Another Sunday Million Satellite Win

I know this is getting a bit repetitive but last night I won another thirty-six man satellite for $215. I am having a decent year on Pokerstars thanks to these games. Hopefully confidence from this success will spill over into my Rio Challenge. Again I am cashing in my seat but I am seriously giving some thought to playing in the big one in August (the Sunday before Bank Holiday Monday) as part of a multi-table tournament period. I do enjoy them and believe I would be pretty decent (at the lower levels at least). If only I had the time.   PokerStars Tournament #566296308, No Limit Hold'em Super Satellite Buy-In: $8.00/$0.80 USD 36 players Total Prize Pool: $288.00 USD Target Tournament #574020010 Buy-In: $200.00/15.00 USD 1 tickets to the target tournament Tournament started 2012/05/26 17:18:21 ET Tournament finished 2012/05/26 18:34:12 ET   1: Kartajana (United Kingdom),  (qualified for the target tournament)   2: 77sharkboy77 (Spain), $20.00   3: nachoelpunto (Spain), $20.00   4: kukino3569 (Slovakia), $20.00   5: Mefestofel (Russia), $13.00   6: fradof (Spain)   Good Luck

Rio Challenge Update

Halfway through my 250 game Rio sit n go challenge the euphoria of an early consolation win has drifted into a disappointing decline. I am struggling to beat the high rake in this game right now. I could argue that things have not gone my way in key pots, that I have been unlucky in this spot and that and mention numerous outrageous turn of events. What I will do instead is recall the three I hit on the river to help me win the consolation bonus worth $300. I am running good in poker (and more importantly in life). I need to get back to really enjoying these games, focusing on my play and not the short term financial outcome. My results so far breakdown like this:

 

Kartajana

125

-$1.42

$20

-6%

-$178

-

N/A

iPoker

5/1/2012 5/25/2012 SNG Only

 

Though my split of positions looks reasonable I am suffering from a distinct lack of wins. In 125 games an average number of wins would be 21. Ironically turning three extra non cashing games into wins is all I am short of to stay on the right side of the line. Three wins is $180. Whilst I am still in a profitable position taking account of all factors below I need to bounce back big style to hit my target of $800. One big help could be the freerolls which have contributed a pitiful $2 so far. I will probably play in ten decent freerolls before the end of next month and would hope to hit one or two decent results.

	To Date	Target
Direct Profit	-178	150
Rakeback	96	200
Freeroll Wins	2	150
Consolation	300	300
Total	220	800

Time to fight for those inches.

Rio Challenge Strategy 2: Fight For Those Inches

In the film "Any Given Sunday" Al Pacino, playing the role of a tough, but maybe a little past it football coach, gives one of the best motivational speeches ever in film. If you have not seen it follow the link below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO4tIrjBDkk The reason I mention it is that his approach "fight for those inches" is a mantra that can be very easily adapted to the Rio Jackpot Sit N Gos I am currently playing. To win long term in these games, to beat the high rake and the variance laden structure you have to play your very very best poker. You cannot go on tilt. You cannot make mistakes. You have to play like your life depended on it. You have to fight for those inches. If Al Pacino was a poker coach trying to motivate students playing the Rio Jackpot games his speech might go something like this. Right now I am in this group looking for inspiration in my Rio Challenge. Sometimes a little motivation can go a long way. "We are in poker hell right now gentlemen, facing the toughest battle of our poker lives. We can either stay here or fight our way back into the light. I mean, I have made every wrong choice a poker player can make. I have called when I know I'm beat, chased draws I should not chase and gone on tilt so many times I can't even stand the face I see in the mirror lately.   When you get old in life you find out that life is a game of inches. So is poker because in either, life or poker the margin for error is so small. One loose call and you don't quite cash. One moment of indecision and you come second not first. One slow play that backfires and your out in fifth. The inches we need are everywhere around us, in every hand of the game, every minute, every second. Winning jackpot sit n go players fight for that inch. They claw with their finger nails for that inch because they know when they add up all those inches, that's going to make the difference between winning and losing. Between living and dying. That's poker guys. That's all it is.

So, what you gonna do"

Rio Challenge Strategy 1: I'm A Believer

An important aspect of strategy for the Rio Jackpot Sit N Gos is whether you give credit to your opponent for the hand strength they are representing. Here I am thinking about the early and mid game prior to the push-fold late game phase. For the most part I'm a believer. If someone three bets pre-flop more often than not they have a monster. A raise in a multi-way pot, especially a small raise on the flop usually means a very big hand. My default position in these games is to be a believer until proven otherwise. Erratic, tilting play or an unexpected hand shown down are the only things that change this assumption. The main reason for this approach is the lack of manoeuvrability in these games. The structure of blinds and chips makes it difficult to call a big pre-flop three-bet and still get value without a premium hand. Only in the first level or two can you effectively set mine for example. Not giving someone credit for a big hand on the flop or turn can be very expensive by the river unless you are getting reasonable odds for some kind of significant draw. Chips saved are very much just as important as chips lost. Occasionally I will call a river bet, believing it to be a bluff if I can't see the logic in it over the various streets of play. Overall though, be a believer in these games or say goodbye to your chips. The early sessions of my challenge have proved interesting and overall I feel I have played well, making only a few significant mistakes. Importantly around forty games in I made some important strategic tweaks which have helped. Too often I was cashing in third without giving me much chance of winning. In addition I listed the main mistakes I need to avoid. I also must to remember how tough it is to beat the rake in these games. Over the 250 games I will pay $875 in fees to the network which is a massive amount to overcome. At the same time I am hoping to generate $150 in direct profit. It is clear to me that some of the regulars in these games who are say operating at -10% are pretty reasonable players. My results so far are:   Username Games Played Av. Profit Av. Stake Av. ROI Total Profit Form Ability /100 Network Filter Kartajana   76 $0.03   $20   0% $2   - N/A iPoker 5/1/2012 5/15/2012 SNG Only To Date Target Direct Profit 2 150 Rakeback 63 200 Freeroll Wins 0 150 Consolation 300 300 Total 365 800 I have failed to cash in around six freerolls that I have played this month. There is a good opportunity for me on both Saturday and Sunday night at present. In a couple of weeks my reward level based on this Rio activity will increase and I will have a very good Friday night freeroll to play as well which has less than a hundred players competing for a £1000 prize pool. Time to stop Monkeying around and make some more dollars!

Rio Consolation Win

Twelve days in to my latest mini challenge to play 250 Rio games I have won a consolation bonus of $300 for a sequence of 112212. This is the first one I have won for a couple of years so is particularly satisfying. The way the games fell I was able to approach the final game the way I described in my "Winning The Final Jackpot Game" post with the simpler task of targeting first or second.  I had no distractions, assessed my opponents and played just this one game. I played well and got the luck I needed, particularly on one key late hand. Key Hand 1 AQ v KQ With five players left I three bet an opening limp and was called. The flop was queen high and the chips flew in with my ace kicker helping me double up. This gave me a great platform to build upon to secure a top two spot.   Key Hand 2 33 v 99 Four handed with a slight chip lead and high blinds I shoved with threes only to be called by nines. A three on the river helped me secure a dominant lead and ultimately a second place finish. I should remember by luck in this spot as otherwise I was the short stack and unlikely to make the top two. GameID Date (UTC+0100) Type EntryFee Position Profit  656953481   12-May-12  00:35   NL Holdem    $20 2/6 $12.50  656924241   11-May-12  22:39   NL Holdem    $20 1/6 $36.50  656923951   11-May-12  22:31   NL Holdem    $20 2/6 $12.50  656649151   11-May-12  00:22   NL Holdem    $20 2/6 $12.50  656649541   11-May-12  00:11   NL Holdem    $20 1/6 $36.50  656635171   10-May-12  23:28   NL Holdem    $20 1/6 $36.50 In a few days I will update the position on my "Readers Rio Challenge" which is going pretty well after a difficult start. It is good to know I have already completed the toughest part of it. I also intend to do a few posts on overall Rio Jackpot Sit N Go strategy, though this is genuinely work in progress. Good Luck.

Readers Rio Challenge

In May and June I will play only the Rio Jackpot Sit N Go as per the result of my blog readers survey. Over the two months I will compete in 250 games and try to make $800. The $800 will hopefully come from $150 direct profit on the games themselves, $200 rakeback, $300 for a consolation bonus and $150 from the freeroll opportunities this level of activity gives me. Anything above $500 return I will be happy as the consolation bonus is a tough one. Thanks to those who voted. Over the last month or so I have not done well on the Rio games so this will genuinely be a challenge. Variance is a constant threat within the structure and the high rake makes the game tough to beat. However on a more positive note I have a good feel for the correct strategy. I need to get involved and demonstrate controlled aggression early. I must remember the importance of position and observe my opponents. I must focus on playing to win rather than just to cash but should avoid coinflips until absolutely necessary. On the bubble I have to adjust approach based on the chip stacks at that point. Once in the money I should be both patient and aggressive to secure the best position possible. I should always adapt to the dynamics of the individual game. When on a sequence of wins or top twos I should adjust my approach to focus on the jackpot or consolation opportunity. I will not go on tilt. This is easier said than done. As I go through the games I intend to make notes on key positive events and mistakes in an attempt to further strengthen my strategy. Two non poker things I intend to focus on in this period are my fitness and my sleep. If I can increase both this will really help with this challenge. Too often I have followed a good early session with a poor late one largely based on fatigue. Watch this space for updates. Please note no expensive Spanish footballers were harmed during the production of this blog post.

Jackpot Sit N Go Strategy: Winning The Final Jackpot Game

So you have won a series of Jackpot Sit N Go games on the trot and now need just one more to win a big pay day. What is the best approach to win it? Here is my ten point plan.

....................................Hang on a minute Kartajana you have not won one yourself yet.

Very true. Whilst I have won several consolation bonuses totalling over $3000 I have yet to win a Jackpot. So why am I posting about how to win one? Firstly, having played these games on and off for nearly six years I know them inside out. Secondly and more importantly I have been in the key situation six times, where I needed to win just one more game to take down a big pay day. Three times I have come extremely close. Thirdly, I have read a lot on this subject and put a fair amount of work into this post. Fourthly, this blog is for me too. When my lucky seventh opportunity comes around soon I want to be ready to give it my very best shot. Therefore, I believe I have a good insight into the issues, pressures and wonder surrounding this unique poker opportunity. Here goes:

1. No distractions. You need to be totally focused to give this opportunity its fullest potential. Play when you are unlikely to be disturbed and can give it total concentration. In my case that's when the rest of the family are in bed and it is too late for anyone else to get in touch by phone or any unexpected house callers. Shutdown your Internet Explorer, switch off the television and focus.
2. Assess opponents. It makes sense to monitor the players for this key game as they register, using Sharkscope. Really I am looking to avoid a game with a lot of solid regulars and ideally target a couple of terrible players to double up through.
3. Tell no one. I think a big mistake I have made on my previous six attempts is to tell my wife. The prospect of a big win is exciting but the money is being spent while I am playing. This has added to the pressure of the situation. This is not really a criticism of her as she is pretty...........................understanding about my poker and the variance it involves. She also reads this blog! Next time I plan to keep my opportunity secret.
4. Play when ready. I would not play this game as the first game of a session, nor would I play it when feeling too tired, unfocused or even slightly on tilt. Play a couple of warm up games. Go though the hand histories of the previous winning jackpot games focusing on the key decisions that led to victory. Then go for it.
5. One game only. Again a mistake I have made in the past is to play other games at the same time. They can only reduce your winning potential. Having a full view of how others are playing may help in one or two critical spots. Probably pretty obvious but still worth a mention.
6. No Chat. The final game in particular will be assessed for collusion or any other failure to comply with terms and conditions. Swearing or abusing other players for example could be very expensive. I suggest simply closing the chat box.
7. Play to win. My biggest regret in my final games to date was a Rio opportunity for $45,000 where I played almost no hands and cashed pathetically in third giving myself no real chance to win. If good cards don't come you have to be aggressive with what you have. You cannot win without aggression.
8. No consolation focus. Just to reinforce the previous point there is genuinely no consolation in coming second and winning a consolation bonus. Even the prospect of hitting $750 for second at the Fort Knox level should not affect your decision making.
9. Key moment - go with your instinct. It is very important to have no regrets. In my first Rio opportunity my tens lost to the chipleaders queens in a pre-flop battle that I did not shirk. Despite this being a tough spot calling an all-in re-raise I feel happy with the decision. The worst feeling is to loose knowing your played poorly or made one poor decision.
10. Be lucky. The reality is that in these variance filled sit n gos luck plays an important part. So in this final game you need it more than ever.

Hope this helps.

Comments of your own experiences would really help this post as a genuine resource for jackpot players so please comment away.

If you are about to play the final jackpot game: be prepared, be aggressive, be lucky but most of all just bloody win the thing! (especially you Kartajana).