Veneno Calculates Odds

I finally got it!!!! I now understand how to calculate odds.

Okay..Don't laugh at me..after years of playing poker..I still didn't understand exactly how to calculate odds. I understood how to identify outs and the general concept of calling on a drawing hand when the pot provided an appropriate value, but the actual calculation to determine when I had the advantage, I did not understand. Also, I could use a helpful chart a pal sent me, assuming I could find it when needed..lol

Keep in mind a few things.

1. My primary motivation in playing poker was for entertainment.
2. I generally play NL and have been successful without this knowledge.
3. Previously, I was winning $$$ and am still slightly ahead for the year.
4. I am lazy by nature (hence reading books to improve my game is an effort)

So, if I learn nothing else from this book I am currently reading, Winning Low Limit Hold'em - Lee Jones, at least I will have an understanding of how to calculate odds. Jones does an excellent job of explaining the math in a simple manner. In addition, I learned about concept of "Implied" odds.

I gotta get my butt to work now..so I can make it home in time to play the $1 MTT on party tonight..lol...but if anyone is interested, later I can post a few lines from the book that were helpful to me.

Is there anyone else out there who was struggling with this?

Good luck all...and see ya at the tables....

A free Blogger Tournament...Cooooool!!!

I have registered to play in the
Online Poker Blogger Championship!

This event is powered by PokerStars.

Registration code: 3612999

Battle of the Bloggers

I had my first headsup match last night with TrumpJosh. My first mistake was accidently picking a limit table. But dispite that error, it was a good match...Josh ended up with the victory. Congrats! Definitely fun for $5 bucks...Josh..you owe me a rematch on a NL table..lol

Then I played a NL sng for $12 and came in 1st place...wooo hooo. So ended up $30 up for the night. Hey, it's a start in the right direction at least.

I did purchase some poker books and have started reading Winning Low Limit Hold'em by Lee Jones (Poker Stars - Poker Room Manager). Determined to improve my limit game skills.

For now I am sticking with what I know best. No Limit SnGs and cash games. And when the time is right, I will venture down the limit game path again.

Good luck all...

The Great Debate

Entertainment or Profit? That is the question I am debating. Which is it for me? The ultimate would be to have both. Up until now it has been primarily entertainment. But there is a limit to how much I am willing to spend on this form of entertainment and I am starting to reach that limit.

So what has caused me to face this question?

After one minor success the other evening in limit poker, what do I decide to to last night? I move to the 1/2 limit table with a bankroll of $70. You can guess the result. The only question being, "How long did it take this fish to lose?" That would be 30 minutes. I know, I know, stupid!!!!

Of course, I was enticed to the table because my blogger pal Scott was playing there. I have been completely impressed with his play and ability to make money at limit holdem. Being the great player he is, there was no hesitancy or bais in welcoming me to his table. I mean, if I am on a mission to lose while learning limit holdem, why should he stop me? Incidently, he made over $100 in the same time period that I lost. Congrats Scott.

I had realized during my evening of successful play on the night before there had been one significant difference. I was focussed on the game. No chat. No entertainment. Just poker. Yuck...that can't be the solution!

Thoughts to ponder......

Finally Getting Some

After much losing, playing MTTs, Sit n Gos, Steps, and cash games, I finally had a couple of nice sessions at limit poker on Titan. I have been watching Sir, Scott, and Kipper do well at limit on Titan, but my attempts had been unsuccessful. The sad part was that I knew that it was me. Just was not getting into the zone. Wasn't good with my hand selection, didn't let go of the losing hands, etc...just not playing well.

And then last night, things started to turn. Playing limit on Titan again, I knew which players could be pushed into dropping, and which would call to the death (with losing hands). I made $11 on one table and $32 on another..not big bucks..I know..but it felt good just to be moving in the right direction again.

As for my MTTs, which I know how to play, just been getting some bad luck. For example, in the 20/2, I get A T soooted, raise 3x the blind preflop, get called. The flop comes A T x...woo hoo...top 2 pair..but 2 of the same soot showing which do not match my hand. So I push naturally to take the pot right there. I get called. And what am I facing? Someone with pocket As, who made a set on flop, and eventually made a boat. On another MTT, I end up all in preflop with KK against some A rag hand that beats me. Just can't get away from these kinda hands.

However, the worst beat didn't happen to me. Kipper was playing a MTT yesterday that was 100k guaranteed. There were only 100 entrants. So he was playing for a while..doing quite nicely..ahead of the average..people dropping like flies..and what happens? He gets pocket AA! Sweet right? He ends up all in preflop with 2 other players, one with JJ, and the other with some other pair. In typical online poker style, the guy with JJ makes his set, causing Kip to be left without enough chips to survive. Now that hurts...I mean..big money turnament..small field..doing well...and getting AA to screw up the game! Sorry Kip, I felt your pain on that one.

On the brighter side, Sir continues to kick some butt at the tables. Keep it up buddy! In addition to his 2nd place win on the new player MTT on Titan. He has had some good runs in the limit games as well. Read his blog for the details.

Lastly, my husband has been winning! Wow...that is amazing! In the past, he has just been a continuous loser online. Okay he has had some runs of luck, but in general, over a course of weeks he consistently loses. So I am very please with the change. He qualified for the step 5 Sit n Go tournament a few days ago, which he has yet to play. Unlike me, he is waiting until he is ready. ????? What is that?...He says he needs a good night's rest, feeling in the mood (umm I am always in the mood for poker) and playing well. Okay, whatever works. Best of luck to you!

Good luck everyone..and see ya at the tables....

Sir Succeeds

Congratulations to Sir! He placed 2nd yesterday in the new player freeroll on Titan and made $200. For more details, check out his blog. I played in this one also, so while I didn't cash, it was great fun to be on the sidelines with Kipper and Scott, witnessing Sir succeed. He is great entertainment no matter what is happening. But when he is in his zone and winning, it is especially enjoyable. I am just laughing now, thinking of his singing. A typical Sir song while playing would be, "The white boy is back"...You folks are competely missing his live blogs..hahaha.. They are absolutely the best!!

As for me, nothing exciting to report. Still losing...but never giving up!

Best of luck to you...see ya at the tables!

Having fun..

Been playing this and that..mostly Sit nGos, a few MTTs, and cash games. Enjoying myself and chatting with poker pals while playing.

I came in the money in the 40k MTT finished 171st for a $16 profit...one day...it will happen. I got brave and tried the $50 MTT yesterday..what a mistake..not even close to the money on that one. These MTTs have not been very profitable for me, but I just love them..what am I to do?

The best progress has been on Titan. Not that I made so much money, but I played some limit and guess what?...I came out ahead...gonna keep working on it. Sir has put up a few posts on his blog regarding this site that are worth reading. Also, see the comments on a few of his blogs for amusement sake. Link on my list.

Best of luck to you..see ya at the tables....

Time to Get Serious

My experience in playing poker has primarily been for entertainment. I think I am a decent player. Not great by any means....and improving all the time. Of course, I would like to win more and refrain from reloading, but the thought of me actually being able to make money at this never seemed a possibility. My goal has been to hit a big one in an MTT like many of my poker pals have been doing. That would be pretty sweet!!! But lately, I have been considering expanding my options for making it big on the poker scene. I mean, if I actually make an effort to study the game, be more attentive while playing, and control my other playing weaknesses, perhaps I can really make something here (It may be a stretch..I know..Sir..stop laughing). Especially, after watching Scott and Sir play limit poker last night on Titan and cleaning up. They made it look easy. (By the way, that site totally annoys me...but it sure does seem profittable). So I dusted off my Sklansky and Malmuth book Hold'em Poker to regain focus. Not sure that this plan will actually have the intended results, but I am going to make an attempt to take the game more serious. That does not mean I will stop chatting...could never do that..lol.. I did play in the Blogger Tournament. Finished about 19th...not too bad when you consider the company. It was very fun! Most of the group was chatting on Yahoo the entire time...a little hard to keep up with it all. Met some pretty neat people too. Aside from that tournament, I attempted the 40k MTT and a blogger cash game. Got killed on that one. Somehow, I ended up alone on the table with TrumpJosh. With about $13 left we started a HU battle that ended pretty quickly. I had 77..so I raised..he reraised..i pushed..he called with Kx..and landed a K...ouch...he is very good at kicking me in the butt. I am debating on whether to engage in a rematch or just give up with him...lol... Tonight, played a little cash and a $20 sng...when I was left with $58..I decided to pull a Joos..and used my last dollars to play a $50 sng...Fortunately, I took 3rd..not great..but hey..still got some money..So still hanging on with $103.95 on Party Poker. Good Luck All...See ya at the tables....

Winners All Around!!

I must give a big cheer to my poker pals who are cleaning up!! First, congrats to ChiefBigToke who made $3071 bucks on a 20/2 MTT. Awesome!!! Glad to see you finally hit a big one friend. I knew you could do it!! Second, congrats to "Hot" Iggy! This is my poker pal from Miami, who must be distingished from the blogger Iggy. He has been kicking butt in the low limit MTTs and made final table twice for the last two consecutive weeks. Last night he made $240 for 2nd place and last week $45 for 9th. Way to go Iggy!! Third, the blogger Scott who made $300 in a tournament today. Of course, Scott seems to be making good $$ whenever I chat with him. Congrats!! And finally, yours truly has been making a few bucks too. I played 3 sessions of no limit cash and won on every one of them for a total of $33..okay not big bucks..but better than losing. This evening I finally made the money again on a $30 sng...only placed third..but hey..after so many bubbles..third was kinda nice. I am moving up again slowly. The master gave me permission to play in the blogger tournament tomorrow. So as long as I can get home in time from work, I will be ready to play with the big boys..lol Good luck all!! See ya at the tables.

Small Steps Forward

The evening started with a reload for a whooping $75 bucks. So with a fresh bank, I decided to play a 20 Sit n Go...bubble girl on that one..so what do I do next, calm down and play lower limits? noooooooooo...of course not..lets move up a level..so I play a 30/3 Sit and Go..busted with best hand. Then I finally make a wise choice and play a nl cash game. As soon as I was up $30, I dashed.

Then I start my MTTs for the night. Finished 55th in the 1/0 MTT for $7.50 and 9th in the 2/0 MTT .woo hooo...$82.50! This one lasted about 6 hour..lol..How come I can't do this in the big MTTs?

And after all that hard work, what do I do? Try another 30 Sit n Go. Bound to win sooner or later...NOT..with AK sooted I raise 3x blinds and get called..flop comes KKJ..rainbow..I check thinking I am gonna milk this one...turn is a small card..so i bet half the pot..other player pushes..so i call...the river comes a Q..oh noooooooooooo..he makes his straight..and I bust! Stupid, stupid!!! The pot was big enough on the flop to end it right there. Besides the caller there had been a short stack who was all-in. I was really not happy with my choice there. But guess that is how to learn.

On the upside, I ended up ahead $30 bucks..and got to hang out with cool poker players SirFwalgman, Kipper, and Sloppier.

Sweat Girl

Yesterday, instead of playing, I was sweating and enjoying my poker pals.

The evening started with a little chat with my favorite blogger SirFwalgman http://www.sirfwalgman.blogspot.com/ He has a way of putting me in a good mood and keeping me entertained. So when he finally came back online after being out of commission for a few days due to a computer problem, I couldn't resist watching him play and chatting.

While I am wrapping up for the evening with Sir, my girlfriend Debs sends me a message that she made it to step 5 again! This is the 3rd time this week. She made it on Wednesday night too, but busted before I could get to her table. If you recall, she won $4500 last Sunday in this tournament with me cheering her on. She wasn't able to make the money last night, but she is sure getting close.

So while I am cheering and supporting Debs in the step 5. Another poker pal of mine, Ambassador sends a message asking if I wanna sweat him in a $50 MTT. I agree, of course, being the good buddy that I am..lol...A few weeks ago, I was sweating Ambassador in the 40k guaranteed, and he came in 2nd place winning $4500. Last night, he finished in 14th place with a payout of $195..again so close to the big $$$.

I am surrounded by winners! So I keep thinking it will rub off soon!

As for the highlights from the blogger game I played the other night....

TrumpJosh wiped me out shortly after starting with some bogus hand like 5 7 sooted against my AK. He seemed to enjoy his kill!

I reloaded, then was able to double up with a nice slow play where I landed trip Js and on the river made a full house which beat Iggy's hand, a smaller boat.

At the end of the game, the only bloggers left at the table were me and ScottMcMilla, his blog at http://deadmoneyinc.blogspot.com/. I had Kx in my hand and the flop came with a K and mid pair. So I bet it out and he of course won with trips. I knew that he had his hand..but...as usual..didn't lay it down..

The best part had nothing to do with the game. Lots of fun just reading comments and interaction with some really cool people!

For those who have posted comments, I have been responding in the comment section. So check it out.

Been losing tonight. Tried the 40k MTT, 10 sng, step1, and 500k qual...0 for 4..yuck!!!

Good Luck All!

Initiation Time

I got my chance to play at a blogger game on Poker Stars last night! Not a profittable venture, but definitely worth the price of admission (lost $30 bucks). Tonight I will post a few of the highlights from that adventure.

Following the blogger game, I played a Sit n Go game on Stars only to bust out with KK versus AA..ouch..hate that!

I did have one victory, on Party Poker, played a Sit n Go and came in 2nd..so that roll is back up to $69..woo hoo..lol.

Loving all the comments and feedback from everyone! Thanks for the support.

Later...

Staying Alive

This evening, played 3 Sit n Go games - 1st in a 10/1, 3rd in a 5/1, and lost one 10/1. So by the evenings end...I had $50.73 in the bank. As long as I don't have to reload..I am happy.

I have been forced to reduce my playing time to the late evening hours again. The master has laid down the law! So once the kiddos are in bed, then my poker play can begin. Every once in a while I get the idea that I am an adult who can make decisions for myself. But, it seems I am skating on thin ice, so I best behave. Me behave?....hhmmm...that is tough!

So, during the time from 8:30 - 9:30, while everyone in this house is a TV zombie, I will have time to read blogs and perhaps take some time to "study" the game of poker. A few players have mentioned that they have had more success making money playing limit holdem.

With that in mind, I made an attempt this last weekend to play limit holdem and lost about $20. It was a disaster. Plus, right now my roll can not sustain experiments. So before I venture into these waters again, I will get prepared.

For now, you can find me at the low limit Sit n Go games.

Take care all!

Bloggers are a Blast!

If I had know blogging would come with the bonus of being a part of such an amazing community of poker players, I would have started from day one. Bloggers are a total Blast! TrumpJosh as been especially cool, trying to improve my play. But I am a very hard case, choosing to ignore good advice on a few occassions..lol. We played a few $5 Sit n Go games together and ended up head to head on one, which I really enjoyed.

And tonight, wow...I was exposed to a blogger show! A group of bloggers had a game going on Poker Stars. I was watching from the sidelines and found it to be quite entertaining. Can’t wait to join one of those games. Pretty crazy. Lots of digs, jesting, and all around fun.

Since my last post I have been playing (16 sng, 3 mtt, and 1 shootout) and mostly losing, not because of entirely bad play, primarily bad luck. Okay, okay….I could play better it is true...bankroll is down to a measly 18.73. Looks like a reload will be forthcoming.

Despite the losses, I have been enjoying the games, which for me is high on the priority list. Gotta have fun! One thing about playing low limit Sit n Go games is that they are very entertaining. There are lots of interesting people at these tables. Here is a little sampling from a comedian, EightofClubs, at one of my tables:

First Hand –
eightofclubs: crap i gotta go
eightofclubs: someone take my cash
eightofclubs is all-In [785]
yosoyveneno: i will be happy to do that
eightofclubs does not show cards.
eightofclubs wins 925 chips

Third Hand -
eightofclubs: i got 10 min to play this
eightofclubs: hahaha
yosoyveneno: y 10 min?
eightofclubs: meeting a friend soon and i forgot
yosoyveneno: make them wait
eightofclubs is all-In [895]
eightofclubs: just play dumb instead
eightofclubs does not show cards.
eightofclubs wins 920 chips

Forth Hand
yosoyveneno: can u wait till i get a hand to do that?
eightofclubs: i had 67 suited that one
eightofclubs wins 493 chips from the main pot with two pairs, aces and fives.
A few later….
yosoyveneno where u from?
eightofclubs: i came from my mom
eightofclubs: you prob did too
eightofclubs: i'm a comedian for a living
yosoyveneno: i would never have guessed that
yosoyveneno: how much have u had to drink tonight?
eightofclubs: i quit drinking
eightofclubs: just finished my last one
yosoyveneno: is this the 10 min table?
eightofclubs: if you believe that one i'll tell you another :))
eightofclubs: had AA that hand
eightofclubs: sometimes people call

Now by this time I have folded to a few of his big raises…once with a pair of 7s

And finally….

I get a pair pocket 6s and can no longer resist the urge to take on his all in betting, only to find I am facing QQ and bust out of the game.

Later....

Debs hits the big one!!!!

Congratulations to my good friend Debs (pokerpeg111) who came in first place today on the Step 5 tournament! Some of her opponents included Bluff4rent (2nd place), Ispitecall (3rd), and Baller6969 (4th).

She played an excellent game and was rewarded with a nice prize of $4500! I had the pleasure of cheering her on for this event.

Way to go Debs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Poison is BACK

Sponsered by ELWAPOAA with a fresh bankroll of $69, I headed to the online tables. My husband likes to start me out with this amount for some reason..haha.

The evening starts out quite nicely. I get 1st place in my $10 Sit n Go. Along with my customary entry greeting of "Hello everyone..gla", on nights when I am feeling fiesty, I continue with "Yo Soy Veneno = I am Poison..so..beware...". That was the case tonight. Perhaps that has been the missing compenent to my game. I ended up HU with a player named lhrisko, who played a solid game.

In the 2500 freeroll that I played, there was a fishy player named Sergio121. One hand he had 7 3 suited and raised into a pot with 3 overs (the logic I assume was that he had 4 cards to his potential 7 high flush). The very next hand gets 7 3 again, with 2 overs on the board, he raises, ends up winning and shows his cards. So one of the players makes the comment:

aussiesrule: a10 q showing u bet 225 with 3 7 lol

I respond to his remark and shared in his amuzement of this player's style.

So when I bust with TT, Sergio121 was laughing non-stop. The blinds were 25/50 and I raised to 250 and got 2 callers. When the board came with ** Dealing Flop ** [ 5h, 8d, 6h ], I bet 500, the player behind me pushed, the other folded, so I called and lost to JJ. The only nice thing is that Sergio121 ended busting a few hands later.

Then, in the 1/0 MTT, finished 167 out of 2500...woo hoo $2.40 a whole $ 1.40 profit and the 2/0 MTT, finished 117 out of 2500..oh boy $5.50 for $3.50 profit! Hey..at least I'm not losing.

Now I gotta play something where I can make some $$...update later..

Well...that plan didn't work...after losing at an sng and cash table, I ended up $2 ahead for the night.

On a good note, I got a chance to play and chat with TrumpJosh (the blogger you can blame or thank for me starting this blog). Of course, the inspiration came from my favorite blogger SirFwalgman!

I need to make this little stash here grow. So send me a good luck wish if you get a chance. Thanks!

Wipeout!!!!!

Before I share the results of another unsuccessful night on Party Poker, I felt it necessary to explain that my poker experience is not ALWAYS this pathetic. Of course, I chose to start this blog when hitting the bottom of a spiral down to zero.

Throughout this year, I have cashout a few times. So if I total my purchases and cashouts, I am still ahead $366 for 2005. Most of my profit came playing Sit n Gos. I have invested a lot of $$ trying to hit it big in MTTs. I am determined to win some major money in one of these one day. My best so far was coming 3rd in a 2/0 and making $360. For this win, I must give some credit to SirFwalgman who provided me with insightful MTT strategy and to the great ChiefBigToke who sweated me on this one.

Last Sunday, I played in the 500k. I won my buy-in of 200/15 by playing a 9/1 qualifier. Busted out in 432 place which really sucked (32 out of the money - $250 for 400th place). I had about 3k in chips and decided to push in first position with A Q suited. Not a bad move. But it is likely that I could have continued to stall and fold into the money. This was not a bad showing considering that there were 2501 entrants to start. These were both solo efforts.

As for last night, I didn't win at anything! I played a 5/1 sng, a 10/1 sng, and then I bought in short on the 25nl cash game. Ending result...bankroll total .18...uuuuuughhhh!

Well..I haven't given up yet! Will reload tonight.

Thanks to everyone for the support and comments! I was sooo excited to get comments on my posting! Very cool.

Ground Zero...Crash and Burn

The night that I started this blog, I ended with a whole $3.88 in my bankroll. So yesterday..was the going to be a new beginning.

I reloaded for $55, why that amount..no peticular reason..just sounded good.

My plan was to stick to the 5/1 games until my bankroll improved. This portion of the plan I did follow. But no improvement in the roll by the night's end.

In fact, reflecting on my play, I continue with my primary weaknesses. Those being the following:

* Easily distracted
* More interested in chat than my game
* Toooooooo Loose
* Emotional play (on tilt)

So as long as I have decided to keep a blog of my poker experience, perhaps other players can learn from my failures. This may be the blog you can send players to represent what NOT to do when playing poker if they want to win money.

Here is a recap of my evening:

#1 - First I play a $5 Sit n Go game

I make my customary greeting to all players:

yosoyveneno: Hello everyone..gla

And before the 1st hand ends, the distraction begins:

javery620: yo, you look ravishing tonight

Anyone who knows me will know that my favorite party poker avatar is in seat 8 with the yellow dress. So, the chat begins....and I am distracted as usual.

I actually play this game pretty tight and by the time the blinds are 25/50 i have 730 in chips. I get dealt a [ Jc Ks ] in first position and decide to play. I raise to 100. And get called by the small blind and big blind players. The flop comes [ 6h, 3c, Ah ]. The players check to me so I put out a feeler bet of 50. One play folds and one calls (Pigsoooieee). The turn comes [ 4c ]. Pigsoooieee checks. So I get the brilliant idea to steal this pot...ha ha...and with no reservation, I push all my chips in. Pigsoooieee calls. The river is [ 3s ]. Pigsoooieee shows [ 7d, 5s ] a straight which he caught on the turn. So one loss...and one very stupid play..to start my evening.

#2 - Another $5 sng attempt

I bubble in this game.

#3 - Let's try something different...I play a $5 2 table multi game

This game starts out great..early on..I am dealt [As Qs]..blinds are 10/15...a player in early position raises to 30, another calls, and I raise to 120, getting one caller. Flop comes [ Ac, 2c, 6s ]..NICE..I got my A. I bet the pot 285 and get called. The turn comes [ Qh ]..WOOO HOOO..I got 2 pair now. The player checks to me and I push. He calls...SWEET! River comes [ 3s ]. He had JJ...ha ha....I love it! And I end up with 2045 in chips...

So you would think with this nice start, I could finish in the money. But noooooooooo....I end up busting by first getting pocket 99s. I bet 3 times and get called. The board comes with two overs and I end up having to fold. The very next hand, I get pocket 44s. Being on tilt, I decide that this hand is mine...I will make-up for that last hand...(stupid, stupid)...and what do I do? I PUSH..in first postion..get called by someone with A Q suited and catches his Q.

So, I am 0 for 3 for the night!!!

I didn't really want a blog

I was just gonna make a comment on The Armchair Fisherman's blog and somehow ended up creating this thing.

So if you somehow landed on this post, here is a little about me.

* I love to play poker
* I do not take the game seriously, although like anyone I like to win.
* Have been playing for over a year online
* Been playing almost daily for the last six months

That's all for now.

Veneno