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PerryPlaysPoker - $50 to $10000 - Amateur to.....really good amateur.

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  1. #1

    Default PerryPlaysPoker - $50 to $10000 - Amateur to.....really good amateur.

    Hey everyone.

    I'm Perry, a 28 year-old male from England who is a born-again keen recreational player. From 2006-2012 I loved the game and started a blog/vlog series along with it. I had the small successes that any casual players get, the small profits over the month and the occasional cashes in MTT, my passion for the game even got me a job as Head Writer for PokerVIP and PokerUpdate. However, personal issues made my love for poker wane and since then I've only played the odd game.

    Now I am itching to play once more and I've started to work on the very same challenge that I began with way back when, turning $50 into $10000 and finally prove that I can be a winning player at this game. I am starting with Full-Ring Cash Games at 2NL on Pokerstars and will continue with that number of buy-ins until I get to 25NL, where I will re-evaluate what game I will play. I have Equilab and PokerTracker 3 on my PC right now (I'll get PokerTracker 4 when I know how to play this game), a hard drive with every poker video and book I ever kept and DragTheBar is free (BlackRain79 videos FTW).

    I've started the challenge already and......I've lost 5 buy-ins in less than 700 hands.....great.

    I stopped playing for a couple of days to figure out what was going wrong.

    PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 8 players

    SB: $2.01
    Hero (BB): $2.00
    UTG: $2.00
    UTG+1: $3.78
    MP: $1.35
    MP+1: $2.22
    CO: $2.00
    BTN: $3.71

    SB posts SB $0.01, Hero posts BB $0.02

    Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero has A A

    fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, BTN raises to $0.06, fold, Hero raises to $0.20, BTN calls $0.14

    Flop: ($0.41, 2 players) J J 9
    Hero bets $0.32, BTN calls $0.32

    Turn: ($1.05, 2 players) Q
    Hero checks, BTN bets $0.51, Hero calls $0.51

    River: ($2.07, 2 players) 6
    Hero checks, BTN bets $1.20, Hero calls $0.97 and is all-in

    BTN shows A 7 (Flush, Ace High) (Pre 12%, Flop 35%, Turn 20%)
    Hero shows A A (Two Pair, Aces and Jacks) (Pre 88%, Flop 65%, Turn 80%)
    BTN wins $3.87

    Should of perhaps continued to bet on the T because of the limits, definitely should have folded on the River. Before this challenge I was doing that, but not now. Nor in this hand:

    PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 8 players

    CO: $2.00
    Hero (BTN): $2.00
    SB: $2.00
    BB: $1.55
    UTG: $1.26
    UTG+1: $2.18
    MP: $1.80
    MP+1: $4.31

    SB posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

    Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero has Q Q

    fold, fold, MP calls $0.02, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.10, fold, BB calls $0.08, MP calls $0.08

    Flop: ($0.31, 3 players) T 2 3
    BB checks, MP bets $0.14, Hero raises to $0.50, BB raises to $1.45 and is all-in, fold, Hero calls $0.95

    Turn: ($3.35, 2 players) A

    River: ($3.35, 2 players) 4

    BB shows 2 2 (Three of a Kind, Twos) (Pre 18%, Flop 91%, Turn 95%)
    Hero shows Q Q (One Pair, Queens) (Pre 82%, Flop 9%, Turn 5%)
    BB wins $3.23

    Or this hand:

    PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 8 players

    UTG: $4.19
    UTG+1: $0.83
    MP: $2.23
    MP+1: $0.33
    CO: $2.00
    BTN: $2.59
    Hero (SB): $2.18
    BB: $3.70

    Hero posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

    Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero has Q J

    fold, fold, fold, MP+1 calls $0.02, fold, BTN raises to $0.04, Hero calls $0.03, fold, MP+1 calls $0.02

    Flop: ($0.14, 3 players) Q 9 4
    Hero checks, MP+1 checks, BTN bets $0.14, Hero calls $0.14, fold

    Turn: ($0.42, 2 players) 6
    Hero checks, BTN bets $0.30, Hero calls $0.30

    River: ($1.02, 2 players) 3
    Hero checks, BTN bets $0.70, Hero calls $0.70

    BTN shows K K (One Pair, Kings) (Pre 83%, Flop 81%, Turn 89%)
    Hero mucks Q J (One Pair, Queens) (Pre 17%, Flop 19%, Turn 11%)
    BTN wins $2.34

    OK, this hand I feel like I was unlucky:

    PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 9 players

    SB: $2.01
    BB: $2.15
    UTG: $1.45
    Hero (UTG+1): $2.26
    MP: $2.00
    MP+1: $2.02
    LP: $2.38
    CO: $2.00
    BTN: $2.08

    SB posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

    Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero has 7 7

    UTG calls $0.02, Hero calls $0.02, MP raises to $0.06, fold, fold, fold, BTN calls $0.06, fold, fold, UTG calls $0.04, Hero calls $0.04

    Flop: ($0.27, 4 players) 7 T 4
    UTG checks, Hero checks, MP bets $0.15, fold, UTG calls $0.15, Hero raises to $0.50, MP calls $0.35, UTG calls $0.35

    Turn: ($1.77, 3 players) 6
    UTG checks, Hero bets $1.70 and is all-in, MP calls $1.44 and is all-in, UTG calls $0.89 and is all-in

    River: ($5.54, 3 players) 9

    Hero shows 7 7 (Three of a Kind, Sevens) (Pre 29%, Flop 56%, Turn 21%)
    MP shows 9 8 (Straight, Ten High) (Pre 29%, Flop 41%, Turn 79%)
    UTG shows J Q (High Card, Queen) (Pre 43%, Flop 3%, Turn 0%)
    MP wins $5.35

    But this one seems the same as the other ones:

    PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 8 players

    Hero (SB): $2.01
    BB: $2.27
    UTG: $2.00
    UTG+1: $2.00
    MP: $2.04
    MP+1: $1.93
    CO: $2.08
    BTN: $2.08

    Hero posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

    Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero has K A

    fold, UTG+1 raises to $0.06, fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero calls $0.05, fold

    Flop: ($0.14, 2 players) 9 6 K
    Hero checks, UTG+1 bets $0.08, Hero calls $0.08

    Turn: ($0.30, 2 players) 7
    Hero checks, UTG+1 bets $0.21, Hero calls $0.21

    River: ($0.72, 2 players) 5
    Hero checks, UTG+1 bets $0.51, Hero calls $0.51

    UTG+1 shows A 5 (Flush, Ace High) (Pre 30%, Flop 37%, Turn 100%)
    Hero mucks K A (One Pair, Kings) (Pre 70%, Flop 63%, Turn 0%)
    UTG+1 wins $1.68

    I was making these folds before, I swear I was. I am guessing it's the change of mindset. Before I started to do this challenge again a loss was just a loss, I moved on and took notes from when I made mistakes. For whatever reason, I'm now in a fit of rage every time I lose a hand. I'm taking this too seriously because I want to succeed so badly. The couple of days off this has given me an idea on what I need to do:

    1) Play for the enjoyment, not for the money - Should be easy now because I'll be playing for change, but it's good to remember that later on when I get the ball rolling. I just need to take losses positively and learn from them. I'll also look for ways to keep calm off the tables, as the stress of work does have it's negative effects.

    2) Keep It Simple - At 2NL, I am against a lot of players who can only think about their hands. With the QJ and AK hands above, I call because I wanted to try and keep the hands that they bluff with in the hand, in the hopes they hit something that they'll call later on or they bluff in later streets. I like that, but at these limits it's not needed. If they're betting, there's a good chance they call a raise or raise further (if they're bad). At this level it's about maximising my value, I'm going to get more aggressive against the bad players. Now, if the player seems to be pretty good (for the level) I'm going to consider calling for the above reasons....then just probably shove the nuts because it's 2NL, they can't all be learning the game.

    3) Learn - I am going to figure out the fundamentals. Starting Hands, Position, Bet Sizing, Pot Odds, I am going to make sure I have this and more figured out. Red Chip Poker had an article and podcast that is useful for this:
    • I'll take a concept.
    • Read a couple of articles.
    • Watch a video.
    • Give it extra thought when playing
    • Repeat with new concept.


    From what the podcast said, it should be possible to get to 25NL with free learning resources. By that point, I'm going to have to spend money to improve and get to better stakes (which I'll be OK with, because by that point I'll be making it rain...with, well, just dollar bills to begin with....but a lot of them.)

    That's it for now. I'm going to start with a bit of the studying and look into some of the other threads.

    Starting Bankroll - $50.01 (Thanks exchange rate)
    Current Bankroll - $41

    Good luck at the tables.

    Perry.
  2. #2
    gl with the grind man!
    Congratulations, you've won your dick's weight in sweets! Decode the message in the above post to find out how to claim your tic-tac
  3. #3
    Thanks man, appreciate it.
  4. #4
    Welcome and best of luck!
  5. #5

    Default Downhill

    Just under 400 hands played and another 3 buy-ins down:

    Starting Bankroll - $50.01
    Previous Bankroll - $41
    Current Bankroll - $35.08

    Another (just less) than 400 hands played and another 3 buy-ins down. I would show the hands that lost but right now I am on my laptop, which does not have Poker Tracker and that would mean I would need to go on my PC to open Poker Tracker, which right now can kiss my arse.

    Two key hands lost me stacks and that doesn't help, but there were a number of hands like AK and 99 where I 2-barrelled the wrong players and got punished for it.

    Going to keep this quick because I am going to start reading Crushing The Micro-Stakes by Nathan Williams. I will beat this game....2NL at least
  6. #6
    Don't worry about the slow start Perry, it could be a few thousand hands before you really start to shake the rust off. Just keep playing / studying / posting hands and don't forget to flop hard and run good
    Congratulations, you've won your dick's weight in sweets! Decode the message in the above post to find out how to claim your tic-tac
  7. #7
    !Luck's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PerryPlaysPoker View Post

    PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 8 players

    SB: $2.01
    Hero (BB): $2.00
    UTG: $2.00
    UTG+1: $3.78
    MP: $1.35
    MP+1: $2.22
    CO: $2.00
    BTN: $3.71

    SB posts SB $0.01, Hero posts BB $0.02

    Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero has A A

    fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, BTN raises to $0.06, fold, Hero raises to $0.20, BTN calls $0.14

    Flop: ($0.41, 2 players) J J 9
    Hero bets $0.32, BTN calls $0.32

    Turn: ($1.05, 2 players) Q
    Hero checks, BTN bets $0.51, Hero calls $0.51

    River: ($2.07, 2 players) 6
    Hero checks, BTN bets $1.20, Hero calls $0.97 and is all-in

    BTN shows A 7 (Flush, Ace High) (Pre 12%, Flop 35%, Turn 20%)
    Hero shows A A (Two Pair, Aces and Jacks) (Pre 88%, Flop 65%, Turn 80%)
    BTN wins $3.87
    Turn is a bet.

    Quote Originally Posted by PerryPlaysPoker View Post
    PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 8 players

    CO: $2.00
    Hero (BTN): $2.00
    SB: $2.00
    BB: $1.55
    UTG: $1.26
    UTG+1: $2.18
    MP: $1.80
    MP+1: $4.31

    SB posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

    Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero has Q Q

    fold, fold, MP calls $0.02, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.10, fold, BB calls $0.08, MP calls $0.08

    Flop: ($0.31, 3 players) T 2 3
    BB checks, MP bets $0.14, Hero raises to $0.50, BB raises to $1.45 and is all-in, fold, Hero calls $0.95

    Turn: ($3.35, 2 players) A

    River: ($3.35, 2 players) 4

    BB shows 2 2 (Three of a Kind, Twos) (Pre 18%, Flop 91%, Turn 95%)
    Hero shows Q Q (One Pair, Queens) (Pre 82%, Flop 9%, Turn 5%)
    BB wins $3.23
    Given no reads besides small starting stack i think this is fine.


    Quote Originally Posted by PerryPlaysPoker View Post
    PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 8 players

    UTG: $4.19
    UTG+1: $0.83
    MP: $2.23
    MP+1: $0.33
    CO: $2.00
    BTN: $2.59
    Hero (SB): $2.18
    BB: $3.70

    Hero posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

    Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero has Q J

    fold, fold, fold, MP+1 calls $0.02, fold, BTN raises to $0.04, Hero calls $0.03, fold, MP+1 calls $0.02

    Flop: ($0.14, 3 players) Q 9 4
    Hero checks, MP+1 checks, BTN bets $0.14, Hero calls $0.14, fold

    Turn: ($0.42, 2 players) 6
    Hero checks, BTN bets $0.30, Hero calls $0.30

    River: ($1.02, 2 players) 3
    Hero checks, BTN bets $0.70, Hero calls $0.70

    BTN shows K K (One Pair, Kings) (Pre 83%, Flop 81%, Turn 89%)
    Hero mucks Q J (One Pair, Queens) (Pre 17%, Flop 19%, Turn 11%)
    BTN wins $2.34
    If this guys opens wide, donk betting 2 streets is okay.

    You have no clue where you are at by the river. Also, post reads and your thoughts on his range, the list of hands he could have at any moment.
  8. #8

    Default Update, still losing......is that an update?

    Previous Bankroll - $35.08
    Current Bankroll - $



    That's the current sessions thus far, it's only 2652 hands but that's also a cause for concern. 11 buy-ins down at such a short space of time is worrying. I am looking at the big pots that I've played thus far and see whether it's bad luck or if there are major leaks in these spots.

    PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 8 players
    BB: $2.37
    UTG: $1.97
    UTG+1: $1.70
    MP: $2.00
    MP+1: $2.13
    Hero (CO): $2.00
    BTN: $5.51
    SB: $2.00

    SB posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

    Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero has A Q

    fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.06, BTN calls $0.06, fold, fold

    Standard raise with a premium hand in late position, this guy is a 22/11/2 after 36 hands. My range on him would be a lot of broadway hands, any mid to small pair, some suited connectors.

    Flop: ($0.15, 2 players) Q 5 5
    Hero bets $0.10, BTN raises to $0.20, Hero calls $0.10

    My thoughts here is that I have this flop and his range crushed. so I am surprised when he min-raises me. I can't see a lot of 5's in his range, but I do see a lot of players min-raise monsters. My decision was to call down:
    1) If he is going to bluff at me, or do this with 99-66 or a weak Q, I think raising now would push him off the pot. By calling, I might be able to get some more value by being able to bet when he checks or see him 2-barrel.

    2) If he is slowplaying a 5, I at least save a little from just calling as opposed to shoving in, he does only have an aggression factor of 1, so he isn't going to be betting/raising with anything light.

    Turn: ($0.55, 2 players) 8
    Hero checks, BTN bets $0.26, Hero calls $0.26

    River: ($1.07, 2 players) 4
    Hero checks, BTN bets $0.51, Hero calls $0.51

    BTN shows Q 8 (Two Pair, Queens and Eights) (Pre 29%, Flop 22%, Turn 91%)
    Hero mucks A Q (Two Pair, Queens and Fives) (Pre 71%, Flop 78%, Turn 9%)
    BTN wins $2.02

    That 8 was nasty. I think raising the pot on the flop would have either won me the pot there and then, or I would have got it in on the turn when he calls and I see that suckout. I like how I played it as I get him to continue betting into me or I can bet for another street of value on the turn or river. At the same time, am I thinking too much in a 2NL spot. 23 hands is not a lot of info to go on, I kind of disagree that 20 hands is all you need to determine a players VPIP/PFR as Nathan Williams says, as I wouldn't have expected Q8o to be in that player's range. What do you think?

    PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 6 players
    CO: $2.03
    BTN: $2.00
    SB: $3.02
    BB: $2.00
    UTG: $2.59
    Hero (MP): $3.63

    SB posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

    Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero has 8 8

    fold, Hero raises to $0.08, fold, BTN calls $0.08, fold, fold

    Flop: ($0.19, 2 players) J 8 5
    Hero bets $0.14, BTN calls $0.14

    Turn: ($0.47, 2 players) A
    Hero bets $0.35, BTN calls $0.35

    River: ($1.17, 2 players) K
    Hero bets $0.80, BTN raises to $1.43 and is all-in, Hero calls $0.63

    BTN shows A Q (Flush, Ace High) (Pre 47%, Flop 26%, Turn 18%)
    Hero shows 8 8 (Three of a Kind, Eights) (Pre 53%, Flop 74%, Turn 82%)
    BTN wins $3.89


    At this point, my opponent was 0/0/0 after 15 hands. Jeez, how do you make the fish call, these winning players make it look so easy.
    Anyway, I liked the betting on the flop and turn, but I should not be calling after he shoves over me. It's a flush, he isn't shoving two-pair on this spot because he only gets called by worse. At this point I remember being a little tilty because of many other losses and after this hand I stood up after it got to the BB on all tables. I had done that a few times, calling when I knew I was beat. Saving 31.5BBs can add up over time.

    PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 8 players
    UTG: $2.50
    UTG+1: $1.36
    MP: $0.73
    MP+1: $1.39
    Hero (CO): $3.41
    BTN: $2.00
    SB: $1.93
    BB: $1.60

    SB posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

    Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero has A T

    fold, fold, fold, MP+1 calls $0.02, Hero raises to $0.10, fold, fold, BB calls $0.08, fold

    Flop: ($0.23, 2 players) 6 J Q
    BB bets $0.08, Hero raises to $0.28, BB calls $0.20

    Turn: ($0.79, 2 players) A
    BB bets $0.18, Hero raises to $0.55, BB raises to $1.22 and is all-in, Hero calls $0.67

    River: ($3.23, 2 players) 9

    BB shows A K (One Pair, Aces) (Pre 73%, Flop 81%, Turn 93%)
    Hero shows A T (One Pair, Aces) (Pre 27%, Flop 19%, Turn 7%)
    BB wins $3.12

    PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 8 players
    UTG: $2.50
    UTG+1: $1.36
    MP: $0.73
    MP+1: $1.39
    Hero (CO): $3.41
    BTN: $2.00
    SB: $1.93
    BB: $1.60

    SB posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

    Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero has A T

    fold, fold, fold, MP+1 calls $0.02, Hero raises to $0.10, fold, fold, BB calls $0.08, fold

    Flop: ($0.23, 2 players) 6 J Q
    BB bets $0.08, Hero raises to $0.28, BB calls $0.20

    Turn: ($0.79, 2 players) A
    BB bets $0.18, Hero raises to $0.55, BB raises to $1.22 and is all-in, Hero calls $0.67

    River: ($3.23, 2 players) 9

    BB shows A K (One Pair, Aces) (Pre 73%, Flop 81%, Turn 93%)
    Hero shows A T (One Pair, Aces) (Pre 27%, Flop 19%, Turn 7%)
    BB wins $3.12

    Pre-flop is standard, he can call or raise AK there. On the flop, he donk-leads small and I bet close to pot. I'm surprised he calls here to a raise, but it's to my downfall on the turn. Again, I bet, get raised, need to fold, I don't beat anything. This spot is too common for me.

    PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 9 players
    SB: $2.00
    BB: $1.38
    UTG: $0.92
    Hero (UTG+1): $2.00
    MP: $0.64
    MP+1: $2.83
    LP: $2.86
    CO: $2.00
    BTN: $2.00

    SB posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

    Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero has A A

    UTG calls $0.02, Hero raises to $0.08, fold, fold, LP calls $0.08, fold, fold, SB calls $0.07, fold, UTG calls $0.06

    The short-stack UTG is 53/0/1, so I am raising to keep him in, I just wasn't expecting a SLP (23/8/4 - 26 hands) and a nit (9/3/na - 32 hands) join in.

    Flop: ($0.34, 4 players) 6 8 2
    SB bets $0.24, fold, Hero raises to $0.68, fold, SB raises to $1.92 and is all-in, fold

    The nit leads out and I'm confused with what to do. This is kind of like having JJ preflop to me, I have 3 options, all of them wrong:

    a) Fold - A nit has donk-bet into 4 opponents, that usually smells of a set. But, what if he is passive with 99-JJ or has a small chance of having a flush draw+overcards?

    b) Call - Could do this if I think I have enough hands to beat, but I do worry about a number of cards (flush card, 9,T,J mainly) and what if he continues to barrel, am I just bleeding money.

    c) Raise - Prevents the few marginal hands he could possibly have, but if called I can't see myself ahead here and could have perhaps just called and folded the turn.

    I elect to raise, and fold to their shove. I can only see sets in this guys range, and I don't think he'd go crazy with TT/JJ. Hands like QQ/KK he would likely raise pre-flop.

    SB wins $1.64

    So, while there has been a number of bad beats and cooler spots, these hands show that I am not helping myself with loose calls in spots where my top-pair or set is just not going to be good.

    The next time I play, I'll be recording it to post on YouTube, if any of you kind-hearted people can watch it in the future, that would be great. In the meantime, I have a question.

    How do I maximise the use of PokerTracker and Equilab? Can anybody link me to a decent post on FTR or elsewhere, I am going to keep looking but so far what I have found is very vague stuff.

    Thanks for reading. Good luck at the tables.

    Perry.
  9. #9
    AQs - i'm bumping that up on the flop to .50 . if you have him on broadways/pairs/suited connectors you have a load of his QJKQ etc dominated that are stacking off KK and AA will likely have 3bet pre so you are only worried about his QQ and 55.


    88 - i'm check calling river up to half pot to let him bluff his Ax hands which he may fold to a potential flush /straight on board. stacking off is bad on that board


    AT - a 0/0 starts betting the flop , why on earth are you bloating the pot by raising him with a gutshot. just call and hit your king cheaply then he will likely have a job laying down his top pair/set etc and pay you off when you start raising having hit your hand.


    AA - never heard the term " raising to keep him in before" raising to isolate a fish would be a better term. The nits donking two thirds pot into 4 people .....I can't see anyway that he doesn't have a set here ,so probably folding is best.
  10. #10
    AQ - I feel like we need some post flop reads on this guy here. I'd see this as a decent spot to slow play tptk, the board isn't likely to get ugly. We can only really expect value from Qx. Sure, we might get a small pair to peel one street, but if we check the flop he might then call two streets. And it's not like I expect him to check back Qx. By checking, we disguise the strength of our hand, while enticing a bluff. But if I know he'll call more than one street with a lower pair, or raise Qx, or is showing a tendancy to bluff by raising cbets, then I'd lead and keep firing. We have 36 hands on him, he must have shown down a fair few hands by now. Can you not elaborate more on his post flop tendancies? If you can't, well this is the area you need to be focussing on... when you're not in the hand, replay hands where there were showdowns and make notes.

    88, I would be looking to size each street to get stacks in easily on river, so I'd probably pot the flop and then near pot the turn. At least then I haven't got a sigh call when he shoves his flush on river at less than a minraise. I think bets of 19c and 55c do the job nicely. When he shows the nuts, nh, this isn't a hand we should expect to be getting away from. I'd have felt better about this if he played his nfd aggressively, but w/e, that's out of our hands.

    AT, this looks butchered to me. When he donks flop, he basically tells you he has a draw. So why are you raising him? He's either raising or calling, and we have ace high. The turn, I actually hate it, especially given he just called a flop raise. This completes the oesd, and we know he hasn't got nfd. I do, however, really like his sizing, and am very grateful to have an easy call instead of a tough decision. To raise here instead of snapping the price he gives us is quite frankly insane. Do I call a river bet? If it's a reasonable size, sure. If he checks, I happily check back. I don't see this as a spot at any point in the hand where getting stacks in is going to be good for us more than bad.

    AA, well I'm not folding at 2nl, I don't give a fuck what keith says. I can see 99-JJ, A8, and flush draws, as well as sets. Note we're not blocking nfd.
    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy View Post
    ongies gonna ong
  11. #11
    AQ - I think facing a min raise on the flop is often just top pair, so I think either flatting if you think he has air or re-raise to value his weaker TP is fine.

    88 - Really big flop bet sizing imo. At these stakes it's probably ok, but as an overall plan / balance your whole range, 1/2-2/3 pot might be better. I would bet smaller prob on all streets, and on the river I would bet smaller for sure, with the plan of b/f.

    AT - Call flop for sure. As played, call turn, you might be ahead but raising won't get called by worse.

    AA - This hand is fine.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jay-Z
    I'm a couple hands down and I'm tryin' to get back
    I gave the other grip, I lost a flip for five stacks
  12. #12

    Default Slowly making my way back to breakeven

    Hey guys,

    Thanks for all the posts thus far, I've been away for a little bit as I had a minor eye operation. Poker was put on hold cause, you know, couldn't see shit.

    Eye all sorted now, so I played the last couple of days and things have really gone well.

    Current Bankroll - $46.55



    Having gone down around 12 buy-ins, I'm almost back to breakeven. So yeah, let's pretend this first month never happened.

    A nice session last night where I won close to 5 buy-ins, it was the first time where I saw large numbers of fish on tables and it really does make a difference. I have recorded two videos of how I played a session and I will upload them onto my YouTube page, I'll then go through them and look at key hands to post my thoughts on here.

    Will be back on this once it's done.
  13. #13
    I've posted my videos on my YouTube page (can't do links, search for "PerryPlaysPoker" and you'll see my two vids hanging out with a Matthew Perry chat video). As you're probably well aware by now, I don't give expert insight just trying to get the thoughts out of my head in a coherent manner (I fail, but I use the term isolation raise, so I'm getting there)

    This was part of a session that got me over 5 buy-ins for the day, bringing me close to breakeven. I am going to go through them again myself and am already cringing with some spots (just check/call a straight against a maniac.......why did I think so weak?) but I'll take a note of it for next time.

    Thanks for the tips by the ways with the previous hand histories. I've adjusted my bet sizes against more solid players in the micro-stakes and find it to be helping a lot. I'll look to add more hand histories with better notes on my opponents (unless I don't have them, which is usual for me)

    Have a great Xmas.

    Pez

    MOD edit:



    Last edited by Keith; 12-25-2015 at 05:09 AM. Reason: added youtube videos
  14. #14
    Nice to see you are turning things around.
    It takes 2 years to learn to talk, but a lifetime to learn when to shut up.
  15. #15

    Default December Review - Breakeven never felt so good



    Current Bankroll - $63.11.....?

    OK. I started with $50(.01), I got $10.00 from the VIP reward with my Stars coins - and a T-shirt - I'm up $1.10...

    ...so where has the extra $2 come from??? Don't care, I'm up for the month and that feels like a major victory.

    Having been down 12 buy-ins pretty much from the start, I am happy to make a small profit this month. The big hands are starting to win and more importantly, I've listened to your comments. I'm nowhere near perfect, that's for sure, but I feel confident that I'll crush 2NL and 5NL soon enough and move on from there.

    AQ/KQ/AJ/AT lose too much for me - Checking my Poker Tracker hands, I can tell I overplay this group in some spots. Either raising when I should just call, or call too many streets against the wrong player. Against the solid player, I'm trying to do more with pot control, or just fold pre-flop when they are real tight. I need to work on playing these better post-flop.

    Not just bet/bet/jam - Sometimes, you got to check a good hand to get an extra street of value. Convince a weak player their middle pair is good, instead of 2-barrelling and forcing them off. The last session I played was awesome for this and those small-to-mid sized pots soon add up.

    Play as much as you can feel comfortable with against the fish - Now and then, there would be a fish or whale and I knew I had to play as much against them as possible. I weren't the LAG I know many can be, but if I was in position with a somewhat playable hand, I called in position or isolated their limp. The profit made from these players are awesome. No matter how good your pre-flop game is, you make the money post-flop and I need to work on that.

    Keith the mod linked my vids - Thanks man.

    Right. For January, I have 3 targets.

    1) Play 15000 hands.
    2) Finish Crushing the Microstakes
    3) Practice to not tilt.

    Past midnight where I'm from, so I am going to head off.

    Good luck at the tables and have a happy new year.
  16. #16

    Default First Session of the New Year - Got a little bit up

    Hey everyone,

    Played 411 hands again to get into the grind once more and was up $3.49 by the end of it. Alright session, the majority came from KK vs AK all-in pre-flop, but there were some other spots where I would like your input.

    This was a smallish lost pot, but there was a number of these against a similar type of opponent, tell me what you think.

    PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 5 players
    BTN: $1.96
    SB: $2.00
    BB: $0.78
    UTG: $2.57
    Hero (CO): $2.25

    SB posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

    Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero has K T

    fold, Hero raises to $0.08, fold, fold, BB calls $0.06

    Flop: ($0.17, 2 players) A 8 K
    BB bets $0.04, Hero calls $0.04

    Turn: ($0.25, 2 players) 8
    BB bets $0.06, Hero calls $0.06

    River: ($0.37, 2 players) 6
    BB bets $0.10, Hero calls $0.10

    BB shows A 3 (Two Pair, Aces and Eights) (Pre 57%, Flop 80%, Turn 95%)
    Hero mucks K T (Two Pair, Kings and Eights) (Pre 43%, Flop 20%, Turn 5%)
    BB wins $0.55

    My opponent was 64/14/3 after 14 hands and no notes at this point. My thought process at this point was that while I don't have a lot of hands on him, the fact that he has got to over 60% VPIP would suggest he is calling very wide. He bets small on 3 streets and I think if he has a Kx, or QJ/JT/QT or any pocket pair he might do this. The 8 isn't great if he has that on the turn, but it also makes it less likely his hand range consists of an 8. One more small bet on the river and I call, he turns over a weak Ace and he wins the smallish pot of 7BB's. But I had 5 pots that were similar to this. A couple I won, a few I didn't.

    In this particular hand, are you calling down here, or are you folding to a 2-barrel/3-barrel?

    PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 8 players
    SB: $2.05
    BB: $1.97
    UTG: $4.20
    UTG+1: $0.88
    MP: $1.96
    MP+1: $1.11
    Hero (CO): $2.40
    BTN: $1.44

    SB posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

    Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero has Q K

    fold, fold, MP raises to $0.07, MP+1 calls $0.07, Hero calls $0.07, fold, fold, fold

    Flop: ($0.24, 3 players) 4 Q 6
    MP checks, MP+1 checks, Hero checks

    Turn: ($0.24, 3 players) J
    MP checks, MP+1 bets $0.06, Hero raises to $0.16, fold, MP+1 raises to $1.04 and is all-in, Hero calls $0.88

    River: ($2.32, 2 players) 4

    MP+1 shows J K (Two Pair, Jacks and Fours) (Pre 25%, Flop 4%, Turn 5%)
    Hero shows Q K (Two Pair, Queens and Fours) (Pre 75%, Flop 96%, Turn 95%)
    Hero wins $2.24

    The fish/target in this hand is 46/10/3 after 48 hands and the notes I remember having on him that he's fit-or-fold post-flop, and this shows in his bet sizing. He checks, he has nothing. He bets small, marginal hand, he bets big, he's likely to have a big hand. I had previously called down with Ace-high as he was betting small to the pot on all three streets and wound up showing 3rd or 4th pair.

    The 2nd opponent is 12/7/1 after 43 hands and we hadn't got into a hand at that point to place notes on him.

    I call pre-flop as the fish initially raises and I have a hand that is likely good against his raising range in the hi-jack, but would do awful to a 3-bet calling range. On top of that, the fish has opted to call and I don't want to drive him out of the pot when I have position.

    The flop gives me top-pair strong-kicker and both players check to me. Considering the tight player is passive post-flop and based on the notes I had on the fish, I opted to check because few cards give me something to worry about, with the exception of an Ace.

    The nit checks again on the turn, and the fish bets 1/4 pot. With my notes, I deduced that he had J-X at best in this spot, but do I flat or raise. I opted to raise small, as I felt this would still drive out the nit and get a little extra from the fish's marginal hand. I was not expecting the shove from my opponent. As I had never seen him check top-pair at this point, my thoughts were that he either had JX and was turning it into a bluff (as we would see it, he's likely thinking I'm bluffing), he either has some draw he's going crazy with (flush draw, KT/T9/57/35, or I might have got unlucky against his QJ, or something like J6s/J4s. Seeing as I felt there was a lot of hands I still beat against his range, I called and he turns KJ.

    These sessions can give a lot of variance. I won some nice pots but I lost a few smallish pots here and there, where I had a hand I felt was good enough to call, but they ended up showing the better hand. But I feel i am playing them the right way, as opposed to this hand against two opponents:

    PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 9 players
    UTG+1: $1.97
    Hero (MP): $3.87
    MP+1: $2.00
    LP: $2.00
    CO: $2.00
    BTN: $2.00
    SB: $2.00
    BB: $2.00
    UTG: $8.83

    SB posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

    Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero has K 4

    UTG calls $0.02, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, SB calls $0.01, BB checks

    Flop: ($0.06, 3 players) 2 9 8
    SB checks, BB checks, UTG bets $0.06, SB calls $0.06, fold

    Turn: ($0.18, 2 players) 5
    SB bets $1.92 and is all-in, UTG calls $1.92

    River: ($4.02, 2 players) A

    SB shows J 6 (High Card, Ace) (Pre 37%, Flop 28%, Turn 14%)
    UTG shows 7 J (High Card, Ace) (Pre 63%, Flop 72%, Turn 86%)
    UTG wins $3.88

    The fish was 73/26/3 after 31 hands and had got it all-in pre-flop in a 3-way pot with 73o. The opponent had only played 18 hands, but was 11/6/3! Despite the fact he had tight solid stats, he got stacked against a nit with TPTK (Pair Tens - A-T) and got stacked on a four-flush board with a Q9, holding just a pair of queens. Some players overestimate their hands to such an extent that their losing 100BB's with them. Even if my call downs are wrong from time to time, I at least only lose 7BB's when I do it. There were some spots where I folded a decent hand.

    PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 7 players
    CO: $1.90
    BTN: $2.00
    SB: $1.91
    BB: $2.00
    UTG: $1.20
    UTG+1: $2.51
    Hero (MP): $2.07

    SB posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

    Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero has K Q

    UTG calls $0.02, fold, Hero raises to $0.08, CO calls $0.08, fold, fold, BB calls $0.06, UTG calls $0.06

    Flop: ($0.33, 4 players) 2 5 Q
    BB checks, UTG checks, Hero bets $0.24, CO raises to $0.52, fold, fold, fold

    CO wins $0.78

    22/7/0 after 27 hands, I must admit I didn't know what to do here. I just couldn't see many hands my opponent would raise where I was strong (A-X flush draw, I am close to 50/50 a lot of the time, if he has a set I'm crushed, does he raise Q-X, possibly, but how many Q-X hands does he raise here?) I folded in the end, but I am not sure if that was the right move.

    PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 9 players
    Hand converted by PokerTracker 3

    UTG+1: $4.30
    MP: $1.89
    MP+1: $3.11
    LP: $3.97
    CO: $1.60
    BTN: $1.22
    SB: $1.06
    Hero (BB): $2.30
    UTG: $1.22

    SB posts SB $0.01, Hero posts BB $0.02

    Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero has 4 7

    fold, UTG+1 calls $0.02, fold, fold, fold, fold, BTN calls $0.02, fold, Hero checks

    Flop: ($0.07, 3 players) 8 5 6
    Hero bets $0.05, UTG+1 calls $0.05, fold

    Turn: ($0.17, 2 players) 6
    Hero bets $0.10, UTG+1 raises to $0.28, fold

    UTG+1 wins $0.36

    Opponent in question is 22/5/2 after 37 hands, no notes off the top of my hand (I write them in PStars, and there isn't a way to import them into PT3). I bet out immediately because a player with Ac or Kc will call, and the other opponent on the flop was fishy. The fish folds and the tighest player calls. The board pairs and I bet again as I don't want to let Ac or Kc get free cards and the opponent raises. Even with timid flushes the opponent might be worried to a full house, so I cannot see my straight good on a flush board when the turn pairs the board too. Shrug, fold, next hand. What are your thoughts?

    In other news, I bought a new desk:



    It's nothing special, just a basic one. But man, ergonomics matter. I have a new desk that gives a lil more space and puts my main screen in front of me and not an awkward angle and a new chair means I am at a better height my legs are less sore. I am hoping this helps with being to grind for longer in the future. I also want to do some Twitch streaming too, along with YouTube videos.

    And yes, the secondary monitor is old. It's a £10 monitor from a charity shop, because it does the job I need it for. I will certainly be looking at better monitors, even improving, but I want to do it from poker-related profits, not just from my pocket.

    That's my post for now, good luck at the tables.

    Pez.
  17. #17
    Note due to laziness I didn't read any comments

    KT hand - is your standard open 4x? seems big. Fold river imo, he suckered you a long nice and good though with his sizing.

    KQss - I would just bet flop. As played, it's fine, though not loving life on turn.

    KQcc - I would have a hard time folding on the flop to practically a min raise. Could definitely have a worse Qx, I would call and re-eval.

    47 fold on turn seems fine
    Quote Originally Posted by Jay-Z
    I'm a couple hands down and I'm tryin' to get back
    I gave the other grip, I lost a flip for five stacks
  18. #18
    Duly noted Griffey

    KTo - Good question, didn't notice that initially. No my standard is 3x normally. Looking back at the hand, my opponent was 64/14, so I believe I raised that amount to get more money in when my hand will likely be ahead. Not really required if he wants to get it in as he's so short-stacked, but on those occasions where he misses, I'm getting an extra BB.

    KQss - Yeah betting flop would be standard here, I agree with it. I was looking more at my fishy opponent, my tells were strong on him. Course, if the nitty player was to play back, there is a little part of me that would FML for trying to be all hointy-tointy with my little check

    KQcc - I misread my players stats and thought he was 7/7/0 so it looked much more dangerous. Than it changed to what I put on the post. I still don't feel comfortable as he hasn't raised yet, but this looks more like a "call-down and perhaps fold to insane betting" situation than to just fold immediately now that I look back at it.

    Thanks for the comments.
  19. #19

    Default I'm Tired

    It was so easy before.

    The admin job had me Monday-Friday 9am-5:30pm. Get home by 6:30pm, sorted by 8:00pm and play feeling refreshed. Now on late shifts, I try to do the same thing but starting at 10:00. My mind can't do it. I'm unable to focus on the tables. I've tried relaxation, minimising the effort I need to use before playing by automating things, Red Bull, wine (probably not a good idea). I remember reading about how Barry Greenstein played better than the others around him on the tables, because he was fresh when he started and the others were either there after work, or been there for obscene lengths of time to get out of the hole. I can see why now. My mind just feels sluggish and unable to make decisions properly.

    But, on the weeks where I do work later I have to play to get to 15000 hands a month. This is where I feel I should play a couple more tables and look to play a somewhat nitty, ABC game. It would look boring to watch and I wouldn't be taking some opportunities, but maybe automating my play will help when the energy just isn't there. Poker can't always be fun, sometimes you just got to work (although I would question playing 2NL is a chore in its own right).

    I am not playing today as I am exhausted. I'll look to play Friday evening late as I have the weekend off and smash it on Saturday.

    Good luck at the tables.

    Perry.
  20. #20
    playing just to get a number of hands is is stupid. Play when you feel that you can concentrate and make money , auto piloting when tired will probably have you breaking even or losing money.
  21. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by Keith View Post
    playing just to get a number of hands is is stupid. Play when you feel that you can concentrate and make money , auto piloting when tired will probably have you breaking even or losing money.
    Yeah this. I've lost easily a thousand buy ins autopiloting. I think volume tilt is also a thing for me in that I slip into autopilot and FPS spew if I play too much in a given period i.e. Too many days in a row, too many sessions in a day etc. Finding the discipline not to play or to switch off after ten mins if you're not on it are skills hardly anybody masters, so if you can do that then your win rate will be crushing.
  22. #22
    @Keith and The Bean Counter

    Thanks for the comments. I gave it a go and struggled. Only lost a buy-in but I made some bad moves and that wasted away some hands that I thought I had played really well. I'll post some hands when it's not midnight, probably after I get back from seeing H8ful Eight tomorrow evening.

    I would preferably want to play when I am feeling good, but there will be these occasional weeks where I have late shifts. I'll look at playing in the morning perhaps for those days. Wasting a week won't be beneficial right now, but I certainly want to be a bot. I'll need to figure out how to keep my energy and focus high in the evenings when I finish a late shift. First rule, no wine.

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