Brussels Sprout Bankroll

My sit n go challenge has gone well over the last ten days. I have played fifty $10 games, mainly the six-man Brussels game on I-Poker, which is easily the most active at this buy in. Whilst there have been a few ten man games mixed in, it is the six man games in particular that have help see my bankroll sprout forward. I have benefited from the freedom the chip structure provides in these games compared to the jackpot games.  I have been able to play more poker and rely less on fixed strategy and maths based luck. These six max games are much more time efficient too as I don't start them with a fairly inactive fifteen minutes as happens in the Maui Jackpot games. Obviously I have also benefited from only paying the standard rake too. An extra $50 in rake would make a massive difference to the outcome, particularly in the long term. Anyway I can report a profit of $122, a ROI of 22% and progress like this:

I have enjoyed this challenge so much I am going to continue playing these games for now before having another bash at the jackpot games. For sure I have won more than my fair share of coin flips in this small sample of fifty but I feel positive again. I believe I can realistically win $1 per game at this level. I just need to prove that now over a bigger sample of games. See you at the tables. Just don't stand behind me!

Cheers

Jason (Kartajana)

Month End Challenge

In an attempt to end July with a positive feel I am setting myself a short term poker challenge. Ten days, fifty sit n gos. What is the worst that can happen? (see below for answer). I am hoping this mini challenge will rekindle my focus, reignite my form and reverse the general direction of my bankroll. For a change I am going to play the non Jackpot sit n gos. No tight chip structure, no winning runs considerations, no double rake, no excuses. To make it a proper test I will play $10 games.

My performance so far this year has been disappointing. My recent form is also poor and I am running fairly bad I believe. More importantly both my profitable edge in poker and my enthusiasm for poker have dwindled somewhat this year. The two are definitely intertwined but I cannot see the real cause and effect. Which one is driving the other. Hopefully this mini challenge can give me some insight. I will report on my progress both financially and otherwise.

This year the number of my poker blog posts have also been in decline. This is not unconnected to the previous paragraph but I have also been focusing my energies on a new blog I have been working on. This relates to my other great passion, horse racing. More on this soon.

(Answer: In the last ten days of July I could lose fifty seven buy ins ($627). Poor play, lots of bad luck and really bad counting!)

Golden Moments

June has not going brilliantly on the poker front from a financial perspective, but on reflection there have been some very positive moments. At at time when my love of poker is dwindling, perhaps because my edge is diminishing, a series of moments have reminded me why I play the game - why I love the game. Sure I have made mistakes in June. I should not have played those $20 and $50 Jackpot sit n gos when frustrated. I can't beat those games even at my best. I know I should not have played loads of Sunday Million hyper satellites where luck is a massive factor. But even in a thirty day period there has been some golden moments. The highlights were:

1. Freeroll second for £80 - Early in the month a few hundred players competed for £500 in a weekly freeroll which I only occasionally play. Things went well and I had a nice cash.
2. Jared Tendler Webinar - I attended a exclusive seminar based on pre-ordering his new book. It was great to listen to his insight on key aspects of the mental game. It has also motivated me to revisit his second book and focus on the aspects that most relate to me.
3. Golden Sit N Go for $14 - I played maybe fifty sit n goes during this Pokerstars promotion and it was nice finally to play in a Golden sit n go were I was rewarded with a free double buy in. I just missed out on a bigger payout when sixth of eighteen
4. Contact from Rio Jackpot regular. It is always great to hear from fellow Jackpot players and share strategy advice. This German grinder plays a high volume of Rios and I will watch his progress with interest this summer.
5. Maui win rate at 16% - This is above my target of 14% and although only for a month is very encouraging.
6. Maui Consolation win - The great thing about this win is that I was able to play the final game on its own and used my own advice (from my blog post, see below) to help me have a top two finish in the final game. I had no distractions, played just one game, told no one of my opportunity, was totally focused on it. I even practised game selection by waiting for a game the solid regular did not play in. I made good decisions and was rewarded with a second in a game that went  almost perfectly for me.

For the second half of 2013 I will focus more than ever on the Maui games but I will try to only play when super motivated to do so. Good luck.

http://kartajana.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/jackpot-sit-n-go-strategy-winning-final.html

Kartajana: What's in a name?

The Horse:

Kartajana was originally a racehorse trained by Michael Stoute and owned by The Aga Khan who ran in the early 1990's whilst I was at University. On my Nineteenth birthday in 1990 she made her first racecourse appearance at Leicester where me and several friends clubbed together to have £35 on her to win the last race. She romped home and started what was to be a very top class racing career, though she never quite fulfilled her potential. For example she flopped when strongly tipped for the Oaks later that year but finally won a group one contest in France the following year. I followed her throughout her career which included six wins. Possibly her best run was when third in the Arlington Million in 1991.

The Student Band:

In early 1991 me and two friends formed a band which we named Kartajana, with me as lead singer! We only played together for a few months and only played in public twice but it was a really fun time and is a special memory for me. One night we played support for a well established student band at a Valentine's day event at one of the halls of residence. We played four songs, three of our own and a cover of Rain by The Cult. I still see one of the other band members Andy occasionally but rumours of the band getting back together are greatly exaggerated!

The Poker Player:

Fifteen years later when choosing my poker name, Kartajana was an easy choice. Full of positive memories I have always played poker under that name. The choice of your poker name is quite interesting I think. Many choose a name that identifies them or like me one that gives them confidence, others try to influence other players by suggesting a style of play or skill level like QuiteTight or BadPlayer777. I am a big fan of the more comical ones such as xxxsitoutxxx, luckyknickers or the quite appropriate for me imbaldsowhat. My favourite though is probably NeedJackpot.

Last Chances To Qualify! Failed!

Having now dropped out of the top forty I have only a handful of chances to qualify for the Betfred Social League Final this Sunday and a shot at the £1000 first prize. As the league has progressed the number of daily entrants has increased to just short of two hundred. To move up the league table you need a final table spot which clearly is not easy. I have been more focused over the last few days and have given myself a chance to do that on a couple of occasions but ultimately have fallen short. If I don't make my third final table appearance of the league by Saturday I will simply not qualify for the final. Given there are probably only one hundred regular players, not making the top forty would be a big disappointment and an opportunity lost. 

If I don't make it good luck to those who do.

............................

I write this as the worthy finalists prepare to do battle for the £1000. On the final day of qualifying I did it, I made another final table and finished seventh. However my prediction that this would be enough was as impressive as my overall play in this league series - pretty poor. Whilst I have not seen a final overall league table I expect my final position was around forty-fifth. I made a pretty good fist of it over the last few days of the competition but it was not good enough. The three positives I take from it are as follows:

Playing this early at night is not a good idea.

I returned around £45 from £25 invested.

It reaffirmed the need get stuck in and play to win in tournaments. 

I am taking a few days off poker to lick my wounds and re-focus on my Maui Jackpot strategy.


Good Luck

Storming Result And Betfred League Update

Last Sunday I played in the weekly Sunday Storm $11 tournament on Pokerstars. In coming 1754th of the 35269 entrants I cashed for $42 but more importantly found some renewed confidence in my multi table tournament game.    One of the main reasons I played was to help me focus on the latest Betfred league game running at the same time. Strangely when I am playing only one or two games at once I easily lose focus especially if they are low buy in games or freerolls, so I had six games open and enjoyed a profitable few hours. The Betfred league is now at the halfway point and I am starting to struggle after a good start. In the first five games I had two final table finishes (8th and 3rd) which established me in the top ten overall. However the last week has seen me slip down the table as I have failed to put in any solid results. I have not given the games the time they deserve, I have been distracted and also sometimes a bit unlucky. To qualify for the final and a chance to win the £1000 first prize I need to remain in the top forty. I need at least another couple of solid finishes to make it. Part of my problem is that these league games run quite early for me and coincide with other stuff going on in the Tomlinson household. For example the early tournament stages run alongside the kids bedtime. This can be a stressful time not conducive to playing A-game poker and reminds me why I tend to play poker when everyone else is asleep! Sometimes as a result the poker and real world combine in a bizarre way. One minute I am deciding push or fold, the next ham or corned beef for tomorrows packed lunch!   Not really complaining about my situation which is generally wonderful but as a family we can be guilty of trying to fit too much in. Me playing these league games is an example of that. I don't really have the time - but I do like a cash generating challenge.   Corned beef please.

Betfred Poker League Returns

Under the new title Social Poker League a new league based challenge has returned to Betfred. I do enjoy this kind of structure and am planing to get very much involved. Over twenty five nights you compete in a tournament with added cash in the prize pool. Over the league your best seven cashes count towards your final league position. The top forty UK league players then play in a final league game with £2500 added including £1000 to the winner. This final also includes the top ten players from a Rest Of The World league.   Given the league structure and the top heavy cash payouts in the daily tournaments the key is to get to the final table, (hopefully seven times) so it is worth taking a few chances to go deep and secure a good score. Two things help this approach. Firstly, there are some poor players taking part. Secondly, the structure does allow for some play so there is no rush to make your move. After playing two games I have made one final table (finishing 8th) and now lie 14th in the table overall. With around one hundred playing each night so far and £100 added each game the games are good value in every sense. Went the game starts you are instructed to "Enjoy the table banter and the free cash." This I guess is what makes it a social league. So far the social element seems to be a mixture of berating each others bad play, complaining about the software favouring donkeys mixed with the occasional polite good wish. I will see how the banter develops and take the cash with a smile, hopefully the £1000. Cheers and good luck.