Getting the bonus

I redeposited $400 into my Party Poker account last Tuesday to get the 25% bonus they were offering. I had another $100 I could have put in, but I didn't know how much time I would have and I needed to play 700 raked hands in seven days. One way or another that was going to be near seven hours of play.

I made it in six.

I started with two tables of $2/$4 hold em, just like I always play but added a $25 max. pot limit table where the blinds were only $.10/$.25. I only took $7 to that table and expected to fold almost everything just to get raked hands knowing that even if I played NO hands at all, 100 hands would only cost me $3.50.

In the first hour I was up almost $100 at the $2/$4 tables (set of aces over a set of jacks, ouch) but the raked hands were not coming very fast because the limit for being raked is higher ($20 I think). The PL table however was raking ALMOST EVERY HAND because it rakes 5% starting at one dollar and I was also up about $30. I was lucky enough to be called all-in when I flopped the nut flush on one hand and then drew the nut flush on the turn and was raised all-in again on the very next hand!

After about 150 raked hands I decided to play three pot limit tables for the balance of the time. I didn't make much more money but I cleared the bonus, going up $237 in six hours. Almost $40 per hour. Not a bad part-time job.

The pot limit tables were a lot more fun to play, but the swings were bigger. I only bought in with $7 and had to rebuy more than once because I started playing more speculative hands which would hit, only to be beaten by a better speculative hand. Lesson learned? Probably not!

This reinforces my theory that I can make good money playing one or two-hour sessions, but I'd go broke fast playing for a living.

Thanks for reading.