Militarizing Poker

I decided to develop a Military Poker Doctrine. This way I can incorporate a lot of my knowledge/thought processes/interest about war into a doctrine about poker. Hopefully this will turn into a multi-part series dedicated to this concept.
I forced myself to take 2 months off from poker due to a recent addition to my family. This self-imposed restriction is of course driving me mad, but has forced some deep reflection into my game.
The results?
I am not reading my opponents well enough. Therefore, I am not making the correct plays against them. To me, there is reading people: how loose/tight and aggressive/passive someone is. Then there is truly reading people: the above plus how they play coordinated flops (that hit them and/or completely miss them), how they play middle pairs when an ace comes (etc.), how they play their position, what moves they will make against a certain opponent, how they bet throughout the battle (front-load, middle-load,back-load, fire bullets/blanks every street). It's all in the details baby. I need to focus on the crazy tiny details to truly get inside my opponents' heads, so I can know what they have and how to destroy them.
Once I make these reads, I'll be able to categorize my enemies. But first, to do that, I must create the archetypes/categories to put them in. I need to delve deeply into the creative side of my brain and incorporate all this and more into a manageable system.....Better use mnemonics ;)

Back in Action

Playing in a $50 rebuy on FT, currently 2nd out of 75!  Started with 150 players.  Just lost 80% of my chips with KK.  
Should of reraised, isolating preflop.  Instead lost to 66 - trips

I need to focus on playing small ball poker and not appearing/being weak.  The more small pots I get in, the more I end up folding/losing and therefore look weak.  So, I need to pay attention to what spots I pick to do battle.

Small Ball Poker

I have tweaked my game in a major way.  Instead of reraising all the time preflop when I think I'm ahead, I now smooth call a lot in position.  I like to outplay my opponents and take much more of the luck out of the equation.  (After the flop 3 of 5 cards are exposed)
I also changed my raise size.  Instead of 3x BB all the time, I freq raise 2.5x BB.  This helps keep the pots smaller as well.
I fear I might be doing this a little too much, and not taking advantage of the preflop reraise late in the tournies when my M is much smaller.

I withdrew a substantial part of my bankroll, leaving about $10k in my FT acount with another $2.5k heading to PS.

Game back in the shitter

WELL, it's official.  My game stinks right now.  Time to go back to the drawing board.  Study, study, study.  I need to go back through all the videos and fix my game.  I'm tired of giving money away.  My goal is to review videos for 2 days and pick play back up on Saturday.  I'm down almost 2k from my high point!

Ending Bankroll:  $ 33,640.00

Reflection

I started in Feb, and here it is middle of Jun., and I've already surpassed my yearly goals by 40% in less than 5 months!

Just as important, I now have a good grip on my poker-emotions. Leaving me with a much better perspective on life in general. This is very important to me now. I only play 1-2 times a week (usually just a STT to win an entry into the 1k & the 1k on mondays), whereas before I played every day and kept freaking out over the losses. It's all about the law of attraction!

I have also been avoiding the "comfort zone" blaming my losses on bad beats...No more excuses!

I have done a reasonable job, progressing my game to the next level, but don't feel I have been devoting myself. I need to burn more videos to DVD and study more on alert.

Overall, I feel extremely grateful and blessed for my success/family/life.

Areas to improve: Burn/Study more poker dvd's. Exercise! More lifting, but definetly more running. I also need to update my blog more. For continuous improvement I need to continuously update my status (how and when I'm playing) and goals. Update my monthly goals!

Monday 1k, 17th for $1770

In 1st place baby!! Took a relatively quick lead...I've made trips, and 2 boats early! Craziness.
Loving it, so grateful, I'm going to win! 1st of about 220 (started with 236)
made (what I think) is an amazing laydown with QQ on xxx board.
called BB with 33 from early, flop ame 566, 3 on turn, boat!
wow, practically doubled up with 56s! flop came Q66, 3 of a kind again! 2 of 171!
had KK twice, won both on flop when no ace came!
had JJ, ace came on flop, bet and won anywayz!
had 55 UTG, flopped trips again!
KK held up against AJh, for 12k pot, yeahhhhh!
QQ next hand, won blinds!
made the $$!! Sucked out, all-in A9d vs. AKo OHHHH YEEEAAAH!
made it to 17th, ran into AA in the BB

Ending Bankroll: $35,586.00

Monday $1k buy-in

I'm currently 2nd out of 181 peeps! Started with 245, woooooohooooo! So far so good ;0 WOW! With 163 people left, I am in 1st with a big chip lead woooohooooo!



Lost 3.5 K in a suck out with AQ to AJ bummer! (6k pot)

weakness in my game......just calling on earlier streets then betting riv
2 big losses, Q9 flop came AQ9, another ace on turn
next pocket tens vs. AKo, hit K on riv.
won a sick hand (doubling up) in the blinds against mindwise with 63o
lost too much money with small pairs booo
won a HUGE 50/50 with AQc against 99 with 35ish people left, money @ 27 peeps!
I was blessed with AA in SB, no one in the pot, I limped with crazy aggressive player after me...
he checked, flop came K high, I was able to double up ;)

I'm in 2nd with 10 people left!
I'm 4th with 5 people left! 2 of 5!
Took 3rd, 30k!!

LOW, LOW, LOW POINT

I'm back down to under 2k! My only hope is the $500 entry I won into a tournament later today. I've never run this bad for sooooo long. Life is pretty crappy.

Card Dead

Well, I played with another pro, Stuart Paterson, in yet another $1000+60. I was shortstacked from about a half hour in. I just never got any playable cards! I hate basically getting blinded out. I did have a gigantic chip lead in the satellite tourney with over 500 players! But, yet again I lost.

Ending Bankroll: $4,000

4 day Bad Luck Streak (hopefully not 5)

been up and down constantly between $5000-5800
played with another pro Steve Zolotow

DEFINTELY 5 DAYS IN A ROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Down to 4500

I hate poker

can't win
horrible beats, can't win a 50/50 to save my life

Played with a couple more pros on Full Tilt including Gavin Smith and some Chan lady. I've been running bad, almost always getting in with the best hand Ax vs. Qx, and losing....consistently. Managing to break even still with a few second place finishes.

Improvement

played in the $1000+60 1k Monday tourney! ....and sucked!
also played a STT $100=9 with Lee Watkinson, beat him in a decently sized pot!

I'm getting better!

I am much better at folding "big" hands especially out of position. I also fixed a major weakness in my game.....betting too small. I now raise much more on average.

Ending Bankroll: $5,480

Check-Raising

I am overusing the check raise play out of position. For example, on the turn I picked up a flush draw to go with my pair. I decided the best play would be to check raise, but of course my opponent checked behind and I missed my flush. I bet out, and he called with a bigger pair and I lost big.

I jumped up to a $330+20 SNG. Had QQ, someone moved all-in on a 200 pot with 1500 with TT and of course outdrew me. What a retard. Now I'm out big yet again. Thanks poker

Played in a $109 SNG, had KK vs. KQs, all-in preflop and LOST YET AGAIN. Thanks poker

Down $500 today again.

Bankroll: $5,991.00

Playing in the 1k tourney

right off the bat, bluff away half my stack in a bad situation. No need to bluff so much so early! 12 hands in with AJo against ATo flop came Ten high. Definite choke early on.
I raised from mid (3 hands in a row) and AQo, BB reraised all-in with AKo. I should of folded, but SUCKED OUT! WEEEEEEE!
Doubled up with 99 against ATo! YEEEEEH HAAAAAH!
I lost with JJ to 88, booooooooooo.

Reached $7,000!

Well, I definetly had a few crazy days. I dropped all the way down to a little over $5,000 then won 6th in a big tourney for over $1,800.

Today I won an entry into the $1000+60 Monday Tourney, and I'm so excited!!

I want to take this opportunity and go over some good things I've done so far.

I've played at the same table as a few celebs: Mike Caro & Pamela Anderson.
Won and Placed high in the $ in some big tourneys taking in several thousand.
Recognizing enough to play smart. Spending $ on poker to make $. Paying $ @ PokerXFactor.com

I've played in a $500+ entry tourney and today a $1000,00 + 60 entry tourney!
Setting myself up for success!

Playing well, Running well

Placed 2nd in a STT for $270 and placed in the money in a MTT $75 tourney and took home about $118. I made mistakes in both, but overall did well.

In the STT, I called all my money down with 2nd pair and lost (took 2nd). What a weak play. Nothing is worse than calling all your money away and losing.

In the MTT, I tried to bully a short stack too much after the flop and he called. I should of realized he was pot committed with his bet. I.E. When he bet 1/3 of his stack into 2 other people, he had a had he was willing to go down with.


Ending Bankroll: $6,504.00

Bitching about "Luck" - evens out today

Since I have been bitching lately about being unlucky, I thought it would be only fair to keept track. I started the day off in a $150 MTT, paying someone off after they hit their flush. Unlucky +1.

Then I had pocket jacks and reraised an idiot half his stack knowing he would call and did with A30. The flop came 335. I put him all-in (which I was going to do regardless) and he called of course, and I spiked a jack on the turn. Unlucky -1.

Lost about half my stack to QQ on button when I had JJ in SB. We both made trips!

Ace came out when I had QQ. Boo
QQ vs. AQo, I won
AK vs. AA, I played it slow- just calling preflop, the flop came with a King, committing me. Lost 5/6 of my stack.
Short stacked, lost with j6 to A3.


STT, 99 in SB, raised it up against 3 limpers, 1 person called, we both checked J high flop, w/ low turn I bet big and he shoved with his frickin aces and won.

STT, won 1st, won a 50/50, plus other draws. Went on a great card streak.

I played a total of 5 STT for $100+9 today. Lost 1, 3rd once, and 1st place twice.
A new bankroll high today!

Total Bankroll: $6,299.00

Another Bad Beat Day ?!?

I'm going to try something new, and list my bad beats to see if it helps me overcome the anger!

I had pocket 2's UTG, I just limped in. A player who has come over the top before does it again. I come over the top of him again. He just calls. I flop trips and bet 450 into a 750 pot. He calls with NOTHING, just 2 overs and back door flush. Out comes a Q, I check to his AK, and he bets 850, I reraise all-in for another 1300 and he calls. Of course he hits his flush on the river, a 15% outer-another fucking joke.

I kept up my losing streak losing with QQ to K5, then AK to KJ. What a horrible day.

Of course I continue, playing a STT, and placed 3rd (finally in the $ atleast!) because I went all-in with KTo from SB, and was called by BB with 89o. I can't win!

After a short movie break and some booze, I continued. I won 2 50/50s!!! AND outdrew the other guy heads up to win a $100 STT. Craziness I know. My great luck was kind of short lived. I played a $69 MTT, and outdrew someone, then lost a 50/50 and then went out with QQ vs. AQ. Bummer.

Overall, not a terrible day. Luck evened out a bit ;)

Ending Bankroll: $5,808.00

Bad Beat Day

Played in quite a few tourneys, always getting beat up before the $. You know it's a bad day when you have pocket 7's and get beat by 67o pre-flop for all your chips 1 spot before the $.

Ending Bankroll: $5,725.00

Placed 3rd in a MTT $69+5 for $2,500

Played real tight, not making any crazy moves or bluffs. Just played the cards. I got "lucky" a couple of times, and look what happens! The key is very tight/aggressive play. I've reached my monthly goal again!

Ending Bankroll: $5,969.00