Poker Blog

I have left it a while since posting an update.

I have found out that writing blogs posts whilst playing is not a good idea. It removes the concentration, and turns me from a shark(well sort of!) to a fish.

So here is my first set of results from using sit and go shark.

Games Played: 50

First Place: 15

Second Place: 12

Third Place: 4

Out of the finishing places:19

The interesting thing about these results is perhaps not the high number of games won, but the high number of first places. Before I used this tool I could still make the final places but would limp into third. Sit and Go Shark really comes into its own when there is only a few players left.

Had these all been played on the $3 Party Poker tables I would have paid off the price of the software and made $71 already.

Today marked my first victory using Sit and Go Shark and the advice offered was simply superb.

Everything finally clicked into place, I won some lucky hands and lost a few unlucky ones as always but this time I made a few changes. I am going to write blog posts after the games to help concentrate on the game. I am also going to play in lower stakes as I feel I am playing above my comfort level.

One key area where Sit and Go Shark came in handy was when we were down to two players. It allowed me to keep pressure on my opponent every card yet could tell me when to fold. The first of many I hope!

Game 6: $11 entrance fee, 10 player sit and go, Speed.

Early Game:
This is an aggressive table, lots of all-ins very early on. Nobody is out yet but a couple of players only have 600 chips of less.

Dealt two aces, and bet very high. Two callers and I am all in. One player shows Ace, Queen and one a pair of Queens. Virtually an unbeatable hand in this case and it proves to be the case as I knock the first player out and become chip leader.

The table has become desensitized to all ins. Any great hands come up now and its an instant all in as its likely someone will call at the moment.

Dealt a Queen, Jack suited. There are a couple of raises before me. I decide to fold and the flop proves this decision to be correct. Another two players are eliminated in this hand.

Dealt a pair of fives and try to limp into the pot. Nothing comes up and I fold to the first bet.

Dealt an Ace, Four suited. Again limp into the pot and King, Jack and Ten show. I only have a 16% chance of hitting a queen so I fold to the first bet. One other calls and the queen does not come up.

Two fours are dealt, but the blinds are quite high now. With seven players left this is simply not worth calling.

Dealt a Queen and a Jack. One player only has 460 chips left and goes all in. I am not going to make the same mistake again so this time I fold. The flop makes this decision correct as two players are eliminated.

Mid Game:
My Queen and King is beaten by an Ace, Six and there goes half of my chips.

King and Ten suited is dealt and I bet the pot. I am raised and only have 250 chips left so have to call. Knocked out by an ace rag. Seems to be a recurring theme.

Game 5: $11 entrance fee, 10 player sit and go, Speed.

Early Game:
Two players bet high, and keep betting even after a run of four cards are dealt. One shows Ace, King and one shows King, Queen. Non of them had the run. Risky strategy!

Have an Jack, King of club and flop a monster draw with a high pair too. First player bets I raise, then he goes all in and I call. Nothing else hits and he shows an overpair. Down to a quarter of my original chips. Its going to be tough, but not impossible from here.

Dealt two aces :-), I bet, someone raises, one other calls and I call. One player has Ace, Three and two threes turn up on the flop. This shows how dangerous going all-in can be at the beginning when fish call with Ace, Rag. Having said that again, he probably only called due to my low chip count.

Game 4: $11 entrance fee, 10 player sit and go

Early game:

Ace Ten comes up, advised to bet with caution. I am the big blind with three callers so I raise. Everyone calls. The flop shows an ace so I bet half the pot and get one caller. The turn card show another ace, things are looking good, I bet half the pot again and the other player folds. This hand made me 580 chips, quite a nice start!

Advised to fold a Jack, Ten in the early stages. Before I used Sit and Go Shark I would of probably played this hand. Now I follow the advice and fold. One player raises and nobody calls, the hand is not played.

The game style is very different on the $11 table compared to $6 table. Everyone seems a lot more conservative and nobody wants to bet big at this stage. Nobody has gone all in yet after 10 or so hands.

Dealt Ace, King. I raise and everyone folds

Dealt King, Queen. I raise and this time I am re-raised so I fold. Its too early to call this hand-

Dealt King, King. That is three good hands in a row. The person who raised me last time raises the pot so this time I re-raise. He clearly thinks I am trying to steal the pot and calls. The flop shows Queen, Seven and Two. I bet hard and they call. The Turn shows a Queen, time to get a little nervous. I still bet about half the pot and they call. The river shows a seven and two pairs on the table. He checks and I am very unsure so do the same, he mucks two sixes.

Dealt Ace, Queen a few hands later, nothing comes up on the flop and one guy goes all in, simply not worth calling at this stage.

At this stage we still have all 10 players in the game but I am chip leader

The first all-in finally occurs between two players and it is a split pot! Ace, Ten verses Ace, Two. One guy was unlucky here!

Dealt Five, Two on the big blind, nobody raises and the flop is Five, Two and Two. One person bets so that’s an easy raise. They call but then fold on the turn. I cannot help but feel on a $3 or $6 table they would have probably raised all in.

One very strange hand, dealt Ace, Two of diamonds and I limp into the pot with the small and big blind. The flop shows two more diamonds, one person bets and the other player and I call. At the turn and river nobody bets. The cards reveal one person one of a run and two people one of a flush. Luckily I win with the Ace Kicker.

Another all-in, this time Ace, King versus Ace, Jack. A jack comes up on the river and one player is left with just 350 chips.

After 22 minutes we still have all 10 players.

Another all-in and the first player is eliminated. Ten, Ten versus Ace Queen. Nobody hits and the Tens win it.

I am able to steal the pot with a Queen, Jack suited. Betted four times and everyone else drops like flys.

Dealt a pair of sevens, thinking about calling but one player raises so its an easy fold.

Dealt Eight, Nine of spades and limp into the pot. Someone goes all-in so there goes 100 chips.

Interesting hand, three players are all in. One shows Ace, King, another shows Ace Five and the final one has Six, Two. The flop brings up two sixes and a two. Strange hand to go all-in on but it worked this time. I doubt he will be in for long playing like that.

A pair of eights against a pair of nines and the eights go out. Its just a bit too low to bet with at the early stages and we are now down to seven players.

I play make my first stupid move. Someone raises goes all-in with 890 chips. The same guy who earlier bet with Six, Two so I call him with Ten, Jack. He shows Ace, King and hits. Still in a good position but I ignored Sit and Go Sharks advice and paid the price. Still another player with less chips was eliminated.

Dealt Ace, Queen so I bet high, called and the flop shows Queen, Three and Three. This shows the importance of betting high as anyone with a three should be eliminated. I bet high and the other guy folds, an easy 1200 chips gained.

Mid Game:

Dealt Ace, Queen again so its the same again. This time it doesn’t go to plan, I am re-raised and make the mistake of calling. He shows tens and nothing hits. Now I am in last place with six players remaining.

Dealt King, King so go all in. Knocked out by someone with an Ace, Nine. If I had been sensible earlier and had a higher stack the guy who called probably would not of. I think at this stage I need to conserve my chips more and not worry about trying to eliminate players who only have a few chips remaining.

Game 3: $6 entrance fee, 10 player sit and go, Speed.

Early Game
The first player is out in the second hand. The cards on the table fall one off a run. Ace, King, Queen and Ten. One player goes all in with Ace, King and another calls with Jack, Rag.

This game is lot less aggressive, players are having some good starting cards and not even betting!

A second player is knocked out by a pair of aces, he had a pair of twos. No contest really!

Three players have been knocked out and I haven’t even played a hand yet! Still I have most of my starting chips which puts me in a reasonable position and at this stage survival is most important.

My first hand played and its an all in hand. I limp in with an Queen, Jack. The flop shows a queen and my opponent bets. I raise and we are all in. He shows a Queen, Eight and the pot is shortly mine.

Mid Game:
Still folding lots of hands. Its hard to beleive I have only had one hand by this stage. Still I am in third place because of how I have played and the advice offered so its looking reasonably good.

Finally get another hand of two jacks, I raise and the sixth place player calls and is all in. He has an Ace, Five and doesn’t hit. Unfortunately the pot is not very big

My pair of Queens eliminate the forth placed player who had ace, five and we are down to the last three.

Later Game:
I’am able to steal the pot a few times with some great advice and I am in second place with about a third of the chips.

Knocked out in third, I have an Ace, King. My opponent raises and I go all in. He calls and has Ace, Ten. His ten comes up on the river

Still another $10.

Game 2: $6 entrance fee, 10 player sit and go, Turbo.

Early Game:

Sit and Go Shark continues to give some good advice. Not only does it tell me to fold hands that Calculatem Pro tells me to call, but also it gives some great advice. Telling me to fold a ten, queen unsuited seemed a little strange. But on the flop I am glad I did!

First player is out after the third hand. The players are betting wildly at the moment.

I get my first hand, Ace Queen. The Flop shows a jack, four and an ace! I have hit a top pair. One person bets, I raise four times his bet and he calls. The next card is another ace. I bet high and he calls. The final card is a king leaving a possible run and flush. I am already pot bound so we both go all in. They show an Ace, Ten and I scoop the pot leaving them with 64 chips.

Mid Game:

I am on the big blind and get dealt seven and eight. Nobody raises so I get to see the flop - four, five and six! I bet 5x and one calls. The next card is a jack and we both go all in. The last card is a king and he reveals two aces. You could feel sorry for the guy with two aces but he should of raised early on and I would of quickly folded.

I now knock out another player with a pair of Kings versus his Ace Seven.

Then I play Ace Jack and ignore the advice and fold to some who raises. Turns out he had ace six :-(. I needed a bit more confidence at this point!

On another not turbo games do not give much time to read the advice!

The forth placed player is low on chips and we both play. I have an ace six and the ace hits. I put him all in and he calls with a king, queen. He is quickly out of the game.

Late Game:

Now with three players its time to start stealing chips of the third placed guy. The advice offered is helpful at this stage.

Heartbreak time! I have a pair of aces and raise, the third place player goes all in and the second placed player does the same. The flop shows jack, six and two. I go all in and the second place player joins me. Next card is a queen then four. He wins with two pairs, queens and sixes! Maybe I should have betted higher with the two aces, but I think he felt I was stealing pots.

The next hand sends me out in second. I have a pair of sixes and he has ace, two. We both go all in and the cards on the table show two pairs. He wins with the higher kicker.

Still $15 is not too bad!

Game 1: $6 entrance fee, 10 Player Sit and Go.

The early stages:
I am running Calculatem Pro as well, Caculatem tells me to call hands that sit and go shark tells me to fold! I am following Sit and Go Shark so I will ignore Calculatem Pro at the moment. Calculatem suggest that I call fairly low hands like ace, four unsuited or seven, jack suited. Sit and Go Shark however picks up the aggressive nature of the table and tells me to fold these hands saving my blinds!

There are lots of high bets. Sit and Go Shark is advising me to fold a lot and had I betted I would probably of been out quite early. As it happens I almost have my starting chips and have watched as other players have become eliminated.

On another note, writing blog articles as I am playing does help avoid the problem of calling hands early out of boredom!

Mid Game:
Three players have been knocked out and one player has over half the total amount of chips! This does however put me in third place without playing a single hand!

I am then knocked out in 7th place with an ace, queen against the lead player who had six, queen. He only called as he had so many chips, quite unlucky to be beat like this.