Obligatory introduction post

Forgot these should go first. At any rate, here's my poker story.

I grew up on various card games - 5 Card Draw, 7 Stud, blackjack, etc. In highschool 5 or 6 people would play blackjack and draw for quarters during our typing class.

I first got my start playing No Limit Hold'em at the end of summer in 2004 (last week of August, to be exact.) I learned there was going to be a poker tournament that night, and I had no idea how to play. I stopped at a local Borders and looked at the first book I saw, which gave me enough information to at least act like I knew what I was doing. I knew nothing about Rounders, Moneymaker, or the WSOP.

I arrive at the tournament and more or less play every hand. I lasted about an hour, but I was hooked. I didn't play again until the next tournament, but I was looking to improve on my 1 hour bustout. I did...and almost made it to the final table that night (though that was attributable to dumb luck) after a little over three hours. For my freshman year, the only time I played poker was during monthly tournaments.

Sophomore year is when I was introduced to online poker. I asked about sites to play on and was directed to Absolute Poker. Since I was still learning, I started on the play money tables. I also began reading more books - Super System II, Harrington, and bits and pieces of Phil Gordon's Little Green Book. My game really elevated and I managed to make the final table of the subsequent tournament. I was out in 9th, but I didn't care - I made some money.

During my reading, I also discovered (though a TV ad, I believe) Full Tilt Poker. I started on the play money tables there too because of my inexperience, but I also watched the $25/$50 games nearly all the time. I couldn't chat if there was a pro there, but it was more educational than any book, but back to my "biography."

After that tournament, I decided to give real money a try. Being technologically challenged and not knowing how to deposit, I asked for a $25 transfer on Absolute. I quickly managed to double this up, but I lost it just as quickly. This happened a few times, and I gave up on Absolute. I had no clue about bankroll management, and I still had trouble laying down mediocre hands when they were obviously beat.

I started focusing on Full Tilt completely after that, which is when I started watching the other games (mainly Stud) and I started to read the other chapters of Super System 2. I learned Stud whenever I saw Alan Boston sitting - his comments in the chat made me realize how easy Stud was (on the surface, anyway) and also gave me a new game to learn. I found my game. Stud was, for me, a way to capitalize on the bad play of others (though I made several myself.)

I began playing for $ on FTP at this point too - staked for a private HORSE tournament, $5.50 buyin. I didn't do well that night, but 80% of the games played were new to me (a year later and I still HATE Razz, BTW.)

While my main game since winter 2006 has been Stud, the pool of players at the .25/.50 limit isn't that large (and Stud's not a game you can successfully multitable), so I still focused on NLHE.

Towards the end of 2006, I basically stopped playing NLHE and focused on mixed games - Pot Limit Omaha, Limit Omaha 8/b, Stud Hi, Stud 8/b, and if I was feeling masochistic, some Razz. I became good at all of those, but realized my NLHE game was suffering as a result. Whenever I'd try to play it though, I just had the urge to play as many hands as possible to build a big stack early or bust.

In February, I cashed for a small amount in a Stud tourney (Full Tilt's nightly $5.50.) During the middle of March, I played that same tourney and came in 2nd for $53. I went to the same .25/.50 cash games where I had managed to dominate in the past and dropped a $10 buyin. I went to the .50/1 and dropped a $20 buyin and and left halfway through my second $20. I decided to play the nightly Stud tourney a few more times to boost my roll and didn't cash in either (I got crippled during one where Chris Ferguson had signed up; that had unfortunately kept me from making another deep run. Winning that pot would likely have been enough for smooth sailing into the money and possibly back to back Final Tables.)

Closing note: I will include hand histories, but they'll be geared towards Fixed Limit games. I'll toss in some NLHE hand histories, but they're likely to be few and far between.

Turning Stone trip report

Where to begin?

Note: not completely accurate. Arrived at Turning Stone around 10 because it's HPT week. Didn't feel like playing NL, so I signed up for the 2/4 LHE game. Good idea, right? Wrong.
As soon as I sit down (in the cutoff), I look down to pocket 6's. It was limped to me, so I just went along. Flop 639, 2 diamonds. I take it down on the turn. Uh-oh. I won my first hand?

About an orbit later, I pick up Kings in EP. I raise, guy on my left re-raises, I 3 bet, he caps. I lead out on the Q79 flop (forget the exact flop), he calls. Ace on turn, I slow down and check/call. Check/check river. I asked if he had Jacks or something. Wasn't far off - he had 10's.

Not much after that - I rivered a straight with 97o in one hand. My next hand was pocket 4's. I was in LP for this one and thought about raising, but limped along again. 4Q9 flop with one heart, forget action. Turn an Ah, again forget what happened. River was the 10h, checked down, beat Q9.

Won another with KJo, but that was a split. Took a lunch break.

After coming back, I get 54. EP raiser, but I decided to see the flop. 527 flop, EP bets, I call, one other caller. Turn a 5. EP bets, I raise, other guy calls. Slowed down on river, lost to J5. Blahhhhhhhh.

Won a small pot with A9 when I check/raised on a 994 flop. Wheee.

I can also finally say I folded a full house...while not playing Omaha. I'm in the BB with 76 spades, no raises (which for this game was quite normal.) JJ6 flop, checked through. Queen turn, checked through again. Jack on the river, I think about betting, but decide to check. Guy to my left bets, there's either a call or a raise, I take a few seconds and decide to fold. Pocket pair (I think 7's) loses to Jacks full of Queens.

Fun one here: Bunch of limpers and I raised with A7. A bunch of callers (no fold'em hold'em. standard), AJ2 flop. Checked to me, I bet, 1 caller. Forget turn action, c/c river. J3. He had a monster - it was soooooooooooooooted. Sarcastic "nice river" at showdown.

This put me on tilt, so I started raising blind before the flop, then looking when the flop hit and doing a lot of check/folding. Anyway, I do it UTG this time. A bunch of calls, K109 flop. I lead out with Queens, get raised, call. Check/call the 9 turn hoping to hit my gutshot or set on the river. Nope.

Ended my session (busto) with AKo in the SB. Limped to me, I raise blind (again), QJQ flop, 2 turn, J river. Lose to J8.

Was fun except for the end of the session. I definitely lost a ton of value on a few hands (most notable the A9), but live and learn.