The Fish Get Richer, I Get Poorer...

On Tuesday I had the most brutal cash session of my challenge so far. I dropped 5 buy ins over about a 4-5 hour period, which basically came when I got in situations when I had the second best 'great' hand, or got sucked out on. I have to accept this as variance and the reason why we have a bankroll, but it was difficult to take. I did manage to avoid going on tilt however, which at least was one thing...

I had to have a day off yesterday and today to get my head round things, the fact is, in my opinion, I wasn't playing bad poker but I needed a break to recover mentally. I have to keep on playing my aggressive game and to accept that poker is a game of difficult situations.

My stats from tuesday:

Hands: 1801
VPIP: 18.49%
PFR: 14.10%
Amount Won: ($245.21)
BB/100 Hands: (13.62)

Here's a few hands from tuesday, including a hand where I somehow avoided getting stacked due to a mathematically correct fold preflop:

Game #2394521984: Hold'em NL ($0.25/$0.50) - 2006/05/16 - 22:32:41 (UK)
Table "Laptop" Seat 4 is the button.
Seat 1: bobble2 ($16.25 in chips)
Seat 2: -Rust- ($53.80 in chips)
Seat 3: elmo27 ($110 in chips)
Seat 4: Fruitypro ($48.95 in chips)
Seat 5: Teddy_LV ($53.05 in chips)
Teddy_LV: posts small blind $0.25
bobble2: posts big blind $0.50
----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to Fruitypro [Kc Ks]
-Rust-: folds
elmo27: raises to $1.50
Fruitypro: raises to $5
Teddy_LV: folds
bobble2: folds
elmo27: raises to $110 and is all-in
Fruitypro: is all-in $43.95
Returned uncalled bets $61.05 to elmo27
----- FLOP ----- [Tc 6h 2c]
----- TURN ----- [Tc 6h 2c][7d]
----- RIVER ----- [Tc 6h 2c 7d][Th]
----- SHOW DOWN -----
elmo27: shows [As Ad] (Two Pairs, Aces and Tens, Seven high)
Fruitypro: shows [Kc Ks] (Two Pairs, Kings and Tens, Seven high)
elmo27 collects $95.65 from Main pot

Game #2388478554: Hold'em NL ($0.25/$0.50) - 2006/05/16 - 13:49:03 (UK)
Table "Verdi" Seat 3 is the button.
Seat 1: Stew05022 ($35.85 in chips)
Seat 2: indsdress ($32.10 in chips)
Seat 3: Annez_H ($69.34 in chips)
Seat 4: Fruitypro ($59.30 in chips)
Seat 5: Granvorka ($34.25 in chips)
Seat 6: juand4 ($65.10 in chips)
Fruitypro: posts small blind $0.25
Granvorka: posts big blind $0.50
----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to Fruitypro [Kd Kh]
juand4: calls $0.50
Stew05022: calls $0.50
indsdress: folds
Annez_H: raises to $2
Fruitypro: raises to $9
Granvorka: folds
juand4: folds
Stew05022: folds
Annez_H: raises to $25
Fruitypro: raises to $59.30 and is all-in
Annez_H: calls $34.30
----- FLOP ----- [4h 3d 8h]
----- TURN ----- [4h 3d 8h][Th]
----- RIVER ----- [4h 3d 8h Th][9s]
----- SHOW DOWN -----
Fruitypro: shows [Kd Kh] (A Pair of Kings, Ten high)
Annez_H: shows [As Ah] (A Pair of Aces, Ten high)
Annez_H collects $117.10 from Main pot

Both situations where I have kings and the other guy has aces - can you really fold kings pre flop? I don't think so... Harrington says anyone who does is a fool and you can't argue with a guy who has achieved so much in the game. And does any lack of fold equity change anything?

I think I played the next hand badly... I had no fold equity and hence maybe a laydown to the all-in on the flop should be considered... However, I am favourite over TPTK, JJ and QQ so it's a tough situation.

Game #2394283884: Hold'em NL ($0.25/$0.50) - 2006/05/16 - 22:17:44 (UK)
Table "Lundu" Seat 1 is the button.
Seat 1: MAO11 ($69.30 in chips)
Seat 2: Groggen ($60.55 in chips)
Seat 3: Carl022 ($50 in chips)
Seat 4: Fischer18 ($47.95 in chips)
Seat 5: jonasx ($46.75 in chips)
Seat 6: Fruitypro ($50 in chips)
Groggen: posts small blind $0.25
Carl022: posts big blind $0.50
----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to Fruitypro [Ad Ks]
Fischer18: folds
Fischer18 sits out
Fischer18 sits back
jonasx: raises to $1.50
Fruitypro: raises to $5
MAO11: folds
Groggen: folds
Carl022: folds
jonasx: calls $3.50
----- FLOP ----- [4d 3d Td]
jonasx: bets $2
Fruitypro: raises to $8
jonasx: raises to $41.75 and is all-in
Fruitypro: calls $33.75
----- TURN ----- [4d 3d Td][Ac]
----- RIVER ----- [4d 3d Td Ac][3h]
----- SHOW DOWN -----
jonasx: shows [4c 4h] (A Full House, Fours full of Threes)
Fruitypro: shows [Ad Ks] (Two Pairs, Aces and Threes, King high)
jonasx collects $91.25 from Main pot

The next hand I got sucked out on, although he did have a lot of outs on the turn. I thought a lot before my turn bet, and decided that I did have the best hand and hence would pot commit myself with this bet.

Game #2388813804: Hold'em NL ($0.25/$0.50) - 2006/05/16 - 14:36:50 (UK)
Table "Truffle" Seat 6 is the button.
Seat 1: Bedinite7 ($55.38 in chips)
Seat 2: Think2win ($40.50 in chips)
Seat 3: Fruitypro ($53.25 in chips)
Seat 4: Fetern ($59.25 in chips)
Seat 5: victorine ($32.10 in chips)
Seat 6: mrLogan ($71.60 in chips)
Bedinite7: posts small blind $0.25
Think2win: posts big blind $0.50
victorine: posts big blind $0.50 + posts small blind $0.25
----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to Fruitypro [Ac Js]
Fruitypro: raises to $3
Fetern: folds
victorine: folds
mrLogan: folds
Bedinite7: folds
Think2win: calls $2.50
----- FLOP ----- [Jc 6d 9h]
Think2win: bets $3
Fruitypro: raises to $9
Think2win: calls $6
----- TURN ----- [Jc 6d 9h][7h]
Think2win: bets $3
Fruitypro: raises to $15
Think2win: calls $12
----- RIVER ----- [Jc 6d 9h 7h][Tc]
Think2win: bets $13.50 and is all-in
Fruitypro: calls $13.50
----- SHOW DOWN -----
Think2win: shows [8h Jh] (A Straight, Jack high)
Fruitypro: shows [Ac Js] (A Pair of Jacks, Ace high)
Think2win collects $79 from Main pot

The next hand, I think I played it well but was basically put in a situation I can't get out of. I like my reraise pre flop to try to get heads up with the short stack, who could have a wide range of hands. The guy who called $18 pre flop with AJ was a huge fish, had a VPIP of over 60% and was getting very lucky throughout the whole session.

Game #2389175574: Hold'em NL ($0.25/$0.50) - 2006/05/16 - 15:17:14 (UK)
Table "Verdi" Seat 3 is the button.
Seat 1: Stew05022 ($53.25 in chips)
Seat 2: victorine ($13.13 in chips)
Seat 3: Scaramouc ($64.75 in chips)
Seat 4: Fruitypro ($59.47 in chips)
Seat 5: eAzydaman ($22.95 in chips)
Seat 6: lickME ($53 in chips)
Fruitypro: posts small blind $0.25
eAzydaman: posts big blind $0.50
----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to Fruitypro [Qc Ad]
lickME: folds
Stew05022: calls $0.50
victorine: calls $0.50
Scaramouc: folds
Fruitypro: raises to $4
eAzydaman: folds
Stew05022: calls $3.50
victorine: raises to $7.50
Fruitypro: raises to $18
Stew05022: calls $14
victorine: is all-in $5.63
----- FLOP ----- [Ac Jd 2h]
Fruitypro: bets $41.47 and is all-in
Stew05022: is all-in $35.25
Returned uncalled bets $6.22 to Fruitypro
----- TURN ----- [Ac Jd 2h][Qs]
----- RIVER ----- [Ac Jd 2h Qs][Jh]
----- SHOW DOWN -----
Fruitypro: shows [Qc Ad] (Two Pairs, Aces and Queens, Jack high)
Stew05022: shows [As Js] (A Full House, Jacks full of Aces)
victorine: shows [Qh Ah] (Two Pairs, Aces and Queens, Jack high)
Stew05022 collects $79.19 from Side pot #1
Stew05022 collects $37.94 from Main pot

This last hand, I folded pre flop due to not having the correct implied odds to flop my set. Because of the nature of the original raiser, I was 90% sure he would reraise all in pre flop. And hence I would have to be calling 1/3 of my stack pre flop to hit a 7.5/1 shot. Thank god I did fold...

Game #2388641374: Hold'em NL ($0.25/$0.50) - 2006/05/16 - 14:10:27 (UK)
Table "Verdi" Seat 2 is the button.
Seat 1: Stew05022 ($60.50 in chips)
Seat 2: $Rune$ ($18.88 in chips)
Seat 3: Annez_H ($141.94 in chips)
Seat 4: Fruitypro ($57.05 in chips)
Seat 5: Thebish ($50 in chips)
Annez_H: posts small blind $0.25
Fruitypro: posts big blind $0.50
----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to Fruitypro [3c 3s]
Stew05022: folds
$Rune$: raises to $1.60
Annez_H: raises to $5
Fruitypro: folds
$Rune$: calls $3.40
----- FLOP ----- [3h 9s 6c]
Annez_H: checks$
Rune$: checks
----- TURN ----- [3h 9s 6c][Qd]
Annez_H: checks$
Rune$: checks
----- RIVER ----- [3h 9s 6c Qd][2d]
Annez_H: bets $5.50
$Rune$: calls $5.50
----- SHOW DOWN -----
Annez_H: shows [9h 9d] (Three of a kind, Nines, Queen high)
$Rune$: mucks hand [Ad 6s]
Annez_H collects $20.45 from Main pot

Not nice overall, but that's the nature of the game we play. Not sure if I am going to be able to get in a session on Friday or Saturday, have to work all day tomorrow and have Cricket on Saturday and a Football dinner in the evening, but after that I am going to hit the tables, and get back on track. On a side note, I read on the cardrunners forum that a member turned $50 to $100k in 4 months. This is obviously an amazing achievement and really is some inspiration...