Session #1

Well, I hit the Vic for the first time in a couple of months last night to undertake the first session of many this summer..

I know poker players say it all the time but I ran awfully, it was cooler after cooler. Initially I had ran it up to about £135 (sat with £100 on 50/1), the majority of which came from my flopped top 2.
Soon noticed I started playing bad. I am never going on a Sunday night again, only regulars there really and there was no action. Michael, one 70yr old regular I know quite well, only plays AT>. I was playing 4 hours and he saw 7 flops, one from checking his option. Unreal. So no action meant Jamie starting being a bit cocky and making the action. Didn't help when I pulled off a massive bluff with 6 high and showed it to induce action, that was fatal cos I lost all respect for an hour.

Had AA twice, flopped top set twice, lost the hand twice. 99 quadded up. KJ hit a flush and took me for £70. However, I legitamately folded to quad 9s, I flipped AAA and got stunned looks. The guy mucked but the table insisted on showing, its only fair...he had quads. Sickest moment of my life. It was fairly obvious tbf, the guy may as well have been rolling around on the floor going "QUADS!". So I lost about £30 there.

One thing about 50/1 at the Vic that really tilts me is preflop action. Limp limp limp limp limp, raise, call call call call call. I dont like to make it £9/10 to go with AA/KK/QQ cos I think its obvious that you are protecting a premium hand. However, I think I am going to make my standard pre flop raise £6 minimum and see how I go.

I also need to just calm down a bit and get back to playing small ball poker. I am desperate to quit working full-time, be able to earn £300p/w from the Vic and work part-time, enjoying the summer and building a roll. However, right now, I cannot afford to lose the money, so I was playing differently and with less confidence, I was just playing scared. However, the small ball TAG game has earnt me £600 in that place, I need to remember that and get back to it, not be in a rush. I went in all guns blazing and wanted a quick £80 (my target per session) and then get out.

Anyway, AK < AQ, set over set, flushes drawing out on me, I went down to £35. I won't provide the ins and outs but eventually left with £80 at midnight (the majority coming with QQ overbet shove on flop).

I was really happy despite losing money, simply cos I didn't tilt, I was enjoying playing to begin with, met some cool people, heard a lot about Vegas and was playing pretty solid. I made a few mistakes, of course, but generally I was on the wrong end of coolers.
The main thing I am taking from it is that my short stack play I felt was exceptional and I didn't just stick it in with JT and pray, I felt I was better than my opponents and built it up again. I am sure I could have ended back in profit but it was quite quiet so at midnight we ended up 7 handed and I wanted to catch the tube home, which meant leaving at that point or spending an hour on a bus.

Going to go again on Weds. That session has to be positive otherwise I will have to leave it until the end of the month. I need to think about this cos I don't want the fact that I CANNOT lose money influence my play.

Things to take from it:
> Get back to small ball poker
> Focus more when not involved in the hand
> Socialise less, play poker more
> Consider preflop bet sizes
> Limp less
> Stop being so f'ing passive with AK
> Be more aggro generally. I got the T part last night but not the AG

GL