tesheets-blog

[tesheets-blog]

That inevitable downswing...

It’s bound to happen.  No matter how great a player you are, there will be a time when you’re not on your A game, the cards aren’t connecting, variance isn’t your friend, and you are being outplayed.  Usually, all of these things happen at once and for good reason.  Usually something happens that triggers a series of unfortunate events.  Good players can get lost in that space for a long time.  Even great players can struggle to pull themselves out of it.  And bad players, well, they just live there all the time in one way or another.  As luck would have it, I’ve been marred in one of those downswings lately.  I will say that there was a time in my life that I would beat myself up to the point that I would lose confidence and my game would get sick-tracked.  That no longer is the case.  I’m much quicker to identify gaps in my play vs. poor variance.  I can be very objective when it comes to my play and I am my worst critic.  If I am playing bad, I have no problem admitting it.  However, lately that has not been the case.  I am being punished by the variance gods.  My hands aren’t holding, i’m not getting there and my opponent’s hands are just better than mine.  I know it will turn around, it always does, but boy do I hate it.  I’m lucky enough that these things are few and far between, but to think it cannot impact your game is not realistic.  There was a time that I would avoid the game until my mind was clear, but now I now that I have to get back in the game.  The game is such a game of feel that when you remove yourself from it for long periods of time, while you might reenter with a clear mind, your game will be off and it can take a long time to find that groove again.  So, I’m gonna keep my head up and keep firing. As always, thanks for the love and support!  - Troy Sheets

www.chipup-poker.com

[tesheets-blog]

When wizards, wizard...

I think every great poker player has a specialty.  Something that they have mastered, or have gotten very close to mastering, and they leverage that particular skill to perform well in poker.  For some, it’s GTO, for others, it’s the math.  It could be really good fundamentals, so on and so on.  For me, I think that skill is hand reading.  I’ve always had an innate ability to read hands really well.  Many times throughout a session, I will correctly call out other player’s hands.  As with anything, I’m able to utilize this skill at various degrees, depending on what level of my game I am playing.  Over the past few weeks, I have been playing close to my A game and my hand reading has, at times, been off the charts.  A couple of weeks ago, in our 2/5 game, I started the night off by calling the exact hand of my opponent, on the flop.  Made a side wager with another opponent and collected.  Over the next 5 hours, I correctly called out 4 more hands, while missing on 2 others.  Now, I am obviously not calling out every hand as there are hands that I don’t have that feeling, but I do pay attention and ‘guess’ in my head a lot.  The skill can be a gift and a curse.  It’s a gift for the obvious reasons.  I know where my opponents are a lot and can play accordingly.  Also, after witnessing me do this a few times, my opponents begin to take a different line against me and I miss out on future earnings.  My personal challenge is that I enjoy it.  It’s like a, game within a game, to me.  Sometimes I call on the river just to prove myself right or wrong(Negreanu-like), but I know that is such a terrible play.  If I know I am right, then I should fold in those spots, but my ego wants to know.  It has to know...  This morning I am contemplating going over to CB for the RunGood Series.  I’ll keep everyone updated on Twitter if I do...  As always, thank you for the love and support!  Chip Up!  -  Troy Sheets

www.chipup-poker.com

[tesheets-blog]

I love this game...

It’s been one of those stretches recently where I just can’t seem to play the game I love as much as I would like to.  Family and work are my priorities and, when they call, I answer.  I still read, study, and follow poker during those times, but I don’t get to play.  See, poker is much like a sport in the sense that it’s rhythmic.  You find a groove, a zone, a space, or whatever you want to call it, and you play your “A” game for long periods, even session to session.  However, when you don’t get a chance to play, you feel a little rusty.  Both, mentally and physically.  I’ve only played a few times over the past few weeks and I’m itching to get back on the felt.  Unfortunately, I have a lot of things on my plate right now and I’m not sure how consistently I will be able to play for at least a while longer.  I’ll just continue to use that down-time to prepare for my next battle.  

On another note, I have started to practice what I preach.  I have long told people that poker is a game that can be learned.  I have encouraged people to find a mentor, community, or even a coach to help them with their game.  I have started to seek a coach of my own.  Frankly, I contacted someone that I follow on social media and seems to have the respect of people that I think are ‘good’ people.  He referred me to his coach and I reached out to him.  Not sure if that will happen or not, but I’m looking.  I want to improve my tournament knowledge and game and this is how to do it.  I’ll keep you posted...

As always, thanks for the love and support!  Until next time...ChipUp!

www.chipup-poker.com

[tesheets-blog]

What a difference a game makes...

My goal is to play twice a week, but with a wife and 3 kids, it rarely happens.  We play on Wednesdays and Friday and it’s generally the same regulars.  On occasions, however, the makeup of the game changes for various reasons.  Our ‘regular’ game is made up of a few good players and a bunch of fairly predictable players and few unknowns that drop in.  On any given night, your table can be pretty tough, others, softer than cotton.  Whenever there are major tournaments nearby, the games become even softer, with multiple spots at the table.  It’s funny because I know some people that travel to these tournament locations to play cash games, which isn’t a bad idea, but I think they fail to realize just how easy the game back home becomes with them doing so.  This past week brought a lineup of weak, passive regs and one new kid that seem to know what he was doing.  It creates one of those nights that makes the game seem so easy.  Everyone is playing too loose, too passive, etc.  I pulled off more than a handful of decent sized bluffs and one big bluff, showing them all.  I say that because that is generally not my game, but I felt so comfortable in the spot that I knew it was positive EV for me.  Then some guy starts spewing chips for a couple of hours after losing a big pot.  Just completely monkey tilt.  What was interesting is that it was not visibly apparent.  He was calm, smiling, talking, but his play went haywire after that hand.  I bluffed him off a decent pot and showed and knew it only helped my position.  A few hands later, I raise UTG+1 with QQ, I get 2 callers and he, in the small blind, 3 bets.  I flat, a fold and another call.  He leads for a little over 1/2 the pot and I flat again, the player behind folds, on a 532 rainbow board.  On the turn 5, he leads for for just over 1/2 pot again and I just flat.  The river is a 6 (no flushes) and he bets about 2/3s pot and I feel like I am good, but also know that, in general, pots in our game don’t get this big with bluffs and people rarely pull 3 barrels in our game.  However, I took a few minutes and put it all together.  Sometimes, I decide too quickly here and though I am right a good percent, I think I can improve my decisions even more with a little time.  First, I knew he was tilting.  Secondly, in breaking down the hand, he played it as if he was telling me he had AA or KK and I just don’t see that hand leading that river.  Maybe some would, but not this guy.  Thirdly, he was staring me down hard and I didn’t think he was trying to give reverse tells, he was genuinely trying to stare me off the pot.  Lastly, after a couple of minutes, I stared back at him and smiled and what he did, sealed the deal for me.  He gave me a very awkward smile back.  A very uncomfortable smile and when he did, I immediately called.  He immediately shrugged and said ‘8 high’.  I don’t have much choice in the game I play.  We almost always have only one game going and the players are the same players.  Sometimes that is good, sometimes that is bad.  However, I can tell you that the makeup of your game is just as important as how good you are.  A table of tough regulars is not ideal for anybody, no matter how good you are, but a table full of ‘Seat 2′s is just what you’re looking for.  As always, thanks and much love for the support.  -  Troy Sheets

www.chipup-poker.com

[tesheets-blog]

The mental aspect of the game...

I am in the middle of a downswing and I have been working hard to turn it around.  Frankly, I don’t have them often, but like anyone, they can screw with my head.  I haven’t played horribly, but I haven’t played excellently either.  Combine small mistakes with running bad and, lets put it like this, it can be brutal.  Luckily, for me, I found the Jared Tindler books over the past 12 months and I only have to back through them to help correct my mindset.  Reminding myself to stick to the program, play my game, don’t be results oriented, and let the variance come back my way.  Jared has a great way of speaking directly to you and reminding you that these things happen, to EVERYONE!  The key is to not let it sink you.  Stay positive.  Identify the problem.  Apply a resolution.  Keep grinding.  It’s not always easy to do, but it is what’s necessary.  The mental aspect of the game has been my focus for a few months now and less about the technicalities of the game.  I’ve also been studying more about live tells.  I am really trying to take my game beyond fundamentals, basics, technical play, etc. and more in the area of intangibles.  Hopefully I am building those other things into my bag of unconscious competence.  Basically, things I can do in my sleep.  It’s all just another weapon at the table.  I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.  As always, much love for your time and support.  - Troy Sheets

www.chipup-poker.com

[tesheets-blog]

Vegas!

What can I say!?  Vegas was, well, Vegas.  The trip didn’t quite go according to plan, but what the hell is a plan!?  My brother and I got in late Sunday and checked in at Bally’s in record time.  We threw down our luggage and hopped in a cab to Stratosphere.  We had some food and drinks at the 107th Lounge.  Both were good and we eventually found our way back to the hotel around 2:30am.  The next morning we woke up and headed over to the Hash House at Linq.  We both ordered the Andy’s Special with what was way too much food.  It was pretty good though.  I would definitely go back and share an order or try something else.  After that, I entered the $365 WSOP-C tournament.  I had a couple of people I recognized at the table in Jesse Capps and a guy named Ravi.  The table was pretty soft overall and I chipped up to 30-some thousand before running completely card dead.  Eventually 3-betting 99 against Ravi who called with QTo and the flop came Q73 and we got it in.  It was a good lesson for me though.  I should have gotten away from it and protected the rest of my stack.  It wasn’t much, but I could have ran it up.  At one point, I was down to 1.5k (just 2 chips) and ran it all the way up to over 30k.  Oh well, lesson learned.  After that, we headed out to dinner at Luke’s Lobster, which I highly recommend.  It’s directly across from Wynn, right on the strip.  We each had the Taste of Maine which consisted of a lobster roll, crab roll, shrimp roll, 2 lobster claws, chips, pickle, and drink for $27.  It was well worth it.  After dinner, we headed over to Rhumbar at Mirage for some music, drinks, and cigars.  The next day, we headed over to Bellagio and ate the Original Burger at Snacks.  It’s a very, very good burger.  The Bellagio-rub seasoned fries are also very good.  Too bad they charge $6 for a Coke!  I played 5/10 until 6pm and then we watched the Mizzou-LSU game at the Bellagio Sportsbook.  It was a good session.  I played well.  We also had some interesting characters at the table.  Steve Zotolow, Jimmy Fricke, and a table full of local grinders.  It wasn’t easy and wasn’t near the game that I found in LA, but it was a challenge and it was fun.  I played a few sessions and didn’t have a single losing one.  That evening, we had dinner at Sinatra’s and loved it.  Everything was great, from the meatballs, to the veal parmigiano, to the Sinatra Smahes.  We then headed over to Parasol Down for some Dusse and a cigar.  Wednesday morning, we headed over to B&B Burger and Beer.  The burger was pretty spectacular, but the fries and wings were just alright.  After that, he took off for LA and I headed back over to Bellagio for 5/10.  It was only a 4 hour session, but a winner nonetheless.  I then headed over to Bally’s to sweat Matt H. in the $365 Turbo.  I ended up sweating him until 4:30am as he took 2nd.  It was a blast.  It was fun hanging out with Aaron and Dan, talking hands, sharing thoughts with Matt as he battled beautifully for hours.  His time is coming soon.  After that, I took it home.  I took off the next day and couldn’t wait to get back home.  I had a lot of fun on the trip, but wish to have grinded more.  Next time.  I’ll be back in the Vegas soon.  My next tournament stop is going to be the MSPT in Tama, IA.  Time to RunGood.  Thanks for reading and supporting!  -  Troy Sheets

www.chipup-poker.com

[tesheets-blog]

Vegas bound...

I am preparing for my trip to Vegas this weekend.  Mentally preparing that is.  Doing all of my standard studying and adding in some new content from a training site I’m using.  I am mostly focusing on tournament strategy as that is where I lack experience.  One of the challenges that I am seeing during my studies is the minute differences between tournaments and cash games, but those small differences can make all of the difference in the world.  The concepts aren’t hard to understand or implement, it’s keeping the two ‘styles’ separate.  I know I need to stay focused on my cash game and perfecting it and just allowing my tourney game to come along as it can.  In Vegas, I plan to play 1-2 WSOP C events and maybe a Venetian Deepstack event.  Then cash games at Bellagio and Aria.  I am really hoping to get my first cash of the year.  Also, hoping to run good at the cash tables.  I’m also excited because my brother, Brian, is coming along.  First, it will be great just to have him there and spend some time with him, but he has also brought me great luck over the years.  I had some of my biggest online nights ever with him sweating me.  I really have a good feeling about this trip and him being there.  We are going to stay at Bally’s as they offered really great rates for WSOP players.  I have some good meals planned for us and we will go see Absinthe as well.  Which will be my first show though I’ve been to Vegas many, many times.  So, I’ll keep everyone posted on my Twitter page @ChipUpPoker.  Thanks for the read, your love, and support!

- Troy Sheets

www.chipup-poker.com

[tesheets-blog]

Finding my way back to poker...

After high school, I don’t remember playing much poker at all.  There was the occasional game when I visited my mother, but nothing of any significance.  That all began to change when I watched Chris Moneymaker win the 2003 WSOP Main Event.  Unlike a lot of others that were introduced to poker for the first time during this period, what it did for me, was reintroduce me to a game that I’ve always loved.  More than anything, I was drawn to the fact that this guy played poker online much more than I was intrigued by him winning the Main Event.  I quickly researched what sites were out there and ultimately decided to create an account at PartyPoker.  I was instantly hooked.  It was a combination of all things I loved; video games, poker, competition, strategic thinking, etc.  I played with ‘free money’ for a long time and built some astronomical figure.  Not that it meant much, but it gave me confidence and after playing thousands of hands, I had a decent understanding of the game of NLHE.  After winning a couple 5k freerolls and doing well in other ‘free money’ games and tournaments, I decided to deposit $50.  I played Microstakes cash games and small buy-in SNGs for what seemed like forever.  I remember that I would just go up and down, never really having a great run.  I felt like I had this ceiling at $600, where every time I got to that mark, I would move up in stakes and lose a good portion of it.  This went on for months and then, boom.  I finally had my breakthrough.  I had a really good run when I ran the $600 to $1600 over a short span.  At that point, I started playing 1/2 and never looked back.  Eventually, playing 5/10 everyday and 10/20 on a semi-frequent basis.  I then started to make deposits on others sites and had very similar stories.  It was a fun time.  I had opportunities to play online with Phil Ivey (@.50/$1), Allen Cunningham (@$10/20), amongst others.  Then Black Friday came and brought all of it to a crashing halt.  Luckily, I had also found my way to poker rooms and that rekindled my love for live poker, where my true passion lies.  As always, thanks for your time and support.  Much love!  - Troy Sheets

www.chipup-poker.com

[tesheets-blog]

These damn tournaments...

Before I write my next blog about my background in poker, I felt like I needed to write something more current.  I recently decided to start playing more tournaments.  Frankly, because I know a lot of guys that are doing pretty well in them that just aren’t very good and now that I’ve played a couple, I know it to be true for a lot of other mid-level tournament players.  At least that has been my experience in the iNinja Main @ Canterbury Card Club in Shakopee, MN and the MSPT Regional at Grand Casino Mille Lacs in Onamia, MN.  The competition was definitely better at the iNinja, but even the ‘pros’ there made a ton of mistakes.  However, what I had to remind myself was that you will not cash in most tournaments, no matter who you are.  Also, you will go long and far between major cashes.  It’s not that I’m completely new to tournaments.  I played my fair share of online MTTs back in the day and did pretty good at them.  I’ve also played in a few single-day, casino tournaments and one HPT Main in the mid-2000s.  But I am a cash game player.  I expect to see my results much more quickly than a tournament player.  I’ve mentally prepared myself for these tournaments, but it takes constant reminding after I bust out.  Maybe that is normal in the tournament world, but not so much in mine.  With that said, it has been very fun and educational so far.  I have really enjoyed the people I’ve met and have learned from them even if they don’t know it.  I have to admit that I was disappointed in the MSPT setup, but I won’t rail on them.  I just don’t think I’ll be back to the Grand Casino.  Now, I am looking forward to my trip to Vegas to play in the WSOP-C at Bally’s.  I know there will be better competition and more opportunity for me to learn and grow my tournament game.  After that, I’ll be looking to play in the MSPT @ Meskwaki and hopefully some of the RunGood series once they are announced.  I will also try to play any of the iNinja tournaments because I really enjoyed the structure, the players, and the founder, Issac.  In between, I just plan to keep working on my tournament game and going deeper in the future.  I really look forward to my first cash and my first final table.  I know they are coming soon.  Thanks again for the love and support!  -  Troy Sheets

www.chipup-poker.com

[tesheets-blog]

The kid likes action...

That early introduction to poker had me hooked!  Not just hooked on cards, but addicted to the action.  It wasn’t long after I learned poker that you could find me in a park, shooting craps for whatever money I had.  And at 11-12, I had a little money.  As I’ve alluded, my mother was a hustler and has she had money, I had money.  She wouldn’t hesitate to give me a couple $20 bills at that age.  I also had my paper route money.  That was a lot of money for a kid.  Especially a kid that liked action.  As most kids do, I would blow through it.  Either buying food for me and all my friends or playing poker, craps, video games, and anything else I could get some action on.  Luckily for me, I was either skilled or more knowledgeable about the games and that gave me an advantage.  I definitely won more than I lost, but I remember losing back then used to ruin me.  Though it wasn’t because of the money, it was just because I hated to lose at anything.  That competitiveness has helped me a lot over the years, in my career and in poker, but was also the root of some of my tilt issues in my earlier poker days.  Throughout my school years, I continued to bet on just about anything you can think of.  As I’ve gotten older, I have let go of a lot of that ‘gamble’ to focus on career and cards when it comes to making money.  Though you can still find me placing friendly wagers on a sporting event every once in a while.  I do believe that those early experiences and my early attraction to gambling helped me as a poker player later in life.  If nothing else than creating an early disregard for money and understanding people and how they respond in those environments.  As always, thanks for your time and support!  ChipUp! - Troy Sheets  www.chipup-poker.com

[tesheets-blog]

The players...

My early exposure to poker was definitely made up of a crazy cast of characters.  A group of folks that were much more interested about the gamble and pulling off the night’s biggest bluff than they were with playing solid, winning poker.  But that forced them to approach the game differently and though I did not know it at the time, it taught me something invaluable, that the game is more about the people than it is the cards.  You can play any two cards as long as you know the kind of person you are playing against.  In fact, some times I prefer weaker starting hands against a particular player because I know what and how they play and I know that I can win the pot in multiple fashions.  Either pushing them off the pot on scary boards or hitting a hidden hand that will bust them.  Probably the best player in those early games was a friend of the family named Gator.  I didn’t play against him, but I remember sitting on his lap and betting for him because he thought I was good luck.  I was so young at the time that I didn’t get much from him, but I can definitely share that he was quite the character and an all-around hustler.  A bigger and more direct influence was my mother.  My mother is completely a feel player.  She will start with any hand and try to think her way to a victory.  I know now that this cannot work all of the time, but it was another great lesson.  My mother was usually the person that not only pulled off the biggest bluff of the night, but would generally bluff her way through the entire game.  She was dangerous, she wasn’t afraid to lose, and she loved to gamble.  Other players included various family members and family friends.  They all had various skill levels, but predominantly were all ‘feel’ players.  Taking those early experiences and combining them with the technical side of the game was, and is, a huge reason why I feel I have been successful at the game of poker.  I value those times very much and not only am I grateful for the wisdom passed on to me, but for the great times shared with people I love. - Troy Sheets

www.chipup-poker.com

[tesheets-blog]

The beginnings...

As I’ve stated, I was around 9 when I learned how to play poker.  The first games I played were 5-card draw, 7-card stud, 7-card no-peek, Baseball, and other wild-card variants.  I had no idea what No-limit Holdem was and wouldn’t for many years.  So, that was my start in poker.  Actually, my very first introduction to the game was sitting on the lap of my mother’s friend, Gator, while he played poker.  I was 2-3 years old.  I would sit there and look at his cards and throw his chips in the pot.  Basically, I’ve been around the game my entire life and I’ve always been fascinated by it.  It wasn’t long after learning the game that I was playing for my paper route paychecks.  I remember that I always lost.  My mom would give me back the money I lost to her, but everyone else would keep it and I’m glad they did.  I’m competitive and they pushed those competitive buttons by keeping my money.  I hated losing to them and wanted badly to get better.  Looking back, those games were pretty bad.  Nobody understood the basic strategies of any of the game, much less any advanced theories.  However, they did play the game with a lot of guts and feel.  They played the person much more than they played the cards and it was a great early lesson for me.  Later in life, I learned the more technical aspects, but it was those early lessons that I have felt always provided me with my edge.  -  Troy Sheets

[tesheets-blog]

And the journey begins...

Here is my first poker blog.  I have written a short-lived blog on food a long time ago, but I promise to keep this one going.  If nothing else, just to prove my wife wrong.  :)  So, basically, in 2015 I decided to revive my recreational poker life.  Poker is something I have loved for most of my life and had quite a bit of success while playing online in the mid-2000s.  It’s a game that I not only love, but a game that I know I am good at.  Being mostly a cash game player, that is where I started again.  Playing in the local 1/2 game until I was able to move back up in stakes.  At my ‘home’ card room, that is a regular 2/5 game that kicks off twice a week.  There is one larger game that I haven’t sat in....yet.  I’ve also started to become interested in tournaments and will play some regional tournaments, possibly bigger, going forward.  Recently playing in the iNinja Main Event at Canterbury Card Club in Shakopee, MN.  So, here it begins.  My journey...  Thanks for coming along for the ride, I am going to do my best to make it enjoyable.  -  Troy Sheets