FR to 6max switch, pwning myself outside my own comfort zone

Good morning, guys. Just wanted to take a minute and share some thoughts about a 550 hand session I played last night. For the most part I was four tabling 10NL 6 max.

My "poker career" has been swingy to say the least. The obv n00b ignorance and negligence of BRM, learning the importance of starting hands, different kinds and reasons for betting, putting opponents on ranges, etc. It's been overall profitable over my small sample, but I know for a fact one of the things I struggle with most is maintaining focus and concentrating on beating one type of game.

Typically when I hit a bump in the road (mini downswing), I tend to say "Aw fuck cash games, lets watch some GS videos on micro SNGs and make some easy money playing a standard push/fold game..." or "Man, fuck this micro cash, I bet I can profit big time if I play a couple hundred DONs"

Well this time, I made the switch back over to 6 max. I had probably played around 10-15K hands of full ring 10NL this month, but for some reason a couple of days ago I decided I wanted to switch back to 6 max, get into more interesting spots post flop and play more aggressively for bigger pots. I've played quite a bit of 6 max in the past, but for some reason after playing so much FR (by my standards) I found it much harder than usual to adjust.

Some things I noticed playing last night:

- From watching videos, I feel like I tend to try wayyyyyyy too hard to play like Spenda or SugarNut or Colossus, or whoever the fuck else. I get outside my comfort zone and end up making huge spews and tricking myself into believing something that is just not true. Now these guys have shared so much with everybody and they definitely know what they're talking about (and deserve much gratitude. Thanks, btw.), but I know personally, mistakes happen when people try to mimic information and actions that they don't understand.

- Now based on that, I realize that I'm building these HUGE pots against my opponents and getting into trouble a lot after firing the rest of my stack in a pot size river bet with a hand like 2 pair or even TPTK (or even air, WTF WTF WTF) against some people. Usually this happens: they fold and I win a 40-60BB pot (35%), they call and I crush that stack (5%), or they call and pwn me (60%), I puke then cut my inner thigh with a rusty razor blade just a little deeper.

- How many fucking times am I going to do this!!? In the heat of the moment, I'm trying to play out the story and put my opponents on ranges, and a lot of the time I catch myself thinking something like "Well, OF COURSE he's representing XX+, nut flush, whatever....SHOVE" but its so goddamn flawed. I need to trust my reads better and put my ego aside and just fold the goddamn hand. But I'm trying. And slowly getting better.

- One more thing real quick: For some reason, I've had my HUD stats for my entire playing history as opposed to just the current table/session. Doh! Once I switched it over last night, I was like "No fucking wonder he's calling me down with bottom pair!! I'm running like 52 / 49 / 6.5 ag over the last 99 hands!!!!!" This goes back to trying to make some of the aggressive plays I see in videos (outside my comfort zone and skill level) and "not getting run over at the 6 max tables." Need to get that shit out of my head and play the game I'm comfortable with and confident playing. And definitely cut out this wanna be aggro style, when it clearly hasnt been working for me.


Anyways, I wish I could keep going but this has turned into a book. I just wanted to share some thoughts, although I know these ideas are reposted and kinda cliche. I've gotta get ready for work. Hope everyone has a great day, and I'm interested in seeing if this gets any replies.

Take it easy!

Post some hands or move on to the Tilt forum. You're not to get any sympathy from anyone.

Originally Posted by OhioRounder

Post some hands or move on to the Tilt forum. You're not to get any sympathy from anyone.

This is not intended to be a tilt post or get sympathy from anyone.

I was hoping that some people playing the same stakes or games might be able to relate. Maybe spark a little discussion. Have a couple responses. Maybe turn into a helpful learning experience for someone.

Thanks for taking that time though

Edit - Yeah, I will definitely post some hands later this afternoon, but discussing specific hands was not really the object of the post initially.

What did you want to strike up a conversation about? Getting bitch slapped at micro 6max? How is that going to help you? Did you just want other people to say, "Oooh yeah me too" so you can feel better about playing like shit? I know I'm coming off as a complete ass here but that's kinda the point. There's plenty of posters here willing to help you but writing a rant instead of asking specific questions or HHs isn't going to do anything for you.

Are you playing to make money? or you playing to have fun? If you play for fun then who cares...if you play to win then learn a basic concept and practice then expand to different games.

Lot's of people can't beat the micros and it isn't because they are dumb, its because they are lazy or indecisive. Many intelligent people have crap emotional control, maybe you are one of them, maybe poker isn't for you.

Let's start over. After reading responses to this thread and rereading the original post a couple times, it's clear that things have been misinterpretted.

I'm not known at all around here (and I want that to change) so I can see how my style of writing can be misleading. As I was typing what I know more as semi self depreciating wannabe humor that was pointing out some of my weaknesses and attempting to get a little conversation going, I failed to consider that it might come off as whiney, bitchy, tilty, and nonconstructive. Throw in some bad language to describe some avoidable leaks, and it amplifies all these negative things.

I also failed to consider who I was communicating to for the most part. I have been lurking around here long enough to know what is a good post and what's a shitty post. Obviously, I left out major pieces of the puzzle and important specific hand related information that I might actually get some constructive feedback from.

For all these things, I apologize.

Any point I was trying to make has been made before. The thought processes I put in quotes were obviously exaggerated, but why would I assume that anyone else would ever pick up on that considering we are total strangers. Definitely a first step in the wrong direction. Actually learned a little something from this, and it doesn't have much to do with poker.

Let's just all be friends, write this off as a bad thread, and move forward. n00b mistake, my bad

d0nkeylipz, I don't think you need to be apologising for the tone of your original post because I don't understand the reaction to it. You'd have been better off posting it as a blog I guess, but if you've looked back over your poker history and decided now is the time to take things seriously, and this is how you convey it, then fair play. I don't think it sounded whiney, it doesn't sound tilted and it's not even unreasonable.

I think it's actually unfair to dismiss your post as belonging in the tilt forum or whatever when you actually seem to have put reasonable thought into situations that you think are preventing you from being a winning player.

I hope you take your determination to succeed in poker and do so. As has been said, post hand histories and ask questions about things you see in hand histories other people post. If someone posts a hand where they ask if they should bet/fold the river, but you don't understand why they bet the turn, ask why.

Get involved and get better.

I'm bored so here it goes...

Originally Posted by d0nkeylipz

My "poker career" has been swingy to say the least. The obv n00b ignorance and negligence of BRM, learning the importance of starting hands, different kinds and reasons for betting, putting opponents on ranges, etc. It's been overall profitable over my small sample, but I know for a fact one of the things I struggle with most is maintaining focus and concentrating on beating one type of game.

Read the stickies, ask questions. Get focused. Only YOU can do this.

Originally Posted by d0nkeylipz

Typically when I hit a bump in the road (mini downswing), I tend to say "Aw fuck cash games, lets watch some GS videos on micro SNGs and make some easy money playing a standard push/fold game..." or "Man, fuck this micro cash, I bet I can profit big time if I play a couple hundred DONs"

Stick to what you're comfortable playing, but try to grasp one game/variation at a time.

Originally Posted by d0nkeylipz

Well this time, I made the switch back over to 6 max. I had probably played around 10-15K hands of full ring 10NL this month, but for some reason a couple of days ago I decided I wanted to switch back to 6 max, get into more interesting spots post flop and play more aggressively for bigger pots. I've played quite a bit of 6 max in the past, but for some reason after playing so much FR (by my standards) I found it much harder than usual to adjust.

Preflop or postflop? Preflop you should playing more hands and 3-betting more. Postflop, well yeah, you're going to run into some trouble since you're going to get into more marginal situations.

Originally Posted by d0nkeylipz

From watching videos, I feel like I tend to try wayyyyyyy too hard to play like Spenda or SugarNut or Colossus, or whoever the fuck else. I get outside my comfort zone and end up making huge spews and tricking myself into believing something that is just not true. Now these guys have shared so much with everybody and they definitely know what they're talking about (and deserve much gratitude. Thanks, btw.), but I know personally, mistakes happen when people try to mimic information and actions that they don't understand.

Stop doing this. What's works for one player may not work for you. Playing laggy just for the sake of playing laggy is a surefire way to start a nice downswing. Play YOUR game and evolve slowly.

Originally Posted by d0nkeylipz

Now based on that, I realize that I'm building these HUGE pots against my opponents and getting into trouble a lot after firing the rest of my stack in a pot size river bet with a hand like 2 pair or even TPTK (or even air, WTF WTF WTF) against some people. Usually this happens: they fold and I win a 40-60BB pot (35%), they call and I crush that stack (5%), or they call and pwn me (60%), I puke then cut my inner thigh with a rusty razor blade just a little deeper.

See Spoon's post - Put Your Opponent on a God Damn Range

Originally Posted by d0nkeylipz

How many fucking times am I going to do this!!? In the heat of the moment, I'm trying to play out the story and put my opponents on ranges, and a lot of the time I catch myself thinking something like "Well, OF COURSE he's representing XX+, nut flush, whatever....SHOVE" but its so goddamn flawed. I need to trust my reads better and put my ego aside and just fold the goddamn hand. But I'm trying. And slowly getting better.

When low-stakes players rep a hand, it's probably because they have that hand. Tend to believe them unless they're too aggro and play too many pots.

Originally Posted by d0nkeylipz

One more thing real quick: For some reason, I've had my HUD stats for my entire playing history as opposed to just the current table/session. Doh! Once I switched it over last night, I was like "No fucking wonder he's calling me down with bottom pair!! I'm running like 52 / 49 / 6.5 ag over the last 99 hands!!!!!" This goes back to trying to make some of the aggressive plays I see in videos (outside my comfort zone and skill level) and "not getting run over at the 6 max tables." Need to get that shit out of my head and play the game I'm comfortable with and confident playing. And definitely cut out this wanna be aggro style, when it clearly hasnt been working for me.

For the love of God tighten up.

As you can see, nothing really of substance is to be learned here since there's so many "it depends" Q&A.