Operation: Road to the Executive Game

Operation: Road to the Executive Game

The Road to Respect

First off, I’d like to say that FTR is the best poker community on the net. The actual site could use some work, but that’s just the web developer in me talkin’. And say what you want about 2+2, pocket fives, and countless others, not many sites have as many players willing to help others improve their game like FTR does. Truth is, I’ve been a long-time lurker of FTR for years. I was just never a big “Internet forum” guy so I never felt the need to register. Ironically now that I’m here, I feel like I don’t post nearly enough. Whether it’s offering help or asking for it, I need to become more active here. I’m not demanding respect, but I hope I will earn it as time goes on.

Abstract

This is my 200th post. It’s not monumental by any means but with any luck it will be a starting point to kick-off my new operation as I build my bankroll, yet again.

The Introduction

So here’s the deal. Over the past few months, my bankroll has experienced some serious déjà vu. Back in June, I withdrew damn near my entire roll of almost $3k (this was the first time I withdrew any funds that dropped my bankroll below $2k). I grinded my way up back to $25NL and made another withdraw, dropping me back down to around $200. Again, I grinded my way up to $25NL and was closing in on a $1k bankroll. Then something happened (beginning in late August) where I lost almost $800 in three weeks. It was brutal. I’m not going to take the sucker’s route and blame it on variance and suckouts either. I simply played like shit and couldn’t control myself from pure and utter spewage. However, I had just started a new (physically demanding) job along with delving into my first college semester in two years (I have a degree in web development & design but going back for my bachelors in education). All things considered, I’m just going to call it a wash and move on.

Back to Full Ring

I’m making a few changes this time around. I’m moving back to full-ring cash games rather than 6-max. The variance is somewhat greater in short-handed games. Plus, $50-100NL full-ring paid for my social life for a year-and-a-half so I’m going back to my bread and butter. I also argue that 6-max players are slightly better than full-ring players. Sure, at 6-max you can play more hands per hour against the fish but at full-ring there’s more of them. Opinions vary so it’s pick your poison, I guess.

Previous Leakage

One of the biggest problems I had when I moved back down to the micro-limits was I gave entirely way too much credit to these players. My main leak was bluffing players that couldn’t be bluffed. A close second was probably not betting enough to stop from getting drawn-out on, regardless if it meant over-betting the pot (many fish will chase their draws regardless of how much you bet, especially flushes).

The Blueprint

I need to get back to ABC poker and adjust my aggression-level accordingly as I move back up the food chain. I went through spells over the past few months where I just got too impatient and it showed in my results. I’m at a point where I can’t play poker for 20-30 hours a week. Poker is at the bottom of the list when it comes to working and paying the bills, having a family and a new house, not to mention going back to school full-time. I’m very lucky if I can get in anything over 4 hours of solid poker per week. The frustration sets in when I don’t see a dramatic jump in profits but I have to come to the realization that as long as I’m winning, it doesn’t matter one iota. Build the bankroll back up to $1k, and I’ll take it from there.

Special Functions

This thread will be to journal my progress as I slowly grind my way back to a $1k roll. Following proper bankroll management is a must. Like I said earlier in this post, I feel like I don’t post nearly enough. Therefore, I’ll be posting my thoughts as I go along. With any luck, my commentaries can help beginners (beginners win) or I get flamed (I win). Either way, someone gets something out of it. I would also like to borrow a page from Robb’s Operation Winning is a Habit to “collect useful links” that I find valuable here on FTR, which will be my first follow-up post here and edited as time goes on.

Also, I have finally went out and purchased PT3. It’s going to take me a while to learn the ins and outs of the software but I’ll be setting it up before my next session. I’m not going to post every session’s results here, because that would get insanely tedious. Along with updating this thread with any articles, useful links, or just random thoughts, I feel I need to make it a point to post HH (good or bad) on a regular basis. This is definitely something I rarely do so I need to get on the f’n ball and get some damn feedback.

Current bankroll is a minuscule $224.05; not nearly enough to get me in the "executive game".

You can catch me on Stars, FT or Cake learning how to be a nit.

GOGOGOGOGO

Favorite FTR Posts & Strategies

Below is a small collection of my favorite posts here on FTR. Some are geared towards beginners and some for more experienced players. I'm sure I'll be adding to this list as time goes on.

Newbie Circle of Death (storm75m)
New players with glowing confidence and beginner's luck need to read every word and soak it in.

Realizing You're Not That Good (salsa4ever)
Are you winning because you're not that bad or are you losing because you're not that good?

Biggest Leaks of Losing NLHE Players 1-5 (bigspenda73)
Solid information for all levels of play but broken down in simple terms for beginners.

List of Leakage (chardrian)
Written for MTTs but a great list of leaks for all variations and game types.

Micro-Limit Struggles and How to Fix It (reDZill4)
Read this if you're struggling with micro-limit poker and need a wake up call.

Encouragement for New Players (spoonitnow)
If you hit the snooze on reDZill4's post above, read spoon's rant for a second wake up call.

Biggest Money-Making Secret in Poker (euphoricism)
Not at all what you might expect but a must read nonetheless.

Psychology of Losing (aokrongly)
Having trouble controlling tilt? Pop a few pills of 'aok' and feel better about yourself.

Cash Game Short-Stack Strategy (Fnord)
Yes, there is strategy in short-stacking and yes, it's profitable.

Renton/ABCD Theorem (Renton)
Learn which sub-range to put your opponent on and prosper. If only it was that easy.

Tools for Patience (aokrongly)
Tips on how to control yourself during the marathon that is MTT poker.

How to Win at MTT Poker (soupie)
If you follow the advice above about patience and combine it with this post, MTTs are a cinch.

Required Skills for SnG Players (FlyingSaucy)
Another great post on how to win at tournament poker.

ICM for Tournament Poker (CrunchyNuts)
Independent Chip Model associates tournament chips to cash and helps analyze your game.

Good for you and good luck

Originally Posted by LuckySlevin

Good for you and good luck

For some reason I read this and look at the Joker in your sig and combine the two as extreme sarcasm. But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, so thanks and good luck to you.

Random thoughts...

ABC Poker
So... every time I sit down at a table and seemingly every ten minutes thereafter, I have to remind myself to play ABC poker. Raise my good hands, fold the bad hands, and make smart decisions in marginal situations. Micro-limits or not, this is poker in a nutshell. It's not like I just learned this yesterday, but it's good to be reminded every now and then. I've already proved that I can't deal with a long spell of negative variance. My play goes all to shit and so does my bankroll. So for now, ABC, tight, nitty poker works for me.

Tournaments
I am a much better tournament player than I am a cash game player. I'm not a losing player by any means at cash games, but tournaments seem to be my niche. Thing is though, I just don't have the patience to sit around for hours on end, day in and day out, grinding out MTTs. If I did, I'd do it like it was my religion. I do need to start fitting more tourneys into my schedule but they're just so damn time consuming. At least with a cash game I can log off whenever the hell I feel like it.

2-7 Triple Draw (Limit)
I can't stop coming back to this game. It's a great lowball variation and the tables are FILLED with fish. All I have to do is sit back and play tight as fuck and I profit. Sometimes I only play one hand in two orbits and people still call/draw down to the river - a lot of times when I c/r and stand pat after the first draw. So sick...

Below are some hands from this afternoon's session at 6-tabling $10NL. All but one are hands I won because it was hard to find hands I had trouble with... which is refreshing, even at $10NL.

I've been doing some experimenting with half-stacking and so far it's worked out great. People will call me with TPWK, medium pair, or even with AK. Obviously I want a bigger sample size before I go declaring it my bread and butter. Comment if you wish...

Hand #1

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (7 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (MP1) ($5.35)
MP2 ($10)
CO ($10.70)
Button ($2.30)
SB ($11)
BB ($2.15)
UTG ($11.45)

Preflop: Hero is MP1 with A, J
UTG calls $0.10, Hero raises to $0.40, 5 folds, UTG calls $0.30

Flop: ($0.95) Q, 3, 6 (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero checks

Turn: ($0.95) 6 (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero checks

River: ($0.95) 2 (2 players)
UTG bets $0.40, Hero calls $0.40

Total pot: $1.75 | Rake: $0.05

Notes: this was a snap call, never thought twice. I put villain on ace high (possibly AT) and he showed A7o.

Hand #2

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP1 ($9.85)
MP2 ($11.90)
Hero (MP3) ($3.75)
CO ($2.20)
Button ($3.70)
SB ($8)
BB ($2)
UTG ($7.55)
UTG+1 ($10.15)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with 10, Q
4 folds, Hero raises to $0.35, 2 folds, SB calls $0.30, 1 fold

Flop: ($0.80) Q, 4, 3 (2 players)
SB bets $0.30, Hero raises to $0.90, SB calls $0.60

Turn: ($2.60) 7 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $2.50 (All-In), 1 fold

Total pot: $2.60 | Rake: $0.10

Notes: just a standard half-stack play with top pair/good kicker.

Hand #3

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

SB ($2.60)
BB ($7.50)
UTG ($4.50)
UTG+1 ($4.50)
Hero (MP1) ($4.05)
MP2 ($2.65)
MP3 ($8.45)
CO ($8.40)
Button ($5.20)

Preflop: Hero is MP1 with 2, 2
2 folds, Hero calls $0.10, MP2 calls $0.10, 2 folds, Button raises to $0.50, 1 fold, BB calls $0.40, Hero calls $0.40, 1 fold

Flop: ($1.65) 2, J, A (3 players)
BB checks, Hero checks, Button bets $1, 1 fold, Hero raises to $3.55 (All-In), Button calls $2.55

Turn: ($8.75) 4 (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($8.75) Q (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $8.75 | Rake: $0.40

Notes: standard c/r into raiser with flopped set.

Hand #4

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (8 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

UTG+1 ($14.75)
Hero (MP1) ($4.65)
MP2 ($5.95)
CO ($2.70)
Button ($6.55)
SB ($1.95)
BB ($8.65)
UTG ($7.95)

Preflop: Hero is MP1 with 5, 5
2 folds, Hero raises to $0.35, MP2 calls $0.35, 4 folds

Flop: ($0.85) 4, 9, 10 (2 players)
Hero bets $0.40, MP2 raises to $0.80, Hero folds

Total pot: $1.65 | Rake: $0.05

Notes: raised it up here with 55 from MP1, but could have just limp/called and not c-bet the flop. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I'll call it a wash.

Hand #5

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (8 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

UTG+1 ($10.70)
MP1 ($23.35)
MP2 ($7.85)
CO ($15.80)
Hero (Button) ($4.50)
SB ($9.15)
BB ($3.60)
UTG ($2)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 10, 10
2 folds, MP1 calls $0.10, 2 folds, Hero raises to $0.50, SB calls $0.45, 2 folds

Flop: ($1.20) 8, 3, 2 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $1.15, SB calls $1.15

Turn: ($3.50) 5 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $2.85 (All-In), SB calls $2.85

River: ($9.20) 7 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $9.20 | Rake: $0.45

Notes: another standard half-stack play with an over-pair to the board. I wasn't worried about a straight at all and any over-pair to mine would have most likely raised.

Hand #6

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

UTG+1 ($1.80)
MP1 ($4.20)
MP2 ($5.90)
MP3 ($6.50)
CO ($9.85)
Hero (Button) ($4.80)
SB ($2)
BB ($6.25)
UTG ($11.55)

Preflop: Hero is Button with K, Q
UTG calls $0.10, UTG+1 calls $0.10, 4 folds, Hero calls $0.10, 1 fold, BB checks

Flop: ($0.45) J, 8, Q (4 players)
BB checks, UTG bets $0.20, 1 fold, Hero raises to $0.60, 1 fold, UTG calls $0.40

Turn: ($1.65) J (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero checks

River: ($1.65) 4 (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero checks

Total pot: $1.65 | Rake: $0.05

Notes: I could have bet the river here but I was content with a 16bb pot. Villain had shown he likes to slow-play & c/r so I just checked it down after the call on the flop. He showed down AK.

I'm still working with this half-stack experiment and I'm liking how it's panned out so far. It lets me be more aggressive in spots and players seem to give me less respect, which is what I want.

I tried to 12-tables last night and it was alright for a bit but once I started running good and went up a few buyins, I started to get a little cocky. I ran into a set vs TPTK twice to the same player in probably 20 hands. I should have recognized it. Oh well, shit happens. Make a note, learn from it and move on. I usually only play 6-tables so that's what I'll stick to and only add tables in increments of 1.

So here's a hand where I flopped quads against a somewhat tight player. I put him on a big Ace (but hoping for a big overpair). I'm thinking I should have bet 1/2 pot on the flop. But when he checked the flop, I was almost certain he had big unpaired cards so just tried to get as much value out of him without him folding up shop. I was hoping to induce a bluff with the river but oh well.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (8 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (Button) ($5.95)
SB ($11.55)
BB ($12.35)
UTG ($16.15)
UTG+1 ($6.80)
MP1 ($15.70)
MP2 ($10)
CO ($5.50)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 9, 9
UTG raises to $0.50, 4 folds, Hero calls $0.50, 2 folds

Flop: ($1.15) 9, 5, 9 (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero checks

Turn: ($1.15) 2 (2 players)
UTG bets $0.80, Hero calls $0.80

River: ($2.75) 3 (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $0.80, UTG calls $0.80

Total pot: $4.35 | Rake: $0.20

Results in white below:
Hero had 9, 9 (four of a kind, nines).
UTG mucked J, A (one pair, nines).
Outcome: Hero won $4.15