Mini Challenge Update

I have now played half of the one hundred six man $10 games which form my current mini challenge. The aim is to get back on top of my six man strategy so I can play the jackpot versions with more clarity and confidence. The summary of my results shows a fairly satisfactory outcome to date. However the trend data shows a remarkable ten days where I have gone from running hot and playing confidently to running cold and tilting. I need to regain focus for this mini challenge to be a success.   Kartajana   50 $0.64   $10   6% $32   Tilt N/A iPoker 2/1/2012 2/11/2012 S10-10 Spd=T SNG Only       I am currently experiencing a general poor run. I am guilty of playing when tired, when ill and when frustrated. One lost hand or bad beat has lead to poor decision making, sometimes reckless gambling and focusing on the bad luck that really this kind of play deserves. Just by sitting down and playing poker does not mean I will win. Preparation, focus and discipline are needed. I also cannot ignore the fact that my non poker existence is impacting on my mental state, which is in turn affecting my poker. Previously poker has acted as a positive distraction to my working life. At present issues in my employment are affecting me. I have worked a lot harder over the last few months and my mental energy has been more significantly consumed. It is no coincidence that I have less often played my A game in that period and made less than normal progress. Yesterday I listened to mental game guru Jared Tendlers latest radio show interview with pro Greg Tiller. Their conversation about mental muscle really resonated with me. My mental muscle is in need of rest, recuperation and rebuilding. My acceptance of this could really help me moving forward. Good results are built on a solid foundation.   Now where did I put my spade!

ICM: Incredible Chip Mayhem

Having played a gazillion poker hands online it is only now and again that something new happens which really surprises you. In this crazy hand I get a good beat late in a six man non jackpot sit n go (part of my current mini-challenge) when all the other players go all in pre-flop. This leaves me to slip into second place spot with very little effort. The incredible bit is that all five players make the correct mathematical pre-flop decision according to the Independent Chip Model. BetFred Poker "TURBO" Brussels 75/150, hand converted by the iPoker Converter at Talking-Poker saw flop | saw showdown UTG fotograf1234 (1295) UTG+1 torryak (1910) Button gwyddyon (2065) SB redickforthree (1950) BB Kartajana (1780) Preflop: Kartajana is in the BB with 5 Q fotograf1234 raises to 1295, torryak moves all-in for 1910, gwyddyon moves all-in for 2065, redickforthree moves all-in for 1875, Kartajana folds. Flop (7370) 6 9 3 Turn (7370) T River (7370) 8 fotograf1234 shows 4 4 torryak shows 8 8 gwyddyon shows J J redickforthree shows A A torryak wins 7370 with Three of a kind, Eights A great result for me. Even better for torryak with his rivered set of eights. Two players still have a tiny amount of chips left following this hand but we are soon heads up with torryak taking the $42 first prize and me $18 for second.

Maui Jackpot Sit N Go

Thanks to my challenge last year I have played more Maui games than any other type of sit n go. See my record below. Each game has ten players at one table paying $5 plus $1 fee aiming to be first($25), second($15) or third($10). Winning five on the trot pays at least $15000. Five top twos pays $200. Playing six games at once which I find around optimum I can make on average $4 per hour. I also feel the possibility of a jackpot win is real, especially following my close call last February. See blog archive. Statistically I should have a shot at it (after four wins) every 3000 games and win a consolation bonus every 800 games. This makes the Maui games an attractive option for me. The hourly rate is pretty good, I get a small shot at a big win and the high rake allows me to earn a decent amount of rakeback and freeroll opportunities. Kartajana   4,918 $0.64   $5   11% $3,132   Tilt N/A iPoker E10-10 S5-5 R1-1 SNG Only I have played such a lot of these games I believe I have a good strategic approach which has served me well.  If anyone is interested in a fairly detailed approach I have produced a two page strategy document which outlines my approach at the different stages of the Maui game. It is not perfect but it would help any player who might be struggling with elements of their game and be of some interest to anyone who plays the Maui Jackpot games. I have it as a PDF which I will send to the first few players who request it. Either e-mail me at jasontomlinson44@btinternet.com or comment below with your player name and e-mail and I will send it on.    If I ever do win a Maui Jackpot I should really go there. It looks awesome. Good Luck

January Blues

I did not play that well in January and lost $182. A very rare losing month for me. Sure I had some bad luck and would contend that variance overall was against me but I probably got what I deserved. The poor weather was not to blame. The main problem was I never got on top strategically of the six man game, particularly when playing the higher buy in Rio and Fort Knox games. I knew I needed to get more involved with medium hands during the early levels but found this alien to my entrenched tight early Maui tactic. Whilst I have enjoyed the freedom to play a more varied set of sit n gos this has not helped my bottom line. A more structured approach is definately the answer. To counteract my Betfred losses I won $43 in freeroll cashes and received around $70 in rakeback. Meanwhile on Pokerstars I mad a small profit mainly playing the 45 man sit n gos which are my game of choice on that site. In February I plan to focus on re-learning the six man game away from the variance induced Jackpot games. I will focus on a mini challenge of one hundred six max games at the $10 level to rebuild both my confidence and my 2012 bankroll. With more chips to start with and more levels of play I should be able to make some progress here. At the same time I will play plenty of what I know best. Maui Jackpot games on Betfred and more 45 man sit n gos on Pokerstars.

That should get things going in the right direction. Otherwise anyone for a game of chess!

Dirty Dozen Jackpot Sit N Go

I like the Dirty Dozen Jackpot games. I also loved the film from around forty five years ago. However the $2 buy in is too low for me really. The structure is two tables of six players battling for four cashing places. Whilst this game is very beatable the rate per game I acheive is not optimal. The Jackpot aside, I am only going to make a dollar or two per hour playing these games (maybe four or five at once). Safe and steady but not very profitable. Possibly they have a role as a warm up game. The Jackpot is $2000 for winning four on the trot. I have once had a shot following three wins at this and missed out. My record in these games to date is below. Based on my win rate of c11.5% I should win a jackpot every 6000 games. It would be nice to win one but I probably won't spend a lot of my time trying.

Kartajana

482

$0.35

$2

15%

$169

-

N/A

iPoker

E12-12 S2-2 SNG Only

If you play the Dirty Dozen games good luck to you and maybe I'll see you at the tables.

Jason (Kartajana)

Mixing It Up

Having removed the shackles of my Maui only approach I am now enjoying the freedom to play all the varied Jackpot Sit N Go games - with mixed success. Part of the problem is playing different formats at the same time. My $5 Maui game has deteriorated as I adjust to a more six man table focus. I am having some success with the new $10 Craze Jackpot which has three tables of six players (win four on the trot for $50000). The $2 Dirty Dozen is going OK. At the $20 Rio and $50 Fort Knox six man tables I am finding it tough to adjust to a structure that creates significant variance, though I am confident I can find my rhythm soon. The big problem with these games is you can lose quite a lot in one bad session. Last week I made a classic error when on the bubble of a $50 game taking on the dominant stack when playing to cash was the optimum strategy. Being used to the $5 games meant this actually hurt quite a bit. I do still get frustrated if I lose based on bad judgement. I need to keep working on both aspects of this. 1) Don't make such mistakes, 2) If you make a mistake learn from it and don't let it lead to more!   Over the coming weeks I plan to review each of the Jackpot Sit N Go formats in turn focusing on the rules, my previous results, my ongoing strategy and future plans.

Watch Out - Shark Attack!

In a late twist it seems I have been awarded with a top twenty Sharkscope ranking after all. I am currently showing as twentieth for 2011 at the $5 sit n go level. Given we are a few days into 2012 I am hoping that is it. I have no idea how I sneaked on there as I was sure I was bit short. However, as it was an objective for 2011 I am very pleased with that.   One interesting aspect here is whether this helps or hinders me. Some players like to block their statistics hiding their good or poor quality results. Maybe it is just vanity on my part but I do work hard on my Sharkscope statistics and also use them to assess opponents. Maybe it will make a few players be more wary of me. I like to think in the late game element of a sit n go I get away with shoving all sorts partly because I am perceived as a good solid player rather than loose and reckless. Perhaps ultimately it is mainly about me. As this gives me confidence I can only view the implications as positive.   Just be careful next time you go swimming!