it was bound to happen

If you read the last post, you know that I said how well I played, and I just had to be playig more often so I could qualify/win more... that maybe when I start running well I'll get the big one...
Well I decided to multitable a little bit so I could play more. And Not only did I place in the money in one, but I won the entire thing... $25 Cash! Now that's enough to get my bankroll started... ESPECIALLY at world poker exchange where it's "no rake" you get all your rake back.
I was all in once before the final table with bottom set against a flushdraw...
I would have preferred to get it all in on the turn or just played a small pot UNTIL the turn, and if i had to check the turn to induce a bluff I would, but when your opponent shoves all in you don't have too much of a choice. So I took it down there. I'm not even positive it was all my chips at risk, but if it wasn't it was significant enough where I'd have a slim chance of advancing. I had quite a few people move in on me, but all my chips weren't at risk. I had a few flushes but there wasn't an all in it was just big bets. On the final table I shoved all in because I was the 2nd shortest stack about 6-7 handed. I got called by AK and won the coinflip and doubled up. So I had my money in as a 74% (set vs flushdraw) a 55% and finally headsup I was a 100%. So really based on when my money was all in on the line, I was about 40% to win.

That's not all... I just so happened to make it in the money at the bodog $1000 I'm guarenteed $2 at this point but I'm still playing and first place is $220...
Not bad considering I had to autofold quite a few hands to focus in one winning.

I got a portion of the final table 3 handed recorded that I'll get up for you soon so you can see a little bit how I play... Unfortunately you don't get a chance to see how tight I was playing before hand, but you do see what the effect of playing tight as well as realizing your opponents aren't calling stations or anything. I had to cut the vid short.. I was hoping that if I made it headsup I would have the video recording software done compiling it so I could record it it but I didn't get a chance to. Basically I tightened up within 2-3 mins before the next blind raise so I could steal again. With that done, I ended up grinding my way up until I got headsup. Once headsup I kept stealing pots until we were about even in chips. Then I had 45 on the button/SB raised it I hit the 5 on the flop and bet and my opponent called. Then I hit a 5 again and I bet and was raised pretty big. I called and I basically checked quickly the same way I did when I was on a draw earlier and decided to fold... My opponent shoved all in and I called and he had ace high and was drawing dead.

At Bodog's $1000 gaurentee I actually had to fold a lot more hands then I wanted to because of the autofold feature and laggy software... I played a AP tournamnet (to which I came in 444th) and tried to play an UB qualifier again, but I got too distracted so I put that one on autofold so i could play the others came back with 1100 with 150/300 blinds and basically checked down 83 BB vs SB and won, but after that my 88 lost to 44... I didn't have too much of a shot at comming back unless I won a big pot so I just flat called a raise inviting anyone and everyone in the pot. The flop came J42 and there was an initial bet and a raise and I pushed and the first bettor folded and the guy called with 44 and I was done. All these tournaments were difficult to keep track of, but I was still doing well.

Unfortunately I missed the part where I realized the bubble was comming up, but I did catch it towards the end of it, so I got to make an aggressive call when a guy shoved all in on my big blind. I had KQ and he had KJ. I took him out, but unfortunately couldn't run over that table because i moved tables right after that. I folded the first hand to make sure there were no maniacs at the table, but the next hand I got 78off and played... you'll have to see the video when it's done to check it out. an UTG raised and this was after the bubble so I had to just call with AQs. the flop came Q86 and the guy check raised all in. I knew he was strong, but he could have AQ, AK, JJ, or TT and I have all those hands beat so I had to call since I was getting nearly 2 to 1 on my money. He turned over KK but as I was saying Nice hand the ace peeled off. I'd like to raise right now but I have a loose player who occasionally plays like a maniac on my right, so I'm blinding down waiting for a hand, and Bodog's structure doesn't allow for too much waiting at this kind of table.

29 players left... fortunately blinding down to a short stack doesn't hurt me too much since there's 18k dead money in the pot and everyone's short stacked in relation to the blinds... so if I manage to pickup a hand and there's a limper or two whether double up or get away with the steal, I'm pretty much right back in it.
I'm going to try to be as conservative as the blinds allow me right now until I get a stack I can play around with. I might have to push from the button or small blind or big blind one of these times, but if I only get 1 caller I'm still going to have so much dead money. I'm just waiting to set a trap, but sometimes that hand doesn't come and you have to create profitable situations. I have the same guy minraising my blind every time, but others are calling behind him so a push from there would be a good spot.
As I was typing this I got lucky and beat a guy with A3 vs 77, I tried to resteal and he pushed but it was only like hardly a big blind more... but he just called someone down with pocket 2s after the flop, and he raised the next hand he was crippled I figured it could easily be a tilt situation so I thought my ace high could easily be the best hand and I was looking for a spot to resteal. On the big blind I picked up a pair with a flushdraw and decided to check raise all in. The guy had a set of tenss and although I hit my flush on the turn, the board paired on the river and I went out 20th place. Bodog claims to pay 6.40 to 20th, but it says "you finished 20th and recieve $3.04 so I'm not sure what's up with that... but between the software lagging, the lack of time to decide, the too fast blind structures, that's yet another reason why I don't like Bodog very much.

Results so far
Pokerstars: $0.15 in account, can't use to play anything.
Bodog: 3.04.. wait $6.40 I guess the message was wrong but they transfered it right.
World Poker Exchange:$25
Total Bankroll: $31.55 from freerolls alone and it's been less than a month since the challenge. When it comes to freerolls, Chris Ferguson ain't got nothing on me! :)

So far I've placed in the money or qualified in about 25% of my tournaments by my estimate... Which is good, but considering how well I've got my money in, it could be better.

I think picking up the Micon System Secrets helped me realize some things that may help me get a few more pots... For example: there's a lot more value than I realized in making moves with A5 and stuff mid-later on against opponents who like to steal with KQ and defend the blinds with KJ.

Certainly don't spend the money on the Micon Secrets if you are just freerolling yourself for fun, but realize that once you have the money, just being able to win a pot or two more every hour in a tournament could be enough because then your double ups will mean more, and you'll be able to sit around a little longer without making a move and be able to pickup that hand you need. It could mean the difference between making the money and not, and over every tournament you play in your career, it will make a huge difference.
For now you might just want to sit at a Barnes and Nobles or a library and read Dan Harrington's books Harrington on holdem, or Daniel Negreanu's Power Holdem Strategy, Or Brunson's Supersystem I and II.

But if you can afford it, audio programs like the Micon Secrets offer the benefit of being able to listen to it at night with the lights off before you go to sleep or to listen to it while you play, you can pause it without losing your spot, and for some people audio is much easier to follow. It also gives you "video lessons" with Gank, so you can watch him dominate the tables and see his hole cards. If you think watching me at the freeroll tables is valuable, you have to check this out.

He also offers a 100% money back guarantee, so You can always try it out for 60 days and send him a message back and dump it.
Anyways, I've made the mistake of cashing in one of these bodog events then proceeding to play and dump off the money, so I'm going to bed and I'll grind my way up in the "beginner sitNgo's" or cashgames... Based on my bankroll I can only sit with about $1.6 for sitNgos and cash games and .63 for MTTs. However, I'm allowing myself to play the "minnimum" games while I'm starting out since the only alternative is more freerolls.

Now that I got my cashed rolling in, I'm going to figure out this podcasting thing and get it set up. I'm going to load up the videos, and if I can, I'll see if I can use ourmedia.org to load videos larger than 100MBs. If I can and actually am able to link to them, I'll actually record entire tournaments with audio to them.
I got a lot planned, hopefully I can get to it all fairly quickly.
seeya next time
-Mike