Klopzi's Mediocre Poker One man's journey from poker obscurity to poker mediocrity. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 35 0 122 5681

Articles from Klopzi's Mediocre Poker

Session Review #5: PartyPoker, $50 NL (6-max) 2007-07-26 07:00:00 After my previous weak-tight session, I continued the trend the very next session. The only good thing I can say about this session is that I think I've finally learned (poker players always seem to "learn" their lesson, don't they?) to lay down my hand in the face of overwhelming evidence that I'm behind in a hand. The question is: am I laying down too much? Whereas I've mentioned that playing winning poker requires patience, I think this session shows the importance of courage (or "heart" as Mike The Mouth is fond of saying). Playing a patient and conservative game may allow me to grind out small wins and small losses, but I think my growth as a poker player is definitely stunted. Maybe I am playing for more than just money... PartyPoker ($50 NL) Converter Stack sizes: UTG: $49.50 UTG+1: $8.25 CO: $50 Button: $102.57 Hero: $51.13 BB (Villain): $51.27 Pre-flop: (6 players) Hero is SB with 6? T? 3 folds, Hero calls, Villain checks. (Villain was a TAG and I didn't want ...

Gimme a break! 2007-07-25 10:36:00 Rather than easing my way back into poker, I've really taken it up again with enthusiasm. Tonight, though, I think I'll take be taking a break. In the past week or so, I've managed to finish clearing the $40 bonus I had at PartyPoker. I could have gone for a bigger bonus but I was a little unsure as to the amount of time it would take to clear the bonus. It ended up taking me six sessions of roughly 250 hands per session to clear the 160 points required. That's not too bad, though hardly on par with Party's older bonuses. Remember the days when you could clear a $100 bonus in a single afternoon at the tables? Most importantly, I was up at the tables over the course of the bonus. I ran at about 6 BB/100 which is pretty good. I think I could get that higher if I ramp up my aggression again and re-focus on building big pots with my big hands. As I learned last night, not every player will call an all-in river push no matter how much he or she thinks you're bluffing. Anyw ...

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Session Review #4: PartyPoker, $50 NL (6-max) 2007-07-25 07:00:00 After coming off a good session on Sunday night, I was feeling pretty good about my game. Whereas the flops went more or less my way on Sunday, things were a little different for Monday night's session... This session at Party taught me the importance of playing in position. The lesson was learned from the perspective of one playing out of position. I can't tell you exactly how many times I was floated but the number is frighteningly high. Although I tried to mix things up by staggering my c-bets and tightening/loosening my starting hand requirements, it seemed like I was playing from behind for most of the session. PartyPoker ($50 NL) Converter Stack sizes: UTG (Villain): $17.23 CO: $53.03 Button: $70.87 Hero: $59.47 BB: $58.93 Pre-flop: (5 players) Hero is SB with A? T? UTG raises to $1.5, 2 folds, Hero raises to $5, BB folds, UTG calls. (Villain was a LAG player in every sense of the word. He'd been raising a lot of hands and I figured my AT to be best. I was hopin ...

Sponsored by: Gamblecraft.com 2007-07-24 21:41:00 The following is paid advertisement for Gamblecraft.com (http://www.gamblecraft.com/). Playing poker is all about grinding out a lot of hands and earning a certain hourly rate for your efforts. And you know what? There are times when it just doesn't feel worth it. When I start to feel that poker is a lot of work for very little reward, I look to Online Casinos to help me get the action and immediate monetary reward that I need. Like anything worth doing, finding the best Online Casinos isn't the result of a quick Google search. You need to approach casino selection just like any other financial decision: with great care. If you'd like to improve your edge in your online casino foray, you should be sure to visit Gamblecraft. Gamblecraft is much more than a simple Online Casinos review site. Gamblecraft Online Casino Guide is dedicated to helping gamblers get the most out of their hard earned dollars. First and foremost, Gamblecraft offers full reviews for a number of online. ...

Session Review #3: PartyPoker, $50 NL (6-max) 2007-07-24 00:30:00 I haven't played much NL hold'em during my time as a poker player. And I've spent very little time at the $50 NL (6-max) tables. After mowing the lawn and watching a little TV on Sunday evening, I settled in for the best session of NL hold'em that I've had thus far. The lesson that I took away from this session is that patience really does pay off. When things aren't going your way at the tables, you'll sometimes feel compelled to force the action. Big bets and even bigger bluffs: sometimes they work but usually they'll eat away at your stack and bust you if your timing's off. And if your timing is anything like mine... PartyPoker ($50 NL) Converter Stack sizes: UTG: $38.08 UTG+1: $45.07 Hero: $49.50 Button: $49.70 SB: $53.68 BB (Villain): $27.88 Pre-flop: (6 players) Hero is CO with Q? Q? UTG calls, UTG+1 folds, Hero raises to $2.5, 2 folds, Villain calls, UTG calls. (The Villain is this hand played very LAG. I had position on him so I wasn't too worried.) F ...

Session Review #2: PartyPoker, $50 NL (6-max) 2007-07-23 07:00:00 This weekend, I focused on enjoying poker. I only played when I felt like it, falling back on my Xbox 360 and a couple games (Condemned: Criminal Origins and Enchanted Arms as needed. Did this help or hurt my game? I'll let you decide. Here is a review of my Saturday poker session. I'll review my best three and worst three hands, commenting as appropriate. As always, I appreciate any and all feedback. SAG was nice enough to call me a donkey in my last session review (which I vehemently opposed, although do somewhat concede that SAG may be right in that regard): so please feel free to call me a donkey too! PartyPoker ($50 NL) Converter Stack sizes: UTG: $57.80 CO: $47.69 Hero: $59.85 SB: $11.12 BB (Villain): $66.17 Pre-flop: (5 players) Hero is Button with K♦ A♠ UTG calls, CO calls, Hero raises to $3, SB folds, Villain calls, UTG folds, CO calls. Flop: K♣ 5♠ A♥ ($9.75, 3 players) Villain checks, CO checks, Hero bets $6, Villain calls, CO. ...

Session Review #1: PartyPoker, $50 NL (6-max) 2007-07-20 21:00:00 Armed with a bankroll sitting above the prerequisite $1000, I tried my hand at Party's $50 NL tables again last night. Although my session wasn't a complete disaster, I thought I'd discuss some of the hands that played out last night. I've included my comments on each of the hands, as well as Mr. V.'s (my poker buddy) comments. Feel free to comment on any of the hands below. Hand #1: KQ vs. JJ No reads available. Mr. V. says: I pity the fool who doesn't think about his opponent's possible holdings. And you got a little unlucky by hitting your dream card on the river. I say: I was pretty sure that Villain didn't have a 9 in his hand. When we got to the river, I decided to raise since I hit my gut-shot straight draw figuring that Villain might think I was betting with a busted flush draw. When Villain raises all-in, I hoped that he was holding AA-QQ or AJ. I was wrong. If I'd been in the Villain's shoes in this hand, I would have tried to bet a little more on the flo ...

Sponsored by: Top Sportsbook And Poker Reviews And Recommendations 2007-07-20 20:39:00 The following is a sponsored review for Sportsbook-Watch, the Top Sportsbook And Poker Reviews And Recommendations site.(http://www.sportsbook-watch.com/). I'll be honest: I know next to nothing when it comes to sportsbooks. Horseracing, to me, is nothing more than funny little men riding around on horses while men in fedoras and women in big, flowery hats cheer in the stands. I don't get it. And that's exactly why I don't bet on sports or horseracing. Well, the fine folks at Sportsbook-Watch have decided to shed some light on the whole gambling thing. Although you'd think that Sportsbook-Watch focuses only on sports betting, their site actually provides lots of information for the casual and hardcore user. Of most interest to me is their Poker Review section. The poker site reviews are pretty short and sweet. They rate each poker room as being great - in all fairness, most of the poker rooms they review are quite good. Sportsbook-Watch also provides three betting gu ...

Joining the Party 2007-07-19 07:05:00 I logged into PartyPoker yesterday afternoon for the sole purpose of checking out the action. I knew that Party was offering a reload bonus and I wanted to see if it would be worth my time and money to grind out a little free cash. Luckily for me, Party was also kind enough to offer me a free $5 which I subsequently took to a $25 NL table. How's the action at Party? Pretty good! I lost my $5 within 10 minutes of playing. Facing a raise from the button, I pushed all in with my AKs for $7 and was called by the BB. He had 33, the board didn't help me, and I was gone. Though the action was short-lived, I noticed that 3 of my 5 opponents were extremely weak: VP$IPs at around 55%-65%, PFR% hovering at 0%-2%, and AFs of 0.25. If you use Poker Tracker, you know just how sweet it is to have opponents like these. After that brief session, I shut down that laptop and planned to hit up Party later that evening. After my son was asleep and everything was settled for the night, I fired. ...

We have a winner! 2007-07-18 12:03:00 I woke up this morning to find that Jerry Yang is our new World Champion of Poker. The last I saw before going to bed last night, Jerry was in the lead but fading fast, bleeding chips left and right. Am I happy with the result? Sure, why not? I was cheering for Khan or Lam to take it down, but I'm just as happy having Yang win it all. I'll be even happier if Yang follows through on his pledge to donate 10% of his winning to various charities, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Feed the Children and Ronald McDonald House. Given that Jerry seems like a pretty stand-up guy and a good family man, I doubt he'll pull a Jamie and renege on the whole charity thing. If Jerry's even half as good as Raymer or Hachem at promoting the game, we should see a new slew of money-hungry fish joining the rank of online poker players soon. Besides watching grainy WSOP footage on a 20" monitor, my night was pretty average on the online poker front. After downing a couple drinks and som ...

No WSOP for you! 2007-07-17 07:00:00 Want to watch the WSOP Main Event Final Table live on Pay-Per-View today? Are you Canadian? Good luck! If you're one of the millions of Canadians who don't have a Bell ExpressVu satellite dish, then you're utterly screwed! Feels good, doesn't it? If you're like me, you had a whole party planned; snacks, drinks, poker, and lots of Red Bull were all within reach. What am I supposed to do now? I guess I'll just go home and do what I do every other single day of my life... If you do have Bell ExpressVu (you lucky prick!), here are the details you'll need to order WSOP event. It starts at 3PM EST today; leaving work early is entirely understandable and encouraged. And although I could order the main event and watch it online via ESPN.com for a mere $19.95, it just wouldn't be the same... UPDATE: It seems that I will be watching the Main Event...we'll be doing the huddle-around-and-watch-the-laggy-Internet-feed thing after all. UPDATE #2: Pauly's put up some short ...

A Sound Stacking 2007-07-16 23:08:00 I almost made it through this evening's session at the $50 NL tables unscathed. I say almost because it all came down to the last hand. You know - the last hand of the session when you tell yourself that you've had a winning session...as long as you don't get stacked on your last hand... My evening started at Titan Poker's $50 NL tables. I was treading water until this happened: http://www.pokerhand.org/?1271337 (ed. I apologize for the crappy quality of hand history). It's always nice when the Poker Gods ease you into a new limit slowly and allow you to double up the the fish (83/0/0.67) to your right. It's even nicer when, a few hands later, that same fish gets to prove that you are the fish at these higher stake tables: http://www.pokerhand.org/?1271344. Unfortunately, I mistook my opponent's fervor for a flush draw and not the flopped straight. I like my all-in 3-bet in this hand: it's a nice play based on solid poker theory... At that point, I decided to scoot on o ...

As surprised as you are... 2007-07-16 06:50:00 When I gave up poker earlier this year, I thought I was done with it for good. When I returned to the tables last week, I thought I'd play poker every so often until I my bankroll finally disappeared for good. And today, I find myself surprised that I've been bitten so quickly and so thoroughly by the poker bug. Honestly, my most recent return to the tables was supposed to be a short-lived blip in the life of a family man. Take a $1000 to the tables, lose it, and move on, once and for all. After a bit of a rough start, things are not looking quite as black and white as I'd once imagined they'd be. The first change I made to my game plan was to scrap the notion of playing only one table at a time. As I sat at Titan Poker's $20 NL tables (they don't have $25 NL) on Friday night, I found myself a little bored. Not bored in the sense that I didn't want to play poker; in fact, I was so bored that I wanted to play a little too much poker. Instead of maintaining a 25% - 30% V ...

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