Operation 2040

So, no one ever does a middle limit operation, so I figured I would start up a quick one. The purpose is actually to help me with my record keeping. I will take notes every time I take a break from the table, and then share my notes at the end of each day here. This hopefully means that i will actually do it, instead of not taking notes which is what I normally do.

Details:

Make $2040 at 20/40 limit by 20:40(8:40pm) on 4/24

I will be playing at Casino Arizona for most of the weekend, so those of you who live in the area, feel free to drop by and cheer me on.

I may or may not make my goal,(51 BBs) but that's not really the point... I think the notes may be helpful for anyone who plays at these limits or plans to.

If anyone has suggestions to what I should add, any input would be appreciated.

So I started my weekend off with some practice on the 1/2 and 2/4 games on Ultimate Bet (the toughest in the world, I swear) and made about $50 in a few hours. (not part of my goal, but gets me in the right mindset.)
I normally play 6/12 at the casino, because the game is much easier, and the players will let me run the table maniac-style. 20/40 is much tougher, and players are capable of checkraising you with weak hands if they think you'll lay down for $80. On the weekends usually 2-3 players are pros, 2-3 are rich, and losing and the rest are aware, but probably playing above their level ( like me?)
I bought a mini-flip notebook to write down where I am at at each break as well as how I am playing (tighten up, man!) Also, my chip count at the end of each hour so I can calcualte profitability and standard deviation. I'll also try and write down some memorable hands to share.
So, I am off the the Casino for day 1: Saturday afternoon/evening! I will see you all later.

Well, good luck to you

It is going to take longer than I thought to post all these notes.... I have a lot. Sorry I took so long to post, also. I wound up spending most of the night in the Casino, as you will read if you have the patience to make it through all of this. So I am splitting up the notes as I see fit, based on how long I feel like typing at a time.

I finally got to the Casino at 3pm on Saturday, and walked up to the "high stakes" board to get my name on the list. I grabbed a buzzer from the floor person (kind of like they give you in some restaurants to tell you when your table is ready) They offer these for the games 10/20 through 75/150 as well as the 5-150 spread limit game.
I checked out the 20/40 table for a while. There was only one guy that I knew sitting down at the time, a pro grinder from not Jamaica, but some island with a similar accent. One of my favorite quotes from him was "I make mah livin from playas too stubbon to give dey hands back to da dealah" The game looked soft enough, at any rate. So I went to the black jack tables to pass some time waiting for a spot to open up.
Before I ever got into poker, I read every book there is on blackjack, and tought myself how to count cards. I also developed a way to win guaranteed as long as you don't lose 17 hands in a row,(if you do, then, you're pretty much fucked) so I typically do pretty well. Blackjack is a good way for me to work on my concentration skills. This afternoon was awesome though. I found a $25 min table with 2 players at it, and jumped in at the end of the shoe. I bought in for $500, and at the end of 1 hour I was up $450!
At 4PM, The casino opened up a "must move" 20/40 game. This means that a new table opens up, but as players drop out of the main game, players from the must move game must move over to keep the main game full.
I took my seat at the table, used my black jack chips to buy in for $1000. I posted the BB and my first hand I was dealt AQ (sweet ) and lost (sad ) down $100....
The next hand I was dealt KQo in the small blind, Which immediately made me think of the thread in the Limit forum where we discussed this situation specifically.
So, this hand I dedicate to Fnord and Hyper.

MP1 calls, CO calls, sb(me) completes, bb checks.

Flop: QJ3 (4SBs)
I bet, bb folds, MP1 folds, CO raises, I 3-bet, CO calls.

Turn K (5BBs)
I bet, CO calls

River 3 (7BBs)
I bet, CO calls

I show KQ, CO mucks,
I win $360 - $150 that I put in the pot for a net of $210.



Quick note: There is no rake at the 20/40 game and above. Instead the Casino charges "time" Which at Casino Arizona is $7 per half hour per player.



This is my initial impression of my table:
Seat 1- An LAgg, but experienced. It is often more profitable at the middle limits to be very aggressive, and play more hands than the "book" tells you to. A VP$IP for these players is probably nearing 30%, but some are very profitable if they can find the right games (preferably a tight passive game that they can control.)
Approximate chip count: $350

Seat 2- a recreational player playing for "fun" a number of high stakes players are not there necessarily to win, just to play.
Chip count $ 800

Seat 3- a retired guy, and another recreational players. You see a few people bleeding through their pensions around here.
Chip count $250

Seat 4- another LAgg, but this one is weak and probably doesn't fully understand the relative value of hands as they change based on other players actions. He plays hands too hard and too far, but probably has some short term profits which make him keep coming back thinking that he can beat the game.
$500, but he has definitely bought at least one more rack of chips since sitting at the table.


Seat 5- A tight agressive, aware player with a lot of hold em experience. He is willing to raise to exploit small edges. He is probably an overall winning player.
$1500

Seat 6- He is playing a solid tight agressive style, but unlike seat 5, seems to be willing to change gears to loose agressive when the situation fits. Judging by his table manner and dress he is probably a loose agressive personality that has developed the discipline to play his "A" game for a short time.
$450

Seat 7- Is me. I tend to play tight pasiive when losing and loose agressive when winning Whic hkeeps people off guard and maximizes my winnings while minimzing my losses to an extent. (I am agressive by nature, so when I say I play passive, I am nowhere near a true tight passive player)
$1000

Seat 8- A tight, passive woman who plays only premium hands, but tends to go too far with them. By always tending to start with the best hand however, she probably wins as often as she loses.
$650

Seat 9- Another tight passive woman with many of the same traits as seat 8. She tends t oplay her cards more than the players, and will sometimes raise and reraise with a good second best hand.
$1000


It is hard to judge a player's ability by the number of chips they have, since you can buy more chips at any time and there is no maximum amount of chips you may have at the table. Also, winning players often "color up" chips and the $500 pink chips are hard to decipher across the table from the $5 red chips. Also there may be a stack of $100 black chips that you miss somewhere, although black chips typically come from the blackjack tables and may indicate a "gambler" more than a winning player. The cardroom for some reason also is not as strict about players removing chips from the table at high limits as they are in the small stakes games.
In general however, less than $500 in 20/40 is generally a losing player and more than $1500 is generally a winning player.

5PM- The recreational retired man in seat 3 has already rebought for another $500. The Tight passive woman in seat 8 calls too much, like she's afraid of being bluffed off the winning hand. The weak LAgg in seat 4 is now LA pre flop, but has also become a passive calling station post flop. He is calling most hands to the river before deciding whether or not to fold. The TAgg in seat 6 moved to seat 5, and is now playing semi-loose agressive. The new player in seat 6 is another recreational player with a short stack.
My current chip count is $1070.


6PM- The game has turned LAggy, as the weak players lost and left, and were replaced by some younger pseudo-maniacs. I just tightened up my game, and can expect to get paid off more on my big hands. I need to avoid weaker implied odds hands like the offsuit broadway cards, and smaller connectors. I also need to avoid getting into a big pot with a 2nd best hand, which with all the raising going on, could cost me a lot.
This is what the table looks like.

Seat 1- LAgg $1000
Seat 2- TAgg $1500
Seat 3- semi-loose passive $350
Seat 4- semi-loose agressive $300
Seat 5- semi-loose passive $250
Seat 6- semi-loose agressive $800
Seat 7- me $1100
Seat 8- Same woman, but is now playing loose passive. $650
Seat 9- A new woman, don't have a read yet. $650

This is very interesting. Keep it up! I like your ability to classify a whole table of people. Im not sure that I could do that so precisely

I like your ability to classify a whole table of people. Im not sure that I could do that so precisely

This comes with experience, and is much easier in live games. To start, you should get a good read on the players to your immediate left and right, then expand as you get more information.
It is also helpful to stereotype players as they join the table, then change your opinion as they show you how they really play. In general, players wiht flashy jewelry and nice clothes are usually agressive. Players dressed coservatively are usually tight, and female players are often tight agressive pre flop, and passive post-flop without a big hand. The older a player is, the less likely they are to bluff.

By 6:45 I was down to $750, when I missed a straight draw wiht 56 in the big blind on a 47A flop, then made a set with 55 in the small blind, only to lose to a flush.
I was moved to the main game just before 7:00 and by 7pm I was down to $500. This wasn't technically a bad beat, but ouch:

I am CO with A J
UTG calls, MP2 calls, I raise, button calls, BB calls, UTG calls, MP2 calls

Flop (10.5SBs) A J Q
BB checks, UTG bets, MP2 calls, I raise, button folds, BB folds, UTG 3-bets, MP2 caps, I call, UTG calls

Turn (11BBs) 9
UTG bets ( I put him on the nuts here.) MP2 raises. I ask "what do you think that I have?" MP2 replies "I know what you have, which is why I am going to make you pay to get there." this means he think I have a draw, which also means he has a bigger hand than me. I am pretty sure that my 2 pair is in third place, but I picked up a backdoor draw to the nuts. I call. UTG 3 bets, MP2 caps (I figure he has to have a straight also) I call, UTG calls.

River (23BBs) 5

UTG bets (all in) MP2 raises, I fold.

Showdown: UTG has K T (what a nice flop) MP2 has K T
And they each split up my money between them.

The new table is also LAggy, and tougher than the last one.

Seat 1- LAgg, but aware. $850
Seat 2- Me $500
Seat 3- TA $850
Seat 4- TA, and a pro. $1200
Seat 5- TP woman $1700
Seat 6- TP woman (the one that was in seat 9 at the old table) $1000
Seat 7- LP woman ( the one that was in seat 8 at the old table) $450
Seat 8- a recreational player, LAggy $750
Seat 9- TA $1200

I did manage to pull off an effective position-bluff.

I am button with K 6
It is folded to the CO, who raises. I read him as weak, and trying to pick up the blinds, so I 3 bet to isolate. The BB caps (crap, that didn't work) I say " damn, I was bluffing"

Flop (12.5 SBs) 349 rainbow
checked to me, I bet. both players call.

Turn (8BBs) 5 giving me a flush draw.
checked to me again, I bet, both players fold.


By 8PM I am down to $300.
I lost a big pot(15BBs) with AQ v AK
flop was AK3, turn Q.
I should have folded on the flop when I was reraised by the tight passive woman in seat 6, but I was s00ted
On the plus side my table image is now tilt-boy ( I have made some bad raises) So, I should be able to use that to get a little more action.
LAgg games seem to always put me on tilt, so i am taking a quick break from the game to regroup.

My new plan: fold everything, go back to playing blackjack
But really, I just need to find better spots to put my money in, take advantage of position, and pay more attention to tells and telegraphs from the other players.

I skipped my 9PM break since I took an extended break at 8. When I got up from the table at 10PM, I noticed that my notebook was gone! I asked the poker board person, and they hadn't seen it. I asked Security t ocall and see if someone turned it in.... nothing. Finally I asked the serving staff if they had picked it up. It turns out that I left it on one of the rolling tables for peoples drinks, and they happily rolled it away while I wasn't looking. I finally got my notebook back a little after 10.

By 11PM, I was back up to $1500.

My big pot: The 20/40 game has a half kill, so when a player wins 2 pots in a row, the stakes go up to 30/60. This was a half kill pot, and I was on the button with 5 7
5 players limp before action gets to me, so I throw a bet in to see the flop. the sb completes, and bb checks.

The flop comes 8 9 T ( 8SBs)
giving me a weak open ended draw.
The sb checks, UTG bets, 2 players call, I raise as a classic "free card" play. The sb 3 bets (crap) and everyone calls.

Turn is T giving me a flush draw, but making a full house possible. (11BBs)
sb bets, UTG calls, 2 fold, I raise- this is a debatable play. The raise is for value, with a straight draw and a flush draw, but I could make my hand and lose. sb 3 bets (also debabtable, you'll see) UTG folds, I call.

River is Q and I have my flush. (18 BBs)
sb bets, I raise, sb 3 bets, I call. I think a raise here was correct, but I am afraid of a 5 bet from a full house.

Final pot (24BBs) $1440
sb shows J 4 (a straight, queen high)
MHIG!!!

This game has turned crazy. One player has dropped almost $1000 betting, raising, and sometimes folding BLIND! I guarantee it would have been more if people noticed that he was doing it. I often try to watch people as they look at their cards t osee what i can pick up... which is the only reason I noticed.
There is a girl playing extrememy loose passive and winning, for now. so, I decide that I can stay a little longer.

very interesting post and a good read.

At 12AM I have $1600
I just lost a $600 pot with AK v A9, when the loose passive girl called me down to the river when the A flopped, spiked the 9 on the end and then check raised me How rude. That makes it a good time to take a break.

I think I am playing well, and the level of play at the table is deteriorating as it gets later.

1AM- $1700 I have been playing for 9 hours , and am still far short of my goal. I have been playing too loose and bluffing too much.

Here's a bluff that worked:
I am button with 7 8. one player limps, and I raise (position play) sb folds and bb calls, as does the limper.
Flop is J 8 4
the bb bets, limper folds, I raise. bb calls.
Turn is T
bb checks, I bet. bb folds.

Here's one that didn't:
I am bb with 4 5
flop is 2 4 9
I bet, 2 calls.
turn is A
I check, MP checks, button bets, I call, MP folds.
river is 9
I bet, button calls.

NOTE: on the first hand, it is possible that i was "bluffing" with the best hand. A lot of players overvalue their bluffs, not realizing that sometimes the folder had nothing. For example, If you are betting a nut flush draw, miss your draw, and put in a desperation bet on the river, only to have your opponent miraculously fold, it is possible he was also drawing to another hand, and can't beat your A high.

A funny hand: I CO in a kill pot. The button is the Kill (posts $30) I say as the cards are being dealt, "I raise if it is folded to me"
it is folded to me, and I raise blind. The sb calls, bb folds, and Button calls. (The Killer is last to act pre flop)
Flop is Q84, sb checks, I bet, button folds, sb folds.
I flip over my cards to show my bluff, and I have QQ!

Here's what the table looks like now:
Seat 1- Loose passive girl. $800
Seat 2- me $1700
Seat 3- another loose passive woman, $2000
Seat 4- maniac $850
Seat 5- TA $350
Seat 6- TA $850
Seat 7- LA $800
Seat 8- A horrible calling station $150 right now, but buys another $500 in chips every hour or so.
Seat 9- LA $450

2AM- $1850

The losers are stuck and rebuying repeatedly. The maniac has been lucky (and tightened up a little) and had $1000 I'll stay a little longer and see what I can pick up.

3AM- $2150

I wasted about $300 on genius bluffs that got called by people too dumb to fold

One hand I flopped a straight flush draw, bet it the whole way and missed.
One hand I was betting from LP with K high and a straight draw, and got rivered (I had the best hand until then)

I keep breaking one of the fundamental rules of hold 'em:
Don't bet if a worse hand will fold and a better hand will raise.

except in my case, the better hand calls and shows me bottom pair....

4AM- $2280, but i think I would have all the money on teh table by now if I hadn't been drawn out on over and over... 3 outs, 2 outs, doesn't seem to matter. This game makes me sad, but at least it makes me money.

Here's the table:

Seat 1- LP girl is now playing LAggy, and well. $3200
Seat 2- me $2280
Seat 3- The mainac is now a LAgg, and still has $900
Seat 4- LP $300
Seat 5- LA $150
Seat 6- TA $200
Seat 7- TA $800
Seat 8- TA $900
Seat 9- Calling station, $100 after a few rebuys. The saddest thing is that his wife is just sitting behind him, watching him lose a few grand.


As soon as I sit back down, The calling station is out of money, and leaves the table. before he is out of the card room, 4 other players get up and leave also. (That is just embarassing)

Since there are so few players left, the Casino combines the must move table and the main game, making our game 10 handed.

Here is the new table:
Seat 1- A young guy LA, $700
Seat 2- Me $2280
Seat 3- semi-loose agressive $400
Seat 4- SLA woman $900
Seat 5- One of the 3 best pros I have seen at 20/40. SLA $1600
Seat 6- another kid, SLA $900
Seat 7- LP $350
Seat 8- No read $500
Seat 9- TA $800
Seat 10- TA woman $1000



5AM- I lack discipline. I tilted through a couple hundred dollars after my hands kept getting snapped. I understand that there is a "correct" way to play poker, but losing hurts my feelings. $2050, and time to go home and take a nap.

Total progess for day 1: $1050, 13 hours. 2BBs/hr. Total rake $182