A Long Week

    I must start off by apologizing for the delay in making this post.  About 3 days ago I started coming down with a cold and it has been kicking my ass ever since. This cold, coupled with some general laziness, has meant that, other than playing poker, nothing productive has really been accomplished the last few days.

    As I was wallowing in my misery this evening I looked out the open patio door and noticed that the sun was going down over the bay and that it was a beautiful evening.  I don't know if my reaction to this beautiful moment was typical but in any case, it made me realize that I need to stop being such a bitch and get some shit done. So here I am.

    Since I have been sick I have been playing more online the past few days. The backer wants me to clear 1k games at the current level with a 40% ROI before I can move up so I have been trying to knock those out ASAP.  I also had one short, but fruitful, session at The Borgata yesterday. The table was great and I would have loved to have stayed but was just a stopped up, coughing mess and thought it best that I not infect everyone at the casino with this bug.

    Aside from neglecting my own blog, I have also been neglecting my responsibilities as a mod on the flux stables forums.  I am going to be posting some of my more interesting HU hands on the HU SNG thread and talking on some general topics.  If you're looking for a little more strat and gossip head over to fluxstables.com .
Glgl.



whiteyslacks

Atlantic City

    I get to Atlantic City only to only find out I can't register for any tournaments.  I'm trying to get the problem resolved and will discuss it in more detail once it is resolved but for now I'll just have to talk about the cash games I've been playing.

    My registration issues may actually be a blessing in disguise. I wasn't exactly looking forward to three straight weeks of 14 hour tournament days.  If I can get everything worked out and play the last week and a half I will be perfectly happy.

    I don't mind missing some of these tournaments because the cash games at the Borgata are so full of value.  My backer is dragging his feet on clearing me for $2/$5 but just playing $1/$2 I am up 1.1k over three days of play.

    The other horse that came with me has yet to cash but is a proven tournament player and will undoubtedly have a couple good scores before we leave. Our backer came in last night and instantly found success by shipping a SNG for about 2.5k.  Coupled with my cash contributions we are now up on the trip and plan on staying in the black for the remainder of our time in AC.

    If any readers are or are going to be in AC over the next few weeks be sure to come find me. I'll be in the Borgata poker room all day, 6 days a week.  I'll be the guy with the shaved head and the big stack! Glgl.


whiteyslacks

Last Day in NYC

    The last few days in New York I have been trying to learn a new game. My backer was briefly a turbo HU SNG (heads-up sit-n-go) professional and under his tutelage I have been attempting to learn the game.  It's a very interesting form of poker. These turbo SNGs force a player to understand proper play at multiple stack depths while at the same time utilizing their understanding of game flow and meta game.
  
    My foray into HU SNGs started out beautifully.  I was crushing at what was apparently an unsustainable winrate.  Since the first full day of play it seems a statistical correction has occurred.  I am now only slightly profitable in the 150 or so games I've played.  I am quite sure  I am running very badly over the last 60 games but am also sure that I am doing things which are exacerbating my swings.

    A hundred and fifty games is a small sample size, even for HU, so I'm not too concerned but I am really looking forward to getting to Atlantic City tonight and playing people older than me (for once) that are going to be perpetually "waiting for better spots."  There's no better variance limiter than playing retirees that believe patience is key and aces will come.  At least that's what I'm telling myself.

    I'm not sure exactly when I'm leaving New York but I do know I'll be heading out sometime tonight.  In the meantime I'm going to work on plugging some HU leaks and trying to get my mind right for the Borgata tournaments.  If anyone has any particularly effective methods of maintaining a proper mindset during downswings please feel free to leave a comment. Glgl.



whiteyslacks

    

Variance, I Hope

    I thought I could play poker, apparently I was wrong. Played some 100NL on gr88, got crushed. Moved back down to 50, got crushed. Went deep in a $22 $12.5k guaranteed on Stars and got crushed by J7o with 18 left.  Right now I'm adding to my makeup with a veracity that has not been seen at small stakes in quite some time.

    With all that said though, I'm having a good time with the backer and his lady friend in NYC.  I'm here for about 6 more days and I'm not really looking forward to leaving.  Right now I'm grinding on a very nice set up during the day and either going out or playing some cash in the evenings. Things could be worse.

    The upcoming Borgata trip should also offer a nice respite from soul-crushing internet play.  I plan on shipping the first tournament I play and immediately getting out of makeup.  Until then the online MTT grind will have to do.  If anyone feels like witnessing anymore soul-crushing tournament defeats feel free to search for whiteyslacks on PokerStars the next few days.