Back in the saddle.

So after coming home dejected I decided to not play any poker and just watch TV and have some beers.

That lasted till 11pm when I got to thinking about my game and why I went out of the tournament. After watching the eventual winner play and JJ and Tony Dobson i realised that I could probably be a bit more aggressive so I decided to have a little practice in a cheapy tournament.

The only thing available was the $4000 guaranteed (yes dollars not pounds) for a buy in of $25. Cheap enough given the exchange rate.

I sat down and proceeded to raise with any 2 if folded to me 3 off the button or closer. I also played suited aces, medium connectors and Face-x if x was > than 7.

If there was action before me I would either get out of there, or re-raise with position.

I managed to hit a few flops and pretty soon was chip leader with a massive stack of 8k by level 3! hmm.

I continued to play it hard. By now of course the other players were aware of my aggression and had started to call my bets pre-flop a fair bit. But with my stack I could put them to the test as soon as they showed any weakness.

I replayed the game through poker tracker this morning and I had very few legitimate big hands for most of the game. When I did get them I got zero respect and took down big pots.

By 3am I was the victor and $1500 (again dollars unfortunately) better off.

Looking at the game I did manage to connect early on and build a stack quickly so I thought I would try it again. The 1:15 2k beckoned (I love "working" at home) and I used the same strategy.

This time I hit fewer flops early but continued to push and soon was in the top ten. The break saw me back down below average after being unable to call a few all in re-raises but I pushed through the bubble and made the final table.

I was a bit unlucky to go out in 3rd place after battling hard on the final table but a top 3 finish is not a terrible result.

Of course I find it much more difficult to be so aggressive live. I will have to steel my nerves and give it a shot later this week. I think the £30 deep and steep will be the perfect game for a little tester.