Sorry for not posting in a while guys, been very busy at work. Crunch figures. VC bankroll stands at $512. Ultimate bet $79. Iv been playing very little poker lately, just havent had the time. My SnG form in the $25 bracket has left me. A combination of weak/silly plays in MTT's have cost me $ and overall i feel my poker is not great. So i have stopped playing for a while. Im reading Brunsons "Super System" and i like the style of his poker. In the two cash games i played on the weekend i profited $120 in the space of about 3 hours. My online poker philosophy has changed somewhat in recent months. My tournament game has always been very strong, but my cash game has lacked certain aspects. It is VERY hard to balance all aspects of you NL game at the same time and win. Im gradually finding it easier, however, im playing a lot of poker in the coming weeks so i think a break will be good for my head and give me time to read my key articles again and again. Ill breakdown the way i play online poker now. Firstly, im looking to break opponents every time i sit down. Harsh but in the current global climate, i could not be considered ill-natured by any stretch of the imagination. When i sit down at a table now I GAURANTEE to myself that i will watch for 5 rounds before playing. If it looks good ill join if i dont i wont. Table selection is so massively underrated its criminal. Then, i will update my notes on any known/ new players during the build-up to me starting playing. Finally, i will change my seat at the table (even 6 handed) if it makes sense. Some of my opponents really get cheesed off with this. Then its time to play. I ALWAYS buy-in for the maximum, unless im doubting myself after a recent bad-beat for example. Then, i look for the breaking hands. People in online poker get married to AA,KK pre-flop. On the flop, they get married to non-nut flushes and straights. Therefore, as long as they have a large stack i will always call with position with any pair, and any suited connectors/ gap connectors 4,5 or above. I mix up my play from the word go. Bluffing is probably my singularly most profitable tool long-term at the table. And small pairs as everyone knows are HUGE earners. I know iv made more with 22-99 than with AA or KK. SO easy to play with position, deceptive, manipulative plays ets.....small sets are beautiful. They are such big winners in fact that i dont mind the odd occasion when i get caught out against an over-set. The tables i play it i havent been hit yet. As long as :-

a) the pre-flop raiser has a big stack
b) my table image is nice and loose (please guys, always show ur stupid plays and bluffs, ppl will not give you no further credit in that session,until that is, you break them).
c) the pot is a minimum of 3 way action and im acting last or second form last. You simply MUST give yourself the opportunity to bluff at this pot as you have already been able to somewhat define your oppositions hand. Eg, you put original raiser on 2 big cards, pre-flop caller more than likely also has. There is no way in the world they will call when the flop comes rags unless they have a made hand (ie set or overpair). And they wont have that a VERY large % of the time. And the beauty is, so few of the online players bluff that so can be certain they have a hand. You will have the maximum at the table so they are FAR less likely to try and pull a move here when they know they will have to bet a significant amount to throw you off, and you will have position on them on 4th and 5th street (this is particularly handy when there is a str8/flush draw out there). And go with your instinct man. What would you do if this loose aggy player was eating up your checks? You'd check-raise right, after only getting involved in the 1st place with a legitimate hand. this makes it even better for you. If he check, raises, show the bluff. Or if you want to look like an aquarium licker and the raise aint too big, call the bet and then fold the turn, showing your 5,8s on a board of AK3h. Seriously, withing the next hour, by dropping gear and crawling up the hill in 1st, you will double what you lost from that bit of advertising. Remember, most poker players are smart, but not intelligent. You tell them what they want to hear, or show them what they want to see, and at low-level limits $1/$2- $2/$5 they swallow it down with the worm. Next time, when you hit your top set on the flop, that little devil on their right shoulder will be saying "he's trying a move on you, he's a fish, im a better player, my Top, pair, top kicker is a million miles in front, ill move him in" your job is to rake the chips and see how he reacts. After a bad beat players either tighten up, or go crazy. You move seats to his immediate left. Im not being barbaric or greedy, but NOW you take him to cleaners. Its a hard world out there and i dont remember getting any favours when i lost my first big pot and tilted. I wil draw the line however, at a certain amount. If he sits out for a protracted amount of time and then sits back in, he's re-deposited. Its up to you but i normally type something like,"youve tilted, your angry, you will lose. play again tomorrow. trust me, this is good advice". Now he will probably start berating how you got lucky to hit that straight perfectly to match your J,9os for a $5 raise pre-flop and cut his $200 stack to ribbons. But you didnt, because you know NLH is a game you play on the BACKSIDE with huge IMPLIED ODDS. I wont take his case money ever thoug, unless he has insulted my family. If he brings in $20.46 and calls my mum a slut, hey fuckbag, go redeposit.

I want to go through a few little ideas that have been going round in my head. Firstly, in the ealry stages of a tournament, you must be able to release your big pairs post-flop even on a raggy-looking board against good opponents. SO MANY TIMES in $100+9 buy-ins on UB tournies have i seen aces, kings, indeed most overpairs get crippled, ESP when the player UTG or UTG+1 limped pre-flop with AA hoping to be able to come ott in that betting round. When 7 ppl have a seen a flop for minimum and the Small or big blind comes ott of the AA raiser......90% of the time they have 2 pair on a raggy flop and you are destroying your tournament with a marriage made in hell, 2 FUCKING OUTS, unless the boards pair, which could fill him up anyway!
In the same vein, bet your sets unless board is EXCEPTIONALLY RAGGY. K,8,2 holding KK might be an occasion to slow play, but in these tournament, ($100-$250) the standard is good, any you are letting people in. BET, RAISE, let people (ESP drawing assholes) know you have the goods and they are dead, TYPE "SET OF JACKS" when you check-raise on a board with J,10,4 against move than 2 opponents. AND SHOW. Let them know they are virtually dead, and you win the pot without a showdown which could nail you. And after a while your opponents will give you credit. And they will lay down BIG hands. AA on a board of 98,5. I type "nut straight", if he doesnt have a huge lead, these opponents will later in the game (mid-late stage) fear your raises, and CHECK-RAISES even more (vitally important for those re-steal, semi-bluffs).
AA and KK i believe, should be raised 6*BB in the early stages if you are in early or late position (dscounting the ppl that like to limp with aces in a tight/passive game...why?!!). Why raise so much, because its easy to get married to non-scary looking flops where someone round the back called your pre-flop raise hoping to hit a set, and you got married and lost your tournament.

Mightily impressed with the Arse last night by the way, watched it round my mates house- laucky git has a projector- a full 8ft of football in your face!
We played good, attacking football,that used to be our trademark. Hleb played very, very, well. He holds it up, can pass backwards as well as forewards (something reyes needs to learn) and covered end to end admirably. Eboue was magnificent. Toure had a nice performance. Flamini had a shite game, along with Reyes, who pissed me off because :-

a) he has the integrity of a hyena
b) he misplaced more passes than he completed
c) he regularly "goes down" under flimsy challenges when in great positions to score.
d) he's a greasy spaniard

Senderos looked bright and confident, but his fuck up had a little impact on the way he played afterwards. However, i think i might have been wrong in my original assessment of him as a "sack of shit". Flowers might grow out of the compost in that bag.

Henry- good, but im disliking him more due to his contract renewal crap. It undermines the confidence of the team when the captain is looking to leave.

Bravo however to the rest of the team, who fought hard. Fabregas....probably added 25% to his value after his performance last night. Real madrid- looked like a squad of arrogant twats- with less altruism displayed in the side than an inmate with the last bog roll. We should dick all over them 2nd leg. If they play attacking football at highbury, we will kill em on the break.

Im playing tomorrow night for 5 hours. Saturday night, sunday and Tuesday night (Gutshot). And im playing probably next Thursday, Sunday and Sunday eve. But im also, seeing the missus tonight, playing footie tomorrow and a tournament saturday (hope i feel sharp). I might have a pint after work on Friday as i may be giving up all alcohol for lent and iv got to have a couple of cold San Miguels. Just finished a gruelling 11.5 hour day at work and im gonna hit the gyn for some chest work. then home for the apprentice and Desperate housewives....shit i should of kept that quiet.

Tip of the day. Always counter overtly aggressive play with subtle reverses. I beat my good freind Dave last night for a fiver (i owe him £ after he thrashed me last friday). Key hand was queens with me on the button. raise pre-flop, he calls. Flop comes 10 high. I check, he raises, i go all-in instantly (he would pick up on any hesitation) and he shows bottom pair. No miracles for "Diamond Dave" and i owe him (slightly) less.



GL all. signing out. Alex