To infinity and beyond

For the last year I’ve been talking with a friend of mine about leaving the UK for the winter – jetting off somewhere considerably warmer and setting up base there for 6 months or so playing poker.

Until the last couple of months it has been nothing more than a pipe dream – there was quite a lot of red tape, and even in the areas where no red tape existed – ie neither of us have any family commitments, our prospective leaving date was so far away that anything could happen to throw a spanner in the works.

Where to?

Originally it was all about Australia. At first we figured Melbourne – Crown Casino, great city, option to live by the beach. But then that changed to Byron Bay, and then to Sydney, where we figured we’d have more options and would enjoy a warmer climate even in the autumn months.

Of course it would be too easy if we stopped at Sydney – that just wouldn’t be right, I mean there are hundreds of other countries and thousands of other cities where we could call home for 6 months – why not consider them all??

One of the main things we have to consider is the time zone of a country. One of our primary reasons for moving is so that we can play a full day of MTTs during normal working hours so that we can lead as normal a lifestyle as possible as a professional gambler. Ideally we’d like somewhere with a time zone 6-7 hours behind GMT, allowing us to begin our current 5pm schedule at 10 or 11 in the morning.

Latin America started to emerge as a strong favourite. Learning Spanish being a strong pull, and it’s relatively cheap living costs. For all of 3 days it was all about Costa Rica. Unfortunately that hit a snag fairly early when we found that the possibility of finding a reliable net connection there was about as strong as finding a sober man in a strip club.

Before we ruled out Costa Rica, a ski resort in Canada was still being considered – which hardly fits the bill as being somewhere warmer than the UK, but I think we can forgive a ski resort for being a little chilly. I say we could forgive it, but it was my reluctance to move away from a cold and wet climate to a colder one that saw us ditch Canada fairly quickly.

Cancun, Mexico was and still is (to an extent) being considered, but at this point another country has appeared as a new front runner: New Zealand.

Tauranga is the fastest growing city in New Zealand, and has some beautiful suburbs including Mount Maunganui, which boasts pristine beach fronts and scenic mountains on the front of its tourist brochures. It has a time zone in the winter that will allow us to play a largely European MTT schedule from 7 or 8 in the morning each day and has a climate that doesn’t fluctuate too much from season to season.

Planning this trip is incredibly exciting, and really helps motivate myself for what can sometimes be the grind of MTT poker. I don’t need reminding that I have a lifestyle to die for because of this game. Sure I don’t interact face to face with people on a daily basis, but the freedoms this job gives me are endless, and wherever we eventually end up, I’m sure we’ll have a ball.

On target a third into the year

Many would argue that making profit projections as a MTT player is pointless due to the extreme amount of variance involved, but at the start of this year, i did it anyway.

Having upped my volume considerably i was aiming for a yearly profit of $200k. I'm pleased to note that after the first 4 months of the year I'm on track.

Another goal was to reach no. 1 for Ongame on OPR - mission accomplished. For the last couple of weeks i have been switching back and forth from no. 1 to no. 2.

I definitely need new goals.

I have mentioned a few times the difference in playing cash games to tournaments. The different mentality you need to be able to succeed. I'm happy to report that i can see a time not in the too distant future where i may be playing cash games almost exclusively.

I've been dabbling in 200NL over the last few days, and it is scarily beatable. I've been 4 tabling, and getting bored, but i want to put in at least 30 hours playing 4 tables before i up it.

Ok, new goals:

By June 14th (going on holiday that day) I want to have upped my average accumulative daily buy ins to $2k.

And i want to be 8 tabling 1/2 on my days off for 2-4 hours.

Yup, those goals should keep me going.

I'm off for a few days now, Fiorentina vs Rangers tomorrow, then off to St Andrews for a boozy weekend on Friday - back on Monday i guess, but may start back again on Tuesday.

Neil.

Where I'm at.

Over the last couple of months i have moved to increase the volume of online MTTs i play quite considerably.

In doing so i have found myself gravitating away from Ongame a little as on the whole their structures are a little too quick, and there are better and equally as soft games to be found elsewhere.

I've upped my daily volume to about 12 tournies on average, with an average buy in of about $110. I have always aimed for an ROI of 100%, but appreciate that in moving up stakes a little and playing more tournies at once this will not be easily attainable. However, even if it drops as low as 50%, I'm still looking at making $130-$150k this calendar year, so i would suggest a goal of $200k is reasonable.

I am still enjoying my new schedule, and i haven't yet begun to feel like it is a grind yet, which can only help my bottom line, but having said that - it is never enough.

I feel like there's so much more money out there to be won, the last couple of days I've been railing a friend of mine playing 5/10 NL, and he's been crushing. I have another guy on messenger who has made $400k the last two years and is aiming to double that this year, 8 tabling 3/6.

Their successes make me jealous - which is a little ridiculous considering my projections from MTTs. But i guess that's just the nature of my character. I really want to get in to these cash games, but i also know that if i want to be successful i have to bide my time. I don't want to jump into cash games and lose my hard earned money before I'm ready. I've flirted with cash games in the past, and always after good starts i have hit a wall. I've never lost a fortune, merely one or two buy ins playing nothing higher than 2/4 (and usually lower). But there is still something about cash games that scares me.

I could write off any of these losses as variance, and I'm sure that is true to some extent, but i think there is a problem with my mentality that needs fixed before i can make a real run at the games. Even if i were to attribute it totally to variance, I still wouldn't be ready to jump in, as i want to start at 2/4 and while my roll is big enough if i were an experienced player, I'd like to secure my MTT roll and have an exclusively cash roll.

My problems with cash games are complex and a lot of these problems stem from similar mental issues.

1) I can't stomach losing a couple of buy ins

- whereas i don't mind losing a grand a day in MTTs.

2) There is no end in sight.

- someone was talking about a cash game session recently, and the answer they got was that in cash games it is all one big session.

In MTTs the end point is rather obvious, there is more than one aspect of an MTT that shows that: Blinds go up, players get knocked out and can't get back, there are prizes for the top finishers, with 1st getting the lion's share.

This is all very obvious, but it is a huge thing for me. Whenever i enter a tournament, my goal is clear - to win it.

When i sit at a cash table, there is no obvious goal. I don't believe in setting monetary goals like aiming to make 1 buy in etc, because you cannot control this, and you may end up forcing the action to try and reach your goal. And if you reach your goal quickly, then often it is because of factors like the standard of your opposition and you should really hang around instead of leaving - now what's your goal?

Cash games to me, just seem like so much more of a grind, because the only thing that matters is your bottom line.

After a day of tournaments, i can look at my bottom line, but understand it can mean little due to the tremendous amount of variance involved in MTT poker. But there is more to it. How many final tables did i make? Did i win a tourny? Both of these things add to the enjoyment factor so much, and just make my day easier.

The answer is pretty obvious - I need to learn how to enjoy cash games more, so that i can avoid blowing up in them. The method however, is a little trickier.

Pokah Profile

I began playing poker in February 2005, I bled hundreds of dollars in cash games before I discovered tournaments existed. With the guidance of the Godfather I read numerous books to improve my tournament play.

By Summer 2005, I was a winning player - albeit only slightly.
By Winter 2005, I was making enough to consider quitting my job.
By Spring 2006 I decided I was good enough to go pro.

- I wasn’t.

I had no idea what it took. I didn’t have the game, and I certainly didn’t have the attitude.

Spring 2006 saw me make my inaugural annual Vegas trip with the Godfather. Partly by osmosis, and largely through Mr Brunson’s Super System I began to piece things together.

By Summer 2006 I was a Grand Prix Champion, I “owned” Pokerroom and I was a very proud Ace of Ace Champion. But I was far from the complete player. The St Andrews Mob was born, the Godfather was proud.

By Winter 2006/2007 I understood what it took to succeed in the game, there was no eureka moment in regard to strategies, it was more a realisation of the commitment needed. Playing a game for a living is a risky business, and if the American Safe Port Act taught us anything, it is that the game we love - while old in its origins, is far from stable. At any point, my government could choose to tax my income, and while it is unlikely that they would follow their American friends and attempt to ban the game, other like minded governments may follow Uncle Sam’s lead, and attempt to drive our beloved game underground. Even if politicians were to keep their noses out, it may be the case that in two years time, NLHE is no longer a beatable game. Somehow, all the losing players may have realised that Online Poker while being cruel is not rigged and they are in fact just automated teller machines there for the sole purpose to pad the winning players’ wallets. Or maybe a new fad will come along, one where people can slake their gambling thirst in a more fulfilling manner – perhaps they will be able to interact in a greater way than sitting behind a computer screen for hours while still satisfying their brain’s search for that dopamine hit.

While the above suggestions are perhaps a little farfetched, they are far from being impossible. My point is vaguely related to these examples – we don’t know what the future holds. In two years time for one reason or another, I may not be able to make enough money at this game any longer. If that day ever comes, I want to look back at my time as a poker pro safe in the knowledge that while still having a life, I extracted as much money out of this game as possible, and have some money to build a future.

This understanding motivated me to continue to be a student of the game, and to put in more regular hours.

By Summer 2007 – I had taken my game to a new level, and was grinding a good profit from the game.

What is in store for me this Winter? I aim to continue to put in the hours whilst not forgetting that I have yet to make it. I still have a long way to go, sure I’m a good player, sure I make a decent living out of it, but that is not enough. I want to be great, do I need to be the best? No, but it wouldn’t hurt.

Return to the daily grind...

I've been away from PR and internet poker for almost a month barring a small 3 day stint when i was in London. But I've hardly had a break seeings as I was in Vegas for 3 weeks!

Vegas was great, but I made no money - i was about $100 up! On top of not really making any money I also spent a fortune.

As a result my roll is a little dented, and while I'm nowhere near busto, it would be nice to get a few wins under my belt soon!

I played 2 tournies this morning to warm me up ($5 and $10 >:s ) then played the three rebuys this afternoon.

No joy in the first.

Was 4th at the first break in the second only to donk off my chips and bubble in 61st (60 paid).

Third one:

Sometimes when I play these rebuys i feel as if ppl just give me their chips, other times you have to work for them. Well today was a day when ppl gave me them, which was incredibly nice of them - maybe they knew i would be a little rusty.

30 left i was cruising, took a few beats and bad situations and was suddenly struggling. I got AK in the sb, mid pos raised 2.5x i shoved and he insta called with 88 - he's supposed to fold there. It's not a bad beat, but it feels like one.

I then got lucky to win 3 flips, but again I was up against 99 twice and 66 once, and each time they possibly "should" have folded.

At the FT i was chipping away then lost a pot when the bb smooth called my raise when i had AK and led at the raggy flop.

5 mins later I'm all in with AK and a shorty calls with AQ only to spike the queen on the river.

5 mins after that UTG raises i shove AK aware that i have no fold equity... button calls and so does UTG, flop comes K hi, I'm typing to my buddy on msn "HOLD!". The button bets, utg folds and he flips KK....

GG Pug

$416 for your troubles...

Cash play v MTT play.

I got a lot of useful feedback on my last entry - it was very much appreciated.

There are three of us out here and all of us are primarily MTT players. I say primarily, but really we are pretty much solely MTT players. All of us have had good success in these online tournies - between the two guys I'm here with they share 1 Big Deal, 3 Grand Prixs and numerous Daily and rebuy wins on Pokerroom. However, all of us have struggled a little to adapt to the live cash games.

I wouldn't neccessarily say it is our live skills that are letting us down - We've all won multiple live MTTs in casinos at home.

The primary reason why we haven't been winning big in these games is our inability to play later streets, ie the turn and river.

In a standard MTT online there is little play on the turn and river. Obviously in the early stages of a tourny there is some as you often start with approximately 100 bbs. But it still differs to play in a cash game with 100 bbs. A reason for this is that generally ppl don't tend to speculate as much in tournaments, because they can't reload if they don't hit. It is normally a mistake to continuously call off 4 or 5 bbs with hands like J9s and AT, because for the most part you won't hit, or won't hit big enough. When the blinds go up you are struggling because of all that speculating, or when you get a big hand you only double to 2k instead of 3k etc etc.

As the tournament continues, blinds escalate and the number of bbs you have continues to lessen (assuming you have the average number of chips). As this happens, turn and river play (even flop play to an extent) become much more non existant. It is all about preflop play, raising in position, re-raising in position/out if position shoves - and a large amount of the time open shoving. These are the skills that the three of us are proficient in. These skills are useless in cash games.

Over the past 2 weeks, my cash game has improved dramatically, but it still has a long way to go before i would class myself as a well rounded NL HE player. I class myself as a (very) good MTT player, a good STT player and now.... probably an adequate cash game player. 2 weeks ago i was a poor cash game player. Over the next 5 days, I'm going to concentrate on my game even more to try and improve my status from adequate to "decent", then when i return i might try my hand at some online cash games, and read some forums etc. Another point that i haven't noted is that my MTT play can only benefit from these cash game lessons!

Ok, one hand from today. I wasn't involved in it but i found it interesting:

1/3 NL.

3 limpers to sb who makes it 6 - funny raise obv. This guy has about 250 back. BB calls, leaving 400 back and others call.

Flop:

89T

sb checks and bb leads for 20, mid position loose guy calls with $600 back, folded to sb who calls.

Turn J
(no flush draws)

sb leads for 35
bb calls 35
mid calls 35

Ok....

Now this is interesting. What the hell do they have? There's four to a straight on the board, we have an old guy (warning: sterotype time) who looks like he only plays the nuts. A younger guy who has been playing pretty solidly, throwing some suited connectors into the mix, and a guy in his mid thirties who thinks he is a poker god, is wearing a WSOP t-shirt and has been playing baaaaaadly.

SB has to have at least a queen. Has to. BB - well i think he knows sb has to have a queen, so surely he needs to have at least a queen. Mid position - well as i said this guy is bad, but come on, how the hell can you call this without at least a queen?

River: A

Changes nothing.

SB moves all in for $165

Ok - bb makes it inifinitely clear he doesn't have KQ. I know sometimes weak is strong etc, but this guy DEFINITELY didn't have KQ, he eventually calls. Mid position says "Time please dealer" and sits for 30 seconds before announcing "All in".

BB has abut $200 back.

He doesn't call instantly, but we know he doesn't have KQ. He shakes his head saying how sick it is, but he might have to call. "God, i'm calling off all my stack hoping to half the pot, but i think i have to."

Does he have to?

As badly as i thought he played his hand, i did genuinely feel for him here. The re-raiser did not have to have KQ to move all in here. If he had the single queen i think that this is a great bet. He knows the bb only has the queen, and knows that if he flat calls he is at best splitting it 2 ways (realistically at best 3 way, or maybe losing to the old guy's KQ), but if he moves in, he has a chance of pushing out the bb's Qx and splitting the pot 2 ways with the old guy, and if the old guy has KQ so be it, same result as flat calling.

Ok, so knowing that mid pos doesn't have to have KQ to make this bet can the sb call of his remaining $200 with a single Queen?

There's about $750 in the main pot. If he thinks it's a 3 way split, he is calling $200 to win $250.... If he thinks its a two way split he's calling $200 to win $375.

I think the chances of it being a 2 way split were 0%.
Chances of it being a 3 way split is obviously more difficult to put a number on.
And there is no chance he is scooping the pot.

I think he should fold the river to the old guys all in, but once he calls..... it is a tricky spot.

As it happens the old guy had KQ and so did the shover, the young guy mucked, but to the joy of the table he pulled out another four $100 bills from his wallet "Player checks on 18" was shouted across the floor and four stacks of red chips arrived promptly..... their destination unknown.

Not sure if we will play any more poker tonight, we've played our 8 hours to get the reduced room rate. Probably will head to a restaurant and have a few beers.

Puggy.

Caesar's Palace

Just a quick update. I started writing an entry on another computer and then it crashed, so i will fast forward to yesterday. I might go back and talk about some other hands another time.

We checked into Ceasar's yesterday, and in order to qualify for the Poker Room rate we need to play 8 hours a day between 2 of us - easy!

At Caesar's the smallest game is 1/3 100 min, 500 max.

I like to buy in for $300.

Yesterday I got AQ 3 times in the evening session, 1 time i played it well, the other 2 times, i made mistakes - one that cost me money and another that turned out to save me money.

1)

C/o -1 raised to $6

This guy had been raising small a lot in position with marginal holdings like KJ - he then overvalued his hands on the flop and would call down when he should be folding. He also liked any 2 suited.

So my AQ is ahead of his range, i have position on him. I can call this, but I'd rather raise to get it heads up, so i raised to $20 in the c/o. Folded to him and he called.

Flop:

A 2 2 rainbow.

This is a pretty good flop for me, I know I'm a mile in front and the only action I'm getting here is from a weak ace. If he doesn't have an ace he folds to my c-bet, so i thought i'd throw in a bit of deception and check, and let him catch a bit.

Turn:

7

He checks and i bet 20, he min raises me to 40. Did i just let him catch 2 pair? I don't think so. I'm pretty sure I'm still ahead here, but i think my best bet is to call, as i have position and can see what he does on the river, and maybe get an extra bet, because i still haven't really told him I have an ace. If he has the 7, then as long as he doesn't have an ace with it he can't outdraw me unless he hits another 7 due to the two 2s being on the board.

I call, river is a brick.

He checks - here is my mistake. I've done this a few times. I'm not careful enough in calculating the size of my value bet; it was a value bet btw - i was sure i was ahead and that he would call with a worse holding.

Pot was now $120 - I bet $25 (horrible horrible bet). He called and mucked his hand. I think I should have bet $50 here.

Ok, next one i raise it up and get called by this player new to the table with $500 - he has the button.

Flop A K 3 with 2 hearts,

I fire 2/3 pot, he calls.

Turn Q - good card for me, although if he was in front of me on the flop he still is (unless he has A3 or K3 - but unlikely and even if he did he surely raises on the flop), but i didn't think he was. I know JT now beats me, but I didn't think he had that at this stage.

I decided to check, to let him try to outplay me. I thought he was the kind of guy who would play his position, but then he checked behind and

4h fell.

I checked and he fired $50, i folded pretty quickly.

After that hand he continued to call down bets on draws, so I'm pretty sure by playing the hand badly i minimised my losses - but you have to look at the long term and not the short term results.

Ok third time - i liked my play here, a little different from standard though.

C/o limped and i bumped it up to 15 with AQ on the button, the bb called and the c/o called.

Flop Qc 7c 7d

BB led for 18, c/o folded. At this point i could raise, i think i have the best hand here, but by calling i am throwing some decption into the mix, my hand is a lot stronger than a button raise would suggest.

I call

Turn 4d

He bets $28. I think and decide now that he has JQ/KQ - I could raise here, but decided that I'd get more value if i called and bet the river.

I call

River is a brick.

He checks to me looking at me - massive massive tell. "Please don't bet, i have a hand that could win at showdown."

I bet $40 and he calls, and shakes his head as i flip AQ and he mucks his hand.

Maybe i could have got more had i raised the turn, but i love representing the missed draw on the river.

Ok, today.... rollercoaster time!

I sat down at a table with loads of cash and the first 3 hands were re-raised preflop. Excellent, i like big pots, i can play my strong hands, and play position and look to get paid off.

After sitting there for a couple of hours I had got up to $400 from my initial $300 buy in.

Then this hand developed:

I'm in the sb, button limps for $3, i wake up with QQ. At this point i had raised 3 of the last 4 hands and hadn't shown down. So i figured if i bumped this up i would get no credit.

I made it $20.

The bb who had $700 back thought for 10 seconds and re-raised it to 50.

Ok.....

What am i representing with my raise?

I think they thought i could have had a wide wide range. Maybe even close to any 2 cards, as i had raised so much prior to that. Let's say he puts me on any pair, 89s+

That's a hell of a lot of hands, so let's now put him on a hand.

I think he re-raises me here with 88+ AJ+, maybe even worse? I'm the small blind and the button limped, i don't have to be strong here.

Ok, so my QQ is ahead of his range, and i don't want to be playing this pot out of position. I decided to re-raise and slid in another $100 meaning it was $70 more to him.

At this point he slumps back in his chair and looks like he had a real decision.

I'm sitting thinking "if he moves in here, can i call? I mean i have QQ, I'm in the sb v the bb, what have i represented so far. How has he been playing? What would he move in with here? Do i have an physical tells on him?"

He thinks for 15 seconds or so and announces all in.

Oh oh pinochio (copyright thehills1)

Right, now we've gone over what hands we're representing etc, but there's more to this than that. I have information on this guy from the past 2 hours.

Nugget 1:

20 mins after i sat down, tight UTG made it $15, there were 2 callers and this guy made it $45 on the button with TT.

Now this is by no means bad play, it could be a good play, he won the hand and showed his tens. But TT is probably a little behind a standard UTG raise, or it's not far enough in front. Sure he was raising to isolate after the limpers and to squeeze some of them out. Well i say sure, but i don't know. From this hand i got he is either a good player or he overvlaues hands.

Nugget 2:

Young guy sat down at the table and played very few hands, but played them aggressively. Everytime he showed down he had the goods and chipped up to $400.

Our villain made it $15 from early and got 2 callers including this young solid player in position.

Flop

Q T 5 rainbow.

Villain led for $25 and solid player raised to $75.
Villain then re-raised to $150 and solid player called.

Turn K.

Villain led for $100 and solid player raised all in for about $250, $150 more.

Villain INSTA called and flipped AQ triumphantly.

Solid player makes a sigh of relief and flips 55 for the flopped set - obviously.

Villain looks sick.

Ok... does this guy overvalue hands? HELL YES!

There was another hand where he overcalled on the river, and mucked when the orginal caller had 2nd pair. I don't know what he had, but it was a dreadful call as he didn't beat the original caller. When you overcall you have to be able to beat both the bettor and the caller, sure the bettor may be bluffing but the caller sure as hell isn't. So this threw further weight into him being a bad player.

Ok... decision time.

I had all of these nuggets of info in my head, coupled with the way the hand was played and the fact i had already throwin in $120, i was swaying towards calling. I genuinely didn't think he had AA. When he raised all in, i detected a little amount of genuine hesitation, so realistically the only hand i thought he could have that beat me was KK. I thought AK and JJ (and the other QQ) all fit his betting pattern.

Putting him on that range and having $120 in already i think i have to call.

I called for my final $280 after 15 seconds of thought.

He flips KK as the flop is dealt - whoops....

Flop JT3

Turn 5

Are you ready????

River Queeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnn!

I didn't really react other than to turn to him and shrug my shoulders and offer a facial expression that was supposed to read "Sorry bud, that's poker".

He turns to me and says "That was a terrible call".

I reply "Well on the face of it, it was a bad call but it worked out ok for me, but it was certainly not a terrible call."

The guy (who was in his mid thirties) responded, "it was a terrible terrible call, 300 bucks more on QQ"

Once again i replied "It wasn't a terrible call, i had my reasons."

"Don't try to justify it, terrible player." - Him
"Would you like me to write you a 500 word essay on why i made that call (could have handed him the link to this blog i guess!). I made the call for a reason." - Me
"Whatever, you play real bad" - Him

I should have stopped at this point, i had just bad beaten him for $400, but the guy was being a bit of a dick about it, i mean come on, if he thinks I'm a bad player and he's so much better, then he will crush those games, and if he's so pissed about losing one buy in, he shouldn't be playing. I didn't stop....

"You want to know why i made the call? Why i made the bad call? I have sat here for 2 hours with you and you have been making bad plays all day, you overvalue hands thats why i made the call. I got it wrong, i beat you, unlucky, but let's move on."

He didn't say a word. I realise that i may come across as a bit of a dick myself here, and with good reason; but i just wasn't taking it from this guy, and i only gave back what he gave me.

Anyway i now had $800 in front of me to donk off.

Ok...

I get 78c in utg+1

UTG tries to straddle but is too late. He has like $800 in front of him too. So he limps. This is a very weak holding in the position, but there hadn't been many preflop raises, so i decided to try and see a flop. Even if someone raises from late to say $15, the pot will be guaranteed to be juicy and multi way and I have a chance to catch a monster.

We see a flop:

Qd 5c 4c

Ok... not quite bingo, but i have a massive draw and plenty of chips to use to my advantage.

UTG leads for 20 - he has been playing very LAG and could have a wide variety of holdings here. There are 3 people left to act behind me, i have a big draw (gut shot straight flush draw) so i elect to raise.

This is the type of hand in a tournament that I quite simply wouldn't lay down. I would only lay it down if someone shoved on me, but i would choose my bets sizes carefully so i would be the one moving in with fold equity. However this is a cash game.....

I made it $50, and everyone folded to the UTG LAG. He was on the phone and flat called.

At this point i think it should be noted that he has called a lot of raises on the flop with very weak holdings looking to catch bigger on the turn. Ie he called with A4 on a 4 K J board earlier, checked the turn and caught trip 4s on the river.

Turn 7d

I now have a pair, but i can't be good. He checks to me.

One of the reasons for raising your draw in position is so that you can get a free river card. However, for the reasons noted above i decided that i was best to keep representing strength and fire in another bet to get him to fold.

I bet $100 and he thought for a second and called (still on the phone).

River was the Ks, so despite my draw on the flop, i now only have a pair of 7s.

He checks to me, there's just over $300 in the middle that i cannot win if i check. I HAVE to bet this to win the pot.

I slide in 2 $100 towers, and he sits back in his chair. After about 10 seconds he calls, i flip my pair of 7s and he turns over 45 for the flopped 2 pair, immediately hanging up on his friend and cheering.

I don't think i played the hand badly - I definitely could have played it differently, but i did everything in it for a reason. I bet the turn instead of taking a free card because i thought he might have a weak queen or a middle PP, and i put in a strong bet on the river, that i think was probably optimally sized, to try to steal it. Incidentally, i had 19 outs on the river after i turned the 7, i didn't know that at the time but i did.

9 clubs, 4 gut shot outs - 1 club, two 7s, three 8s and two Qs.

Ok, enough for now. Going to get some food, then will hit the tables again, followed by a club later.

Please, I'd like some feedback on specific hands, because i definitely have leaks in my play - and I'd like to hear some opinions.

Puggy.