180

Finally, I have had a decent result in a 180 man MTT. This year I have played quite a lot of these games and had a very poor record. It was not the first place I was looking for but second place for $264 is a good result for me and is pretty satisfying. Luck was certainly with me but I also played well in crucial spots. My efforts last month in MTTs have finally reaped some returns I think. Heads up my A3 lost to 33 but only near the end did I have a real chance to win. Three handed and short stacked my A9 held up against Kings so I cannot complain. A welcome boost at a time when I am contemplating my poker future and my form in the Jackpot Sit N Gos is patchy at best.

PokerStars Tournament #617715931, No Limit Hold'em

Buy-In: $7.34/$0.66 USD
180 players
Total Prize Pool: $1321.20 USD
Tournament started 2012/09/21 18:25:25 ET
Tournament finished 2012/09/21 20:06:55 ET
  1: freitas1001 (Brazil), $396.42 (30.004%)
  2: Kartajana (United Kingdom), $264.24 (20%)
  3: King Souljar (Germany), $157.22 (11.899%)
  4: glaskarten (Germany), $105.69 (7.999%)
  5: Dr. House 73 (Switzerland), $85.87 (6.499%)
  6: langace66 (Hungary), $66.06 (5%)
  7: Natek258 (Canada), $46.24 (3.499%)
  8: widesteel (Russia), $34.35 (2.599%)
  9: bootlebird (United Kingdom), $22.46 (1.699%)

Congratulations to Freitas1001 who played very well and deserved the win. It is always nice to beat the Germans though. :)

Advice from Nick Wealthall 1

I recently watched a promotional training video from Nick Wealthall entitled 'Your Next Big Jump In Poker.' He is a well known poker writer, commentator and presenter and I have always liked his material and his comedic approach. Plus any friend of Liv Boeree....... I found the thirty minute video so engaging and interesting that I watched it twice and am now blogging about it. Essentially what Nick was saying is that to make the leap that you want to make in poker or to fulfil your poker ambitions you must simply make a plan and carry it out. What do you want to achieve and why? What help and knowledge do you need to make this goal a reality? What is a realistic time frame to make this happen? In short what do I need to do to reach my goal? He points out that very few people make such a plan and are worse off because of it. If you are a regular reader of this blog you will know I am big on plans so he was very much knocking on an open door with this approach. His video is linked to a new monthly coaching service he is providing which focuses on improving certain aspects of a players game and thus removing barriers to success. For me the video made me really think about what I want from poker and how I am more successful when following disciplined guidelines and working on my game. It made me think I need a new plan so that I am much more likely to achieve it.

 

In part two of this post I will detail my plan and the thinking behind it. The goals part is quite easy. I want to win a Sit N Go Jackpot and have poker winnings of at least $50,000. Why is this my goal? The reason is mainly that of personal fulfilment, to achieve something I have worked at over a number of years, to feel my time playing poker has been fully successful. The money is actually a minor aspect in some ways which is interesting in itself. I really feel my goal is achievable and agree with Nick that with a more focused, structured approach it is much more likely to be attained.

Kartajana The Coach?

This year I have been working with a young Danish player on strategy for the Jackpot Sit N Go games. In May I passed on my strategy document for the Maui jackpot games and exchanged e-mails with him about specific hand ranges and a more detailed explanation of  my approach. More recently we having been working on the Rio games for which I have a significantly different strategic approach. Again I have passed on some strategy notes but the most interesting aspect has been exchanging hand histories for the Rio games and then discussing certain key hands. I think this has been helpful to both of us. It has certainly made me think a lot more about what I am doing and why I am doing it.

 

Interaction like this with fellow jackpot players was one of the reasons I did this blog. I have exchanged information and e-mails with a handful of others but this has been the most productive interaction to date at least from my point of view. And from his I think for sure. One really pleasing aspect is that in June he won the Maui jackpot for $15000. Perhaps he should be coaching me! Certainly he is a good player who seems keen to get better. A very good combination. I would certainly not rule out him bagging a Rio Jackpot if he plays enough games. The Jackpot stands at $110,000 currently so for now I am trying to beat him to it!

Good luck to us both.