Ahead Of The Rake

*Last edited by al yell on Wed, 04 Nov 2009, 4:45pm; edited 32 times in total*

"Big ideas are fine but a lot of success is about doing the small stuff right"

GOAL
Play highly profitable poker (NLHE).

PLAN
Develop, and continually improve, a sustainable 'A' game in order to move up through progressively higher stakes with focus primarily on self management, table selection, making reads, estimating ranges, calculating equities and logical play.

CURRENT STAKES
Up to 50nl (cash)
Best tourney payout: $600 (5th place)

SKILL DEVELOPMENT
[x] = pwned
[o] = present focus

Skills - Crystallized 'A' Game (things I pwn unconsciously)
[x] software navigation
[x] Bankroll Management
[x] reading the board
[x] isolating/punishing limpers
[x] pf bet sizing
[x] positional awareness
[x] looking at stack sizes

New Skills - Future 'A' Game (things to introduce later)
[ ] calculating odds
[ ] calculating equity
[ ] widening range
[ ] manipulation
[ ] merging ranges
[ ] exploitation
[ ] interpreting HUD stats
[ ] counting combinations

Pseudo Skills - Current 'A' & 'B' Game (things that need practice)
[o] picking up reads/defining opponents
[o] table selection
[ ] hand reading
[ ] c-betting
[ ] double/triple barreling
[ ] b/f River spots
[ ] squeezing spots
[ ] c/r spots
[ ] post-flop bet sizing

Weaknesses - Current 'C' Game (things to eliminate)
[x] tracking results during play
[x] unrealistic expectations
[x] lazy betting (using preset buttons instead of typing)
[x] impatience
[x] FPS
[x] not breaking immediately when I've realized I need one
[x] playing past stop-loss
[o] autopilot
[ ] bad river calls
[ ] playing loose/spewy when 'up' on session
[ ] compartmentalizing wins/losses by stake
[ ] checking email / chat / browsing
[ ] overconfidence after sharing positive results
[ ] tilt after losing hand/session/downswing/bad play
[ ] caring about the money
[ ] result oriented
[ ] not listening to 'inner voice'
[ ] self deception / denial
[ ] fear of success/failure

ACTIVE CHECKLIST (wallpaper)

[ ] Are you in the mood to play?
[ ] Are you healthy, rested and alert?
[ ] Are you playing without distractions?
[ ] Are you calm, comfortable, and emotionally sound?
[ ] Are you following the action and thinking through each hand?
[ ] Are you picking up reads on your opponents?
[ ] Are you aware of your table image?
[ ] Can you find a better table or time to play?
[ ] Are you above your stop-loss?
[ ] Are you noting though spots for review?
[ ] Are you being honest with yourself?

*Last edited by al yell on Wed, 28 Oct 2009, 2:42pm; edited 2 times in total*

I recently had the urge to create a journal. Not only to chronicle my progress but also as an aid to dump the mental clutter I tend to carry forward. If you happen to peruse and draw anything from my navel gazing then all the better. Please reply freely.

I was going to kick things off with a summary of my poker misadventures over the last couple years but I'll focus instead on where I am and where I want to be.

I'm currently grinding 10nl and Bonus whoring. Obv to build a roll but more so to practice improving my game. I could actually be playing a bit higher but I'm a huge BR nit and I really don't feel that confident in my game (for reasons I won't get into. Think: spewtard). Though I've been an active player for a couple years I've been lazy and passive in my approach to learning; something I plan to attack with vigor moving forward.

Here's September.

I was mostly 12 tabling slow, boring, ABC poker. Played roughly 2k hands/day, so 2 to 3 hours of play daily which I'd like to work up to 5 or 6. Other goals include following through with the learning techniques introduced by Jared Tendler which basically consists of keeping a written record of sessions for review in order to systematically weed out weaknesses and introduce new skills. (i.e. a method for building and strengthening your 'A' game).

I haven't played in two days because my sleep is all out of whack. I was going to bed at 4am but since I started working out to P90X it would appear my body is somehow trying to tune itself to a different cycle. Undoubtedly one more copacetic with nature's rhythm and not that of a degenerate poker player's. Not that I mind. Living on Vampire Time was beginning to take its toll.

-- -- --

been up all night, can't sleep but too out of it to play. So I'm reviewing hands...

#1 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (5 handed)

SB ($9.29)
BB ($19.23)
UTG ($10.15)
MP ($5.51)
Hero (Button) ($14.76)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 6

, 6

UTG calls $0.10, 1 fold, Hero bets $0.50, 2 folds, UTG calls $0.40

Flop: ($1.15) 5

, J

, Q

(2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $0.80, UTG calls $0.80

Turn: ($2.75) A

(2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $2, UTG calls $2

River: ($6.75) 10

(2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $11.46 (All-In)

I don't think Villain can profitably call against my shoving range which includes quite a few K's.

#2 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (4 handed)

Hero (SB) ($10.85)
BB ($16.11)
UTG ($6.30)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A

, K

UTG bets $0.20, Button raises $0.75, Hero raises $1.25, 1 fold, UTG calls $1.10, Button calls $0.55

Flop: ($4) 10

, 9

, K

(3 players)
Hero bets $3.33, UTG calls $3.33, Button raises $13.78 (All-In), Hero calls $6.22 (All-In), UTG calls $1.67 (All-In)

Turn: ($28.10) 5

(3 players, 3 all-in)

River: ($28.10) 3

(3 players, 3 all-in)

Total pot: $28.10

Results:
Button had J

, 5

(one pair, fives).
Hero had A

, K

(one pair, Kings).
UTG had 6

, K

(one pair, Kings).
Outcome: Hero won $26.70

[x] Never folding TPTK ftw

Oh yeah, played a home SnG last night and got it in ahead uber deep on a Th8c9sKc Turn w/T8 vs AcJc after donking Flop for pot and getting called by PFR. River came 2c. gg. I was basically flipping against his range I think. Guy was a station.

A little later this guy's analysis blew my mind:
They're still like 8 handed.. UTG limps, EP min-raises, CO min-reraises, call, call.
Flop is KcJc5c. UTG checks, EP 3/4 pot, CO calls, UTG folds.
Turn is 7c. EP 3/4 pot, CO calls.
River blanks. EP again bets roughly 3/4 pot, CO calls pretty quickly. EP shows AT no club, CO flips over 33 with the 3 of clubs for a flush.

When I asked him what compelled him to call (thinking maybe he had a sick tell or something because these guys play together often) he explained how the board was all black cards, he had two black cards, so surely his opponent was holding red cards and couldn't have a flush. !! Shocked

And he wasn't even leveling me.

Can I get a "+", can I get an "E", can I get a "V". What d'ya get!? Hooomme Donkaments! (rah rah).

Advice: start playing less than 12 tables, focus on improving, put thought into every decision, and actively consider everyones ranges.

This should help fix that red line a bit, you have a leak of too often putting money into the pot then folding.

I finally had a good night's sleep last night and it was fucking GLORIOUS! I can finally get back to the grind. I'll 6-table with the focus on applying ranges (though this will go without saying from this point on) and not focusing on results as I play. Once I totally pwn that bad habit I'll move on to another until I systematically eliminate them all. This will clear the way for applying new skills. It's just a question of recognition and repetition.

*Last edited by al yell on Fri, 09 Oct 2009, 4:01am; edited 1 time in total*

today's sess: 4 hrs, 2.2k hands, up 4bi's. Started out rough losing AA to QQ but it was smooth sailing after that. I never once checked my results but left my email notification on and must have received half a dozen emails which I checked every time. I'll be turning it off while I play from now on as I evidently don't have the discipline to ignore the little "new email" msg that pops up.

criticism welcomed:

-Click Here for discussion -
#3 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (6 handed)

BB ($9.75)
UTG ($10.43)
Hero (MP) ($10)
CO ($7.66)
Button ($27.85)
SB ($11.33)

Preflop: Hero is MP with 3

, 3

UTG bets $0.40, Hero calls $0.40, 4 folds

Flop: ($0.95) 10

, 9

, 8

(2 players)
UTG bets $0.40, Hero raises $1.28, UTG calls $0.88

Turn: ($3.51) 9

(2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $1.76, UTG calls $1.76

River: ($7.03) 8

(2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $6.56 (All-In)

Spew.

The turn pairing also makes it harder to rep a set due to combinatorics, and your sizing is suspicious.

Assuming no reads: Fold flop>>>float flop>>>raise flop, imo. Don't run multi-street bluffs without appropriate reads.

In regards to hand #3 above, at the risk of appearing like a total donk I will disclose my honest and precise thought process so it can be picked apart and critiqued. I caught myself being reluctant to do this out of embarrassment and fear of being wrong. This is no doubt a big part of what has stunted my progress. Fortunately, being something of a step removed with this blog, I feel I can go into it and I'm ready to receive and consider all opinions and constructive criticism.

meta/gameflow: I'd just played a hand with him at another table. I flatted 99 from SB to his BTN raise then donked a AK9r flop. He raised, I shoved, he called and showed AQ.

pf: I'm flatting 33 initially for set value against his UTG range which I estimated was something like top 8% of hands: 88+,ATs+,KTs+,QJs,AJo+
My flatting range here is something close to JJ-22,AQs-AJs,KJs+,QTs+,JTs,T9s,98s,87s,AQo

flop: He bets less than half pot on a board that is pretty scary for a significant portion of his range. So I raise repping strength or a big draw and immediately plan to b/f the following Turn cards: 6-T, any non-broadway diamond if he calls.

turn: when the 9 comes and pairs the board and its checked to me I just thought, "That's way better for me than it is for him." When he checks I spontaneously decided to bet half pot because I decided this was the best way to repp the nuts by making it look like I'm hoping to get raised or don't want him folding to too large a bet. But it was also the perfect amount to leave him exactly a PSB left behind if he should call. If I bet bigger and he calls he might be more inclined to get stubborn with an over-pair if he feels pot committed (if only for psychological reason as oppose to actual mathematical ones). When he flats I remember thinking, "He has an over-pair and doesn't know what to do or is playing a draw passively."

river: 8. Now, being a double paired board and seeing him check again, I think slowplayed straights, overpairs, missed draws are all folding, and I think he raises me on the flop with a set so I don't put him on a boat. I've shown strength the whole way, he hasn't, there's nothing left to do but put him to a decision for all his chips.

There it is, fwiw. This kind of shit is what happens when I'm playing too few tables. I get way way too deep in my own thoughts; too imaginative and not logical enough I suppose.

Excellent summary of your thoughts. It's good to write them all out to get a better idea of how you were thinking in the hand and also bring out some history etc. that can help analyze the situation more effectively.

I think you should copy/paste this hand in the BC as well as your thoughts on it so some discussion can get started since some of the best contributors to the BC don't browse through the hands in the Operations forum as often.

I'm not quite sure what to think exactly but I'll say this for now:

Discussion of hand #3: link

fun game

#4 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (6 handed)

SB ($16.23)
BB ($12.57)
UTG ($2.75)
MP ($8.70)
Hero (CO) ($10)
Button ($10.26)

Preflop: Hero is CO with Q

, A

1 fold, MP calls $0.10, Hero bets $0.45, 3 folds, MP calls $0.35

Flop: ($1.05) 4

, 2

, A

(2 players)
MP checks, Hero bets $0.70, MP calls $0.70

Turn: ($2.45) 4

(2 players)
MP checks, Hero bets $1.95, MP raises $7.55 (All-In), Hero calls $5.60

River: ($17.55) 4

(2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $17.55

Results:
MP had 4

, 5

(four of a kind, fours).
Hero had Q

, A

(full house, fours over Aces).
Outcome: MP won $16.68

-- -- --

#5 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (6 handed)

CO ($16.73)
Hero (Button) ($18.54)
SB ($2.44)
BB ($10.05)
UTG ($1.68)
MP ($5.84)

Preflop: Hero is Button with K

, Q

3 folds, Hero bets $0.35, SB calls $0.30, 1 fold

Flop: ($0.80) J

, J

, Q

(2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks

Turn: ($0.80) J

(2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $0.40, SB raises $2.09 (All-In), Hero calls $1.69

River: ($4.98) 5

(2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $4.98

Results:
Hero had K

, Q

(full house, Jacks over Queens).
SB had 3

, J

(four of a kind, Jacks).
Outcome: SB won $4.74

hand 3: i think anything other than folding the flop is spew

gah, it's noon and I'm just waking up. Why do the games have to be SO good at 3 in the fucking morning!?

yeah its ridiculous.. im almost 100% sure, that if we were to play only between midnight and 5am, our winrate would at least triple

What a day! If I may I'd like to invite you all to play a little game I call, "Spot The Stacks" at these 25nl tables:

I had a nearly 8 hour day that essentially went like this:

I'm so wired and fried at the same time. I'll go play some Assassin's Creed until I pass out. Here are the highlights of the sess...

This guy sat down with me HU and was literally shoving ATC pf. He hit and ran me after this beauty:

#6 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (2 handed)

Hero (SB) ($42.55)
BB ($14.44)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A

, K

Hero calls $0.15, BB bets $14.19 (All-In), Hero calls $14.19

Flop: ($28.88) 3

, 5

, 8

(2 players, 1 all-in)

Turn: ($28.88) 10

(2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($28.88) 2

(2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $28.88

Results:
Hero had A

, K

(high card, Ace).
BB had 10

, K

(one pair, tens).
Outcome: BB won $27.88

-- -- --

And prob the best hand was this one:

#7 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed)

UTG ($21.90)
Hero (MP) ($47.40)
CO ($32.98)
Button ($14.96)
SB ($5.88)
BB ($4.73)

Preflop: Hero is MP with 10

, A

1 fold, Hero bets $0.85, CO calls $0.85, 3 folds

Flop: ($2.05) K

, 6

, 2

(2 players)
Hero bets $1.40, CO calls $1.40

Turn: ($4.85) Q

(2 players)
Hero bets $3, CO raises $6, Hero calls $3

River: ($16.85) J

(2 players)
Hero bets $13, CO raises $24.73 (All-In), Hero calls $11.73

Total pot: $66.31

Results:
Hero had 10

, A

(straight, Ace high).
CO had Q

, K

(two pair, Kings and Queens).
Outcome: Hero won $63.31

Put in a short sess this morning, and by morning i mean 2pm. Sad

Kept defaulting back to autopilot and wasn't able to sustain any kind of 'A' game so I decided to stop at 1k hands... but not before taking a quick stroll through Value Town. I was in the neighborhood after all and didn't want to be rude by not stopping in to say hi to the folks.

#8 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (5 handed)

Hero (BB) ($32.25)
UTG ($29.36)
MP ($25.10)
Button ($27)
SB ($4.61)

Preflop: Hero is BB with K

, A

1 fold, MP bets $2.25, 2 folds, Hero calls $2

I'd normally 3bet but I wanted to keep a monkey to my left in the pot

Flop: ($4.60) Q

, 5

, K

(2 players)
Hero checks, MP bets $2.30, Hero calls $2.30

Turn: ($9.20) 4

(2 players)
Hero checks, MP bets $4.30, Hero calls $4.30

River: ($17.80) 9

(2 players)
Hero bets $23.40 (All-In), MP calls $16.25 (All-In)

Total pot: $50.30

Results:
Hero had K

, A

(one pair, Kings).
MP had 9

, A

(one pair, nines).
Outcome: Hero won $55.45

-- -- --

#9 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed)

Hero (BB) ($25)
UTG ($30.93)
MP ($25.31)
CO ($36.60)
Button ($24.35)
SB ($12.83)

I'd seen Villain get it in light and make real thin value bets

Preflop: Hero is BB with K

, A

2 folds, CO calls $0.25, 2 folds, Hero bets $0.90, CO calls $0.90

Flop: ($2.40) A

, 8

, 9

(2 players)
Hero bets $1.80, CO calls $1.80

Turn: ($6) 8

(2 players)
Hero bets $4.90, CO calls $4.90

River: ($15.80) 4

(2 players)
Hero bets $17.15 (All-In), CO calls $17.15

Total pot: $50.10

Results:
Hero had K

, A

(two pair, Aces and eights).
CO had A

, 6

(two pair, Aces and eights).
Outcome: Hero won $47.60

#8 Id like to hear your reasoning for shoving river. You should just c/c. He's gonna value bet all Kings anyway and the other part of his range is air or TJ.
#9 Std

i guess it cant be that bad vs a donk.. but then again theres so much air in his range then that i'd still let him bluff river prob

No poker today. It it my intention to continue to find new and better ways to utilize this journal. I updated first post above to include some editable content focusing on development and giving a summary of "where I'm at". For those following along please feel free to suggest modifications to the 'Skills Development' list (or anything else for that matter) if you feel there's anything I should be aware of. Always greatly appreciated.

You seem really focused and perfectionist/nit Razz

Nice list though.

What's left is to grind a lot of hours and post a lot of hands/discussions. Preferably in SHNL/beginners since it gets more traffic than here.

Gl.

Got in a really short session tonight. Games were dead. Up a bit.

- Click Here for discussion -
#9 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed)

SB ($34.66)
BB ($53.83)
UTG ($22.58)
Hero (MP) ($37.24)
CO ($13)
Button ($24.49)

Preflop: Hero is MP with Q

, A

1 fold, Hero bets $0.85, 1 fold, Button calls $0.85, 2 folds

Flop: ($2.05) K

, A

, 3

(2 players)
Hero bets $1.56, Button calls $1.56

Turn: ($5.17) K

(2 players)
Hero bets $3.85, Button calls $3.85

River: ($12.87) 5

(2 players)
Hero bets $6.77, Button calls $6.77

Total pot: $26.41

Results:
Button had A

, 10

(two pair, Aces and Kings).
Hero had Q

, A

(two pair, Aces and Kings).
Outcome: Hero won $25.09

I'll be watching this. You seem to know what you want from poker, and it looks like you have a good way of acheiving those goals. Stay focused, don't let a bad run of cards get you down, etc, etc. Hit me up any time you want to discuss poker and whatnot.

Also, do you always type in your bets? I rarely do that. Sad

new resolution: no more dragging the computer with me to the washroom when I have to take a shit while playing.

-- -- --

- Click Here for discussion -
#10 Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (5 handed)

Hero (BB) ($25.57)
UTG ($21.46)
MP ($39.01)
Button ($20.83)
SB ($26.39)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 8

, 8

Hero bets $0.85, UTG calls $0.85, 3 folds

Flop: ($2.05) 10

, 8

, 6

(2 players)
Hero bets $1.65, UTG calls $1.65

Turn: ($5.35) 10

(2 players)
Hero bets $1.35, UTG raises $2.70, Hero calls $1.35

River: ($10.75) K

(2 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets $5.38, Hero raises $20.37 (All-In), 1 fold

Total pot: $21.51

Results:
Hero had 8

, 8

(full house, eights over tens).
Outcome: Hero won $35.43

Was like pulling teeth but I managed to get 5 hours in today. I chose to take a shot at 50nl during my evening session. Ran slightly below EV but finished up a bit. It's nice to have things like this happen when taking a shot:

#11 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (4 handed)

Hero (Button) ($102.95)
SB ($10.95)
BB ($50)
UTG ($72.18)

Preflop: Hero is Button with A

, J

UTG bets $1.75, Hero calls $1.75, 2 folds

Flop: ($4.25) 2

, J

, A

(2 players)
UTG bets $3, Hero raises $12.35, UTG calls $9.35

Turn: ($28.95) 5

(2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $22.94, UTG raises $58.08 (All-In), Hero calls $35.14

River: ($145.11) 9

(2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $145.11

Results:
Hero had A

, J

(two pair, Aces and Jacks).
UTG had 10

, A

(one pair, Aces).
Outcome: Hero won $143.11

Energy level was looowww today. I might be fighting something. It's a good thing today's P90X workout was Yoga. I'm in my third week and so far I've really enjoyed it. It's a nice supplement to my occasional martial arts training. Family gathering/dinner tmr so don't know how much time I'll have to play.

looking good my man, looking good.

lol, it appears I've made an impression. One of the 25nl grinders wrote this the minute I sat at the table today (my screename is 'flip4souls'):

v*******> get lost please
v*******> flip
v*******> haha

That being said I am totally doomswitched today. Heading out in a minute for turkey dinner. We'll see if the late night weekend crowd is feeling particularly generous later.

Hmm. Have had a couple break even sessions as I think I may have gotten off track in a few situations like these:

#12 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed)

SB ($10.76)
BB ($28.53)
UTG ($26.83)
MP ($17.77)
Hero (CO) ($31.65)
Button ($25)

Preflop: Hero is CO with K

, A

2 folds, Hero bets $0.85, 1 fold, SB calls $0.75, 1 fold

Flop: ($1.95) 7

, A

, 5

(2 players)
SB bets $1.95, Hero calls $1.95

Turn: ($5.85) 4

(2 players)
SB bets $5.85, Hero raises $28.85 (All-In), SB calls $2.11 (All-In)

River: ($21.77) A

(2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $21.77

Results:
SB had A

, 5

(full house, Aces over fives).
Hero had K

, A

(three of a kind, Aces).
Outcome: SB won $20.69

Wow, as crazy as this is going to sound I just realized something while posting this. It has to do with comparative psychology or something but on the Turn I looked at my stack size compared to his and thought, "I'm beat but screw it" which, irrationally, I don't think I would have done if I had started with 100bb or less. I'll have to watch out for this in the future.

Re-reading the previous post I was reminded of this video on life EV by Dan Gilbert.

On another note I've come up with a way to check items off my "Skills" list above. I'll work on two things at once (sometimes more but never so many as to have things potentially bottleneck); one from the Weakness category and the other from Pseudo Skills. This way I'm eliminating counter-productive things which paves the way for new skills. This balance I believe will be the most efficient approach.

Presently I am focused on looking at stack sizes before acting. For the time being I don't actually care what they are or how I should act in relation to what I see, I just want to condition myself to look at them. The moment its ingrained I'll have cleared the way for another item. The weakness I wish to eliminate next is tracking results while I play. According to Jarred Tendler from whom I'm borrowing this approach, it's important to state the reason behind these habits because reasons are more easily turned into recognition. And thru recognition we can begin to initiate change.

On tracking results while I play: This is obviously not constructive in any way and has only ever led to tilt so the decision to stop doing this is easy. To truly do this I have to know the reason I do it and here's what I've come up with. Tracking results during play is nothing short of the combination of having unrealistic expectations, impatience and overestimating my skill. I know this for the simple fact that when I have tracked them in real-time in the past I've been 'happy' when I'm up and 'angry' when I'm down. This is completely irrational because, intellectually, I understand the inherent variance of the game. So it's clear that that I was denying the occurance of variance, wanting to make money quickly, and believing somehow that I should be good enough to make it happen (like I have witnessed/read about in others). So I've made a point when playing to keep results hidden from sight and should I catch myself wanting to sneak a peek I'll simply recognize the desire to do so, take a deep breath, and be rational about it. When I've repeated this enough times to know with certainty that the inclination is no longer there, I'll check it off my list.

On looking at stack sizes: Poker is a game of information so it's obv why I'd want to make a habit of gathering as much of it as I can. The reason I think I don't do this enough is that at times I believe a particular situation to be static. (ex. it's folded around to me and I have AA in the CO and I make my standard 3.5x open and then notice the BB and I are nearly 200bb deep.) Poker is dynamic/fluid, every situation different. Any time I act in opposition to that idea I deny myself the opportunity to make the best possible decision. So when I notice that, before acting, I've been looking at relevant stack sizes each and every time without having to remind myself I'll check it off my list.

As obsessive or "nitty" (to quote Alexos Wink

) as this may appear its what I realize will work best for me. And that in itself was a difficult and important lesson for me to learn. I have more confidence moving forward now then I ever have. I urge anyone who is struggling with anything in their game (or life for that matter) to experiment and adapt a similar exercise.

*Last edited by al yell on Tue, 13 Oct 2009, 3:17pm; edited 1 time in total*

I decided recently to start using HUD again, which I hadn't been using for a few months. I'd realized that I had all this data up on the screen that I had very little idea how to interpret. So I stopped using it to concentrate more on table dynamics, game flow, and fundamental play - which really helped.

For now I'll just be using it to avoid really evident mistakes (like getting into a 4betting war w/QQ vs a 9/7, 0 3bet%). And rather than overwhelm myself with a bunch of stats I won't look at or won't know what to do with, I'll start with vpip/pfr/3bet/hands and just build on that over time. And as oppose to before where I was using HUD as a major crutch, this time it'll be a supplement only, one which in its absence I could still play profitably.

Recognized that I needed to take a break right after this hand, which I did. It's a huge victory.

- Click Here for discussion -
#13 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed)

CO ($42.44)
Button ($33.71)
SB ($26.77)
BB ($24.90)
Hero (UTG) ($36.42)
MP ($14.58)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with K

, K

Hero bets $0.85, 1 fold, CO calls $0.85, Button calls $0.85, 2 folds

Flop: ($2.90) 3

, 6

, 4

(3 players)
Hero bets $2.17, 1 fold, Button raises $8, Hero ?

Raise more PF, unless 3.5x is your standard then thats fine.

This is either the nuts (set) or like 77+ trying to take it down so it doesnt have to see an ugly turn, i call and c/eval on turn.

If you've never seen him raise a flop before (especially a dry one) I think I might just muck...we're like 130bb deep facing a big raise here OOP and there aren't many villains capable of actually doing this as a pure bluff at this level - especially with these stack sizes. You're probably way behind alot here.

m, u dont think he does this with like 99/TT/JJ?

Board: 3c 6s 4h

65.565% { KcKs }
34.435% { TT-66, 44-33 }

I have good equity, however, things to consider:
- I'm UTG cbetting into the field (i.e. strong range)
- Villain is likely a bit frustrated with me
- He should not expect me to fold an overpair
- His bet size indicates he's willing to stack off, imo

I change up my bet sizing. 4x+1 per limper from pretty much everywhere. CO and BTN I usually do 3x, 2.5 if SB or BB is short.

And on your hand, him raising so huge makes it more weighted towards sets and like 99/88 imo. There are a lot of turn cards that are bad for his hand so I call this just to piss him off and if a "scare card J, Q, K, A comes I c/eval. If he bets big again ez to let it go. If he goes like 1/2 pot hes probz FOS. (this is a blanket statement and i hate making it, but meh.)

I think these are all standard except the #16. It wasn't as clear to me what I should do in that hand, especially on the Flop.

#14 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed)

BB ($24.75)
UTG ($10.85)
MP ($23.92)
CO ($27.34)
Button ($14.51)
Hero (SB) ($26.78)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A

, 10

1 fold, MP bets $0.85, 1 fold, Button calls $0.85, Hero calls $0.75, 1 fold

Flop: ($2.80) 4

, 3

, 9

(3 players)
Hero checks, MP bets $2.80, 1 fold, Hero raises $7.94, MP raises $20.27 (All-In), Hero calls $15.13

#15 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed)

SB ($13.98)
BB ($11.98)
Hero (UTG) ($47.91)
MP ($25)
CO ($15.06)
Button ($26.97)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with A

, 6

Hero bets $0.85, 2 folds, Button calls $0.85, SB calls $0.75, 1 fold

Flop: ($2.80) 9

, A

, J

(3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $2.12, Button raises $6, 1 fold, Hero raises $13.78, Button raises $20.12 (All-In), Hero calls $10.22

- Click Here for discussion -
#16 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (5 handed)

Villain is 53/17 - 7%3bet over 70 hands

SB ($6.61)
Hero (BB) ($26.55)
UTG ($14.38)
MP ($15.22)
Button ($14.53)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 10

, A

UTG calls $0.25, 2 folds, SB calls $0.15, Hero checks

Flop: ($0.75) 8

, J

, 10

(3 players)
SB bets $0.50, Hero calls $0.50, UTG raises $3, 1 fold, Hero calls $2.50

Turn: ($7.25) 10

(2 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets $11.13 (All-In), Hero ?

last hand: pretty damn close... his 3bet% here is irrelevant, id rather want to see his AF. Anyways, you pretty much have the odds to call if he has a flush.

Yea I shippity ship it on this turn, you have the NFD, trips + TK, so even if he DOES have the flush, you have 7 outs to the flush, 3 A's, 3 J's, 3 8's, and 1 T. So you have like 17 outs if you ARE behind. 17*2= ~34% equity to suckout if behind. Pot odds = 37%. So like, you're only making a -EV call when he has the flush, or a FH, but its still a fist pump call imo.

Great, thx guys. fwiw I closed my eyes, clicked call, & spiked a 'A'. Next time however I'd rather not just be clicking buttons but understand why I'm doing what I'm doing. This was helpful.

Just use pokerstove more often though. You're 38% vs 56cc (i think?), and its very unlikely he overbets with a FH or SF here. Also possible he has some 9cX here. Depending on reads you just plug in some ranges in there and voila!

Gj on binking the A though.

laaaaammmme. been attempting to remove malware from my pc most of the day which was preventing HM from launching. During the down time I've been having fun with a bit of poker math and intermittently strummed my guitar. I got a few hundred hands in at 50nl before the fiasco so the day wasn't a complete waste. Hopefully everything will be operational again soon.

Since I couldn't play much yesterday I really picked apart a few hands I played recently. Doing so eventually led me to needing to do some math, which in turn led me to creating this > Poker Math Spreadsheet.

Try it out and let me know what you think. I tried to make it as intuitive as possible and because I suck at math I essentially wanted to find a fast, no-brainer way to calculate break-even semi- bluff shoves. I also threw in a 'facing all in' ev calculation. If some of you feel like testing it out and everything appears to work correctly maybe I can post it in the 'Tools' forum. Feel free to tweak, adapt, etc. and/or let me know what I've missed. Thx.

btw if anybody didn t know this, i figured i d out Al and let you know he was a pretty balling music producer before giving the poker grind a shot.

if this was confidential info, oh well, fk me. just in case you guys doubted that he was awesome or something.

in the KK hand where you get raised, I d fold and pretty much expect to be owning him. no I don t think he s raising 99-JJ all that much. ppl who flat pre don t usually raise for value post...

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