Poker a Game of Skill

In March of last year I was presented to the game of poker or better yet, I discovered this fantastic game. Like many players, I started losing money and trying to figure out how this game work, what strategies should I apply to the game.

After some hard work, hours of study and play and by taking the effort to specialize in one type of game (current I play SNG of 9 players) I figured out that it takes more than luck to be a long term winning player.

You see, you have to play for the long term and be skilfull in this game to win. In the short term anything can happen but on the long term only the good players will win on poker.

On a game based on luck you cannot control the random output, you cannot play to lose or win. Poker is diferent, you can play to lose or you can play to win, which is why playing poker is clearly a game of skill.

It takes more than cards to win at this game, poker is based on many variables like stack size, pot odds, winning odds, type of players, dealing with risk/reward situations, hand strength based on your cards.

This is a game of incomplete information and a very complex game where sometimes bad results will knock at your door no matter how good you are. On those times you have to think if you made right long term decision. If you played that hand perfectly then do not worry about the outcome, you made the correct decision and you will profit in the future if you make the same decision.

That is why bad beats can be your friend, they tell you that you played well and you can be sure that your opponent will loose money if he does the same action again. Poker is all about making the right decisions at the table.

Performance Feedback and 40 Billion Hand Celebration

This weekend I played 13 games and on the end I made more profit. It was not some major profit, but I increased my bankroll. The month is going ok, I have half the profit I made last month, and the month is still half way.

Pokerstars is celebrating the 40 Billion Hand and is giving some major prizes at the cash tables and is also seting up some SNG and Tournaments with more that $40.0000 in prize pool. I registered to one of those tournaments, it only cost me about 40 FPPs (Frequent Player Points). The thing is that the MTT will be played on Tuesday at 2:40 AM (Portugal time), so it will going to be though for me.

Tomorrow after my work in Lisbon I will go to the gym to pump some iron ant then I will rest and try to sleep before the MTT at 2:40 AM. Let's see if it will be worth my effort to play.
On the same day, I have a birthday lunch on my cousin house, so I will not play so much as I would like.

On the last 90 days, I am ending all months with profit, January was my best month. Of course on the beginning I lost some money and I did some few low value cashouts and deposits. But I did not made any deposit since last summer and I am almost break even from the total games that I played on Pokerstars. My graphic curve on sharkscope is a total ascendent one, I have never ever played so well.

Btw, I ordered another book, this one about treating poker as a business.

Febrruary stats:
Total games played: 27
ROI: 71%

Stay cool!

A (vergonhosa) Reportagem SIC

Este post é mesmo em português sobre um assunto nacional. Há dias foi transmitida uma reportagem na SIC que supostamente e inicialmente deveria ser sobre a evolução do poker, regras e a realidade do mesmo a nivel amador e profissional.

Contudo, a reportagem foi sobre o vicio do jogo e mostra uma completa falsidade acerca do poker em Portugal e o jornalista que fez este trabalho mostra uma pura ignorância sobre o tema ou se conhece o tema a fundo levou noutro sentido que não a realidade do poker enquanto praticado como hobbie ou profissionalmente.

Toda a comunidade portuguesa online de poker repudia esta reportagem.

Deixo aqui um link para uma opinião sobre esta reportagem.

É uma vergonha como é que existem jornalistas que fazem este tipo de trabalho e traiem a confiança dos jogadores nacionais que depositaram a sua esperança neste trabalho crendo que o mesmo fosse uma reportagem construtiva e positiva acerca do poker e não uma reportagem obsoleta, cheia de tabus e que retrata o vicio do jogo.

É curioso que depois da reportagem a SIC apresentou aos portugueses uma forma de estes ganharem 5k € no passatempo Perfeito Coração, o valor com que a estação ganha é muito superior aos 5k € que oferecem e entretanto centenas ou milhares de portugueses vão ligar para um nº de telefone de valor acrescentado, será a febre dos serviços de valor acrescentado por televisão? Ou será o vicio do jogo patrocinado pela televisão mas que este já é supostamente um jogo pedagógico e que se aprende muito e se desenvolve as capacidades?

Ironia à parte, esta reportagem vem mostrar que para além de existir uma falta de responsabilidade social por parte de alguns meios de comunicação social ao não saberem comunicar o assunto que relatam, leva-me a crer que existe um trabalho enorme e eterno de os jogadores de poker, (como eu), de saberem explicar, comunicar e promover o fantastico mundo online ou live do poker.

Weekend Grind

I was more tired this weekend to play than usual, but I ended up playing 10 games, the 9 players SNG's. On the 10 games played I lost 5 games in a row! But I had 3 1st places, so I ended up with more money on my bankroll.

I only played 2 games on Friday, I was very tired, I guess it was the gym, before playing I went to the gym. Then at home I made a dinner and after take my son to bed and I was ready to some action at the tables but I was not 100% focused so I ended up just playing 2 games. On Saturday night I played until 2 AM, I wake up early today, after doing some domestic stuff, I rested a while at the afternoon and played 3 games tonight. Now I am ready to rest, still not midnight but tomorrow is work day so I have to get up early at 7,30 AM.

I will try to manage to play some games at weekdays, but at the present it is hard for me to play during weekdays night. I still only played 11 games this month, less 9 games than January.

Total games played on February: 11
ROI: 85%

These stats shows some good indicators for me, I hope I can play at least 50 games this month maintaing a good 2 digits ROI. I still did not gave up on the Sharkscope leaderboard, I have the all year to try.

See you at the tables!

January Review & February Prewatch

January is over and was an above average month for me at the tables. Was the most profitable month to me since I started playing poker back in March 2009. But don't take my word from me I will show you the numbers.

Period of time: January

- Total games played: 66
- - Total Wins: 38
- - Total Loses: 28
- Average buy-in: 1,15 €
- Total Profit: 41,10 €
- ROI: 54,2%

On a investment point of view, I invested 75,9€ and I received back not only what I invested but more 54,2% back. What I mean is that I won 121€. Making a net profit of 41,1 €.

I also started and finished reading a poker book, the poker mindset.
I am rereading the book this month to start a new one next month (already on the waiting list).

How is it going to be February? It depends on my computer strength, I was on the Pokerstars blogger tournament last friday and my pc crashed during the 1st hour. The tournament was going ok, everybody started with $2000 and in less than 45 minutes I already had more than $8k, placing above 30th on a field with more than 1500 players.

I ended up in 199th place, without playing any hand at the 50 minutes point because my pc "said it was enough". I ended up going to a store where they fix and clean the computers and in the same day with less 50€ on the wallet I already had my pc working, this was on Saturday. Just ended up turning the pc on today.

This month I will continue to play the SNG of 9 players at the 1€ buy in and work to get more than 50 games played and a 2 digits positive ROI.

I leave this post with my final hand played last month, was a SNG of 9 players and we were heads-up and I take down the 1st prize by busting the opponent straigth with my full house.