Stuck

Ever been stuck for a period of time while playing cash poker games? It can start to get to you after a while if you let it. Go up a little, come back down. Go down a little, come back up. Rinse and Repeat. Rinse and Repeat.

The worst part; all of the sudden that monthly bonus check stops coming, because you never want a cash out cause you to drop a level.

My bankroll has essentially been stuck in the mud for about a month and half, so it's time to start thinking about a plan for getting unstuck.

I'm aware that I'm stuck right now because I recently moved up a level and am facing a little tougher competition. Each time you move up, there's a normal adjustment period as you get used to the regular players, and they get used to you. That's why I'm a big advocate of not moving up until I have 42 buy-ins for the level. If I lose the first two, I'll drop down and work to build them back. I'll do that as many times as it takes to get my roots in.

Now I've already established roots at this level, so there's no need to drop down. But, it can be a consideration if you find yourself starting to get frustrated and just wanting to post a nice solid win. It's obviously a far better option than tilting off a bunch of money to stronger players while whining like a starving kitten.

There are many ways to get unstuck; switching games, playing a couple tournaments (ugh), even taking a break for a week or so, but my favorite unsticking technique is to switch to the Heads Up cash tables and play some one on one. I find this keeps me focused, sharpens my game, and allows me to understand the thinking of some of the better players at that level. Usually, only the strongest players have the sac for prolonged HU play and you can learn quickly from them.

Keep these thoughts in mind as you grind through the months and years. Getting stuck doesn't mean you're a bad player. Bad player's bankrolls get crushed when things aren't going well. Getting stuck means you're a good solid player. Keep track of your emotional pulse and make logical adjustments accordingly.

-QAsRevenge

Payday

Just a quick note on playing on paydays.

If you are playing poker today, the last workday of the month and also a Friday, you may notice that your normal games are playing at a frenetic pace that can be a little disconcerting.

Why?

Because everyone just got paid!

If you are playing anywhere up to probably the 1/2 level you are going to notice new faces, strange plays, stupid calls, stupid bluffs, more pre-flop raising and especially re-raising. Just all around crazy gonzo games.

You have to adjust.

Normally, when I'm at your table you're going to know it. My style of constant raising pre-flop can really get under player's skins, if they don't know how to counter-act.

Today, I started out playing my normal style but noticed that I was getting played back at constantly and that my raises were doing nothing to thin the field. I saw some of the dumbest plays I've seen in ages, then I remembered..It's PAYDAY! Even for people that collect disability or Social Security.

Everyone has money! And they are SPEWING!

Get to the tables, tighten up a bit and enjoy. You're going to get sucked out a little more but today is a great day to play poker! Have fun. Don't tilt. Then remember to keep track of your calendar and adjust accordingly.

Good Luck And Don't Suck

-QAsRevenge

Small Ball Pot Limit Omaha

I hate variance.

Always have.

And that's why I grind.

Look, I'm a cash game player and to me there is no reason to be flipping coins or even ending up all in pre-flop as a 60/40 favorite. Leave that shit to the tournament guys that don't have clue what they're doing after the flop.

Let me see a flop in position and by the time the turn comes I'm going to have a good idea where I am in the hand and how to proceed.

So, I take the small ball approach to PLO.

Flat call raises in position, even with monsters. Limp in early with hands that stand up to lot of callers. Suited aces and such. I want other people in the hand with suited cards that are worse than my suited aces. Because unless I completely bludgeon them they are probably going to stay with me to the river with crap like Q-J-T or even 9 high flushes.

I like to get into hands cheaply with hands that can make straights, especially if my highest card is suited. I love hands like JT86, T976. I do stay away from straight draws where my highest card is a 5, but I love a low straight draw like 8764. So many times people have something like a suited ace with low cards or are trying to flop a low set with a hand like A433 and I whack them when something like A35x flops.

But, if you really want to lower your variance, wait to see if the turn card pairs the board before putting in the big money. This will mean that you are getting your money with a much higher advantage as there is only one more card to come. Effectively cutting their chance of winning in half.

More later.

-QAsRevenge

Why Do You Play Poker?

For the money?

For the rush?

For the mental challenge?

For fame?

For fun?

Personally, I play for the money and only the money. I would much rather be wealthy and unknown than wealthy and known. Of course, I have been poor and unknown and was still fairly happy, so poor and known would have to be the worst of the lot.

Recently someone won a large pot in the Mega-Millions Lottery and had an attorney claim the prize to keep his/her identity a secret. Brother, I've always said that I would do the exact same thing. I would be here one day, and fishing in the Carribean the next.

"Hey, where did QA go?"

"Don't know, haven't seen him in a while."

Perfect.

Good luck and don't suck,

-QAsRevenge

Patience

One of the truest test of patience in poker is being seated with a player or players that are playing poorly when you are card dead.

For a long time, my lack of patience in this situation was probably my biggest leak.

I believe that every player has a notion of how they're going to play that day. And as you can read in one of my earlier blogs, I actually write down my goals for each session before starting. I'm fairly certain that I never wrote down, "Today, I will spew chips trying to show a donkey who's boss!"

That said, sometimes I would find myself just salivating to get involved with a player that I knew was playing badly, and would end up playing badly myself. Maybe even going on tilt as my frustration mounted over not being able to felt the shmuck.

Fact is, this is a combo-leak. Caused by ego and impatience.

Look, when I go fishing, I want to catch fish! Sure, the water is pretty, the scenery is nice, blah blah blah. But who are we kidding? I want a fish on my line! I want to feel the bite, set the hook, and reel that sucker in! Good times!

But, sometimes the fish aren't biting so you just have to wait.

Yesterday I had position on a player that was pretty much involved in every hand. His stack went up and down as he chased and hit and chased and missed. He over-valued hands and I knew that at some point I was going to be able to stack him off. Problem was, I couldn't hit anything and all I could do was watch as he kept spewing and reloading.

Previously, this would've driven me nuts and I probably would've been reloading myself. But, I waited....and waited....and waited. Picking up just enough small pots to keep my stack right around my buy-in. Finally, after 3 hours I hit the hand I wanted. Then, not only did I stack the donk, but also got another player to come along with his stack! Bonus!

Ahh..Patience...Worth every minute.

Good luck and don't suck,

-QAsRevenge


PS. If the photo at the beginning of this post bothers you, look into www.one.org to see what you can do.

I'm Baaaaack!

Yep, I'm back!

In full Thong Loving, Poker Playing Glory!

Just needed a little time off to get my mind fresh.

Guess the combination of crappy cold weather, the holidays, a hurt shoulder, and years of grinding at the tables finally got to me. Add to that, my new-found love of the Ukulele, and I was happy to not have to spend hours a day staring at a computer screen, battling avatars for money.

But, after a nice long break I finally started to get the itch again.

No real reason that I can find, I just felt like playing again. Rather than jump back in at my normal Pot Limit Omaha game though, I decided to ease myself back into the water, and played Limit Hold-Em for the first time ever.

And you know what? It's actually kind-of fun! I can open a table or two, watch a little TV, and practice the Ukulele all at the same time. And still make money!

After so many years of playing Omaha and No-Limit cash games, where focus is paramount and any mistake can cost you a buy-in, it's kinda fun to just splash around a bit. It's been a good lesson, and I know that I'll start mixing my games up more when I feel myself starting to get fried in the future.

Another benefit is that as I have started to go back to my normal games now, I feel that playing Limit has actually helped my hand reading. So many hands go to showdown that you can't help but to get better ideas of people's hand ranges. Guess that's how Daniel got so good at it.

So, there you have it. I'm back, the Thongs are back, and there will be lots more to come. Well, after I replace my PC, which went Blue Screen-O-Death on me last week.

Good luck and don't suck,

-QAsRevenge

Ukulele Time

Ever got burned out playing poker?

I did.

But I'll admit that I have a tendency to take my hobbies a little too far.

An example; The AVP Pro Volleyball Tour came to a beach close to me when I was about 18. I had just become interested in volleyball due to a weekly game that we played behind a friend's house. Beer, gorilla rules, you know what I mean.

Anyway, I sat my chair down right next to center court and watched Randy Stoklos, Sinjin Smith and all the guys all day. I was instantly a Stokey fan, and I immediately thought, "I can do this! We're the same size!"

I was supposed to go home that day, but instead, I sent my girlfriend home with her parents, slept in my car, and then watched every minute of the rest of the tournament.

Three years later I was playing Open. Then played for twenty more.

Similiarly, I caught the poker bug about 8 years ago. And I dove in. I read everything poker related, watched all of the shows, played every chance I got. Thousands and thousands of hours. Quit my job and played poker for forty hours a week. Had great days, crappy days, great runs, crappy runs, and everything in between. It was fun, it was not fun, it was a great mental challenge, it was tedious. But all of the sudden, I stopped.

Don't know why, but I just stopped. I haven't clicked on one of those little poker icons in more than a month, and have had absolutely no desire to do so! None! Nada! Now I just skim the articles in the magazines I once devoured, and it's shocking how quickly I went from always playing to not playing at all. Like a light switch was turned off. (Hmm...I have taught my girlfriend a lot about Hypnosis. Just sayin)

Hell, I played volleyball until my body's bitter end. It told me when to stop. And yet, I still work-out as if I could take it back up any day now.

Guess this time I was mentally fried.

One thing I always tried to teach people in my hypnotherapy practice was that your actions always follow your strongest subconscious (emotional) desire. And that it then fell on your conscious (logical) mind to rationalize your behavior. Well, I haven't been able to rationalize this one yet so I'll just have to trust my subconscious.

I'm sure I'll start to get the itch back soon, and that I'll start playing poker again. But first, I want to get Jack Johnson's 'Breakdown' perfected on the Ukulele.......

Christ. Here we go again.

Good luck and don't suck,

-QAsRevenge

PS. The Ukulele in the picture is a custom model made by Dave Means at www.glyphukulele.com

Donk Of The Day

Introducing a new item added to QAsrevenge.com!

The Donk Of The Day!

A few weeks back I was playing Pot-Limit Omaha (my favorite game) on Bodog. One of the regulars at the limit I play was looking at my website and told me that he really liked the Thongs Of The Day, and that I should add a Donk Of The Day page.

The more I thought about it, the more the idea appealed to me. So, you can thank Bodog player Allenallin for the newest edition to the QAsRevenge web site.

The Donk Of The Day!

Check it out when you get a chance. It only took one session to garner the first worthy entrants!

Keep checking back though, because I'm going to work on setting it up so that replays can be watched using re-animation software. Should be fun!

Good luck and don't suck,

-QAsRevenge

Wall Street Survivor

So, you like to play poker.

And you know that I do.

Actually, I love playing poker!

There is no better feeling than felting someone and watching their stack add to yours. Well, maybe felting two or even three people at once! Now that's a great feeling!

That said, there has always been something intriguing to me about the stock market. Maybe it was the movie Wall Street, or even Trading Places? I don't know. But the idea of billions and billions of dollars flying around each day was always fascinating to me.

But how do you get started investing? Personally, if it's my money, I want to be in control of where it goes, and not rely on some "expert broker". The "expert" my father uses had him in Tandy and Enron.

In poker, you can play at super low stakes or even play money while you learn. That used to not be the case when it comes to investing. Now it is.

Click the icon on the left and join Wall Street Survivor. You can learn investing without risking a dime! Actually, even though it's free, you can win prizes! Including cash!

Plus, even though I suck while I'm learning, it's still a total blast!

So, give it a shot! Click the icon and join Wall Street Survivor! After joining, look me up and add me to your buddy list. We can take each other on.

Good luck and don't suck,

-QAsRevenge

Changing Styles

Does reading poker books help or hurt your game? Personally, I find that in the short term it definitely hurts mine. Always has. My girlfriend has actually suggested that I never read another poker book. But, while it hurts my game in the short term, it does helps in the long run. No pain-no gain, I guess.

For example: In October I was playing well and winning. I won in 23 of my 28 sessions. I added lots of trophies, and increased my bankroll by more than 50%. But, I wanted to see if there was a more profitable way to play my draws, so I re-read Sammy Farha's book on Omaha.

What happened? I totally threw my winning style out the window and tried to play like Sammy. A complete disaster! Look, I'm not a luck-box that can conjure up four outer's at will, never have been, so the style that has always worked best for me is to grind. You know; pick up small pots, avoid coin flips, and try to create opportunities to get my stack in as a big favorite.

Even so, I'll admit that there have been times that I've watched an extremely aggressive player hit everything in sight and run their stack up 4 or 5 buy-ins in a short time. And similar to my reaction after reading a poker book, I have mistakenly attempted to switch and emulate their style on the spot. Usually with less than stellar results.

So while I believe that you should read poker books, magazines, forums etc., and even carefully watch players that give you problems. I also believe that you should be wary of changing your style on a whim, and that calculated steps should be taken to protect your bankroll when experimenting.

Let's say you have just read a new book, or have watched a player dominate your table. Drop down a level or two and try a few new things out there first. And don't just try it out for an hour, or one session. Test drive it for at least a week. Let it become comfortable. Let yourself grow into it. Learn how other's react and adjust to what you're doing.

It's important to be able to play as many styles as possible. Reading and carefully watching other's work is an excellent way to learn different concepts. But it's one thing to see or read about a style or technique, it's another to make it fit into your game. Don't just shove it in. Lubricate.

Oh, and as for those super agro-donks that occasionally come flying by? I've always kept track of the tables at levels above and below me to see who is moving up, and who is moving down. This lets me know which players are playing or running well and which one's aren't. Most often, you'll see the super agro-donks heading down.


Good luck and don't suck,

-QAsRevenge

Don't Be That Guy

"OMFG! How could you make such a stupid play!?"

"Another idiot gets lucky!"

****ing moron!

Etc.

All poker players are familiar with the chat box chastising that happens during online poker play. And occasionally, the person doing it may even be you.

The truth is though. Berating your opponents cost you money!

Look, no poker player ever plays perfectly. Even Phil Ivey once stated that he had never played a perfect session. As is often said; "Poker is a game of incomplete information". Even the best players err or have lapses in judgment.

That said, sometimes what look like mistakes are actually done intentionally to help create a more profitable table image. I personally have no trouble throwing away my first buy-in making loose calls or showing down light to create an image that will get me paid off time and time again.

But what happens when you start berating the average opponent or opponents for their mistakes? They either tighten up, or leave. The exact opposite desired result. You want players that are playing poorly or tilting to continue to do so. Calling them out does not achieve this. In fact, what often happens is that not only does the offending player tighten up, the entire table does, not wanting to risk being publicly flogged for their errors.

As a therapist, I understand that the psychological need for retribution, but, the satisfaction of this desire does nothing to help satisfy one's other desire. The desire to make money! All it does is create a nit-style, less profitable, poker environment. Not an optimal result.

So, the next time you feel the need to call someone out for their play, remember two things.

1. They know they made a mistake.

2. It will cost you money to tell them so.


Good luck and don't suck,


-QAsRevenge

Trophies and Thongs

As you know, I'm a big fan of girls in thongs and also of adding trophies to my trophy room. So, because it is so much cleaner and easier, I've moved my Trophy Room and Thongs of the Day to QAsRevenge.com.

So, stop by and see all the players felted by me this month and then check out some of the girls in thongs. What could be better?

Good luck and don't suck,

-QAsRevenge

Time For More Trophies

Well, October is over and it's time to start refilling the Trophy Room. I couldn't decide whether to just keep adding them or just purge and refill. I opted for the latter, but did leave the names of all the players I felted in October in the Trophy Room at QAsRevenge.com. You can check to see if you were one of them.

Working on turning the aggression up a notch in my Omaha game right now. I've played long enough to master the ABC style and can consistently grind out a profit. Now it's time to begin taking my game up a level. Should be fun!

As always, new pictures of girls in thongs in the Thongs Of The Day post!

Good luck and don't suck,

-QAsRevenge

When The Gods Favor You

As you may have read yesterday, sometimes the gods just wanna have their way with you. Fair enough. I can take it.

Because of bankroll management and the willingness to leave when things were going badly, yesterday's debacle didn't crush me. I just rebooted myself this morning and got back to work.

And guess what? The gods smiled! I hit my cards, only had two bad beats and added seven trophies to my Trophy Room! Almost won everything back from yesterday! Nice.

Good luck and don't suck,

-QAsRevenge

PS-Remember to check out the Thongs of the Day!

When The Gods Decide To Kill

As I said before, you will never hear me tell a bad beat story. Because nobody cares! Every poker player takes their share of bad beats. It's part of the game.

That said, days like today are the main reason I spend so much time talking about playing well within your bankroll.

The reason? Days like today just happen and there is nothing you can do.

For example: Today I was all-in going to the river six times with my opponent drawing to four cards or less. Twice drawing to one card. Guess what? I lost every single time. 6 buy-in's gone, even though in every hand I had better than a 9 to 1 advantage when the money went to the middle.

There will be times when you just can't win no matter what. So, the best thing to do is to shut it down, get some exercise, eat, get drunk, and have some sex. Poker will always be there, and by playing with less than five percent of your bankroll, you can go back tomorrow and resume playing. No real damage done.

Good luck and don't suck,

-QAsRevenge

PS-Don't forget to check out Thongs Of The Day!

Fear Part ll

Yesterday we talked about fears. Today we'll talk about fears related to Consequences of Failure.

We can use yesterday's example of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge again.

Why is it more difficult for some people to drive over a bridge than it is to drive on the regular road? It's exactly the same road; Two lanes-white lines-guardrails on the sides. No different than a million miles of other roads. The road itself isn't different.

The difference is perception and the fear of what could happen. The Consequences of Failure. You know, like plunging to your death. Which unfortunately did happen this summer, leading to the death of a truck driver.

First time in all the years the bridge has been there, but I'm sure it reinforced a lot of people's fears. "See, I told you that could happen!"

Try this experiment: Sit down and close your eyes (first read the rest obviously). Make yourself comfortable, then imagine, as clearly as you can, a 2 by 8 board-twenty feet long, lying on the floor. Now, bring all of your senses in and clearly imagine walking along that board. Notice how easy it is to walk on the board as it rest on the ground.

Now, I want you to imagine that the same board has been placed running from the top of one twelve story building to the top of another. You are now standing there on top of the twelve story building and have to walk across that same 2 by 8 board to the other building. With a drop of more than a hundred feet. Step out onto the board, glance down and clearly imagine yourself there. Use all of your senses to put yourself out on that board. Notice the change in how your body feels. If you have a good imagination, you may even find it too uncomfortable to continue.

Once again, you're thinking what the hell does this have to do with poker?

Simple:

Remember a time when you risked a large chunk of your bankroll. Enough where a simple bad run could possibly erase days, weeks or even months worth of work. Maybe even crush you altogether, leaving you having to start from scratch.

Did you play your normal game? Or did the Consequences of Failure get into your head?

Is a bad run just a step on the floor? Or is it a twelve story drop?

Think about it.

Good luck and don't suck,

-QAsRevenge

Fear

Did you know that in a university study, participants rated public speaking as their number one fear!

Three places higher than death!

That's right, according to the study on fear, people would rather die than speak publicly. That's how powerful fears can be! I will tell you something though, there is no such thing as public speaking! You are either speaking aloud or thinking to yourself. That's it. The only difference is how many people are listening!

But that's off topic, let's move on to our discussion on fear.

Some fears are hard-wired into us through genetics for our protection. Two examples of this are more easily explained using animals:

1. Chimpanzees raised in captivity, having never been in their natural habitat, react with fear when shown a picture of a snake.
   
2. The Galapagos Islands are famous for their animal's lack of fear of humans. But, this is not true on all of the islands. At one time, hunting was allowed on a few of the islands. On these, even though hundreds of years have passed since hunting was outlawed, animals there still react with a fear response to humans.

Fears can also be established in other ways, and with enough reinforcement can even become full blown phobias. Examples:

1. Fear Caused By An Initial Sensitizing Event: We'll stick with public speaking here, though we could use any example, such as being bit by a dog, or getting knocked over by a big wave, elevators, heights, etc. All it takes is one incident with a strong feeling of fear (the ol' fifth grade oral report was a good one), to establish the base fear. So let's say the fifth grade oral report was an extremely uncomfortable event for you. Then, years later, you find they you have to speak publicly for your job. Your subconscious scans memories for previous experiences and BAM, all of the sudden, you feel exactly like as you did as a scared fifth grader. Heart racing, palms cold and sweaty, arm pits soaked, mouth dry. And now armed with two examples, the subconscious fear has been reinforced and you may never become comfortable speaking to groups.
2. Fear By Direct or Indirect Suggestion: A parent or person of authority can also establish a lifelong fear for a child. For example; A parent gets scared or nervous each time they have to drive over a bridge. They make statements such as "I hate driving across that bridge, it makes me so nervous." Or they hold their breath and white-knuckle it. Now, I live near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, and this is a common one around here. So, years later, the child has grown up and heading to the beach with friends. Once on the bridge, the now grown up child has a panic attack. Shortness of breath, feeling of pressure on the chest, and a generalized fear that their logical reasoning can't control. They now have fear that was given to them! They may get over it, they may learn to control it, or, the fear may grow until they can't cross the bridge any more.

Those of you that have actually read this far are probably thinking, "What the hell does this have to do with poker?"

Simple. Let's take a look at a few of the fear inducers in poker.

1. Fear of losing money
2. Fear of looking stupid
   
3. Fear of embarrassment
   
4. Fear of ridicule
   

Any of these fears by themselves could cause a powerful emotional response. And combined, could definitely have an negative impact on how you play poker. I'm sure you're familiar with the saying that, "scared money makes none." What that adage ignores is that there are far more fears than just losing money!

So, take a moment and think about possible fears you may have when playing, and how fear may be affecting your poker game.

Tomorrow I'm going to discuss Consequences of Failure.

Good luck and don't suck,

-QAsRevenge

QAsRevenge Has Launched!

QAsRevenge is expanding it's presence in the world by launching qasrevenge.com!

Just getting started but she'll be sailing strong in no time! Of course, bringing the thongs and trophies aboard but there will be so much more in the future!

Good Luck And Don't Suck,

-QAsRevenge

Cashing Out

Everyone that plays poker is trying to build up their bankroll so that they can play at a higher level.

The fastest and easiest way to do that is to not cash out at all until you reach your target level. But that's not always possible. Sometimes you just have to reach into your bankroll.

Back in the day when I played on Empire Poker (even before they merged with Party Gaming), and long before the Illegal Internet Gaming Act, it was as easy as a few clicks and the cash was in my bank account ready to use. Needless to say, I often took advantage of this to buy simple stuff like......beer.......and tequila.

This slowed the build-up of my bankroll significantly, but at the same time, it did feel good to plop down cash that I had won from other people.... Still does actually.

In that way, I have to say that the IIGA has actually helped me because it forced me to create a specific strategy to reach my goal, and kept my grubby hands out of my bankroll.

Still always adhering to the 5% rule when playing, I now have a set cash out date each month. Once this date arrives, I cash out 30% of the month's profit. This does no damage to my bankroll and allows me to move up comfortably and quickly to the next level.

Using this technique on Bodog I have moved up 4 levels and increased my bankroll by 1200 percent in five months! Even with the cash outs! Let's see Warren Buffett do that.

A little boring? Yep. I have no desire for fame though, and am perfectly happy grinding out a nice living. Continuing to plop down my opponents money for......beer......and tequila.

Good luck and don't suck,

-QAsRevenge

Wall Street Survivor

I believe the latest stock market downfall might be my fault.

I'm kidding of course, but each time I reset my portfolio in the Wall Street Survivor's Stock Market Game the stock market goes into a free-fall!

I've always had an interest in investing and the stock market but figured I'd better spend some time learning and practicing before I actually commited any of my own money. Kind of like playing free-money online poker before actually using real money.

So, I joined the game at Wall Street Survivor and I have to say that it's a blast!

I just suck at it.

Similar to how I sucked at online poker years ago.

So, I'll do my reading and research and practice, just as I did with poker, and one day I'll be good at investing also. It's only a matter of time.

Good luck and don't suck,

-QAsRevenge