pokerstars this wee hours of the morning

Played strictly 10-player, double or nothing, on pokerstars, around 8 tournaments. Finished winning back my 30% :)

I'd like to share a strategy that I think is paying off - these tournaments are, as you probably know, shorter and kinda easier. You play to get only for the first 5 spots. There is no importance on who got the most chips, all the top 5 get double their entrance. Hence, it's survival of the least dumb, or "just try to not get too unlucky".

Thus, there are a lot of players that won't move without anything else than premium hands, and who even with 2 big blinds will hang on to them with the hope someone else goes unlucky before them and they somehow manage to get into the money.

The critical part is when blinds get to around 100/200, because if you haven't done anything for the whole SNG, your stack starts dropping real fast at this point. Plus, there's probably between 8 and 6 players remaining, so there's probably one or two players that have doubled up, but most players are still around 1500 and having the same problem - chips are running out and those blinds look real good. This makes people go all in when they feel they have a strong hand.

After a period of all-ins, people have normalized their stacks, and only around 6 or 7 people remain. This, is where the hand that's coming up is relevant - some people have gotten out of the critical low stack and are now confident they can go back to sleeping. This is where you start taking advantage of the incredibly unfavorable position that risky plays have at this point - you are one place away from the money, 20 minutes into a SNG, and you don't want to be #6!


Funnily enough, the easiest people to push at this moment is anyone smaller than you. Some big stacks will not play with you since they don't want to jeopardize their stack, but if they do, they are looking to take you out, so pick your spots. But small stacks? Punish them! In any way possible. At this point just 3 blinds will cover most small stacks, so you only need 3 successful attempts to cover any small stack that decides it's "show time" to push all-in. But what you will see is that those small stacks will claw their chips and rather fold in places where they probably would play if they had the chips, and continue folding those raises.


I was the big blind, folded around the table, and the small blind probably thought he could steal my blind to stack a bit. He was terribly short stacked, maybe 6 BBs, and I had like 15. He probably didn't like the call. Up came a board I think he totally missed, maybe 2 8 9 . I had called with JT so I had a open ended straight. He bet one blind (leaving him with about 3 blinds). Sensing he was weak, I called the one blind.

Out came a card like 3. he bet again. I called. Note he has 2 BB's at this point.

The river card I can't remember. But he checked. This to me was, "I've fired all bullets into this and it just seems you will flat call me. I'm done. Hope you don't raise!". And of course, even if I knew I was probably losing I put him all in.

Why? Because it was so weird. I was sure he was trying to steal. I was sure he hadn't hit the flop. He might have had a pair of 5's for all I know. And I'm pretty sure he was thinking I had him beat.

So incredible as it is, this person folded. He was the next one to leave of course, since he only had 2 blinds. I think he made a mistake in not calling there. I think he only had one good decision point - go all in on the flop or stop firing and keep your 4 blinds when your steal didn't work. But he didn't have the courage in the end, just because there where only 6 left.

So, lesson learned: be courageous when others are fearful, and the opposite. It pays well in these SNGs. (isn't that Warren Buffet's?).

ichigo

If you are only watching the anime get outta here!

Who's excited over Ichigo?! Meeeeeeeee

Final Getsuga:

Mugetsu:

Thanks to wikia

pokerstars tonight

lost 30% :( played a 180 SNG, finished in the middle, played a re-buy, real crazy, finished in the middle. double or nothing we're positivie in the end bu nothing to be excited about :(

This is one of the most fun things to see in your blog

One thing I really like about blogspot is that it's integrated with Google. Not because I can use my google account, but because they have such neat, free tools (that everyone else uses to make money). Me, I'm an idealist. I love seeing this report. I think those visits from Costa Rica and US are mainly me and my close friends, since some of us have a US public address at work (although I've seen some from NY and similar which aren't near anyone I know). Spain is probably Carlos, Dominican Republic one of my good friends over there. Canada, I do have some Stream friends, and I put money down that the Nicaragua one is Salvador.

But then, it gets really interesting. I don't know anyone in Japan (my favorite place in the whole wide world) or South Korea (internet mecca). The thought that someone in those high tech countries stumbled upon my blog and read it, makes writing it in English all worth it. I don't know how they got here (maybe because of Bleach posts?) but you are damn welcome to come by anytime, and leave me a comment :)

Costa Rica salutes you, visitors of the world :D

pokerstars tonight

played a double or nothing 10 person turbo sng. finished 6 :(

played a 50K freeroll qualifier, 50 person SNG, finished 3rd. Damn close. Added $8 to the account :D hope to get off microlimits soon... tom dwan, watch out...

durrrrrr

I do not know who to blame... but I WANT A DATE!

They backed out on the bunbury 3d movie :(

I've missed some of the albums from my favorite bands, and that must be corrected!

Albums from:

Lucybell
Zoe
The Used
My chemical romance
Andres Calamaro
Enrique Bunbury
Thursday

have come out, must be obtained by any means, and listened - only then will Ariel repay for his insolence of not being up to date. And of course all shows possible will be attended.

Especially if they are a 3d movie 15 minutes away from my house :D :D :D

New Lucybell album came out!

First single has those tones I love:

8.- Ave Fénix (Rocket Man)

Estoy vivo otra vez Sentir mi cuerpo acelerar Estoy vivo otra vez A tu galaxia incendiar Estoy vivo otra vez Arder no deja pensar Estoy vivo otra vez Y nada que recordar Desde mis cenizas renacer Ave fénix pero de papel Desde mis cenizas renacer Este fuego vivo me hace bien Estoy vivo otra vez Tu supernova en paz Estoy vivo otra vez Principios desde el final Desde mis cenizas renacer Ave fénix pero de papel Desde mis cenizas renacer Este fuego vivo me hace bien Tú me haces bien Desde mis cenizas renacer Ave fénix pero de papel Desde mis cenizas renacer Este fuego vivo me hace bien Me hace bien Me haces bien Me hace bien Me haces bien Desde mis cenizas renacer Ave fénix pero de papel

Video can be downloaded following this link

One thing I've been noticing more and more in this world...

I've recently embarked on removing the huge amount of people I had added to facebook while playing mafia wars, for the primary reason that I DON'T KNOW THEM. Thus, seeing their updates was completely un-meaningful (especially since I stopped playing Mafia Wars when it just grew old on me).

So far the experience has been enriching. I've started seeing the posts from my friends and known ones, getting to know them better and seeing what they are up to. I really like my facebook better now - let's face it, it is a great tool for sharing thoughts, pictures and gossip.

Being the (hmmm, middle aged?) person I am, nearing my 30's, I have noticed the same message from a lot of people near my age:

- People are meddling with my life
- People are expressing their opinion when it's not asked for
- People suck (heh)
- I don't like the quality of people that I considered my friends

And it's... both a shame and the curse of being so widely social thanks to things like Facebook. Do you remember the african proverb, "when you have a true friend, hold on to him with both hands?" I think we really can only make so many good, true friends in our life, and they are very few in total. In the book outliers, it is explained that true experts put in approximately 10,000 hours into their craft to reach that desirable level. Friendship is probably the same way. You must really invest time with that person, live together through various situations and still find each other's company appealing at the end of it, before the people you may consider "friends" today, become actually "good friends".

Thank you, to my friends, both the good and ones becoming "the good". I know our lives can change, but out hearts remain the same.

I can't wait for bleach 432!

I just watched this again and I'm aching to see the next issue... damn Ichigo looks badass!!

I do hope they explain all of this later... we've never seen a shinigami with Ichigo's strength before... maybe that's what's needed to get into the royal guard?

there are two songs I can't find

And they are both costa rican:

"tu patria sigue siendo la misma, domingos de futbol, y noches de juerga... coro: costa rica aunque me encuentre, yo tan lejos de tu (suelo), cantaré, cantaré, Costa Rica yo te quiero"

the other one is a play on wilfrido vargas's el loco (I think)

"ayer me fui caminando, tras una negra diez cuadras, diciendole cosas tuanis, y tocandole la espalda. Se ha vuelto con su sombrilla, y un sombrillazo me ha dado, que me ha rajado la jupa, de la frente al otro lado. Al hospital fui a parar, recordando esa chiquilla, recordando sus caderas, recordando su sombrilla..."

internets, please save me where google has failed :(

NFL, we love you

Monday night football and spicy nachos with a cold drink and my lovely girlfriend. Life is good!

coming back to my blog

Some crazy stuff happening soon

Amy and I are getting married 10/10/10!

I went to church and confessed... that was a long time coming!