Not Feeling Well Lately

My confidence is not where it should be. My motivation is not where it should be. My hunger to dominate is not where it should be. 

Last night I cut my session short because of how I was feeling. 

I hate when this happens to me. Any long time readers of my blog know exactly what I'm talking about. It's definitely related to the depression. 

I doubt it helps that my last FT was over 100 tourneys ago and that I'm on a 3K downswing. 

I'm also questioning whether or not I should be playing these FTOPS tourneys. 

I feel like I come up with great plans for success but then something like FTOPS comes along and tries to mess with my head. 

I feel like I HAVE to play them because the EV is so high yet I also know I'm likely to not do well in them and I'll be blowing like $1,500 on five tourneys. That is not part of my plan. 

So its like a catch 22. Damned if I do and damned if I don't. Either way I'm left feeling like I made a mistake. 

There's also some petty stuff in my personal life bothering me right now. 

It's kind of funny how my head works. It feels like I can deal with a maximum of just one thing at a time. If that thing is not going well I can handle it and nurse it back to normal eventually. 

But when more than one thing in my head is bothering me I seem to freak out. I start to feel like I'm losing control of all situations. It's very overwhelming and frustrating. 

Right now, about the only thing I feel like doing is drinking. 

Anyway, I hope it doesn't take me too long to pull out of this mental rut. 

Also, huge congrats to my long-time friend Justin "Arsonist88" Shelton for recently shipping a Triple Crown. He's put a lot of effort into the game over the last few years and deserves every bit of success he's had. 

Here's the link to an article on P5s about it. 

Feb 6th Update/Current Sched

Well nothing too exciting has been going on since my last post besides bubbling FTs like it's my job. 

Sunday, January 31st was the sickest Sunday I've ever seen in terms of prize pools. I played 16 MTTs that day and managed a deep run in the Brawl but busted like 105th. Besides a mincash in the Double Deuce and the 30r, that was all I could muster up. I knocked out Josh Arieh in the Brawl for an extra $240 and a tshirt so that was pretty cool. 

I ended up not playing the first three days in Feb. For some reason I was incredibly tired and slept for what felt like days. It was as if my explosive January finally allowed me to rest mentally and physically after four months of grinding and putting all of myself into the game. 

I feel like I'm back on track though and playing my updated late night schedule. It looks like this:

9:30 $55

9:45 $11

10:00 $26 

10:30 $10r

10:45 $11 KO

11:00 $109 6max

11:00 $26 6max KO

11:30 $11 6max

12:00 $75 KO

12:00 $11

12:30 $20r

12:35 $5 1r1a

1:00 $26

1:30 $30 1r1a

1:35 $15 super turbo KO

1:59 $75

2:00 $11 6max

So I'm looking at 17 MTTs at a cost of about $723 bucks. This puts my average buyin at $43. I feel really comfortable with this. 

My plan, as of right now, is to grind this late night sched and then grind a separate Sunday sched. Sundays will be just 8 MTTs. Those 8 MTTs start between 6:00pm and 8:00pm. My tentative Sunday sched looks like this:

6:00 $216 / 750K Guarantee

6:00 $26

6:35 $5r 6max

7:00 $75

7:05 $216 / Sunday Mulligan

7:30 $20r 6max

8:00 $163

8:00 $26

So this is 8 MTTs with a total cost of about $849. 

My reasoning behind playing only 8 tourneys on Sundays is based mostly in my comfort level (and partly in the timing). 

Sundays are expensive and bloody. By playing these 8 tourneys, I am spending a comfortable amount on buyins (only about $100 more than a regular session) while still taking my shots at big scores and taking advantage of all the EV on Sundays. 

This way I ensure Sundays don't devastate me financially or emotionally.

Also, because I'm grinding a late night schedule during the rest of the week, starting at 6:00pm on Sundays is very practical. 

Overall I feel like this is the perfect system/schedule/plan for me as it fits in with my comfort level very well. All I have to do now is just execute...

3rd in 30r

for just over 8K.

Fuck ya.

A score like this has been a long time coming imo. I followed excellent BR management for several months and saw my roll swing up and down time and time again. I knew if I stayed patient my breakthrough would come. Obv Double G's week was the best time for it :)

Chopped 20r

First night of Doubles Week and I chopped the 20r!

I took 4.7K for 2nd and we played it out for $100 as I'm in a Midstakes Team PLB Competition on P5s and needed the points for the team.

I was 36/37 on the bubble and ridic short, down to three blinds, and on an aggro table. I quadrupled thru w/ AQo and ninjad my way to the final two tables as 18/18. Won a flip w/88 against A10dd and picked my spots from there.

At the FT, AJo held against A9o, JJ held against 77, then QQ held against 77 and I found my way HU as about a 2:1 dog in chips. Nadler and I ICM chopped it from there.

There was a ton of talent throughout the entire field. It's really ridic how good players are these days even in the midstakes. The game has def evolved from even one year ago.

K so off to a great start for Doubles Week, a great start for my Team PLB Competition, and a great start to  2010!

Double Guarantees Week Schedule

I'm keepin' it late-night people:

9:30pm $55 

10:00pm $26 

10:30pm $10r

11:00pm $26 6max KO

11:00pm $109 6max

12:00am $75 KO

12:00am $11 

12:30am $20r

1:00am $26

1:30am $30c

1:59am $75

2:30am $22 Turbo Cashout

This is 12 MTTs (all guarantees, duh) at a cost of about $670 (assuming five units in the rebuys).

I'd like to be playing on a 200 buyin roll for this but I'm not. However, I don't see how I can NOT play these tourneys during this insane week. The ev figures to be through the roof. Also, I've won virtually all of these tourneys before at least once and it's been a good while since I've won a decent tourney.

I'd really like to think this is "my week", however I have a difficult time subscribing to that line of irrational thinking. Nonetheless, I feel very confident going into it and expectations are high. I've grinded my roll from a low of $750 in late November to a peak of 7K right now. 

Last night I finished 9th in the 18K guarantee and shipped a late-night $5r. This comes on top of an already successful month and there is no reason to think it should slow down now. I ran like hell for four straight months and the laws of variance allow for equally long periods of run-good. 

So here's hopin' we all run good this week!! (unless of course you're at my table, in which case I hope you lose every pot against me :)

4th in 23K Guarantee

As stated, I got 4th in the $75 23K guarantee the other night for just over 2K. This was very helpful towards having a proper roll for Double Guarantees Week starting on Monday the 25th.

Btw it was sick the amount of talent at the 23K final table. It's a scary-aggressive poker world we live in nowadays.

I'll post my tentative schedule for Double G's week soon.

Also I updated the title and header of my blog to more accurately reflect my current thoughts and feelings.

Mid-January Update

Well there hasn't been a whole lot going on really. I've been playing quite a bit and on a bit of a downswing. The first FT I've made in over 100 tourneys came last night as I got 2nd in a late night $5 1r1a for $700.

I'm obviously rolled to play higher than $5 1r1as but I like to keep tourneys like this in my schedule to bring my average buy in to where it should be since I play $55s and $75s. Also they help cut down variance and keep me motivated to play through a downswing.

My current schedule looks like this:

9:30pm $55 Guarantee

9:45pm $11

10:00pm $26 Guarantee

10:30pm $10r

10:45pm $11 KO

11:00pm $26 6max KO Guarantee

11:30pm $11 6max

12:00am $75 KO Guarantee

12:00am $11 Guarantee

12:35am $5 1r1a

1:00am $26 Guarantee

1:59am $75 Guarantee

2:00am $11 6max

2:15am $33

2:35am $5r

2:45am $11

That's 16 MTTs with a total cost of about $470. This makes my average buy in right around $30 bucks. I see myself grinding this for awhile until I get my roll over 10K.

From Jan 25th through Jan 31st FT is running a Double Guarantee Week where all guaranteed tourneys will have double the prize pools. This is too sick. I'm stoked for this. I'm prbly gonna hit the late night MTTs pretty hard for this as I think they will be the juiciest. I might even play outside my roll a little bit because the EV is so positive.

I'm tentatively thinking I'll be playing basically the same sched as I have now EXCEPT I'll cut out all the non-guarantee tourneys and add in the $20r at 12:30am, the $30 1r1a at 1:30am, and possibly the $109 6max at 11:00pm. Also I may start earlier but I'm not sure.

As promised I'll now be posting my 2010 Sharkscope graph and stats at the top of my blog. I'll update it every couple weeks or when there is a significant change. I will also update it during downswings.