Operation: $$ accumulation

i'm getting good at playing one stake lower than usual if I feel there is a risk of being incapable of a-game. It's nice to have most of my swing sessions at lower stakes and my low variance winning sessions at higher stakes. Nice in many ways. As an example, the 4bi drop at the end is at 25nl, hungover - the session was net around even-ish.

Here's a March graph. Compare it to muzz's recent effort (100k hands in 2 weeks, +$2800 at the same stakes) and it's not that impressive for someone with heaps of time available to grind. But I'm not in the least bit unhappy with it either, well, I could take out some of those steep descents and make the upslope a little steeper - but it's far from awful!!

Originally Posted by daven

i'm getting good at playing one stake lower than usual if I feel there is a risk of being incapable of a-game. It's nice to have most of my swing sessions at lower stakes and my low variance winning sessions at higher stakes.

now why didn't i ever think to do that? thanks for sharing.

today was the worst death run i've had in ages - by the end i was starting to feel uncomfortable getting it in pre with AA, flopping middle set on dry boards, raising runner runner flushes on unpaired boards, etc. All cos i'd spent all day learning that each of these things cost a bunch of money. So a short break later i fired up another grind, i mixed in a few tables of the hundies again to try and win it back. Turns out that those regs don't respect my raises either, but i was nit by then - good to run death at 50 and hot at 100 imo. Shame i played 6k at 50, and 1k at 100.

Enough moaning, a poker thoughts update:

I've been playing a lot of HU while starting tables with the winningest reg at 50nl. It has been good for my game, i'm sure, although apparently terrible for his:

Originally Posted by some 2p2 reg

Hey Man,
Wanted to explain why I wont play you hu. To be honest I dont feel like I have an edge playing you and therefore the variance just isnt worth it for me at the minute. My game sucks right now and wI feel my game is regressing and I need to be able to work on my game fundamentally and when we play hu it takes too much of my focus away from all of my other games.

it's a shame, cos i've been taking huge advantage by sitting at all his full tables while knowing the HU tables were taking all his focus. Oh well, it was profitable while it lasted.

Another reg surprised me by deciding to mix it up HU later on, but that only lasted a few buyins. I'm going to need to do a review of that match as he called a lot of my bluffs and i was net losing at showdown vs him yet somehow ended up quite a way ahead - pretty sure i've learned something from that madness. He started moaning about too many tables etc, i pointed out i was playing 12 others, 4 of which were short. He stopped moaning.

oh, and a funny hand played out while typing, the fold surprised me some. Villain makes an expert fold getting 5:1 NH sir.

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (9 handed) - Full Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP1 ($38.70)
MP2 ($53.60)
Hero (MP3) ($72.35)
CO ($62.10)
Button ($50)
SB ($100.40)
BB ($73.70)
UTG ($50)
UTG+1 ($178.50)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with xx
4 folds, Hero bets $1.75, 2 folds, SB calls $1.50, BB calls $1.25

Flop: ($5.25) 3, 3, 7 (3 players)
SB bets $5.25, 1 fold, Hero calls $5.25

Turn: ($15.75) A (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $11, SB calls $11

River: ($37.75) 10 (2 players)
SB bets $32, Hero raises to $54.35 (All-In), 1 fold

Total pot: $101.75 | Rake: $3

Results:
Hero didn't show
Outcome: Hero won $98.75

something i haven't read yet, posting it here so i don't forget
500th post: Mental Game/Poker Mindset Manifesto + graphs + gambling short story (way, way tl;dr - Poker Beats Brags and Variance