Ahead Of The Rake

Originally Posted by Alexos

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

That's when I play (err... 'lose').

Originally Posted by Genitruc

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

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

lol, it's all good G. You make it sound more exciting than it actually was. Thx for the vote of confidence though.

Originally Posted by Micro2Macro

I had a feeling this guy seemed pretty cool, but music producer? sick life man sick life. tell us moar!!

After high school I founded and ran a recording studio in the Windsor/Detroit area up until last year. The grind of the entertainment biz allowed me to work with some very talented people from whom I learned a great deal but it wasn't without its fair share of variance too.

Some peeps I worked with:
Pat Robitaille
Mr.Chill
Purple Orange
+ some solo stuff I put together in my spare time..
Blind Hitherto
Into The Night (album)
Mind Division (album)
Believe (video)
*albums also available on iTunes under "al yell"

After a few years I just started to lose interest and it really started to feel like 'work'. So I decided to pursue something else. Now if I could just figure out how not to be a donk....

Took another shot at 50nl tonight that didn't go so well. Stopped after losing 2 bi's. Felt some subtle tilt/frustration so gtfo. My first losing session in several days, so overall things are going well.

Couple hands I'm not sure about:

- Click Here for discussion -
#17 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (4 handed)

Villain is 22/19/60%FCB over 170

Button ($109.52)
SB ($18.92)
BB ($68.17)
Hero (UTG) ($58.05)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with 5, A
1 fold, BB bets $1.50, Hero calls $1.50, 1 fold

On this dry flop my plan was to call up to two streets and steal it if checked to on Turn or River depending on board.

Flop: ($3.50) 7, 2, K (2 players)
BB bets $2.50, Hero calls $2.50

Turn: ($8.50) 9 (2 players)
BB bets $6, Hero calls $6

River: ($20.50) J (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $13.88


- Click Here for discussion -
#18 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (6 handed)

Villain: 26/14/82%FCB over 173

UTG ($59.49)
MP ($37.41)
CO ($51.17)
Button ($46.26)
SB ($46.44)
Hero (BB) ($56.62)

Preflop: Hero is BB with A, J
2 folds, CO bets $2, 2 folds, Hero calls $1.50

Flop: ($4.25) 9, 7, 10 (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $3, Hero raises $10.34, CO calls $7.34

Not sure about my Turn check or how to proceed as played...

Turn: ($24.93) J (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $16, Hero ?

hand 17 is good agaist good aggro thinkers but i think you can assume that t nl50 most ppl don t fall into this category and you can happily give up your float on the turn when he dbl barrels.

if you check tun in hand 18 i think it has to be to check fold. it s so unlikely he s bluffing in this spot after pulling some elaborate float on the flop. bet-calling is an option but it s pretty spewy since he can be playing a flopped flush or straight like this plenty.

I thought about this one for a long time and just couldn't talk myself out of calling. My post hand analysis indicates this call is a slightly losing play. gogo luckbox

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

SB ($2.30)
BB ($36)
UTG ($27.19)
MP ($18.08)
CO ($9.91)
Hero (Button) ($25.40)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 9, 8
2 folds, CO calls $0.25, Hero bets $1.10, 1 fold, BB calls $0.85, CO calls $0.85

Flop: ($3.40) A, 6, 7 (3 players)
BB checks, CO checks, Hero bets $2.70, BB calls $2.70, 1 fold

Turn: ($8.80) J (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $6.71, BB raises $32.20 (All-In), Hero calls $14.89 (All-In)

River: ($52) 5 (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $52

Results:
Hero had 9, 8 (straight, nine high).
BB had A, J (two pair, Aces and Jacks).
Outcome: Hero won $49.40

Heading downtown 2nite to have a Guinness and some grub. I may just be tempted to make an appearance in the poker room afterward as well for a little live $1/$2 action.

Didn't hit the casino last night, just a nice night out w/friends. Live poker is something I've been giving a lot of thought though and I am going to start thinking about how I can make a regular go of it.

Haven't played much in the past couple days. Stamina/focus is diminished so I may take a day off tmr to recharge. I haven't been listening to my body when it tells me it's time to sleep and it's thrown my routine off. It's a subtle form of self-sabotage imo, the reason for which I have no clue but it'll be important for me to figure it out.

This vid struck a chord with me...
Elizabeth Gilbert: A new way to think about creativity

sigh, i haz the flu.


- Click Here for discussion -
#20 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (6 handed)

Villain is 35/28 over 54, attempt to steal is 69%. How would you have played it?

Hero (BB) ($50)
UTG ($58.89)
MP ($42.65)
CO ($44.75)
Button ($54.09)
SB ($53.70)

Preflop: Hero is BB with A, Q
4 folds, SB bets $1.50, Hero calls $1.25

Flop: ($3.50) 4, A, 4 (2 players)
SB bets $3.25, Hero calls $3.25

Turn: ($10) K (2 players)
SB bets $7, Hero calls $7

River: ($24) 5 (2 players)
SB bets $17, Hero ?

very very close. even if he s very aggro, it sure looks like you hav Ax at the very least...

i d fold

Back in the swing of things; feeling much better. Despite this it was a rough reemergence. The sessions I had today were swingy as all hell due mostly to some terrible play. I'm just thankful that I was able to keep my cool for the most part, refocus, and end up with nothing worse than a break-even day.

I'm almost certain that my winrate has improved lately thanks to the things that I have avoided/eliminated as oppose to things I may have added. Most of my energy has been focused on self management. I've seen a big leap in stamina, sustained focus, emotional equilibrium and reduced physical strain. I'm excited to see what will happen when I've reached the point of delving deeper into the game itself. For now I'm still undergoing this sort of metamorphosis - one that is preparing me for a much more earnest and dedicated effort.

It's almost as though there were things about this endeavor that I needed to become accustomed to and accept before truly committing to it. Up until recently I may not have been ready to accept its non-linear progression or the limited control over its inherent variance. Especially for someone for whom most things come easy. It could be that I was reluctant to turn the page or was unable to let go of this image of myself that I'd spent so many years building up - that of the "artist". In its way poker has helped me gain perspective. I did one thing for a number of years, poker will simply be the next, and will likely be followed by something else. Now that I have chosen this path, embracing it wholeheartedly (including the moments of doubt it will present) will be instrumental in my success.

For those reading that play poker you'll probably relate when I say that through poker's unconventionality, independence and multidimensional challenges, I continually learn so many things that I never imagined a deceptively simple card game could teach me.

I hear ya.

Disappointing but not altogether unexpected of course.. had a session at 50nl today where nothing went my way. I adhered to my stop-loss and immediately started winding down when, just to add insult to injury, on my very last hand I get 100BB in w/QQ vs AK on a 6274 only to be rivered by the 'A'.

So with the exception of a sick heater at 25nl I prob will not play anymore 50nl until November. I just find I have way too tough a time dealing with the swings without a much larger buffer zone. Not to mention, as inconceivable as it may seem, the game is tougher at 50nl than 25nl imo.

Whoa! Dropped down to 25nl and absolutely ran over the tables for 45 minutes. Nearly climbed my way back to even from my earlier 50nl session. I kicked on that 'fuck you' mode <{edit: wtf? censorship is fucking lame) and my opponents were powerless. These are all hands I felt I played well. (Prob all obv/standard stuff for most of you).


#21 $0.25 BB (5 handed)

SB ($29.32)
BB ($26.60)
UTG ($11.01)
Hero (MP) ($25.99)
Button ($23.74)

Preflop: Hero is MP with A, 10
1 fold, Hero bets $0.85, Button calls $0.85, 2 folds

Flop: ($2.05) K, 9, 4 (2 players)
Hero bets $1.33, Button calls $1.33

Turn: ($4.71) 6 (2 players)
Hero bets $3.11, Button calls $3.11

River: ($10.93) 4 (2 players)
Hero bets $7.16, 1 fold



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

CO ($24.90)
Button ($8.92)
SB ($31.67)
BB ($24.50)
Hero (UTG) ($28.63)
MP ($13.76)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with 10, 10
Hero bets $0.85, MP calls $0.85, 4 folds

Flop: ($2.05) Q, 4, 9 (2 players)
Hero checks, MP bets $1.02, Hero calls $1.02

Turn: ($4.09) 3 (2 players)
Hero checks, MP checks

River: ($4.09) 2 (2 players)
Hero bets $2.97, MP calls $2.97

Total pot: $10.03

Results:
Hero had 10, 10 (one pair, tens).
MP had 9, A (one pair, nines).
Outcome: Hero won $9.53



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

UTG ($31.07)
MP ($25.40)
Hero (CO) ($47.65)
Button ($29.09)
SB ($3.58)
BB ($14)

Preflop: Hero is CO with A, Q
1 fold, MP calls $0.25, Hero bets $1.10, 3 folds, MP calls $0.85

Flop: ($2.55) 2, 4, 6 (2 players)
MP checks, Hero checks

Turn: ($2.55) J (2 players)
MP checks, Hero bets $1.87, MP calls $1.87

River: ($6.29) K (2 players)
MP checks, Hero bets $4.73, 1 fold


Got a call from the neighbor earlier saying, "I think your dog is loose." Being the escape artist that she is, Yuki, my wolf/husky dug her way under the fence... again. Fortunately I found the simple solution of lining the perimeter of the fence with her shit. She won't go near it! I just hadn't "refreshed" it in a while.

in H1 3 barrin' is questionable w/o reads though with some idea of how he's playing I like it..maybe only a 2 barrel is wise here though however I could be wrong. be interested in any reads here.

for H2 I probably bet turn vs almost anyone.

as for the last hand..I'd be interested in your reasoning behind every street. it looks like its played fine but I think you should explain yourself on this one and see if anyone can spot something from your thoughts. like vs some villains cbetting is probably ideal, though you chose not too so I'd like to hear the play by play commentary for this.

Originally Posted by Micro2Macro

in H1 3 barrin' is questionable w/o reads...

No reads. Just figured I could fold out the multitude of draws that missed in addition to most 9x and weak K's. It was early in the sesh so, worse case, if called I establish an image. (?)

Originally Posted by Micro2Macro

for H2 I probably bet turn vs almost anyone.

in other words your saying we should lead the Turn?

Originally Posted by Micro2Macro

as for the last hand..I'd be interested in your reasoning behind every street.

here it is with donkishness filter turned off...
pf: punish
flop: i figured his most likely l/c holding was small pp & Ax, none of which I expect him to fold to a bet, plus I can't rep much on this board aside from maybe an overpair, but my assumption to this point is that he's just looking at his cards.
turn: taking a stab at the pot. No reason for me not to have a J. I would have bet any face card here.
river: The K is a good card for me. He would have raised his set/two-pair type hands on the Turn so I put him on a pair type hand which I expect to lose to if I check. A flush is unlikely. So I bet. More often than not though I do check the River expecting to be good some of the time. I guess it may have been a flow thing.

Does any of that seem reasonable or flawed logic? I understand that a lot of this is opponent dependent so I'm wondering if maybe in some cases, against unknowns, the attempt is justified just by the potential information gained + image building when caught, etc.

in hand 2 (TT) you can get at least 2 streets of value by betting as the aggresor. let him call with draws, 9x, etc and prevent him from hitting a 6 outer for free.

Too soon to tell if this had anything to do with it but I experimented a little today. I did two things out of the ordinary: a) played bird song continually in background, b) set an alarm at 20 minute intervals to get up and do jumping jacks for roughly 30 seconds.

Only a couple hands that stood out from this session:

#24No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed)

CO ($27.64)
Button ($32.96)
Hero (SB) ($44.85)
BB ($25)
UTG ($10.68)
MP ($26.60)

Preflop: Hero is SB with K, Q
3 folds, Button calls $0.25, Hero bets $1, BB calls $0.85, Button calls $0.85

Flop: ($3.30) 4, Q, 10 (3 players)
Hero bets $2.34, BB calls $2.34, Button calls $2.34

I considered calling the Turn but my gut made me fold. The way the hand played out I'm fairly confident I saved myself some money.

Turn: ($10.32) 5 (3 players)
Hero checks, BB bets $5.16, Button calls $5.16, Hero folds

River: ($20.64) K (2 players)
BB bets $16.40 (All-In), 1 fold



#25 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (4 handed)

UTG ($55.86)
Button ($23.27)
SB ($28.88)
Hero (BB) ($33.09)

Preflop: Hero is BB with J, J
UTG bets $1, 2 folds, Hero raises $3.25, UTG calls $2.50

I have no idea what inspired me to power min-raise here. I just knew I didn't want to call, fold or raise. Some insight here would be greatly appreciated.

Flop: ($7.10) K, 9, K (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets $4, Hero raises $9, 1 fold

for #24 i d just bet-fold turn. your line is kinda nitty but i don t hate it. you def see a set here a decent % of the time when it plays out like this 3 way

#25 i d just bet flop fo value with no reads that villain is aggro. it helps having the Js.

what to do in the face of a raise is pretty player-dependant...

Celebrity is an interesting phenomenon. Some friends and I picked a local sports bar at random to grab some drinks and former UFC heavyweight champ Maurice Smith was there with his entourage to watch the fight. His appearance must have been publicized because people were coming in droves asking for autographs/pictures. I, on the other hand, was far more intrigued by the guy across from us with two broken arms, wearing casts, trying to drink his beer from a bottle. He had to clasp it with masterful precision just to elevate it to his mouth.

My session's graph today looks like an 'W' sitting under the $0 line. Somehow I find that easier to accept than an 'M' on top of the line.

Most interesting hand of the night imo:

#26 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (6 handed)

BB ($37.42)
UTG ($65.13)
MP ($57.31)
Hero (CO) ($50)
Button ($81.40)
Aggro3bettor (SB) ($141.63)

I'm convinced Villain, a reg, had placed a target on me as he was often 3betting me. I adjusted somewhat by widening my calling range IP (not necessarily pertinent to this hand) but I had been flatting his 3bets for a little while by this point and gave up more often than not. Until...

Preflop: Hero is CO with Q, A
2 folds, Hero bets $1.75, 1 fold, Aggro3bettor raises $5.50, 1 fold, Hero calls $4

Flop: ($12) 8, 3, 9 (2 players)
Aggro3bettor checks, Hero bets $7.64, Aggro3bettor calls $7.64

Turn: ($27.28) K (2 players)
Aggro3bettor bets $13.64, Hero SNAP shoves $36.61 (All-In), 1 fold


Anyhow, things have been going fairly well. I'm camping out at 50nl for longer and longer periods of time. There's haven't been any heaters there yet, but no huge downswings either. While I learn to fine tune things I'm happy to collect that rake+bonus money and let the BR slowly grow. I've also recently started experimenting with adding a couple more tables now and again (up to 8). The tempo seems just right.

i like the aq shove....i'm not sure any decently aggro reg is c/calling that flop with AK and sometime i guess he could fold it. Regardless, you have f/e and outs if called so i like.

I like the AQ hand given the descirbed dynamic as well. I doubt you're going to see Kx often, but make a note when you do.

wtf, has anyone been getting a warning when trying to visit FTR? Apparently, according to my browser, it's been spotted as a host of malicious software. Hope it's nothing serious because I instructed my browser to ignore it.

A few things that I needed to remind myself of today:
- long, break-even stretches are std + still profitable
- several break-even sessions does not mean you're not playing well and don't necessarily call for a change in style (esp. just for the sake of changing it).
- even someone playing optimal poker can log a losing session, it's the nature of the game.
- ride it out, swings always seem more detrimental when you're in the thick of it.

Yea, pretty much everyone I've talked to has been getting it. I just ignored it too. :P

Made some big calls in my 'breakfast' session this morning (?)

#27 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (6 handed)

Hero (SB) ($90.40)
BB ($9.78)
UTG ($20)
MP ($38.57)
CO ($47.05)
23/3 over 184 (Button) ($53)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A, 10
3 folds, Button calls $0.50, Hero bets $1.75, 1 fold, Button calls $1.50

Flop: ($4.50) 5, 6, 10 (2 players)
Hero bets $3.11, Button calls $3.11

Turn: ($10.72) 7 (2 players)
Hero bets $6.87, Button calls $6.87

River: ($24.46) 10 (2 players)
Hero bets $17.51, Button raises $41.02 (All-In), Hero calls $23.51

Total pot: $106.50

Results:
Button had Q, 10 (three of a kind, tens).
Hero had A, 10 (three of a kind, tens).
Outcome: Hero won $103.50



#28 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (5 handed)

Hero (UTG) ($55.47)
MP ($15.03)
Button ($21.16)
SB ($39.57)
31/3 over 247 (BB) ($28.81)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with K, J
Hero bets $1.75, 3 folds, BB calls $1.25

Flop: ($3.75) 3, 6, J (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $2.71, BB calls $2.71

Turn: ($9.17) 5 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $6.34, BB raises $24.35 (All-In), Hero calls $18.01

River: ($57.87) J (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $57.87

Results:
BB had A, Q (one pair, Jacks).
Hero had K, J (three of a kind, Jacks).
Outcome: Hero won $55.87



#29 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (6 handed)

MP ($59.80)
Hero (CO) ($75.54)
Button ($38.17)
SB ($98.55)
BB ($50)
38/14 over 65 (UTG) ($92.73)

Preflop: Hero is CO with 10, 9
UTG bets $1.50, 1 fold, Hero calls $1.50, 3 folds

Flop: ($3.75) 7, 3, 10 (2 players)
UTG $2.50, Hero calls $2.50

Turn: ($8.75) 9 (2 players)
UTG bets $6.50, Hero raises $14.84, UTG calls $8.34

River: ($38.43) 3 (2 players)
UTG bets $23, Hero calls $23

Total pot: $84.43

Results:
UTG had J, Q (one pair, threes).
Hero had 10, 9 (two pair, tens and nines).
Outcome: Hero won $81.43

Hmm, not sure if the fact you think they're big calls is an indication that I call too much because they seem pretty std to me. Interested in other thoughts...

Originally Posted by bjsaust

Hmm, not sure if the fact you think they're big calls is an indication that I call too much because they seem pretty std to me.

If it's indicative of anything it's that I lack experience. I did pose it as a sort of question, or seeking affirmation at the very least - which you were kind enough to offer. They're spots that I'm just beginning to "see" more clearly so, in my mind, when I've thought it through, call, and take down the pot it's a huge victory (as oppose to the plethora of spewy river calls I'm accustomed to making). Obv I realize I could just as easily have lost these hands but the fact I understood (or nearly did) why I was calling is the real achievement for me here.

stop owning you might curse those around you to downswong

only so much good karma to go around

Originally Posted by al yell

Originally Posted by bjsaust

Hmm, not sure if the fact you think they're big calls is an indication that I call too much because they seem pretty std to me.

If it's indicative of anything it's that I lack experience. I did pose it as a sort of question, or seeking affirmation at the very least - which you were kind enough to offer. They're spots that I'm just beginning to "see" more clearly so, in my mind, when I've thought it through, call, and take down the pot it's a huge victory (as oppose to the plethora of spewy river calls I'm accustomed to making). Obv I realize I could just as easily have lost these hands but the fact I understood (or nearly did) why I was calling is the real achievement for me here.

I agree with both of your assessments. These don't seem to be anything but standard to me but your realm of understanding has broadened from it, and those who are wise will never see the acquisition of knowledge as a bad thing. Keep it up.

#28 is my favorite.

Made a bit despite losing w/OESFD vs set, AK to QQ and getting sucked out by 77 on a Q74 w/QQ.

Bluffament:

#30 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (6 handed)

SB ($49.83) 19/9 over 2.3k hands
Hero (BB) ($64.48)
UTG ($50.75)
MP ($48.75)
CO ($10.34)
Button ($113.54)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 8, A
4 folds, SB bets $1.25, Hero calls $1

Flop: ($3) K, 2, 6 (2 players)
SB bets $2, Hero raises $7.25, SB calls $5.25

Turn: ($17.50) J (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $13.73, SB calls $13.73

River: ($44.96) J (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $42 (All-In), 1 fold


And here's one that was grossly misplaced by not betting the Turn:

#31 No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (6 handed)

Hero (Button) ($82.59)
SB ($50.57)
BB ($66.58)
UTG ($52.87)
MP ($90.19)
CO ($96.35)

Preflop: Hero is Button with K, Q
2 folds, CO bets $1.75, Hero calls $1.75, 2 folds

Flop: ($4.25) K, Q, Q (2 players)
CO bets $2.50, Hero calls $2.50

Turn: ($9.25) J (2 players)
CO checks, Hero checks

River: ($9.25) A (2 players)
CO bets $7, Hero raises $18.63, CO raises $43.25, Hero calls $31.62

Total pot: $109.75

Results:
Hero had K, Q (full house, Queens over Kings).
CO had Q, J (full house, Queens over Jacks).
Outcome: Hero won $106.75

yeah bet the turn with kq there and as played raise the river to 27ish or something bigger.

rofl

Girl's Costume Warehouse

Is it wrong I thought sexy nun was one of the best?

Originally Posted by dranger7070

Is it wrong I thought sexy nun was one of the best?

Hard to beat with those knee-high socks with crosses on them! The sexy 1900's steel conglomerate tycoon makes me lol.

Rough day. It was doomswitched before I even woke up. The utility company rolled around at like 9am and the dog started barking which woke me. Couple other unexpected visitors shortly thereafter so didn't get much sleep. I prob should not have played but I had decided today was going to be my last day for October and was going to try to make it a long one. If I hadn't prepped myself that way I prob wouldn't have felt so committed to actually playing and would have saved myself the frustration that ensued.

Anyhow, hit my stop loss real fast. Breaked, played lower and made a bit back. There were no real 'wtf' hands but I may just be eager to tune out for a few days and didn't look real hard. I'll have my results for the month posted by Sunday. I took a quick glance and I'm sure there will be plenty to discuss. Until then I'm getting my freak on...

Happy Halloween!

who is the scary demon on the left?

yikes!

I'm wrecked. Got a little nutty at a party last night. At one point I was somehow coerced by a friend to swap costumes with her and proceeded to parade around in a gypsy costume for an hour. I remember seeing a lot of camera flashes.


OCTOBER STATS
Any help/criticism, etc. is always greatly appreciated.
clicking the ImageShack image after clicking these thumbnails will give you a full view

Graph


Stakes


Position


Preflop


Recap

Some things I did that I think helped my game included:
- diet/exercise
- playing shorter sessions
- stop loss
- practicing a few particular areas of my game at a time
- blogging/discussions
- making a psychological and emotional commitment
- putting on relaxing music/sounds
- getting up to stretch at regular intervals

Things that hurt it:
- poor sleeping habits
- general laziness
- fear/anxiety/uncertainty

Seeing my results my initial thoughts are:
- I made money!
- my post-flop games needs tons of work.
- I need to increase the amount of hours I play a day
- what worked at 25nl evidently didn't translate well to 50nl

Quick note to self:
Rethinking things moving forward.. I think I'd like to implement a trailing stop-loss that is a percentage of BR as oppose to fixed # of bi's. I would also like to spread the $ around to two key sites with decent traffic plus one floating portion for grinding out bonus. Do much more fish hunting that would include playing tables slightly above (and below) the stakes for which I'm rolled or comfortable playing. Also mix in more of a variety of games (cash, SnG, tourney's, etc.)

Essentially I don't believe I'm making the most of my time and will continue to think about in what ways I can fix that.

This is 6max correct?

You are playing tighter than optimal. You're still doing alright though but I think you may be good enough now to start opening up your game. Basically start stealing on the button alottt more, then on the cutoff etc. You can 3bet more too, preferably from in position (BU/CO) you can 3bet/squeeze more as bulffs (or 'semibluffs' depending on how you look at it) Opening up a little here will probably bring your numbers up to like 19/15 or so, so that's a start.

It will take some time, make changes gradually. I suggest watching some videos, talking with other players who are looser than you etc. to learn how to navigate playing more hands properly, otherwise it could result in a spewy disaster. Essentially, you need to be looking for thinner spots that involve position+aggression etc. to exploit villains who either fold too much, call too much than c/f flops, and so on. (i.e when you run 15/12, you aren't exploiting the other guys running 15/12 really, you're exploiting the fish, but you're missing out on the small profits from pounding on other regulars who won't play back)

Flamed out of a $5 20k GTD and first few hundred cash hands today were a straight nosedive but after taking a short break things went much better. I found myself 3betting the regs much more frequently and c/r certain flop textures w/backdoor draws, etc. and took down several pots I normally would have simply given up on.

I also disabled my HUD today. I think recently it's caused me to make more mistakes than correct decisions so I will prob go back to playing without it for a while.

Going for thing value here.

No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (6 handed)

Hero (SB) ($67.10)
BB ($30.54)
UTG ($55.91)
MP ($50.79)
CO ($50)
Button ($55.33)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 10, 10
3 folds, Button calls $0.50, Hero bets $2, 1 fold, Button calls $1.75

Flop: ($5) 5, 8, Q (2 players)
Hero bets $3.54, Button calls $3.54

Turn: ($12.08) Q (2 players)
Hero bets $8.14, Button calls $8.14

River: ($28.36) 8 (2 players)
Hero bets $17.91, Button calls $17.91

Total pot: $64.18

Results:
Button had 9, 9 (two pair, Queens and nines).
Hero had 10, 10 (two pair, Queens and tens).
Outcome: Hero won $61.18

Originally Posted by Micro2Macro

This is 6max correct?

It is. Thanks for taking the time to review these M. It's of great help.

Hah nice pic. I was maverick and genitruc was gonna be goose but chickened out

Anyway, first reaction to those stats is : WTF how can you rail me and still only have a 3% 3-bet, that is just madness. BUT! you made money and that is what`s most important, looking good. Gl in november.

Originally Posted by Ravageur

Hah nice pic. I was maverick and genitruc was gonna be goose but chickened out

Damn, you just inspired a great idea with your movie themed costume idea. Think: Die Hard.... "Ay! John boy!"

Originally Posted by Ravageur

....how can you rail me and still only have a 3% 3-bet

I guess the only thing I've retained from those rails is that it's not possible to win flips.

Ok, so been busy tearing up my front porch which is a large, thick cement slab. I rented a jack hammer and think I tore an abdominal muscle using it. Anyhow, with that out of the way I can concentrate a bit more on poker.

Fired up a few 100nl tables today. Went decent but ended in a frustrating disconnection where I rivered the stone cold nuts in a rr pot, deep and the guy donked, i raised, he tanked and "POOF"... table disappeared. I couldn't get back on the table afterward so I still have no idea how the hand played out. I'm waiting to hear from Support.

I've experienced a bit of an awakening of sorts in regards to my ability to put several pieces of the puzzle together. "Poker Vision" if you will. Not only having to do with actual decisions at the table but an overall attitude and understanding of the ebb and flow of the whole experience of grinding. i.e. seeing the big picture. These are always exciting levels of achievement because it means that the next noticeable leap forward will require much more effort, creativity and subtlety. And in this the challenge is never ending.

fk me. I'm a fool for trying to play with so many distractions. I've been here before. I recognize that I'm on the verge of spewing tons, playing poorly, etc. I cannot allow myself to play until I regroup.

I want to play so it shouldn't take long but there's definitely something not right in my head right now. Part of it is having psyched myself out about having to move sites b/c the bonus kinda sucks. But I'm making money there which is what matters. A little impatience has crept in too. I'm just glad that I was able to step back in time to anticipate and neutralize all this. My past approach would have been to try to push through and keep grinding but the disease can't be its own cure in this case.

i almost ate a 300g chocolate bar in its entire in one sitting and now i'm sitting here in the dark all nervous imagining someone prowling just outside my house because the dog keeps sniffing at the front door. I'm fucking wired beyond belief.

.. i'm in the process of re-allocating funds to grind out a new signup bonus so am playing the waiting game.. What little I have played this month has not gone well ..

some firsts this weekend:
[x] drove my dream car (BMW)
[x] played $2/$5 live for a few hours at the casino

... thx boys!

I'm still waiting for my funds to be transferred. I'll be sure never to be caught in this predicament again by juggling the money around more strategically.

Felt like total garbage earlier (Sunday) and so did some catching up of Mad Men Season 3. Breezed through 4 episodes in one sitting. Amazing.

what kind of bmw?

any pikes?

Originally Posted by Micro2Macro

what kind of bmw?

this particular one was a 535i (i think). And when I say the it's my dream car I mean BMW's in general are cars I admire. Truth be told I'm not a "car guy". Additionally my preferred mode of transportation is a motorcycle. I have a 750cc Yamaha Virago '88.

So to pass the time I ended up at Full Tilt grinding some micros where, lo and behold, I was offered a $500 bonus which was apparently distributed to select players (I grinded out the sign up bonus a long time ago). So my immediate plan is to buckle down and grind that shit out - which will be a treat for me 'cause I love the software. Feels good to finally have something to focus on. Feels like I've been twiddling my thumbs for an eternity.