5 Dollar Experiment

I'm still alive

2008-04-25T16:25:00.001-05:00

That is all

register

2005-10-03T17:35:00.000-05:00

I have registered to play in the
Online Poker Blogger Championship!

This event is powered by PokerStars.

Registration code: 7192524

I forgot to title this post

2004-10-17T17:10:00.000-05:00

As poker players, we're all in it for the free money. We love the feeling of sitting at a game and knowing that we're the best at the table. We smile everytime we make the correct play and we laugh when we take a suckers money. My quest to turn a 5 spot into untold millions has been spent at the ultra low stakes limit tables at pokerstars. The money is there for the taking but you have to be patient and be able to handle the bad beats that are part of the framework of that game. Patience is the name of the ultra low limit game. So, Why am I typing this, I dont know, but stick with me I'll find my point eventually. Anyways, 2 days ago I took a buck 8 into a .01-.02 NL table. I played for less than 15 minutes and walked with a dollar profit. Later I took another buck in and doubled it in about the same amount of time. These are profits that took an hour at a .02-.04 table and over a half hour at nickel dime. The people at the low stakes just pay you off on everything. So, this post doesnt really say much, but I guess the point is, If your'e looking for me online now, Ill be at a NL table. Happy poking!

Note: this post was written before the inevitable string of bad beats I'm sure to endure, I'm just riding a wave. Peace Out, Vote for Bush

Not broke, Yet!

2004-10-14T08:56:00.000-05:00

So, I know I've been away for a while, sorry. My cousin back in Cincinnati got married last week so I went home for the wedding. I played some .02-.04 at pokerstars last night for about a half hour. I wasn't really playing to win just playing to play. The presidential debate was on and that took most of my attention. My stack varied from down fifty cents to up those 2 quarters, I finished down a nickel. The results were better than expected because I was playing like a moron. I would see the flop with just about any 2 cards and bet when I hit anything at all. I shoulda just left when I was up but I was having fun and so I stayed. Also, I played a few hands of 100/200 play money Omaha at fulltilt the other day. Made a good score and finished up 56,000 putting me over 1 million play chips. The play money at fulltilt is what keeps me sane playing the ultra low stakes at stars. It's nice to have a table to go where I can play any cards I'm dealt. Anyways, I'm still here, I'm gonna change the type of stuff I post here in the future so stay tuned. See ya!

I'm Joe Graber, and I approve this message

SrA GRABER, JOSEPH L.

TIME CHANGE/ADR/STOCK CONTROL CLERK

MUNITIONS ACCOUNTABILITY

722-7062

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." - Albert Einstein (possibly referring to AFV)

"If you are flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a fire exit" - Mitch Hedberg, Strategic Grill Locations

"I'm a gulch" - Ralph Wiggum, The Simpsons

"I've never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn't appreciate the grind, the discipline." - Vince Lombardi

still here

2004-10-13T19:26:00.000-05:00

still here, ill update soon, very soon, havent playin in well over a week, have 43.73 in the bankroll, more to come including a change in what im posting, peace out

40oz of money

2004-09-25T14:34:00.000-05:00

I wanted to include 40oz in the title of this post but couldn't find a good way to do it. I wouldn't let that stop me so I apologize. Anyways I do have some poker news to input. So, I've been doing the experiment for almost 2 months now (I figure) and today I hit a new peak. My pokerstars account has a grandtotal of $40.00 in it as of right now. So, I'm up 35 bucks over that amount of time. It's been slow going but overall positive. I've been playing 2/4 cent way too much recently. I made the big gains today playing at .05-.10 and I think I need to stick with that. I know I can beat that level I just need to do it. Anyways, I'm gonna go play some more and I'll update again later. Peace out

progress

2004-09-24T12:12:00.000-05:00

It's 1:10 eastern time, I'm still going strong with the side bet. It sucks but 5 bucks is worth it.

I'm Joe Graber, and I approve this message

SrA GRABER, JOSEPH L.

TIME CHANGE/ADR/STOCK CONTROL CLERK

MUNITIONS ACCOUNTABILITY

722-7062

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." - Albert Einstein (possibly referring to AFV)

"If you are flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a fire exit" - Mitch Hedberg, Strategic Grill Locations

"I'm a gulch" - Ralph Wiggum, The Simpsons

A Side Bet

2004-09-24T07:02:00.000-05:00

One of the guys I work with bet me 5 dollars that I can't go a whole day at work without looking at any websites other than official Air Force sites. Thank goodness for being able to update the experiment from my email account. The bankroll is at $37.29 after a long weekend. I haven't played since Tuesday because my wife just got home from Cincinnati where she was taking her state board test for cosmetology. I recently got Lee Jones book on winning low limit hold'em and I have read through the first part of it. I like using it as a basis for hands that I can and can't play. I really feel like it will help even though it doesn't cover much new ground for me. The book has taught me a few things about position that I hadn't thought of before. Putting more emphasis on position has really helped my game to feel stronger even though I'm not yet winning any more money. Hopefully it will help with the swings, That would make me more than happy. I never really made any exceptional plays this weekend, just played my regular, tight game and walked with a profit. One thing that worries me is that I prefer to play 2 and 4 cent over .05/.10 because it just feels better to me. The players are the same I just handle the ultra tiny bets better in my head. Sometimes I feel like my game is off when I'm at a higher level. This is something I must fix if I ever want to play at even a midrange level. I'm not sure what to do other than just look at the money as a bet not as a specific dollar amount. If I can make myself think of it that way I think I will be fine. Hopefully I'll get a chance to put in a few hours this weekend and then I hope to have a update that says I'm over the 40 dollar mark. It should be just around the corner. Well, back to work. I still have some GMAIL accounts if anyone wants one, email me at AMMOJOE@gmail.com

AmmoJoe

PS: look me up at the tables, it'd be nice to play someone I know

Untitled update from work

2004-09-20T14:21:00.000-05:00

Played a couple hours of .05-.10 like a complete moron, down to 31 bucks. Played a couple hours of .02-.04 like a friggin genius, up to $36.02. Moral of the story: play like a genius not a moron. This is the first time the bankroll has been over 36 dollars, I'm happy. Now I just have to transfer my style up a level and rake in the dough.

Saturday Mid-Day

2004-09-18T09:51:00.000-05:00

Played 2 hours of .02-.04 and had great cards and made good plays. Finished up 3.01 to a total of $34.00 It would have been a little higher but I just got sucked out on for my 20 cent buyin. My strategy today had been just to buy in with 20 cents and leave when I felt the table wasn't as easy. Twice I turned that low buy-in into well over a dollar and only busted once. It was a nice session. Gonna go make lunch now, more to come

quick post

2004-09-17T13:14:00.000-05:00

This is going to be quick because I'm being hounded to do someone elses job. Played about 4 hours last night, quite a few hands of an even mix of .02-.04 and nickel dime. Total profit without suckouts would've been around a million dollars. After all the bad beats I finished up $1.99 and I'm happy with that. Had AK 3 times in 5 hands. It lost to 89, A7 and JJ. (first two times I flopped an ace) I also had QQ lose to 79o. Didn't bother me because I was still up. Have to pay off the suckers every once in awhile. Bankroll is now at $30.99 Total profit $25.99 and that's not bad. Few more good sessions and I'll be just around the corner from a jump. Still planning on playing one 5dollar NL sng as a reward at $55.50 but I'll wait and see how it goes. If I have any results to post, then look for them tomorrow. Peace out

AmmoJoe

Update from work, Re: A Change Of Plans

2004-09-16T10:02:00.000-05:00

I Have taken a few days off due to bad beats and then a trip to the emergency room. The other day at work I had 2 12 foot long 2x6's fall onto my left arm. Sliced my right hand open from finger to wrist where I tried to catch it. The board had a nail in it that stuck into my forearm and hit the bone. I got a couple stitches and a wicked bruise. Enough of that, on the the experiment. I was going to change the plans because of some wicked bad beats but that would effectively void the experiment. I set out to make it work slow and steady and that's what I'm going to do. I am contemplating one little change as a reward. Once I hit 55.50 I think I will reward myself with 1 sng. If I win I'll play another but if I come in anywhere from 2^nd-9^th I'll just go back to the lower limits. I'd like to play nickel-dime until I get all the way to 75 bucks but I'll see how I feel. I may move up at 65 and then fall back down at 60. The only reason I want to wait until I'm over the 50 dollar mark is that the next limit is 25-50 and that's 5 times the level I'm playing at now. Mathematically I would have to wait until 125 dollars but that just seems crazy. As long as I maintain that I will drop back down in levels at a certain loss point I feel that I could really move up at any point where I have a buyin for the next higher level. I just don't want to risk too many chips on the swings. I guess we'll see what happens but I have to win something before it matters. Right now my bankroll is at 29 dollars, If I have another day like I did on Monday I'll be in danger of having to drop down to .02-.04 and I really don't want that to happen. Hopefully I can play tonight and then I hope I can have a positive update for tomorrow. This post kind of rambles and I apologize. Goodbye

I'm Joe Graber, and I approve this message

SrA GRABER, JOSEPH L.

AMMO IYAAYAS!

722-7062

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." - Albert Einstein (possibly referring to AFV)

"If you are flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a fire exit" - Mitch Hedberg, Strategic Grill Locations

" Don't trash the 'Nati " - Billboard in Cincinnati circa 1999

"I'm a gulch" - Ralph Wiggum, The Simpsons

A Change of Plans

2004-09-13T20:44:00.000-05:00

The experiment is a success at this stage. It's also freaking boring. I'm grinding it out at the nickel dime tables like some 60 year old degenerate gambler. Whatever I win one day I turn around and lose it the next. The real problem is that its not to bad play that I could correct its from bad beats which are inevitable. The bulk of my time will still be spent at .05-.10 but I'm going to change things a bit. Right now I'm at thrity dollars, the change will start when I hit 40 bucks. As soon as I go over 40 bucks I'm taking everything over 35 I have to the next level which is .25/.50 I was watching the play there and it is remarkably better. I'm not so dumb as to think I'll get rid of bad beats and stupid suck outs but it will (hopefully) lower the frequency of them. I manage to stay ahead at the level I'm at now and I think I'll be much better off at a higher level. If I lose the money I go in with I'll drop down again to nickel dime and build it again. I figure that with 1 or 2 good sessions at the quarter fifty my bankroll will be able to handle that level with ease. I'm not doing this to make a score, just to maintain some sanity and get to a level where I'm more comfortable. I really wish I just had a grand to drop and move up to 10/20 or at least 5/10. Let me know what yall think, I really want suggestions and comments on this post in particular.

Hope to see you at the tables

AmmoJoe

"Don't confuse chips for skill"

Just ride it out

2004-09-12T19:36:00.000-05:00

Been fighting through that bad beat (stupid flushes) streak I've been on. Before I get to the good stuff let me tell you about how I tried to get my chat revoked playing nickel-dime last night. Dealt A-Jo on the button, raise to a dime and get 2 callers. Flop comes A-10-3 and I bet when its checked around. Gets reraised by the guy in the big blind and I stay in and so does SLMsomething. Turn comes another rag and I bet again. Called all around. Turn comes a 8 and WADB bets, I call knowing I'm beat. Tool turns over 83. Called a reraise preflop, on the flop and a raise on the turn with a pair of threes. Then hit a stinkin 8 on the river. I went off for a bit and made fun of the rest of the moves made by that player. Because I was in the midst of such a losing streak I actually enjoied talking trash more than I did playing. -end rant- Bought back in to a .05-.10 table with 55 cents, less than my usual buck. In 38 hands here were my stats. 63% of flops seen, ten pots showndown, 8 won (80%) and 6 pots won without showdown. Logged off with my account at 36.50 Up over 30 dollars since I started this thing. Just a little more and Ill be up another level. Looking forward to the hopefully better level of play at the next level.

bad beats

2004-09-11T18:28:00.000-05:00

I know that I'm playing an ultra low limit, but man it still sucks with all the bad beats. I'm up about a buck and a half today. Made up some of my losses for the last 2 days. I have seen more suckouts and downright bad beats in the last 24 hours than I ever imagined I could. I'm not mad, I am still on my game but sometimes its frusturating. If it werent for all of them I would probably be up dag on near 10-15 bucks. Oh well, It happens. Come find me at the tables. If anyone wants, I have some gmail invites so just email me at ammojoe@gmail.com and I'll hook you up. Watch out for those runner runner flushes.

Final update before kickoff

2004-09-09T19:33:00.000-05:00

NFL starts tonight. It's the Bengals year, but now we must talk poker. Played about all day today, split my time about half and half between .05-.10 full tables and .02-.04 heads up. I've found that I can make quite a bit at the heads up tables unless I go on tilt and blow my chips. Nickel-Dime was profitable, I made back the money I spent on a tourney earlier. Played a 1 dollar buy in NLHE tourney at 2:30 eastern. Never got many cards and I went all in with pocket tens for 2700. Got called by JQo and a queen fell on the river. Didn't really bother me but it would've been nice to last a bit longer. Finished about 365th out of 900 or so. So, there went one buck. Also lost 2 dollars earlier at the 5-10 tables to a bunch of suck outs. The main thing was that I maintained my cool and played my game. When I just logged off for (hopefully) the last time my account had 31.00 in it. I'm up 26 bucks playing a smart game and I'm feeling quite comftorable in the .05-.10 level. I had a comment today from someone who is thinking that I'm moving up in limits too slow. The reason I'm playing like that is because I really want to make this money last. Im in no big hurry to make a bunch of money so I'm making my moves very cautiously (sp) to ensure that I've always got the money in my roll to fall back on if the swings go bad. My next level move will be once my account is at 75 dollars. If I fall back below 70 I'll switch back down one until I'm ready to try again. If youre online, look me up on pokerstars, it'd be nice to play with someone I know. AMMOJOE

It's been a good night

2004-09-08T21:57:00.000-05:00

Tennessee was great but now I'm back to my experiment. When I left my bankroll was at a modest $21.80 but it was ready for some big gains. My wife is in Ohio for a couple weeks taking her state board test so now I've got plenty of time to invest into my game. On lunch today I played for about a half hour and made up some losses from the night before to get back to about even, not progress but at least I was maintaining. After I got home and had dinner I went at it on the .02-.04 tables. Played there for probably 3 hours and walked with a profit of 4 dollars. For the first time I was over 25 bucks. I figured it was time to head up to the high rollers at the .05-10 tables. Sat down with my first buck and went to town. Played tight and aggressive and went up about 50 cents. After a few hands I was dealt 54 suited. Called the blinds from the button. The flop came 6/7/10 and I made a bet to set the tone. All 3 players called. Next card was a K and I bet again, all players called. Turn was a beautiful 3 giving me the nuts and I bet and was raised. Me and another player capped the betting and I took down a 2+ pot. My bankroll now stands at a whopping $27.42 With my newfound wealth I think I'll be able to concentrate on the nickel dime table and increase my profits. Tomorrow is more of the same and I hope to update this with another positive post. Ok, thanks, bye

Lessons learned from an 80 cent loss

2004-09-01T09:48:00.000-05:00

Disclaimer: This is an account of an ultra low stakes online experiment to turn 5 bucks into millions. As of right now (1 month in) the bankroll stands at $21.80 If you are looking for high stakes, big money then look elsewhere. If you are interested in bankroll management and slow, conservative play then read on.

Last night I only played for about 15 minutes, but I played like I had only 15 minutes worth of experience. I was calling bets when I knew for a fact I was beat. I called the blinds pre-flop with garbage like J-7 just hoping to hit a flop I could play. It was probably the worst playing I have done since my initial deposit 12 months ago. The night started with me having the 2^nd best hand about 3 hands in a row. I lost my initial buy in of 40 cents when I held K-10c and hit a K on the flop. I bet and called all the way down only to see aces flipped up against me. He played it perfectly and I played like the idiots I always hope to be up against. Playing the wild style had some swings and at times I found myself up, then just a few hands later I would be down to the cyberfelt. I left the tables once the WSOP was over and I was down 80 cents. The money is nothing really, I've probably got that much stuck in the cushions of my couch, but what did I learn from this experience? I've said it before, I'm not out to make a score, I just want to improve my game. Maybe .02-.04 cents is the level I belong at right now. If I can't control my hands that I play here, How would I expect to play at a 5-10 or higher table. I'd like to think that I would tighten up because of the stakes but my experience here is supposed to train me for the big games. So, Now what am I going to do? Unless the hurricane hits the base and I can't travel, I'll be in Tennessee for the weekend. When I get back I'm going to put some serious time into my game. Back to 2 tables of super tight play, Polishing my "A" game. By next weekend I should be solidly into the .05-.10 game making my bankroll grow. I know how to play, I am sure I can when at any small/medium level right now. I just hope I can remember these 80 cents and how losing will happen when I let my game go. Losing 3 quarters and a nickel last night may someday save me a lot more.

AmmoJoe

First try at .05-.10

2004-09-01T09:30:00.000-05:00

Let me start by saying that I'm still playing at the .02-.04 level at Pokerstars. My goal was to move up a level once I had over 20 dollars in my roll. As soon as I made it over my goal I made the jump to .05-.10 limit. I took 72 cents into the game. The only hard part about the game was the fact that I wasn't used to the bets being as "large" as they were. One dollar pots were happening every other hand it seemed. It's not that I was unable to play my cards the way I needed I just didn't adjust to the limits real well. My comfort is right now at .02-.04 and I was just messed up at the higher level. I played for no more than 10 minutes and cashed out about .20 cents ahead. I'm going to keep my game at the lowest level for a few more days until I can have enough over 20 bucks to accept the swings then I'll take a shot at nickel-dime. More to come

AmmoJoe

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." - Albert Einstein (possibly referring to AFV)

Weekend Update

2004-08-30T10:50:00.000-05:00

I'm thinking that every Monday at work I'll update the site via e-mail. This is the first in what is hopefully a long line of those updates.

No poker Friday night as my wife and I went over to a friend's house. So, bankroll stayed at just over 19 bucks. Saturday was a busy day all day and I didn't get a chance to play until around 10ish. Sometimes you just can't win a hand, this session was like that. Pocket Kings went down to some guy with A-6 when he rivered a straight. My queens to a guy who stayed in through a capped pot pre flop with J-8o and managed to hit two pair. All the hands went like that, If my opponent had a draw it hit. Long story short, down to 17 bucks. Kind of made me mad but what can I expect, I'm playing the lowest limit game around. Sunday I played a few hours and it went as planned. Played some guy (ween I believe) and he was the ultimate calling station. If I hit anything I bet to the river and dropped to any raise. This guy even mucked to me when my 8-4o hit a 4 on the flop and he called me all the way down. Seriously, what could he have had to feel the need to call all my bets. No complaints other that the fact that once his 40 cents was gone so was he. I played tight and smart and finished with a nice profit up to 19.70

Some people will laugh at this as I played an entire weekend and only finished up .68 cents. I'm happy with my result because I'm trying to play a tight, strong game and build my bankroll slowly. I'm not (currently) interested in jumping into a higher limit and going for a big score. Poker is a hobby for me and I'd really like to make it last. I don't have funds available for another deposit and this is the only way I can make this last. I should only be a few hours away from making the jump to .05-.10 and I guess we'll see where that goes. Until then, good luck

I'm Joe Graber, and I approve this message

The Pokerstars 5 Dollar Experiment

2004-08-29T13:20:00.000-05:00

Rather than retype an entire post I'll just cut and paste my original from WPTFAN.COM

I can't type a interesting story for the life of me. I've been trying to make this post all day but couldn't make it sound not crappy. So, For those of you still reading, enjoy.

My bankroll on Pokerstars was down to 5 dollars after a terrible opening streak of sng losses, 8 in a row out of the money. So, I was stuck with trying to turn 5 measley bucks into a million. At first I was kind of upset with the situation but now I'm actually enjoying it. From 5 dollars I've built it up to 19.02 playing .02/.04 limit. I know its a way low limit and It'll take forever to make it up but I feel like I'm doing pretty good. My strategy has been to play 2 or 3 tables at a time to avoid getting anxious and playing crap. I can usually go up a buck or so with just 2 hours playing. Not making me rich but definatley a learning experience. I'm going to move up in limits but I really want to make my money last so I'm being extra cautious. I'm thinking that once I'm over 20 to play with the excess at the .05/.10 tables, again ultra low stakes but beatable with patience. Maybe another level at 50 bucks. I know that my roll could support a higher limit now I'm really just interested in making it work with patient play and a slow increase in limits. I was also thinking of playing the low (1-3 dollar) multi's once I'm over 25 or so. What do the experienced players on this site think of my plan. I don't think I'm destined for failure with the ultra low stakes but do you think I can ultimatley be successful in the long run? just wondering what you thought, If it was boring just tell me and Ill go back to reading instead of writing. Thanks

Joe Graber
ammojoe on PS and FullTilt