XTR´s drive to midstakes

I´m commited anyway, no point in leaving some change behind

iirc that turn overbet was AI.

Todays morning session became an afternoon session since I had class this morning. I ran okay and made $$$. Nothing spectacular tho, but I must say I played really well. If I only could maintain this level of focus and thinking/analyzing for more than 2 hrs I could start livin soon Smile

#1 U can find this hand in FR section as well. The more I think about it, the more obv b/f on river becomes. During the hand I felt like c/c or even c/f could be the better option. Villian runs 28/5/0.6 over a smallish 120 hands sample.
$1/$2 No Limit Holdem
10 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:
UTG ($209.85)
Hero ($238.65)
UTG+2 ($185.15)
MP1 ($201.40)
MP2 ($43.00)
MP3 ($127.55)
CO ($196.00)
BTN ($406.00)
SB ($196.00)
BB ($40.00)

Pre-flop: ($3, 10 players) Hero is UTG+1 Queen of Clubs

1 fold, Hero raises to $8, UTG+2 calls $8, 7 folds

Flop: Ten of Spades

($19, 2 players)
Hero bets $15, UTG+2 calls $15

Turn: Five of Clubs

($49, 2 players)
Hero bets $37, UTG+2 calls $37

River: Ace of Hearts

($123, 2 players)
Hero bets $61, UTG+2 calls $61

[Results Hidden]

#2 This is meh, 4bet size sucks. Villian runs 14/13/6.5 and really likes to 3bet. I 3bet him quite often as well, so our ranges are expanded enough to take a flop, since we had been 4betting very tight I decided to 4bet bluff, figuring a good chance to get him off AQ/88-JJ. Didnt work, nh.
$1/$2 No Limit Holdem
7 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:
UTG ($198.00)
Hero ($200.50)
MP ($40.00)
CO ($273.00)
BTN ($137.75)
SB ($200.10)
BB ($40.00)

Pre-flop: ($3, 7 players) Hero is UTG+1 King of Diamonds

1 fold, Hero raises to $8, 1 fold, CO raises to $24, 3 folds, Hero raises to $57, CO calls $33

Flop: Three of Clubs

($117, 2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $80, Hero folds

Final Pot: $194.00

CO wins $194 ( won +$57 )
Hero lost -$57.00

#3
$1/$2 No Limit Holdem
9 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:
UTG ($107.31)
UTG+1 ($235.20)
MP1 ($220.20)
MP2 ($34.00)
MP3 ($49.65)
Hero ($197.00)
BTN ($178.55)
SB ($187.85)
BB ($161.45)

Pre-flop: ($3, 9 players) Hero is CO Five of Diamonds

1 fold, UTG+1 raises to $8, 3 folds, Hero calls $8, 1 fold, SB calls $7, 1 fold

Flop: Six of Spades

($26, 3 players)
SB checks, UTG+1 bets $20, Hero calls $20, SB folds

Turn: Seven of Clubs

($66, 2 players)
UTG+1 bets $42, Hero raises to $90, UTG+1 goes all-in $165.2, Hero goes all-in $79

River: Ace of Diamonds

($442.2, 2 players)

Final Pot: $439.20
Hero shows: Five of Diamonds

UTG+1 shows: Queen of Diamonds

UTG+1 wins $439.2 ( won +$204 )
Hero lost -$197.00
SB lost -$8.00

#4
$1/$2 No Limit Holdem
10 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:
UTG ($272.25)
UTG+1 ($39.00)
UTG+2 ($201.05)
Hero ($267.20)
MP2 ($198.00)
MP3 ($195.00)
CO ($60.00)
BTN ($54.05)
SB ($112.40)
BB ($118.00)
[CO posted $2]

Pre-flop: ($5, 10 players) Hero is MP1 King of Clubs

3 folds, Hero raises to $8, 3 folds, BTN calls $8, SB calls $7, 1 fold

Flop: King of Spades

($28, 3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $23, BTN goes all-in $46.05, SB folds, Hero calls $23.05

Turn: Three of Hearts

($120.1, 2 players)

River: Queen of Diamonds

($120.1, 2 players)

Final Pot: $117.10
Hero shows: King of Clubs

BTN shows: Three of Spades

BTN wins $117.1 ( won +$63.05 )
Hero lost -$54.05
SB lost -$8.00

#5 Preflop craziness. UTG+1 is 54/29, CO unknown, BTN 51/9.
$1/$2 No Limit Holdem
10 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:
Hero ($330.55)
UTG+1 ($197.00)
UTG+2 ($412.35)
MP1 ($228.97)
MP2 ($34.00)
MP3 ($186.00)
CO ($37.00)
BTN ($173.25)
SB ($212.10)
BB ($34.00)

Pre-flop: ($3, 10 players) Hero is UTG Ace of Spades

Hero raises to $8, 1 fold, UTG+2 calls $8, 3 folds, CO goes all-in $37, BTN calls $37, 2 folds, $29 to Hero ($322.55)?

#6
$1/$2 No Limit Holdem
10 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:
UTG ($36.45)
UTG+1 ($36.00)
UTG+2 ($202.95)
MP1 ($192.40)
MP2 ($231.40)
MP3 ($200.25)
CO ($236.50)
BTN ($190.00)
Hero ($248.20)
BB ($401.70)

Pre-flop: ($3, 10 players) Hero is SB King of Diamonds

6 folds, CO raises to $6, 1 fold, Hero raises to $20, 1 fold, CO calls $14

Flop: Five of Clubs

($42, 2 players)
Hero checks, CO checks

Turn: Three of Clubs

($42, 2 players)
Hero checks, CO checks

River: Ten of Clubs

($42, 2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $26, Hero calls $26

[Results Hidden]

#7

#5 what a weird spot. All options seem pretty gross really.

Let this month end. After dropping another couple buy ins I´m now around break even at 1/2NL over 55k hands. It seems like there´s a hidden difference between 100NL and 200NL that makes me become a be or maybe even slight losing player after I beat 100NL. I gotta improve, study more and stop spewing, I several buy ins were just burning money.

Beside posting here more frequently and make a habit of reviewing my hands after each session I´m experiment the next weeks with playing less tables, no HUD and then lagging it up. I already played 2 sessions of 5 to 6 tables running around 22/19/4 and it was great. Table/seat selection becomes way more important and I won´t get in as many hands as I used to, but it seems when the tables are good this will be my way to go.

The adjustements I´ve made/am aiming to make are:

- Isolate more. This is the main adjustement to exploit the nits who limp/call 22-99 and play fit or fold on flop. Obv, cbet 100% and shut down on any turn where we can´t beat a set. Beside kicking 10/6-butts I get more value from the bad players, vs whom I´ll be valuebetting more. I recently read an article, that said "missing value at small stakes is criminal" and it´s true. I think I wrote it before, pot control is one of the most misunderstood concepts in NLHE. Since nits and fish require different game plans on later streets I can´t play this style with more than 6 tables.

- Steal more. Att.2 steal gets above 40%. Nowadays 25% - 35% is considered a solid att.2 steal in full ring, while 40% - 45% is considered good at 6max. Actually, in a blind steal situation, ie folded to CO/BTN, the isn´t or at least shouldn´t be any difference in stealing and defending ranges. Considering that the average full ring player 3bets less frequently than a 6maxer we should aim for a higher att.2 steal.

- No HUD. Well, what can I say? I don´t miss it. I read hands and figure out hand ranges in my head. I have enough time to look people up in PT. I pay more attention to postflop tendencies, which was a huge flaw in my game - Looking at HUD stats and pulling conclusions regarding postflop plays. While there usually are certain correlations between preflop numbers and postflop tendencies and the VPIP/PFR/TAF sign gives us a general idea of what type of villian we are facing, I don´t pay all that much attention to sizing/timing tells or search for patterns in their game

#1 I´d like to hear your opinions on my turn bet, I guess this could be too thin. Our villian here limp/calls wide and likes to call flops. He calls us with diamonds/J8-AJ/T8/Ad9x/55/99. I really hate checking back this turn
$1/$2 No Limit Holdem
9 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:
UTG ($200.00)
UTG+1 ($49.00)
MP1 ($43.00)
MP2 ($234.90)
MP3 ($23.00)
Hero ($301.30)
BTN ($58.35)
SB ($397.55)
BB ($44.70)

Pre-flop: ($3, 9 players) Hero is CO Jack of Spades

UTG calls $2, 4 folds, Hero raises to $9, 3 folds, UTG calls $7

Flop: Jack of Clubs

($21, 2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $14, UTG calls $14

Turn: King of Diamonds

($49, 2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $32, UTG calls $32

River: King of Spades

($113, 2 players)
UTG checks, Hero checks

[Results Hidden]

#2 Another loose-passive guy. This hand kinda sucks, I isolated him with almost any two before and he played flops very straight forward, folding a ton to my cbets. His range consists of almost any pp and given his looseness we can´t discount straights or straight draws
$1/$2 No Limit Holdem
9 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:
UTG ($202.05)
UTG+1 ($37.75)
Hero ($228.65)
MP2 ($212.30)
MP3 ($200.00)
CO ($203.40)
BTN ($44.60)
SB ($38.00)
BB ($280.00)

Pre-flop: ($3, 9 players) Hero is MP1 Jack of Hearts

2 folds, Hero raises to $8, 5 folds, BB calls $6

Flop: Five of Spades

($17, 2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $12, BB calls $12

Turn: Six of Clubs

($41, 2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $28, BB calls $28

River: Six of Hearts

($97, 2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks

[Results Hidden]

#3 This guy is sooooo tight.
$1/$2 No Limit Holdem
8 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:
UTG ($88.25)
UTG+1 ($242.85)
MP1 ($193.00)
MP2 ($233.65)
Hero ($229.00)
BTN ($44.00)
SB ($36.00)
BB ($40.00)

Pre-flop: ($3, 8 players) Hero is CO Queen of Hearts

1 fold, UTG+1 calls $2, 2 folds, Hero raises to $8, 3 folds, UTG+1 calls $6

Flop: King of Spades

($19, 2 players)
UTG+1 bets $9.5, Hero raises to $32, UTG+1 calls $22.5

Turn: Three of Hearts

($83, 2 players)
UTG+1 checks, Hero bets $189, UTG+1 calls $189

River: Five of Hearts

($461, 2 players)

Final Pot: $458.00
UTG+1 shows: Ace of Spades

Hero shows: Queen of Hearts

Hero wins $458 ( won +$229 )
UTG+1 lost -$229.00

#4
$1/$2 No Limit Holdem
10 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:
UTG ($207.00)
UTG+1 ($53.00)
UTG+2 ($66.75)
MP1 ($153.70)
MP2 ($186.60)
MP3 ($39.00)
CO ($197.00)
BTN ($306.45)
SB ($152.25)
Hero ($267.00)

Pre-flop: ($3, 10 players) Hero is BB Ace of Diamonds

2 folds, UTG+2 calls $2, 4 folds, BTN calls $2, SB calls $1, Hero raises to $10, UTG+2 goes all-in $64.75, BTN folds, SB folds, Hero calls $58.75

Flop: Eight of Diamonds

($139.5, 2 players)

Turn: Ace of Clubs

($139.5, 2 players)

River: Eight of Hearts

($139.5, 2 players)

[Results Hidden]

hand 1: check turn. all the draws hit, plus an overcard - i think qt is also in villain's range. that sets you up to be able to call a river bet

hand 2: most likely A6,A2, or 77-TT. I like your play on every street.

hand 3: not sure about pushing the turn, what are you trying to rep - a draw? if villain is fishy then you're forcing a lot of hands to fold that would probably call pot and then never be able to fold their top-pair or whatever - then again, you can't fold river either and implied odds, dunno. funny to see a villain limp-call aces and get stacked though
hand

hand 4: any reads? i fold, but it's close. sometimes you're 50-50, sometimes behind and only rarely against AQ etc.

I fucked things up this month. I´m taking a few days off poker, I´m leaving to spend a few days with my family and participate in a 1/2 marathon on sunday. Prolly no poker until then, I need to free my mind and think about switching sites.

April Summary

Hands played: 38,174
Poker Profit: $-198
Rakeback received: $303
Bonus cleared: $1,815
Cashouts: $300

Total earnings: $1,920

2008 totals

Hands played: 121,842
Poker profit: $2,442
Rakeback received: $2,085
Bonus cleared: $3,015
Cashouts: $1000

Total earnings $7,542

BR $10,749

Today´s headline:

I´m stuck

I dont know whats going on, but I feel like I´m running around in circles. It´s like....the swings are larger and longer than my graphs are showing. I feel like a year ago when I was stuck at 50NL 6max and seriously considered quitting poker. I don´t think about quitting now, but I hate the feeling of not progressing and doing huge mistakes. Good thing when u run bad for an extended time is, your senses for your own mistakes sharpen. Just like economy my/our evolution as a player revolves around 4 states of mind over and over again. Wait. I just had a great insight and deleted a long rambling about swings and whining and what a bitch I am and whatnot. I´m going through the newbie´s circle of death. Again and again and again. That is all. Doing well - Running hot - Running cold - Getting desperate, considering quitting. The symptomes are less visible, since we practice proper BRM and our game rests on a solid foundation of experience, knowledge and skill. Still, it´s the same story, where I need to run bad and lose money to sharpen my senses and motivate myself to get over the next hump and become a less bad player one day.

I didn´t play all that much lately, the sun is shining and we have >20°C for the first time in months. I´m rather out riding BMX, running or just chilling in a café watching the world go by. I participated in my first 1/2 marathon and finished 812/7899 at 01:46:21. Feels great.

Last 2k hands I played were 100NL HU, where I felt comfortable. This afternoon I played 2 tables vs a pretty good regular. I played my best didn´t feel like I got ran over or something. The guy told me I´m "unusual good good for these stakes" and kept playing me for 2 hrs, so I think he figured to have an edge over me.

#1 Early, but villian doesnt appear to be very good.
$0.5/$1 No Limit Holdem
2 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:
BTN ($131.50)
Hero ($139.80)

Pre-flop: ($1.5, 2 players) Hero is BB Five of Hearts

BTN raises to $3.5, Hero raises to $11, BTN calls $7

Flop: King of Hearts

($21.5, 2 players)
Hero bets $10, BTN raises to $30, Hero calls $20

Turn: King of Spades

($81.5, 2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $91.5, Hero calls $91.5

River: Eight of Diamonds

($264.5, 2 players)

#2 Named solid regular. Both of us were opening almost 100% of their buttons, with semi tight and polarized 3betting ranges and very few 4betting going on.
$0.5/$1 No Limit Holdem
2 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:
Hero ($94.00)
BB ($141.60)

Pre-flop: ($1.5, 2 players) Hero is BTN Queen of Diamonds

Hero raises to $3.5, BB raises to $11, Hero calls $7

Flop: Three of Hearts

($21.5, 2 players)
BB bets $14, Hero raises to $32, BB goes all-in $131.6, Hero goes all-in $52

Turn: Two of Spades

($251.1, 2 players)

River: Eight of Diamonds

($251.1, 2 players)

#3 Same villian
$0.5/$1 No Limit Holdem
2 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:
Hero ($163.80)
BB ($101.00)

Pre-flop: ($1.5, 2 players) Hero is BTN Nine of Diamonds

Hero raises to $3.5, BB raises to $11, Hero calls $7

Flop: Four of Diamonds

($21.5, 2 players)
BB bets $14, Hero raises to $36, BB goes all-in $91, Hero calls $55

Turn: Four of Spades

($217.5, 2 players)

River:

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