WSOP Main Event Staking Package has been posted - get a piece while you can

I just finished posting my staking package on allvegaspoker.com

I decided to put it there first because I have a strong sense of loyalty to the site and wanted to give members a chance to buy a piece.   I will eventually move it to 2+2 if it doesn't sell out quickly enough.   I have a  good amount of work-related and non-poker friends who will probably buy action so I'm actually hoping I don't even need to move it to 2+2.  we'll see...

anyways, I am excited and feel like I'm well prepared to take a deep run in the tourney.

Here is a link to my staking package if interested...

http://www.allvegaspoker.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=20649

Good Results so far with turbo MTTS (small sample)

Since January, I've been mixing in turbo MTTs to help me prepare for the main event in July.   I can only swing 2-3 hour sessions due to work and family and only at  nights 3-4 days a week tops.   Not many $11+ turbo MTTs run at night so I've only been able to mix in maybe 2-3 at a time when I play (the $5s just aren't worth my time despite how soft they are).  

To keep the volume rolling I'm stacking all the $20 and up DoNs that run and also starting to mix in any $20 and up 9 mans that run.   Volume keeps declining on Merge so I'm struggling some nights just to get 10 tables going hence I've started to add the 9mans (I played this a lot pre BF).  However, mixing these different types together I prob can't play more than 15 at a time anyways.

So far results have been pretty solid.  I've played a little over 150 with a solid ROI of 84%.   I suspect this ROI is unsustainable and too high so I'll enjoy it for now.  

I've also been doing fine in the DoNs that I've mixed at the same time.   It helps keep the extra cash flowing especially since Merge modified their rakeback returns in February (effectively scooping prob $10 an hour off my profits).  

So I'll keep playing anyways... stay tuned for a post about my pending WSOP Main Event journey.  I'll be playing Day 2 and staying at the Rio!

Here's a graph of my turbo MTTs and DoNs this year (rakeback included on DoNs)

Vook Luckboxes another online MTT for a "big" score

ok.   I still owe a trip report for my Vegas visit but I have other important news to share first...
I am going to play in the Main Event.   I have already talked it over with my wife and she agrees to go for it.   I will probably get a solid staking package going in about 2-3 months for anybody who is interested.   I also plan on starting a thread here to discuss my planning and strategy.   All comments will be welcome.  

So one of the things I wanted to do to prepare was to start mixing in some online MTTs (I usually only play 1 table SNGs since it's hard for me to play longer 3 hours at a time).   So I don't have the time for normal speed tourneys.   Instead I decided to start playing turbo speed MTTs while I stack the profitable DoNs in the corner.    Well.. I am off to a good start.

The night after returning from Vegas I took first out of 492 in the $11 Merge $2.5K Guarantee.  I wrote about that in my last blog update->   http://vookenmeister.blogspot.com/2013/01/won-my-first-large-field-mtt-1k.html

Then tonight I played a couple more MTTs while I was grinding DoNS.   After busting out of the $33 Merge nightly turbo MTT, I decided to late reg for the $60 mtt that was already running.   Well,  I ended up winning that also for a nice score of a little over $1500 profit.

I got much luckier in this event as halfway thru I tripled up when my A2 > A9.    I also managed to crack Aces three handed at the final table after getting my money in behind (would've meant 3rd place and only $600).

Here is a pic of the winning tourney lobby...   Probably won't sleep much tonight!!!   Still excited since I don't play these tourneys very often.

http://i825.photobucket.com/albums/zz171/vookenmeister/bigscore_zps30358dc9.jpg

Won my first large field MTT ($1K)

Yippee!   I took down my first large field MTT (472 runners) Tuesday night (one night after returning from Vegas).  It was an $11 merge turbo shove fest, first place was $1K.

Obviously, I had a good run of luck, but I also feel I played well.   I only got all in behind and called once.  There were many other hands that didn't hold but I had chips to cover.
I also was lucky enough to have AA dealt to me twice at the final table (and got action each time).

Here are some pivotal hands from the tourney.

Hand 1,
THis was 9 handed.   Folded to me on the button and I standard shove with 65s > QT.   Winning this 40/60 was a difference of $900

http://www.pokerhand.org/?6521951

Hand 2.
Now we are heads up and I'm trailing almost 2 to 1 in chips. I had been raising almost every button.  he was usually folding.

I hit low pair, ace kicker on flop.  I actually decide to check because I don't want to get raised and bet off the hand.  I'm actually waiting to see what he does on the turn.
Turn is a very safe four.  He leads 2/3 pot on a double flush board.  It just seems like this misses his range a ton.    He might have a flush draw but unlikely this board makes him a monster.  I'm down 2 to 1 in chips anyways so decide to shove over expecting to be ahead most of the time and even get a fold from some 2nd pairs when I am not.   No clue what he had but he folded.  Interesting hand... it worked out.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?6521952
Last hand.   My new favorite had of 83o   He was playing so tight that with 11 effective BBs, I went for a button steal again despite my cards.  He called OOP which allows me to narrow his hand to not include pairs.   

I lead out and stack off on an 833 board when i hit top pair, no kicker.   The only hands that beat me here are A8,K8,Q8,98, A3, maybe K3.

He played this hand poorly (as opposed to my playing it well).
pS. obviously he was too tight since he didn't ship it preflop.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?6521955

Very happy with the big score as the turbo MTTs go so fast that you need a good amount of luck.

I'll recap the Vegas trip later!

Vegas Trip this weekend - a Drinking Trip

It's Vegas time!   my flight leaves in the morning.    I arrive at about 11am Friday local time.   I fly back Monday around lunch time.   Lots of things planned for the trip.   A couple of my good friends from an online skype strategy group are meeting me there plus I'll be meeting up with some other AVP friends throughout the weekend.   It's going to be a packed weekend with lots of drinking and poker and next thing I know it will be time to fly back.   Good times!

Tentative plans:
- arrive, check in and meet friends at Bally's cash game
- Friday 2pm Treasure Island tourney.  looking forward to meeting Troy there.
- Friday 7pm Aria tourney
- Friday night debauchery somewhere late, probably Hard Rock
- Saturday afternoon - maybe cash games/ maybe football watch/ maybe both
- Saturday 7pm Mirage tourney, wear green, meet other AVPers that show up (please come on down, Mirage kicks ass!)
- Mirage cash game as folks bust out
- Voodoo lounge sometime after Saturday night with friends (Scott Davies and my online buddies, anyone else?)
Sunday I've left slightly open TBD, probably going to play cash games.

what a difference a day makes (biggest daily win)

wow... what a different a day makes!!

posted my biggest daily win ever tonight.   One night after posting a blog update about how brutally unlucky I've been playing hypers on Lock I experienced the other side of the coin.   I played solely on Merge tonight and got in 75 hypers (plus about 25 DoNs) in during a 2.5 hour session.

Talk about running g00t.   Check out the graph below.   This is my biggest single day win ever playing online.   I was definitely due for a little run g00t.  

Hypers... Enough variance to kill a man?

so I've been toying with hypers this month.   doing this for two reasons, not enough $20 and up DoN volume on merge for me to fill tables and to see if I can make more money long term playing hypers.
This month I've been  mixing in DoNs and hypers on Merge while also playing hypers on Lock.   I have a crazy rakeback deal on Lock so I try to play the hypers there but the Lock software is so horrible for multitabling (and it blue screened me twice yesterday).

I've only got 100 tourneys in (tiny tiny sample for hypers) and run bad variance is painful.    Here's my redline/green line graph for my small sample of Lock hypers (only 8 hours while mixing other games).     Careful, it's an ugly swing of $1K

Good news is that you really need a sample of at least 1K tourney (most experts say at least 3K) to see how you can do in hypers.   At least I am crushing the EV line to begin!!