Nice post Diggy.
Printable View
Nice post Diggy.
Thanks a lot. As I was posting it, I really felt like it belonged in the beginner's forum or somewhere else other than dranger's op thread here. Hmm... maybe I'll go ahead and move it there.Quote:
Originally Posted by mieczkowusc
Great post Diggy! I never would have realized that checking behind on the turn can be more profitable in the long run than the bet-bet-bet mentality I have. I will definitely take this into consideration the next time I'm playing :)
Yea man, definitely post in the BC cuz I think that will help out a lot of people. I think it's a problem a lot of people have. Bit of an eye opener imo.Quote:
Originally Posted by DoanDiggy
Just finished a session. Played about 750ish hands FR 6 tables as usual. Win a stack/lose a stack kind of session. Nothing too special. Ended up at $39.27 so down 2 buy ins. Nothing to worry about.
At the very beginning I had TT a couple of times and wasn't really sure how to proceed with them, so I opted to fold it. I think TT is definitely a hand I have troubles with. I'm going to start posting some of my TT hands in the BC and see if I can get any feedback on them.
In this first hand I think he's only 3-betting with JJ+ AQ or AK. I had JUST sat down at table so was my first hand with him. My only options were 4-bet shove or fold out. 4-betting seemed like a spewy line to take so I folded it out.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
MP1 ($1.68)
MP2 ($4.14)
MP3 ($2.86)
CO ($0.95)
Button ($3.28)
Hero (SB) ($1)
BB ($1)
UTG ($3.75)
UTG+1 ($4.81)
Preflop: Hero is SB with http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/td.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/tc.gif
1 fold, UTG+1 calls $0.02, MP1 (poster) checks, MP2 calls $0.02, 3 folds, Hero raises to $0.12, 1 fold, UTG+1 raises to $0.60, 3 folds
Total pot: $0.30 | Rake: $0
Lo and behold! Two hands later I get TT again on a new table. I would definitely have called the short stacks shove for .18 cents, but once the other guy shoves over I have to fold. What kind of hand should I expect for him to show up with here? Would I still be fine putting all my chips in against 2 all ins? Again it seemed like a really spewy line to take just shoving all of it PF with TT against two unknowns PF.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (8 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
Hero (MP2) ($1)
CO ($2.11)
Button ($1.08)
SB ($0.38)
BB ($1.12)
UTG ($4.04)
UTG+1 ($1.56)
MP1 ($1.68)
Preflop: Hero is MP2 with http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/tc.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/th.gif
1 fold, UTG+1 raises to $0.10, 1 fold, Hero calls $0.10, 2 folds, SB raises to $0.38 (All-In), 1 fold, UTG+1 raises to $1.56 (All-In), 1 fold
Total pot: $0.88
That's it for now. I might do another session around 930-10 if I'm in the mood.
These limp/shoves (or limp/reraise big) really piss me off when I'm holding a hand like TT. I've been seeing it a lot lately, and when I do see the showdown, it's usually stupid crap. I mean, it's hard to call because it feels like it's AK,KK+, but I've seen it be A-rag (or even rag-rag sooooted) so many times that it's pretty tempting to call.
I think folding in both of these spots is fine, though. In both cases, you've put a relatively small amount in the pot thus far and it's just going to be hard to continue profitably. On the first one you might be ahead of his range, but you're likely not ahead of his shove-calling range. That makes it tempting to flat here, but TT turns to such crap on the flop that I think a fold is best.
In the second one, I'd be a lot more tempted to call, expecting him to make this play with low pairs a lot. Does AA or KK usually shove over here, or do they want a call behind? It's a little tricky. I think his range is something like 77-QQ with some KK+ and other stuff mixed in. A call isn't horrible with SB's dead money in the pot (but a read on him would be nice), but a fold is perfectly reasonable.
I'm glad that I made the "right" choice by folding. It's just such a tough spot to be in I think. I mean, I really feel like I overvalue TT PF and I've thought about limping all pairs up to TT most of the time. Typically, TT is a raise for me in any position. I'm thinking about switching it to how I play AJ. Only play it in LP if there aren't any raises (obviously I'll call a small raise with TT), if there only only limpers/folded to me I'll raise it up like usual. Does that seem like it would be a better play?
dranger i just want to wish you luck on your journey. I hope you hit that 100 dollar mark fast!!! It seams like more of a struggle than it really is. Once you start playing 25nl your not even gonna remember much of this 2nl. Ive built up from nothing so many times but i always cash it out like an idiot and never leave myself anything. lol. Anyways you should be pleased with your progress and with yourself. see you around and may your cards be live and your pots be monsters!!!!!
Hey thanks Royal! :) Glad to have you on the site man. Yeah, it's been a pretty up and down grind so far, but I'm not gonna quit on myself. This is a goal that I have to complete. Not want to, HAVE to. I'm a pretty competitive person, and when I get my mind set on something I like to see it through to the end. That's a big reason why I enlisted for the Marines back in June. Can't wait until May 18 when I go to Boot Camp. :D It's going to be hell, but I'll be a stronger person for it, mentally and physically.
Anyways, back to the subject of poker. Last night I fired up 6 tables for FR, and after about an hour or so of playing I decided to try 8 tabling for the first time ever. It was going pretty well, I was keeping good notes on all of my opponents in case I forgot of something they did before. After a couple more hours, I decided what the hell? I'll try to 10 table. Now THAT was a challenge. I really had to focus on my game. I 10 tabled for 3 more hours, and at the end of it I was only up 120BB's. But honestly, I just ran bad. I was up almost $10 at one point in the session, and then all my big hands starting getting cracked. My QQ+ hands that went to showdown got cracked by a smaller set 6 times.
I still feel really good about last night though. I was able to keep solid reads on opponents, and make non robotic plays at times (obviously not all the time). I ended playing over 3,500 hands (all time high at one time) and played for over 6 hours (also another high). At the end of the session my BR only stood at $41.73, but if I had won even 2 of those 6 QQ+ hands at showdown it would have been MUCH higher (in the $45-$46 range).
So really no complaints. I played well, and tried something new. Obviously I don't think I'm going to 10 table ALL the time. I'll probly stick to something in the 6-8 range for the most part. When I get the opportunity to move up to 5nl I'll drop back down to 4 tables and really focus on the play and slowly add more tables on as I get more and more used to the blinds/play.
Wish me luck guys, and hopefully the boomswitch flicks on soon :)
6 hours, 3500 hands. That's what I call a session. Playing all those tables you might wanna put your insurance money into a big monitor. Then you can play 24 tables. :-)
Screw a big monitor lol. I'm probly not gonna attempt a 3500 hand session for a while, or 10 tables for that matter. It was fun, and challenging, but I did turn into a robot the last 500-1k hands or so. I mean, even the fish were realizing I was tight as hell. So wut I did to switch that up was raise the next 4 hands in a row on ALL my tables. I took down 40 blinds LMAO. It was crazy. Once I realized that I had that much fold equity against these guys, I started betting a raising like mad, taking down blinds and small pots. Then once they started reacting to that (took em close an hour lol) I decided it was time to leave.
It was pretty wild though. Made me feel pretty good that I could keep up with 10 tables of action and not lose my mind lol. I remember when 4 tables was HECTIC lmao.
Anyways, I'm just gonna stick to 2-3 hour sessions (tops) on 6-8 tables from now on. BTW cascading tables=nuts imo.
Just finished a 2 hour session 6-8 tabling (it varied) FR. I started out a 6-max and played/ran like ass. Except for one AMAZING hand that I'll put at bottom of post. Anyways, after getting pissed off at 6-max I switched to FR so I wouldn't have to choke out my roommate due to frustration.
After that things did NOT look up. Things kept getting worse as I lost KK on a Q-high flop to a guy with Q2o that hit a 2 on the river for a stack. Then I'd win a stack then lose another, win, lose, rinse, wash, repeat. I kept getting more and more frustrated at the stupidness of it.
I hate when I win then lose a stack over and over. That gets under my skin more than anything I think. But I just kept on playing. Expecting it to end at some point (hopefully).
Anyways, about 50ish hands b4 the session was over, a guy open shoves UTG+1 and I have AKo in MP2. I decide to call (I had a 50bb stack). Two more guys come along. Long story short, I quadded up with a nut flush lol. Don't ask what the other three had cuz it was just awful, one had 102o, another 82o. The initial shove had QQ.
Anyways, after that, I won a couple more stacks, making up for previous losses and then some. So I decided at the 500 hands, 2 hour mark, it was time to quit. I ended up the session with $45.70 after starting with $43.54. Let's hope this upswong continues.
Might play another session later, but idk if im in the mood. Might just play an lol donkament.
In other news, just got my copy of Professional No Limit Hold'em, so I'll start reading that and taking part in the book club here on FTR.
Almost forgot lol.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
Hero (BB) ($1)
UTG ($4.48)
MP ($5.33)
CO ($1.59)
Button ($5.03)
SB ($1.67)
Preflop: Hero is BB with http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/js.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/ks.gif
UTG calls $0.02, MP calls $0.02, CO calls $0.02, 1 fold, SB calls $0.01, Hero raises to $0.12, UTG calls $0.10, 2 folds, SB calls $0.10
Flop: ($0.40) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/7h.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/qs.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/ts.gif (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $0.30, UTG raises to $0.60, 1 fold, Hero raises to $0.88 (All-In), UTG calls $0.28
Turn: ($2.16) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/as.gif (2 players, 1 all-in)
River: ($2.16) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/jd.gif (2 players, 1 all-in)
Total pot: $2.16 | Rake: $0.10
dranger haven't checked in on you in awhile but was glad to see you're doing well. Sounds like things are clicking somewhat 4U. I have a question if you don't mind. You talked earlier about SPR and it sounds like it was an AHAAA moment. What is SPR? Would you eplain a little for us?
Also buddy I'd really like to convince you to spend just a couple bucks and get yourself a HUD program. I tried the free PT3 and enjoyed it but then the guys on here talked me into trying HEM and man I tell ya it is worth the money. They have a version for micro stakes that only cost like $30ish buck, I don't actuallly remember exactly but it wasn't much. The info is so valuable. If you would take that small investment out of the $500 you got/are getting it would pay back to fast!
Any how buddy keep up the grind your doing well!
Shit Harley, I aint doing that good lol. I've been stuck in neutral for last month lol, but better than being down I suppose. $50 is just a barrier I can't seem to cross, but I'll fuck it up soon enough imo.
Yea dude, HEM is definitely on my list to do, but I have to get a non-Mac computer first. Once I do that, HEM is gonna be an insta-buy for me. I can't wait. A friend of mine, MIGHT be selling his old laptop for $250. He just installed Vista on it and put in 2 gigs of RAM, so it runs faster. He's still thinking about it though. Hopefully he caves ;).
And about SPR. Basically what it is is your stack (or your opponent's whoever is smaller) compared to the size of the pot. Say you have a 100bb stack. And there is 20bb in the pot already. You have an SPR of 5 to 1. Which is good for TPTK type of hands, or AA, KK, QQ, etc. For your draw type of hands, (78s, 10Js, etc) you want an SPR of 13+. Because it takes 3 streets of Pot Sized Bets in order to get it all in.
That's really all SPR is. Basically, how much it takes to get your entire stack in. I could be explaining this really bad, but that's really what I've gotten out of it so far. I just got Professional No Limit Hold'em, so maybe that will make things a little more clear. Once I get to that section of the book, I'll update a little more. I feel like I'm missing something here and I don't want to give the wrong info. I learned SPR through one of the GrinderSchool vids.
But thanks for checking in Harley, good to know some people are still looking in on me :). Later
Just got knocked out of a 25 cent MTT. Finished 110 out of 3307. Damn things are so top heavy I swear. I got 1.30 for like 3 hours work lmao. Ah well, I should have been out way before that. Had some major swongs in the tourney. Went from 26k to 2k to 33k all in about 20 hands. Pretty sick stuff. After that kinda just blinded down, chipping up when I could steal blinds, or bring in a little pot, but nothing major. Went on with K9s vs. AA. I hit 2 of my suit on flop, but no luck in hitting the flush. Woulda been so sweet to suck out on AA for once though :).
Anyways, can't complain, its the deepest I've gotten in an MTT lately, so I'll take what I can get. Time for sleepy.
Nite all
Just finished up and 1 1/2 hour session. 586 hands 8 tabling FR. Ran at about 8bb/100, which is pretty shitty imo. I should be killing these stakes, but I have to look on the bright side, I've looked over some of my more recent posts, and I've had a couple -100bb/100 sessions, so yea. 8bb/100 aint too bad anymore :).
But yea, roll is at $47.73 now. So I'm gradually inching closer to $50. Hopefully my session later on tonight will put me over!
Wish me luck
It's good to be results oriented in the long term, but be careful not to be TOO results oriented in the short term with poker. I don't think you should ever be disappointed with 8BB/100 or 4ptBB/100 @ any stakes. If you made bad decisions that limited your wins or caused losses, then that's a legitimate gripe, but poker is not like basketball. LeBron James can step into any street game and dominate and be disappointed if he's not crushing. No poker player can sit down @ any table and automatically crush - you need reads, situations, cards, luck, and many other things.Quote:
Originally Posted by dranger7070
Maybe you didn't really mean it since you followed up with:But, in any case, focus on good decisions and if you're going to evaluate your win rate, look at ALL your hands, not just an isolated session.Quote:
Originally Posted by dranger7070
Hey thanks Jason. Yea, I wasn't too serious when I said I was disappointed with 8bb/100 session. The way things have been going lately, I'm stoked to have ANY kind of winning session. And yea, I can't look at all my hands cuz I don't got a HUD :(. Damn macs suck ass when it comes to poker imo. Ah well, couple more months and I'll have something else hopefully.
Hey buddy thanks for the explaination. Are you taking part of the book club gig on PNL? Sounds pretty interesting and a good way to make sure you get the most out of the book. I'm going to order a copy and try and follow along with the book club myself if I can afford to buy the book. Sounds crazy but business is down and I just popped for a huge vacation for the wife and I in Mexico earlier this month so I may have to wait on PNL but I will get it.Quote:
Originally Posted by dranger7070
Good luck buddy and grind your azzz off!
Hey, yea man I got PNL yesterday and I've been reading through it and I'm going to TRY and be apart in the discussion. Don't know that I'll be able to add any useful info, but meh, shit happens imo lol. But yea dude, definitely look into getting it. Worth the buy imo. I got it off of amazon for $17 (including shipping) and cover price is $30 so thats a plus imo. :)
Just finished a 350ish hand session. Down $2. Whatever no sweat. At the very start of the session went on a decent run of cards. Got AA 3x and JJ 4x. Got up to $50.01 (lol) so at least I know I can touch that number, that it's attainable. Makes me proud that I FINALLY got to that bitch, but then as fate would have it, had a lil negative variance come rear its ugly head. KK lost to AJ all in on turn on a Q high board. A on river. Villain had AJ. Whatever, roll with the punches. Lost another stack to a FH (he got on the river, so I got money in good) when I had an opened straight draw and flush draw. No biggie. Lost a few decent sized pots where I had to give up. Made back some monies. Lost some monies. Standard poker. Can't complain.
One thing I realized this session that will probly save me some bb's in the future is I call down to chop the pot WAAAAY too much.
Example: Hero has AK. Board is Q55Qx no flush draw. Villain bets increasing amounts on all streets. I will c-bet flop, then check/call the other two streets to "keep him honest."
Fucking basic as all hell. Calling to chop is the dumbest thing ever. At least I realized I was doing it and now I know to stop myself before I do it.
Sick of spending hours reading books, posting on FTR, and watching vids and not having it translate to wins on the table. I spend a ton of time looking at HH's and all that and it doesn't seem to be doing any good. I know I have to keep at it and I will, I just want to see the fruits of my labor at some point. Would be nice ;)
I love 6 max... Did I mention I run AMAZINGLY well?
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (5 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
UTG ($7.99)
MP ($5.86)
Button ($3.44)
Hero (SB) ($3.03)
BB ($1.24)
Preflop: Hero is SB with http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/kc.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/kd.gif
UTG calls $0.02, 1 fold, Button calls $0.02, Hero raises to $0.20, BB raises to $1.24 (All-In), 2 folds, Hero calls $1.04
Flop: ($2.52) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/td.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/3h.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/5c.gif (2 players, 1 all-in)
Turn: ($2.52) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/9s.gif (2 players, 1 all-in)
River: ($2.52) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/5s.gif (2 players, 1 all-in)
Total pot: $2.52 | Rake: $0.10
And not too much later:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
UTG ($2.81)
Hero (MP) ($2.15)
CO ($3.03)
Button ($4.97)
SB ($3.02)
BB ($2.12)
Preflop: Hero is MP with http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/ks.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/kd.gif
1 fold, Hero raises to $0.20, CO raises to $0.52, 3 folds, Hero raises to $2.15 (All-In), CO calls $1.63
Flop: ($4.33) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/9s.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/7c.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/4h.gif (2 players, 1 all-in)
Turn: ($4.33) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/js.gif (2 players, 1 all-in)
River: ($4.33) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/ah.gif (2 players, 1 all-in)
Total pot: $4.33 | Rake: $0.20
Lol forgot results aint posted :). Ah well, better that way imo. Obviously you know what happened no need to discuss imo. I thought about deleting the last two posts because they do absolutely nothing for the blog/op but I'm going to leave them, to show myself that as much as I'd like to think I'm over tilting, I'm not.
Shortly after those hands, I opened up a couple more tables (that was on two separate tables, so I opened to more and closed those two). Started out kinda bad again, KK lost to 65s that boated up on river, the hits keep coming.
At this point I decide to check my BR, $40.95 is what is staring me in the face. I couldn't believe it. I had just so recently touched $50 and now I'm back down to $40? How did that happen so fast? So I just kinda zoned out for a couple minutes freaking out. Then I regained my composure, sat back on in my tables, and commenced pwning the fuck out of two $10+ stacks (at 2nl i know lol). I bought in for full 100bb stacks. I'm not gonna lie, I ran good. I flopped a two pair with QJs. Boated up on turn. Guy rivered a straight and paid me off. Good things imo.
On another table, I took my $2, and built up to $5+ through one of the said big stacks, she had $14ish. I brought that down to close to $10 before I left. On another table I got a set of J's to crack KK on a J high flop. So after all that I decided its time to quit while I'm "ahead."
Ending session BR: $47.59
It's still "down" for the whole day, but honestly I'm not gonna bitch lol. That last half hour heater is what saved my whole day, possibly my BR cuz I was dangerously close to tilting off my roll. Maybe I should keep playing now that I'm on a heater, but I need a break. I just played for 3-4 hours. I'll take an hour or so break, watch some TV, whatever. Then maybe hop on the tables again.
Please let this be a sign of things to come. *crosses fingers*
Damn it feels good to do this to someone else especially as "deep" as we were lol. (It's deep for me ok?) BTW: The reason I'm at 5nl is becuz me and a friend who has the same BR size (in the $40's) decided we would take a shot at 5nl tonight. We had a ONE buy in stop loss. So if we either leaked off $5 through blinds, just losing small pots, or getting stacked obviously, we close the tables immediately. Things didn't go QUITE as good for my friend, his FH ran into straightflush=brutal, but variance was on my side (for tonight at least it seems.)
Reads on opponent so far were, every hand he had shown down was pretty much either the nuts on the board, and overpair, sets, etc. He rarely got it in with less than QQ+ PF. He didn't raise pairs smaller than JJ+, but will call raises with all pairs. Makes large c-bets on ANY texture flop (see below.) This is the type of opponent I would expect to slowplay a flopped flush at least one street, trying to induce bets from me, and honestly lowest flush he would have based on my reads is AhKh. This guy was just tight as a nun's vagina. A "5nl reg" if you will. I pretty much knew instantly when he raised as much as he did PF that he JJ+ (more than likely QQ+) or AKs. (I never seen him raise AKo, but that might just be because he hadn't had it/hadn't had the opportunity to show down.)
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
Button ($11.11)
SB ($8.59)
BB ($5)
Hero (UTG) ($7.69)
MP ($5.03)
CO ($3.84)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/2c.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/2s.gif
Hero calls $0.05, 1 fold, CO calls $0.05, Button raises to $0.25, 2 folds, Hero calls $0.20, 1 fold
Flop: ($0.62) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/2h.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/3h.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/6h.gif (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $0.50, Hero raises to $1.60, Button raises to $10.86 (All-In), Hero calls $5.84 (All-In)
Turn: ($15.50) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/js.gif (2 players, 2 all-in)
River: ($15.50) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/4d.gif (2 players, 2 all-in)
Total pot: $15.50 | Rake: $0.75
Wow, okay so I just realized this morning that I have never "really" introduced myself on FTR before. I pretty much just showed up one day and started posting lol. So I figured at page 3 in the blog it was "now or never." ;) Hopefully this isn't too long winded or anything, but here goes:
My name is Dustin Ranger. I'm an 18 year old American going to college at Ferris State University in Michigan. I'm going for my Bachelor's in Political Science, then to law school (not sure where yet) after that. I enlisted for the Marine Reserves back in June (I always wanted to be in the military, but college interferes with going active, obviously), and I ship for Boot Camp on May 18th. Pretty excited, no one in my family has really supported the decision, which is crazy because my dad was in the Navy for 4 years, but whatever. They don't like it, they can piss off imo.
Started playing poker with my brother when I was 14. He taught me Texas Holdem after playing with some buddies one night. We used to just play HU with our piggybanks as they steaks (like $5 in play tops lmao). He was older, and thus, exploited my weaker, younger brother status. (i.e. cheated, wouldn't pay me when I actually won for a change, etc.) Never really played with anyone else until I was 15 or 16 when he took me to a couple of tournaments with some of his friends. I did piss poor as you can imagine. First or second out every time basically.
This continued off and on up until last June (before I enlisted) when I played in a Monday night tournament at the local casino (its an Indian casino, so babies like myself can play on it :)). I ended up taking 2nd (which is why they call them donkaments imo), and winning $1,000. Obviously, that's my biggest poker score to date, and will remain thus for quite a while.
After that I got ADDICTED to poker. I would watch WPT and WSOP on TV like it was my job, I read as much stuff as could online (starting hand charts, pot odds, sng strategies, etc), and this is how I found FTR. Once I got to college I made my 1st deposit on pokerstars for $25 (waste *sigh*) and proceeded to lose it quite quickly. Same went for my next 2 $25 buy ins. I was playing the 3.40 9 man sngs. All I wanted to play was "tournament poker." And I wasnt TERRIBLE for the stakes, just not good lol. My 4th buy in though, I musta hit a MAJOR heater, cuz I went from $25 to $160ish in a couple days. At the end of it I tried out larger and larger sngs, starting at the 3.40, then trying the 5.50, then the LAST one i did was a $16 9 man. I won it (by donking my way through) and decided at $160+ was a good time to cash back down to $25.
So I did, and blew the resulting money that came from that idea. The remaining $25 was quickly lost. Deposited $25, lost it. Decided to stop for a week or so. Got back on and there was $25 sitting in my account! Deposit bonus cleared. So I lost that (lol). Now after all that I decided to switch to cash and grind it on up from $10. And this is the resulting operation. As it stands I'm in the red when it comes to poker winnings (unless I cashed out roll right no) but it's not by much. I hope to be able to build my roll so I can play at 25nl and beyond.
Well, thats it. That's pretty much a fair recollection of my poker history, and a boring ass read if anyone actually DOES read it. Just thought I should introduce myself, open myself up a little more to the people on FTR, who are all pretty much bad ass imo.
Now for some poker updates, last night played at 5nl again. Donked off a stack and immediately quit lmao. Roll is $42+ some change. I decided I'm going to buy in for $2.50 at 5nl. It's 50bb and its almost what I would be buying in for at 2nl for 100bb anyways. Plus the pots get bigger that much faster, and it will help me grow (or lose) my roll faster. Wish me luck!
So instead of waiting to buy a PC I decided to pay the $50 and get Poker Copilot. It's basically a Mac version of HEM or PT3, but just a lil less complex. I must say, for being recently developed (less than a year old) its surprisingly stable, and shows a good amount of stats. All the basics: VPIP/PFR/C-bet%/3bet%/Fold to 3bet%/# of hands played
I figured it would be a better deal than just buying another comp just for poker. Eventually, it SHOULD be close to the equal to HEM or PT3. Only downside I have with it is no hand replayer (as of right now) However, he is always looking for advice to improve and maybe this will be on his to do list.
Anyways, now to pokers. Wound up down 2.5 BI's ish so far. (I'm still grinding as I write this). I just wanted to say that so far this sesh (bout 700 handsish) I've been all in quite a few times. ALMOST always getting it in good. Couple of exceptions were when I got all in on river with a straight and the guy already had a flush, and when I got it all in with TT vs. QQ PF (he was a shorty.) That hand I got set over set on a Q104 flop. Meh whatever, I was already behind when it got in so I dont really mind that. Not too much later I get AA all in vs. KK PF. The guy was running 75/46 over 80ish hands and was 3-betting like a monkey, so I 4-bet shoved his ass. Snap call. Hits 4 cards to a straight.
So I go on crazy monkey tilt and donk off 3 more stacks right? WRONG! No tilt whatsoever. I was just like "whatever dude, i scoop a $4 pot 80% of the time," and moved on. Sure I was disappointed, but I got over it pretty quick and I'm feeling pretty good. Still in the mood to grind, and continue to get my money in good like that.
Also, I'm going to follow Robb's newbie first 5k hands at 10nl plan. Hopefully it helps out my game. Just trying to get back to the basics. I think that will really help out my game. Seems to be working already even though I'm down. Just had some bad luck. (nothing new there ;)). All in all good day for grinding.
Wow... I was at $45-46ish a couple days ago. Just finished session. $38.30. Yep thats right BACK IN THE THIRTY'S BABY!!!! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! Last hand before I quit. KK vs. 89s PF. 89A on flop. No suckouts for me. :D I can't believe this. I didn't spew all session. I end up over 3.5 BI's. WTF. I don't get it. I play a solid 15/13 game for almost 1k hands. I only got my money in bad twice. Once was just dumb (the straight on flush board) the other was just standard TT<QQ. Wutever. AA<KK hurt but I shook it off. Yay me. I figure I'm getting a hold on my tilt control. Than I lose another stack. To a crazy aggro donk who's been getting it all in with KJ high and J9o PF. Lost every time, til I come along with my measely pocket K's. Wutever. Shake it off amirite? Tell you what. It's getting AWFULLY HARD to just "shake it off." But I will. I'll be back to grinding tomorrow. i WILL beat this game. With as much time and effort ive put into this game, theres no way I CANT beat 2nl. Yet somehow, it continues to happen... idk.
See you guys tomorrow. IM GONNA BEAT THIS GAME DAMMIT!!!!
When I said "I ended up 3.5 BI's" I meant i ended up DOWN 3.5 bi's. Sorry for any confusion.
Ok, putting in some life goals into this little blug now. I'm going to USMC boot camp in May, and I've been a lazy fuck for the last month or so, so its time to step it up and get into shape before I go.
So I ran an IST (Initial Strength Test) with my recruiter this morning and these are my results:
1 1/2 mile run: 11:08
Max crunches in 2 minutes: 66 :( (I was at 100+ before xmas lmao)
Pull-ups: 9 (arms fully extended, underhand grip, I was doing 12-15 before xmas)
As you can see, xmas basically fucked me lol. Ah well, it won't take very long and I'll be beasting this shit out again. Feels good to feel like I have to puke after working out. It's been a while since that's happened :). Sounds strange, I know. But hey, I wanna be a Marine during war time, so I'm not normal amirite? ;)
I think your perseverance will serve you well so long as you stick with it and don't get frustrated or impatient. I'm no expert, but if you're stuck, a few things to consider:Quote:
Originally Posted by dranger7070
Just some food for thought. Good luck.
- Stick with one game and try to master it. I don't know what you play, but there are many variations of NL - full ring, 6 max, normal speed, fast speed, MTT, SNG, heads-up, and the like. If you're stuck and doing many different games or even more than one, you may want to focus on JUST one to build up a high level of familiarity and subsequent skill set and hopefully good results. If you're bouncing around too much, that can stymie your progress.
- Even if you have a lot of hand histories to support your bad beats, make sure you are not content that that's the main or only reason you're not moving up faster. Remember, no matter who you are, there are always leaks to be plugged, more money to be made, and less money to be lost. Also remember that EVERYONE who succeeds in poker and moves up does so suffering bad beats along the way.
- Just because you think you're not tilting doesn't mean you aren't. Tilt is a funny thing. If you start pushing all-in every hand out of anger, that's obviously tilt and can be identified. There are many other ways to tilt that might not be as obvious. You may start playing less hands, more hands, avoiding villains, going out of your way to play with villains, and so on. Always evaluate to see that you're making the same good decisions you would have if you just sat down fresh. If you are not, consider taking a break or quitting for the day.
- Don't take shots. I read some recent posts where you said you played @ $5NL. If you're rolled for $2NL and trying to beat that game, nothing good can come from playing $5NL. In fact, succeeding @ $5NL could be the WORST thing that happens because it'll reinforce the idea that taking shots is good, which it's not. And, to tie it back to point #1, it's another variation on the game that could be slowing you up.
Hey Jason, thanks for replying, and no the only game Im playing is 2nl. (except for that shot I took at 5nl. One thing is, I wasn't tilting. I know what my tilt feels like lol. My tilt=major spewtard. Last night, I stayed calm, didn't chase losses, just kept playing the game. A lot of it just was really bad variance. I can live with that.
And yea, everyone suffers bad beats lol. Just seems like I get more than my fair share ;). Ask my friend who plays 30k+ hands a month. He says he hasn't seen anyone run as bad as me ever lol. But that is so far from the point it doesn't even matter. I think all the beats are actually HELPING my game in all honesty. Like, not being able to get past 2nl (or $50 for that matter) is like lighting this fire under my ass. It's making me play more than I usually do. Making me want to grind and get better. Watching more vids, read more books, review HH's.
It's making a better poker player imo. This might be just what I need. I used to tilt so bad (see page 1, 2, AND 3 lol). But now, the beats are just starting to roll off and I can handle more. I've already improved so much in the last 3 months from trying to do this that it is ridiculous.
Although I must say, I used to win more when I donked around ;).
Just wrapping up night session. Didn't play for too long. Kinda spewed with AQ on a 5J8A board. It was vs a REALLY loose opponent. Literally 4 hands before that he had gotten it all in with K2s PF vs AA and caught his flush lol. But I digress. Here's HH. PF he could literally have anything. He's been calling ANY kind of raise PF since I sat down.
On the flop he checks his TPTK which is surprising cuz in the past he had been aggro donk whenever he hit the board. Anyways, turn A comes. He bets out. I HATE my reraise size. I was thinking that he would just call, and that I was setting myself up for an easy river shove that he could call, but god thats just retarded imo. It's not an AWFUL idea, but I should have made it 90 at least. I was afraid of blowing him outta the water which is obviously just assinine. And when he shoves I happily called, even though that should have sent up a red flag. He just 3-bet shoved on me on THAT board. I have TP2ndK. NOT TPTK. Any two pair beats me, including a lot of Aces that are in his range. I don't know that I can fold there though. Idk.
Here's the HH:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (5 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
Hero (Button) ($2)
SB ($5.45)
BB ($4.89)
UTG ($4.58)
MP ($1)
Preflop: Hero is Button with http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/qd.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/ah.gif
2 folds, Hero raises to $0.08, SB calls $0.07, BB calls $0.06
Flop: ($0.24) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/5d.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/js.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/8d.gif (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero checks
Turn: ($0.24) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/ac.gif (3 players)
SB checks, BB bets $0.30, Hero raises to $0.75, 1 fold, BB raises to $2, Hero calls $1.17 (All-In)
River: ($4.08) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/kh.gif (2 players, 1 all-in)
Total pot: $4.08 | Rake: $0.20
I prefer to play a small pot with TPTK. Villain was loose as you said, so that does give you some freedom to confidently play a bigger pot, but I'd much rather be pushing all my chips in than calling them to someone who has me covered. Also keep in mind that it's usually harder to push allin with garbage on the turn than it is preflop.
Ok, this is why I'm seriously considering switching over to FR permanently and just saying screw 6-max. But I played/ran good when I first started playing 6-max and its kinda like my first love pokerwise, so I'm not ready to give up on her just yet. Since I started playing tighter PF I've noticed an improvement (even though its only been like one day lol).
So this is what I think I'm going to do. I'm going to grind 1-2 table 6-max until middle of February and if I'm still in the red for this year, I will switch to FR permanently. I need to figure out what is best for my poker development, and it seems like my nittier style would be better served at FR.
Here are my '09 6-max and FR graphs so far. They are both over the same(ish) sample size of about 7-8k. Small sample, I know, but it's what I have to work with.
6-max:
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/5241/...arphhq7.th.png
FR:
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/147...arphfn4.th.png
OMG I <3 micros. A buddy of mine that just slays 2nl all day told me to try this out: BET FUCKING HUGE with made hands. Example below but I got to tell you the strategy first lol. With KK and KK only. Bet 20 cents and shove any non ace flop. With AA you just open shove. No fucking around. Trust me on this one. I didn't believe it til I tried it, but people mind fuck themselves and call with slop. For example, my friend shoved and two people called, with QTo and 910s lol. I got an example below of that too. Anyways, those are the only two hands apart of this "strategy."
Heres the first LOL hand (gotta love the donks that talkthemselves into calling):
PokerStars Game #24581140953: Hold'em No Limit ($0.01/$0.02) - 2009/02/04 4:09:50 ET
Table 'Parthenope II' 6-max Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: krnekdo ($4.64 in chips)
Seat 2: pitschpat ($5.14 in chips)
Seat 4: specialED322 ($2.80 in chips)
Seat 5: dranger7070 ($1 in chips)
Seat 6: Dr.Awals ($3.40 in chips)
Dr.Awals: posts small blind $0.01
krnekdo: posts big blind $0.02
ProfKev85: sits out
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to dranger7070 [Ad Ac]
pitschpat: calls $0.02
specialED322: calls $0.02
dranger7070: raises $0.98 to $1 and is all-in
Dr.Awals: calls $0.99
krnekdo: folds
pitschpat: raises $4.14 to $5.14 and is all-in
specialED322: folds
Dr.Awals: calls $2.40 and is all-in
Uncalled bet ($1.74) returned to pitschpat
*** FLOP *** [Kc Ts 7h]
*** TURN *** [Kc Ts 7h] [2c]
*** RIVER *** [Kc Ts 7h 2c] [2d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Dr.Awals: shows [Jh Js] (two pair, Jacks and Deuces)
pitschpat: shows [Ah Kd] (two pair, Kings and Deuces)
pitschpat collected $4.60 from side pot
dranger7070: shows [Ad Ac] (two pair, Aces and Deuces)
dranger7070 collected $2.89 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $7.84 Main pot $2.89. Side pot $4.60. | Rake $0.35
Board [Kc Ts 7h 2c 2d]
Seat 1: krnekdo (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 2: pitschpat showed [Ah Kd] and won ($4.60) with two pair, Kings and Deuces
Seat 4: specialED322 folded before Flop
Seat 5: dranger7070 (button) showed [Ad Ac] and won ($2.89) with two pair, Aces and Deuces
Seat 6: Dr.Awals (small blind) showed [Jh Js] and lost with two pair, Jacks and Deuces
This hand I was jumping up and down cuz I got 2 callers lol. I was relieved when the board paired to take out any 2 pair junk hands that woulda caught on me:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (5 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
BB ($4.64)
UTG ($5.14)
MP ($2.80)
Hero (Button) ($1)
SB ($3.40)
Preflop: Hero is Button with http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/ad.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/ac.gif
UTG calls $0.02, MP calls $0.02, Hero raises to $1 (All-In), SB calls $0.99, 1 fold, UTG raises to $5.14 (All-In), 1 fold, SB calls $2.40 (All-In)
Flop: ($7.84) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/kc.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/ts.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/7h.gif (3 players, 3 all-in)
Turn: ($7.84) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/2c.gif (3 players, 3 all-in)
River: ($7.84) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/2d.gif (3 players, 3 all-in)
Total pot: $7.84 | Rake: $0.35
Seriously, dont get discouraged if one or two hands go and you don't get any callers. And remember, this is at 2nl. Not 25nl or something. Obviously, at 5nl+ im not gonna do stupid stuff like this. This is seriously probly optimum for this stake lol.
Whoops, ok hang on guys lol, those two are the exact same hand lol. I forgot to post the other one. Not important. I had 94o in the BB. 94x flop, I bet 10x the pot. Guy insta calls. I shove a Q turn. Insta call. River J, guy had an OESD. Just two good examples of guys at 2nl trying to get lucky.
Obviously, don't play like this if you don't have the BR to support it.
Sigh... bout to get lynched in FTR's WW. First one gone imo lol. Ah well, it was my first time playing and they obv lynch the noobs. Can't wait for the next one to start already.
In other news, poker last night pwned. I was RAPING the fishies (also running well, actually probly ONLY running well). BR is $49.29 now. I was at $50.33 for quite a while, but then lost a small pot and it went away. Thing is, I'm feeling really good about poker now and just read a GREAT post by ISF wrote a couple years back that Robb bumped and I think it's really gonna help to motivate me to play better and find my leaks and beat them.
Link if you're interested:
http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...od-t53415.html
Dranger you sound so much like me. When I compare my 6m to Fr I wonder wtf do I waste my time doing that. Also I noticed you posted a hand from 5nl, don't do that you're not rolled for it my friend! As I said you have some very similiar leaks to mine. What about your tables? How many are you playing? I cut back to 4 only and my winrate has really improved. I am going to stick with 4 and really build upon my skills.Quote:
Originally Posted by dranger7070
Hey I got my copy of PNL the other day and started reading. Wow I really think this is going to help with some leaks. I'm taking my time and really trying to do the math etc. so I can grasp the concepts as I go.
Well buddy keep up the work and STOP DOING WHAT DOESN"T HELP UR GAME!
Hey thx Harley. Yea I know I wasn't rolled for 5nl, but me and a buddy of mine decided we'd buy in for the minimum ($2) at 5nl and leave if we doubled or lost or BI. Wasn't too much risk, just for the simple fact that we didn't buy in for 100bb. It was fun though. The games don't play any different from 2nl, except for the fact that the pots are a LOT bigger.
I've cut back from 4 tabling back down to 1 table, and it really has improved my winrate. I've been running like god (well, for me ;)) and I've been playing half way decent. Been making really good laydowns, and a few hero calls that have gone my way. Not getting sucked out on is pretty bad ass too :).
I'm just going to stick to 1 tabling for now. Add one more in a couple weeks maybe.
BR update: BROKE $50 WOOOOOT!!!!! :D Current roll is $55 and some change. Hopefully now I'll start raking and be able to move up to 5nl soon.
Also, the local casino is having sunday night freerolls, with $10 rebuys. 1st place has gotten $1,000 pretty consistently the last couple of weeks, so im going to start playing in that. Went to the casino tonight and played some 1/2 and made $100 in 3ish hours. The players are so frigging terrible, I <3 it! :) Can't wait til next weekend
Here's another BR update: $71.81 imo. :D I KNOW RIGHT? Ship the $16 upswing imo. I'll post the garph hang on. Me and my friend both hit pretty sick heaters tonight. It was pretty much badass lol. Haven't hit an upswing like this in oh idk, since I first started lol. Good times :)
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/876...dategt0.th.png
The last 400 hands or so is from tonights sesh. Looks better when you put in context of the rest of my month ;).
I'm telling you guys, open shoving AA at 2nl = nuts.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
MP ($1.06)
CO ($2.39)
Hero (Button) ($1)
SB ($2.85)
BB ($1.25)
UTG ($2)
Preflop: Hero is Button with http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/ah.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/as.gif
1 fold, MP calls $0.02, CO calls $0.02, Hero raises to $1 (All-In), 2 folds, MP calls $0.98, CO calls $0.98
Flop: ($3.03) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/3c.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/kc.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/3s.gif (3 players, 1 all-in)
MP checks, CO checks
Turn: ($3.03) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/qs.gif (3 players, 1 all-in)
MP checks, CO checks
River: ($3.03) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/jc.gif (3 players, 1 all-in)
MP checks, CO checks
Total pot: $3.03 | Rake: $0.15
Woulda put me over $80 *cries* lol so super standard though I don't even feel bad, this guy was such a fish.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (5 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
BB ($3)
Hero (UTG) ($3.86)
MP ($3.73)
Button ($3.89)
SB ($0.55)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/5h.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/5c.gif
Hero raises to $0.08, MP raises to $0.14, 1 fold, SB calls $0.13, 1 fold, Hero calls $0.06
Flop: ($0.44) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/5s.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/qd.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/td.gif (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $0.34, MP raises to $0.68, 1 fold, Hero raises to $3.72 (All-In), MP calls $2.91 (All-In)
Turn: ($7.62) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/8d.gif (2 players, 2 all-in)
River: ($7.62) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/3c.gif (2 players, 2 all-in)
Total pot: $7.62 | Rake: $0.35
So the upswong continues: BR is now $85. I took a shot at 5nl tonight when I hit $80 and it went pretty well. Stacked a couple of shorties, and just played the same solid ABC game I've been playing at 2nl. Garf of this year so far :)
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/8...eimoln4.th.png
And oh yea, 36 hours ago, my BR was at $50 something. $hip the $30 upswing lol
Nice. It's much more fun to report on the winnings :D
In the middle of a session. Just thought I should let everyone know that I'm getting fucking pwned by 2nl fish. I started today at $85. Opened up a table of 5nl. JJ ran into AA on a low board, obviously lost a stack. AK shipped PF vs. TT and he hit a third T, so $10 down the drain. Meh, whatever. Standard variance imo.
Move down to 2nl and haven't been able to pull out of the nosedive yet. I've lost 6 BI's here so far. I've gotten AK all in PF 3 times and 2 out of the 3 times the guy had AA. The last time he had QQ. On all 3 I have failed to hit an A or a K. I have shipped it in with QQ and gotten beat by a flush.
It's pretty disheartening to have a massive heater for 2 days then the VERY NEXT DAY have an 8 BI downswing. I had no problem moving back down after I reached $75. I mean I was just taking a shot and will continue to do so every time my roll is at $80+.
I don't feel too bad I guess since I ran like god the last 2 days, but it still sucks to lose that much that fast. But ah well, if I can keep my head out of my ass I'll be back up in no time.
Well, I kept my head outta my ass. :) BR is currently sitting at $78.29. Oh dem 2nl swongs. After I bottomed out at $61 and some change, I took a 30-45 minute break. Played madden with my roommate. Won, so that made me feel better. After that I hopped on the tables with my buddy and we commenced oober pwnage on all fish in the vicinity.
I got up to $10 on one table. Me and my friend had skype open and were sitting on the same two tables and basically did a two way sweat. We only had 2-4 tables open at once (2 tables for the majority of the time) and basically tried to find spots where we could either get thin value outta of 2nd pair type hands, and what kind of boards were good for c-betting, etc.
All in all it was a really good session. We're both just kind of waiting around for the pokerstars server to restart so we can do it again. :)
GL on the op man, but if you're going to do crap like this, it's best not to talk about it. Your intentions are good, I know, but this is collusion.Quote:
Originally Posted by dranger7070
We didn't even think about that... :oops: Thanks man, I really don't wanna get my account banned on pokerstars for something stupid like that.
All time BR high reached today. $85.17 as of right now. I'm feeling really good about my game lately, although that could just be the positive variance talking. ;) To give u guys a lil peek into how good I'm running right now, I'm currently running 56bb/100 for the week. I've made $42.89 in close to 4k hands. All skill imo (jk obviously).
If this rate keeps up I will hopefully be at $100+ in the next couple days, and once that happens, the BR should start building pretty quickly.
You know, I'm really thankful that I am having such a big heater right now, but in the back of my head I can't help but think "It's about time" lol. That might be really selfish but damn it, January was a "rough" month for me. I would have been WAAAY down if it hadn't been for playing 8k hands at FR. But that's neither here nor there now. Lets just hope this upswing continues. :D
Nice job on the heater! :)
Def reitirate what Dev said tho, what you and your friend were doing is pretty shady :tsk:
I look at it like this: You can allow yourself some emotional enjoyment of a heater because you really can't avoid beating yourself up when you run bad. Take the good with the bad, then, right?
The goal is to be emotionless at the table, but it's difficult. Away from the table, do whatever feels right.
Yea dev, I'm not sitting at the table thinking "Oh man, this is AWESOME!!!" lol That would just be stupid, and it would affect my game. I'm just looking for spots to get my money in good like always. Not playing marginal hands OOP.
One thing I noticed I've been doing more is opening up in late position. Which is actually kind of new for me. I was so timid when I was breaking even/running bad that I would only play premiums. Now when I'm in the CO or on the Button I'll open anything decent if it's limped around or folded to me. My EP stats are pretty tight (between 8/8 and 15/15) but when I get to the CO it opens up to 24/18 and the Button is 30/24 which I like a lot.
And what me and my friend were doing wasn't really "shady." It was more of a live sweat for both of us. It was like having a coach at the table with you. If we were in a hand vs. each other (which happened quite a bit) we would play it the same way we would against any villain. The only time we would tell the other person our hand is after a hand was over or if we got in a tough spot. (Like we had a top pair good kicker type hand and villain donks into me on turn or river or something.) Basically we used it as a hand reading exercise. We would both try to put our opponents on a range, then compare it to each other's thoughts and see how similar they were. It was actually really good practice, and I'm not gonna feel ashamed for doing it.
When I'm running hot I sit at the table thinking "This is awesome!!".
Had another 5 BI downswing. BR is at $75.80. Pisses me off, but I've had some stuff on my mind lately about college and I'm not focused on the game really. I'm thinking that college isn't MY thing, you know? I'm kinda stressing about though, because if I quit college and go active for the Marines, my parents are going to FLIP.
Ever since I was a little kid, all I would hear is "You HAVE to go to college, you HAVE to get a good paying job, etc." I mean shit, when I enlisted for the Marines, my dad didn't talk to me for 2 months. TWO MONTHS. I don't even want to know what he would do if I decided to quit college... If I DID go active, it would probably only be temporary before I went back to school, and I could even work on my degree while in the Corps. I don't know, I've got a lot of thinking to do...
What are you going to college for? It might be worth dropping if its something like art history.Quote:
Originally Posted by dranger7070
I'm getting my Bachelor's in Political Science which is basically just a bull shit degree to get prepped to get into Law school.
Hmmm, do you have high grades + extra curriculars? Law school is tough to get into from what I hear. But if you are able to make it to that then there is definately some pretty good financial opportunities.Quote:
Originally Posted by dranger7070
I basically just went to college to please my family. I got a bachelors in software engineering and fucked off for a few years. My goal at this point is to never use that degree. My advice should be taken with a grain of salt.
Do you really want to study law? Is it something that you're passionate about? Once you make a decision on what to do, forget about changing your mind, stick with it. Oh, and before or after a session is probably a bad time to make life decisions.
My grades aren't the best right now, and I feel like I'm kinda just going along with the crowd by being in college. I'm pretty sure its almost all for my parents at this point. I have no motivation to do anything for it, HOWEVER I AM pretty passionate about the law. I wanted to be a lawyer when I was a little kid, kind of went away from the idea for a little while when I met my ex, now I'm back on it. But I don't think I'm ready to go to school for another 6-8 years just yet.
My grades aren't the best right now, and I feel like I'm kinda just going along with the crowd by being in college. I'm pretty sure its almost all for my parents at this point. I have no motivation to do anything for it, HOWEVER I AM pretty passionate about the law. I wanted to be a lawyer when I was a little kid, kind of went away from the idea for a little while when I met my ex, now I'm back on it. But I don't think I'm ready to go to school for another 6-8 years just yet.
TBH, I can't wait to get back to school... to each their own.
If you really want to study law you probably should find a way to do it. If not now, fit it into your plans for later. It's kind of hard to leave school and then go back later, so keep that in mind.
Quick update:
Couple of things, took a shot at 5nl this morning with my $95 roll. Went pretty good. Made $7ish, so over the $100 mark w00t! :D I'll also be posting the hand that made the session/biggest pot I've ever won later. :)
In other news, I'm quitting college after this year (for now). Gonna go active after I've served 6 months with my reserve unit (required). So basically next year I'm just gonna chill out in my apartment with some friends, play a SHIT ton of poker, work, and work out a lot. Gonna be a good year. :)
Heres the hand. The Ace on the river life tilted me so bad lol. With him 3-betting PF I don't think he has AA or a T very often. I told a later on when I showed him the hand, what I put him on. I said JJ or QQ maybe KK (although unlikely obv). If he wants to slowplay AA after I 4-bet PF then hes a moron. Anyways heres the hand:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
BB ($8.34)
Hero (UTG) ($8.38)
MP ($3.03)
CO ($13.56)
Button ($11.06)
SB ($10.79)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/kh.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/ks.gif
Hero raises to $0.25, 4 folds, BB raises to $0.50, Hero raises to $1.30, BB calls $0.80
Flop: ($2.62) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/ts.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/5c.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/td.gif (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $2.10, BB calls $2.10
Turn: ($6.82) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/4d.gif (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $4.98 (All-In), BB calls $4.94 (All-In)
River: ($16.70) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/ad.gif (2 players, 2 all-in)
Total pot: $16.70 | Rake: $0.80
Results in white below:
BB had Jhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/heart.gif, Jhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/spade.gif (two pair, Jacks and tens).
Hero had Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/heart.gif, Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/spade.gif (two pair, Kings and tens).
Outcome: Hero won $15.90
Well, I moved to 5nl this morning with a roll of $104.99. About 60-70 hands into the session I got AA and it got stacked by 23o for 100bb lol. So that put down to $98ish. (I had lost some through blinds and c-bets, etc. As soon as that hand was over I hopped in the shower, so I wouldn't spew off any buy ins and I could tell that I was on tilt. Watched an episode of lost on ABC.
After that got back on, and decided I was gonna buy in for 50bbs until I get used to the new blind levels. Well, I got AJ early on in the 2nd session. Flop came KJJ. I bet guy ships I call. K on the river, he shows K6o. Yay for him. Very next hand. I have AJ again. I hit TPTK. I bet he raises. I call. Turn blank I ship it for about $1 more. He calls. A on river. He shows a backdoor flush that hit. No pair no other draw. Whatever. BR is at $93ish. I'm moving back down if it hits 90.
Thats all for now kiddies.
Wow that sounds really sick man but I really admire what you're doing so GL and kep at it. You seem to have your head screwed on, so I'm sure you are going to have great success. This op was one of the main things that attracted me to joining FTR so thanks :D
It kind of amazes me that MY blog would attract someone to FTR, but kind of cool I guess. ;) And I can't believe someone would say I have my head screwed on right lol. Maybe it just seems like that in the posts? I feel like I complain way too much on here, but I guess it's my way of getting it out of my system, instead of spewing chips on the table. (Which I am liable to do from time to time, I'm not afraid to admit it.)
Thanks for posting CTS!
Not that anyone will care (I think? lol) I ended today up after 671 hands. Ended up ~$2. Which isn't bad considering I started the day with a $13 downswing. Managed to get my head back into the game at the end of the day, and got some donkeys to spew to me, which shouldn't be a surprise considering the level I'm playing.
I'm actually pretty proud that I was able to pull myself out of the whole I made this morning. BR sits at ~$106 so new high (hopefully I can say that a lot more in the days/weeks/months to come :)).
Short stacking 5nl for now seems to be doing the trick. It's only 50 cents more than I was buying in for at 2nl, so the stack size feels comfortable, plus I think my SS game is a lot more solid than my 100bb game (then again, whose isn't?). Once my roll gets up to $120-125 I'm going to start buying in full. Just trying to get myself used to the blind levels, and stop getting pot-struck with hands that I know are too good.
New mini-op:
-Play 3500 hands a week (500/day on average).
This is brought about because I was looking at a graph in poker copilot that shows how many hands you played on a given day, and my oh my, the swongs. There is a huge spike one day, then two or three days of 200 hands. It's retarded. The whole point of this is to GRIND a roll not "play" one.
No more being a casual player. Time to strap myself in and get ready to grind it out.
Good work with the roll, man! Way to hang in there. The only reason I took a break from poker was to let you catch up to me. :-) Now it's on like Cheech and Chong hittin' Michael Phelps' bong! Fired up! Race ya to $200.
Yeah very nice progress with your BR, both you guys have developed your bankrolls well while i've been away, you've set a nice yardstick - I'm keener than ever to get 100$ now haha!!
Lol thanks for letting me catch up nibbles ;). I'll take that action on the race to $200 though!
Should we wait for slevin to catch up? ;)
Quick update before bed. Played 700 hands today. Down ~$5 so BR is sitting at $113. No biggie, got it all in 100bb+ deep with KT when I had two pair, guy hit trips on KT383 board.
Going to bed pretty early (for me) tonight. It's about 1:30am here so I'll probly wake up around 8am and grind for a couple hours before class. Hopefully can make some moniez. :)
Sucks man but join the club. I'll be graduating soon but I know how dumb/annoying it felt as a freshman (which is you, right?). Truthfully, the school part doesn't get much better. I decided to do psychology for the hell of it but now I can relate stuff to poker/why I do or think certain things in life/etc. which turns out to be kind of cool. Good luck man.Quote:
Originally Posted by dranger7070
Good Luck dranger7070 !!!
keep at it :D
fuck Kmind beat me in here
out back buddy
*sigh* Downswings aren't fun. I'm still buying in for 50bb's yet somehow I've managed to drop $13 in the last two days. $7 today alone. I'm so sick of going on a heater, then immediately afterward having a downswing.
The downswing doesn't completely negate the heater, just takes enough off to make it pretty much useless. Irritating as hell. I just want one heater that at the end of it I just go back to a normally increasing roll.
BR ~$105
I guess its a little too much to ask that AA holds against 34o? Down to $99 done with cash for the night.
This weeks sexy sexy graph:
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/1441/35nl.th.png
A lot of people seem to think that short stacking reduces variance - this is often wrong.
Consider this. When you play short (20bb) you are often correct to be ready to stack off with top/second pair. When you approach middling stacks (60bb) a stack off range is more around the TPTK range. As stacks approach 100bb you'd feel most comfortable stacking off with two pair. When stacks approach 200bb you tend to not want to stack off with anything smaller than a straight.
While this explanation is wrong in many ways and simplistic it illustrates a principle that is valid - when short stacked all-ins should happen more frequently if you are playing correctly. With a bigger stack you might pot control a TPWK type hand and end up investing 20bb in it - with a 50bb stack it's good enough to go all in because there are no reverse implied odds threatening you so you get the money in faster and more of it.
While it's perhaps not absolutely true that short stacking has a higher variance than deep stacking the argument here should serve as an example that to assume that short stacking has smaller variance is probably a logical fallacy.
In other words, when you see variance as a short stack do not tell yourself: This shouldn't happen because I short stack. Don't go looking for problems that might not be there - try to be realistic about the fact that short stacking also has quite serious variance. Short stacking and moving down are similar in that they are confidence building exercises - you make your decisions simpler. With a short stack it's much easier to tell if you made the right decision and calculate it mathematically. This should help stave off tilt when you encounter the inevitable... variance.
I didn't read everything, but I don't advise shortstacking. You're at practice stakes, so practice the way you're gonna play when you get higher.
If I could start my poker career over, I would start at 2nl and full stack as many tables as I'm comfortable with, making sure to leave time to improve my game. I think if you aren't afraid of losing money, you will make more in the long term.
I stopped short stacking yesterday, and obviously it didn't help. But yea, I'm not really afraid of losing money, I just don't like it. ;) My reasoning behind short stacking was that I just wanted to get used to the blinds, with as little losses as possible. (Apparently, that didn't work out so well, but meh. lol)
I've gotten close to 4k hands at 5nl so far, so I figured last night it was time to start buying in for 100bb. I'm at ~$99 right now BR-wise, but I'm not too worried about moving down as of yet. If I hit $80 I'll make the switch, but not a minute sooner. These guys are just as bad as the people at 2nl, if not WORSE.
As far as I can tell, they like to bluff just about every pot lol. Thank God for stupid people bluffing when I have AQ and flop comes AAA lol.
Just got done playing in a 1.20 9-man sng. Crushed it the whole way through. I felt kinda bad for the guy I was playing HU against. He was so straightforward. Raised the button I think once. Folded it most of the time, never 3-bet PF, and he was a huge dog in chip stack. I had 11k when it got to HU, he had 3kish i think.
It lasted for a little while, just becuz i knew i could get my money in way good, and i could wait and just steal the blinds. last hand was my AJ of clubs vs. his K7 clubs. Game over.
It was pretty fun to play a sng today. I might start sprinkling one in whenever I get burnt out on cash...
Great thread, gave it 5 spades.
Your operation is very similar to one of my own operations. Only difference was that I started with 20 USD and not 10 USD. I ran it up to 2700 in about 1000 hours- this was the time limit for my experiment. Most of those hours were spent from 20 USD- 1000USD.
Your most frustrating part of the journey is over. You have build such a tremendous edge at micro that your BB per hour grows for every day. Variance might hold you back at times, but with boomswitch and huge edge your roll will skyrocket soon.
I started a new experiment to prove the advantage of aggressive bankroll management when skill edge is already huge. So far I have clocked in 12 hours at 20NL/4 tables with a starting bankroll of just 200 USD. Had it not been for some late night superturbo sngs (all luck- no skill) bankroll had been 345, but is now 297.5 USD.
From what I have seen from your post you are probably better than 90%+ of the players I have played against. This journey is probably more about learning than about money so it is very nice to have good padding on your roll. Only downside to proper bankroll management is that it requires quite a lot of play to reach higher stakes.
You seem kind of obsessed with the state of your bankroll. Your obsession should be on your decisions, because that is the only thing you can control. A mistake should really bother you, but a cooler/bad beat is rather funny IMO. I usually smile when I get them.
Good Luck on your journey and may most of your decisions be great!
Hey thanks SP, and yea, I really am focused on my BR. It is pretty stupid, and I know that, but for some reason, after every big pot I HAVE to look at it. It's such a noobie mistake to make, but I do it anyways.
Starting today, (thanks to your post) I'm going to try and go the whole week without looking at bb/100, $ won/lost, or my BR. I'll let you know how I end up on Sunday, or if I fail at not looking.
Thanks for posting :)
I have this same habit. Good luck, I should try that too.Quote:
Starting today, (thanks to your post) I'm going to try and go the whole week without looking at bb/100, $ won/lost, or my BR. I'll let you know how I end up on Sunday, or if I fail at not looking.
Constantly checking bankroll is something everyone does. I did it too, I knew it was wrong, because I had been spying FTR for a long time before I started playing and was well aware of variance.
What I did was to put a post-it note over the place that showed the bankroll. I still remember what it said: "PPP (positional power poker)-never enter a pot without initiative!"
My mini experiment has worked out well and a couple of more hours into it BR is 327 USD. It is so many shortstackers nowadays and the discussion we had about shortstackers earlier has helped a lot.
Look forward to hearing about your progress.
So, just finished a 250-300 hand session. Stacked off twice and won both, one of which I will post in a second. Session went good, actually GREAT, as far as I can tell. Never checked my BR, or poker tracking software to see how much I won. Just decided to let the cards fall where they will, and if I win, I win.
It seemed to do a lot for my mental state. I was focusing more on the tables, even though my roommate was watching a pretty good movie right next to me, I resisted the urge to look at it TOO often. Never got on FTR while I was playing, only thing I had open that I was using other than the tables was pokerstove, to crunch some numbers while it was slow, and an interesting spot came up before.
I think not looking at it is going to do me a world of good. Anyways, thank you KK for just limp/calling PF and allowing me to suck out. No clue what KTo was thinking, but wutever, must have gotten caught up in the moment :).
The reason I just flatted was because the guy that donk led into me has been do so a LOT lately. I have yet to play back at him, so I figured I would let him continue to bet into me. I felt I would win more off him by just calling his bets than by raising, even with flush draw on board. Obviously once the shoves start happening I'm in :).
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
BB ($1.09)
UTG ($10.59)
MP ($8.47)
CO ($6.53)
Hero (Button) ($5)
SB ($4.97)
Preflop: Hero is Button with http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/qs.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/qd.gif
1 fold, MP calls $0.05, CO calls $0.05, Hero bets $0.30, 1 fold, BB calls $0.25, MP calls $0.25, CO calls $0.25
Flop: ($1.22) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/3d.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/qh.gif, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/5h.gif (4 players)
BB checks, MP checks, CO bets $0.30, Hero calls $0.30, BB calls $0.30, MP raises to $8.17 (All-In), CO calls $5.93 (All-In), Hero calls $4.40 (All-In), BB calls $0.49 (All-In)
Turn: ($19.17) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/8d.gif (4 players, 4 all-in)
River: ($19.17) http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/.../smiles/2c.gif (4 players, 4 all-in)
Total pot: $19.17 | Rake: $0.95
Results:
Hero had Qhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/spade.gif, Qhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...es/diamond.gif (three of a kind, Queens).
BB mucked Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...miles/club.gif, 10http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...es/diamond.gif (high card, King).
MP had Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...es/diamond.gif, Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/spade.gif (one pair, Kings).
CO had Qhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...miles/club.gif, 3http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...miles/club.gif (two pair, Queens and threes).
Outcome: Hero won $15.31, CO won $2.91
$20 pots at 5NL are always sweet. Good job. And nice discipline not checking your bankroll afterwards, cos i'd HAFTA check that badboy out after two stack offs. Just to feel good.
To be honest, I didn't feel any need to check it, which at the time wass surprising to me. But looking back now, it's obvious I didn't need to check it because I did well. No need to check it when I KNOW I'm winning.
The hard part is going to come when I lose a BI or two, then win one back, then lose half a stack, then double up, miss a few c-bets then win a big pot. I'll have NO idea where I'm at BR wise. That is when it will be tough to not check. Hopefully I have enough willpower to not check it. And yea, $20 pot is sweet :).
Dranger checking in on you buddy. Sounds like you doing pretty well at 5nl. I to have stepped up with mixed results. Keep up the good work.
Hey I'd really like to talk with you some time about your decision on college/marines!
Didn't play at all yesterday. It was a friend's bday and we all went on to the bar, and got drunk. I <3 being 18 and still getting served lol. There was this really cute chick that came with us, and we talked and flirted for a lil while, but I found out from my friend that she has a boyfriend. :( Epic fail.
In other news, just finished playing a ~220 hand session. Still haven't checked BR/bb/100 so thats a success. I'm pretty sure I finished up around a BI. I got off of one table with a ~$12 stack plus I stacked a 50bb stack early on. So I think not checking it actually is helping quite a bit.
I'm sure a lot of it is positive variance, but I don't feel so stressed out about losing a pot, or c-betting and getting called. Let's see if this can keep up :).
It has happened a couple of time that I have accidentally bought in with my entire bankroll on a limit table (no limit buy in).
Quite scary when you discover your bankroll is gone and wonder what happened.
Hopefully you will get a nice surprise on Sunday.
Yea, I hope so too lol, but if I don't I won't be too upset I don't think. I've been playing pretty solid (well, for me that is) poker so far this week. If I can keep that up, the money won't matter so much as long as I am making the right decisions at the table.
Hey dranger your playing 5nl now correct? Talk about what you feel the difference is between 2nl and 5nl. I know most say there is no diff but I find it is although I haven't really identified it yet. I did notice right off talbe selection is different as there aren't near as many tables running 35% flops etc.
I played like god yesterday finishing up several bi's then this morning I sucked big time. I didn't look at my winrate or anything all throughout the session but I knew I was sucking. I do think not checking is good but damn it's hard. Well keep up the good work buddy.
Yea man, I'm playing da 5nl's now. I play 6-max so it may be (is) different from FR, but it is essentially the same game. I generally get a super nit (~8/5 lol) on a table nowadays, but there are still plenty of retards to be exploited. Bunch of loose/passives that still call down with 3rd pair no kicker.
The real change is that oftentimes I feel like I'm getting 3-bet a lot more, but I figure thats to be expected every time I move up in stakes. Players tend to be on the more aggressive side on the flop, but once you get them to the turn, their hand pretty much turns face up.
As long as you have a decent (or even marginal) post flop game, you will crush.
PS I keep trying to catch you on IRC but I must not be on at the right times, I'll hop on right now just to check. You said you wanted to talk to me about the Marines/college situation, and I'm always open to more opinions.
So yea, this month went EXTREMELY well for me, especially after the breakevenness of January. February was my biggest winning month +$78 for the month, got the BR over $100 and I am playing 5nl regularly now.
http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/755/3february.th.png
As for my weekly update for today. I DID get a nice surprise :). At the beginning of the week I was ~$120 and now my BR is at $122. That may not seem like much but I had a big downswing at the beginning of the week down to $99. So that is a pretty swingy week, but I'm glad I pulled out of it.
My stats for the week were 21/14/1.96 over 2k hands and I ran at 3bb/100. All in all not a terrible week, I don't mind it because its not a loss :D.
Nice job, keep up the good work (2k hands very nice), and don't forget to update your operations banner. But just between you and me, when you log on to Stars, you don't hit the big red box in the lower right corner of the screen? 1st thing I do after logging on and I know how much is in there cos it is the last thing I do when closing out. I was never good at reading mystery books either.
***WARNING TILT POST***
Well, haven't had one of these in a while. I was spewing chips out the ass in cash for around 500 hands and ended up down ~$10. So I took a break, played some NHL 09 (bad ass game btw).
Came back fresh and ready to play. Decided screw cash for now, I feel like playing a sng. So I sign up for a 3.40 27 man non turbo. Starts out good, I stack a guy with AQ with TPTK on the 3rd hand.
After that pretty card dead, then I pick up QQ in the BB with about 3k in chips. UTG ships it all in for ~800. I was planning on calling. Then a guy that has been playing (raising and calling) pretty much ATC minreraises (hes got about 2.5k in chips) so I think and think, and hes been shoving pretty light, (KJs, Q8o(lol) both of these PF) and had gotten extremely lucky with both flush with one, two pair with other. So I decide to ship over.
Naturally, he has AA, other guy had A7s. Next hand I bust with 78s. (I only had 500ish chips left and blinds were 75/150)
But seriously, this shit tilts me so bad. In a cash game I wouldn't be phased, I mean its a cooler. But FUCK every time it seems like in a tournament when I get a QQ or KK hand, some other guy that has been playing every god damn hand, wakes up with one better. Its just disgusting. If I had one that hand, I woulda had a 7k stack and well on my way to the final table and cash.
Ah well, fuck em. I own that douchebag every other time.
I apologize for venting but FUCK IE:THELKTHSL:SJSGISHDLKSFJDS cant help it sometimes.
BR is *sigh* $108.66 after starting today with $122.
Depressing.