Christmas Shopping

I'd booked this week off work a while ago, when I first started with my new job. Most people were clammering for the 3 days in between Xmas and New Year, which doesn't appeal to me as much.
Being daddy to a 2-and-three-quarters year old, this is going to be our first 'proper' Xmas, one where Mia knows what's going on, and will love her presents and have a better understanding of what they are. So, the week before Xmas is much more appealing to me and we get to do all the shopping (I started today - how early is that!!) and Santa's Grotto and all the 'being a kid again' stuff. Then, in between Xmas and New Year, I like going to work to get away from that 'what do we do' period when Xmas is over but New Years Eve is still a few days away.

So, all we need now, is to light the real, coal fire we have in our living room, dim the lights and put on 'It's A Wonderful Life' and Xmas is truly upon us. Ahhh, if only life was as ideal as this film. Actually, it probably is, if we want it to be.

Really getting stuck into the stats on Poker Office, bouyed by the great night I had at the tables last night. AQ won me a huge pot when 2 more hit the flop and my opponent had Q 10. The irony is that this was the first time I didn't raise it pre-flop, and the BB was a very tight player (21% seen flop over a couple of hundred hands), so he just checked his hand and would probably have folded to my 4 or 5 bb raise.
AQ is still in the negative as a stand alone hand, but the gap has been cut somewhat.

AK continues to frustrate and as my biggest single losing hand, I cannot continue raising 4, 5 or 6 x bb pre-flop, only to lose to much weaker hands that hit their 3 outs almost each time. My stats show that the only statistical chance I have of winning, is if my opponents fold pre-flop.

Other than AK, my game has improved with the statistical knowledge that Poker Office provides. I find where my weaknesses are, which position I'm not playing properly, opponents that will consistently call any raises with such regularity - there are plenty of ways to take advantage. And what's great - it cost me nothing. Well, I deposited and played at Empire for a week to get it, but breaking even and withdrawing my initial deposit (never liked playing at Party), I basically got it for free.
The biggest improvement has been my % flops seen, which I had no idea was so high. I'm correcting this and got my last 3 sessions down to between 23-25% - a big improvement on the 48% it was during the first part of the month.

For the record, my Overview stats for December show:

Hands 1573
hands won 17.61%
Flops seen 39% (but coming down!!)
Won $175.87
Won per hand 0.11c
BB/100 hands 15.61
Won flops seen 35.7%
Showdowns won 50.2
Pre flop raise 5.34

With nothing to really compare this to, it's difficult to try and picture a perfect score. If I'd lost money, I could be critical of my flops seen % being too high, and my pre flop raise % being too low. But the fact that my profit for the month is very high, I guess I have to be pleased overall.
Any comments or comparisons on these stats would be gratefully received.

Anyway, Cathy is working tonight, and I was looking forward to watching the Liverpool Arsenal cup game, but that's just been postponed, so looks like a movie for me.

Not sure if I'll post again pre-Xmas, so I hope all my readers have a fantastic Xmas and Santa brings you all you hope for. I also hope your 2007 is everything you wish it to be.

Bye for now.