Turbo$150.00 + $133612–
    75952500Jan 15 15:01ET$50,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $13359239–
    76232409Jan 15 15:01ET$13,500 KO Guarantee$24.00 + $2994865–
    76341293Jan 15 14:44ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #13Add onTurbo$10.00 + $12610–

    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $20.00 .

    Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = $3443.50

    Today’s winnings/losses = +$2219.60

    Today’s net profit/loss = -$1224.50

                 More importantly, I won my seat to FTOPS #7 and #17.  Playing the FTOPS #17 was a pretty sick grind since they only pay a seat to 1st place and 1st place only and plus our heads-up match was one of the longest I’ve ever played since the blinds were so small relative to our stacks.  When it all came to an end, I outplayed my opponent to win my seat.  I also won my way into the $535 buy-in tournament to win a $12k package to play in the LAPC coming up at the Commerce Casino.  The final five players in that $12k package tournament was very tough competition including two online professionals I play with regularly.  I played the best I could but ended up losing two big flips for my chance to build a good stack and got KO’ed in 5th place when they sent 1st and 2nd to LAPC.  So close, but not close enough.  Well I only have 11 more FTOPS seats to win before Feb. 4th..  So I’ll keep grinding those satty’s and still try to win some money on the side.  I’ve added a chatbox to the main page of my blog, please post any comments or questions on there.  Is anybody out there reading this?  hopefully there is, you’re about to witness a broke college drop-out turn into a wealthy poker player!


     

  • Mark Another One on the Wall

     

    ID               Start Time         Name                                                         Buy-in      EntrantsPositionWonNotes

    75573508Jan 14 22:16ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #12Turbo$150.00 + $133816–
    76160418Jan 14 22:11ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #10$69.00 + $699–
    73518409Jan 14 21:01ET$100,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add onSix Handed$100.00 + $9396137–
     
    You made 5 rebuys/add-ons for $500.00 .
    76258076Jan 14 20:44ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #13Add onTurbo$10.00 + $12513– 
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $20.00 .
    75388900Jan 14 20:31ET$22,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add on$30.00 + $3414233–
     
    You made 6 rebuys/add-ons for $180.00 .
    76082855Jan 14 20:16ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #17Add onSix HandedTurbo$20.00 + $2123$77.40
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $40.00 .
    76145166Jan 14 20:01ET$32,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$24.00 + $21,606739–
    75189879Jan 14 20:01ET$65,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $13705354–
    75573457Jan 14 19:46ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #12Turbo$150.00 + $13275$261
    76250909Jan 14 19:44ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #7Add onTurbo$3.00 + $0.304320–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $6.00 .
    75381578Jan 14 19:31ET$33,000 Guarantee (1r+1a)Add on$100.00 + $9251149–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $200.00 .
    76138044Jan 14 19:01ET$40,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$69.00 + $6798573–
    76136860Jan 14 18:51ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #10Add onTurbo$5.00 + $0.50363$39.50
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $10.00 .
    76243827Jan 14 18:44ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #13Add onTurbo$10.00 + $12914–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $20.00 .
    75963049Jan 14 18:31ETWPT – LAPC Satellite$24.00 + $23635–
    75370768Jan 14 18:01ETTurbo $40K GuaranteeSix HandedTurbo$200.00 + $16244112–
    76236999Jan 14 17:44ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #7Add onTurbo$3.00 + $0.306315–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $6.00 .
    75363673Jan 14 17:01ET$30,000 KO GuaranteeDouble Stack$120.00 + $94051$10,125
     
    You collected $280.00 for 14 Knockouts.
    76230713Jan 14 16:44ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #13Add onTurbo$10.00 + $1281$216
     
    You made 1 rebuy/add-on for $10.00 .
    Entry to tournament #73888793
    76121120Jan 14 16:41ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #10Turbo$69.00 + $6278–
    76119933Jan 14 16:31ET$18,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add on$30.00 + $3286163–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $60.00 .
    75961460Jan 14 16:31ETWPT – LAPC Satellite$69.00 + $6197–
    75193528Jan 14 16:01ET$40,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add on$100.00 + $9165103–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $200.00 .
    76224740Jan 14 15:44ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #7Add onTurbo$3.00 + $0.308136–

    You made 5 rebuys/add-ons for $15.00 .

    76109770Jan 14 15:01ET$13,500 KO Guarantee$24.00 + $21,000459–

    You collected $4.00 for 1 Knockout.

    75191123Jan 14 15:01ET$50,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $13427301–

    Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = $3,105.40

    Today’s winnings/losses = +$11,002.90

    Today’s net profit/loss = +$7,897.50

                   All focus was on the $30k Guarantee KO, I was basically chip leader the whole tournament and was completely unstoppable.  I played well, stealing blinds, re-stealing when I felt they were weak, and just using my chiplead like a true professional.  There were a few spots when I got my chips in as the underdog and ended up winning the hand, but sometimes you run like that and most of the time you don’t, this time I did!  I was at least a 3-1 chiplead going into the final table and checked the stats on the other eight players at the table, it turns out a lot of them have little experience playing final tables and I was the most profitable out of everyone, so I did have the huge edge especially with my lead.  Unfortunately, I hit a cold deck and spewed some chips around the table.  Once we got five handed we were all pretty much even in chips and when we got down to three handed I was the short stack.  I hung in there and played smart.  Knowing I was one of the better players on the table I had a lot of confidence even when I lost 3/4 of my chips.  Something I wish I could uphold going against stronger opposition, but I am working at that with more experience.  Making +EV decisions every step of the way, we finally got down to heads-up.  Only problem was my opponent had a 5-1 chiplead, with him having $1M in chips and having $200k myself.  I wasn’t dubious that I still had a good chance to win this tournament, so I was looking for my perfect spot to double up and even out the scale of chips.  Doubling up twice gave me the lead and, like it’s said on Rounders, “all I had to do was lean on him”.  That’s exactly what I did and won the tournament for a whopping $10k and also collecting $280 for knocking out a staggering 14 opponents in the tournament.  It’s very rare that I take first in a tournament, usually a lot of 2nds and 3rds, it’s very refreshing when I do and keeps my confidence high.  Other than that, I also won my seat to FTOPS #13.  It’s been a good start to the new year, already making $40k profit in three days, only $460k till my goal!

     

     

  • Usual Results after a Big Cash

    IDStart TimeNameBuy-inEntrantsPositionWonNotes
    76026551Jan 13 20:46ET$1 Million Guarantee SatelliteTurbo$100.00 + $9251$535
    Entry to tournament #72661445
    76136032Jan 13 20:44ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #13Add onTurbo$10.00 + $12511–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $20.00 .
    75265312Jan 13 20:31ET$22,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add on$30.00 + $334722$194.87
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $60.00 .
    76020979Jan 13 20:01ET$32,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$24.00 + $21,534926–
    75189822Jan 13 20:01ET$65,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $13660526–
    75573261Jan 13 19:46ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #12Turbo$150.00 + $134138–
    76128733Jan 13 19:44ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #7Add onTurbo$3.00 + $0.305715–
     
    You made 3 rebuys/add-ons for $9.00 .
    75258101Jan 13 19:31ET$33,000 Guarantee (1r+1a)Add onSix Handed$100.00 + $922481–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $200.00 .
    76013651Jan 13 19:01ET$40,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$69.00 + $6730440–
    76012411Jan 13 18:51ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #10Add onTurbo$5.00 + $0.50274–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $10.00 .
    76011746Jan 13 18:46ET$1 Million Guarantee Satellite$24.00 + $22820–
    76011749Jan 13 18:46ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #1$24.00 + $2541$216
    Entry to tournament #73859850
    76121492Jan 13 18:44ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #13Add onTurbo$10.00 + $14316–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $20.00 .
    75247464Jan 13 18:01ETTurbo $40K GuaranteeTurbo$200.00 + $16279243–
    76114534Jan 13 17:44ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #7Add onTurbo$3.00 + $0.308018–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $6.00 .
    76000821Jan 13 17:15ET$1 Million Guarantee SatelliteTurbo$69.00 + $699–
    75240480Jan 13 17:01ET$30,000 KO GuaranteeDouble Stack$120.00 + $9368139–
     
    You collected $40.00 for 2 Knockouts.
    76107914Jan 13 16:44ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #13Add onTurbo$10.00 + $13734–
     
    You made 1 rebuy/add-on for $10.00 .
    75996684Jan 13 16:41ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #10Turbo$69.00 + $61913–
    75995513Jan 13 16:31ET$18,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add on$30.00 + $3295139–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $60.00 .
    75992019Jan 13 16:01ET$22,500 GuaranteeDouble Stack$69.00 + $6396265–
    75193485Jan 13 16:01ET$40,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add on$100.00 + $9175153–
     
    You made 3 rebuys/add-ons for $300.00 .
    76101876Jan 13 15:44ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #7Add onTurbo$3.00 + $0.307724–
     
    You made 6 rebuys/add-ons for $18.00 .
    75573341Jan 13 15:16ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #12Turbo$150.00 + $133520–
    75191085Jan 13 15:01ET$50,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $1342748–
    75985372Jan 13 15:01ET$13,500 KO Guarantee$24.00 + $21,07422$78.40

    You collected $12.00 for 3 Knockouts.

    Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = $2,555.40

    Today’s winnings/losses = +$1,076.27

    Today’s net profit/loss = -$1479.13

                For some reason the day after a pretty decent size win I always result in a loss.  I can rightfully say it has nothing to do with my gameplay for the day but it’s almost like they never want me to go back to back in any tournaments.  Ironically enough, I just witnessed a player who won first place in the Sunday Mulligan on Sunday and took first place in the $1k Monday the following day.  Today, it seemed like variance was still on my side early on in the tourneys but when it got to the middle or late stages it turned against me, when it matters most.  I kept picking up AA and having it cracked in key situations, one in particular hand stood out which proves my theory on “FullTilt hates slow players”, I will post it below.  Luckily, I did win a seat to my first FTOPS event which happens to be FTOPS #1.  People probably wonder why I play satellites to tournaments I can just buy in direct with my size of a bankroll but I was always a true believer of “money saved is money won” which I read in a book of Mike Caro’s teachings.  I will be playing in a total of 15 FTOPS events, which is one more than I did last FTOPS.  The only tournament I think I added to the list was the Heads-up tournament.  Not really much of a heads-up player but decided I’m going to do some studying on it and see if I can get a decent run in the tournament, if anything it should benefit me when I do come down to heads-up in my tournies.  I know I promised to post up my FTOPS schedule in today’s blog but I’m pretty restless, so you all are gonna have to wait till later on in the week.  I have this premonition that I will make one or more final tables tomorrow, we’ll have to see if my third-eye proves me right.  Here are some hands to look at:

    ——————–
    HAND #1
    ——————–

    Full Tilt, 1,200/2,400 blinds, 300 ante NL Hold’em Tourney, 8 Players
    Hand History Converter by Stoxpoker

    BB: 100,640 (41.9 bb)
    UTG+2: 53,914 (22.5 bb)
    MP1: 25,009 (10.4 bb)
    MP2: 79,844 (33.3 bb)
    MP3: 78,556 (32.7 bb)
    CO: 52,065 (21.7 bb)
    BTN: 155,416 (64.8 bb)
    4XTRADER (SB): 65,456 (27.3 bb)

    Pre-Flop: 4XTRADER is SB with Ace of diamonds Ace of clubs
    UTG+2 raises to 7,200, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, CO folds, BTN folds, 4XTRADER calls 6,000, BB folds

    Flop: (19,200) Nine of hearts Five of clubs Nine of clubs (2 players)
    4XTRADER checks, UTG+2 bets 12,000, 4XTRADER raises to 57,956 and is all-in, UTG+2 calls 34,414 and is all-in

    Turn: (112,028) Four of clubs (2 players, 2 are all-in)
    River: (112,028) Six of hearts (2 players, 2 are all-in)
    Results: 112,028 pot
    4XTRADER showed Ace of diamonds Ace of clubs (two pairs, Aces and Nines) and lost (-53,914 net)
    UTG+2 showed Six of spades Six of diamonds (a full house, Sixes full of Nines) and won 112,028 (58,114 net)


     

    ——————–
    HAND #2
    ——————–

    Full Tilt, 400/800 blinds, 100 ante NL Hold’em Tourney, 9 Players
    Hand History Converter by Stoxpoker

    BB: 5,210 (6.5 bb)
    UTG+1: 16,825 (21 bb)
    UTG+2: 12,480 (15.6 bb)
    4XTRADER (MP1): 11,166 (14 bb)
    MP2: 5,235 (6.5 bb)
    MP3: 11,498 (14.4 bb)
    CO: 11,064 (13.8 bb)
    BTN: 15,720 (19.7 bb)
    SB: 10,505 (13.1 bb)

    Pre-Flop: 4XTRADER is MP1 with Ace of diamonds Ace of hearts
    UTG+1 folds, UTG+2 raises to 1,600, 4XTRADER raises to 11,066 and is all-in, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, CO folds, BTN folds, SB folds, BB folds, UTG+2 calls 9,466

    Flop: (24,232) Five of diamonds Jack of spades Queen of hearts (2 players, 1 is all-in)
    Turn: (24,232) King of clubs (2 players, 1 is all-in)
    River: (24,232) Seven of clubs (2 players, 1 is all-in)
    Results: 24,232 pot
    4XTRADER showed Ace of diamonds Ace of hearts (a pair of Aces) and lost (-11,166 net)
    UTG+2 showed King of spades King of hearts (three of a kind, Kings) and won 24,232 (13,066 net)



     

    ——————————
    HAND #3 (Mentioned above)
    ——————————

    Full Tilt, 100/200 blinds NL Hold’em Tourney, 9 Players
    Hand History Converter by Stoxpoker

    UTG+1: 10,267 (51.3 bb)
    UTG+2: 3,901 (19.5 bb)
    MP1: 5,385 (26.9 bb)
    MP2: 20,054 (100.3 bb)
    MP3: 22,785 (113.9 bb)
    CO: 7,120 (35.6 bb)
    4XTRADER (BTN): 16,745 (83.7 bb)
    SB: 3,955 (19.8 bb)
    BB: 3,520 (17.6 bb)

    Pre-Flop: 4XTRADER is BTN with Ace of diamonds Ace of clubs
    UTG+1 folds, UTG+2 folds, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, CO raises to 900, 4XTRADER calls 900, SB folds, BB raises to 3,520 and is all-in, CO raises to 6,140, 4XTRADER raises to 16,745 and is all-in, CO calls 980 and is all-in

    BB shows Ace of hearts Ace of spades

    CO shows King of spades King of clubs


    Flop: (17,860) Four of hearts Nine of hearts Six of clubs (3 players, 3 are all-in)
    Turn: (17,860) King of hearts (3 players, 3 are all-in)
    River: (17,860) Queen of hearts (3 players, 3 are all-in)

    Results: 17,860 pot
    4XTRADER showed Ace of diamonds Ace of clubs (a pair of Aces) and lost (-7,120 net)
    BB showed Ace of hearts Ace of spades (a flush, Ace high) and won 10,660 (7,140 net)
    CO showed King of spades King of clubs (three of a kind, Kings) and won 7,200 (80 net)

        Sad! I was the only won who lost in this hand.

     

     

     

  • New Years Gift from the Heavens

    IDStart TimeName           Buy-inEntrantsPosition      WonNotes
    75938406Jan 13 02:26ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #10Add onTurbo$10.00 + $1305– 
    You made 4 rebuys/add-ons for $40.00 .
    75573207Jan 13 01:46ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #12Turbo$150.00 + $132513–
    75933696Jan 13 01:16ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #1$24.00 + $24328–
    75929581Jan 13 00:26ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #1$8.00 + $0.805418–
    75923174Jan 12 23:21ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #10$24.00 + $2363$110
    75190723Jan 12 23:01ET$30,000 GuaranteeDouble StackSix Handed$100.00 + $9337242–
    75573066Jan 12 22:16ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #12Turbo$150.00 + $132719–
    75915338Jan 12 22:11ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #10$69.00 + $6189–
    75912984Jan 12 21:51ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #1Add onTurbo$10.00 + $14124– 
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $20.00 .
    76018899Jan 12 21:44ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #7Add onTurbo$3.00 + $0.306141– 
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $6.00 .
    75190320Jan 12 21:31ETThe Fifty-FiftyDouble Stack$50.00 + $51,237450–
    73519982Jan 12 21:01ET$1K MondayDeepstack$1,000.00 + $604054$36,450
    76011487Jan 12 20:44ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #13Add onTurbo$10.00 + $12919– 
    You made 1 rebuy/add-on for $10.00 .
    75143489Jan 12 20:31ET$22,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add on$30.00 + $3341109–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $60.00 .
    75899658Jan 12 20:01ET$32,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$24.00 + $21,6291,476–
    75189775Jan 12 20:01ET$65,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $13576240–
    75136036Jan 12 19:31ET$33,000 Guarantee (1r+1a)Add on$100.00 + $9190172–

    You made 1 rebuy/add-on for $100.00 .

    75892478Jan 12 19:01ET$40,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$69.00 + $666287–

    Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = -$2264.10

    Today’s winnings/losses = +$36,560

    Today’s net profit/loss = +$34,295.90

               What a way to start off the year for me with a 4th place finish in the $1k Monday for an outstanding $36,450!  My first day back playing multi-table tournaments in about 2 weeks.  For some reason, playing big buy-in live tournaments make me feel like I play better online when I come back, maybe it’s just me imagining that but whatever works.  There’s something about the $1k Monday, I believe I’ve only played it a total of 6 times and cashed in it 4 times already, which is an unsual occurance.  I’d like to think my skill level is more advantageous vs. stronger opposition but that’s a big assumption.  Sure, better players are willing to fold bigger hands and you don’t get amatuer calls that suck out by the river, but I’d like to believe there’s more disadvantages playing with better players than there is good.  Anyway, I’ll keep playing them until they’re not profitable and I don’t think I’ll ever go negative in this tourney unless I run super bad the whole year playing it every Monday.  Another great thing, is that I’m already up $34k on the year of 2009, so it’ll take a lot for me to be down on the year from here on out.  As you should know, December was my first losing month in a pretty long time, I believe I lost around $3600 in tournaments and $2k in cash games, so a total of $5600 in losses.  I don’t mind this because a lot of it was due to bad variance, which I think was well deserved after my outrageous winning streak the several months prior to December, and I also didn’t play as much or as focused due to the holidays and planning for my vacations.  Oh but how sweet it is now, variance was totally on my side today.  Not so much in my other tournaments but for sure in my $1k Monday tourney, there were a lot of spots where I got my chips in bad and ended up ahead by the river and I was flopping a decent amount of sets.  Life’s always easy when you flop sets.  Let’s hope this holds up till the end of FTOPS in early Feb…  Expect my ‘Total Spend on Buy-ins’ to increase this month because I’ll be playing in a lot of satellites for the FTOPS on top of my daily buy-in tournaments.  I will be spending at least $2k-$3k daily.  Which reminds me I will post up my FTOPS schedule probably in tomorrow’s blog entry and I’m also doing the same schedule as I did back in Nov. 08′ which is to play the FTOPS and then fly right to Vegas for the Venetian Deepstack Series.  For some reason, the two series coincide with each other on the same month, in every two months.  Which works out for me because it gives me plenty of oppurtunities to make some big money.  I will have both the schedules posted hopefully tomorrow.  Oh yeah, I promised I wouldn’t post anything on my blog that has something to do with my personal life but for your viewing pleasure I will post pictures of my trip to Bahamas and maybe Tahoe, just because both trips were just so beautiful and timeless.  So look out for those this week.  Thanks to whomever above that decided to grace me with this early year present!  Good lookin out ;)

     

     

  • Reflections of 2008 + Long Term Goals for 2009

     

     

          Where do I begin?  It’s good to be back home and settled after the busy holidays and two vacations to Lake Tahoe and the Bahamas.  I hardly have played any poker since my last blog entry, as a matter of fact I’ve been way behind on keeping up my points for Ironman and will have to settle for Gold status this month.  My OPR stats have dropped dramatically and have finished the year of 2008 in 92nd place out of the 862,428 poker players in the world.  My net worth for 2008 in online poker for cash and tournaments goes as follows:

    Total Winnings in Multi-Table Tournaments (excluding losses) = $287,072

    Total Net Winnings in Multi-Table Tournaments (including losses) = $143,763

    Total Net Winnings in Cash Games = $7,403.75

    Total Winnings in 2008 = $151,166.75

          As far as my live cash/tournament results for 2008, I am pretty confident I am negative a few thousand dollars simply because my winnings don’t offset the big buy-in tournament losses.  I can’t remember my live cash game winnings off the top of my head but can remember all my live tournament winnings:

    WSOP Event #32 – $1500 buy-in – 87th/2304 players = $5031

    Venetian Deepstack Series – $330 buy-in – 15th/273 players = $790

    Venetian Deepstack Series – $540 buy-in – Final Table 9-way Chop = $11,500

           Now that the hard facts are out of the way, it’s time to reflect back on this defining year for me.  Back in 2005, in my early days of poker I went on a sick heater on Doylesroom that lasted three whole months, pulling in anywhere from $20-$30k in profits.  With no bankroll management rules and big balls and a lot of luck, I pulled out most of my money and spent it on good times and tangible items and played limits I wasn’t supposed to until I ended up losing the remainder of my profits.  At this time, I was hopping around different jobs trying to make ends meet and still playing poker recreationally on my spare time.  Come September 2007, my skills have improved and have done a lot of studying prior, I decided to make my last $600 investment into online poker on FullTilt.  This time I was going to do everything right, apply the bankroll management rules I’ve been taught and stick with them, reap the benefits of bonuses and rakeback, play smart and effective consistently, keep studying, and play play play!  Till present day I have not made one single deposit back into FullTilt and have turned that $600 into everything I have now.  I started off 4 tabling micro-stakes 6-max cash games and slowly grew my bankroll with the help of rakeback and bonuses, moving up limits when my bankroll rules permitted me to, and logged plenty of hands daily.  Grinded all the way up until I was 8 tabling $1/$2 6-max cash games.  The grind was taking too long for the amount of hours I was spending and so I started to explore in MTT’s (multi-table tournies).  My first decent cash in MTT’s was on April 7th, 2008, a 4th place finish in a $26 buy-in $11,500 Guarantee tournment for $1,199.  From there I was making top 3 finishes in $20-$80 buy-in tournaments for $2k-$4k a piece, and finally won a tourney on April 28th, 2008 in the $18k Guarantee turning my $75 buy-in into $4680. Starting early June I decided to pull out a big portion of my bankroll to move out to Vegas and take my shot in the World Series of Poker.  I was a Vegas resident for three whole months and played mostly live cash games and tournaments for most of the duration.  Overall, for living expenses, partying, gambling in the pit, food, and WSOP buy-ins, my stay in Vegas set me back about $20k-$30k.  Although, I did make some pretty decent finishes when I did play online out there for a few couple thousand dollars.  I moved back home mid Aug. and with no job lined up and a couple thousand dollars in my bankroll I decided to try my hand in playing poker for a living. Shortly after my life-changing decision, my next big cash came on August 16th, 2008 in the $163 buy-in $65k Guarantee, going heads-up against Eric “Rizen” Lynch and getting knocked out in 2nd place for $10,974.  Followed by a few top 5 finishes, I hit it big again on September 24th, 2008 winning the $100k Guarantee Rebuy event for a cool $34,248.  Since then, I’ve done a good job in supporting myself financially and still keeping a lot of my funds in my bankroll.  On November 8th, 2008 came my biggest win in poker to date, setting the bar at an amazing $60,600 in a 3rd place finish in the FTOPS #7 $100 Rebuy event.  This pushed me right into the $100k+ in profits for the year.  At this point, I was truly amazed and proud of myself because at the age of 24 not many of my peers can say they have made six figures in one year all by playing cards.  I well exceeded my own and those around me expectations and finally can say that I have found my nitch in life.  Towards the end of 2008, I blessed my family with luxurious  Christmas presents as a token of my appreciation for raising me and allowing me to be what I am now, I spoiled my friends with a sick cabin and snowboarding in Lake Tahoe for a 4 day weekend, and took my girlfriend with me to the all expense payed trip, compliments of FullTilt, to the beautiful Bahamas for the PCA tournament.  If you know me, then you know that my philosophy on money is that money is no good unless you’re able to spend it on the people you love the most and creating ever-lasting memories with it.  Lastly, I’ve done all this and played with and met some of the top pros and legends of the game with the likes of Daniel Negraneau, Phil Helmuth, Carlos Mortenson, PearlJammed, Michael Binger, Scotty Nguyen, Umberto Brenes, etc…  In a nutshell, this was my year of 2008, probably my most defining, wealthiest, maturing, responsible, best years ever.  There are a few people I would like to thank that’s helped me get to where I’m at:  My family, for giving me a roof over my head and putting up with my naive and immature lifestyle for most of my growing years.  My girlfriend, who’s been there through thick and thin, who’s supported me since Day 1 when I was broke because I was a bad gambler/poker player back in the day and couldn’t keep a job.  My friends, for just being my friends even though I tend to lose contact for long periods of time.  My frat, for introducing me into Texas Hold’em poker and helping me learn by playing home games and having crazy sessions at the casino, also for their support.  My brother and uncles, who teach me the importance of money and the great things you can do with it when managed correctly.  My grandpa, somehow or someway even after him passing away I feel like the reason for my recent success is because of him guiding me or looking after me.  My grandma, for molding me into the caring and generous person I am, teaching me to share and care for your loved ones.  I also want to thank Stoxpoker.com, a lot of my knowledge and success is due to the great teachings from the coaches of this site.  This is not some shameless plug and I don’t work for these people (but it would be cool if I did!), this is simply me showing appreciation to those who have provided me with the information to succeed in poker and even in life.  If you’re thinking about taking poker seriously, this is a good place to start.  There is a monthly membership fee but trust me when I say that it is a good investment and with enough dedication and comittment the investment will pay for itself ten-fold.  Last but not least, my newfound loyal fans, each new person that wishes me luck in the chat rooms, sweats me while I play a final table, txts me good luck, prays for me, reads this blog, and follows my success gives me more and more inspiration to do better and share the knowledge that I have, I sincerely and genuinely thank you.

              Phew! That was a lot to reflect on, guess what’s next?  Time to put up some goals/resolutions for the new year of 2009.  I’ll try to keep it short and list them bullet style:

    • Net Profit $500k+ – considering I got into MTT’s very late in the year of 2008, almost half the year in, and was still able to pull in $150k, then half a million should be a daunting yet possible task.  Who knows, I may be able to do it within one tournament.
    • Get Healthy and Lose Weight – it seems like with every $1k I win in profits I gain 1/2 a pound in body mass.  They call it the “Poker Players Curse”, I guess it makes logical sense since the more money I make the more dining out and fast food becomes available.  Plus the only exercise I get is sitting on my ass working out my pointer finger to click my mouse 1000+ times a day.  It’s time to eat healthier and get into some physical activities.
    • One WSOP Final Table (televised or un-televised) and Possibly One WSOP Bracelet – I plan to play more events and make deeper runs in the 2009 WSOP, as my game has tremendously improved and have gained more experience in live tournaments since this past 2008 WSOP.
    • Buy Myself my Dream Car – people hear about my success and see that I’m making all this money yet when they see me drive in my piece of crap car, it’s kind of hard to believe I hardly make any money.
    • Rent/Buy an Apartment or Condo – same stigma applies as above, only I still live under my parents roof!
    • Have the People I Love Most Not Worry About Money – as of yet I can’t support anyone but myself since my only source of income is poker but eventually I want to get to the point where the people I love most don’t have to worry much about making ends meet.
    • Get my Name noticed Publicly in the Live and Online Poker Community – my name is starting to grow and people are starting to recognize me but it would definately be cooler if I was more well-known so at least I would know I made my mark in this world.
    • Travel, Travel, Travel! – I want to experience everything the world has to offer, the different cultures, people, food, and landscapes.  Poker already brought me to the bahamas, let’s see where it could bring me next.  I want my passport half way filled by the end of this year.
    • Be More Modest about my Success – Sad but true, I sense some jealousy and envy from my peers, and that is the last thing I would want from anyone.  I may have boasted about a lot of my success this past year more than I should have but that’s only cause it’s all new to me and I think anyone would like to share their success stories with the world.  I will try not to be so loud with my money even if that means stopping my random splurges on dinner bills or social outings, even though showing off isn’t my intentions when I do that kind of stuff.  I think some people interpret it otherwise.
    • Manage my Time more Effectively – I can admit I’ve done a pretty good job at this, this past year but there’s always room for improvement.
    • Diversify my Investments - I plan to open up a PokerStars account in the near future, so that I could build my bankroll and name up on there.  It seems if you want to make it big in the online world, PokerStars is where you have to make it.  Also would like to start looking into other investments that I can make besides poker.  Comment if you have any good suggestions.

            That’s all I can think of thus far, I’m sure I’ll be able to think of more as the year progresses.  Those are all my main goals and resolutions, all sound a little vague and not detailed but I know what I want and expect from myself, so now all there is to it is the follow through.  I can’t hardly wait to find out what this year has in store for me, all I know is that it’s going to be a rollercoaster ride like everything in life is, never constant, ever-changing.  One thing is for certain, is that I can only go up from here.  Thanks again for everyones support and love this past year.  Stay tuned, 4XTRADER is gonna be bigger and badder this year!