This Journey is fun!

Having a lot more fun this time around, mixing in lots of different buy ins and game types.
#39 26TH/45 Lost A Race
#40 14TH/45 Super Card Dead
#41 12TH/45 Blind Vs Blind Gone Wrong
#42 10TH/45 Had to push, Got Unlucky
#43 4TH/9 SUPER SICK BAD BEAT
#44 16TH/45 I got in with 1 live card
#45 17TH/45 I Had To Call
#46 7TH/45 +$12.00
#47 5TH/45 +$44.00

Current Bankroll:$200

This is so much fun!!!

#33 3RD/6
#34 5TH/6
#35 8TH/9 LOST A RACE
#36 8TH/18 UNLUCKY I WAS DOMINATED
#37 9TH/45 UNLUCKY DOMINATED AGAIN!!
#38 2ND/45 +$60.00


Played 2 5 card draw games and got no cash :( But made it deep in 2 45 player games, got unlucky twice and that sums up the day so far for me, be sure to check here daily for updates!
CURRENT BANKROLL:$187

Bankroll Journey Update 8/28/08

Starting Bankroll: $130.00 Current Roll: $268.35 - $68.00 Cashout Bankroll = $200.35
#26 2ND/6 $4.20
#27 18TH/45 2 Live
#28 10TH/45 Lost A Race
#29 14TH/45 UNLUCKY!
#30 18TH/45 SICK FUCKING BEAT!
#31 12TH/45 LOST A RACE
#32 2ND/45 $110.00

Mix And Match

Mixed some other games into my playing, but still having the most success at the 45 player turbos.
Current Bankroll:$214
#1 30th/45 BAD BEAT
#2 19th/45 BEST HAND LOST
#3 2ND/45 +$60.00
#4 3RD/45 +$42.00
#5 25TH/45 LOST A RACE
#6 29TH/45 HORRIBLE BEAT
#7 17TH/45 BEST HAND LOST
#8 3RD/45 +$42.00
#9 26TH/45 LOST A RACE
#10 17TH/45 LOST A RACE
#11 7TH/45 +$12.00
#12 19TH/45 Bad move on my part
#13 34TH/45 BET HAND LOST
#14 26TH/45 BAD BEAT
#15 19TH/45 SUPER CARD DEAD
#16 15TH/45 UNLUCKY
#17 7TH/9 SICK BAD BEAT
#18 23RD/45 2 TERRIBLE BEATS
#19 11TH/18 NASTY BAD BEAT
#20 1ST/6 +$23.40
#21 10TH/18 HORRIBLE SICK BAD BEAT/ LOST A RACE
#22 4TH/6 BLIND VS BLIND
#23 5TH/9 I WAS DOMINATED
#24 2ND/45 +$60.00
#25 433/458 UNLUCKY

$208

Played 12 $6.50 turbo 45 players so far and here are the results:
#1 30th/45
#2 19th/45
#3 2ND/45 +$60.00
#4 3RD/45 +$42.00
#5 25TH/45
#6 29TH/45
#7 17TH/45
#8 3RD/45 +$42.00
#9 26TH/45
#10 17TH/45
#11 7TH/45 +$12.00
#12 19TH/45

$130...To???

Today I start a new quest to turn $130 into something big. I will be playing a mix of sit and gos maybe a few MTT's thrown into the mix as well. Keep check daily for updates.

Tips For Multi Tabling

Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008

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Five Tips for Better Multi-Tabling

Online rulers like James "mig.com" Mackey will ask the same question: Why play one table when you can play 10?

By Daniel Skolovy

User rating: ( 9 votes )

Why play one table when you can play 10? That's what I always ask live-poker nits. Multi-tabling is probably the best thing about playing online.

Well, that and you can avoid dealing with the three S's of live poker: slow games, sloppy dealing and stinky degenerates.

But I digress. If you aren't multi-tabling now, you better start learning because if you're not, you're simply throwing money away.

For a more detailed look at multi-tabling, you can read a full article here. However, here are five quick tips to get you pointed in the right direction:

1) Use a four-color deck. The four-color deck is easily the most important option for multi-tabling. Red hearts, black spades, green clubs and blue diamonds. Sounds weird at first, but you'll get used to it quickly.

At first glance you can tell which flush draws got there and which missed. Two-colored decks are for grandpas and live poker. Get with the times.

2) Stick to the simplest themes. Many online poker rooms have several different themes for you to choose from, but you shouldn't try and use all the bells and whistles they have when you're multi-tabling.

Get rid of the distractions. PokerStars' hyper-simple theme is a great example of a nice table setup perfect for multi-tabling.

3) Take notes. Even if you can't pay attention to every single hand going on, make sure you watch the big ones and take detailed notes.

These notes will stay with the player and whenever you run into that player again you can refer to them. Try and make them short and sweet and informative; "Check-raises flop with combo draw" is a lot better than "Jackass sucks out with flush."

4) Figure out a system for organizing your tables. Some people stack the tables; others tile. Find out what works for you so you can quickly refer to whichever table the action is on.

A personal tip if you are multi-tabling tournaments: When I play 12 or more tables I will sort my tournaments by blind level.

Bad_IP: Multi-table master.

Highest blinds go in the top left with the rest of the tables sorted toward the smallest blinds in the bottom right.

5) Sit in the same seat. A lot of poker sites have options where you can always sit in the same seat and the software will just rotate the table around you.

This option is invaluable to a massive multi-tabler. Finding where you are sitting on all tables when you have to make split-second decisions can be a daunting task.

If, however, you are always in the same seat you know exactly where to look when the action is on you.

Unexpected

BANKROLL:$19.86
#57 Tournament #102337753/18TH/CARD DEAD!!!!
#58 Tournament #102338112/10TH/WOW!/HOW COULD I NOT HIT!!!/WHAT THE HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BANKROLL:$6.86
#59 Tournament #102357831/19TH/THE ONLY HAND I GOT THE WHOLE SNG
Ending Bankroll:$0.00

I played a 20 game series of $6.50 45 player turbos a week ago, that is what inspired me to do this, in that series I got 1ST place 2 times. In this journey 1ST 0 times, and 2ND only once.
I got deep a lot but just not deep enough.
I know I was playing outside of bankroll mangement but I took 18 buy ins and stretched it 10 59. I am proud of myself for getting this far, disappointed it is over. Thanks for being there, and thank you for the support, Good luck and see you at the tables!!!

Did the journey end???

#54 Tournament #102321345/34TH/I WAS DOMINATED
#55 Tournament #102321713/20TH/GOT IN WITH THE BEST LOST A RACE
#56 Tournament #102322021/6TH $18.00/ MY KK LOSES TO Q4 OFF/MY STRAIGHT LOSES TO A TIE/MY KK LOSES TO Q9SUITED /IN THE END CARD DEAD...VERY UNLUCKY SIT AND GO I AM SUPRISED I GOT 6TH
BANKROLL:$19.86

Going deep but not deep enough

#49 Tournament #102273802/20TH/BEST HAND LOST
#50 Tournament #102274267/4TH $30.00/CARD DEAD AT FINAL TABLE
#51 Tournament #102286291/32ND/LOST A RACE
#52 Tournament #102285887/17TH/2 LIVE CARDS FAIL
#53 Tournament #102285313/13TH/SUPER CARD DEAD BEST HAND LOSES
BREAK TIME $21 ROLL

Todays Progress

#38 Tournament #102081052/25TH/BUST
#39 Tournament #102084421/45TH/LOST A RACE
#40 Tournament #102081454/5TH $24.00/BUST
#41 Tournament #102087857/40TH/BUST
#42 Tournament #102088335/18TH/BUST
#43 Tournament #102088815/13TH/BUST
$55 Roll. BREAK TIME

Bankroll Journey Update

$70 ROLL. Break Time
#29 Tournament #101886466/12TH/OUTKICKED
#30 Tournament #101889512/39TH/OUTKICKED
#31 Tournament #101886732/BEST HAND LOST/LOST A RACE
BREAK
#32 Tournament #101940273/27TH/BUST
#33 Tournament #101940663/8TH/BEST HAND LOSE CARD DEAD BUBBLE BOY
#34 Tournament #101946131/18TH/THE BEST HAND I SAW ALL GAME
$31.50 ROLL. BREAK TIME
#32 Tournament #101989127/27TH/DOMINATED
#33 Tournament #101988705/6TH $18.00/BUST
#34 Tournament #101997536/17TH/LOST ANOTHER RACE
#35 Tournament #101997896/2ND $60.00/CLOSE
#36 Tournament #102012990/30TH/BUST
#37 Tournament #102012557/8TH/BUBBLE LOST A RACE

Finally made a big cash, but I am still getting deep and not making enough money.$71 in the roll going to sleep now will resume the journey in the morning.

$120 Roll

Starting with $120 playing $6.50 45 player turbos. When I reach $200 I am going to play $12 45 player turbos. If the bankroll hits $65 I will play $6.50 45 player turbos again until $200. Started on 8/10/08 3:00pm EST.
Here is my results so far.
8/10/08
Starting bankroll:$120.00
Tournament ID/ Place/ Cash
#1 Tournament #101341498/11TH/BUST
#2 Tournament #101341266/19TH/BUST
#3 Tournament #101359164/25TH/BUST
#4 Tournament #101358791/7TH $12.00/BUST
$106 Roll
#5 Tournament #101397031/16TH/BUST
#6 Tournament #101396756/15TH/BUST
#7 Tournament #101404320/19TH/BUST
#8 Tournament #101404662/8TH/BUBBLE BOY
$80 Roll Sleep, Resume in the morning.

1ST Day Of August

157

Early Tournament Strategies

Allen Cunningham

July 30th, 2008

Many players' first exposure to poker comes from watching WSOP and WPT tournaments on TV, and I think that's great. It's entertaining and you'll see some interesting plays, but viewers have to understand that they shouldn't model their games based on the action they see on TV.

Why? The answer is simple - what you're seeing is unrealistic and edited for television. Players in these televised tournaments often start with very deep stacks (sometimes 10,000 chips or more) and, most of the time, all you'll see on the broadcast is action from the final table where the blinds are high and play is fast. In contrast, the majority of the low buy-in ($1 to $20) tournaments you'll encounter online usually start with stacks of 1,500 and blinds of 10/20.

Because your approach to the early stages of these tournaments is key to whether you'll make the final table, the question is, what should your strategy be?

I suggest adopting a simple approach, especially if you're not a very experienced tournament player. Try not to play too many hands and aim to see a few cheap flops with small/medium pairs if possible because these can provide some the best chances for you to double or even triple up during the first couple of levels. There are many times when you may be able to put in 5% of your stack or less to see a flop and try and hit your set. You're 7-to-1 to flop a set, but you may be getting 20-to-1 implied odds early on since a flopped set will often be the best hand, and you'll have a good chance to double up against weaker players who may overplay top pair.

If you are expecting a few callers, you might want to limp with these hands pre-flop. You may also just want to flat call with these hands if there are already a couple of people in for a small raise when the action gets to you. But, if the action is folded to you in late position, you definitely want to raise and take down the blinds. If you want to play conservatively, you can safely throw away small pairs in early position. As I said previously, you don't want to commit more than about 5% of your stack pre-flop with small and medium pairs (maybe 6% or 7% max), and when you play from early position there's no guarantee that's going to happen.

Of course you also want to be playing your monsters like AA and KK, and other hands like QQ, JJ, AK and AQ. Remember early on when stacks are deep, you're not going to get a lot of action for all of your chips unless you're up against a pretty strong hand.

There are no concrete rules as to how fast you should try to build your stack in the early going, but the main thing you don't want to do is go broke by playing too loose. In smaller online tourneys you will either be in the money or close to the money without having to win too many pots if you can just play tight and hang around for a couple of hours. If you speculate too much or take too many coin-flips when you don't need to early on, chances are that you'll end up on the rail and miss that opportunity.

Even if you make it to the fourth or fifth level with just a little above starting stack, you'll usually be in good enough shape to take a run at the money. Remember, getting into the money and beyond is what counts - so learn how to start your tournaments the right way and give yourself the best chance to be the last player standing at the end.