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Manchester or Bust V 2.0


GR1ZZL3R

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The first attempt failed after some fairly normal running in qualifiers that couldn't quite sustain itself in the finals, €18.30 turned into €350 of tickets. Six failed final appearances, never having lost six in a row previously, two very close but ending with horrible bad luck, so it's time for a re-start. 

I've mostly played cash but after a rough downswing, a brief upsurge followed by a worse patch, I decided to alter tactics and concentrate on actually qualifying for a live tourny rather than getting in through the back door. I had started with €1, won a few €4 and never looked back but I didn't have a set schedule or anything like it, and having got up to €350 hardly played any for 6-8 weeks. It was a mistake in hindsight as I only played one final before Manchester, being pleasantly distracted by the thoughts of Dublin which I think took away too much urgency to keep playing. I could have had so many more attempts in the time if I had played the final every week and kept turning the lower tickets over, but with the ticket exchangers having gone away it's going to be that little bit harder. 

Looking for a schedule I thought of playing the first 2, 3 or 4 €1 qualifier each day, hopefully getting a few €4 and then starting to play the evening €4, and that's how I started but it seems the €1 are getting harder to fill earlier in the day, the time when I'd rather play.

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As there is only one €4 qualifier a day, 20.20 GMT and they always seem to have 30+ runners for 5 tx I might as well jump straight into those, it might be a bit more expensive but it will save hanging around only for another €1 to be cancelled again. That is now the plan, one a day and hopefully win at least one a week to play in the weekly final on Saturday nights. When I last split a €100 down to 25 x 4 I made 9 x 25 out of them, about one in three, but now it's a lot bigger jump up to 50 so bigger fields chasing them. We'll see how it goes.

In the meantime while hanging around for the non-starting €1s I decided to have a dabble in the 5 seat sng's, something I've only done on UB as part of the missions, but they actually suit me quite well, not taking too long, neither playing for 3+ hours and busting with nothing or playing at frantic pace where you've no time to actually play. Then it struck me I might as well have a go in the UO as well, I've never been to Malta so why not make that a target?

So there's the schedule, UO qualifiers between about 10.00 and 14.00, whatever's running, mixed with 5 seat sng's, probably a break depending how it's going, maybe some more in the evening depending what football or cricket is on, and the 20.20 €4 UK qualifier hopefully with some finals at the weekend. And the missions, just for a touch of variety. Newcastle, Manchester and Malta  Sorted. Time to work on the Vegas plan.:Rofl:

 

 

 

 

 

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Keeping records has not been my speciality over the years, I seem to start my records when I'm doing well then tend to discard them when I hit the dreaded downswing, but seeing as there are so many in this community willing to put their records out there it's time I became more accountable and joined them.

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Only a small sample size to start with as I am just warming up, but not a bad start.

I've only played 11 x €1 UK Tour qualifiers and gained €4 tickets in 3 of them, two of which I've used in the evening qualifiers and managed to last into the places in one. :Smile:

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The Newcastle Manchester Malta roadshow has begun.:Rofl:

I'm hoping to step up the pace this week, so let's see how it goes.:Thumbsup:

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Far from stepping up the pace, it has gone severely in the other direction for various reasons. First the figures.

Only 12 sngs played this week, hardly a grind, very few losses but far too many second places, does this show I need some more HU work? or a bit more help from the rng? I won't go into boring details of run bad and nasty suckouts but I'm definitely on the wrong side overall. :sad:

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Six €1 Uk qualifiers played and 3 won, only one €4 played and 1 won, so that's definitely good so far, 6/17 x €1 and 2/3 aint bad at €4.😃 This coming Saturday will be this year's first attempt in the final qualifying stage. :scared:

I completed all the March missions, actually showing profit in the cash sections, 👍 and the third Anniversary weekend challenge but failed to cash in the tourney. :teardrop:

The volume is so low due to the amount of football and other sport I've been watching all week, I only have music on when playing but I intend to play more this week and start the UO qualifiers as well.

I've bought THE book, Poker Satellite Strategy, and having read it through straightaway, with no analysis, I've already taken two huge revelations to heart. Firstly,  looking back to when I was in the qualifying final for the UK and busted with QQ against AA I now know I just shouldn't have got involved in the hand when the warning lights and sirens went off. The bet came, I three bet then I followed with the shove. QQ right, but at that stage, according to the satellite strategy I should have folded QQ, as the position I was in dictated chip preservation above all else, I wasn't out for the win but purely survival, and I would have still been in with a fighting chance of qualifying with another 2-3 busting in desperation, instead of seeing that ugly Ace on the turn after flopping top set. Makes you think, Oh! what could have been.Another great point is that sngs are good practice, so rather than ditching them, which I quite enjoy anyway, hopefully any profit from them will fund the satellite road. 

Good luck all, Newcastle here we come.🤣

 

 

 

 

 

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I know the sample size is very small but cashing 9 out of 12 is nothing to be sniffed at. With regards to only winning one, the question I would be asking myself is on average how many chips am I started the heads up with? If you're scraping into the money by not really playing hands because everyone else is going crazy then that's fine because for minimal effort and risk you're cashing, then winning the heads up is purely a bonus. If you're getting into HU with decent stacks, maybe it's your HU play, maybe it's run bad (I wouldn't be able to say without watching).
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@Brocky  I've decided that the HU isn't really an issue so far, it's more variance than anything else, the last few have been OK, and it really is too small a sample size to take any specific conclusions from.😃  I think I look at the figures too often, so I'm going to leave them till I've played a great deal more and then re-assess.

 

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1875439014_Screenshot(3463).png.a271d7add5ac73a4c5bcb08faa4bc714.png 

The figures say it all really, just a bad week all round. The only consolation, for what it's worth, is the slight improvement in the HU, it just seems to have been more difficult getting there.:Teardrop:  I wanted to reach 100 realising I would still be in profit, but just didn't have the heart.:Waterfall: More work needed on the tilt issues I think.

No better in the cash, I played the Anniversary challenges and doubled up in NLHE within 5 mins but blew 4 buy ins at PLO before doubling up, a net loss of around €9.:Teardrop:

The first Saturday final for the UK tour just confirmed how I was running, how on earth can someone call my 4bet of KK with 75o and hit runner runner to straighten on the river? Totally baffling!:Waterfall:

That leaves one €50 UK ticket to play this Saturday, one €1 Uk ticket and two €4 OU tickets, which I'll play sometime this week and nothing else. I'll wait for the new quarter to start, spend whatever I have in the bonus shop to go with the €10 cash ticket I'm hanging onto, and the two monthly freeroll tickets, and have a complete re-set. :Wonder:

Five days (almost ) poker free, can I possibly survive? :Rofl:

Good luck all. :Thumbsup:

 

 

 

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today is the day success GIF by Denyse

 

 

 

 

After a few days not playing except for the 5 year anniversary missions, all completed but with another drain on the br, I've decided to continue with my present course but with a complete reset. I've spent all my bonus points,  and deposited again so have a proper br for my stakes.

I don't normally put this information out there but plenty of others do, and show all their results, so it might make me more accountable.

BR    £300    1 x €10.05 cash ticket(294 flops to go)    2 x €1 Hexanono    2 x €4 UK qualifiers    1 x €4 UO qualifier    2 x Monthly mission freerolls    119 challenge points    35 bonus points.

The qualifiers will be the main focus, closely followed by a serious attempt at 5 seat sngs, and probably the monthly missions. Cash might take a back seat until the lure becomes too strong.

First UK qualifier played, first ticket won, is this a new dawn?

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I have 3 months to find out.

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Learning the hard way

There's a reason for buying poker books and trying to learn how to play better in certain spots.

There I was, just inside the qualifying places, a middling stack with two much shorter stacks in front of me. The two largest stacks kept playing most hands, putting pressure on all the smaller stacks, but in itself not good tactics, as both of them were pretty much guaranteed a ticket, so it was only a matter of time before they clashed. A pair of threes under the gun didn't look quite good enough to me so I folded and let the big stacks battle it out.

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The very next hand I see the best pair I could hope for in this situation, one win and I'm probably there.

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There are six tickets on offer, eight players left in and two very short stacks. The player raising has just lost a pot he probably shouldn't have been in

Having bought the excellent book "Poker Satellite Strategy" and read it virtually straight through, and now rereading it more thoroughly, I knew that this situation is an automatic fold. It's stressed over and over again how important it is to read the situation, protect your stack at all times, and not get involved in potentially damaging situations, so with all that in mind I cheerfully reluctantly stupidly went all in. 

I think we all know what's coming.

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There is a lesson here and it's a fairly simple one.

If someone vastly more experienced than you gives you some advice, then you should take it, especially when you've actually payed good money for that advice, they probably know what they're talking about. 

Apologies to @Dara and @BarryCarter I promise next time I'll listen. :waterfall:

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

It's been a very confusing couple of weeks for me so it's time to sit back and have a rethink.

There's been a few threads about changes to the steps in satellite qualifiers and the possibility of bringing an amended version of exchangers back.There is also a small amount on how much it would cost the average low stakes player to qualify, @Brocky  and indeed wether it's worth it to start at the low levels at €1, @FeelsBadMan  bankrolled for it or not, makes you think when you see the figures. The UOS is also imminent so it's time to make some decisions.

Tickets obtained one way or another:

UK  11 x €4,  UO 6 x €2  1 x €4, mtt  1 x €10.

I intend to use all those this week then take a break from qualifying until things become a bit clearer. If it takes too long for things to settle down and I start running out of time for various events then so be it, there's always next year, hopefully.

You may know I have a love/hate relationship with tournaments and in that case why bother trying to qualify for live events that realistically I have little chance of cashing in, let alone getting near the end. That's not the whole point though, sometimes the journey is worth making the effort even if the final destination is a disappointment in terms of results, though not the chance for a change of scenery and meeting new people, gaining new experiences and generally having a good time. Trust me, once you've done it once you'll want to do it again. (Reminds me of something from my youth, but I won't digress.)

Onto the UOS. The last series I intended to play all the Nanos and Lows but after 3-4 days frustration got the better of me. I crashed out of that night's four within the space of 5-10 mins, all good hands and all the best pre-flop, so disgusted that I didn't play another. Hopefully this time it will be different. Playing so many satellites seems to have calmed me down, I no longer rant and rave at the awful beats, shrug it off and on to the next, and want to carry that forward to "proper" tourneys. I know I won't be able to just sit back and let players bust each other but feel I'm much better prepared to be more active, and calmer in the face of adversity.

Not being a great fan of r/a, re-buys or bounties and wondering about checking the freezeouts, I saw the thread by @FreedoM with an excellent break down of the structures and buy-ins. Nine freezeouts at each level, 27 in total, a break every third night and a total outlay of €488.75, and the decision was made. The leaderboards haven't come into my calculations at all, I just wouldn't expect to feature. I wasn't properly rolled for the last series, hoping to pick up winnings here and there to continue, but this time I regard the roll as accounted for (lost) before I begin so any additions will be a bonus and there'll be no pressure to win. Of course I may get lucky and have a couple of shots at the big ones, I'm really looking forward to it.

Cash play has taken a back seat for the time being and sngs have been consigned to the dustbin. The only format I'm truly happy playing are the qualifiers, they seem to suit my style, but are a very restricted field at the moment, so it remains to be seen where I go from here.

Good luck all whatever your game, should still be entertaining. 👍

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I'll try to clarify, that while I think the current system is really bad for the average player, I don't see you as an average player since you would grind multiple tickets which in the rebuy step gives you an advantage over the typical player that will just reg a 1 then reg the 4 with that ticket. And of course if your goal is to get to an event, any discount you can get helps. My own concerns with the system are more related with the longterm health and fairness of them, and them actually starting :laugh: . But yeah the investment in them adds up even with all the discounts, am quite curious as well how things will evolve on unibet even though they don't particularly impact me at the moment. 

Best of luck in the UOS! I do something similar, see buyins as already lost and whatever I get out of them is good news, it's probably a bit easier on the mind 😃 . Haven't decided yet if I'll go for the general leaderboard or just the tournaments that interest me, soo maybe see you at the tables 😏 

 

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Thanks for that @FeelsBadMan  I'm pretty sure I'll carry on playing the small qualifiers, €1 UK and €2 UO because I quite like them in some strange way and as long as I'm getting the discount I might as well, not many better things to do. 🤣

As for the bankroll for the UOS I look on it as the price to pay for a hobby, I think it will be easier thinking the tourneys are paid for rather than trying to build up while playing. When the series is over I think I'll work out a budget for the UK and UO qualifiers, exactly how much I'm prepared to pay, and top up my bankroll or even withdraw some if I've been running well. 🤣

Best of luck and I certainly hope to see you and others on the tables.👍

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EXCELLENT WEB LOGGING!

REGARDING YOUR AA VS JT BUBBLE HAND:

SURELY THIS IS STILL A GOOD SPOT WITH ACES? FIRST OF ALL, IT SURELY FORMS PART OF A SHOVING RANGE? theMachine HAS NOT FULLY PROCESSED THE BOOK'S TEACHINGS BUT IF YOU SHOVE IN THIS SPOT THERE IS NO HAND THE OPPONENT CAN PROFITABLY CALL WITH [WHICH CONFUSES theMachine BECAUSE IF YOUR OPPONENT CANNOT CALL WITH ANY HAND, DOES THAT NOT MEAN YOUR HOLDING DOES NOT EVEN MATTER?]

WHILE YOU CURRENTLY SIT WITHIN THE PRIZE POSITIONS: IT DOES NOT APPEAR YOU HAVE A SEAT ''LOCKED UP" TO JUSTIFY FOLDING ACES HERE, YOUR STACK STILL NEEDS TO BE MAINTAINED. THIS ACES SPOT LOOKS LIKE AN EASY SPOT TO DO SO.

//THOUGHTS?

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@theMachine I get your point about the situation, I didn't have a ticket locked up but there were two smaller stacks than me much more likely to be going out before me, and the idea is not to put your stack at risk in these situations, only when absolutely necessary. It's a much closer spot than on first sight, and the natural reaction is ship it in and relax. :teardrop:

However, being the good student that I am and always willing to take lessons to heart, I had to think long and hard when a similar situation came up the day after.

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Eight players left, six tickets on offer and I was sixth with two much smaller stacks left. If I'd been against the smaller stacks only it would have been a straightforward raise, but the two largest stacks had been having a bit of an ego trip, virtually playing every hand against each other. I was thinking of letting them get on with it, but because they had been so active I suspected that neither would have much of a holding, and if they both folded I would be almost assured of a ticket. In the back of my mind though was the acceptance that one or both would call. 

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Sure enough they both had to have a go.

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This time I got the ticket but the one who had been in second place, with a virtually assured ticket called a shove and a re-shove with Q9s and left with nothing.

I see examples of this every day where huge stacks aren't prepared to just sit back and coast, all the better for the rest of us, but I'm totally with Daira, finishing with 1 chip in sixth place is just as valuable as first place with 30,000.

I haven't done much (any) work as yet on shoving and calling ranges, I'm relying on that little voice at the back of my mind, and won't be playing satties after this week until the UOS is over, then it's down to more study.

I don't think I'll play any satties for the UOS, I'm quite busy this week, but if I make any money I hope to join you in the big one, best of luck in that and the rest.:Smile::Thumbsup:

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

UOS

 Played two tourneys out of six.

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Played six tourneys out of eighteen.

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I played over 3 hrs Monday night and over 5 hours Tue night.

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Wednesday night was always going to be a night off, no freezeouts and the Manchester Derby to watch, and I was very tired anyway. 

I'm really not looking forward to such long sessions again so I've decided to miss out any more and go back to the qualifiers for the UK  and the UO tours, especially now the exchangers are back. A few qualifiers a day is plenty for me with all the cricket snooker and football to watch at the moment and a backlog of films building up. 

Good luck all. :Thumbsup:

A nice modest target for you @MetalWolf , go get 'em. jd GIF

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

A DAY AT THE RACES

The sun is out, the sky is blue, there's not a cloud to spoil the view............................so poker is taking a backseat for a few days. The downswing is still nibbling away at my confidence and as it's my birthday today it's time for a day off and some rest and relaxation. It's about fifteen years since I've been to the races, and seeing that one of the finest courses, certainly in this part of the world, is hosting it's usual high class racing, is less than an hour's drive away, and it's a lovely typical British Summer day, what could be better than a few hours of fun in the sun, so York here I come.

Wallet:              check.

Racing Post:    check.

Binoculars:      check.

Hip flask:         check

Sunglasses:    check.

Sunscreen:      check.   ( 🤣 )

Bizarre combo of unflattering shorts, horrendously ugly shirt, sandals AND socks:  triple check.

That's it, ready to go, wish me luck and I'll try to update if I can.

 

 

 

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@GR1ZZL3R wrote:

Wallet:              check.

Racing Post:    check.

Binoculars:      check.

Hip flask:         check

Sunglasses:    check.

Sunscreen:      check.   ( 🤣 )

15 mins and 12% battery for those so maybe no more photos till I get homeRofl


NO  Power Bank  on the list :Cool:

"Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises."
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