August Monthly Review: FXDD + Oanda + PokerStars

FXDD: +8.12% (8 trades, basically most from the NFP this month)

Oanda: +4.26% (No count, most are scalps)

PokerStars: -5.67% (Most active, least result)

As you can see, my attention recently has been slowly drifting from trading to hold'em poker. School started early this month. And I'm probably gonna have even less time for the next 3 months or so.

I probably didn't trade much because I was afraid my profit will be taken away? Or has recent detachment from this activity doesn't exert that much pressure on me to do slightly better? As for poker, the more I thirst to recoup my money, the more they run away, like how I was when I started trading forex.

ANON pointed out something interesting in his recent post which got me into thinking mode. Why do you do it? Why do we trade forex? Why do we play poker? (Off track a little, besides his point, you should really check out those photos he posted)

I wanted to learn to trade the stock market initially. I wanted the skill to make money. And I know many people who are rich, trade the stock market; doesn't necessary mean people who trade the stock market, are rich.

So my colleague was introducing forex market to me. He was trading then, and taught me a lot of basic stuff and chart reading. I juz wanted to learn some derivatives, I want to make money. Telling people you trade the currency market sounds cool? He has already quited fx after major losses and now invests in REIT.

But I know too, that there are price to pay. But I need to take the first step. Like the saying goes "Everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die." One example..

Some people who find out you invests or trade and ask you immediately:

They: "So you earning from trading?"

Me: "No.. not at the moment.."

They: "EEEYYERRRR" (typical Singaporean reactions)

Me: "It's not something that is quick buck or you win immediately, some times you pay to learn you see. Besides.."

They: "Nah! better don't touch these things, get your hand scalded. These are simply gambling."

Well. Earlier days I do try to defend the currency market from people who claim its gambling. But no longer bothers.

Anyway, back to why I wanted to trade. I just hope I can make long term money out of it, and like Jules, I prefer my own life. Although I know it's pretty hard and pressurizing when your bread n butter depend on trading. But I don't have to do what I don't like to do in office.

As for poker, I used to think that it's simply gambling. But when I started to learn the game, I also found out the "psychological" part of it - the bluff. That is what got me so interested in the game. It is the trigger point I started the poker highway.

Anyway, let's hope for the better in September!

Black.

Poker: 30 August

Not a very good day today again. I was slowly grinding my way up. But my 2nd table lost all-in flush to a full house. I didn't expected a full house.

Second big pot lost was when I hold Ace of hearts. The table has 4 hearts. I went all-in.

Ace-high flush losing to STRAIGHT FLUSH.

"Your goal is to win one big bet an hour, that's it." - Mike McDermott in Rounders Movie (1998)

On the contrary, I played two hours. I lost 2 big pot. That's it.

Result: -$6.28

This is so no good!!!

Black.

We Wish..

Couldn't help laughing when my friend sent me this screenshot that night. He told me "sometimes I really wish the hands were swapped.."

We have been squeezing time for about 100 hands a day now. Rushing school assignments. Due tomorrow midnight. Will keep ya updated. Short updates will be through our twitter.

Thanks for keeping up here.

Black.

Poker: 23 Aug

Just a short update today. I have recently up my Stakes from $0.01/$0.02 to $0.02/$0.05. I know it seems crazy for an amateur like me. I decide to focus on cash games instead of hoping around Double or Nothing.

I will be playing about 100 hands per day, whenever I can. And trading will probably be slowing down quite a bit, sorry for my fx readers. But because my school is catching up once again. In fact, I was barely home from school 1 hour (now time is 11:35pm) after work.

I have school assignment due this weekend, otherwise I would want to join my family on a Saturday outing to Marina Bay Sands, the newest casino in Singapore, or rather newer (between the two). Well, good thing about not going is the fact that Singaporeans ourselves have to pay a levy of SGD100 just to enter the casino. Well, I cannot imagine trying to recoup initial 100 loses when what I play are simply micro.

Another thing I found out about local casinos is that we do not have any Texas Hold'em poker here. I don't know the reason. I suppose Macau casinos have it. This poker game only began to grow popularity recent few years when Zynga created Texas Hold'em in Facebook. I learned my poker there too. But then again, just like trading, fake money is seriously different from real money. You find everyone go all-in with anything anytime.

I had good poker earlier (obviously because I won). I was pretty loose on the very first hand and got smash right from the start. That table I managed to recoup back and break-even at the end. At the other table, my good friend joined me. No we didn't cheat or anything. Instead, we went heads up against one another fiercer than against anyone else.

He raised aggressively against me. I had nothing on the table except a pair of Qs myself. I almost folded but I called and win the pot. Next up, I had suited A T. He raised pre-flop. I called, with 2 other opponents. He raises aggressively once again. I didn't call, in fact I re-raises him when the flop came A A K. I had three aces, I would do anything in that hand already.

Then turn came T again, that makes me full house Aces with Ts. He Turn a set too - Straight, holding pocket J Q, on the table A A K T. He all-in, and so did I. Pretty lucky for me - because he know my weakness well and it is a challenge to go heads up against him. It is good because we often point out each other's weakness and try to work on it. He's more a natural in this area. For me I often find myself brain-fucked in probabilities. Still working on it. :)

Result: +$5.03

Black.

Poker: 19 Aug - Beats Beats Beats!!

I'm kinda on tilt after tonight's lost. But I try to take a deep breath and move on to grab some profits back.

These 2 days of losses were more or less result of recklessness. I didn't lose 'em by being "grinded" slowly. I lost 'em thru' all-ins.

Two nights back, as posted in my Twitter. I went all-in pre-flop with a big slick (A K). I lost to a pair of A J when J appeared on the river. Followed by all-in with a pair of A J and losing high card to big slick. *SPIT*!

Earlier, I was doing fine until I did the all-in shit again. One guy raises high pre-flop, I held big slick again. Because I see he was loose and all-in a few times previous hands. So I went all-in. And he did without hesitation.

Big Slick VS Q 9.

9 appeared in Turn. I got busted. The other table I was holding a 6 A. The floor was 6 2 2 3 6. I raised before showdown, thinking I made a full-house. He went all-in. I called. He held a 6 3. 6 full house of deuces loses to 6 full house of 3s. For a moment I felt like throwing the mouse out of the window.

My last big loss tonight, I didn't really know what he held. I was holding Big Slick again (the bigger the card, the greater your lost, or maybe I'm not good enough). The flop came A K Q.

Wow! Who's better than me now? Everyone checks and I raises high and then one of them (out of two) remaining calls. The turn came J. This time that fellow went all-in. I didn't know what to do. I kinda feel that he had turn a set. Obviously a straight if you ask me. I folded and let go of my pair of big slicks.

Result: -$3.89

Black.

16 Aug, Eur/Usd & Poker Sunday

Off from trading a week. So I came back, with a little scalp. I haven't been long with the market so I didn't hold it too long. Just simply catching a small direct movement.

Anyway apologize if now the layout of the blog looks a bit fanciful. I decide to put the twitter back so that if I had no time to put, I can still post some short updates using my mobile to the twitter.

Thanks to ANON, I subscribe a number of poker blogs through his site. I played number of games in Pokerstars last weekend. I went out very early in a Double Or Nothing game but managed to cash profits back in a micro cash games.

Very lucky, both times (bigger wins), I hit a set on the turn, and in both hands, I had Ace two suited, once hearts and the other time diamonds. The first i hit a flush and the second a straight where i all-in after opponent raise before showdown. Feels good. I'm on for another game now.

FX: +6 pips.

Hold'em: +$2.16

Black.

Poker: 12 Aug

No trade this week. But I could still took notice of prices this week, and noticed Eur/Usd has fallen -400pips since last week's NFP.

Two matches, Double or Nothing tonight. Both won. First table with the highest chips left. Second table 3 (out of 6) of us All-In. I had pocket Js. One had big slick (A K). Then one K 8. Flop an ace. I thought that was it. But luckily, the big slick guy wins the pot and the remaining five wins the "double" prize, otherwise I would have left with very small stake.

Tomorrow I will be out with colleagues for drinks, so will not be poker/trading. For those of you who does, good luck!!

Result: +$1.70

Black.

6 Aug, Eur/Usd - Non-Farm Payroll

Traded in the London session with my mobile in office today. Scalp a few pips there.

Wasn't very particular with Oanda during NFP release because right before the release the pip-spread went up to 10. So I switched my focus to FXDD's fixed spread of 2. I did scalp a bit off though, after Oanda's pip-spread went back down to about 1.2.

I was pretty bullish with the pair. I did not do a single sell in the movement. I lose too much to know that such news release is not for you to catch every kind of move in every direction. I just kept buying. Like the "catapult" in my June NFP, I juz kept buying at every pull back.

After I'm done, I left one small size pip to run. Because I noticed in some NFP night, the market does not go back to where it starts when the data is so bearish to USD. When the pair continue pushing up, I added another position. It struggle for some time there and expectedly, my balls shrink and I closed that position with only one pip. My original position continue to roll but also closed pre-maturely. Wasted about 20 pips there.

Short night and I'm gonna enjoy the long weekend.

+75 pips.

Black.

5 Aug, Eur/Usd - Overnight Trade

Bullish on Eur/Usd. Went in long trade, and went to sleep. I woke up and close my FXDD trade at +33. Seems to be struggling at the blue 200SMA resistance.

My Oanda trade hit take-profit at 1.3165 for 14 pips.

It is good waking up in the morning knowing it's Friday (and next Monday is national holiday for our Independence Day) and winning trades.

I'm continuing to bullish on the pair and had my orders at 1.3205.

Should be in for tonight's NFP. May be not. Will see how it goes. Looking forward to another family poker weekend. Enjoy everyone, have a great month ahead.

+48 pips.

Black.

2 Aug, Eur/Usd, Gbp/Usd - Back to Trade

Finally back to trading. Was waiting for US ISM Manufacturing news to be over. News was bullish for US, but not surprisingly, price didn't react. I closed my Eur/Usd trade the moment it bounced of my short trade thru fibo. It is still hanging high up. -15 on this pair.

I had better deal with Gbp/Usd. At first, I bought and it didn't spike up as strongly as the Eur/Usd did. That was some struggle. I took another position in seeing strong buyer. Price broke fibo and continue going up. +25 on this pair.

+10 pips.

Now I'm getting the hang of Oanda platform thanks to the training. I removed "pipettes" from my chart now. More on it later. And also my July review (which was horrible).

Black.