So, after deciding to make a concerted effort to play some 6Max and move to ring games permanently (well, at least for a while), I have hit my first milestone - 10,000 hands.

I am finding it all quite a change of pace and a good development for my game. I think because a lot of FTRers play 6Max, there is also the added advantage of having a wealth of knowledge and expertise to draw on when you need help directly or even just reading back replies to other people's posts.

I also played a little with Euphoricism tonight (only a few dozen hands - no tet a tet to inform of.

So, my 10k check-up is thus;



and it looks like it could be the last poker I play for a while before I go to Australia.

I am certainly hoping that 2007 will be a good year for me. I am going to give 6Max a full, sustained run and look to get to 50NL before too long. My other resolutions are to lose some weight (well, a lot) and also to learn some Welsh. These three things will form the basis for my blog. I have decided that if I can stick to it, I can do it and I am going to try and use this blog as the motivation for keeping going.

Actually, I think I will set some tangible goals in stone and work towards them.

Poker Related
1. I want to get to 50NL by March 07. I figure I need 20-30 buy-ins, so somewhere between $1000 and $1500 to move up. My roll at the moment is $597 (although I did pay for Australia on the back of other people's money. I can artificially supplement my roll when I get paid, but I want to be able to hold my own there when I do.

2. Be a bit more aggressive and stop making so many crying calls. Slightly harder to measure (well, the 2nd bit is), but I need to do this

3. Watch and Learn from some of my fellow FTRers

Losing Weight

1. Exercise more

2. Eat less shit

3. Lose 17lbs by 1 March '07

Learning Welsh

1. Practise speaking more

2. Learn a word or phrase every day

3. can't think of a 3rd here, but I will

Laters & Merry Xmas everybody
-Staresy

Xmas shopping sucks. There is nothing further to add and nothing anyone can say that will sway my opinion on this. In fact, it isn't even my opinion; I am stating it as fact.

People just wander round like gormless twats. It has gotten to the point where I swear they are doing it on purpose. Like their sole purpose for being out on a particular day or even being placed on this planet is to get on my fucking nerves.

I am 6'3" and I am not a small guy. Anyone who has met me will confirm this. So why on earth do people insist on walking at me instead of around me? Do I look like a stairwell or a carpet? Am I fucking invisible? No. Walk fucking round me.

Oh, and when you are stood in front of me and I am CLEARLY attempting to go past you, the best way to facilitate this is not to slow to the point where you have virtually stopped altogether and THEN start walking fast again when I am just to the point when I am going past you. Neither is suddenly making an unforeseen veer to the left/right to look at some dogshit tat on the shelf / in the window. GET OUT OF THE FUCKING WAY.

I am seriously looking at investing in one of those alarms that zaps electric current into people (kinda like a cattle prod) and taking it shopping when I have to go.

So, after my week in Manchester with work and my Xmas shopping expedition, I have also played a bit of poker this weekend.

Here's how I got on on the poker front....



Overall my stats seem pretty consistent.

VP$IP% remains in the low 20's
PFR% in the mid-teens
Blind Defence and Blind Steal seem pretty static.

I am working on trying to get that aggression factor up. Sometimes I feel myself calling when I should be raising. I am going to have a proper review in the next few days and try and pick out the precise situations where I could / should have raised.

I'm hoping that, despite the small sample size (just under 10k hands) I still stand in good stead for advancing to 50NL and then 100NL. I can artificially boost my BR when I get back from Australia which will help, but I would prefer to know that I can hold my own there.

Speaking of Australia - I am going to meet up with Taipan168 when I get out there. He lives in Sydney. I am really looking forward to it.

Also when I get back, I am going to start to look to play a bit more live. Anyone living in or around London should PM me if they are interested.

TTFN
-Staresy

So, I am stuck in Manchester on some course with work and haven't really had chance to play very much. However, I have squeezed in 500 hands and will try and play again later on. That leaves my overall $25NL 6Max stats (since November 27) as follows;



If anyone reads this blog, let me know what you think. Anything too high? too low?

Perhaps someone can also look through this and tell me what you think;

PokerStars $25NL (4 handed)

UTG ($30.50)
Villain ($27.70)
SB ($26)
Hero ($27.05)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 7, 9.
1 fold, Villain raises to $0.75, 1 fold, Hero calls $0.50.

Flop: ($1.60) 5, 9, 7 (2 players)
Hero checks, Villain bets $1.25, Hero calls $1.25.

Turn: ($4.10) 5 (2 players)
Hero checks, Villain bets $1.5, Hero calls $1.50.

River: ($7.10) 9 (2 players)
Hero checks, Villain bets $7, Hero calls $7.

Final Pot: $21.10

So, poker continues to amaze me.

I have played about 5-6k hands of 6-Max since I returned to action on November 27. Most of these hands have come in the last week.

It is truly strange because I played on Tuesday and felt I played really well. I was making lots of correct decisions, solid raises and disciplined folds. However, I still wound up ~3 buy-ins down (we won't talk about QQ, which has killed me during this stretch).

Then, I played again last night, didn't feel I played anyhere near as good and walked away 5 buy-ins up.

However, that said, 25NL continues to be a mine-field. One hand I remember (I'll add the HH in due course) is making a cheeky raise from the button w/ T 8 and getting called by the BB. Flop comes K hi, all diamonds - I think I even had an inside SFD - and the guy stacks off with JJ.

I am up $200 in 5.8k hands @ around 6 ptbb/100, so I'm happy at the moment.

I may even make my return to live tournaments on Saturday - all depends how hungover I am.

TTFN
- Staresy

So, after a 4-month poker hiatus, I have decided to return. I have also decided to heed the advice I have read and heard from so many players, many of whom I have great respect for, and I have decided to abandon the warm, safe bosom that is S'n'G land (or Shit 'n' Go's as I prefer to call them) and take the plunge into Ring. I was playing quite a bit of 50NL full ring over at FullTiltPoker.net before I stopped, but have decided to return to Stars and give 6-Max a run.

What I have learnt in my absence / since returning?

Well, I am still far too impetuous and prone to batches of tilt; however, at least 6-Max gives me the opportunity to shut down and take a break to simmer down.

That I took short-handed ring to be like a short-handed SnG situation and was playing WAY too many hands. I am getting this under control.

That 25NL is emminently beatable and that I can't wait to get back from Oz and start playing some 50NL and 100NL in due course.

That I need to start admitting my short-comings a little bit more instead of putting my mistakes down to Goofball opponents, variance or whatever.

That if I really applied myself, I could make a lot of money playing poker.

It's good to be back.