tilted behaviour

So back in 1986 Argentina won the FIFA World Cup, the movie Aliens was released and Mike Tyson was crowned the youngest world heavyweight-boxing Champion . . . and on this day in that year . . . I was born!

Yes today is my birthday, but I don’t really feel the need to celebrate as I’m soooooooo old!

Instead I’ve decide to let everyone that frequents this site an opportunity to peek into the early photo albums of the Duckworth household and most likely have a laugh at the young me.

Enjoy, and thanks to everyone for the well wishes!

Most people are aware of the devastation that hit Haiti on January 12th of this year.

Just like the case twenty-five years ago when USA for Africa released ‘We are the World’ to support African famine relief, another super-group of musician’s have teamed up together to lend their voices to the Haiti earthquake appeal by releasing the charity single ‘We are the World 25 For Haiti’.

Composed by Quincy Jones and Lionel Ritchie, the song features solo’s by artist’s such as Jennifer Hudson, Josh Groban, Tony Bennett, Mary J. Blige, Miley Cyrus, Wyclef Jean, P!nk, Usher, Celine Dion, Lil Wayne, T-Pain and many more, along with a rap by LL Cool J, Will.I.Am, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes and Kanye West.

There have been mixed reviews about the song, but the only way to voice your opinion is by checking it out.

Courtesy of my Malaysian heritage, my family and I tend to celebrate Chinese New Year more heavily then the conventional calendar New Year, so Kong Hei Fat Choi to you all!

Now most people believe that when you say Kong Hei Fat Choi (or the various derivations of the term) that they are wishing the receiver a ‘Happy New Year’, but in fact they are saying ‘Congratulations and be Prosperous’.

2010 is the Year of the Tiger – and since I am one – I feel that I should take a closer look to what it might entail for not only me, but everyone.

According to Chinese astrology, this year is one of the Metal Tiger, and people who like to talk about wealth will say that 2010 is a Golden Tiger year. However, when you look at the five elements, the colour representing metal is white therefore meaning that 2010 can also be regarded as Year of the White Tiger which can be considered to be bad as the White Tiger is connected to the symbol of jinx in Chinese history.

All very confusing.

Looking at your Chinese horoscope can definitely confuse you as there a countless explanations of how your year may pan out – but in comparison to the twelve Zodiac signs – it is something I tend to look into a little deeper.

Anyway, here are just two horoscopes for the Tiger for 2010.

The Tiger
Magnetic, passionate and grand! When the Tiger does anything, it’s noticed! Indecisiveness and stubbornness can mar the sparkle of the Tiger personality. On the one hand generous, on the other hand a little mean, it’s sometimes hard to know where one stands with the Tiger. Flexible, honest and truly entertaining, one has a friend for life with a Tiger.

The Fire Tiger (1926 and 1986)
Eccentric and dramatic, Fire Tigers are aglow with passion and verve. They are outgoing, expressive and look on the bright side of things. They have the Tiger’s natural ability to lead others and are able to excite others simply with their own gift of enthusiasm. They can be funny and have great senses of humour. Tigers are powerful speakers and have the ability to command and persuade crowds through speech. Their own seemingly endless supply of energy can make them appear a bit dramatic, and it may make them more sensitive to cautious or down-to-earth approaches in others.

I played at Crown a few nights ago.

The short story is that I played real terrible at the start to be in for three buy-ins on a $2-3 NLH table before kicking myself in the ass to play better and grind back to near even . . . only to donk it all off at about hour twelve of my session.

Following my live donk off and my downswing online, there was only one thing left to do.

. . . I grabbed the noose, hung it over the . . .

No. Just kidding.

Instead I made a few adjustments to my strategy and jumped back on the horse to continue to grind the $0.10-0.25c NLH tables.

So far things have been solid with the adjustments I’ve made helping me tighten up my leaks. Although the profit hasn’t fallen in droves as yet, I’m hoping that their just around the corner.

I do have a question for the Tilted Behaviour readers out there.

Is it possible to be playing $5-10 NLH on PKR by the time the WSOP rolls around?

I say it is possible if I continue to put in some high volume and run a little better than I have over the past couple of weeks. I do think it is unlikely though as most of the higher games are played only six-handed, and currently I tend to stay away from short-handed play because my strategy is a little too weak (I believe).

But for arguments sakes, here are the increases in limits on PKR; $0.25-0.50 ($10-$50 min and max buy-ins), $0.50-1 ($20-$100), $1-2 ($40-$200), $2-4 ($80-$400), $3-6 ($120-$600) and $5-10 ($200-$1000).

As most of you know I have been playing online solely at PKR.

I deposited $500 just before the end of last year and began playing $0.10-0.25c No Limit Holdem with an emphasis on full ring play ahead of six-handed. Although I have been running below EV, I have managed to run my account up to $1,380 playing solely NLH with maybe 300 hands of PLO and one tournament (which I cashed in).

With a move up limits to $0.25-0.50c just round the corner when I tip the $1,500 mark, I took a big step back over the past few days following some major run bad.

It started when I was playing in a Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo game where everyone just had no clue of how to play. Of course that didn’t matter because after 400-odd hands I had seen barely ten hands that had any chance of taking a low, while the rest were terrible high hands. The few times I got it in good I would somehow rivered for half the pot with someone holding a mighty A-J-9-6 for a low, or my complete wrap and flush draw would take the low as someone’s pocket tens took the high.

Basically it was an absolute terrible session where I lost three buy-ins before deciding that straight up Pot Limit Omaha would be the best option. That was a mistake too, as I lost a buy-in fairly quickly and decided to resort back to plain old boring $0.10-0.25c No Limit Holdem.

With four NLH tables up, I lost a buy-in fairly quickly and now definitely believed that it was going to be a shocking day. However things started to turn round when my 6♥ 6♣ were paid off by 10♦ 10♠ on the river on a board of 4♣ 5♣ 6♦ 6♠ 4♦, then my A♦ Q♦ for top-top was paid off on the turn by 10♥ 10♣. Combined with three straights for smallish pots and I managed to scrape some poker dignity and bankroll back.

Unfortunately just a day later it would all turn to shit once again seeing my bankroll fall to just below the $1,000 mark after some more run bad and bad play.

Unlike the previous negative session, I began this one with $0.10-0.25c No Limit Holdem but over the course of 300 hands I dropped four buy-ins.

The first was pretty amusing (not) as the biggest pot I won was just $3.38 while I lost plenty including running into two sets of overpairs, a flopped flush, a bigger full house and many more I really don’t fell like re-living!

I then decided to gamble a little and took a seat in a $0.50-1 Pot Limit Omaha game and after running into a bigger full house and being forced to top up I lost my whole stack when I was rivered holding K♠ J♣ 9♣ 9♠ by Q♦ 10♦ 10♠ 4♦ on a board that ran out A♦ Q♠ 10♣ 4♦ 7♦.

I can’t really explain why I’m in such a huge downswing.

Maybe it’s just countering against my upswing or maybe because I recently downloaded some tracking software – PokerOfficer – and started testing out HUD as well as being able to review my session history.

I do know however that there is only one thing I can do . . . and that’s just getting back to the basics of playing solid poker and grinding out hundreds of hands for profit so that I can replenish my bankroll and hopefully take the next step few steps in improving my game and moving up limits.

I wasn’t expecting to play anymore live poker for the week, but I guess I was wrong.

Driving up on Friday afternoon, I headed to the airport to pick up my cousin and his girlfriend from the airport. It was part thank-you for letting me stay at their house, part another reason to play at Crown, and part I didn’t want them to shell out the money to grab a cab.

After unloading the car once back at theirs, I made my way to Crown and found a seat on a $2-3 NLH table.

I had chipped up to around $250 on a table that featured a bunch of weak passive players who really struggled post-flop when this hand came up. Everyone limped in, and I did so on the button with J♦ 9♣ to see a flop of Q♦ 5♣ 9♦ fall and a bet of $10 follow from one of the limpers. This player had turned over a few ‘unique’ hands where he had barrelled bottom-pair etc, so his bet didn’t seem overly strong to me. A first time player made the call, before I bumped it to $37. The flop aggressor called as did the noob before I dinged the 9♠ on the turn.

Very comfortable with where I now sat in the hand, it shocked me to see the aggressor fire out (after just calling on the flop) $25. The noob called and I thought for a little before making it $68 to go and was instantly snapped off before the noob passed.

The river landed the 6♥ and I was met with an instant announcement of a bet of $100 as my now lone opponent in the hand fumbled while cutting down the amount to call.

I sat in the tank for around three minutes trying to decipher the whole hand. I couldn’t factor him to have a better nine, but more likely held a busted draw or even just a Queen. Eventually I called and internally puked when he rolled over his 8♠ 7♥ for a rivered gutshot to leave me with just $40 and send me to my wallet to top up.

Reviewing the hand, I think I bet the turn way too small, but either way I managed to add a further $200 to my stack the next hand when my two-pair held up against two players top pair.

Eventually though I got my now favourite opponent back when I opened from late position holding A♣ 10♥ and was flatted by the button and my nemesis from the big blind. The flop fell down K♠ Q♥ J♠ and I was faced with a donked out $20 bet in which I just called as the button folded. The turn landed the 6♣ and he fired out $30 in which I just called. The river landed the ugly 9♣ and my nemesis fired out $25. I exchanged some friendly banter before splashing the pot with a bet of $140.

He immediately called, rolled over Q♦ J♥, and I scooped the pot to put my stack upwards of $650.

I decided to call the session to an end when I double a short-stack up with a weaker top-pair to eventually cash out up just under $200 for the session before Mat made his way to Crown and we decided to see the new movie Daybreakers . . . if you like Vampires or need an occasional startle in a dark room then go see it.

I headed into Crown at the early time of 10am to test my luck in the Saturday morning $25 rebuy donkament.

I tried to enjoy the rebuy period and was all in at least ten times with five of them being without looking at my cards. After the rebuy period was over, I had spent $100 and had just over a 3,000-chip stack courtesy of a late triple up holding 10♠ 10♣.

Once we returned after the break, the levels picked up and facing a short-stack’s all in, I pushed with 5♦ 5♥ and was called by the big stack’s K♥ Q♥. The short-stack held tens, and once a Queen flopped, it was over as I was bundled out in 45th of the 72 starters.

Heading to a $2-3 NLH table I played for nearly five hours getting up $50, then losing $100, getting up $50, then losing $100. Eventually I decided that it wasn’t going to be a good day and walked out (thankfully) up $50 and made my way back home.

I was expecting to be writing this blog post recapping my ANZPT preliminary results from the comfort of my hotel room in Adelaide . . . but unfortunately I’m about 711 kilometres away sitting at my desk at home.

Some of you may be wondering why I’m not in Adelaide . . . maybe it’s because I’m busto, or sick, or too lazy to drive / fly / walk to Adelaide after a semi-hectic Aussie Millions . . . but you would all be wrong!

David Galpin is the one to blame.

Now don’t get me wrong, I think David is a great bloke and tournament director, and I happily shared a few beers with him in a karaoke room once the inaugural ANZPT wrapped up last year, but he is the reason why I’m not in Adelaide.

It all started when he posted the structures to the full ANZPT Adelaide series in the PokerNetwork Forum. There were six events on the schedule that I was looking at playing with three of them being a lock. Event 1: Industry PLO Rebuy, Event 3: Industry NLH Freeze-Out and Event 6: NLH Bounty.

Before jet-setting to Adelaide I decided to just check that I qualified for Poker Industry by asking him in the thread . . .this was his response.

Hi Tim,

David Galpin

I obviously was a little annoyed by his response as I believe that I – without being egotistical – am in the top tier of the poker industry.

In their structure sheets these ‘Industry’ events have the following information.

This event is only available to employees of the Australasian Casino or Poker
Industry. Entrants will need to be ACTION cardholders and have proof of
employment and photographic identification

I quoted this in the same thread but David hasn’t replied.

It just totally baffles me what the ‘Poker Industry’ is and why people such as me don’t qualify. Either it is false advertising if it is meant for just casino employees or the two people that do qualify for ‘Poker Industry’ must be the two luckiest people I’ve never heard of!

Of course I’m disappointed that I’m not able to make it to Adelaide to play cards with some of my mates who deal at Crown, but there is nothing I can do about it until next year.

The fact that David is actually turning people down from an events that are likely to get no more than 50 people astounds me because isn’t one of his roles as a Tournament Director to get more people into the poker room playing tournaments and turning over rake in cash games . . . maybe things are truly upside down in Adelaide.

What also makes me laugh about the whole situation is that David personally contacted me the other week in reference to a piece I wrote on this very website a year ago; The Eight Points of Enlightenment: ANZPT Adelaide. He wanted some details that I probably shouldn’t discuss publicly about conducting the tournament and ways to improve it, but with knowledge that I manage a poker website (kind of) it surely just provides more grounds for ‘Poker Industry’.

Although detailing this situation and my feelings on the issue may seem inappropriate to some, I believe that it needed to be said and be public knowledge (and also takes a huge weight off my chest).

Edit: Congratulations to friends and fellow ex-PokerNews employees Dane Jensen and Shane Beckham for taking out events in Adelaide.

Dane started with a third-place finish in Event 1: Industry $70 Pot Limit Omaha with $40 rebuys for a $1,055 collect before capturing the Event 3: Industry $265 NLH Freeze-Out title for a $5,635 payday.

Shane managed to win the Event 2: Turbo Charity Rebuy event where, after a heavy contribution of the prizepool, he collected $480 for his efforts.

Great effort boys!

With the Aussie Millions over, it now leaves me more time to play, and consequently I decided to stay down in Melbourne for a few extra days to hit the felt.

By the time I had fully recovered from the copious amount of alcohol I had drunk the previous night I eventually found my way into the Crown Poker Room and on a $2-3 NLH table.

It was fairly uneventful as I grinded away for over two hours for $39 in profit before being convinced by friend / ex-PokerNews colleague / Crown’s best dealer / (potentially) Crown’s best tournament director Anthony ‘Slippers’ Molinaro to play the $65 Melbourne Championships.

Just like a typical Crown Step One satellite the structure was fairly fast and I just played a solid game to see the starting 17 quickly chomped down to just a final table. From then on I picked up the aggression and slowly accumulated a stack to see me capture one of the $250 Step Two seats.

I jumped back on a $2-3 NLH table, but started to get a little tired and decided to take my $11 profit and head home for the night.

Heading in early to play the $50 plus single $25 rebuy tournament at 10am I was surprised to see a further 54 players also get out of bed early to make the trip down to Crown.

I chipped up to around 4k from my 1,500 starting stack when I virtually doubled without a showdown holding Kings and took a few pots down on the flop in a raised pot. Just before the first break I opened 425 with blinds at 100-200 holding A♦ J♦ and was flatted by someone a few seats along before the big blind moved all in for 725. I decided to ship it all in and was quickly snapped off after being trapped with Aces.

Left with around 1,000 it was folded right round when I was in the big blind before I kept shoving from the small blind thereafter as the blinds kicked up to 200-400. Unfortunately my 10♥ 9♥ from middle position ran into the Ace-Queen and Ace-King of the blinds and I was out in 32nd place.

While waiting for a cash game I got in touch with Heath and we decided that we would have a hit of tennis or play online from his apartment across the road.

Kirsty needed to head into the city, so we decided to join her as we lugged round the CBD in the sweltering hot Melbourne sun.

Returning to their apartment I eventually convinced Heath to play the nightly $60 Turbo tournament at Crown and we made our way down to the poker room to find fellow PokerNetwork / PokerNews blogger Landon Blackhall and his dad also participating in the donkament.

Heath busted in about three hands while I grinded away before the blinds picked up and I shoved 8 bb’s with pocket fives only to run into Aces to bust out in 70th/98 place.

With Heath tying a noose somewhere, I sat down on a $1-2 NLH table but over the course of two hours ran into Aces, set into overset and a few other disgusting hands to finish down $200 and on my way out the door.

My final session for the first half of the week saw me venture into the poker room in the afternoon.

Sitting down at a $2-3 NLH table full of regular mid-week players, I was fairly card dead before getting involved in the wrong side of a pot to force myself to top-up an additional $150.

It would be a very wise decision because I few hands later I called a $15 raise from out of the big blind with A♦ 8♦ to see a flop of 7♦ 5♦ 4♦ flop fall with a pot of $90 in the middle. I checked, the player in middle position bet out $25 and only the original raiser called before I check-raised to $65. The flop aggressor moved all in, the original raiser folded and I called.

He rolled over his Q♦ 9♦ and that was that as I cashed out $467 after another orbit to register just over $115 in profit for the session before heading to Heath and Kirsty’s to play some tennis.

We played a best of three round robin series, and after nearly pulling a hammy when chasing down one of my drop shots, Heath never stood a chance against either Kirsty or me.

Heath didn’t any of his four matches, while Kirsty went 2-2 and me 4-0 before we called it a night as I made my way back to Geelong.