For the last week, I have been slowly and steadily working on running the slot online back up to where it belongs. I’ve been playing SNG’s on Stars all week prior to the blogger tourneys and have had enough success to foot the bill for the buy-in’s without having to redeposit. (YET) The real booster to the bankroll has been blackjack! I have not been bonus whoring the casino’s yet, but am strongly considering that option since it appears to be a solid way to clear bonuses $1 at a time.
After cashing out a large portion of my on-line bankroll for my vacation and for Okie-Vegas, I was left with around $200 on-line to play around with and that is a damned uncomfortable situation to put yourself in, let me tell you. I could have re-deposited a little bit had I felt like I needed it, but the challenge for me became to get back to basics and grind away at the lower limits and prove to myself again, that yes, I can beat that level and grow what I had left without re-depositing any money.
Now, granted, I haven’t run up the roll solely by playing low limit poker, but the roll has grown nonetheless. I’ve just switched my low limit mentality over to the blackjack tables. I’ve taken to having one table going while playing a SNG and buying in for $10. When I reach $20, I close that table and switch sites and open another table with $10. Rinse, repeat. So far, without any “tilt-fests” or “crazy betting sessions” I have run up more than $300 playing blackjack alone and now have more than $600 sitting there online. So, I am back in the game and back to being a bit more comfortable $$$-wise while sitting at a table.
Ultimate Bet appears to have finally gotten their Triple Draw problems solved and I played for about an hour last night. That game is truly like crack, if you haven’t played it, give it a shot. I would suggest a quick tutorial from SoxLover or reading the section dedicated to the draw games in SuperSytem II before jumping into the bigger limits, though. I ended the Triple Draw session up about $10 and yes, I am just as tight at the Triple Draw table as I am at the Hold Em Table.
Apparently, Hoyazo thinks that I have been mixing it up a little bit more as of late. Since my heads up, “maniac” session against SirFWalgman, there have been a few times that I have been caught trying to take advantage of my image and a few times where I was actually just playing like a flaming donkey. Back to the heads up with SirF, he had a lot of nice words for me regarding my play that night and I really appreciate it, but truth be known, it’s pretty easy to be that aggressive when you have the cards on your side. I really didn’t change up my overall play that much, I just had cards and I often play that aggressive at a short table when I have a strong hand.
I have been thinking “outside the box” and making a concerted effort to change up my play a bit, especially in the blogger events. I like the “Rock” image, don’t get me wrong, but in order for that style to be successful, I have to catch good cards. Watching the other players that I consider to be “looser” than me (which includes just about everybody) continually post strong finishes in these tournaments definitely has had an impact on my play. While I will probably never be mistaken for a loose maniac, I am trying to incorporate some of their styles into my play at the appropriate times. It hasn’t all come together yet, but it’s a work in progress.
Hand selection is the main thing that I am working on right now. As hard as it is for me to play K-J off-suit out of position, I’ve taken to limping into a few more pots with suited connectors when I do have position. The lucky 10-9 against SirF was a prime example and had that flop not hit me over the head, I could have easily gotten away from that hand post-flop. Apparently, Hoyazo pays pretty close attention. He mentioned Monday night that I was no longer going to get the “auto” respect when I stick in a raise and that’s sure okay by me. As my “Rock” image got me a lot of blinds in the past when I raised, perhaps it will get me more action in the future.