thebigdawg first go around at online poker

thebigdawg · Jan 27, 2011

So I won 6 dollars on a CC freeroll on Carbon about two or three weeks ago. That was the first time I have ever had real money on a online poker site (except a dollar that I won on a funstep 3 awhile back.) So I played some dollar double up games and had some success, I got it up to around 11 dollars or so. Then I tried playing a little higher stakes double up game and had no success, thats when I realized double up games or not for me. It's not poker, I wouldn't recommended it. Everybody slow plays everything and just waits for other people to get knocked out. Anyways I was down to my last 30 cents on Carbon and I decided to play in the Quarter Quickly which cost exactly 30 cents to play in. 116 played, I took it down. I think I won 8.60 which is not a lot but it got me started.

Then I started playing a lot of 2 dollar 6 man turbo tourney's and had a lot of success. It built my BR from like 9 dollars to 20 some just like that! I kept playing 6 man turbo tourneys (a few 5 dollar ones) and started going up some then down some, I got hot one and got all the way up to 40 dollars. I thought I knew what I was doing and it would just keep going up. Thats when it started going downhill..

Everything that could go wrong has. I have had pocket aces two different times today, once losing too K 8 and the other too Q 10. My A Q last night lost too K Q and my A 10 last night lost to K 10. Two or three nights ago I was playing 5 dollar 6 man turbo tourney and I was heads up with somebody. We was about even in chips and I hit a straight on a turn card and pushed, he called with a straight draw and a flush draw and hit a straight flush on the river. With all these beats I have had I just couldn't help to go on tilt, I was even playing blackjack. I watched my roll go from 30 cents to 40 dollars too now about 7 bucks. But it was with free money and I have learned a thing or two.

One, don't play double up games unless thats all you do. It's not poker, ands unless thats all you play I would just stay away...it looks tempting and a easy way make a little money but my advice would be don't go there. Most of the people that I saw playing double up games was playing them 24/7 and that was all they played.

Two, if your going to play sng's then proceed with caution. I have learned sng's can be a easy to build a BR and easy way to lose it. Its hard to handle since there is any sng game you want they offer 24/7 and your tempted keep playing and keep playing. If your go on tilt easy then I would stay away.

I'm just going to play mtt tourneys with the rest of the money I have on there. For one that is what started my roll in the first place. Also they only offer the mtt's I like to play in maybe twice a day so I won't be going on tilt this way and if I run good in them its a big payout. I will send out another update on how i'm doing on mtt's shortly.

Worak · Jan 27, 2011

If I were you I'd stay with the MTTs on carbon, too.

If you scan the lobby you'll see quite a few money added MTTs with micro buy-ins, too.

Those money added MTTs almost always have overlay so they're even sweeter imo.

Don't move up in stakes just because you feel lucky (and you're not BRd for them) and PLEASE stay away from blackjack/roulette.

You'd rather transfer the money to me instead so that at least someone you know can work with it

.

fletchdad · Jan 27, 2011

First off, nice way to start, gettin a nice little BR from free money. Gratz to that. And I TOTALLY agree with Graf, stay away from the blackjack if keeping your BR is what you want. But I think you understand that w/o saying due to your way of describing your tilt "I was even playing blackjack" ...lol

SnGs can be brutal. I started grinding them (well, for me its a grind) 3 weeks ago. I play 4 tables min and do 2-3 hour sessions, and this 3-4 times a day. I inter spice with an MTT or 3 in place of an STT set to keep things from getting too mundane. The beats can be overwhelming (I mean beats that make sense like my AA against QQ and he spikes a Q), as well as the donks who call anything and hit. That is MUCH worse IMO. I hate losing, but for someone to put me all in with a 4-bet with QQ is an understandable move, especially in 5-6$ games, but for someone to call my all in when I have KK and he has Q4o, and flops the 4 and rivers the Q is PAINFUL. And all too common, so you gotta just move on, make a note of the player and put him all in next time with a similar hand if you get the chance.

DoNs are a legitimate way for some ppl to build a BR, it is just a totally different game than SnG. I know a couple of players who play these a lot and do well. I think it is a matter of preference. If you want to play DoNs you HAVE to learn what a proper way to approach this format is, and it differs from a normal SnG. It is perhaps more like a turbo SnG, and the luck factor is more predominant like in turbos - dont flame me here, you turbo players, I play turbos too, and there simply is more room to "play poker" in the reg speeds, I like em both. But that is an oversimplification, some good DoN stuff on CC, and in DTB if you havent tried the trial. Good stuff at DTB all around, for that matter.

I think it is hard to say with a BR of 7$ whether MTTs or STTs are a better BR build. Variance in both these formats is so "THERE" that I would just say play what you feel more confidant with. And when you are in a game, forget what your BR is, just play as good as you can, try to avoid thoughts like "I would normally push here, but if I am wrong I am out and my BR is so small" If ya know what I mean. When you get in a game, get in it to play, and leave your passivity behind (I am kinda saying this for me as much as you..

thebigdawg · Jan 27, 2011

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Trust me, never going to play blackjack again and the only reason I did was because I was losing my mind while going on tilt.

As for as the DoNs, if you know how to play them then it is fine but its just different than a regular game on there. It's not a luck game, I mean you can get lucky hear and there on them but unless you know how to play them I would stay away.

I still got enough money to play a few dollar dazzlers and two dollar mtt plus I have some points built up on there that should get me in a tourney or two for free. I still might play a 10 man 2 dollar turbo tourney here and there as far as that goes but for the main part I will be staying away from sngs. I haven't gave mtt's much of a try since I won that Quarter Quickly. I guess because they sometimes take long and they don't offer the ones I want play in 24/7 like the sngs but im going to play what start my BR and see how do with it.

thebigdawg · Jan 27, 2011

Well I played in the Fast Fifty this morning on Carbon, 88 played and I finished 7th. Pretty happy with my overall play, didn't get that great of cards but made the best out of it when I had something. I was running low at the final table and I tried to make a bluff on a guy in a big pot but I got caught, it happens. I think if I would have did on the turn card instead of the river I might been able to get away with it. Good start to mtt playing.

I might play in another tonight.

Poker Orifice · Jan 27, 2011

thebigdawg said:
So I won 6 dollars on a CC freeroll on Carbon about two or three weeks ago. < way to go!!! I actually started my bankroll on Carbon from a $2 freeroll cash. That was the first time I have ever had real money on a online poker site (except a dollar that I won on a funstep 3 awhile back.) So I played some dollar double up games and had some success, I got it up to around 11 dollars or so. Then I tried playing a little higher stakes double up game and had no success, I'd highly recommend reading up on Bankroll Management, because with $11 you should never be playing anything higher than the lowest possible buyin they have. thats when I realized double up games or not for me. It's not poker, I wouldn't recommended it. Everybody slow plays everything and just waits for other people to get knocked out. < pretty sure 'slowplay' isn't the word you're looking for here... maybe 'everybody's playin' super tight?? (or most are probably) . DoNs are a different game (I think they're boring but many of the players in them are strictly playing DoNs & know the adjustments that need to be made due to flat payout (ie. calling range is very tight, & we must shove often enough to keep a stack that has some FE).Anyways I was down to my last 30 cents on Carbon and I decided to play in the Quarter Quickly which cost exactly 30 cents to play in. 116 played, I took it down. I think I won 8.60 which is not a lot but it got me started.

Then I started playing a lot of 2 dollar 6 man turbo tourney's and had a lot of success. It built my BR from like 9 dollars to 20 some just like that! I kept playing 6 man turbo tourneys (a few 5 dollar ones) < again, this is way out of suggested BRM... "Phil Ivey himself would be a losing player if he didn't practise some form of BRM" and started going up some then down some, I got hot one and got all the way up to 40 dollars. I thought I knew what I was doing and it would just keep going up. Thats when it started going downhill.. < this is why one needs to practise "BRM"... you could be one of the best SNG players out there... but 'shit' happens. Typically you'd want to have min. 50buyins in micro levels for SNG's (but with a super puney bankroll this is obviously impossible. On Carbon I pretty much stuck with a few freerolls & then some of the cheapo Bounty SNG's... they are very weak players in these... pretty hard to lose in them).

Everything that could go wrong has. I have had pocket aces two different times today, once losing too K 8 and the other too Q 10. My A Q last night lost too K Q and my A 10 last night lost to K 10. Two or three nights ago I was playing 5 dollar 6 man turbo tourney and I was heads up with somebody. We was about even in chips and I hit a straight on a turn card and pushed, he called with a straight draw and a flush draw and hit a straight flush on the river. With all these beats I have had I just couldn't help to go on tilt, I was even playing blackjack. I watched my roll go from 30 cents to 40 dollars too now about 7 bucks. But it was with free money and I have learned a thing or two.

One, don't play double up games unless thats all you do. It's not poker, ands unless thats all you play I would just stay away...it looks tempting and a easy way make a little money but my advice would be don't go there. Most of the people that I saw playing double up games was playing them 24/7 and that was all they played.< most of the winning players in the micros will be sticking to one format & getting to know it really well (whether it be DoNs, 6plyr Turbo SNG, 9plyr. reg. STT/SNG, 2nl, or 5nl), before moving on to other stuff.

Two, if your going to play sng's then proceed with caution. I have learned sng's can be a easy to build a BR and easy way to lose it. Its hard to handle since there is any sng game you want they offer 24/7 and your tempted keep playing and keep playing. If your go on tilt easy then I would stay away.< good advice! Also > Never play when your emotions are off, you've got stuff on your mind, or are unable to give it your full attention (ie. 'no TV', no phonecalls, no web-surfing, etc.).

I'm just going to play mtt tourneys with the rest of the money I have on there. For one that is what started my roll in the first place. Also they only offer the mtt's I like to play in maybe twice a day so I won't be going on tilt this way and if I run good in them its a big payout. I will send out another update on how i'm doing on mtt's shortly.

I pretty much stuck to MTT''s as well, but mostly just the priv. ones. I actually have never played that much on Carbon (compared to other sites), but managed to build up the $2 starting roll on there to over $750 (w/o ever really taking shots at tourneys outside of bankroll management..... except for a couple of $33mtts).
If you're able to get a bit of a roll going on there, I'd try giving the micro rebuy MTTs a shot. They have a TON of terrible players in them & prize money is fairly decent!!

GL! It's tough to build up a workable bankroll.. but it's not impossible

Poker Orifice · Jan 27, 2011

thebigdawg said:
Well I played in the Fast Fifty this morning on Carbon, 88 played and I finished 7th. Pretty happy with my overall play, didn't get that great of cards but made the best out of it when I had something. I was running low at the final table and I tried to make a bluff on a guy in a big pot but I got caught, it happens. I think if I would have did on the turn card instead of the river I might been able to get away with it. Good start to mtt playing.

I might play in another tonight.

Yah, to any player who's played a fair bit... the big river bet will often make no sense. You have to make your bluffs represent something... think of it as a story that needs to fit the situation.

In late level play & vs. many of the micro buyin players, it's often better to avoid big bluffs (cuz there's usually so many loose passive types that you can value bet them to death with your big hands.... & also alot of over aggro spewy types (& ones who bluff wayyyyy too often).. that you can trap them into hanging themselves fairly often too. In late levels though, when stacks are sitting at 10-25bb's, it's better to look for spots where you can resteal preflop (vs. player who is raising & stealing blinds too often).. or be the one raising & stealing the blinds (depending on table... ie. if they've gotten really tight & some seem to be overly concerned with moving up a spot or two on the money ladder... attack the overly tight ones... but also keep in mind that if you're raising into stacks on your left that are fairly short, you'll often be priced in to call if they re-raise allin back at you... so sometimes (in some spots/situations) you'll have to tighten up ur range a bit (knowing you'll be priced in to call their shoves).

thebigdawg · Jan 27, 2011

Thanks for the feedback Poker Orifice.

Yeah that hand this morning at the final table when I tried to bluff the river card was the only play I really regret from the tourney. I should have I tried on the turn, and it would have work too...the other guy hit a pair of 9's or 10's on the river and called my bluff. Oh well, you learn and go on.

I think thats good advice to stick to one game only, for a good while i'm going to stick mtt and see how I do. This morning was the first one I played in awhile and I made the final table and the money.

Oh yeah, i'm impressed that you turn 2 dollars into 750! That really is a accomplishment. How long did it take you?

thebigdawg · Jan 27, 2011

Ehh, just played in the dollar dazzler. Made it too the break with my original buy in. I took the dollar add-on since I had a average stack I would be at a disadvantage if I didn't take it. I have KQ offsuit, middle position and limp in (folded a lot of hands after the break started, just no good starting cards) flop comes JQ3 rainbow, I think I was first to act and I went ahead and pushed all in, no reason to vaule bet imo with a straight draw out there and plus the pot was 1000+ and I all had was 5000+ in chips....I get caller who has K10 off. I was happy too see this call since I was around a 67 percent favorite, but he turned a 9 on me (picture below.) Thats poker I guess. I just can't believe he would risk half his stack (he had 10000+) on a up and down straight draw. I probably won't be playing online again until Sunday evening, I will be playing live with some local people tomorrow evening suppose to be a 50 dollar buy in tourney if they don't cancel.

swingro · Jan 27, 2011

Well first of all if you are lucky enough to go up to 40 dollars than try to apply a bit of bankroll management from there on. 1$ buy-in + fee SNGs or MTTs are more than enough for now. Even if you are a great player you can easely looose your bankroll on a bad run.
Take the type of game that you like and stick with it trying to improve your strategy.

I myself after 1 and a half year of poker still did not found the game that a likem most. I like NL holdem , SNG, MTT, ring table. Probabely i do better at MTTS but i do not always have the time and patience to play 3-4 hours every day . So i mix them up. BTW of all the NL holdem type of games i do not like DONS because i cannot play more than 4 tables a time yet and i will not bother with them ever. I do not have the bankroll to play high buy-ins DONS, and at small buy-ins is a lot of time lost for a few cents if you survive the rake.

I think small buy-in MTTS are a good way to build a bankroll quikly because the field is made by poor players and the CC freerolls are a good exercice for them. The lvl of play is far greater than the smal buy-ins public MTTs where almost noone folds when they have the top pair or a streight draw and you always find 1-2 callers when you have aces or kings.

But from what you said i think your leak is the bankroll management and tilt.
Whenyou tilt always force yourself to think that the money you have in your bankroll are much more important than the money you may win. Your bankroll gives you the chance to play again and do better , If you loose them you will have to start over. And belive me. Next time after 2 weeks a mounth etc when you'll win your next money, your lvl will not be better. you will have to start learning again.

thebigdawg · Jan 27, 2011

I agree, im working on BRM and my going on tilt. Its hard when you get sucked out but im handling it better like tonight, I got sucked out on by a guy who made a donk call but I didn't go join another tourney trying to win my money back. With the money I have right now on Carbon im just go to play .30 cent, .60 cent, and 1 dollar mtt's. If I lose what I have, oh well start over in FR's. If I have success im going to keep playing mtts.

fletchdad · Jan 28, 2011

thebigdawg said:
Ehh, just played in the dollar dazzler. Made it too the break with my original buy in. I took the dollar add-on since I had a average stack I would be at a disadvantage if I didn't take it. I have KQ offsuit, middle position and limp in In this situation you have to think ahead to what kind of flop will make you happy here. JQ3 is not one of them IMO, and MANY players will cal your shove in these limits especially with draws. I am small c betting here if I find myself in this situation at most (and folding to the shov, but most probably check/folding). This is a hand that can put you in a difficult spot MUCH more often than it will make you happy. If the break was over then the blinds are already high enough that you do not want to be limping a lot anyway, and especially not with a hand that you will be mucking in most cases. If your stack was <75BB then you can do this but I am assuming blinds 100/200 here? or thereabouts? Dont forget that 67% fave means 33% dog. 2 in 3x you will double up here and 1 in 3 you lose everything. A double up here is no guarantee of anything, and you are not desperate. (folded a lot of hands after the break started, just no good starting cards) flop comes JQ3 rainbow, I think I was first to act and I went ahead and pushed all in, no reason to vaule bet imo with a straight draw out there and plus the pot was 1000+ and I all had was 5000+ in chips....I get caller who has K10 off. I was happy too see this call since I was around a 67 percent favorite, but he turned a 9 on me (picture below.) Thats poker I guess. I just can't believe he would risk half his stack (he had 10000+) on a up and down straight draw.<-<-<- Start believing it. Did you have stats? Had you seen any sign that he could do this? Player reads are so dependent, not to mention you linped and your shove screams of over bet with a good but beatable hand, if not pure bluff. I probably won't be playing online again until Sunday evening, I will be playing live with some local people tomorrow evening suppose to be a 50 dollar buy in tourney if they don't cancel.

Putting you tourney life on the line is always something IMO that you should be hitting the time clock on and asking yourself a few questions before you do. What range are you putting potential callers on i.e how wide will they call, effective stack sizes, player reads, flop texture are all points to consider. As well as how desperate are you, and how far ahead do you think you are. Not in bad shape, and you hand is beatable? Not a good time to risk going out. And just trying to not put yourself in a situation where you are OOP and having to make difficult decisions will be +ev n the long run.

Patience is your friend if you have a stack that can survive and orbit or 3, I am assuming you did???

I am saying this because I have been in the same situation so many times, and upon recent review have spotted this as a major leak in my game.

thebigdawg · Jan 28, 2011

fletchdad said:
Putting you tourney life on the line is always something IMO that you should be hitting the time clock on and asking yourself a few questions before you do. What range are you putting potential callers on i.e how wide will they call, effective stack sizes, player reads, flop texture are all points to consider. As well as how desperate are you, and how far ahead do you think you are. Not in bad shape, and you hand is beatable? Not a good time to risk going out. And just trying to not put yourself in a situation where you are OOP and having to make difficult decisions will be +ev n the long run.

Patience is your friend if you have a stack that can survive and orbit or 3, I am assuming you did???

I am saying this because I have been in the same situation so many times, and upon recent review have spotted this as a major leak in my game.

Thank you for the feedback fletch, to be honest though I still don't think it was a bad play. I don't like to limp unless I have perfect position to do so and I didn't want to put out a raise with a little less than average stack on KQ off, so I thought about just folding. Then I thought about it and noticed, the past few hands nobody had raised pre-flop and I figure if I can see a flop with KQ for the cost of a blind then it would be worth it. When the flop came out there was really only 2 hands that I thought I could be beat with AT THE TIME, maybe 3. The two hands that stuck was QJ and pocket 3's, all though there was only 3 of us in the pot I was afraid them two hands since another guy limped and the BB checked. I was not at all thinking pocket Jacks, Queens, Kings or Aces because almost anybody will raise pre-flop with them hands (unless in a DoN) so I ruled that out and then there is a possibly of AQ but I gotta feeling somebody would have raised pre-flop with that as well. So when I pushed all in I was hoping for a AK too call, a K10 or a 10 9 (maybe if I was lucky a Q 10.) The three hands I was praying not too see was QJ, pockets 3's and AQ. I got what I wanted, the straight draw called. All he had was 8 outs...he just drawn out on me. If i'm a 67 percent favorite every time in showdowns then I should come out ahead.

My stack was below average. I had around 15 BBs left...somewhere around there at the time. I might have just should have folded pre-flop since it wasn't good enough to raise with and my position was not the best either but I thought if I could see a flop for just calling the blinds it would be worth it.

Well I thought last night would be the last time I get to play till Sunday evening but it looks like I should be able to play the in a 2 dollar freeze out at 12:40

fletchdad · Jan 28, 2011

thebigdawg said:
Thank you for the feedback fletch, to be honest though I still don't think it was a bad play. I don't like to limp unless I have perfect position to do so and I didn't want to put out a raise with a little less than average stack on KQ off, so I thought about just folding. Then I thought about it and noticed, the past few hands nobody had raised pre-flop and I figure if I can see a flop with KQ for the cost of a blind then it would be worth it. When the flop came out there was really only 2 hands that I thought I could be beat with AT THE TIME, maybe 3. The two hands that stuck was QJ and pocket 3's, all though there was only 3 of us in the pot I was afraid them two hands since another guy limped and the BB checked. I was not at all thinking pocket Jacks, Queens, Kings or Aces because almost anybody will raise pre-flop with them hands (unless in a DoN) so I ruled that out and then there is a possibly of AQ but I gotta feeling somebody would have raised pre-flop with that as well. So when I pushed all in I was hoping for a AK too call, a K10 or a 10 9 (maybe if I was lucky a Q 10.) The three hands I was praying not too see was QJ, pockets 3's and AQ. I got what I wanted, the straight draw called. All he had was 8 outs...he just drawn out on me. If i'm a 67 percent favorite every time in showdowns then I should come out ahead.

My stack was below average. I had around 15 BBs left...somewhere around there at the time. I might have just should have folded pre-flop since it wasn't good enough to raise with and my position was not the best either but I thought if I could see a flop for just calling the blinds it would be worth it.

Well I thought last night would be the last time I get to play till Sunday evening but it looks like I should be able to play the in a 2 dollar freeze out at 12:40

Can go either way. I understand your thinking, and in a tourney you gotta take chances to win. I just am getting a bit more careful in my old age......

What I meant in my post mainly is you WILL be called light in these types of tourneys, so you will be coin flipping a lot in these situations. It goes with the territory. I tend to err on the side of conservatism when I am first to act. I personally think I would be thinking betting for thin value and going from there, as in small c bet - this can look a lot scarier than a shove, although a lot of these players wont really notice what you are doing, still maybe worth a try - and then the 9 on the turn can set off some bells and whistles which give you a chance to decide if you want to continue or not.

But I am basing this on seeing how the hand played out so its hard to say, I may be closing the barn door after the horse is gone here.............

thebigdawg · Jan 28, 2011

I understand your point fletch, maybe if I had around 10000 or 12000 in chips I would have threw out a vaule bet but I just think floping top pair with a good kicker I have to push and make move.

Well I just finished a 2 dollar freezeout tourney on Carbon, 47 played and your truly finished 1st : ). I ran great today, my pocket Jacks held up against AK and my pocket 6's held up against AK in two big showdowns early. At the final table I was chip leader but not by a big amount, I had the bullets in first position and just min-raised trying to create a pot. Then 2nd biggest stack pushed! I was like yay! He had AK, my aces held up and I cruised from there. Nice to see my BR go back up. Im still sticking to dollar and two dollar mtt's though. It seems to be my bread and butter.

fletchdad · Jan 28, 2011

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Very nice!!!

thebigdawg · Jan 29, 2011

Thank you. Nice to see I got my roll back up, seems the mtt is my bread and butter. I still need to play a lot more though to make that call.

Worak · Jan 29, 2011

thebigdawg said:
Thank you. Nice to see I got my roll back up, seems the mtt is my bread and butter. I still need to play a lot more though to make that call.

Very nice going there !

It's always hard to say whether you're a winning Mtt player - even after playing a year or so continuously..... there will always be long stretches without any cashes.

As I said before the micro MTTs on carbon are quite beatable - as you can see yourself now.

Keep up the good work, gl.

thebigdawg · Jan 29, 2011

grafkarow said:
Very nice going there !

It's always hard to say whether you're a winning Mtt player - even after playing a year or so continuously..... there will always be long stretches without any cashes.

As I said before the micro MTTs on carbon are quite beatable - as you can see yourself now.

Keep up the good work, gl.

Thank you.

Yeah I think they are very beatable. Not the best players on there, a lot of weak players. I played in another today, I got off to a big stack but was crippled when my pocket queens lost to AK, it happens.

thebigdawg · Feb 1, 2011

Well I finally got somewhat of a row going now. Played in a 3 dollar freezeout tonight, 97 got in and yours truly took it down : ) I had one lucky hand and one unlucky hand, my pocket 6s beat pocket 10s and my A J lost to A 6 so I guess that evens out. I really think mtts or my thing, still got keep playing more to make that call. It's hard to believe I went from 6 bucks to 12 bucks to .30 cents to 40 dollars to 7 dollars too now 120+ dollars, its been a ride to say the least.

twoturntablez · Feb 16, 2011

Great results man, keep it going.

dantheman91 · Feb 16, 2011

Great job man! Keep it up!

And don't tilt. ;-P

thebigdawg first go around at online poker

thebigdawg

Legend

Worak

Legend

fletchdad

Jammin................

thebigdawg

Legend

thebigdawg

Legend

Poker Orifice

Fully Tilted

Poker Orifice

Fully Tilted

thebigdawg

Legend

thebigdawg

Legend

Attachments

swingro

Legend

thebigdawg

Legend

fletchdad

Jammin................

thebigdawg

Legend

fletchdad

Jammin................

thebigdawg

Legend

Attachments

fletchdad

Jammin................

thebigdawg

Legend

Worak

Legend

thebigdawg

Legend

thebigdawg

Legend

Attachments

twoturntablez

Rock Star

dantheman91

Rock Star

About CardsChat

Our Community

Our Site