Is there a poker zone?

If so, then I am in it. I kept up my zany pace to get my hands in for Rush week. 1386 hands in 102 minutes, playing 2 or 3 tables at a time. +2 buy-ins, +half a buy-in in rakeback. I feel like I'm making very few mistakes in a session now. Pocket Jacks in the small blind. Early position raise, then a re-raise? Fold, no hesitation. Ace-king in early position, three bet by a super-tight player? Fold. Overpair faces heavy resistance from a decent player? Fold. No "woe is me" calls, no "please be bluffing this time" calls, just fold and move on to the next hand. In multi-table Rush, you don't have to wait long.

My 2 biggest losses were no big deal. Two pair on the flop, minraised on a third flush river, giving me 5:1 odds. Probably a fold, but why was the bet so small? I pay to see his small-ish flush - probably the only payoff I make all night that's on the iffy side. 40 big blinds, a big pot but no disaster. The other was out of position, blind vs. blind, with pocket tens. Big blind defends my raise. Flop is 357, 2 hearts. I bet and he raises. He could do this with sets, obviously, but also eights and nines, which I beat, and jacks, queens, kings, and aces, which I do not (but would generally 3bet preflop). I call the raise, planning to fold to larger bets in the future.

Turn is another 3 - safe card for me. I check and he bets less than half pot. I call. Smells like a flush draw now. River is an ace that completes a flush. Now I give less credence to a flush draw - I would expect him to hold the ace of hearts, but it just came on the board. (Maybe he has KhQh or KhJh). We both check. He's got the jacks. I lose 23 big blinds.

Those are the only two hands in 1386 where I lose over 20 big blinds. I have 11 hands where I win at least 20 big blinds. I'm playing well, and seeing the results - a sometimes novel effect.

After Rush week is over, the plan is to attempt to move up in stakes.

Drawing as Dead as Mathemtically possible without actually drawing dead

Here's a game we can play - let's each put the same amount of money in the middle, then have a computer program pick a random floating point number between 0 and 100. If the number is equal to or lower than 98.864, then I get all the money in the middle. If it's bigger than 98.864, we split the money in half. Wanna play that game?

Feral Cow Poker Hand Converter
Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em $0.05/$0.10 - 9 players

MP: $11.65
MP2: $6.74
HJ: $4.40
CO: $3.14
Button: $8.74
SB: $18.55
BB: $17.54 (Hero)
UTG: $16.96
UTG+1: $8.45

Preflop: ($0.15) Hero is BB with (9 players)
6 folds, Button calls $0.10, SB raises to $0.30, Hero calls $0.20, Button calls $0.20
Don't have stats on button, but less than full stack and open-limping in last position is all I need to know - he's a fish. When SB raises, I flat call to keep fish in.

Flop: ($0.90) (3 players)
SB bets $0.40, Hero raises to $1.20, Button calls $1.20, SB calls $0.80
Two pair for me. I raise and they both call. Better be on the lookout for the last diamond, and maybe a broadway straight...

Turn: ($4.50) (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $2.20, Button raises to $7.24, and is all in, SB folds, Hero calls $5.04
..until the king comes. I have the immortal nuts, and fish shoves into me. Ok, I call.

Button shows
Hero shows

I will admit that Ace-four suited was a bit weaker than the range I has assigned him

River: ($18.98) (2 players)
And we chop. Wait, what?

Button showed , and won ($8.86) with a full house, Aces full of Kings
Hero showed , and won ($8.86) with a full house, Aces full of Kings
Button won $8.86
Hero won $8.86
(Rake: $1.26)

I would say that at least we chopped up the SB's money, but the rake ate most of that. I profited one big blind on the hand.

Sklansky owes me nine bucks.

Had trouble with this hand

One of my bigger losses in today's sessions, wonder if I could/should have done anything differently. Feedback welcome.

Feral Cow Poker Hand Converter
Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em $0.05/$0.10 - 9 players

CO: $6.96
Button: $11.02
SB: $9.95
BB: $10.00 (Hero)
UTG: $16.55
UTG+1: $5.20
MP: $11.69
MP2: $26.84
HJ: $10.00

SB is a 24/15 with a high steal percentage. When players like this steal, I usually call with many playable hands, and use my position to try and show down/win a small pot.

Preflop: ($0.15) Hero is BB with (9 players)
7 folds, SB raises to $0.30, Hero calls $0.20

An ace qualifies to take a flop with position against a blind stealer.

Flop: ($0.60) (2 players)
SB bets $0.40, Hero raises to $1.20, SB calls $0.80

No made hand but big draw. Nut flush and gutshot. I raise the flop but he calls...

Turn: ($3.00) (2 players)
SB bets $1.40, Hero calls $1.40

...and then donks the turn. Once he does this, I don't think he's going to fold anymore. However, I still have a 12 out draw, and my ace might be good as well. Worth a half pot call...

River: ($5.80) (2 players)
SB bets $3, Hero folds

...whiff city. El-fold-o

SB won $5.42
(Rake: $0.38)

Back to Back stacks

(with apologies to Bill Murray and Stripes)

Chugging away in Rush 10NL, getting some hands in for Rush Week practice on Full Tilt next week.

Feral Cow Poker Hand Converter
Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em $0.05/$0.10 - 9 players

SB: $3.90
BB: $14.86
UTG: $13.16
UTG+1: $7.26
MP: $18.74
MP2: $3.59
HJ: $5.57
CO: $3.92
Button: $13.15 (Hero)

Preflop: ($0.15) Hero is Button with (9 players)
UTG folds, UTG+1 raises to $0.35, 4 folds, Hero raises to $1.30, 2 folds, UTG+1 raises to $2.25,

Oh, crap, the minraise 4bet. No hands on villain to know anything about his play, but it looks like cooler time is coming, my kings vs. his aces. I'm still not folding kings for 73 big blinds, though, good for him if he has aces.

Hero raises to $18.69, and is all in, Button calls $6.52, and is all in

UTG+1 shows
Hero shows

J9 off? Hmmmm. Guess it's his favorite hand or something.

Flop is

Turn is
River is

UTG+1 showed , and lost with two pair, Aces and Jacks
Hero showed , and won ($13.70) with two pair, Aces and Kings
Hero won $13.70
(Rake: $0.97)

Very next hand at the table....

Converted by the cows of Feral Cow Poker
Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em $0.05/$0.10 - 9 players

HJ: $8.69
CO: $3.26
Button: $10.77
SB: $17.90
BB: $19.59 (Hero)
UTG: $13.69
UTG+1: $12.55
MP: $12.76
MP2: $4.12

Preflop: ($0.15) Hero is BB with (9 players)
2 folds, MP raises to $0.20, 3 folds, Button calls $0.20, SB folds, Hero raises to $0.90, MP folds, Button calls $0.70
I decide to squeeze with a real hand. The button calls.


Flop: ($2.05) (2 players)
More fun - top set on a flushy board. This time we're full stacked. But it's a 3bet pot, SPR is 5, and I've got top set. No folding. If he somehow has two hearts, well goody-goody, I'll pray for my redraw.

Hero bets $1.20, Button raises to $3.35, Hero raises to $18.69, and is all in, Button calls $6.52, and is all in

Button shows
Hero shows

Set over set. Nice. Dodging 1 out and runner-runner hearts is a bit easier than dodging 9.

Turn: ($21.79) (2 players)

River: ($21.79) (2 players)

Button showed , and lost with three of a kind, Fives
Hero showed , and won ($20.34) with three of a kind, Queens
Hero won $20.34
(Rake: $1.45)

Profiting 160 BB in two hands is good enough for me, especially near bedtime.