I continued with The Quest this weekend, playing a couple sessions on both Saturday and Sunday. It must have been lotto night at PokerStars on Sunday because it seemed every table I sat at had some clown pushing all-in with annoying frequency.
Despite the lotto players, I managed to turn a small profit each day. The bankroll has finally achieved a new high. I'm almost halfway to having a moderately underfunded bankroll for $0.01/$0.02. But I'm making progress.
The one thing that bothered me a bit about Sunday's profit is that much of it came at the expense of one of the lotto players. I had played one hand rather stupidly and lost almost half my buy-in. When ATo showed up with the lotto player in the SB, I put in a small raise knowing he'd push all-in. I was right. He had A5. Instant small profit on the night.
It all played out exactly as I had planned, so I suppose there's no shame in it, but it just felt cheap and tawdry. I don't like rolling the dice like that, even if I was fairly sure I had the advantage going in.
I tried playing a SnG Saturday night, but my cable internet went out just as we were about to get seated. It came back up in the middle of level 3. I hadn't been blinded down too bad, but I just couldn't get my head into the game after dealing with the nice internet folks and having to reboot the modem, router, and computer several times. I busted midway through the field of 27.
The graphs have been updated. I'm really liking the clean, simple look of the Google Docs graphs. They work quite well in this setting. My only concern now is how the plot will look when I add a few hundred more sessions.
31 March 2008
28 March 2008
More fun Google gadgets
I've added another Google spreadsheet gadget to show progress on The Quest. This is a gauge showing progress to my next immediate goal -- the required bankroll to safely move up to the next level. I'm assuming, at least at these lower levels, that 50 normal buy-ins of 100 times the big blind is the "safe" bankroll level. I will probably increase that to 100 buy-ins before reaching the goal.
Starting with only a $5 bankroll I was, and still am, seriously underfunded even for playing $0.01/$0.02, so the gauge shows me still well into the red. I set the "caution" yellow level at 30 buy-ins. Once I hit 50 buy-ins of $2 I'll be in the green (properly funded) for $0.01/$0.02 and will be building toward moving to the next level.
As for The Quest itself, I played for about an hour last night. I've written before about having trouble reading the players at this level. Maybe I've spent too much time playing against poker bloggers or in tournaments with people who take the game rather seriously. You certainly see a variety of styles in those situations, but the skill levels of the players don't seem to vary quite as much as with the players in the very shallow end of the NL ring pool.
It's unusual to find tournament players still at level one -- only concerned with what's in their hand -- or who appear to be completely incapable of reading the board. In nano-stakes holdem you bump into players at this level quite often. It's certainly expected given the stakes.
The problem is you also see a lot of people more like me; people who have a good understanding of the game but are seriously short of funds or simply enjoy the game and don't care about the money. Assuming another player is decent and knows how to read the board (or how to bluff effectively given what's on the board) can cause you to leave a lot of money on the table. Assuming the opposite can cost you even more.
Last night I was at a couple tables with quite a few players who apparently were still at level one. It took me a while to figure that out, though I was able to take advantage of it a few times once I did. I recall one hand where faced with a board showing two overcards, a couple possible straights and a flush, one guy called down every one of my bets with his pocket tens (that he grossly underbet pre-flop).
I finished the night up $1.61. I can't help but feel I should be doing far better at this level, but I'll still take the profit and feel good about it.
Starting with only a $5 bankroll I was, and still am, seriously underfunded even for playing $0.01/$0.02, so the gauge shows me still well into the red. I set the "caution" yellow level at 30 buy-ins. Once I hit 50 buy-ins of $2 I'll be in the green (properly funded) for $0.01/$0.02 and will be building toward moving to the next level.
As for The Quest itself, I played for about an hour last night. I've written before about having trouble reading the players at this level. Maybe I've spent too much time playing against poker bloggers or in tournaments with people who take the game rather seriously. You certainly see a variety of styles in those situations, but the skill levels of the players don't seem to vary quite as much as with the players in the very shallow end of the NL ring pool.
It's unusual to find tournament players still at level one -- only concerned with what's in their hand -- or who appear to be completely incapable of reading the board. In nano-stakes holdem you bump into players at this level quite often. It's certainly expected given the stakes.
The problem is you also see a lot of people more like me; people who have a good understanding of the game but are seriously short of funds or simply enjoy the game and don't care about the money. Assuming another player is decent and knows how to read the board (or how to bluff effectively given what's on the board) can cause you to leave a lot of money on the table. Assuming the opposite can cost you even more.
Last night I was at a couple tables with quite a few players who apparently were still at level one. It took me a while to figure that out, though I was able to take advantage of it a few times once I did. I recall one hand where faced with a board showing two overcards, a couple possible straights and a flush, one guy called down every one of my bets with his pocket tens (that he grossly underbet pre-flop).
I finished the night up $1.61. I can't help but feel I should be doing far better at this level, but I'll still take the profit and feel good about it.
27 March 2008
The Quest Graph
I have updated the graph for The Quest. If you're reading this at the actual blog site rather than through a reader you should see the new graph to the right. Clicking on it should bring up a large version that's actually legible. If you have problems with it let me know and I'll try to hack my way through the html.
In the course of updating this I discovered it was easier to create the graph I wanted using Google Docs spreadsheet than it was using OpenOffice. I suspect OpenOffice allows for more powerful graphical presentations, but for simple stuff Google Docs seems easier. The other benefit of using Google Docs is I can enter my updates from anywhere. Definitely a plus.
I'm still working on getting the graph to update automatically without me having to edit the blog and change the picture reference. That would make things much simpler.
Edit: Things just got much simpler. Using a Google Docs gadget I was able to get the graph to update by just adding the data to the spreadsheet and re-publishing the gadget. Very cool.
Edit2: The Google Docs gadget does not produce a larger version when clicked. I'll have to see if I can make it do that, but the auto-update is far too convenient to give up on.
In the course of updating this I discovered it was easier to create the graph I wanted using Google Docs spreadsheet than it was using OpenOffice. I suspect OpenOffice allows for more powerful graphical presentations, but for simple stuff Google Docs seems easier. The other benefit of using Google Docs is I can enter my updates from anywhere. Definitely a plus.
I'm still working on getting the graph to update automatically without me having to edit the blog and change the picture reference. That would make things much simpler.
Edit: Things just got much simpler. Using a Google Docs gadget I was able to get the graph to update by just adding the data to the spreadsheet and re-publishing the gadget. Very cool.
Edit2: The Google Docs gadget does not produce a larger version when clicked. I'll have to see if I can make it do that, but the auto-update is far too convenient to give up on.
24 March 2008
Not much new
After my fun time with Badugi, I've been trying to play some more but it's hard to find a game. Even play money games are few and far between.
So I'm back to playing a bit of holdem. I rejoined The Quest over the weekend, putting in maybe three hours at PokerStars. Last night I was at a table for quite a while with players who didn't suck and seemed to be taking the game seriously. That's pretty rare at the $0.01/$0.02 NL tables.
I was doing okay, up $1.25 or so. Then I seriously overplayed top pair three times. The third time I even said to myself, "Here I go, overplaying top pair again." But did I listen? Nope. Spent the next hour and a half trying to get back to even.
After quite a while of tortuously slow but otherwise reasonable play, Grandpa-somebody sat down and ruined the game. Okay, everyone is entitled to play their chips and cards any way they want. But this clown clearly sat down to play lotto, not poker. First three or four hands he pushes all-in on his first action. Congratulations, Grandpa, spend that $0.12 wisely. Somebody finally got tired of his antics and called him, had him big time before the flop, but, of course, Grandpa sucks out.
I decided it wasn't worth chancing it against this idiot so I accepted my $0.57 loss and called it quits for the night.
I've moved most of my poker stuff over to a new computer, but haven't installed the gizmos that let me create the nice graph of The Quest. As soon as I can figure out how to export a graph from OpenOffice Calc I'll update the graph with the new numbers. Despite the Sunday night loss I finished the weekend up a bit. Exact numbers are on the other computer. (Like anyone cares.)
On an almost completely unrelated note, I picked up a pretty cool new computer tool/toy last week. Back when I was four-tabling limit I found I was getting a bit of repetitive stress from reaching out to work the mouse in my far less than ergonomic computer setup. I reasoned I could improve the situation if I could just find something I could hold in my lap that would let me enter my action at the various tables. My search for solutions led me to the Wacom Graphire graphics tablet. It worked quite well. I could hold it in my lap and point at spots on the tablet with the stylus to enter my actions.
At work I've occasionally got sucked into doing some graphics layout stuff of one kind or another. I'm one of the least artistic people on the planet, but it started when I was the only one free to work on an ad layout. I found the software to do the job, brought together a bunch of images into an arrangement I really hated, but everyone else liked, and suddenly I'm "the graphics guy".
So I was doing some more work along these lines last week and was having a very tough time using the mouse to do what I needed. A quick trip to Best Buy and I had a new Wacom Bamboo graphics tablet. (My Graphire is among my many possessions still on the other side of the continent.) I'm not sure that the Bamboo is any better than the Graphire, but it does have the requisite glowing blue ring at the top, the ultimate sign of techie coolness. Anyway, the graphics tablet is great with the graphics program I'm using. Today I was experimenting with the calligraphy brush tool. I'm going to have to coolest signature for my email.
If you do any paint program stuff or work with Photoshop or anything similar, for $100 the Bamboo is a pretty nice tool that can make using these programs far more natural. And if you're four-tabling limit holdem, it might save you from a repetitive stress injury. (I don't recommend it for NL due to the horrible interface most sites have for entering bet amounts. The keyboard is the only way to go for NL.)
So I'm back to playing a bit of holdem. I rejoined The Quest over the weekend, putting in maybe three hours at PokerStars. Last night I was at a table for quite a while with players who didn't suck and seemed to be taking the game seriously. That's pretty rare at the $0.01/$0.02 NL tables.
I was doing okay, up $1.25 or so. Then I seriously overplayed top pair three times. The third time I even said to myself, "Here I go, overplaying top pair again." But did I listen? Nope. Spent the next hour and a half trying to get back to even.
After quite a while of tortuously slow but otherwise reasonable play, Grandpa-somebody sat down and ruined the game. Okay, everyone is entitled to play their chips and cards any way they want. But this clown clearly sat down to play lotto, not poker. First three or four hands he pushes all-in on his first action. Congratulations, Grandpa, spend that $0.12 wisely. Somebody finally got tired of his antics and called him, had him big time before the flop, but, of course, Grandpa sucks out.
I decided it wasn't worth chancing it against this idiot so I accepted my $0.57 loss and called it quits for the night.
I've moved most of my poker stuff over to a new computer, but haven't installed the gizmos that let me create the nice graph of The Quest. As soon as I can figure out how to export a graph from OpenOffice Calc I'll update the graph with the new numbers. Despite the Sunday night loss I finished the weekend up a bit. Exact numbers are on the other computer. (Like anyone cares.)
On an almost completely unrelated note, I picked up a pretty cool new computer tool/toy last week. Back when I was four-tabling limit I found I was getting a bit of repetitive stress from reaching out to work the mouse in my far less than ergonomic computer setup. I reasoned I could improve the situation if I could just find something I could hold in my lap that would let me enter my action at the various tables. My search for solutions led me to the Wacom Graphire graphics tablet. It worked quite well. I could hold it in my lap and point at spots on the tablet with the stylus to enter my actions.
At work I've occasionally got sucked into doing some graphics layout stuff of one kind or another. I'm one of the least artistic people on the planet, but it started when I was the only one free to work on an ad layout. I found the software to do the job, brought together a bunch of images into an arrangement I really hated, but everyone else liked, and suddenly I'm "the graphics guy".
So I was doing some more work along these lines last week and was having a very tough time using the mouse to do what I needed. A quick trip to Best Buy and I had a new Wacom Bamboo graphics tablet. (My Graphire is among my many possessions still on the other side of the continent.) I'm not sure that the Bamboo is any better than the Graphire, but it does have the requisite glowing blue ring at the top, the ultimate sign of techie coolness. Anyway, the graphics tablet is great with the graphics program I'm using. Today I was experimenting with the calligraphy brush tool. I'm going to have to coolest signature for my email.
If you do any paint program stuff or work with Photoshop or anything similar, for $100 the Bamboo is a pretty nice tool that can make using these programs far more natural. And if you're four-tabling limit holdem, it might save you from a repetitive stress injury. (I don't recommend it for NL due to the horrible interface most sites have for entering bet amounts. The keyboard is the only way to go for NL.)
17 March 2008
Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-Badugi!
I got an email a few weeks ago from someone at Pokercs.com reminding me I had some money in an account there. I had no recollection of ever signing up at PokerCS, and it turns out my recollection was correct. It was called Poker.com when I signed up. I don't know if they lost the URL in a custody battle or what, but that address now takes you somewhere else, so it makes sense they changed the name. And they're asking new players to go to Carbon Poker. I don't know what's up with that.
Anyway, turns out I did have some money left there. So I've played a bit of shallow end 6-max NLHE a few times in the last couple weeks. I was playing Sunday afternoon and getting bored because the action was rather slow and I was getting dealt nothing but junk. Checking out the tournaments I saw a freeroll coming up soon so I signed up. I initially read the listing as "PL Badgui" and thought, "Yeah, that pretty much describes their interface -- bad GUI."
Then I noticed it actually said B-a-d-u-g-i. Bah-doo-gie? What the hell is a badugi? Sounds like some kind of Italian sports car. Or maybe some mystery meat dish you'd buy off a cart on a Bangkok street corner.
Thankfully, I had a few minutes before the tournament started so I did some Googling and at least was able to read the rules. Interesting game. In case you're as unfamiliar as I was, here's a quick rundown.
You get dealt four cards. It's triple-draw, with you being able to exchange up to four cards at each draw. Betting rounds after the deal and after each draw. The idea is to make the best low hand, aces playing low, but you have to essentially discard paired cards and cards of the same suit. If you have A355, you'd throw away one of the fives and play a three-card hand. If any of the remaining cards were of the same suit you'd discard the highest of them and play a two-card hand, or a one-card hand if they were all the same suit. (You don't actually discard them, they just don't count toward your hand.) A four-card hand beats a three-card hand which beats a two-card hand which beats a one-card hand. If players have the same number of cards in play, then the values are compared like in lowball.
It sounds weird, but it's kind of an interesting game. And like with many of the other non-holdem games, there are a lot of people who seem to not have the vaguest clue of what they're doing.
For instance, there was a guy at my first table in this tournament who quickly figured out almost everybody was actually sitting out (though, of course, the software didn't actually indicate that, and even delayed at each player before folding them) and he could take the blinds if he raised. It took me a bit longer to catch on to the sitting out part, and even longer still to get some cards I was willing to take against even a random hand. But I finally started playing back. And this guy would come back at me with crap, drawing two when I was already pat with a four-card seven.
It wasn't too long before I had all his chips and it was me putting in the raise every hand to steal the blinds from the players who didn't show up.
Sadly, but not too sadly, since it was incredibly boring, I got moved from this table to one where there were three live players and three stiffs. The other two players at this table seemed a bit loose to me, but not really terrible. Not like I would claim to be a qualified judge of this, having had all of 15 minutes experience with this game, but it seems a bad play to me to call for half your stack and then draw two. But that's just me.
Things went back and forth a bit. Another live player got moved to our table and I took his chips, giving me a big lead over the other guys. Then some guy with a stack twice as big as mine sat down. Nothing like just starting to enjoy the feeling of being king of the hill and then be quickly put back in your place.
I did okay for a while, steadily increasing my stack. Then I made a dumb play. One of the other original live players from this table had shown a propensity for making big bets with rather marginal hands, often not even a four-card hand. So when I called his all-in with a three-card five and one draw left I figured there was a good chance I was ahead and probably had a fair number of outs if I wasn't. He had a four-card jack and I missed my draw.
I went all-in the next hand with my few remaining chips and busted out around 200th of 1500. I'm sure I could have finished much higher if I hadn't made that one mistake.
If you see Badugi listed anywhere, you might want to give it a try. At the very least I can say it was fun.
Anyway, turns out I did have some money left there. So I've played a bit of shallow end 6-max NLHE a few times in the last couple weeks. I was playing Sunday afternoon and getting bored because the action was rather slow and I was getting dealt nothing but junk. Checking out the tournaments I saw a freeroll coming up soon so I signed up. I initially read the listing as "PL Badgui" and thought, "Yeah, that pretty much describes their interface -- bad GUI."
Then I noticed it actually said B-a-d-u-g-i. Bah-doo-gie? What the hell is a badugi? Sounds like some kind of Italian sports car. Or maybe some mystery meat dish you'd buy off a cart on a Bangkok street corner.
Thankfully, I had a few minutes before the tournament started so I did some Googling and at least was able to read the rules. Interesting game. In case you're as unfamiliar as I was, here's a quick rundown.
You get dealt four cards. It's triple-draw, with you being able to exchange up to four cards at each draw. Betting rounds after the deal and after each draw. The idea is to make the best low hand, aces playing low, but you have to essentially discard paired cards and cards of the same suit. If you have A355, you'd throw away one of the fives and play a three-card hand. If any of the remaining cards were of the same suit you'd discard the highest of them and play a two-card hand, or a one-card hand if they were all the same suit. (You don't actually discard them, they just don't count toward your hand.) A four-card hand beats a three-card hand which beats a two-card hand which beats a one-card hand. If players have the same number of cards in play, then the values are compared like in lowball.
It sounds weird, but it's kind of an interesting game. And like with many of the other non-holdem games, there are a lot of people who seem to not have the vaguest clue of what they're doing.
For instance, there was a guy at my first table in this tournament who quickly figured out almost everybody was actually sitting out (though, of course, the software didn't actually indicate that, and even delayed at each player before folding them) and he could take the blinds if he raised. It took me a bit longer to catch on to the sitting out part, and even longer still to get some cards I was willing to take against even a random hand. But I finally started playing back. And this guy would come back at me with crap, drawing two when I was already pat with a four-card seven.
It wasn't too long before I had all his chips and it was me putting in the raise every hand to steal the blinds from the players who didn't show up.
Sadly, but not too sadly, since it was incredibly boring, I got moved from this table to one where there were three live players and three stiffs. The other two players at this table seemed a bit loose to me, but not really terrible. Not like I would claim to be a qualified judge of this, having had all of 15 minutes experience with this game, but it seems a bad play to me to call for half your stack and then draw two. But that's just me.
Things went back and forth a bit. Another live player got moved to our table and I took his chips, giving me a big lead over the other guys. Then some guy with a stack twice as big as mine sat down. Nothing like just starting to enjoy the feeling of being king of the hill and then be quickly put back in your place.
I did okay for a while, steadily increasing my stack. Then I made a dumb play. One of the other original live players from this table had shown a propensity for making big bets with rather marginal hands, often not even a four-card hand. So when I called his all-in with a three-card five and one draw left I figured there was a good chance I was ahead and probably had a fair number of outs if I wasn't. He had a four-card jack and I missed my draw.
I went all-in the next hand with my few remaining chips and busted out around 200th of 1500. I'm sure I could have finished much higher if I hadn't made that one mistake.
If you see Badugi listed anywhere, you might want to give it a try. At the very least I can say it was fun.
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