Rhymes with Joker

Weeks 13 & 14 Wrapup, and Random Musings

Two weeks I'd call "mediocre." I made my nut both weeks, after two weeks of not making it, but neither week did I exactly blow the roof off anything. Truly, I wouldn't be upset if every week was +$500; that's what I said I wanted to make at the start of my pro career, but the reality is that I haven't made that, or averaged that. Part of that is that over my short pro career I've become a better player, and so my expectation is better now. (I lost a lot of money during the unlogged weeks two and three, which is why I log my play now.) Part of it, too, is variance; I did poorly during weeks Eleven and Twelve (about –$500 and +$200, respectively), but I haven't seen the high side of that variance yet. I hope.

The only change I think I've made in my play, is that I've, just since yesterday, started a slow process of moving up in limits. I've wanted to do this since I posted my April numbers and realized just how bad I'm being hammered by the rake; 45% of my winnings are going down into the drop. But, on PartyPoker, the jump is from playing $3/$6 to playing $5/$10. On a single table, this is a difference of only $100 in recommended buyin, and I'd feel comfortable playing a single table of $5/$10 with a $500 bankroll. (Not that this is ideal; the "risk of ruin" is pretty high with only a $500 bankroll.) But on four tables, I'd be putting $1000 in play whenever I sit down, and I'd want at least $2000 on PartyPoker to do it. Also, my worst days would go from $300+ losses, to $500+ losses, and on a thin bankroll like that a $500 loss is a big deal. So I've stuck with four $3/$6 tables.

But Gil pointed out last night, that all four tables don't have to be the same limit. Three tables of $3/$6, and one of $5/$10, doesn't appreciably alter my risk. Instead of putting $600 in play when I sit down, I put $700 in play. And although I haven't done stellarly the two days I've done this so far (I lost $1 on the $5/$10 table yesterday, and I'm up $18 on my $5/$10 table as I write this), I haven't gone broke, either. In fact, as I write this, I'm doing much worse on my $3/$6 tables, and am down, overall.

Hdouble suggested that I reread Abdul's preflop strategy guide, although I don't remember what we were talking about to make him suggest it. I always knew it was out there, and even kind-of sort-of read it a number of times, and had it bookmarked. But after Hdub's suggestion, I actually, really, read it. And damn, that Abdul is one sneaky bastard. I don't limp-reraise much, and when I do, it's because I'm making a play: Normally my limping hand isn't truly a reraising hand, but conditions make it seem like a raise would be profitable, or at least +EV. But Abdul points out that limp-reraising with your most powerful hands makes it profitable to play many more marginal hands.

Now, truly, I need to take a couple of hours and play Abdul's way on one or two tables, to get to the point where I can play his game on autopilot, the way I play mine on autopilot (four tables doesn't work unless you're on autopilot). Perhaps I'll do that this week.

I was just informed that this month's "Poker Meetup" was cancelled. I haven't tried this site before, but others have said good things about it, and I've been looking for a regular home game. I know of three illegal games in town, but I don't have an "in" to any of them.

Man, I wish I could move to Vegas. Like they say, there's always a game there, and I don't have to drive nearly two hours to get there. I still plan on it in the fall, but I need the cash to do it. I've said that I'd need $10,000, and that's not far off, figuring $5000 for moving expenses (maybe a bit high) and $5000 for bankroll (maybe a bit low). I'm not currently on a pace to get there by the fall, but for some reason I have confidence that I will be able to go by then. I keep thinking about it: Logistics, mostly. I figure I load everything into a straight truck, and have my buddy Dave and I drive it to Vegas, taking two or three days to do it, and spending a couple of days in Vegas before flying back, and driving my car out there myself. That is, of course, assuming that Dave doesn't move out there with me. He says he's interested, but I can't possibly see how he'll have the money to do it, if he stays working where he is.

Anyway, here are the numbers from Weeks 13 and 14:

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