The Sharkscope Measure

For those of you unfamiliar with Sharkscope, it's an online poker stat-tracking web site that accounts for SNG and MTT results.  Players can type in their (or anyone's) online poker screen name and Sharkscope will display records of all of the games they’ve played to date, and their profitability.  When a player's screen name is entered, Sharkscope returns the following data about them:

• Number of Games Played
• Average Profit
• Average Stake
• Average Return on Investment (ROI)
• Total Profit
• Overall Ability (on a scale of 0 to 100)

I used Sharkscope frequently back when I was "grinding" on PokerRoom, as it was a valuable tool to see if my SNG or MTT opponents were (in general) winning or losing players.  Anyway, here are my Sharkscope results when you search 'rufebert' under the PokerRoom filter:

Username	Games Played	Av. Profit	Av. Stake	Av. ROI	Total Profit	Form	Ability /100	Network	Filter
rufebert	214	$7	$61	44%	$1,588	Tilt	89	Ongame	Pokerroom
rufebert	72	$51	$69	194%	$3,698	-	93	Ongame	Sch. Only Pokerroom
rufebert	142	-$15	$57	-31%	-$2,110	Tilt	63	Ongame	SNG Only Pokerroom

My first observation is that the total number of Games Played is inaccurate, as I played way more than 214 games overall.  I know that Sharkscope began tracking different poker sites at different times, but I am unsure what month/year they started and stopped tracking PokerRoom tournaments.  Despite the missing data, the results aren't completely inaccurate.  I already mentioned in a previous blog that I did much better in MTTs than I did in SNGs, and the following backs up that statement - MTTs (194% ROI - 93/100 Ability) vs. SNGs (-31% ROI - 63/100 Ability).  I wouldn't say that I was a bad SNG player, but I definitely could have been more consistent.  Overall, Sharkscope gave me a shark icon (you can't see it via the results posted in my blog but can when you do the actual search) and a 89/100 Ability rating via whatever ridiculous calculation/formula they use to determine the number.  I suppose this means I have some skill when it comes to tournament play, but again, I cannot fully support that without accounting for all of the data.

(Anyone know of a comprehensive poker database that dates back to 2003 and covers sites that no longer exist?)

Furthermore, the following graphs measure my Total Profit/Number of Games Played, ROI%/Entry Fee, and Number of Games Played/Entry Fee, respectively.

Total Profit/Total Number of Games Played Graph

ROI%/Entry Fee Graph

Number of Games Played/Entry Fee Graph

If the second graph is any indication, perhaps I should strictly play higher buy-in tournaments?  Hmmmm...

*notes the CPMG Fall Classic scheduled on my calendar on 11/12*

A (Slight) Bit of Redemption

After failing to cash in Data's Poker After Dark tournament, I redeemed myself a week later via a couple short-handed SNGs that I ended up hosting.

On 9/16/11, I won a 4-player, $20 winner-take-all SNG after defeating Randy (leastbest) heads up.  Dana and Jimmy Bunch were the other players.  Afterward, Randy, Jimmy and I played a 3-handed $20 SNG.  I was first to bust in that one, however, when my QQ failed to hold against Jimmy's K7.  I had hoped to get more players on this night, but Julie also hosted a tournament and most CPMGers went there.

Two days later, on 9/18, I hosted a $30 6-max SNG.  It was me, Dana, Adam, Chantal, Jimmy Bunch and Jimmy's friend Andrew.  I was down early after losing a big pot to Andrew (KK < QT(?) after I 4-Bet it preflop).  Fortunately, I caught a few breaks to battle back.  With 4 players left, I was short-stacked and moved AIPF from the SB with 54o.  Chantal called from the BB with AKo, but I caught a 5 to stay alive.  A bit later, I doubled again when Adam and I both flopped Straights on a QT9 board (my KJ > Adam's J8).  Eventually, Adam and I ended up chopping for $90 apiece.

Finally, I played Linda's Bounty Tournament ($50 - $40 to prize pool, $10 per bounty) on 10/1.  I had a great opening table.  Seated clockwise to my left - McLovin, Cindy, Jamie W, Con, Monsignor, Nicole, Helen Jones (Gambling Mom) and Chaz.  Everyone was incredibly limp-happy and I took advantage of this whenever I was in late position.  I ran my 10k starting stack up to 32800 (good for 2nd in chips behind Data) at the 2nd break and even collected a bounty (Helen Jones) in the process.  When play resumed (10 players left), the wheels came off yet again.  First, I got involved in a strange hand against Nicole where I ended up losing 1/3 of my stack with 32d.  On the Button with 4 limpers ahead of me, I raised in an effort to narrow the field and Nicole was the only caller.  Flop, 8 2 X.  Nicole checked, I bet my pair of Deuces, and she made the call.  Turn, [8 2 X] 2, giving me trips.  Again, Nicole checked and I checked behind to make it look like I was weak.  River, [8 2 X 2] 8.  This time, Nicole led out with a fairly big bet and I agonized before I eventually made the call.  Obviously, she had an 8.  Then, I lost 15k total trying to collect the bounties of two short-stacks that went All-In.  Before I knew it, I was a short-stack myself and eventually busted in 7th place (out of 19 players) when my AK < KT.

Between these tournaments and Data's Poker After Dark, I ended up breaking even.  I may not have gained anything financially, but in writing the blogs for these tournaments and Data's Poker After Dark, I've identified some mistakes/flaws that I need to avoid in future tournaments.  Hopefully, addressing these mistakes will lead to more profitable results in the future.

Data's Poker After Dark

I didn't play any CPMG tournaments in July or August.  I was going to attend one of Julie's Sunday afternoon tournaments, but we ended up having beautiful weather that day and I didn't feel like being cooped up in a basement with a bunch of degens.  I did play a few tournaments in September, however, most notably Data's Poker After Dark on 9/10/11.  Data hosted two "DPADs" prior to this one, both of which I really wanted to attend but was unable to for whatever reason.  In general, I tend to prefer one-table SNGs over MTTs, and the structure of this particular tournament is very appealing.  9 players, $60 buy-in, 15k starting stacks and 40 minute levels, starting at 50/100.  Hopefully, Mailman Greg won't mind me stealing his Running Log format for tournaments.

Shuffle Up & Deal 15000 -  I'm fifteen minutes late and the last to arrive with 20-some minutes to go in Level 1.  I hate being late and am already on tilt because of it.  There are 8 players for this one.  Seated clockwise to my left - Jimmy Bunch, Cheryl, Data, Doug Poker, Jamie W, Meat and John Robinson (Jamie W's +1).

End of Level 1 (50/100) 8100 - On the drive over to Data's condo, I tell myself that I'm going to play patient, straightforward poker.  No funny business - like playing shitty hands out of position or anything.  Of course, the first pot I enter is from the BB, with 9d 6h.  Meat raises it to 225 from the Button and the SB (John Robinson) calls ahead of me.  Only 125 more?  Sure, I'll tag along.  Flop, 3h 6x Jh.  I check-call what looks like your standard continuation bet (550) from Meat and the SB gets out of the way.  Turn, [3h 6x Jh] Ah.  I check-call another bet in the 1500 range.  Clearly, I'm good here holding 3rd pair with an Ace and three to a flush on board (sarcasm).  At least I have the 6-high flush draw (more sarcasm).  River, [3h 6x Jh Ah] 6c.  Now I have trips, and I'm fairly positive that I just got lucky.  I contemplate leading out, but Meat has shown strength throughout the hand and could easily raise me since there are still plenty of hands that can still beat mine.  He has one of those hands, and turns over A6 after I check-call a big bet of 3700.

Dejected, I kick myself under the table and contemplate asking Data for a do-over so that I can just FOLD the hand like I was supposed to.  Fortunately, I have plenty of time and plenty of chips left to right the ship.

End of Level 2 (75/150) 14600 - It's the last hand before break and I'm in the SB.  The BB (Jimmy Bunch) is away from the table because he is steaming from previous hands.  It folds to cutoff (Meat) who sees Jimmy's big blind just sitting there for the taking and raises to 600.  I have AKo and 3-Bet to 2100.  Meat calls.  Flop, 4 6 K.  I lead out for 2500, which is about half of what I have left, and Meat puts me All-In.  I snap-call and my AK holds against KJ to double me up close to my starting stack.

End of Level 3 (100/200) 12850 - No notable hands to report.  I'm finally playing no-nonsense poker.  Better late than never, I suppose.

End of Level 4 (150/300) 16700 - Cheryl opens for a raise (800 total) from early position.  It folds to me in the SB, and I call with KTs.  Flop, Ax Jh Qh.  I lead out for 1200 and Cheryl calls.  Turn, [Ax Jh Qh] Th.  This is a terrible card for me, but I bet 1500 to stay in control of the betting.  Cheryl calls.  River [Ax Jh Qh Th] 3h.  Given Cheryl's commitment to the hand with the presence of Hearts already on board, I decide that the odds of her sticking around with one in her hand are pretty high.  I check-fold to a bet of 3500 and am back under 10000.

Two hands later, it folds around to Meat, who raises to 725 from mid-position.  There are 4 callers, including me in the BB with 65d.  Surprisingly, it checks all the way to showdown and my pair of Sixes is good on a board of A 3 7 6 8.  Meat had 22.

Later in the Level, UTG+1 (Data) raises to 800.  The Button (Meat) calls and I call from the BB with 54d.  I check dark.  Flop, 2d 3d 6h.  Huzzah!  Data checks and Meat bets 1600.  I smooth call.  Data folds.  Turn, [2d 3d 6h] As.  I check again, figuring Meat for a small or mid-pair and that he'll run away if I bet.  He checks behind.  River is a blank.  I bet 2500, Meat calls, and my Straight is good.

End of Level 5 (200/400) 25700 - At this point, we've lost Jimmy Bunch and Doug Poker, so there are 6 players left.  Meat and Data, the two guys that I don't want see accumulate chips, are the chip leaders.  Fortunately, I'm back over my starting stack and am feeling a bit more comfortable.  From UTG, I mix it up a bit and raise to 1100 with K3h.  John Robinson is the only caller from the BB.  I get a Dream Flop, all Hearts.  John checks, and I slow-play my King-high Flush and check behind.  Turn, [Xh Xh Xh] 4d.  John leads out for 1300 and I smooth call, hoping that he'll bet the River too.  River, [Xh Xh Xh 4d] 3d.  John bets 1500, and I raise him 2000 more.  He calls and mucks when I turn over my hand.

Towards the end of the Level, I raise from the cutoff with Ah 4x.  The BB (Jamie W) is the only caller.  The Flop is rags, offering me no help.  Jamie checks, I make a continuation bet, and Jamie calls.  Check-check on the Turn, which gives me a Gutshot Straight draw.  Fortunately, I get there on the River and Jamie pays me off for 3000 more.  He's disgusted.

End of Level 6 (300/600) 31200 - Early in the Level, I limp in on the Button with J8h.  4 players to the Flop, Jc Xh Xh.  UTG (Jamie W) bets 1600 and I'm the only caller with Top Pair and Flush Draw.  Turn is a blank, and I call 2000 more.  River, [Jc Xh Xh Xx] Qh.  Jamie bets 3000, and I elect to just call as opposed to raising or putting him All-In.  He shows KJo (no Heart) for a pair of Jacks, and I scoop the pot.

Later, UTG (Meat) raises to 1600.  I look down at AA and just call, hoping the short-stacked Jamie or Cheryl will go All-In behind me.  They fold.  Flop, 3 K K.  Check-check.  Turn, [3 K K] 3.  Meat checks, I bet 2500, and he folds.

End of Level 7 (400/800) 5900 - I win one of the first few pots of the Level (albeit a small one) to build my stack to the highest it has been all tournament.

 
With 35600, I'm 2nd in chips (behind Data) with 5 players left after losing Cheryl.  I'm feeling good, but then the wheels come off to derail my momentum.  On the Button with AJs, I raise to 2100 and the BB (Jamie W) is the only caller.  Flop, T 9 7 rainbow.  Jamie checks, and I throw out a continuation bet of 3 orange chips with my Gutshot Straight draw.  To my surprise, Jamie check-raises me, and pops it to 9000.  He appears committed and comfortable, so I muck and kiss 5100 chips goodbye.

A bit later is when I really fuck myself.  No doubt you will shake your head in shame as you read this.  I'm the cutoff and raise to 2100 with AQh.  The BB (Meat) calls and the Flop is T X X.  Check-check.  Turn, [T X X] Q.  I have Top Pair - Top Kicker.  Meat checks, and I make the huge mistake of giving him a free card.  River, [T X X Q] K.  Meat checks, I bet 2500, and Meat re-raises me 4700 more.  I'll give props to Meat on the raise amount, as it looked like a complete bluff to me - which is what Meat later told me he intended.  Sure enough, I call and begrudgingly hand over my chips when Meat shows me AJ for the Nuts.

End of Level 8 (500/1000) 0 - It's past Midnight (now my 28th birthday) and we're still 5-handed.  I want to go out and celebrate, but I want to win this tournament more.  I hang around on the short stack for what seems like an eternity.  Finally, with only 5 BBs left, I move All-In from UTG with J9s.  The Button (Jamie W) calls and has me dominated with 99.  Two spades appear on the Flop for a nice little sweat, but I fail to improve and am eliminated in 5th place.

Jamie went on to win the tournament, which ended around 4am(!!), if you can believe that.  The projected end time was 2am.  Overall, I loved the structure and pace of Data's Poker After Dark.  Writing this blog has me itching to play another one since I made so many mistakes in the first.  I'm definitely motivated to do better next time.

CPMG Tournament Recap (May & June 2011)

I'm still playing catch-up, as these tournaments were held several months ago. 

May 28, 2011 - CPMG Team Tournament ($80) - Dave W's House in Lorain, OH

I have to say, this is probably the CPMG tournament that I look forward to most every year.  Not only is the team concept fun, but the tournament is preceded by a pot-luck cookout where everyone gathers for great food and socializing.  In the 2010 CPMG Team Tournament, I finished 4th out of 48 runners for a nice individual cash, but Yosh (44th), Dana (21st) and I - collectively known as "DD's and the Spotted Dicks" (?? - Yosh's idea) - fell just short of a team cash.  This past summer, I initially had to decline when Doug Poker approached me to join him and Special K on their team.  They eventually got someone else, but that person canceled a couple days before the tournament and I ended up joining them after all.  I think Dana had her kids or was working that night, which is why (along with $$ reasons) we didn't form our own team.

After chowing down on some fruit, donuts and some delicious bacon-wrapped scallops made by Tom Gross, I was ready to repeat my success from the prior year en route to a nice pay day for myself and team "2 Goofs & A Rufe."  I'm not sure why, but prior success in a tournament always seems to give me extra motivation to repeat or improve on my performance.  That said, I drew a decent opening table that had (seated clockwise to my left) Steve, Nicole, Hip Hop, Malcolm, Eskimo, Matt G, Karl "MF" Tsu and reigning POY IV champion Jac T-way.  While the first few levels were relatively quiet, I did manage to chip up a bit to 16450 (from a 15k starting stack) by the end of Level 3.

Grinding... (photo credit, Data)

Then came the train-wreck.

Sitting on a stack of about 10k, Eskimo raised from UTG and I 3-bet him from the hijack, holding KK.  After a brief pause, Eskimo elected to use his consultation chip, which allowed him to talk about the hand and seek advice from 1 member of his team for no more than one minute.  He stepped away from the table and returned after a brief conference with Nick Kavouras, only to announce he was All-In.  Obviously, I'm not folding in this spot, especially since it's Eskimo (who had been very active) and I had him covered by about 5-6k.  To my surprise, however, he turned over AA and avoided the suck out to double up.  To this day, Eskimo is quick to remind me of his "consultation chip bluff" as if it was some type of accomplishment.  Granted, it would have been if he had gotten me to call with a far inferior hand, but I had Kings.  I'm insta-calling there against 99% of the CPMG.

Fortunately, I doubled up on the last hand before break with AK > Steve's A9 and had 10700 when play resumed with 300/600 blinds.  I didn't last much longer after the break, however, and busted in 28th place when my TT fell to Jen's AK during the 500/1000 level.  Since Special K busted minutes earlier in 29th, it meant that "2 Goofs and a Rufe" was out of the running for a team cash.  At least Doug Poker finished strong for a 4th place payday.  You can read his 2011 CPMG Team Tournament recap here.

June 11, 2011 - Ang's Birthday Tournament ($30 with 1 re-buy allowed if you bust before break) - Julie's House in Fairview Park, OH

20 players, 10k chips to start.  The field was predominantly female, save for me, Meat, Data, RR Dave and a few others.  It was Ang's birthday and several rounds of shots were being poured amidst a handful of players.  This made for an interesting tournament, to say the least.

Opening Table (seated clockwise to my left): Cheryl, K-Tina, Jen, Julie, 2 dudes I didn't know (Ang's friends, I think) Ang and Meat.  I was glad to have position on Meat, who very active from the outset.  The tournament started painfully slow for me, however.  I was card dead and bored, but still managed to chip up to 12775 at the break.  Afterward, I went on a pretty sick run that put me in position to not only make the Final Table, but win the tournament as well.  First, I knocked out the birthday girl to increase my stack to 18300 (AK > AQ).  Then I won a race (KQ > JJ) against Cheryl, who was short-stacked and moved AIPF.  The very next hand, Tommy (?) - who had just sat down with a big stack of chips after getting moved from the other table - opened for a raise preflop.  I look down at AA and 3-bet him, which he called.  On a Jack-high Flop, Tommy bet, I raised, and he called.  To my surprise, Tommy led out again on the Turn and River, and I ended up calling both times.  I was shocked when he turned over J8o for a measly pair of Jacks, but was more than happy to drag the 20k pot.

With 34875, I went on cruise control until the 2nd break, after which my good fortunes turned sour.  On the 2nd hand after break, I made the mistake of 3-betting Julie preflop.  Clearly, she wasn't happy about this and moved in (probably out of spite) on a Ten-high Flop.  I was 90 % sure that we both had AK, but a flush draw was possible and I held red cards on an all-black board.  I can't remember the details of the hand that crippled me after that, but I'm pretty sure that I had AK again and dumped even more chips to Julie.

Lesson learned.

When we drew for seats at the Final Table, I was one of the shorter stacks but wasn't in desperation mode quite yet.  A few people busted before I picked off Data trying to steal my BB from the Button.  I had K4o, but I had been anticipating a steal attempt from him and moved in.  Sure enough, he folded and I added some much-needed chips to my stack.  Eventually, we got down to 5 players and Jen (who was quite drunk) and I were the short stacks.  I barely had her covered in chips when she moved All-In from UTG and I made the call from the BB.  It was her AQ vs my 88, and my pocket pair held up to knock her out on the Bubble.

With 4 players left, I built my stack up to 80k, which was pretty close to what Data and Julie were sitting on (260k in play due to 6 re-buys before the first break).  Meanwhile, Gambling Mom was barely hanging on with only 2 or 3 Big Blinds.  I could have easily folded until she busted or blinded off, but I stuck to my "play to win" philosophy and called a 3-bet All-In from Julie after I was the initial preflop raiser.  It was my 99 against her AK, and she won the race to knock me out of the tournament in 4th place ($90 payday).  Not bad, but I should have done better.

Poker in My Life Today... Or the Lack Thereof

Three months ago, I was inspired to create Rufebert's PokerRoom after frequenting the poker blogs of Doug Poker and Mailman Greg for quite some time.  Poker has been a passion of mine ever since I started playing in August 2003 and I figured - at the very least - writing a blog would be a fun way to relive my poker "glory days."   If you've been reading, you'll know that by "glory days," I'm referring to my success playing poker "professionally" online and my experiences at the 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event and the PokerRoom.com "Become a Poker Pro" cruise.  Now that I've told those stories, it's time to focus on the present, which begs the question...

Where does poker fit into my life today?

Well, a lot has changed since the "Become a Poker Pro" cruise back in March 2006.  After the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) was passed, PokerRoom.com stopped accepting bets from US players (on 11/06/06, to be exact).  I was so used to PokerRoom's interface, PokerRoom's tournaments, and playing against other PokerRoom loyalists that playing on PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker or Bodog just wasn't the same.  I tried to give those sites a chance, but none compared to PokerRoom.com, which sadly ended up shutting down for good years later in April 2009.

The most notable change since the cruise, however, is that I no longer have the freedom that I had several years ago.  First and foremost, I have a family now - a beautiful girlfriend of 5.5 years (who is the love of my life that I hope to marry someday), a wonderful 3-year old son who constantly challenges me and keeps me on my toes, and 2 awesome kiddos (my girlfriend's children from a previous relationship) that I'm blessed to share a home with for a couple of days each week.  Obviously, my family is Priority #1, and between appointments, therapies, hockey practices/games, skating practices/recitals and my own softball obligations (during the summer and fall months), free time is often hard to come by.  Not to mention, my job takes a good chunk of hours out of my week as well (about 52.5, including the time it takes me to travel to/from work).  It's not the best paying job in the world, but the benefits are good and my income is steady, which is what matters most whilst trying to support a family of 5.  That said, I don't want to be a legal plan account manager for the rest of my life.  It's not exactly my "dream job," and I know I can make more money somewhere else doing something that actually interests me.  While I dislike the whole job hunting/application/interview process, I recently applied to be a Poker Dealer/Supervisor at the Horseshoe Casino that will be opening here in Cleveland in March 2012.  Two days after submitting my application, I received a call back from one of their recruiters, but I ended up missing the call since I was busy at work at the time.  I left the woman that called me a return message, but I still have yet to hear back.  I guess we'll see what happens, if anything.  I'm not sure I would even take the job if it meant that I wouldn't be able to play in the casino (or any of the casinos in the state of Ohio).  I guess I'll have to confirm that law/rule before giving any serious consideration to the opportunity.

Aside from work and family obligations, the devastating events of "Black Friday" prohibits me (and millions of others in the US) from playing online poker.  Obviously, these events have had greater effect on others than they have had on me, but it still sucks that I can't play a quick SNG after the kids are in bed, or whenever I get an hour or two of free time.  Most of the time, that is all I have, which makes hosting or attending live poker games a difficult alternative.  I enjoy hosting games, but the earliest I can start them is usually 10 or 10:30pm.  Finding full table of degens who are willing to start a game at that time (especially during the week when people have to be at work the next morning) is hard.  Not to mention, I only have room for one table and have to compete with the other CPMG EOs (Event Organizers), all of whom have the flexibility to host larger (2 or more tables), higher buy-in games that are generally preferred among the group.  It is what it is.  Maybe one day, I'll have a bigger place and more free time that will allow me to host "premier" CPMG events.

Subscription poker?  No thanks.  I'd rather light fire to a 20 dollar bill and get more enjoyment without wasting any time.

So you see, as much as I'd love to play poker as often as I possibly can, I really just... can't.  At my current rate, I make it to about one CPMG tournament per month.  I guess that is better than none, but it doesn't bode well for if/when the POY starts back up and I want to make a run at it.  I guess all I can do is try to make as many games as possible.  As for the games I do attend, I'm sure you'll be reading about them in this blog.