Operation - Build A 'roll

Alright well i have seen these blog type posts in this forum for a while and i thought it would be a good idea to start one as i work to build my bankroll up.

So i have been playing poker for about a year on and off, casually. Mostly sng's as well as a few low buy in mtt's. Long story short i am pretty much a break even play.

Well a couple weeks ago i decided to play NL full table ring. I do have a fairly limited bankroll at the moment of about $170 on full tilt. So this means i will be playing the glorious game of $10Nl until i can get my bankroll up to about $250+

So this blog will be here to keep me honest, Ill be posting important hands as well as pokertracker results as much as a can. I am a university student.. in engineering, so i dont have excess amount of time but i will do my best.

Here are some short term goals:
1) Clear the rest of my $30 left in bonus on fult tilt
2) Build bankroll up to $250
3) Play 10K hands before leaving on vacation a week and a half from now

And thus it begins.

Oh and as well i was just curious, i have play a little $10 NL in the past, and seem to have some weird swings, ill hover up and down $10 and then ill win like 30-40 in a session and then ill hover again. Is this a noremal pattern or am i just playing some shakey NL. I play based on Renton's strategy mostly. Oh and as far as a BB/100 rate at this level what is the number that i should be shooting for? As well as any advice from guys who have grinded their way though this would be greatly appreciated.

ill hover up and down $10 and then ill win like 30-40 in a session and then ill hover again.

It's normal. There's a sort of expectation that either gradual, consistent bankroll growth or wild, Swingy, buyin-up-buyin-down are the most "normal", but I have consistently found that up periods followed by break-even periods (which can, admittedly, contain downswings and upswings) are how it goes. Let me see if I have a graph handy...



This is only 10K hands so it's a tiny sample, but it does demonstrate what I mean. 0-1.5k is up; 1.5-5.4 is even; 5.4-7.2 is up; 7.2-9.6 is even; and so on.

The last 2 days have been a long couple days of some cruel bad beats, followed by some donkey play and loss of confidence. Followed by realizing that i am getting better, that it will take time to mature as a poker player and to stop looking for the damn easy way to make money, because there isnt one. I have a strategy i know will work and i need to stick to it and build my game. PERIOD!!!

6 Buy ins down in 2 days (5k hands) is not bad luck its bad poker.
Bankroll now @ $108

The other thing i seem to be doing is i will run good be up one or 2 buy in's in a couple hour 4 table session, then seem to become a little complacent and get stacked far to easily. One thing i realized is that anyone can win on a big hand, its about making fewer mistakes then your oppenent, folding second best hands a little more often then they will. And knowing when to walk away from the tables when your emotions become involved.

A few interesting hands from the past couple of days...

This one i thought for sure the BB had the five, and obviously the guy to me left had made his flush on the river. Should have pushed he would have called and i would have been above break even for the hand.


FullTiltPoker Game #1769847469: Table Rock Springs - $0.05/$0.10 - No Limit Hold'em - 16:22:06 ET - 2007/02/10
Seat 1: miniou ($0), is sitting out
Seat 3: sttarosta ($9.85)
Seat 5: charger24s ($3.90)
Seat 6: I MtMan ($3.90)
Seat 7: gmcguire ($5.55)
Seat 8: Faithful_13 ($9.90)
Seat 9: allinsweet ($8.40)
miniou stands up
charger24s posts the small blind of $0.05
I MtMan posts the big blind of $0.10
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Faithful_13 [7d 7h]
gmcguire folds
Faithful_13 calls $0.10
allinsweet calls $0.10
sttarosta calls $0.10
charger24s calls $0.05
I MtMan checks
*** FLOP *** [5d 5c 7s]
charger24s checks
I MtMan checks
Faithful_13 checks
allinsweet checks
sttarosta checks
*** TURN *** [5d 5c 7s] [9d]
charger24s checks
I MtMan bets $0.50
Faithful_13 calls $0.50
allinsweet folds
sttarosta calls $0.50
charger24s folds
*** RIVER *** [5d 5c 7s 9d] [Qd]
I MtMan bets $2
Faithful_13 raises to $5
sttarosta calls $5
I MtMan calls $1.30, and is all in
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Faithful_13 shows [7d 7h] (a full house, Sevens full of Fives)
LauraWinner sits down
sttarosta mucks
Faithful_13 wins the side pot ($3.05) with a full house, Sevens full of Fives
I MtMan shows [9s 9c] (a full house, Nines full of Fives)
I MtMan wins the main pot ($10.75) with a full house, Nines full of Fives
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $15.30 Main pot $11.90. Side pot $3.40. | Rake $1.50
Board: [5d 5c 7s 9d Qd]
Seat 1: miniou is sitting out
Seat 3: sttarosta (button) mucked [2d Ad] - a flush, Ace high
Seat 5: charger24s (small blind) folded on the Turn
Seat 6: I MtMan (big blind) showed [9s 9c] and won ($10.75) with a full house, Nines full of Fives
Seat 7: gmcguire didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: Faithful_13 showed [7d 7h] and won ($3.05) with a full house, Sevens full of Fives
Seat 9: allinsweet folded on the Turn

Here i probably could have let this go. The table was fairly loose thats why i knew the check raise preflop would work, when the 10's came on the flop after the loosest player pushed i figured he probably wouldnt push the 10 if he had it like that and that it wasnt the majority of his rank
he would have pulled that with probably 99-JJ, theres no way he had KK or AA, he might have even done that with AK or AQ. What do u guys think?

FullTiltPoker Game #1767019175: Table Tierra De Palmas - $0.05/$0.10 - No Limit Hold'em - 3:52:47 ET - 2007/02/10
Seat 1: thoreau82 ($10.80)
Seat 2: ilo2xpress ($8.80)
Seat 3: vi3tmix ($9.15)
Seat 4: V O 14 ($3.60)
Seat 5: joebet ($7.25)
Seat 6: Faithful_13 ($10)
Seat 7: Limpers ($3.50)
Seat 8: Meisy ($4.95)
Seat 9: dragsta ($11.25)
Faithful_13 posts the small blind of $0.05
Limpers posts the big blind of $0.10
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Faithful_13 [Qc Qd]
Meisy calls $0.10
dragsta calls $0.10
thoreau82 calls $0.10
ilo2xpress folds
vi3tmix raises to $0.25
V O 14 calls $0.25
joebet folds
Faithful_13 raises to $1
Limpers folds
Meisy calls $0.90
dragsta raises to $1.75
thoreau82 has 15 seconds left to act
thoreau82 calls $1.65
vi3tmix folds
V O 14 folds
Faithful_13 calls $0.75
Meisy calls $0.75
*** FLOP *** [Tc 2h Ts]
Faithful_13 checks
Meisy bets $3.20, and is all in
dragsta folds
thoreau82 folds
Faithful_13 calls $3.20
Meisy shows [Td Ad]
Faithful_13 shows [Qc Qd]
*** TURN *** [Tc 2h Ts] [3c]
*** RIVER *** [Tc 2h Ts 3c] [9d]
Meisy shows three of a kind, Tens
Faithful_13 shows two pair, Queens and Tens
Meisy wins the pot ($12.60) with three of a kind, Tens
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $14 | Rake $1.40
Board: [Tc 2h Ts 3c 9d]
Seat 1: thoreau82 folded on the Flop
Seat 2: ilo2xpress didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: vi3tmix folded before the Flop
Seat 4: V O 14 folded before the Flop
Seat 5: joebet (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: Faithful_13 (small blind) showed [Qc Qd] and lost with two pair, Queens and Tens
Seat 7: Limpers (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: Meisy showed [Td Ad] and won ($12.60) with three of a kind, Tens
Seat 9: dragsta folded on the Flop

Are you kidding me??????
This has got to be the greatest check on the end tho... saved me $3 i was proud, however its plays like this that send a player over the edge lol. Like if ur going to play like that, dont be a calling station lol.

FullTiltPoker Game #1770113113: Table Pueblo Vista - $0.05/$0.10 - No Limit Hold'em - 17:02:42 ET - 2007/02/10
Seat 1: belmorte ($9.45)
Seat 2: HustlinRyan ($23.35)
Seat 3: kombo66 ($5)
Seat 4: xMrBadBeatx ($9.50)
Seat 5: Muten ($14.35)
Seat 6: mgville ($8.55)
Seat 7: GalloFX ($15.50)
Seat 8: TheKingIII ($4.40)
Seat 9: Faithful_13 ($9)
Muten posts the small blind of $0.05
mgville posts the big blind of $0.10
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Faithful_13 [Qc Qs]
GalloFX raises to $0.20
TheKingIII calls $0.20
Faithful_13 raises to $0.75
belmorte calls $0.75
HustlinRyan folds
kombo66 folds
xMrBadBeatx folds
Muten folds
mgville folds
GalloFX calls $0.55
TheKingIII calls $0.55
*** FLOP *** [4h 2h 4c]
GalloFX checks
TheKingIII checks
Faithful_13 bets $2
belmorte folds
GalloFX calls $2
TheKingIII folds
*** TURN *** [4h 2h 4c] [9c]
GalloFX checks
Faithful_13 bets $3
GalloFX calls $3
*** RIVER *** [4h 2h 4c 9c] [8h]
GalloFX checks
Faithful_13 checks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Faithful_13 shows [Qc Qs] (two pair, Queens and Fours)
GalloFX shows [9h 7h] (a flush, Nine high)
GalloFX wins the pot ($11.85) with a flush, Nine high
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $13.15 | Rake $1.30
Board: [4h 2h 4c 9c 8h]
Seat 1: belmorte folded on the Flop
Seat 2: HustlinRyan didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: kombo66 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: xMrBadBeatx (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: Muten (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 6: mgville (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: GalloFX showed [9h 7h] and won ($11.85) with a flush, Nine high
Seat 8: TheKingIII folded on the Flop
Seat 9: Faithful_13 showed [Qc Qs] and lost with two pair, Queens and Fours