Dee's Frugal Poker Endeavor

2011 WBCOOP!

2011-01-16T20:39:00.001-06:00

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker! The WBCOOP is a free online Poker tournament open to all Bloggers, so register on WBCOOP to play.

Registration code: XXXXXX 365483

Is it bad to use your run good on a freeroll?

2011-01-08T13:21:00.004-06:00

Yes, I realize it's been quite a bit since I have posted anything of the endeavor. For the most part, things are on the recovery phase after having some bad times. I'm sure I don't need to elaborate as we have all had those. Still frugal, still on the path.

I enjoy listening to podcasts almost more than music on my iPod when I am busy doing work or commuting to and from the work place. Aside from my normal sports related ones, I have a number of poker-related ones that I look forward to when they come out. One of the poker-related ones that I like that is unique in its approach is "Gambling Tales" with Falstaff and Special K. My good friend OhCaptain turned me in to these guys a couple years back, I believe after he met them in person at the winter blogger gathering in Vegas (I need to figure out a way to get there next year... Maybe I can sell pieces of myself, in keeping with the frugal tradition).

Starting new this year, the Gambling Tales guys are hosting a freeroll at Full Tilt on a weekly basis for listeners of the program. I decided to check it out, and when I registered for the $50 freeroll, there were only 30ish people registered. I figured my chances were decent for some return on investment (which was 0 :D ), so I registered. When I then logged into the tournament on Thursday night, I was shocked to see that it was full, meaning 1000 people had registered. It seems as though the password got out to the russian sites, because at least 50% of the people at all the tables I was at were from Russia. Either that or Special K and Falstaff really have a way with the Russkies.

On my first table, there was only one other active participant, who happened to be 2 to my left, which is terrible when there are so many dead stacks. After avoiding too much confrontation, I got to different tables with different players, also with dead stacks mixed in. Because I was looking at the prize structure and seeing that the return could be less than $0.10 even if you cash, I didn't focus really hard for quite some time. I organized my office, paid some bills, watched some movies, and probably ate some food.

Once the dead stacks were all elminated, I was still sitting pretty decent. Since I was not paying too much attention and no one at my early tables was chatty (or maybe they didn't speak english), I can't tell you what happened, but ultimately where I started to remember was when we were down to two tables and Falstaff actually was at my table. Here, there was actually table discussion, which was what I was really hoping for with this freeroll, more than the potential return. Avoiding getting into bad or marginal spots, I survived to the final table, last in chips at that point with about 6 BB or so.

Staying out of the way, shoving and getting called with worse and holding, and just stealing where possible, I managed to get to heads up, only with a 1:7 chip deficit. I would have been happy enough with that, but a few races later, I ended up winning the whole thing! The reward for this unbelievable accomplishment? See for yourself:

So my question is, is it bad to use so much rungood for less than $10 in 4.5 hours? I guess it is nice to be the inaugural champ of the Gambling Tales freeroll at least. Thanks boys!

It's that time again!

2010-10-16T14:05:00.003-05:00

Blogger Tournament at Pokerstars.com

I played in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker 2010

Contemplating the 8-game SCOOP

2010-04-24T15:59:00.002-05:00

Although I have only played one 8-game mix tournament so far (which netted me a $33 ticket to the upcoming SCOOP events), I am seriously contemplating taking a dive and giving it another go at the $33 SCOOP 8-game mix being held May 13th at 14:00 on the PokerStars clock (which is unfortunately 1:00 PM for me). Being as I have a full-time job as a normal working individual, I may find it hard to get out of work for a poker tournament though. Although I know How to Play Pot Limit Omaha (which is a game I find extremely entertaining) and How to Play 7 Card Stud (which is a game I can't stand), I don't think that I can rationally justify the time away for mixing it up with some of these entertaining times. Why is it that the SCOOP tournaments just assume that everyone interested in them is a degenerate that can play at any time of the day? :D

I guess maybe I better keep looking for a better option outside of the work day...

Getting excited for the 2010 SCOOP

2010-03-24T23:26:00.003-05:00

With the schedule being released for the 2010 SCOOP Poker Tournament offered over at PokerStars and with my two $11 tickets and one $33 ticket, I am perusing through to see what tournaments would be the best. I think I am going to play Event 19, the 2-7 triple draw event for sure, but other than that, I am not sure. Any suggestions on easiest field?

Here is the complete schedule:

Event 1: No-Limit Hold'em with Re-buys Six-Max
May 3, 2010
Low: $5.50 buy-in, $250,000 guaranteed
Med: $55 buy-in, $500,000 guaranteed
High: $530 buy-in, $1,000,000 guaranteed

Event 2: Fixed-Limit Badugi
May 3, 2010
Low: $16.50 buy-in, $25,000 guaranteed
Med: $162 buy-in, $50,000 guaranteed
High: $1,575 buy-in, $75,000 guaranteed

Event 3: Pot-Limit Five-Card Draw
May 4, 2010
Low: $11 buy-in, $25,000 guaranteed
Med: $109 buy-in, $50,000 guaranteed
High: $1,050 buy-in, $75,000 guaranteed

Event 4: No-Limit Hold'em Heads-Up Match Play
May 4, 2010
Low: $16.50 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed
Med: $162 buy-in, $250,000 guaranteed
High: $1,575 buy-in, $500,000 guaranteed

Event 5: No-Limit Hold'em
May 4, 2010
Low: $11 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed
Med: $109 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed
High: $1,050 buy-in, $500,000 guaranteed

Event 6: Mixed Hold'em Six-Max
May 5, 2010
Low: $22 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed
Med: $215 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed
High: $2,100 buy-in, $400,000 guaranteed

Event 7: Seven Card Stud
May 5, 2010
Low: $33 buy-in, $25,000 guaranteed
Med: $320 buy-in, $50,000 guaranteed
High: $3,150 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed

Event 8: Pot-Limit Omaha Heads-Up Match Play
May 6, 2010
Low: $22 buy-in, $25,000 guaranteed
Med: $215 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed
High: $2,100 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed

Event 9: No-Limit Hold'em
May 6, 2010
Low: TBD buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed
Med: TBD buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed
High: TBD buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed

Event 10: No-Limit Hold'em Ante-Up
May 7, 2010
Low: $16.50 buy-in, $50,000 guaranteed
Med: $162 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed
High: $1,575 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed

Event 11: Fixed-Limit Omaha High-Low
May 7, 2010
Low: $55 buy-in, $50,000 guaranteed
Med: $530 buy-in, $150,000 guaranteed
High: $5,200 buy-in, $250,000 guaranteed

Event 12: No-Limit Hold'em 2x Chance Turbo
May 7, 2010
Low: $16.50 buy-in, $250,000 guaranteed
Med: $162 buy-in, $500,000 guaranteed
High: $1,575 buy-in, $750,000 guaranteed

Event 13: No-Limit Hold'em Shootout
May 8, 2010
Low: $22 buy-in, $15,000 guaranteed (Quadruple Shootout)
Med: $215 buy-in, $150,000 guaranteed (Triple Shootout)
High: $2,100 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed (Double Shootout)

Event 14: Pot-Limit Omaha with Re-buys Six-Max
May 8, 2010
Low: $16.50 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed
Med: $162 buy-in, $250,000 guaranteed
High: $1,575 buy-in, $500,000 guaranteed

Event 15: No-Limit Hold'em Big Antes
May 9, 2010
Low: $22 buy-in, $250,000 guaranteed
Med: $215 buy-in, $750,000 guaranteed
High: $2,100 buy-in, $750,000 guaranteed

Event 16: No-Limit Hold'em Two Day Event
May 9, 2010
Low: $22 buy-in, $500,000 guaranteed
Med: $215 buy-in, $1,500,000 guaranteed
High: $2,100 buy-in, $2,000,000 guaranteed

Event: 17: Pot-Limit Hold'em, Pot-Limit Omaha
May 10, 2010
Low: $16.50 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed
Med: $162 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed
High: $1,575 buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed

Event 18: No-Limit Hold'em Four-Max
May 10, 2010
Low: $33 buy-in, $150,000 guaranteed
Med: $320 buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed
High: $3,150 buy-in, $500,000 guaranteed

Event 19: Deuce-Seven Triple Draw
May 11, 2010
Low: $11 buy-in, $25,000 guaranteed
Med: $109 buy-in, $50,000 guaranteed
High: $1,050 buy-in, $75,000 guaranteed

Event 20: Seven Card Stud High-Low
May 11, 2010
Low: $22 buy-in, $50,000 guaranteed
Med: $215 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed
High: $2,100 buy-in, $150,000 guaranteed

Event 21: No-Limit Hold'em
May 11, 2010
Low: $11 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed
Med: $109 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed
High: $1,050 buy-in, $500,000 guaranteed

Event 22: Razz
May 12, 2010
Low: $22 buy-in, $50,000 guaranteed
Med: $215 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed
High: $2,100 buy-in, $150,000 guaranteed

Event 23: No-Limit Hold'em with Two Re-buys & One Add-on
May 12, 2010
Low: $22 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed
Med: $215 buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed
High: $2,100 buy-in, $500,000 guaranteed

Event 24: Eight-Game
May 13, 2010
Low: $33 buy-in, $75,000 guaranteed
Med: $320 buy-in, $150,000 guaranteed
High: $3,150 buy-in, $250,000 guaranteed

Event 25: Pot-Limit Omaha High-Low
May 13, 2010
Low: $11 buy-in, $75,000 guaranteed
Med: $109 buy-in, $150,000 guaranteed
High: $1,050 buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed

Event 26: No-Limit Hold'em with One Re-buy & One Add-on
May 14, 2010
Low: $22 buy-in, $250,000 guaranteed
Med: $215 buy-in, $500,000 guaranteed
High: $2,100 buy-in, $1,000,000 guaranteed

Event 27: Fixed-Limit Hold'em Six-Max
May 14, 2010
Low: $55 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed
Med: $530 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed
High: $5,200 buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed

Event 28: No-Limit Omaha High-Low Turbo
May 14, 2010
Low: $22 buy-in, $50,000 guaranteed
Med: $215 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed
High: $2,100 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed

Event 29: Pot-Limit Omaha
May 15, 2010
Low: $55 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed
Med: $530 buy-in, $250,000 guaranteed
High: $5,200 buy-in, $500,000 guaranteed

Event 30: HORSE
May 15, 2010
Low: $22 buy-in, $50,000 guaranteed
Med: $215 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed
High: $2,100 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed

Event 31: No-Limit Hold'em Six-Max
May 16, 2010
Low: $22 buy-in, $20,000 guaranteed
Med: $215 buy-in, $750,000 guaranteed
High: $2,100 buy-in, $750,000 guaranteed

Event 32: No-Limit Hold'em Heads-Up Match Play Two Day Event
May 16, 2010
Low: $270 buy-in, $250,000 guaranteed
Med: $2,600 buy-in, $500,000 guaranteed
High: $25,500 buy-in, $750,000 guaranteed

Event 33: No-Limit Hold'em Main Event Two Day Event
May 16, 2010
Low: $109 buy-in, $1.000,000 guaranteed
Med: $1,050 buy-in, $3,000,000 guaranteed
High: $10,300 buy-in, $5,000,000 guaranteed

Going on a bit of a poker hiatus...

2010-02-22T21:15:00.002-06:00

Well, it's been about a year into the endeavor of frugality now, and things have been going decently for the most part. I recently redeemed enough points for the hat I described about 10 months ago and also some iron man points for a jacket. Woot...

However, the cash game action has been a real downer lately. I won't bore with bad beat stories, but the pace of Rush poker really makes them come at an increased rate. Getting it all in good and losing three consecutive buyins to three outers is fantastic. Which is why playing poker is clearly a game of skill. The skill to suckout on me I guess.

Looking forward to redeeming my PokerStars SCOOP tickets compliments of the blogger tourneys last month, otherwise there will likely not be much transpiring here. Unless of course I get into discussing the home game action. :D

January 2010 recap

2010-02-01T22:40:00.002-06:00

I figured I would give a quick update on the advancement of the endeavor for January. Here are the results, mostly thanks to Rush Poker :D

WBCOOP 2010 Recap

2010-02-01T22:18:00.003-06:00

So, being firmly entrenched in the frugal poker endeavor, I am always looking for a way to start/build the bankroll with no risk. Thanks to a heads up by the illustrious Oh Captain, I was notified that PokerStars (which I have $0.00 of real money at) was holding a series of freerolls for active bloggers. (Amazingly this blog qualified even with the lack of action for >6 months). I ended up actually participating in three events, without making it on for the main event on Sunday.

The first event that I participated in was on Wednesday, January 27th at 5 pm in my time zone. Although I missed the first 45 minutes, I sat down with still a little over 1000 in chips. Two hands later, I was over 4000 and after folding for about 5 more hands, I busted both of the remaining players (because in my table of 9, only 3 were actually playing) with pocket kings... From there it went relatively decently until my AK was broken by J10 getting the Ace high straight on the turn, leaving me with a draw to a full house, which of course was not fulfilled. But...

PokerStars Tournament #280000003, No Limit Hold'em
Freeroll
1843 players
$5096.50 USD added to the prize pool by PokerStars
Total Prize Pool: $5096.50 USD
Tournament started 2010/01/27 18:00:00 ET

Dear deebakes,

You finished the tournament in 81st place.

You have won an admission ticket to 'SCOOP - $11 Entry'. This ticket allows you to participate only in a tournament of this type. Tickets are not redeemable for cash or Tournament US Dollars; if you register and then unregister from the tournament, your ticket will be returned.

To view your available tournament tickets, go to Requests > Tournament Tickets in the main lobby.

You earned 18.98 tournament leader points in this tournament. For information about our tournament leader board, see our web site at http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/tournaments/leader-board/

The second event I played in was on Friday night, January 29th. Because I am a degenerate, I signed up for this 8-game tournament, having no experience with most of the mixed games on a website at the least, and I don't think I have ever played Limit Omaha H/L (what a screwy game this is). Since I had no experience (and because I reached my Full Tilt Iron Man goal for the month of January), I played some play money 8-game at PokerStars on Thursday to get a sense of how discards are handled in 2-7 triple draw (which I crushed at in the tournament) and a little more Stud experience, while quadrupling my play money chips. I did okay in the stud versions during the actual tournament, and by okay I mean not losing a ton of money and probably breaking even in the end. Where I felt I had the biggest edge was in the PLO (which I have played a ton at Full Tilt) and the 2-7 triple draw, which I need to play more in the cash game after I get knocked out of my monthly poker group :) When was all said and done, here are the results:

PokerStars Tournament #280000005, 8-Game
Freeroll
1536 players
$5096.50 USD added to the prize pool by PokerStars
Total Prize Pool: $5096.50 USD
Tournament started 2010/01/29 19:00:00 ET

Dear deebakes,

You finished the tournament in 23rd place.

You have won an admission ticket to 'SCOOP - $33 Entry'. This ticket allows you to participate only in a tournament of this type. Tickets are not redeemable for cash or Tournament US Dollars; if you register and then unregister from the tournament, your ticket will be returned.

To view your available tournament tickets, go to Requests > Tournament Tickets in the main lobby.

You earned 32.52 tournament leader points in this tournament. For information about our tournament leader board, see our web site at http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/tournaments/leader-board/

23rd place! WTF! I'll take it for the first actual 8-game mixed action of relevance.

The last tourney was the Saturday No-Limit Hold Em event. Pretty blah for the most part (again missing the first 30-45 minutes with responsibilities) and played conservatively and again made the "ticket" group:

PokerStars Tournament #280000006, No Limit Hold'em
Freeroll
1939 players
$5096.50 USD added to the prize pool by PokerStars
Total Prize Pool: $5096.50 USD
Tournament started 2010/01/30 15:00:00 ET

Dear deebakes,

You finished the tournament in 100th place.

You have won an admission ticket to 'SCOOP - $11 Entry'. This ticket allows you to participate only in a tournament of this type. Tickets are not redeemable for cash or Tournament US Dollars; if you register and then unregister from the tournament, your ticket will be returned.

To view your available tournament tickets, go to Requests > Tournament Tickets in the main lobby.

You earned 17.52 tournament leader points in this tournament. For information about our tournament leader board, see our web site at http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/tournaments/leader-board/

Two $11 tickets and one $33 ticket to this years SCOOP. Can't wait to look at the schedule and figure out how I can perhaps make the frugal endeavor reap benefits over at Stars! Wish me luck...

Welcome to the era of ADD poker!

2010-01-20T12:01:00.004-06:00

So I received an email yesterday informing me about a new option of poker at Full Tilt called "Rush Poker"...

"Rush Poker* is the greatest innovation
since poker started on the Internet."
Chris Ferguson, Full Tilt Pro

Hi deebakes,

Prepare yourself for Rush Poker*: the world's fastest poker game.

Available exclusively at Full Tilt Poker, Rush Poker* is a revolutionary new poker format. The ultimate high-speed game, Rush Poker* is designed to minimize your wait time between hands and keep you in the action. Are you ready for the most intense poker action in the world?

Rush Poker

How Rush Poker* works

Join a Rush Poker* game and be part of a large player pool, facing a different table of opponents every hand you play. As soon as you fold your hand, you'll be rushed to a new table for your next hand. To play even faster, use the Quick Fold button to move to another table, even if the action hasn't reached you yet.

Rush Poker

How to find Rush Poker* tables

Look for Rush Poker* tables in the Basic View and Standard View of the Full Tilt Poker game lobby. Learn more about Rush Poker* by watching the Rush Poker* Video Tutorial and reading the Rush Poker* details page.

Join the action to experience the world's fastest poker game. Rush Poker

"This is what poker should be: a game of action."
Andy Bloch, Full Tilt Pro

Being a sucker for the shiny new object, I figured I would give this a shot a 0.05/0.10 9-handed. After 15 minutes, I went from $10 to $40! I think this might be the end of multitabling...

I SERIOUSLY recommend this for everyone, but be careful. I noticed that people were either WAY up or near busto, without much in between. Push the edges and you may just be golden! Here are some links too 1 and 2 .

It's time for PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker!

2010-01-17T21:38:00.002-06:00

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker! PokerStars.com is the home of Free Online Poker Games, bloggers can play for free in the exclusive WBCOOP tournament, register here to play: WBCOOP

Registration code: 272692

Happy 2010

2010-01-17T21:30:00.004-06:00

So I realize it has been a little bit since the last post, but have not been reaping the huge profits I was hoping for... The bankroll is indeed still going in the right direction though:

I also redeemed a little over 9K in FTP for a really sweet sweatshirt, that is currently coming in very handy in my neck of the woods...

Back on the horse for 2010 and hoping to put in some good hand hours. Good luck to the rest of you degenerates that read this drivel...

D

Been 3 weeks... but it's going decently!

2009-08-18T10:01:00.008-05:00

I finally cracked my first $100 on my last post, a little more than 3 weeks ago. In the meantime, I read "Online Ace" by Scott Fischman (compliments of ohcaptain's poker bookshelf).

I really liked this book, and it was a quick read. Not a whole lot terribly new if you have read many hold 'em books, but still entertaining. The part that hit me the most was how adamantly Fischman advocates multitabling. I was somewhat cautious about going down this avenue, as I had been doing pretty decently focusing on a single table at a time, as advised in "Killer Poker Online". However, I find that at the stakes that I am typically playing ($2 SNG), the other players don't necessarily take your past actions into account on how to play their hand. It is based only on their cards, no stories are told, no reads are attempted to be made. In this regard, I think that just playing like a "Poker Robot" as Fischman advises may work at these tables. I started slow (with just 2 tables), but liked the multitabling aspect, especially since I typically only play 1-2 hours a day. If I did a single SNG, that may take about an hour, so my return would be significantly slower. Since I was able to build up the bankroll a bit, I felt comfortable undertaking this experiment. The results were good and nowadays you probably won't find me at less than 4 tables at once :D

It took a long time to get to that first $100, but in the last 3 weeks, I have rolled my bankroll up to about $200. See?

I also have nearly 5000 Full Tilt Academy credits (mostly from the SNG challenges, which were repeated 10 times each) and am in debate about what to do with these points. I can straight-up trade in these credits for Full Tilt Points, which would nab me the hat I was looking at 5 months ago, or I can use 5000 credits to redeem for a $26 Token. I am really leaning towards the token, but am fearful that my skills which are honed in at the low stakes may falter at this higher buyin and end up being a waste. Any thoughts?

Also, I received my Full Tilt hoodie (complements of the good boys over at ESPN's Poker Edge) this last week. Pretty sweet... Thanks Feldman and Wyman! I got a black one:

Finally...

2009-07-24T16:08:00.003-05:00

After my last post, I have been working hard at the low stakes tables and SNG's. It's about 2 weeks since the last post, but here is the up to date bankroll.

Woot woot. Hopefully this first hundred is going to be the hardest...

Results of 1 week of Killer Poker

2009-07-13T11:45:00.002-05:00

I figured that I would give an update on the progress after employing some of the techniques described in the book, "Killer Poker Online". I had built the bankroll up to about $35 using mostly the $2 SNG tables at Full Tilt (both 9 and 18 person). At that point, I decided to try my hand at a $5 SNG (9 person). Now I realize that this is outside of the limits of my bankroll if employing the Ferguson strategy directly, but I also wanted to test out my skills and see how competitive I am at this level. Low and behold, in my first $5 SNG, I took it down and brought in $22.50! Wooty woot... A little more work and here is the bankroll as of now...

A bit of a book review, because I think this book deserves a look...

2009-07-07T22:27:00.008-05:00

In the Frugal Endeavor spirit, I have been trying to increase my poker aptitude without investing too terribly much. Fortunately I work close to a Barnes and Noble bookstore and have discovered the "Games" section that holds about two shelves worth of poker books. My good friend ohcaptain (who you have read about now more times than need mentioning) has quite an extensive home library of poker related books. One book that he does not have is "Killer Poker Online" by John Vorhaus.

Now flipping through this book, I didn't see a whole lot of strategy on what hands to play at what times during cash games versus tournaments, so it is not that type of book at all. What it does give you is pointers on how to psychologically play better poker online with that information already in hand. I found numerous portions of this book to be extremely helpful, especially the portions on Mind and Mood management. I had been doing a LOT of multi-tabling, which I thought was the best thing to do. In fact, after simply adopting an idea of maintaining focus on one game, the same as you would do in a brick and mortar casino, my returns have increased dramatically. I always thought, "Oh, this is a hand I have no interest in. Fold this 7-2 offsuit. Now what is new on website (insert your favorite website here)?" and would go to become distracted with something else until the alarm on the next hand told me it was my turn to act. It is odd to think that something as simple as "Keep your head in the game" written down in a book can have the sort of effect. I guess reading it was what I needed.

I also found a couple of similar type reviews on this book here and here. All in all, I think that most online poker players could benefit from portions of this book.

July 2009- Here we go...

2009-07-06T18:08:00.006-05:00

So it has been a bit since my last post. This is not necessarily due to lack of playing, just lack of interesting things happening. A couple pretty awesome things have transpired in the last month or so:

1. I am now a rakebackpros.com member! Woot for 27% back on all rakes! :D Can't complain about that in the slightest. Especially since it still applies to SNG buy-ins, which is where I am spending the majority of my time playing.

2. I have about 1700 Full Tilt Academy credits for performing tasks at the tables. I am really crushing the SNG challenges. Too bad that it is limited to 10 times that you can repeat any given challenge. I've got my eyes on a sweatshirt that is 9600 credits, so I think I am well on my way. *edit - Just got word from the ESPN Poker Edge that I won a free Full Tilt sweatshirt for listening to their podcast and sending in the player of the day. Woot! * Maybe I'll be using my points for something else...

So I guess that will sum it up for now. The bankroll is dipping a bit, but I have high hopes for the near future. Playing a little more conservatively in the SNG and it seems to be helping.

33... 33... Wait a sec, it's deja vu...

2009-05-14T13:01:00.001-05:00

Proof that the Frugal Endeavor continues...

Not much to see here, move along...

2009-05-11T10:15:00.004-05:00

After going over to ohcaptain's house this weekend for a graduation celebration, it became apparent that many people were looking for some sort of update on the Frugal Poker Endeavor. Well, it's been a couple weeks since my last post, and the reasons for this are many:

1) Spending less time playing online, leading to less in the way of updates
2) Spending more time on work related items, leading to less in the way of updates
3) Spending more time on home related items, leading to less in the way of updates

I guess that about sums it up. As of right now, I am sitting at a bankroll of about $25, so down a little from last time, but my Full Tilt points have nearly doubled, implying that I am essentially just spinning my wheels when I do play. I've gotten into the challenges of the Full Tilt Poker Academy, and find that this concept is probably just put forth by Full Tilt to make you lose your money faster :D ... Although I have accomplished a few of the challenges so far. It makes it for an interesting test of yourself when playing in the cash games, which haven't been doing so hot.

Where I have been doing significantly better is in the SNG's... primarily the 9 person. Compliments of SharkScope (since I refuse to pay money for any other poker tracking related software), it appears that my ROI is significantly better on $2 tables, with an ROI of about 16%, but an overall average ROI of 5% when all games are included. I think that I need to bag the $1 crapshoots, and stick with solid play at the $2 whenever it is that I get a chance to play.

And hopefully there is more exciting things to post in the near future...

33... 33... 33... (thirty-three)

2009-04-17T10:35:00.004-05:00

Now, like all good people in this world, I love beer. One of my favorite pales from the college days (ah, the good ol' times. I wonder where I would be now if I started playing online poker in college instead of after getting a regular more than full-time job, marrying, having kids and responsibilities... but I digress) was Rolling Rock. On the bottles, they have imprinted the number 33. It saddens me to say that I actually did not know what the 33 meant, so of course it is off to wikipedia, which has answers for everything.

The number 33 is printed prominently on all bottles of Rolling Rock. A widely-held belief is that it marks the repeal of prohibition in 1933. However, according to James L. Tito, former CEO of Latrobe Brewing, the "33" signifies the 33 words in the beer's slogan: "Rolling Rock - From the glass lined tanks of Old Latrobe, we tender this premium beer for your enjoyment as a tribute to your good taste. It comes from the mountain springs to you."

A founding executive is said to have written "33" at the end of the slogan to indicate the number of words it comprised as a guide for the bottle printers. However, they thought it was part of the text and incorporated it into the label graphics. Hence, the first batch of bottles carried the number "33" and they remained that way since they were continually collected and reused (also, during the Great Depression, there was no reason to throw away perfectly good merchandise and start over). This tradition has been sustained by the company as the wording on the labels has changed over the years, and the verbiage is carefully structured to retain a length of 33 words. There are several other lesser-known theories or urban legends about the "mysterious" number 33, but none have been verified.

So I guess that clears it up. :)

Anyways, the reason for the link is that I was just noticing that my bankroll has gotten to be above $33. Whoo-hoo!

Back on track...

2009-04-15T10:23:00.007-05:00

Well, although I was lucky enough to hit that royal flush that I posted last time, my bankroll continually went in the wrong direction... (Cue the sad music).
I am back in the game and trying to play much better. In an attempt to do this, I have been reading quite a few books on the topic, including the quintessential Harrington on Hold Em series (Vol. I and II) and David Skalansky's Tournament Poker for Advanced Players. These books are great for tournament strategy and have been quite useful, especially in the sit and gos (SNG)...

As of last night, I was sitting with about $17 in the account, after taking 2nd in a 45 person SNG, netting me about $11 and 1st in a 9 person SNG (giving me $4.50). I am significantly happier with my play as of late, and have a good feeling going into the tables/SNG tournaments tonight.

Why can't this happen everyday?

2009-04-04T00:14:00.002-05:00

Sigh... the bitter end of week three...

2009-04-01T22:45:00.004-05:00

Well, it has been awhile since my last post. The reasons for this include: 1) Went to Vegas on my first ever experience (which promptly including having aces cracked on my first hand) and 2) The Full Tilt experience is not treating me so kindly. As of today, my bankroll is cut to $15, making it a 50% reduction since the last post. Very, very sad. I am thinking it is mostly luck, but that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I seem to be getting bad breaks on flops and outdraws to the river, both in the ring games and the SNG tournaments that I have signed up for. I think the next $5 is going entirely to SNG tourneys, with a hope of booming the bankroll back up. If that fails and I end up down at the $10 range, it is back to grinding it out at the micro stakes tables.

On the plus side, the FTP are accruing nicely. Am still in line for that hat in 2012...

End of week 2- nice gains (after some sad losses)

2009-03-24T09:17:00.004-05:00

The second week of the frugal poker journey started off pretty well, doing decently still playing at the micro stakes tables. I was somewhere in the neighborhood of $30 about 5 days ago, but then I started playing some $1 45 person sit-and-go (SNG) tournaments, which technically break the Chris Ferguson approved buy in maximums for proper bankroll management. Oops... Anyways, I played a number of these, ending up at the final table in most cases, but with only the top 6 being paid out, it actually is a little difficult to end up in the money. I had two 6th place finishes and this morning, at about 2:30 AM, I ended up winning a tournament and taking home the grand prize of $17.10. Man was I excited.

So here is the bankroll heading into the start of week 3:

End of week 1- a good week all in all

2009-03-15T19:34:00.000-05:00

Starting today, I think I might change it up to be weekly updates, instead of daily, unless something of profound interest happens. This week ended up on a good run at the table and I stepped away after losing a pot I should have won. However, for the week and my $2 investment, playing the micro stakes tables treated me kindly for the most part, and I am sitting with over $10 in the account right now. Hopefully I can continue this run and not lose too heavily in the coming days/weeks.

Day six- back into the positive... thankfully!

2009-03-14T22:06:00.001-05:00

After playing again with ohcaptain and being called "aggressive" by pokertracker, I ended up being in the positive for the night again, and recouped all the loses from yesterday. Yippee! That's all I can really hope for on a night like tonight I guess.