BOOOOOOMMMMM

End of the month and finally, for the first time since I started keeping records, I have gone past $1k profit from poker for the month, $1,005.53 to be exact. I was up to $1050 a few days ago, but managed to get back down to $900 before recovering in the last 3 days of the month. This means I am also in profit for the whole of 2009, to the tune of $300. Not much in the big scheme of things, but poker is always more satisfying when you are winning.

I continued to run golden (or play well) on SNGs, in the money in 60/114 (53%) of the ones I played in April with an overall ROI of 48%. What helped here was moving up to the $22 tables. I have a pretty good strike rate at this level and have noticed that the players I think are the biggest fish tend to be the ones at the top of the sharkscope leaderboards. The Brazilians in particular seem to be running good, which suits me because I know I am a favourite every time the chips go in against them.

Lastly, have dabbled in the super turbo PLO SNGs on full tilt. You start with 300 chips and blinds at 15-30. Instantaneous action that definitely seems to suit my game, or maybe it's because the $7.50 buy-in encourages the fish to participate when they don't have a clue about starting hands. Generally, only 1 other player seems to be competent, which is why you can be HU at 30-60 blinds and still going at 100-200.

Here's hoping next month is as fruitful, might even dig out some hand histories for the next update.

Swongs

So as usual, no updates means I have been losing. Not sure exactly how, so can probably chalk it up to variance. Luckily, I have just hit a purple patch*, which means 12 straight days of profitable poker (+$750), 80%+ ROI on Full Tilt SNGs so far in April for $500 profit, and looking at OPR I reckon I have cashed in 23/39 9-seaters. Long may it continue, I have now made a net $3.81 profit on poker in 2009, including rake back. I have played nearly 300 SNGs and MTTs, cashing in 35% of them. Oddly, in February I was in the money 37% of the time, but still ended up with a -11% ROI, WTF? All this was offset by my cash endeavours, where I managed to lose about $350 on PLO, with another $50 on O8 for good measure.

I have not consciously changed my style, but in the last couple of days I have increased the buy-in level a bit and have now played a few $22 and $33 SNGs. The game is a bit less tight than the $11 and $6 versions, which obviously suits me quite nicely. This is as a result of winning $500 on the Grand National, being handed the 2nd placed horse. First thing I did when the money came back to my Tilt account was to try and send it back, which Tilt immediately barred, saying something like they were not a bank. Still, with a new deeper balance (hesitate to use the word roll because I can always deposit if the balance empties out) I have probably been more confident about moving up to higher stakes.

In my records I made a note saying I played a perfect game. Don't actually remember thinking that before about a whole SNG, but this was the final hand and it sure helps when the deck hits you in the face.

Full Tilt Poker Game #11524930979: $22 + $2 Sit & Go (Turbo) (86531154), Table 1 - 400/800 - Pot Limit Omaha H/L - 16:28:34 ET - 2009/04/05
Seat 7: makoman11 (5,356)
Seat 8: electric chair (8,144)
electric chair posts the small blind of 400
makoman11 posts the big blind of 800
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to electric chair [8s 6s 9h Td]
electric chair calls 400
makoman11 raises to 2,400
electric chair calls 1,600
*** FLOP *** [Th Jh 8h]
makoman11 bets 2,956, and is all in
electric chair calls 2,956
makoman11 shows [Jc Kc 5d Kh]
electric chair shows [8s 6s 9h Td]
*** TURN *** [Th Jh 8h] [7s]
*** RIVER *** [Th Jh 8h 7s] [6h]
makoman11 shows a pair of Kings, for high
electric chair shows a straight, Jack high, for high
electric chair wins the pot (10,712) with a straight, Jack high
makoman11 stands up
electric chair stands up
No low hand qualified
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 10,712 | Rake 0
Board: [Th Jh 8h 7s 6h]
Seat 7: makoman11 (big blind) showed [Jc Kc 5d Kh] and lost with HI: a pair of Kings
Seat 8: electric chair (small blind) showed [8s 6s 9h Td] and won (10,712) with HI: a straight, Jack high

* I think this might possibly be the biggest ever understatement looking at those numbers above. Sharkscope graph below shows just how sick I have run - all the recent upswing has been in the last 2 weeks.