Operation: Ben learns poker and builds a roll

Hmm, yeah I see. I figured it was a scary board for him, but if he can think then he can work out my range is monsters or bluffs.

Spent most of today thinking/chatting/reading about poker. Thanks to everyone I hassled for spending time Smile

. I read a fair bit of SSNLHE, over halfway through now. Trying to take notes, but a lot of the book is in the form of examples. I'm getting it printed so hopefully just rereading it a bunch will help as well. Felt really good when I finally actually played some tonight. Much more confident in my game, which is really just slightly tweaked from my game last month rather than the mess it was the last couple days.

I have two main things to work on. I need to open up slightly more PF, combined with tightening up a bit more in EP, and especially open up my 3bet range a bit. Not too drastically right away, but it needs to be at least a bit wider than it currently is. As Griffey said people should just fold to me all the time, but I actually see a flop nearly half the time I 3bet, which is probably why its fairly weighted towards value.

Main thing to work on is my postflop aggression. Its really sunk into me that I play mainly fit or fold postflop. I need to increase my cbetting, raise more, attack weak ranges, etc. This is obviously all a bit more vague than widening PF ranges. I dont want to go overboard immediately, but do need to focus on it. Any advice people have would be appreciated Smile

.

Heres two hands from tonight, first is a 'how would you play?' one, next is just brag/fun.

Hand 1

Villain is an aggressive TAG with only 50% fold to 3bet (over 1k hands, but I think most are mined).

No-Limit Hold'em, $1.00 BB (4 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (SB) ($102.35)
BB ($28.20)
Button ($101)
UTG ($24.37)

Preflop: Hero is SB with Q

, Q

1 fold, Button bets $4, Hero raises $13.50, 1 fold, Button calls $10

Flop: ($29) J

, A

, 10

(2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $22, Hero raises $88.35 (All-In), Button calls $65 (All-In)

Turn: ($203) 9

(2 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($203) 5

(2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $203

Results:
Button had J

, A

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

, Q

(one pair, Queens).
Outcome: Button won $200.50

I felt if he'd hit we were getting it in anyway, so given he's aggressive I might as well try to pick up any bluffs in his range first.

Bleh, thats like my 4th 100bb+ flip I've lost in a row. Course next one doesnt show in aiEV but its some +ve luck.

Hand 2

SB is same guy from above, he has 13% 3bet and about 17% in the blinds, he's squeezed an UTG open and folded before this session. BB is 38/28 over about 1k hands but early on table for him think all those hands are mined. He also has about 13% 3bet but even higher in the blinds.

No-Limit Hold'em, $1.00 BB (5 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (UTG) ($146.66)
MP ($100)
SB ($117.20)
BB ($277.31)
Button ($19.70)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with J

, J

Hero bets $3, 2 folds, SB raises $13.50, BB calls $13, Hero calls $11

Flop: ($42) J

, J

, 4

(3 players)
SB bets $23, BB calls $23, Hero calls $23

Turn: ($111) 6

(3 players)
SB checks, BB bets $51, Hero calls $51, 1 fold

River: ($213) 3

(2 players)
BB bets $189.31 (All-In), Hero calls $58.66 (All-In)

Total pot: $330.32

Results:
BB had K

, K

(two pair, Kings and Jacks).
Hero had J

, J

(four of a kind, Jacks).
Outcome: Hero won $327.82

Weee! My biggest pot ever!

Hand 1 seems like either a c/c or b/f before a shove. I probably c/c. Since he's 50% he either calls a lot with PP or "tweener" hands like, well, AJs. If we check, he shouldn't be bluffing like at all unless we have a huge read he can bluff with PP on a scary ass board for a lower PP.

Bluffing monotone boards can be good. In this pot, he could think that either we're going to commit or fold. So firing one barrel with the intention of giving up afterward isn't completely illogical.

Besides, we have so much equity on the flop that it would be a sin to fold. I had my questions while I was reading the HH, but after some thought I like it as played after the flop. Preflop I raise to 16 or 15 and change.

Hmm, thats 3.5x which is standard, but v's someone who calls 50% of the time a bit larger wouldn't hurt.

You realise we have 2nd NFD + gutshot kmind? Against a bare ace we're favorite, against 2P we're 49%, against JJ or TT we're 43%. If he has AA we're still 36% and thats highly unlikely. The only hand that crushes us is exactly AxKs, and a guy with 13% 3bet is fairly unlikely to not 4-bet that bvb.

Ok, I mentioned spending a bunch of time looking/talking about my game, heres a round up of some of it. All of these sample sizes are since April 1 (I made my big improvements mid April), around 40k hands.

First, my position stats:

I've already spoken about this a bit, but worth repeating. Theres almost no difference between my UTG range and my CO range, and not a huge difference OTB. I'm running 21/15 over the sample (higher PFR now, about the same VPIP). I'd like to get my PFR up to 18-20, but cut my UTG range significantly. Basically plan is much tighter UTG, a bit tighter UTG+1, looser (around 21%) in the CO and much looser OTB (around 35%). Now those arent set in stone. If the BTN is tight I can open up in the CO a lot more, if the BTN is loose I'd need to tighten up a bit (unless he's exploitable postflop, but position matters). The SB probably ends up as my most variable position. If BB is too tight I can open up almost ATC when folded to me, but if he defends then I dont want to be OOP postflop, so highly variable. As a general rule I think I'd like a stronger range than expected there, but we'll see (talked to Griffey about SB and he pointed out that it doesnt matter how you actually play, any time you raise in the SB the BB assumes you're stealing).

Those stats have worked for me, but I want to make it better.

Next, I ran through the HEM Plugging Leaks 1 article:

VPIP peaks between 22 and 25 so I want to increase that, but my current plan should handle that.

PFR max profit is between 16 and 18 but the level above that is skewed by maniacs, so probably between 16 and 20 is ideal, so I need to increase that a bit, but as mentioned my plan for position changes should handle that.

My aggression and aggression % are both in the cellar. Most people with such low aggression are losing players, I'm in the bottom bracket for both. I think I need a combination of c-betting more, and raising/c'raising more, both for value and as bluffs. This is probably going to be the most uncomfortable area to work on, but I think it'll be worth it. Heck, I think its neccessary.

My WTSD% is high, but thats probably a result of being so passive postflop checking down more than usual, so as I up my aggression this should come down naturally. My W$SD% is high which is nice, but again I'm checking down a lot of A high, med PP hands which are winning small pots rather than finishing those hands earlier, so cant take too much out of that.

My W$WSF (won when saw flop) is low. Especially when I just call PF I'm playing too much fit or fold.

3bet is obviously much too low, we all know that. My 4bet range is actually kind of high in the top bracket. Article says thats a good thing, but in reality I dont play a lot of people 3-betting too much so I think in my particular case it could even be a touch high.

My call 3bet % is too high, but not by much. I'm working on cutting that down already.

My fold flop to raise is really low. I think because especially on Everest people were so bluffy, but I do need to increase that and call less without reads. That said, because I cbet so little, I will have a stronger range than most when I get raised.

Turn Cbet % is pretty good, but again because I dont cbet much I end up on the turn with a stronger range after cbetting flop, so I'll need to keep this % much the same even when I cbet more or it'll drop.

The fold to cbet stats arent really clearly defined as whats best in the article, but I think its fairly clear I probably should fold flop slightly more. I tend to 'call and evaluate' a little too much. Not sure its a big leak, but something to keep an eye on.

So, as I said in my brief summary yesterday, the main changes are my PF range changes, and my postflop aggression. Most of the rest should come into shape if I work on those.

Something that needs to be addressed a ton is your aggression and WWSF%. At $100NL and up, particularity at $200NL/$400NL, you will be playing more HU and less multi-way, which will decrease the profitability of SC's and Axs hands. These hands will require you to actually take down more pots without making a hand in order for them to be profitable when calling/raising pre. There is probably a few hands in your opening/calling ranges that are this way now, and are the reason we need to have a 40+WWSF%. If you don't find ways to win pots without hands, the more regs and better players you face, the harder it will be to beat the stakes. The difference in a -2BB/100 winrate and a 2BB/100 winrate could be this change alone.

Definitely agree. Its more a combination of learning how/when and becoming comfortable doing so. Chatted to Spenda about it briefly (he was fairly distracted), and his phrase was something like "its easy, just be creative". And it does sound easy. Like the sort of thing I'd expect to be good at. That said, I either seem to pick the wrong spots, get too discouraged by shortterm failure (i.e., maybe the spot isnt bad but this time they had it), or pick a spot but then not pull the trigger. To quote Iopq "idk I just raise anyway and get folds", I dont want to just randomly start raising on a whim, I want to understand when and why a time is good to raise. I mean, we saw in that last hand I posted. I decided I needed to barrel more, picked a likely target and fired 3 shots the first chance I got without really considering the board or my range. I should try to avoid that and pick spots where 3 barrels makes sense.

You're opening LESS from MP than UTG? D:

Anyway, 17% is probably fine from UTG
but MP should have a higher VPIP always even if by a few percent
your PFR in the CO should be in the 20s
and if you're that loose from EP might as well VPIP from BU in the 30s

otherwise you're playing kind of backwards where you're relatively looser than most people UTG and tighter OTB

lol. MP is only 1% less than UTG. I think because if I find myself running really nitty at a specific table, I'll open up some UTG because I expect to get a heap of folds due to how tight I've been and my position, whereas MP I just play as I normally would.

Ran fairly nitty today even after working on ranges yesterday. I think because I still fold OTB a lot if raised in front, so my 'range' only gets played when folded to me. Gotta work on that.

you know my 6-max history...
but i'll give it a go. I'm referring to my July 6-max stats as i do this (9k hands of 19-15 nittery, an experiment vs 23-20 earlier), but not cos i think they are in any way ideal. Instead, i think that the/any differences could bring out interesting discussion.

Position. VPIP & PFR
SB I'm 25-17, which is close to you. I think we're doing more or less the same, so i'm guessing there is huge room for improvement for you here Wink

I'm just not entirely sure what/how

Early. Wow. You open too wide. I'm 14-14 and trying to get it lower. I mean, sure, it works, but position becomes more and more important as opponents become more aware of it...

middle. wow, you open less than utg. hmmm. I'm 16.4-15.4. I know you've noted this already, and think you know how to fix it.

cutoff. I like this.
Button. I like this too, except the low 3-bet stat. While playing as an uber-nit I'm 26-22 with 5% 3-bet. Otherwise it's nearer 30-25-8. Punish the loose-weak CO stealers who won't adapt. Then adapt as they do. Then stack them with AA. Etc.

WTSD-W$SD ok these stats show that you're making your money from stacking fish (more or less). So many people have stated that 52-53% is ideal W$SD cos otherwise you're losing value. But I know where you play, and can definitely see an argument for this style. Hell, I'm 58% over this sample. Inference is an over-reliance on the fish though. Compare this to http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/54/poker-beats-brags-variance/destroyed-3-6-time-move-up-graph-286574/ (link from iopq)

Aggression. Early positions this is too low, and this is a symptom of your ranges in EP being too wide/weak.. i go from 37% utg to 26% button, i wonder if this drop is standard. I think so. Makes sense when i think about it...

main stats
your analysis of aggression needs to distinguish post flop aggression from pre-flop. I think it's partly to do with weak ep ranges (above) and even more to a distinct lack of balance/bluffs in your play. But when it's all about value-stacking fish, this may not matter?

WTSD being high is a symptom of passive postflop, yes. But what is this a symptom of? I think (i have similar things going on) that it's about a mindset of thinking in hand strength rather than range strength, only betting tops of ranges, not getting thin enough value, etc. Like, if you bet middle two and villain folds top pair then wtsd drops, non-showdown goes up, etc. And once there is a feel in the air that you may be betting without the nuts, then chaosearns$$

3-bet is interesting - 5% may actually be the hardest to play against - see discussion at the end of June graph thread

Well, you touch on where I am basically. Yes, my $s comes from stacking fish. I do it well Smile

. V's passive fish I check down a lot of 'probably good but little to no value betting' hands (A high, underpairs, etc). V's aggressive fish I c/f a lot unless I have a good bluff catcher or strong hand. Where I am at the moment is trying to change my game from a purely fish stacking game, to one that competes well against decent players also. Decent start, but have to keep going. My redline is definately showing improvement which is a good start (not yet positive, but nowhere near as sharply negative anymore).

Some hands:

Hand 1

Stacking fish. This is how I used to make most of my $'s. High fold to cbet, but high bet when checked to:

No-Limit Hold'em, $1.00 BB (6 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (Button) ($121.13)
BB ($530.41)
MP ($125.49)
UTG ($123.29)
CO ($44.50)
SB ($97)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 9

, A

2 folds, CO calls $1, Hero bets $4, 2 folds, CO calls $3

Flop: ($9.50) J

, A

(2 players)
CO checks, Hero checks

Turn: ($9.50) 6

(2 players)
CO bets $4.51, Hero calls $4.51

River: ($18.52) 8

(2 players)
CO bets $8.80, Hero raises $44, CO calls $27.19 (All-In)

Total pot: $90.50

Results:
Hero had 9

, A

(three of a kind, Aces).
CO didn't show Q8o
Outcome: Hero won $95.51

Hand 2

This ones probably standard for a lot, but for me its new:

28/19 with a high bet when checked to:

No-Limit Hold'em, $1.00 BB (6 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (UTG) ($164.13)
CO ($525.41)
BB ($100)
SB ($126.87)
Button ($121.79)
MP ($100.15)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with 10

, Q

Hero bets $3, 2 folds, Button calls $3, 1 fold, BB calls $2

Flop: ($9.50) J

, 4

, 9

(3 players)
BB checks, Hero checks, Button bets $6.77, 1 fold, Hero raises $19, Button calls $12.23

Turn: ($47.50) 10

(2 players)
Hero bets $30, 1 fold

Total pot: $47.50

Results:
Hero had 10

, Q

(one pair, tens).
Outcome: Hero won $75.13

Hand 3

An example of where I used to play Fit or Fold too much:

21/17 32% ATS from btn, 83% cbet.

No-Limit Hold'em, $1.00 BB (3 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (SB) ($100)
Button ($114.92)
BB ($267.55)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A

, Q

Button bets $4, Hero calls $3.50, 1 fold

Flop: ($9) 4

, 6

, 8

(2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $6, Hero raises $18, Button calls $12

Turn: ($45) 5

(2 players)
Hero bets $30, 1 fold

Total pot: $45

Results:
Hero had A

, Q

(high card, Ace).
Outcome: Hero won $74

I've been reading everyone's analysis and don't have much to add except that I've been working on my game, too, and will post some thoughts in my op. Some things worth noting based on others' analysis:

I agree w/ Daven on 5% 3b - it's hard to exploit someone who's playing like this (especially if they're positionally aware and aren't just jacking up the overall number w/ mindless resteals from blinds). I've tried both higher and lower - that's about where I come out as most playable for me personally.

SB/BB VPiP's are somewhat dependent upon the passivity of the games we play in and might be 5% or more different for the SAME PLAYER at two different sites depending upon the overall agro/passive nature of typical opponents. This is especially true for SB. Table selection can change it noticeably but by about 1-2%. Something to think about - there's really no SB/BB VPiP nirvana, in my mind, just a range of acceptable values.

How about from now on you dont bother replying to this thread unless you actually add something?

Fun little 45 min session before I head down to my gym prior to lunch. 345 hands, $272 up. Ran like god, but also got really aggressive v's some regs, upped my 3betting a lot and pulled off some nice plays postflop. For now though, brag time! 3 hands within 5 minutes of each other on same table:

Hand 1

24/16 but real aggressive postflop which is why I just flatted turn. If he'd bet river I'd have raised ai no doubt, as it was I decided he's bad enough to call a big bet thinking I'm bluffing more than a small bet for value.

No-Limit Hold'em, $1.00 BB (6 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (BB) ($100)
CO ($128.16)
MP ($100)
Button ($155.20)
SB ($220.68)
UTG ($128.33)

Preflop: Hero is BB with Q

, A

1 fold, MP (poster) checks, 2 folds, SB bets $3.50, Hero calls $3, 1 fold

Flop: ($9) Q

, K

, 6

(2 players)
SB bets $7, Hero calls $7

Turn: ($23) Q

(2 players)
SB bets $15, Hero calls $15

River: ($53) 3

(2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $40, SB calls $40

Total pot: $133

Results:
SB didn't show K3s
Hero had Q

, A

(three of a kind, Queens).
Outcome: Hero won $129.50

Hand 2

Now I'm a bit deepish, villain is 17/15 with 43% fold to 3bet. Normally insta 3-bet but this deep I dont think AKo does well v's his stack off range, and I dont want to play too big a pot OOP. Rivers close, I almost value bet hoping for calls by worse and can fold to a shove, but thought I might get value from bluffs still. If I'd checked stats he very rarely cbets river so maybe v'bet would have been better.

No-Limit Hold'em, $1.00 BB (5 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (SB) ($167.75)
UTG ($92.13)
MP ($273.29)
Button ($160.16)
BB ($126.83)

Preflop: Hero is SB with K

, A

UTG calls $1, MP bets $5, 1 fold, Hero calls $4.50, 1 fold, UTG calls $4

Flop: ($16) K

, 7

, 4

(3 players)
Hero checks, UTG checks, MP bets $10, Hero calls $10, 1 fold

Turn: ($36) 3

(2 players)
Hero checks, MP bets $22, Hero calls $22

River: ($80) 2

(2 players)
Hero checks, MP checks

Total pot: $80

Results:
Hero had K

, A

(one pair, Kings).
MP didn't J Heart

8

Outcome: Hero won $77.50

Hand 3

This is only a few hands later, same villain as hand 2. 200bbs deep, so I think even offsuit QK is nice IP v's him.

No-Limit Hold'em, $1.00 BB (5 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (Button) ($212.80)
BB ($101.63)
UTG ($234.79)
MP ($161.66)
SB ($103.33)

Preflop: Hero is Button with Q

, K

UTG bets $4, 1 fold, Hero calls $4, 2 folds

Flop: ($9.50) 4

, J

, 10

(2 players)
UTG bets $6, Hero calls $6

Turn: ($21.50) 9

(2 players)
UTG bets $15, Hero raises $40, UTG raises $85, Hero raises $162.80 (All-In), UTG calls $102.80

River: ($427.10) A

(2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $427.10

Results:
Hero had Q

, K

(straight, Ace high).
UTG had 7

, 8

(straight, Jack high).
Outcome: Hero won $424.60

And there we go, only a few days after my previous biggest pot ever, I beat it by almost a buyin!! Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

[edit] I'm now a couple hundred over $6k which which was my 200nl shot mark, but going to take a suggestion Jyms gave me, which was to finish working through SSNLHE first and then move up. Gives me extra time to work on some stuff that should help beforehand while I finish off.

OH man... villain 3betting 78 there with those stacks on that board is soooo brutal. But yay to biggest pot ever, congrats!

I would never ever log off that table until those guys left!!

gotta enjoy the two buyins above ev in that hand jyms...

OK, at work today so no real poker updates so thought I'd just ramble for a sec.

I think I'm finding a much better balance in regards to opening up my game. I've had a few times now when I've had position on regs and forced them to leave my table(s) which is pretty satisfying. I've also forced a couple to tilt which is profitable. As far as getting creative postflop, calming down, playing solid ranges, and just picking the right spots rather than all the time has been working well. That said a lot of the ones I show people they still find faults with, so I have a ways to go yet.

Picking up some really good stuff from SSNLHE, and from some recent BFP vids. A focus of mine the last couple days has been representing bluffs when I value bet. Hand 1 of mine above is an example. Normally I might have bet river smallish, say $20 to get a crying call from a K, however thats fairly transparent even if it probably works. On the other hand, when I bet large as if I want him to fold, he's going to wonder if I had TJ or something and am now bluffing and look me up light. Not the clearest cut example of it, but you get the picture. I've probably made almost a buyin of extra profit beyond what I'd normally have gotten by using this ploy in only 3-4 hands so far. Obviously that adds up quick in a bb/100 sense. This isnt just mindlessly betting big in the hope they think I'm bluffing, its picking spots where I can credibly represent a bluff based on the actions so far.

Whilst I've been focusing on some things, I'm also thinking about others which I havnt really implemented yet, but will as I go. One of these is the concept of a 3-bet/fold value range. I play a lot of villains with around 50% or less fold to 3-bet. A lot of these are tight 4-bettors which indicates they call a lot of 3bets (or too many anyway). In the past (and currently tbh) my 3bet value range is exactly the same as my stackoff range. In other words, when I 3bet I'm either bluffing or ready to stack off. I should however be 3-betting hands that are ahead of their calling range even if its behind their 4-bet/stackoff range. For instance I dont 3-bet AQ because I dont want to stackoff when I'm way behind their range, however if they'll 4-bet AK, then I'm well ahead of AT/AJ/KQ/TJ type hands they might call with, and whilst I'm in a 50/50 pf situation with 77-JJ type hands, they'll often have to fold postflop even when they're ahead. This should allow me to get a much better balance into my 3bet ranges and should be profitable. Picking the right times to 3-bet these v's flatting them and playing a strong range postflop will be interesting.

Personally, I think I'm finally healthy. Damn, I've been sick for about 6 weeks I think. Everytime I felt a bit better I'd hit the gym or do some work outside and the next day come down crook again. Been a week now with gym every day and I'm feeling fine (just sore). Since Christmas I'm down about 7kg (16lbs). Been a gradual process, nothing serious just less junk in my diet and whilst I havnt been consistant with exercise, I havnt completely stopped either. Am taking things more seriously now and hoping to drop another 5kg or so, which will get me into the best shape I've been since my teenage years. I'm currently at the kind of point where pretty much everyone else would consider me to be in good shape, but I want to get into great shape. Feeling great though and really happy Smile

.

Good stuff all around, keep it up!!

Took a shot at 200nl today. Probably only played about 45 mins, got deep on a couple tables with the same aggressive deep opponent on both so decided to call it a day. Think I played well, a bit nitty but probably a result of having aggressive players who 3bet a fair bit IP on most tables. That said I still openned up a bit, didnt totally shut down. A few 3bet bluffs and a 4bet bluff that went wrong ( http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/forum/post910837.html#910837 ). Made a pretty big call down v's a guy I recognised from 100nl as being well capable of 3barrelling:

No-Limit Hold'em, $2.00 BB (6 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (SB) ($200)
Button ($403.29)
UTG ($217)
BB ($447.30)
MP ($298.32)
CO ($235.20)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 8

, 8

UTG bets $8, 1 fold, CO calls $8, 1 fold, Hero calls $7, 1 fold

Flop: ($26) 4

, 6

, 9

(3 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets $18, 1 fold, Hero calls $18

Turn: ($62) 5

(2 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets $42, Hero calls $42

River: ($146) 6

(2 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets $149 (All-In), Hero calls $132 (All-In)

Total pot: $410

Results:
Hero had 8

, 8

(two pair, eights and sixes).
UTG had J

, K

(one pair, sixes).
Outcome: Hero won $407

So wouldnt say I played with scared money, but I did play a little cautiously overall I guess. Up 1 buyin over the 260 hands so nice start. Bit disappointed about that 4bet hand as I'd have finished up $300 if I hadnt got involved in that, but then again if he'd folded to the 4bet I'd probably be patting myself on the back.

1 session of 100nl and 2 sessions of 200nl. Ship my biggest winning day so far, $580 up.

Needed it, dropped $200 yesterday :p.

Congrats Ben, glad your hard work is paying off for you.

Thanks man Smile

.

So 200nl. Feel like I should write up my thoughts on it so far...

Its kind of strange in money terms. I'm generally fairly comfortable with the money on the table. Happy to stack off when I should, make plays and bluffs. The money doesnt affect me then. When I check my results though, it sure does. I made over $500 on both Saturday and Sunday. Thats $1k+ in a single weekend at a point when I'm still happy as Larry to make $1k in a month. That said, $1k is only 5 buyins. Thats short term varaince FFS. Mentally I still have some problems equating the two. Dropped 2 buyins this morning and at the time I was 'meh, lost a flip and a cooler or two' but then when I broke to play Gauntlet I see thats $400 down and WTF! Thats most of yesterdays profits gone!! Dunno, I guess over time that'll change. Hope so. Like I say it hasnt really affected me on the tables yet, but it has potential to mess with my head/emotions away from the table.

Play seems ok. Regs are a bit tougher, little more capable of thought, but still capable of making stupid plays also. Fish are fewer on the ground, and I often 'settle' for a 40/9 fish instead of finding 50vpip + guys.

Anyway, ran bad this morning, one suckout and it felt like cooler after cooler, including someone hitting a 3 out on river in 3bet pot. Any time I set a trap and it worked, they'd end up hitting some kind of runner runner hand. Crappy day, then I boated up v's a straight ai on turn and then won a flip with AKs v's 99 v's fish for half a stack. That brought my aiEV back to even for the month (had been running bad), and made me only $200 down for the day. So lucky recovery there.

Oh, I also was in a winning hand in Party's Genius promotion, $5k split 6 ways for $833 shipping my way Smile

.

Again, seems funny. $833 is obviously an awesome little Bonus, but by same token its only 4 buyins. Weird in my head.

Seeing it in terms of buy ins is the best way to stay sane as you move up. Don't worry if you start to lose respect for money cause it'll happen and it's another factor that keeps you level headed as you trudge though day to day varience.

Thanks meeloche. I must have given that advice a thousand times myself (although usually to micros about treating the games seriously). I think I do at the tables, 100bb effective I'll raise, 150bb hmm maybe should just call kind of thing, just gotta work out the right way to think of it away from the tables. I'm wondering if now is when the advice to ignore my balance session to session really comes into it. Like just check once per week to see how I've gone. Dunno. Hopefully like some other issues it'll sort itself out over time.

lol daven, you know I didnt even do that maths, but yeah a touch over $1k aussie. Makes it sound even more impressive Very Happy

. I think I've cleared $300 of my welcome Bonus so far, so the Rakeback % just flew up a fair bit Wink

.

I've turned into a nit...

I made adjustments to tighten up in EP and loosen up in LP which at first glance seem successful, but overall its left me playing even less hands than I used to. I'm running at 18/13.5 so far at 200nl, even with 30% ATS. I guess I need to open up even more in LP and maybe slightly more in MP. It already seems extremely wide with just pure trash in there a lot.

It occurs to me that my ATS% is quite a bit higher than yours, and with a 50%+ success rate. I posted my positional stats in my op thread, can we see yours and compare notes?

Ok, heres mine, first my PFR when unopened:

Then positional stats overall:

So you can pretty much see where I've gone wrong. My stats for unopened hands are about what I was aiming for, but I haven't taken into account the hands that get opened ahead of me. I guess this means I need to actually open up a heap more in LP when folded to me, plus throw in some more 3bets/etc. That ends up being an incredibly wide range but I guess thats whats required.

That said, I've been playing with some numbers in my head. Not entirely sure of the maths, but even if you have two aggressive opponents 3-betting 12% in the blinds, then theres approx 25% chance you get 3-bet. If they never call, that means 3/4 of the time you win the blinds. If you raise 3x then you risk 3bb to win 1.5 so 3 times you win 1.5 (4.5) and one time you lose 3, for net total of 1.5bb. That obviously doesnt take into account when we get called, but then again it also doesnt take into account the times we actually have a good hand or either flop well or take flops down with cbets. It should be profitable against all bar the most aggressive opponents to play basically ATC (folding enough so its not obviously ATC and convincing them to play back more often).

I'm giving up all tourneys except Gauntlet and maybe the occassional micro 180 on stars until/unless I'm prepared to put in time to getting good at them.

Kmind suggested I post some hands, so I'll post a variety.

Hand 1

One of those hands that seem bad, but cant really see another way to play. Villain is the reason I sat at the table, but its literally my first hand.

No-Limit Hold'em, $2.00 BB (6 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

CO ($293.25)
Hero (BB) ($200)
MP ($248.10)
UTG ($200)
Button ($322.50)
SB ($157.94)

Preflop: Hero is BB with K

, 8

3 folds, Button bets $7, SB calls $6, Hero raises $25, 1 fold, SB raises $40, Hero calls $20

Flop: ($101) 10

, 9

, Q

(2 players)
SB bets $110.94 (All-In), Hero calls $110.94

Turn: ($322.88) J

(2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($322.88) 9

(2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $322.88

Results:
SB had A

, Q

(two pair, Queens and nines).
Hero had K

, 8

(straight, King high).
Outcome: Hero won $319.38

That was nice, win a flip (I'm actually 54% there). Then this shitty hand happens about 4 hands later:

Hand 2

Seems pretty std v's TAG.

No-Limit Hold'em, $2.00 BB (6 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

CO ($293.25)
Hero (BB) ($361.44)
MP ($245.10)
SB ($57.31)
UTG ($203)
Button ($315.50)

Preflop: Hero is BB with J

, A

3 folds, Button bets $7, 1 fold, Hero calls $5

Flop: ($15) 8

, A

, J

(2 players)
Hero bets $9, Button raises $27, Hero raises $61, Button raises $281.50 (All-In), Hero calls $238.50

Turn: ($632) 7

(2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($632) 8

(2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $632

Results:
Button had 10

, K

(flush, King high).
Hero had J

, A

(two pair, Aces and Jacks).
Outcome: Button won $628.50

So within first 2 minutes of playing I've won a flip for 150bbs and lost a 60/40 for 300 bbs. Just kind of the story of my session. Its not that I didnt win flips, but that I won small pots and lost big ones.

Next biggest loser was AKo in the SB v's TAG BTN he 4-bet calls with 99 and holds up for around 110bb effective stacks.

Hand 3

Hand 3, last real whinge hand, opponent was probably drooling on his keyboard the way he played.

No-Limit Hold'em, $2.00 BB (5 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (SB) ($307.36)
BB ($360.64)
UTG ($350.58)
Button ($97.05)
MP ($221.65)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A

, A

2 folds, Button bets $4, Hero raises $13, 1 fold, Button calls $10

Flop: ($30) J

, 4

, J

(2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $14.25, Hero calls $14.25

Turn: ($58.50) 6

(2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $68.80 (All-In), Hero calls $68.80

River: ($196.10) K

(2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $196.10

Results:
Button had K

, K

(full house, Kings over Jacks).
Hero had A

, A

(two pair, Aces and Jacks).
Outcome: Button won $193.60

Hand 4

This ones pretty bad by me, but wtf at villains holding, TAG stats but quickly realised he's a very distrustful player:

No-Limit Hold'em, $2.00 BB (5 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP ($230.75)
Hero (SB) ($204)
UTG ($268.36)
BB ($367.43)
Button ($200)

Preflop: Hero is SB with K

, A

2 folds, Button bets $8, Hero raises $26, 1 fold, Button calls $19

Flop: ($56) 3

, 7

, 4

(2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $29, Hero calls $29

Turn: ($114) 10

(2 players)
Hero checks, Button checks

River: ($114) 7

(2 players)
Hero bets $88, Button calls $88

Total pot: $290

Results:
Button had 4

, A

(two pair, sevens and fours).
Hero had K

, A

(one pair, sevens).
Outcome: Button won $287.50

I think I should just shove that turn. Bleh.

Fortunately this hand came up v's the same guy shortly afterwards:

Hand 5

No-Limit Hold'em, $2.00 BB (6 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

CO ($204.75)
BB ($200)
Hero (SB) ($213.30)
MP ($302.92)
UTG ($418.18)
Button ($295.05)

Preflop: Hero is SB with K

, J

3 folds, Button bets $7, Hero raises $23, 1 fold, Button calls $17

Flop: ($50) K

, 5

(2 players)
Hero checks, Button checks

Turn: ($50) K

(2 players)
Hero bets $33, Button calls $33

River: ($116) Q

(2 players)
Hero bets $88, Button calls $88

Total pot: $292

Results:
Button didn't show 77
Hero had K

, J

(full house, Kings over fives).
Outcome: Hero won $288.50

Hand 6

I like this hand for my hand reading, but PF I cant think why I just completed. Definately not standard for me, maybe I got distracted or something.

No-Limit Hold'em, $2.00 BB (5 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (SB) ($324.43)
MP ($228)
BB ($136.63)
Button ($452.53)
UTG ($203)

Preflop: Hero is SB with J

, A

2 folds, Button calls $2, Hero calls $1, BB checks

Flop: ($6) 3

, 9

, J

(3 players)
Hero bets $4, 1 fold, Button calls $4

Turn: ($14) 10

(2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $9.97, Hero calls $9.97

River: ($33.94) A

(2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $16.12, Hero raises $50, Button calls $33.88

Total pot: $133.94

Results:
Button didn't show 9To
Hero had J

, A

(two pair, Aces and Jacks).
Outcome: Hero won $131.94

Then I had a few hands like this:

Hand 7

No-Limit Hold'em, $2.00 BB (6 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

BB ($360.27)
Hero (SB) ($486.02)
MP ($295.74)
UTG ($200)
CO ($290.27)
Button ($274.09)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 10

, 10

3 folds, Button bets $7, Hero calls $6, BB raises $24, Button calls $19, Hero calls $19

Flop: ($78) 4

, 4

(3 players)
Hero checks, BB bets $56.25, 1 fold, Hero calls $56.25

Turn: ($190.50) 7

(2 players)
Hero checks, BB bets $93.75, Hero folds

Total pot: $190.50

Results:
BB didn't show
Outcome: BB won $280.75

Hand 8

And this

No-Limit Hold'em, $2.00 BB (6 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (MP) ($243.41)
CO ($224.50)
BB ($230.50)
Button ($246.07)
SB ($377.71)
UTG ($239.69)

Preflop: Hero is MP with 10

, 10

UTG calls $2, Hero bets $8, CO calls $8, 3 folds, UTG calls $6

Flop: ($27) 3

, 5

, K

(3 players)
UTG checks, Hero checks, CO bets $18, 1 fold, Hero calls $18

Turn: ($63) 4

(2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $40, Hero calls $40

River: ($143) J

(2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $100, Hero folds

Total pot: $143

Results:
CO didn't show
Outcome: CO won $239.50

Wasnt all bad. I got paid with quads (80bbs). Just felt like I was hardly hitting hands, not getting paid if I did, losing the 100bb+ flips, winning the small ones, spewing some $s like the last 2 hands. I dunno. Down $300 for the session (1.2k hands) and over $500 down on EV.

AKcc hand - I'd just ship turn, no other bet size makes sense even for value there

KJ hand - after flop checking, the turn card brings a card where his entire range is bluff catching or has it. So just bet bigger, 40 on turn and almost pot on river.

why are you leading hte flop in hand 2

Hand 4, we're repping a 7 on the river and there's just no way we show up with a 7 here. Do we even have a value range here?

Hand 7 and 8, fold flop.

hand 1 Kd8d
squeeze standard here? I don't mind folding, calling, or squeezing though. And not calling $15 into $100 seems like it would be silly too.
Flop, wow, you gotta call.

hand 2 AhJh
TAG is c-betting this flop all day with his entire range. He's folding vs a donk with a bunch of his range. Why the donk? As played, this is draws and second best hands heaps of the time (AK/A8 more likely than AA/JJ/88) so getting it in is fine.

hand 3 AdAh
I prefer a small flop c-bet-call, but i guess that's just a style thing.

hand 4 AcKc
Again, i wonder at your flop check-calling after being the pre-flop 3bettor. I don't like the river bluff cos i would imagine you'd bet decent hands on the flop or turn (although hand 3 with aces begs to disagree Wink

) Why not barrel turn?

hand 5 KcJd
nice.

hand 6 AsJh
I like every street post-flop. River is good, but only cos you completed in the sb. Would you fold to a 3-bet shove here? Reads on villain would be interesting, e.g. is he open-limping the button with weird hands? or?

hand 7. TdTs
Deep! And confusing. Pre-flop is this never a 3-bet for you vs the steal? The call is yes this deep, even oop. Flop I get lost between betting and check-folding

hand 8 ThTc
You raise 3x+1/limper as standard? Not a criticism, just a question.
I hate the flop check-call, and the turn even more.

Trying something new, which is to only not check how I'm going during a session. This includes taking winnings off my HUD, not checking session in HEM and not looking at my balance in the client. Hopefully this brings a combination of better focus and less concern about $s. We'll see how it goes. I may even extend it to not checking between sessions either, like go for a week between checking, but then its right there at the top of the client whenever I log in, so I'd notice sometime.

Last 1500 hands or so have been better I think (even though I'm down a bit). Around 21/16 again without loosing up in EP and my 3bet % is up around 5%. Its weird, it feels like I'm 3betting like a monkey, but I think it goes in spurts. Like I do a lot at the beginning of a session, then I slow down, then I realise I need to do it more so increase frequency again briefly before slowing down again. Hopefully this means I'll do it for longer and longer periods until it becomes natural.

Taking next week off work. Not sure what that'll mean for poker. Not going away but plan to get out a bit. Got a bit burnt/stressed about work which is why I'm taking a break (returning to a new role will help). Might try to catch up with some people for some sweat sessions or something.

Had a thought about the $800 promotion I won recently. I think I'll tag that to use for some coaching. Since it was basically free money, why not. On the other hand, I cant withdraw for a while, maybe a month or so, so cant actually free that money up for coaching right now. Will probably just wait till I can and see if I still feel the same way.

Rough session. Kept running into the nuts or making what I think were +EV moves and being called by crap but better hands.

Hand 1

Fishy but not terrible opponent. I dunno, I just cant see a better option on river v's someone who can turn up with worse hands here often enough I think.

No-Limit Hold'em, $2.00 BB (6 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (SB) ($200)
BB ($292.75)
MP ($303.05)
Button ($224.95)
CO ($315.48)
UTG ($231)

Preflop: Hero is SB with K

, K

2 folds, CO calls $2, 1 fold, Hero bets $7, 1 fold, CO calls $6

Flop: ($18) K

, A

, 9

(2 players)
Hero bets $12, CO calls $12

Turn: ($42) Q

(2 players)
Hero bets $30, CO calls $30

River: ($102) 6

(2 players)
Hero bets $75, CO raises $150, Hero calls $75 (All-In)

Total pot: $402

Results:
Hero had K

, K

(three of a kind, Kings).
CO had 4

, A

(flush, Ace high).
Outcome: CO won $398.50

Hand 2

Probably should have gotten away from this one. Meh, theres probably draws in his range but such a transparent line.

No-Limit Hold'em, $2.00 BB (6 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (UTG) ($337.85)
Button ($200)
BB ($305.95)
CO ($200)
SB ($260.10)
MP ($144.15)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with A

, Q

Hero bets $6, 1 fold, CO calls $6, 3 folds

Flop: ($15) 4

, 9

, 10

(2 players)
Hero bets $8, CO calls $8

Turn: ($31) A

(2 players)
Hero bets $17, CO raises $56.33, Hero calls $39.33

River: ($143.66) 3

(2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $129.67 (All-In), Hero calls $129.67

Total pot: $403

Results:
Hero had A

, Q

(one pair, Aces).
CO had 4

, 4

(three of a kind, fours).
Outcome: CO won $399.50

Hand 3
Man, I donated so much to this guy. He was a maniac who seemed to have air in every hand like this v's everyone else and the nuts v's me.

No-Limit Hold'em, $2.00 BB (6 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (SB) ($230.20)
Button ($421.52)
UTG ($349.08)
CO ($206)
MP ($282)
BB ($241.15)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 6

, 5

UTG calls $2, 3 folds, Hero bets $5, 1 fold, UTG calls $4

Flop: ($14) 10

, 5

, 9

(2 players)
Hero bets $9, UTG calls $9

Turn: ($32) 10

(2 players)
Hero bets $22, UTG raises $44, Hero calls $22

River: ($120) 5

(2 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets $99, Hero calls $99

Total pot: $318

Results:
Hero had 6

, 5

(full house, fives over tens).
UTG had A

, 10

(full house, tens over fives).
Outcome: UTG won $314.50

Hand 4

Fishy 31/16 with 40% fold to 3bet. Only 30% fold to cbet on flop, but 60% on turn, so fairly sure this was good, but obviously not.

No-Limit Hold'em, $2.00 BB (3 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Button ($121.03)
Hero (SB) ($201)
BB ($216.75)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 5

, A

Button bets $6, Hero raises $20, 1 fold, Button calls $15

Flop: ($44) K

, 8

, 6

(2 players)
Hero bets $27, Button calls $27

Turn: ($98) J

(2 players)
Hero bets $97, Button calls $73.03 (All-In)

River: ($244.06) 7

(2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $244.06

Results:
Button had 9

, 8

(one pair, eights).
Hero had 5

, A

(high card, Ace).
Outcome: Button won $243.06

And people say they cant find fish prepared to stack off with 2nd pair...

Hand 5
This ones a bit more iffy. 31/26 with 15% 3bet and 90% cbet (100% in 3bet pots). I planned the turn c/r thinking if he bet $50 then I'd have $100 shove which gave me enough FE, but in the end he has only $84 into $300 so FE is almost zilch and probably only folding out stuff I beat anyway. Probably unlucky he had a hand as played, but meh, dont think its good.

No-Limit Hold'em, $2.00 BB (6 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (CO) ($228)
UTG ($205.85)
Button ($200)
MP ($215)
BB ($198)
SB ($154.62)

Preflop: Hero is CO with 9

, 8

2 folds, Hero bets $6, Button raises $20, 2 folds, Hero calls $14

Flop: ($43) 4

, 10

, 8

(2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $30, Hero calls $30

Turn: ($103) 7

(2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $66, Hero raises $178 (All-In)

River: ($235) Q

(2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $235

Results:
Button had 10

, A

(one pair, tens).
Hero had 9

, 8

(one pair, eights).
Outcome: Button won $231.50

[edit] I couldnt work out what happenned in this hand for a while because I assumed I should have lost $200. The other guy timed out and got disconnect protection. On one hand that saved me money, but I cant help but suspect he did it deliberately to avoid calling my shove...

Overall I dont think I played well. Trying to get more aggressive, but just dont think I'm finding the right spots.

I'm now only up about 2 buyins over nearly 4k hands of 200nl so going backwards.

Feel free to comment on any hands Wink

.

So I played another 1.5 hr session this morning, to finish about 20bbs up after 500+ hands. Nice to book a win even if its small, but been really hanging out for a good winning session. I feel like I've basically been playing break even poker at 200nl. Down $600 from my peak 3k hands ago. Started to get to me, demoralise me a bit, mess with my confidence. Driving in to watch a movie today I came to a decision.

Fuck it.

I'm going to beat 200nl, and beat it well.

I spent all my time at 50nl and 100nl considering myself a 200nl player without a big enough roll. Now I'm there I've started thinking of myself as barely good enough to play 200nl. Thats messed up. I'm well and truly capable of beating this level, and then moving up and beating 400nl. Some of my losses have been bad bluffs as I try things out. Just gotta accept that. I'm going to fuck up and get it wrong sometimes and its going to cost me. Thats part of my learning costs. No different than paying for coaching or vid sites. I'll get better. Moving up AND making changes to my game at the same time is always going to introduce variance (I started working on changes before moving up, but still definitely a work in progress). I need to stop thinking I need to do anything much different. I checked out the top winners at 200nl on Party in my mined hands, and frankly couldnt see much difference between their game and mine. In fact their positional stats looked more like mine used to be. Mentioned this to Jyms and he pointed out that my play isnt bad at all. Kinda woke me up a bit. I have a winning game. Crushed 50nl, crushed 100nl and started well at 200nl. Thats not all just running hot. I need to tweak and improve my game always, but playing the spots I'm comfortable and doing what I do well, and introducing changes gradually is all I need to do.

Doesnt mean I expect results to start coming immediately, some of its variance, cold deck, whatever, but if I can focus in and play good poker I'll be a winning 200nl player just waiting for the roll to move up Wink

.

I considered it, but it felt like complaining about a guy not calling a push when I was well behind seemed strange.

Damn, took a big hit tonight. Nothing went right. Not all of it good play by me, but deck hated me for sure. After that big speech, I think I'll be back to 100nl for a bit after all.

-$1k day Sad

.

Didnt play at all today. Feeling a little more settled. Sure yesterday sucked, and somewhat only have myself to blame, but that still only makes me break even for the month, and down 2.5 buyins at 200nl. Not ready to give it up yet, but for sure will only be playing when I feel good for it.

Don't fret man. We're all experiencing stuff like this. I mean 5 buyins isn't even bad, especially at 200NL.

Slow and steady. Read the book, watch a few vids and get back at it

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Operation: Ben learns poker and builds a roll

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Operation: Ben learns poker and builds a roll