The woes of cash

Been very lazy lately, a lot has happened in my poker life in the last 2 weeks since I posted. Firstly we had Dream Team II at the poker bunker in canary wharf. A great weekend was had, I would love to tell you all about it in great detail, but the beer has clouded quite a bit of my memory, was great to meet up with all of the crushed nutz lads/lasses (we were far the best turned out by the way, in our team uniforms) also good to meet some new faces, a big up to Steve (plum11/plum12) for organizing the mini bus to the big slick on the Friday night, where I managed to go out about 15th in the rebuy tourney there, when my 77 failed to hold up against the chippies AT. Kaz has put a bit more of the story of the weekend on her page (link on side of blog) as she can recall more than I can ;-) Apologies to Virgin Trains for me puking up in the bog on the trip back to Brum, but I did got most of it in the pan (or very close)

June also saw the start of me being a trainee trader for bad-beat, which I have found a real challenge. Cash, has never been a real strong point of mine, but I have always held my own and made a small profit from it over the years, this was meant to be my chance to improve my game and learn from those far superior that me (not that difficult I know !!) I decided to build slowly and try and build up a $100 profit at 10c/20c then move up, I did not envisage encountering the amazing muppetry that is around on USA poker at that level. So after 4000+ hand and 60 table hours for about $30 profit, I decided to move up anyway to 25c/50c. I don't know why I am shocked but the play is just as bad at that level. I feel like I am being robbed at the moment, I def feel like I am playing some semi decent poker, although I am grinding out hands rather than winning the pots with constant aggression, but steadily moving up to about $50 profit after the 1st day at the level. Then yesterday came along and smacked me truly in the face. I was playing two tables, and within 4 hands, I lost my stack on both. Table 1 went as follows.

I get QQ in early position, raise to $2, get rr by small blind to about $4 (hes just landed on table) I flat call. flop comes KQ2 rainbow, happy days I think (if he has KK, so be it) I check. He bets about $7, I decide to go all in over the top, he thinks for about 5 seconds, then calls. To save you the suspense, he has called me with A5......Ace Fcking 5 !! The turn brings a 3 and the river the more than obvious 4, to give him the 5 high straight and all my chips. I don't often jump in shock, cos I have seen most things in poker, but that was just unreal. I was speechless, the other players on the table did the abuse for me amazingly enough. He then proceded to lose all the $100, reload another $50 and lose that in the next 10 mins !!!!

Meanwhile on the other table, I call a $2 raise with 88 and the flop comes 8 high. I end up all in against TT (not the worse call to be fair) but the river brings the T for me to lose my stack again.

Finally after reloading I call a raise with JT sooooooted and flop comes xTT, happy days, I check he bets $2.50, I raise, he calls. turn comes rag. I bet $5 he calls. River brings a king. I think, I bet the software has fcked me and he has KK, I then think no, it couldn't be that cruel, so go all in, he calls instantly and shows KK Aaaaaaaaaaagggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh. I am not one to think online poker is rigged, but todays session is unreal.

I am now down to about $30 of my $200 daily allowance and think fck it, I don't care if I lose the lot today. I go all in with an open ended and hit to double up, then after flat calling bets chasing two open ended str8 draws and missing, I win both bit pots by rr them all in on bluffs both times and getting them to fold. I finish the session with $120 and only $80 down, but annoyingly down overall for the month.

It is interesting that it was only my tilting that led me to be ultra agressive with massive bluffs on the river, but it has given me a bit more of an insight in what you can do in cash games if your balls are big enough.

Not had a chance to speak to my mentor yet as he has been away playing live, looking forward to but I am not sure how my sanity, or my marriage can hold up if I have many more days like this playing cash. Guess I have a lot to learn.

Watch this space for more regular updates on my quest for cash glory, hopefully this blog won't turn into a bad beat whingers corner.

Goth