Final PokerSavvy / Mansion Update

I promised I would keep you up to date on the PokerSavvy promotion at Mansion.  It sounded to good to be true, but I have found that it is exactly as advertised.

I have received the funds from both Mansion and PokerSavvy in my Neteller account.  The only hitch was having to send copies of my driver's license to Mansion, but I considered that a minor inconvenience.  Within 24 hours of emailing the ID to customer support and requesting a cashout, I had the funds in hand.  On the PokerSavvy side, the SavvyPoints were in my account within a day or so of completing the promotion.  All it took was a quick email to support and they converted the points to cash and dropped it in my Neteller account.

I couldn't be happier with this promotion, and the next time I'm looking to do a little bonus whoring I will check out PokerSavvy first.

A Nice Reward

I've been playing well lately, and the bankroll is up substantially.  I've decided that it's time to use some of those winnings for other endeavors.  Now I have the opportunity to let my poker hobby fund some toys for my other hobbies.  In this case, the other hobby is photography, and I've cashed some funds out from Neteller to order a shiny new digital SLR camera. 

This is significant for me, as it marks the first time that I've built my poker bankroll to a level that I can cash out significant funds and still have a playable bankroll left over.  It's a nice feeling, sort of like the feeling you get when you pop open that first cold beer of a long weekend - like you know there are a lot of good times ahead.

PokerSavvy / Mansion Update

Just a quick update on the status of the incredible promotion that PokerSavvy is running with Mansion poker.  The deal is - deposit $50, play $50 anywhere on the site, get 900 Savvy points (or $90 cash) from PokerSavvy.

As I posted previously, I signed up and completed the promotion last week (the whole process took about and hour and a half).  When I returned from the lake last night, I checked my account and found that the 900 Savvy points had already been posted to my account.  I've emailed support and asked them to deposit the $90 into my Neteller account - so far, so good.

I do have a caveat about Mansion.  I don't think it's a huge deal, but you should definitely be aware of it if you are considering doing this promotion.  Mansion requires you to send them copies of the front and back of your driver's license before they will allow you to cash out.  You can send it by fax or email, so it's pretty painless, but it does add to the cashout time.  I sent mine to their customer support email address last night, and recieved a notification today that they were processing it.  Tonight, I will be requesting a cashout for my $80 balance at Mansion.  I will definitely let you know how that goes.

Back to Work

I can think of many places that I'd rather be than work right now.  The good news is that I'm feeling refreshed after an uber-relaxing four day weekend at the lake.  The bad news is, well, I already told you the bad news - I'm back at work ;)  I've just got to get through the day here at work, so I can get back to work at the poker tables tonight!  I've got to tune up for this weekend when I'm heading over to Caesar's Indiana with a couple of buddies to play a little live donkey poker.

Happy belated Independence Day to everyone here in the States!

PokerSavvy and Mansion Poker

Alright, here's the deal. I got an email from Matt at PokerSavvy, the good folks who have put on a couple of nice blogger freerolls so far and offer online poker room promotions similar to VPP and PSO. They are running an insane promotion at Mansion Poker right now.

Sign up for Mansion through PokerSavvy, deposit $50, wager $50 anywhere on the site - poker, casino or sports book - and you get 900 Savvy points. 900 points will normally get you $90 worth of gift certificates or an iPod shuffle at Savvy, but for this promotion, they will actually credit $90 direct to your Neteller or Paypal account!

I signed up and completed the promotion tonight (just now, actually). The shocking part is that Mansion is actually quite good. I had very low expectations going in, because I had never talked to anyone that had played there. The software is surprisingly nice and very smooth. Player volume looks pretty low, but I was able to find a decent selection of games. It looks like mostly cash game players there, as I waited about 10 minutes for a $5 SNG that never filled up.

My strategy with my $50 was to buy in for a .25/.50 NL game for the max and play through the $50 in wagering. If I lost, no big deal (lose $50, but meet the wager requirement and gain the $90 Savvy bonus). As it turns out, it took about an hour to wager through the $50 at that game. In the process, I felted two shorter stacks and left the table with a little over $80. I completed the entire process - sign up with PokerSavvy, download and sign up with Mansion, make the deposit, and play through the requirement - in about an hour and a half! Actually, I could've done it in about 30 min, if I'd have skipped the poker and just put the $50 on Brazil over France in the World Cup.

I plan to cash out the $80 from Mansion and have the $90 from Savvy put into my Neteller account. I'll let you know how smoothly both of those processes go.

For right now though, you should definitely check out PokerSavvy. They have a couple of rooms that are not represented at either PSO or VPP, and their bonuses and promos look fairly easy to clear (though they're not all as easy as the Mansion promo ;).

1.5 Seconds of Fame

I was mentioned (sort of) in this week's PokerDiagram podcast. Henry and Zog are struggling a little bit with 5 card draw this week, and it reminds them of the time that they played PLO/8 the first time. While they are reminiscing about the Omaha show, Henry mentions that the listeners had a good laugh at their expense, and that one of the users laughed so hard that he almost had milk come out his nose.

Actually, it was Diet Coke, and that listener was me. The Omaha episode was #19, and you should definitely give it a listen (you can get it from their archives). Here's my original post about that episode. That was a great one, and this week's (# 40) is very good too. Keep up the good work PD!

Back Home at Stars

I snuck in just under the wire last night to make a deposit at PokerStars in time to qualify for the June reload bonus. This means that I now have money at my three favorite sites and nowhere else. As an added bonus, I'm playing quite well right now and am back to just enjoying playing poker.

Here is my impromptu ranking of all of the online sites that I have played:

1. PokerStars - In my mind, PokerStars and FullTilt are in a virtual dead heat for first place. They both have excellent software, solid customer service and a good selection of games. Stars gets the nod for the number one slot because of the number of players there.
2. FullTilt - Ditto. Great software, good tournament structure, good selection of games. My only complaint is that during off-peak times I usually don't find more than one or two full tables of .5/1 or 1/2 limit HE. Six max games can be had, but I'm not a fan.
3. UltimateBet - Their software is quite good, but a notch below the Stars and Tilt. I've always liked the SNG structure at UB and I can usually find a game. I really like the way that UB's bonuses clear. You work the bonus off in real time as you earn player points rather than a lump sum at the end.

---

5. PokerRoom and Hollywood - I like both of these sites, and may play there again at some point. Software is good, game selection is good, customer service is good. I know the software and player network is the same, but I like Hollywood just a little better than PokerRoom - the colors and graphics are just a little more pleasing to the eye.
4. PartyPoker - The software has improved a great deal, but is still not the equal of my top three. With the recent upgrade, the SNG structure sucks even worse than before. Yes, you start with T2000 and the levels are 10 minutes, but the blinds increase to the stratosphere in just a couple of levels. I can't put my finger directly on it, but their policies just don't seem to be as "player oriented" as some of the other sites. I haven't deposited money here in about 1.5 years. The only time I play at Party is when I get a free comeback bonus every 2 to 3 months which I promptly cash out as soon as it is cleared.
5. RoyalVegas and GamingClub - Yawn. I'm not a huge fan of these sites, but I don't really have anything against them either. The software is not terrible, the game selection is not terrible (during peak times), and I've not had to deal with customer service. I probably won't play at any of the other Prima sites unless I'm chasing down a PSO or VPP bonus.
6. Absolute - I'm not a big fan of this site. I'm not sure why, but it didn't wow me. The software is about par, and there is a decent selection of games and players (especially if you like six max), but there's just nothing here to get excited about.
7. Titan - Blech! This is the worst site I have played on. Fortunately, I never deposited money here - I played on an Instant Bankroll promotion through PSO. In my opinion, this site is bottom rung in every aspect. I've not played at Noble, but I have to assume that my experience would be exactly the same.

Hiltons Revisited

If you don't mind, I'd like to go back and critique my play in the hand I posted yesterday.  I'm going back even if you do mind - it's my blog.

From a pure results perspective it doesn't get much better than that hand in limit hold'em (the pot was around 40 BB).  Still, in thinking back on the hand throughout the day yesterday, I started to feel all scaly and slimy.  I'd be interested to hear what y'all think about the hand.

Pre-Flop - I really like the pre-flop play.  I raised in EP with a big hand, both to limit the field (didn't work) and to build the pot (worked like a charm).  The re-raise and cap behind me concerned me, but there's no way that I don't call here.

Flop - Here is where I start to have problems.  The flop is king high, and I KNOW that one or both of the raisers had at least a king.  Given the pre-flop action, I had to know that one of the players had AA, KK or possibly AK.  Again, I like the early position raise.  With the raise I hoped to isolate, or at the very least get a couple of players out of the hand.  Plus the raise could buy me information that I couldn't get with a call.  So far, so good.

The re-raise and cap on the flop behind me gave me all the information that I was looking for.  This should have been a clear fold when it came back around to me.  Instead, I was weak, stubborn, and couldn't let go of my QQ, though it was obviously no good.

Turn - Though I don't like the fact that I made it to the turn, I think my play there was OK.  The T on the turn tremendously increased the value of my hand.  I now had second pair, plus a big straight draw.  I had four outs to the nuts (any ace), plus six more outs to improve (two queens + four nines).  The pot was gigantic, and I had the odds to call along.

River - The river obviously played itself in this hand - to paraphrase Jordan, it's easy with the nuts.  On this street, the donkey play reverted to my two opponents that were willing to keep raising with sets when there were four cards to a big straight on the board.

So that's how I see it.  Good play that turned into fishy play that turned back into good play only after a runner-runner suckout.  Let me know what you think.

Fun Hand Courtesy of the Hilton Sisters

The Hilton Sisters provided me with one of the most fun hands of poker I ever played last night (a great hand job, perhaps?).  Not coincidentally, it was also the biggest limit pot I ever won (in terms of BB's, not $).

Pre-Flop:
I raise from UTG + 1 with our beloved ladies.  Two donkeys cold call, the button reraises and the big blind caps.  Already I'm thinking aces or kings, but this is an easy call.  Five players eagerly await the capped flop.

Flop:
Kd, Js, 7d  - BB bets out, I raise to try and get heads-up if I can, both donkeys fold, button three-bets and BB caps.  By this point I'm pretty sure that I'm in trouble but call anyway.
 
Turn:
Tc - Giving me an OESD.  BB bets, I call, button raises, BB reraises, I know that a cap is coming from the button, so I go ahead and beat him to it (to save a little time, dontcha know). 

River and Showdown:
Ah - NUTS!  Bet, raise, reraise, cap.  I'm pretty sure that we're heading for a split pot here, but...  BB turns over AA for a rivered set.  I show my Broadway and the button mucks!  (A quick check of the hand history reveals KK for a flopped set).  Holy cow, a three way cap on every street and I SUCKED OUT!!!

Now first off, let me say that I don't - for an instant - believe that online poker is rigged.  That being said, if online poker is rigged I'd like to give a public shoutout to the guy pulling the strings and ask that you please send a little more love my way :)

How Do You Read Poker Books?

This is a question that's been on my mind about as long as I've been reading poker books.  What is the best way to consume a book about playing poker in order to maximize your benefit (your ROI, if you will)?  My typical style is to read the book as though it were a work of fiction - get through it, then put it away.  Guess how much material I retain, and how much my game typically improves when I read a poker book this way?  Yup.

My New Plan
I'm trying a new approach with Small Stakes Hold 'em, and it seems to be working OK so far.  Not in terms of results (though I am winning), but in my perceived grasp of the material.  Here's my strategy.

1. Read through the book once.  I did this in my normal half-attentive fashion, just to get through the book and be exposed to the material once.
2. Play poker trying to incorporate as much of the style as I remember.  [This is where I would normally stop - Read the book, put it on the shelf, try to remember what I could from the book, then go back to my own style.]
3. Re-read the book - one section at a time.  This is the piece that I believe that I was really missing.  By really zeroing in on just one section of the book at a time, I can read, re-read and highlight just that section until if finally 'clicks' in my brain - trust me, sometimes this takes a while.
   
4. Play poker, focusing on the element of the game that I am currently studying.  Here is where the effort pays for itself.  By concentrating on just one aspect of the game at a time, I can really tune into that part and focus on one little sliver of my play in detail.  When I do this, I discover a ton of mistakes that I can correct.  I'll continue to repeat steps 3 and 4 until I really get it.  Then it's on to another section.
   

My ability to pick this particular material up and begin using it is notable because the SSHE style is nearly the polar opposite of my natural limit game (SSHE actually felt a little loose and donkey-ish to me at first).  For example, the single biggest leak that I have discovered in my game (so far) is not calling enough on the river when the pot is large.  Here I was, thinking that I was making the solid, tough laydowns on the river.  Donkeys call and pay off; winners fold and save a bet, right?  WRONG!  It turns out that I was making what Ed Miller calls the biggest mistake in limit poker.  The error of wrongly calling an extra bet on the river when you are beaten costs exactly one big bet.  The error of wrongly folding on the river when you have the best hand costs the entire pot.  Who's the weak-tight donkey?  Yeah, that'd be me - but no longer.

Back to the Beginning

May was a month of going back to the drawing board for me, poker-wise.  In late April I picked up a copy of Small Stakes Hold 'em, and my intent was to begin really focusing on my limit ring game.  I dropped back to the stakes where I would have a full bankroll (300bb, according to 2+2) and no worries about timid play or saving bets here and there.  In my case, the starting point was .25/.50. 

My plan is to consistently play a given limit until I have a comfortable bankroll for the next limit and then move on up.   Ultimately, I'd like to reach the 5/10 or 10/20 level.  I think that if I can develop my game to the point that I am a winner at those stakes, I will be able to pull money out of the bankroll for "extras" and still have a good amount of working capital to play with.  Right now, my bankroll is so tiny that even a small withdrawal has a crippling effect.

The real challenge this month has been altering my playing style.  The attacking style put forth in SSHE is about as far away from my natural game as you can get.  My natural limit game is to wait for premium starting hands, bet when I have a good hand, raise when I have the nuts or close to it, and get out of the hand when I'm pretty sure I'm beaten.  As an interesting side note, this is NOT the way I play NL (SNGs and MTTs) - in NL tourneys, I'm quite a bit looser and much more fearless about attacking the pot.  I guess the difference is that in a tournament it's just chips - not real money.  Let's just say that Ed Miller see's the low limit ring game much differently than I do.  I've worked REALLY hard this month to change my style.  My SSHE book already looks like it's five years old, because I've read and re-read parts of it so many times.

The good news is that the work is beginning to pay off.  I've moved from .25/.50 to .5/1, and I expect to move to 1/2 this week.  The Ed Miller style still feels pretty unnatural for me, but I feel like I'm starting to "get it".  Right now I'm focused on playing by the book, but I expect that I'll eventually work parts of my own style back into my game.  There's some good poker ahead, for sure!

I'm In

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker!

This Online Poker Tournament is a No Limit Texas Holdem event exclusive to Bloggers.

Registration code: 7330476