Online Poker

After a conversation with Zach, and after beginning a challenge with George and Josh.. it's only fitting that my return to poker blogging be focused on the realm of Online Poker.

I haven't played online poker with real money since May of 2007, at which point I was frustrated by continuous bad beats and frankly, a lack of my own patience. George, Josh and I made an agreement to start an online poker career on January 1st, 2008 with a $300 bankroll and play Limit Holdem. Once we've established a win rate at each level and built up an appropriate bankroll for the next, we would move up.. starting at .25/.50 Limit Holdem.

Well, so far it's been quite the adventure, to say the least. I bought Poker Tracker and (thanks to Alton) Poker Ace.. and they work really well. So much information is available to us in the online poker world that is near impossible to get live. As of tonight, my bankroll sits at $248.. and that's fresh of a victory in Bmore's Brawl.. which I badly needed.

My .25/.50 stats are currently:
3,488 hands
VPIP: 20.93%
PFR: 9.17%
AF: 2.15
BB/hr: (-0.56)
BB/100: (-0.74)
Net Total: (-12.90)

I've been growing frustrated lately with online poker in general. It's been a bad run these last two weeks. Constant suck outs to a degree that's hard to describe, and I'd be lying if I didn't say it's gotten to me. I've seen so many hands where the flop coordinates so perfectly for me and my opponent... only to have him catch a miracle on the river and beat me. I've actually gotten suspicious of the random number generators in online poker because of this. I can't tell you how often I lose flush over flush, set over set, boat over boat, etc.. and it just feels like it's happening too much.

But, the smart part of my brain DOES understand.. I'm four-tabling this game, getting on average 300-400 hands per hour and this stuff is bound to happen, and a lot more often. But being someone who learned the game by playing live, it's just so hard to make this adjustment.. you know?

When we take a really bad beat while playing live, at least we get a minute or two in-between hands to recover, as the dealer shuffles, moves the button and gets ready for the next hand. In live poker we get a chance to take a minute and breathe after nearly losing our minds. Online? We have about 2 seconds before the next hand is dealt. My brain isn't recovering that fast yet.

But the part of this that really gets to me is that, I know I'm a good player. I should be beating every damn game I sit in. That might sound like a huge ego trip, but honestly. I'm getting to the point where I'm disciplined enough to muck A-J in middle position now... which is a big step for me.. while my opponents habitually limp in and call a 3-bet UTG with J-3 off suit!! I had KK once and lost to an UTG limper who tabled J-3 off suit on a 3-5-J-3-8 board. I mean... let's be real here.

Long story short, this post was mostly for me to vent my frustrations and express this: I'm not quitting this online thing.. because it's my goal to increase that $300 ten-fold...at a minimum by the end of this year. I know I can do it.. just need you donkeys to stop hitting your flush draws for a few weeks.

Ciao!