Micro stakes grinding

lol its cool dude. Don't feel like you have to give reasons for what you want to do with YOUR money. Fuck uve accomplished something already. You've turned $5 into over $200. Thats something. Don't let the occasional beat get you down. Good luck with teh minbetaments!

Hello. My name is nibbles, and I'm a weak tight player.

I finished reading Sklansky's No Limit Hold Em Theory and Practice. That book really helped alot. It helped me appreciate the value of deception. It is important to bluff, not to push opponents off their hands (very hard in microstakes), but to get action on your winning hands. I wasn't doing that. I wasn't playing poker. You have to try to make your opponents make mistakes and not just hope that they do.

Anywho, as expected, I got tired of playing limit hold em. Pretty much stopped playing poker on Wednesday and resumed Friday night after finishing Theory and Practice. Armed with a better understanding of the game I hit the table (not multi-tabling for now). I went back down to 2NL, but I only played at deep stack tables (half the players have 200 BB stacks) as I was buying in for $5. I only played where I had position on at least 2 players with $4 or more. I ratcheted up the aggression in position and went to work. I kept pressure on them and stopped being afraid (not real fear) of being played back at, attacked signs of weakness, and chased draws when the implied odds were there (not just pot odds). The last two days have been the most fun I've had playing in quite a while. I'm done being a nitbox.

Roll is at $224.01.

But nitbox FTW SIR Very Happy

Good to see u back in the NLHE ring though Smile

Thanks Dranger. Didn't play too many hands today, about 100. Today was such a beautiful day I had to do the outside thing. By outside I mean just out of the apartment cos the "outside thing" included seeing a movie. It is too early for 90 degree days. Damned global warming. Made another $4. Roll is at $228.35. Still enjoying the game. Still aggressive in late position. Gonna re-read Theory and Practice till I fall asleep. Till tomorrow.

Played 227 hands today. Still doing the one table at a time thing. Bad sesh up till the end when I got lucky. Dropped a buy in ($5 at 2NL) but towards the end I flopped bottom set in a four way pot. Everyone was all in (I had everyone covered) on the flop, which made me nervous. Fortunately I rivered quads cos someone had top set. Took down a few more pots before I called it quits. Got roll up to $230.95. Just glad I was able to recover. Still re-reading Theory and Practice. Have to keep studying if I really want to be good. Till tomorrow.

Took a bit of a break from the poker grind. I still played everyday, but not much. I doubt I cleared 100 hands each day. Played an S&G here and there. Was cool cos I still managed to turn a decent profit. Got roll up to $242.33.

I gotta ask man. When are you going to move up to 5nl? I mean, I understand that some people are more risk averse but you have 121 BI's for 2nl lol. You have 48 BI's for 5nl and 24 BI's for 10nl. I'm not calling you out or anything, but shit dude, GROW A PAIR AND MOVE UP!!! Wink

I think you will be pleasantly surprised how much your BR skyrockets once you stop making pennies and starting winning nickels and dimes.

Haven't been in the mood for much poker lately. I've still played everyday, but only for a short time. Not even one hour. I've done more drinking than playing. I've settled on 4 tabling 5NL since last night. 6 tables were too many. Roll is up to $252.72. OP is halfway done. Gonna try to play alot tonight. Hopefully tonight's freeroll password won't be compromised. Last freeroll was crazy.

Good job stepping it up to 5nl. You'll notice your bottom line is going to significantly increase once you get going.

I've become poker lazy. I only played about 400 hands on Saturday, but won 2 BI's. Roll is up to $262. I have not played since. I've gone through this b4, where I want to play but I don't feel like playing. Was gonna force a session tonight, but on my way home I picked up two six packs, so my sesh will hafta wait until tomorrow. If anything I might play an S&G or two. Gotta get my drive back.

Got a few hands in last night and won $6. I pretty much forced that small session. Roll is up to $268. I am really going to get a bunch of hands in today. Reading all of these other operations and watching everyone zoom past me makes me realize I need to get my ass in gear. I've been taking it easy lately when I should be buckling down. I really do want to get better at this game so I have to at least put the volume in. Gotta do it even when you don't feel like it. That's why it is called grinding.

I must stop writing about the hands I "will" play, cos I usually end up not playing them. I might have logged 2K hands this week, and 4 tabling that is not alot. Anyway, played ring games for about an hour yesterday and was a good session. Won about 2 BI's thanks to 2 donkeys that paid off my sets with absolutely nothing. One villain actually had K high. Threw in a $2 MTT last night and just barely made the money. Roll sits at $280.

1st real session in a while. Too bad it wasn't a winning one. Got just over 600 hands in, but dropped just over a buy in. Sux how it happened but oh well, not gonna cry about it. I swore that off. Roll is at $274.71. Will play one 25 cent S&G b4 I crash.

I am about to do my free trial of Poker Tracker 3. I wanted to wait until my game was stronger so I could fully realize the benefits of the heads up display. Should allow me to multi-table better. 2 months free is gonna be great.

Started my free trial of Poker Tracker 3. Installation and setup went smoothly. Right now I am just trying to get used to the cluttered screen, and figuring out what stats I want displayed. It is really useful. I will definitely buy something like this once my trial period is done. I am down $4 so far this session though due to a nasty gutshot suckout. Hopefully will turn around.

Couple of tips for stats on your screen.

VPIP/PFR/AF
Cbet/Fold to c/bet/#of hands

Those are really all you need right now, and you can add more into the drop down, like Attempt To Steal (ATS), 3bet, fold to 3bet, etc.

Dude, I'm so stoked you are finally using a HUD. You'll be able to spot the nits, and fish so much faster. You'll be able to see what tables are good, which ones totally blow, so you can get up and go find a more profitable situation. Ugh, your BR is going to thank you, I guarantee it.

Thanks dranger. I forgot about the fold to cbet. Gonna add that one. I already have the 3bet, and I guess I'll replace "call PF 3bet" with fold to 3bet. I've got to remove a few things as I've confused wants with needs.

I really enjoyed my session yesterday, even though it was break-even (dropped $1). I was pretty much tinkering with PT3 the whole time getting it the way I want in. For multi-tabling I had to change it to cascading tables, cos my original layout was too cluttered with HUD and the info overlapped. Also, when I minimized the tables the HUD covered up the check and fold tabs so I couldn't click them. But the cascading setup isn't bad.

I am staying home all day and see what kind of super session I can log. This PT3 has got me excited about poker again.

Morning sesh going good so far. After 163 hands 4 tabling I'm up over 2 BI's, roll is at $185. After this break I am going to add a few more tables. I think I have a good blend of stats on my HUD that give me an idea how to play an opponent.

Here's a hand where my decision was completely HUD based. I don't defend my BB nearly enough and am often the victim of theft (working on it). MP2 was 52/23/? (can't find AF, only shows on HUD) after 44 hands. CO was only at table for 10 hands so no real stats, but his cold call from that position screamed weakness to me.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (8 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

BB ($3.65)
UTG ($2)
UTG+1 ($6.05)
MP1 ($6.27)
MP2 ($2.97)
CO ($7.11)
Button ($11.39)
Hero (SB) ($5.13)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 6

, 6

3 folds, MP2 bets $0.20, CO calls $0.20, 1 fold, Hero raises to $0.90, BB calls $0.85, MP2 calls $0.70, CO calls $0.70

Flop: ($3.60) K

, 7

, 6

(4 players)
Hero bets $1.50, 1 fold, MP2 calls $1.50, CO calls $1.50

Turn: ($8.10) A

(3 players)
Hero bets $2.73 (All-In), MP2 calls $0.57 (All-In), CO calls $2.73

River: ($14.13) 10

(3 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $14.13 | Rake: $0.65

Results:
Hero had 6

, 6

(three of a kind, sixes).
MP2 mucked 7

, 5

(one pair, sevens).
CO mucked A

, 10

(two pair, Aces and tens).
Outcome: Hero won $13.48

Normally I would just call and set mine, folding most flops. Seeing as how these two guys are complete donkeys (and I noted it afterwards) I got lucky on the hand. But like I said, I'm trying to work on my BB defense. Was my preflop action too aggressive, 3bet size too big, not big enough, etc? Now that I can easily identify LAG thieves I need to work on exploiting them.

Having fun again! Smile

The 3bet size was good, but I think 66 (and most smaller PPs 22-JJ) are too valuable postflop to 3bet. With those, you are looking to set mine and stack someone. It wasn't a terrible play though, by any means.

Good to hear you are having fun with poker again. Very Happy

Now that you have moved up (and will hopefully do so again Smile

) and are using tracking software, you will see the profits rolling in. Your BR will probably be bigger than mine before I get back lol.

I'm not a fan of the 66 hand. First, I would 3bet smaller. Villain opened to 4x, and was called and you made it 18xbb.. In this spot I would go a bit smaller to like 15-16bb, so like $0.75-$0.80ish.

However, I wouldn't 3bet 66 here. First, 66 is going to flop a strong hand very rarely. You aren't going to want to get 66 all in preflop, as that would be spew. You also indicate that both villains are lagtarded, so there is a good chance you will be getting called fairly often preflop. Which added to the low chance of you seeing a good board for 66, makes this a pretty trivial call and setmine spot for me.

I mean if you 3bet preflop and large cards come off, sure you can cbet, but if these villains have a piece they likely aren't folding. So when called you have very little equity, and not much fold equity either. Which makes for a pretty terrible bluff.

Ok, thanks guys. I guess 66 is a little too weak for that type of play. I'm just a little too eager to stick it to players I have the numbers on. That actually cost me a bit of profit in the second sesh, but I still managed to squeeze out 3 bucks, so I am up 3 BI's for the day so far. I've played 850 hands today, and will do a long final sesh tonight after dinner.

I think I've finally settled on my HUD stats. This is the info I find useful for my mass multi-tabling.

VPIP/PFR/AF
Call PFR / Fold BB to steal / Fold steal to BB reraise / Att to steal
CBet flop / Fold to cbet / Raise cbet / CBet turn / Fold T cbet / Raise T cbet
Fold flop / Fold turn / Fold river / Check raise total

That bottom row really identifies calling stations. I also ID'd a draw chaser who had low fold % for flop and turn, then it jumped up on river. Too bad I never got to take advantage of him. Once I commit the order to memory so I know what they mean at a glance (changed it around a bunch of times) I can start adding a bunch more tables. I think I saw dranger on like 20 tables one time.

Don't you just hate it when you get bluffed by a player you know for a fact is bluffing? He was a lagtard. The 15 hands he was at the table he was 100/53/~6 (from memory, still can't find AF in database).
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

UTG ($4.93)
UTG+1 ($5.44)
MP1 ($4.50)
MP2 ($3.14)
MP3 ($4.67)
CO ($5.93)
Button ($5.39)
SB ($6.94)
Hero (BB) ($5.46)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 6

, 6

3 folds, MP2 calls $0.05, 2 folds, Button calls $0.05, SB calls $0.03, Hero checks

Flop: ($0.20) A

, J

, 6

(4 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, MP2 bets $0.15, Button calls $0.15, 1 fold, Hero raises to $0.45, 1 fold, Button calls $0.30

Turn: ($1.25) 9

(2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $1, Hero calls $1

River: ($3.25) 5

(2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $3.89 (All-In), Hero folds

Total pot: $3.25 | Rake: $0.15

Results:
Button had 8

, J

(one pair, Jacks).
Outcome: Button won $3.10

That hand stuck with me. Anyhoo, time for din-din so I can be energized for the final sesh of the day.

I think you played it fine. I like raising PP from all positions but checking from BB is fine. River is ez fold.

I donk flop on the last 66 hand. It's a limped 4way pot with a gutshot draw and flush draw. Unless you are certain someone is going to bet I would donk here, and 3bet any raise trying to get it in.

Agree with stax as always about the last 66 hand.

Also, the whole 20 table thing was just me screwing around at 2nl and once at 5nl I think. Just trying out the whole massive multi tabling thing. My typical number of tables now is anywhere from 8-12.

Also, it seems like you have a TON of stats on ur HUD, it looks like it could get cluttered pretty easily. While you are just getting used to it, I'd probably just stick with 6-8 "essential" stats, then add more as you get used to it.

My evening sesh wasn't as long as I thought. It's all good though, as I hit 1K hands for the day, 1071 to be exact. Very good day as I ended up almost 4 BI's. End of day roll is $291. Finished the day playing six tables and I think I handled them well. Tomorrow I will start off with 6 tables and see if I can end the day playing 8. Having multi-tabled without HUD really makes me appreciate its features now. Gr8 stuff. The only downside is I am now fully aware of how much I'm losing in rake. I was aware b4, but now I see the actual number. With PT3 I have $20 in winnings and have paid $5 in rake. Umph!!!

I know these numbers don't mean anything yet, but for now they make me feel good. I'm 10.5BB/100 so far with PT3, while playing 16/6. I am going to finish the night reading poker material. Looking forward to tomorrow's session.

Logged 769 hands so far 9 tabling this session. Up & down sesh. Roll got as high as $299 and low as $270, but was able to recover so only down a dollar at the moment. Taking a break and will resume. I have to adjust my HUD stats as I have some that aren't as useful as I thought they'd be. I will replace" fold flop/turn/river" with "fold to raise flop/turn/river". I think I will get more use out of that.

Still so much to learn. I was destined to lose the hand even if I played it properly, but I didn't have to stack myself. The SB had to be pissed with me as UTG was a very tight player.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

UTG ($5.23)
UTG+1 ($5.45)
MP1 ($3.32)
MP2 ($1.95)
MP3 ($1.94)
Hero (CO) ($5.18)
Button ($5.96)
SB ($4.95)
BB ($5.21)

Preflop: Hero is CO with J

, 10

UTG calls $0.05, 4 folds, Hero calls $0.05, 1 fold, SB calls $0.03, BB checks

Flop: ($0.20) 7

, 9

, A

(4 players)
SB checks, BB checks, UTG bets $0.25, Hero calls $0.25, SB calls $0.25, 1 fold

Turn: ($0.95) 7

(3 players)
SB checks, UTG bets $0.25, Hero calls $0.25, SB calls $0.25

River: ($1.70) 6

(3 players)
SB checks, UTG bets $1.65, Hero raises to $4.63 (All-In), SB calls $4.40 (All-In), UTG calls $2.98

Total pot: $15.36 | Rake: $0.75

Results:
SB mucked Q

, K

(flush, Ace high).
UTG had A

, A

(full house, Aces over sevens).
Hero had J

, 10

(flush, Ace high).
Outcome: UTG won $14.61

Just terrible! Here's another hand I played badly. Leaks I need to plug. Gotta remind myself that I don't need to outplay my opponents at these stakes. No need for creativity, just play str8 forward hard and fast. Especially when mass multi-tabling.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop

UTG+1 ($14.27)
MP1 ($6.49)
MP2 ($5.50)
MP3 ($3.01)
CO ($2.70)
Button ($6)
Hero (SB) ($5.16)
BB ($3.65)
UTG ($7)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A

, K

1 fold, UTG+1 bets $0.15, 5 folds, Hero raises to $0.40, 1 fold, UTG+1 calls $0.25

Flop: ($0.85) 8

, 9

, 2

(2 players)
Hero bets $0.20, UTG+1 calls $0.20

Turn: ($1.25) 10

(2 players)
Hero checks, UTG+1 checks

River: ($1.25) J

(2 players)
Hero bets $1.10, 1 fold

Total pot: $1.25 | Rake: $0.05

Dumbass! I'm about to start my second session. Will play 10 tables and see if I can clear 2K hands today.

Fell asleep while playing on Wednesday night. Finished that roller coaster session down a BI after 1200 hands. Today was a great session considering how few hands I played. After a mere 630 hands I'm up almost 3 BI's ($14.13). I didn't hit my 1K hands daily goal cos I hit my monetary target. I hit my bankroll milestone of $300! Roll sits at $300.25. So I decided to book the win and go to bed on a high note.

Still making dumb ass plays though. I have the most trouble against LAGS. You see them constantly making moves that seem like bluffs so I feel like I have to look them up, and I'm usually wrong.

Here villain is 65/32/2 over 34 hands with a 30% 3bet percentage. This guy just sat down and started running over the table.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

UTG+1 ($2)
MP1 ($5.80)
MP2 ($10.60)
Hero (MP3) ($9.39)
CO ($6.19)
Button ($11.33)
SB ($1.80)
BB ($5.66)
UTG ($2.03)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with 3

, 3

4 folds, Hero calls $0.05, 1 fold, Button calls $0.05, SB calls $0.03, BB checks

Flop: ($0.20) 9

, 7

, 3

(4 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $0.15, Button raises to $0.30, 2 folds, Hero raises to $1, Button calls $0.70

Turn: ($2.20) 4

(2 players)
Hero checks, Button checks

River: ($2.20) 5

(2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $1.30, Hero calls $1.30

Total pot: $4.80 | Rake: $0.20

Results:
Button had 8

, 6

(straight, nine high).
Hero mucked 3

, 3

(three of a kind, threes).
Outcome: Button won $4.60

So many hands beat me yet I still paid him off. I gotta learn to let these go.

This is another hand I paid off when I didn't beat anything but a bluff, but because of the way villain was playing I wanted to see his hand. After 41 hands he was 61/22/2 and going to showdown half the time. My bet sizing was shit cos I felt he could have anything but would bet me off the hand if I checked. I guess you could say they were blocker bets (which wasn't cos I called raise) but on river I felt he might be betting his missed flush draw. Argh, I'm just a silly fish.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

MP2 ($9.91)
MP3 ($6.15)
CO ($3.11)
Button ($7.02)
SB ($5.25)
BB ($4)
UTG ($5.84)
Hero (UTG+1) ($11.16)
MP1 ($5.53)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with J

, J

1 fold, Hero bets $0.20, 1 fold, MP2 calls $0.20, 4 folds, BB calls $0.15

Flop: ($0.62) 2

, 9

, 10

(3 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $0.35, MP2 calls $0.35, 1 fold

Turn: ($1.32) 10

(2 players)
Hero bets $0.50, MP2 calls $0.50

River: ($2.32) 2

(2 players)
Hero bets $0.50, MP2 raises to $1.50, Hero calls $1

Total pot: $5.32 | Rake: $0.25

Results:
Hero mucked J

, J

(two pair, Jacks and tens).
MP2 had 9

, 10

(full house, tens over nines).
Outcome: MP2 won $5.07

This one was me not paying attention to all the stats. I just saw this guy played half his hands. I didn't note his PFR%. Villain was 48/2/0.18 after 48 hands.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

UTG ($12.74)
Hero (UTG+1) ($5.32)
MP1 ($6.78)
MP2 ($6.70)
MP3 ($13.67)
CO ($9.11)
Button ($5)
SB ($5.11)
BB ($8.74)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with Q

, A

UTG bets $0.20, Hero calls $0.20, 7 folds

Flop: ($0.47) 7

, 6

, Q

(2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $0.25, UTG calls $0.25

Turn: ($0.97) 5

(2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $0.60, UTG calls $0.60

River: ($2.17) 9

(2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $1, UTG calls $1

Total pot: $4.17 | Rake: $0.20

Results:
UTG had K

, K

(one pair, Kings).
Hero had Q

, A

(one pair, Queens).
Outcome: UTG won $3.97

But all's well that ends okay, so I can't be too mad at myself. Just need to learn from my mistakes and work harder at not repeating them. Looking forward to the weekend session with my HUD. Till tomorrow.

Try to get reads and plans earlier for your hands. For example, in the first hand you checked the turn. If you checked the turn because you feared he might have a made flush, that's fine, however don't check two streets and then call a large value bet. If that value bet was good enough to call on the river, it should have been good enough for YOU to make on the turn or river. I think you played it too passively. Depending on the opponent, it can be a hard hand to play since the turn puts a flush out there and the river puts a str8 out there, but you're letting your opponent dictate the hand by allowing free cards and then calling their action.

For hand #2, against a 66% VPIP% who goes to showdown half the time, I'd probably have a tough time laying down JJ, however, again, I think you play too passively on the river. You make a $0.50 bet on the turn, which is 38% of the pot. On the river, you make the same numeric value bet of $0.50, but now it's only 21% of the pot. You telegraph weakness. If you're scared you're beat, simply check and if he bets big, you can lay it down or maybe he'll bet a smaller amount that will be harder to fold, but at least you won't lose as much. Had you checked, I doubt he would have bet $1.50 and anything less than a $1.50 that he bet and you called would have been a direct savings to you. OR, make a bigger bet yourself so if you're raised, you know you're beat and still don't lose as much. For example, if you had bet a dollar on the river, that's 43% of the pot and a raise probably means he has a ten or a 2 and you can fold. You only lose that dollar instead of a $1.50. Or, maybe a dollar is a strong enough bet that villain is scared to raise because of the flush. He's not folding, but again, if he doesn't raise, that's more money saved compared to what actually happened. Any money you save or earn adds up a LOT over several hands.

Hand #3 can also be a tough one depending on your opponent, however, against most reasonable villains or ones I don't have a read on, I personally like to check the flop or turn with TPTK because I don't want to potentially lose the majority of my stack with that type of hand. In this case, villain raised pre-flop UTG, which is usually a high indicator of strength. I like the flop bet because he did check and you have a strong hand, but I would have checked the turn for pot control and because I smell something is up. My guess is villain would have led out between $0.50 to $1.00 on the river and we would have probably called and saved anywhere from $0.60 to $1.10 compared to how it played out.

Notice in two of these three hands you were out of position which makes them harder to play.

Bet sizing, bet sizing, bet sizing. Jay, I have been having trouble with that for quite some time. I don't know why as it is something completely under my control. I do telegraph my weakness. I have no trouble playing tighter players and laying down good but not great hands, but the loose ones always seem to get me cos I don't feel they can be making as many hands as they often represent. I guess that is why they play that way. When I make a hand they always seem to make a better one. Still have some work to do, I guess.

Played a 300 hand session tonight, but had to stop playing cos my internet connection is flaking out. Lagging big time. Got knocked of for longer than a minute twice, and I would hate for that to happen in the middle of a big pot, so I will wait till later. Besides, the Laker game is on. Did take in my largest pot tonight. Button was 46/15/2 with most of his raises from late position, so I set him up nicely.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (8 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

BB ($5.64)
UTG ($10.01)
Hero (UTG+1) ($8.70)
MP1 ($3.17)
MP2 ($5.66)
CO ($5.68)
Button ($13.48)
SB ($1.70)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with A

, A

1 fold, Hero calls $0.05, MP1 calls $0.05, 1 fold, CO calls $0.05, Button bets $0.25, SB calls $0.23, 1 fold, Hero raises to $1.45, 2 folds, Button calls $1.20, SB calls $1.20

Flop: ($4.50) 8

, 7

, 5

(3 players)
SB bets $0.25 (All-In), Hero raises to $4.25, Button calls $4.25

Turn: ($13.25) 9

(3 players, 1 all-in)
Hero bets $3 (All-In), Button calls $3

River: ($19.25) 8

(3 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $19.25 | Rake: $0.90

Results:
Button mucked 10

, 9

(two pair, nines and eights).
SB mucked Q

, J

(one pair, eights).
Hero had A

, A

(two pair, Aces and eights).
Outcome: Hero won $18.35

The rake really does suck down here though. Anyhoo, up 2 BI's right now. Will continue sesh after the Lakers steal one in Denver.

I've fallen in love with Poker Tracker 3. I can handle 8 tables really well right now, since I've finally settled on my HUD stats. I've had it for 1 week (tomorrow) and I can't see myself continuing online without it. Instead of taking notes at the table when I've got pending action on 7 other tables, I now take my notes during my session review. PT coupled with Pokerstove is making me a better player. So much easier to spot and correct my mistakes. I also get to see the showdowns (of regs) I missed cos I was at other tables, which helps me with the note taking.

I just need to stop being so lazy and start putting some hands in. Even tonight I only got 300 hands in for 0.5 BI's profit. Since I got PT3 I've played only 3828 hands (terrible). The good thing is I'm up $44.00 with a 11.5BB/100 at 5NL. Gotta start putting the hands in again. Why have I gotten so lazy? My 1st two days with PT3 I got in over 1K hands, but since, pfftt. I have the time. I've been spending too much money lately. I've been doing a bit of drinking. Hanging out with lush ass friends. Playing 8-10 tables I should easily get in 10K hands a week (3 hours a day at most). Gonna try it this week. Please stick to a goal this ONE TIME! I always say I'ma put in hands and I don't.

Roll is at $312.21.

Still having trouble with loose luckboxes. Even b4 I got Poker Tracker, when I'd spot some loose luckbox and I'd wait for a hand, they always catch their crap to beat me, then proceed to donk off to everyone else. It still kills me.

This luckbox was running 93/30/2 after 54 hands and he hadn't folded to a PFR yet.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

Hero (MP2) ($5.25)
MP3 ($9.58)
CO ($5)
Button ($0.98)
SB ($2.55)
BB ($5)
UTG ($2.54)
UTG+1 ($11.97)
MP1 ($2)

Preflop: Hero is MP2 with Q

, Q

UTG calls $0.05, UTG+1 calls $0.05, MP1 (poster) checks, Hero bets $0.45, 2 folds, Button raises to $0.98 (All-In), 3 folds, UTG+1 calls $0.93, 1 fold, Hero raises to $2.40, UTG+1 calls $1.42

Flop: ($6) 3

, 10

, 4

(3 players, 1 all-in)
UTG+1 bets $1, Hero raises to $2.85 (All-In), UTG+1 calls $1.85

Turn: ($11.70) 9

(3 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($11.70) 2

(3 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $11.70 | Rake: $0.55

Results:
Button mucked A

, J

(high card, Ace).
UTG+1 had 5

, 6

(straight, six high).
Hero mucked Q

, Q

(one pair, Queens).
Outcome: UTG+1 won $11.15

How would you guys normally handle that situation pre flop. Would you shove after the 4bet to create dead money or would you just raise to create a sidepot against an obvious dog. I gave alot of thought to just shoving as it would be a safer play. The luckbox shit gets old, I swear.

This loose luckbox was running 48/19/2 after 88 hands. I hafta blame myself for not holding true to my HUD stats as he went to showdown 41% and won 62%, but it was his hyperactivity that made me not respect his possible holding. I have got to learn to play the LAGS better cos they have so much success against me. I played this hand terribly.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

Button ($4.55)
SB ($9.50)
Hero (BB) ($5)
UTG ($10.90)
UTG+1 ($19)
MP1 ($2.90)
MP2 ($11.10)
MP3 ($3.33)
CO ($5.21)

Preflop: Hero is BB with J

, J

1 fold, UTG+1 bets $0.20, 6 folds, Hero raises to $0.60, UTG+1 calls $0.40

Flop: ($1.22) 10

, 9

, 10

(2 players)
Hero bets $0.80, UTG+1 calls $0.80

Turn: ($2.82) 2

(2 players)
Hero bets $2, UTG+1 raises to $4, Hero calls $1.60 (All-In)

River: ($10.02) 6

(2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $10.02 | Rake: $0.45

Results:
Hero had J

, J

(two pair, Jacks and tens).
UTG+1 had J

, 10

(three of a kind, tens).
Outcome: UTG+1 won $9.57

I have to remember that LAGS make hands to. It's just that they do it so often when I have a hand. Leak I need to plug.

This villain ran 61/29/1.7 after 93 hands. I couldn't have played this one any differently. What burned me up is that this was the only set I hit today after close to 800 hands.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

MP1 ($3.71)
MP2 ($9.95)
Hero (MP3) ($5)
CO ($10.82)
Button ($12.69)
SB ($2.04)
BB ($2.58)
UTG ($3.60)
UTG+1 ($5.35)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with J

, J

4 folds, Hero bets $0.20, 2 folds, SB calls $0.18, 1 fold

Flop: ($0.45) J

, 10

, A

(2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $0.35, SB calls $0.35

Turn: ($1.15) 4

(2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $1.10, SB raises to $1.49 (All-In), Hero calls $0.39

River: ($4.13) 5

(2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $4.13 | Rake: $0.20

Results:
SB had K

, Q

(straight, Ace high).
Hero mucked J

, J

(three of a kind, Jacks).
Outcome: SB won $3.93

I shouldn't complain too much cos I'm down less than a BI ($3.86). At one point I was down close to 3 BI's, but worked my way back up. I think I will plug away at another 300 or so hands b4 calling it a day. Even though I am trying to hit 10K hands a week, I should keep my bad sessions shorter and my good ones longer, no? Anyway, will see how it goes. Maybe my luck will turn around.

Was able to scratch out a break even session (won 14 cents). Having been down close to 3 BI's at one point makes a break even sesh a good thing. I played 1608 hands today, so I am really happy about that. Hopefully tomorrow i will run decently enough to log 2K hands. I will need a couple 2K hand sessions to meet my weekly 10K hand goal.

Roll still at $312.35. Hopefully run well tomorrow.

Hey Play! On the QQ hand I raised that much cos villain called every pre-flop raise (according to HUD). That is how loose he was. He was 93/30/2, which is why I felt his PF limp then call of the 4bet screamed garbage hand. Would you really just call against this type of opponent in this spot? I thought the only question was create a sidepot or shove. Maybe that's why I have so much trouble with LAGs.

As for moving up to 10NL, I really haven't thought about moving up yet cos I just started playing 5NL regularly. I will probably make the move somewhere between $350 and $400. My Bankroll Management is nittier than most others, and I'm in no rush. I am playing 8-10 tables now so more of my roll is at risk each session. If I was playing 10NL a third of my stack would be at risk.

Congrats to you too. You've almost completed your op (even though you haven't updated in a minute). A couple of sessions and you're gold.

even though there is obv nothing wrong with having larger BR requirements, the whole "more of my roll is at stake" isnt, or rather shouldnt, be an issue provided you have a deep enough BR to sit full stacked (however much you usually buy in for) and have enough left back to add to your stacks as you lose bbs / pots etcetc.

im not telling you to move up as you mention you've just moved to 5NL - but for the future its something to consider.

I don't like reading that "play less tables" stuff. Playing more tables is the whole reason I got Poker Tracker 3. Since getting PT3 I've come to find more benefits besides the HUD, but mass multi-tabling is still a big reason for the tracking software. Since getting PT3 9 days ago I won $50 in 6500 hands for 7BB/100 at 5NL. Biggest week I've booked since starting this operation.

But your point of playing to learn is a valid one. A thread in the BC has me thinking about spending time both mass multi-tabling a sesh, and playing another session were I am working on fundamentals at 1 or 2 tables. I spent the majority of this op playing on only one table at a time. I just started multi-tabling a month or two ago. So now I will start splitting my time between bankroll building and working on fundamentals. But to answer your question, since getting PT3 I am playing 8-10 tables.

Yesterday was a good sesh, even though I didn't come close to 2K hands. Was a wild up & down session so I cut it short at around 1K hands and booked my win. End of day roll was $319.17, winning about 1.5 BI's. About to hit the tables.

My poker laziness has set back in. I didn't play yesterday. Tonight I played just under 300 hands (nothing when playing 10 tables) and settled for a 1.5 BI profit cos I didn't feel like playing in the first place. This is a discipline problem. I set these goals ( recently 10K hands per week) and keep falling short. Every time I crack a poker book I only read a few pages b4 putting it down. Sigh.

Anyway, end of day roll is $326.82. Hopefully I will be more into poker tomorrow.

Didn't play Friday. Today I decided to try for 2K hands. In my 1st 600 or so hands I was up close to 3 BI's. Took a break and it has been downhill ever since. After 1200 hands I'm up a mere 0.5 BI's and I am pissed. Luckboxes I swear. I don't know how they do it. Anyway, I am debating just calling it a night or pushing through. I at least want to clear 10K hands since getting Poker Tracker. I will have had PT3 for 2 weeks this Monday. In that time I've run 8ptbb/100 in 7848 hands for $62.85.

I'm planning on taking my first serious stab at 10NL when my roll hits $350. The way things have been going that should happen next week.

Did a lot of poker study today. Brushed up on cbetting and blocking bets. I cbet way too often and get floated alot. Played a short 9 table sesh and won a BI in ~300 hands. Roll up to $335.62.

I've settled on 9 tables when multi-tabling. 10 tables was just a little too much and I couldn't consistently keep up with the action. I've also given some thought to delaying the 10NL move. I'm 3 BI's away which I can get in 1 or 2 days. I haven't spent that long at 5NL, so I will probably wait until my roll hits $400. I made $100 this month, $66 of which came since I got PT3. I am looking forward to a really big June.

I just got done with 1st sesh of the day. Logged over 400 hands and am up 2 BI's so far. I've got a hankerin' fer a S&G, so I might throw 1 or 2 in tonight. Haven't played the single table S&G in quite some time. I've pretty much been committed to the cash game.

Reviewing my stats on PT3 and my biggest winning hands is AA (imagine that). I was dealt AA 33 times and have won 94% of them for $51. The thing about it is for the longest time they were constantly getting cracked (it was unbelievable how bad it got) , so I was due for a good run with them. I guess things really do even out in the long run. My biggest loser, however, is QQ. I'm down $13.50 in the 45 times I've been dealt the hand. But I think that is due to variance as it is primarily due to 4 times I got stacked. 1 I posted here on the 25th of May where donkey sucked out with his 56 suited in a 4bet pre-flop pot. Another was where I had the overpair but villain flopped a set and didn't reveal his strength until turn where I was pretty much priced in to call. The other two times I ran into AA and KK. I'm not stressing it though. It will even out.

I admit I am a nit, but I need to open up my game. I'm running 16/6/2 over 8500 hands. Other pertinent stats:
WTSD - 23%
W$SD - 57%
Att to Steal - 16%
Fold to steal - 87%

I know those bottom two stats need improvement as well. Things I feel I should improve on before I take on 10NL. Will mix in some study between sessions today.

My second sesh at 5NL pissed me off. A trio of luckbox donkeys on 3 different tables caught runner runner crap to suck out today's profits. $10 gone in less than 2 minutes. Pissed me off. So after a short break I started the 10NL portion of my grind. I dropped down to 5 tables and the session went okay. Won half a BI after 300 hands, so at least I end the day with profit. End of day roll $340.02.

BTW, you really accumulate FPPs quickly up here. Me likey. Will spend the rest of the night reading poker related material.

Am I understanding correctly that you had some quick, bad results @ $5NL and used that as motivation to jump up to $10NL? If so, be careful, young grasshopper Wink

I'm glad it worked out this time, but be careful about letting emotions guide your decision making on moving up stakes.

It's good to see you're getting in some hands, enjoying PT3, and winning some money. Good luck.

Yeah Jay, that was a tilt move. I'm still at 5NL. Yesterday a did a single table session where I "played poker". After 300 hands of paying attention and making reads, I won 5 cents. Every time I pushed my edge over some lag luckbox they'd catch to beat me. AK<AT, QQ<A9, and JJ<TT. Oh well. At least I got my session stats up to a respectably aggressive level. I ran 31/17/3 for the sesh.

Today is a multi-tabling day. So far I've played 362 break even hands. See what I can do today.

What's up Nibbles? Playin' any pokerz?

Still playing, just not as often. When I do play I am alternating between mass multi-tabling sessions and single table sessions. I am playing 1 table at 10NL, working on my game. I play 10 tables at 2NL. Thanks to Poker Tracker I saw I only make an extra 9 cents every hundred hands multi-tabling 5NL vs 2NL, and 2NL requires absolutely no thought.

10NL is going okay, I guess. After 300 hands I am only up $3.50, but better than losing. Need to work on value betting. Fewer players pay you off. Much tighter and patient opponents. I need to work on a bunch of stuff.

About to hit the $400 mark. Roll sits at $397. I did fit in a MTT this week. Played in the $2, 3000 starting chip tourney and finished 144 outta 2000 players. Had fun. Rainy day so I should get in a lot of hands.

June was a slow month pokerwise, because I hit my life goal which was to pay off my credit card debt. DEBT FREE BABY!!! So not only did playing poker save me money by occupying my time, it also made me money! Now I need to maintain life Bankroll Management and not get in over my head again. I feel sooooo good right now.

I only played ~16K hands and won $93 in June. I was all over the place as I played 2NL, 5NL, 10NL, and short stacked a quick 25PL session. In the 25PL game something happened that I never experienced b4. I had heard people talk about it happening, but I never saw it. Fortunately I was on the winning end.
PokerStars Pot-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP1 ($30.70)
MP2 ($25.70)
MP3 ($18.20)
CO ($29.45)
Button ($25)
SB ($14)
BB ($5)
Hero (UTG) ($9.20)
UTG+1 ($40.55)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with A

, A

Hero bets $0.85, UTG+1 raises to $2.25, 5 folds, SB raises to $7.85, 1 fold, Hero raises to $9.20 (All-In), UTG+1 raises to $25.50, SB calls $6.15 (All-In)

Flop: ($37.45) 6

, 8

, 7

(3 players, 2 all-in)

Turn: ($37.45) 3

(3 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($37.45) 6

(3 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $37.45 | Rake: $1.85

Results:
SB had Q

, Q

(two pair, Queens and sixes).
Hero had A

, A

(two pair, Aces and sixes).
UTG+1 had K

, K

(two pair, Kings and sixes).
Outcome: Hero won $26.50, UTG+1 won $9.10

The only time I tried short stacking and that is what happened. But what are the odds of AA, KK, QQ in the same hand? Tough for anybody to get away from.

Roll is at $427.24. Since I paid off my credit card debt I haven't been playing like I used to, but I still feel compelled to at least finish my op and reach my goal of $500. $5 to $500 would be very impressive since I did it on one shot. I've heard about a people who make multiple attempts at something like this and then pat themselves on the back when they finally catch a heater and have some success after 30 or so attempts. Hopefully I will get the hands in this month so i can finish this thing out.

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