It's been a long time since I've had a chance to play poker. I've been playing all week since my family went back East and it's not been a good week. Tourney play has been dreadful. I don't think I'm playing horrible, but my results are. Cash has been a little better, but it's been a very frustrating time. I really want to get better at tournament play. I think with some breaks going my way, I could easily double my bankroll in a week or so.

And speaking of Bankroll... It's dropped about $60 in the last two weeks. Mostly due to bad beat after bad beat in tourneys. I really need to stop playing the turbos. They don't suit my game as well as normal speed, but it's hard to set aside enough time to play the normal speed games.

This weekend I'm going to get in a few tourneys as well as some cash. This will be my last weekend in California before I move East. Once I move East, I probably won't have as much time to play until the kids go back to school. I'll also be looking for a new job since my last day at my job is Tuesday. I don't have anything lined up so that's a bit scary. Hopefully I can find something within the month. It's a leap of faith to leave my secure job but I think it's best in the long term for my family.

So back to poker... As I said, it's been pretty rough and frustrating over the last couple weeks. The results are just not there, and sometimes it's me and sometimes it's just poker screwing me over. Cooler after cooler, that sort of thing. Cash has been a little better although Thursday just plain sucked all around. However, tonight was much better. Here's the hand that proved it.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

SB ($4.23)
BB ($6.61)
Hero (UTG) ($10.47)
MP ($4.51)
CO ($5.63)
Button ($4.87)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with J, A
Hero bets $0.15, 3 folds, SB calls $0.13, BB calls $0.10

Flop: ($0.45) J, 5, 3 (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $0.40, 1 fold, BB calls $0.40

Turn: ($1.25) 3 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $1, BB calls $1

River: ($3.25) A (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $8.92 (All-In), BB calls $5.06 (All-In)

Total pot: $13.37 | Rake: $0.65

Results:
BB had 2, A (two pair, Aces and threes).
Hero had J, A (two pair, Aces and Jacks).
Outcome: Hero won $12.72

It's always nice when you get an idiot that pays you off instead of sucking out on you. By the way, I've purchased Kill Everyone. My preliminary read through the first few chapters is quite positive. I've used some of the techniques already and of course my tournament play results aren't any better, but I think it will help long term.