Nice work boog. Now i wont see you at my tables taking everyones money! Hopefully in a few weeks i'll make it up there.
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Nice work boog. Now i wont see you at my tables taking everyones money! Hopefully in a few weeks i'll make it up there.
You'll be up here owning fish soon enough Schya. Don't forget to post your biggest hands up!
As for my shot at 10NL...I'm simply bewildered. The tables aren't hard to find; there are still fish all around. There's only one annoying problem: they are all friggin' shortstacked. I'm not really experienced with shortstacks since there weren't many down in 2NL and 5NL. They are pesky as shit and I want to kill them all. They don't really play poker...they just go all-in whenever they feel it would be fun. So their all-in range is huge...but then some of these damn shortstacks will go all-in with aces & kings and throw off my whole approach toward them. I'm embarrassed to say this but shortstacks are responsible for a good amount of my losses here at 10NL. I also lost a shitload of money to a 93/26 that I shouldn't ever tell anyone...but I got all my money in good so fuck it. The bitch sucked out on me like it was her job. Oh well...I found her yesterday and stacked her twice. Hopefully I can find her tonight and stack her again and again.
The good thing about 10NL is that I have to focus and continue my learning process. 5NL was very easy (the second time around). However, 10NL plays a bit different. For instance, players do NOT simply play fit-or-fold anymore. The pot is not won by simply betting into it when you know they didn't hit the board. You have to play a little bit more to win the pot (keywords: little bit). Now, more than ever, you must pick your spots to cbet. You WILL get raised and floated more in 10NL so cbetting is not as profitable as in the lower stakes where the players do not play back at you.
As for shitty habits that I picked up at the lower stakes that I must say goodbye to...open-limping will no longer be tolerated. I have cut open-limping from my diet as limpers are finally punished. Unlike 2NL and 5NL where everybody loves to see a flop, pre-flop play is a little more prevalent here. As you may have read, I didn't have a problem open-limping with speculative hands at a table that rarely raises pre-flop. I made a whole bunch of monies by seeing cheap flops and stacking unexpecting bystanders. This is no more. My low pocket pairs, connectors, and suited one-gappers are now easily folded in EP and MP (MP depending on table).
However, through all this crap that I must adapt to, I have managed to only lose 1 BI. A lot of it is to bad play versus shortstacks. A good amount of it is to calling stations that simply will never fold...and hit their two pair against my overpair on the turn/river (it's happened more than one would think). I've been up and down 2 BI's both ways for about 3000 hands (which is absolutely nothing). I KNOW I can take these stakes down...but I won't be able to do so until I learn to only play the primos against shortstacks. This and not allowing the suckouts get to my head (I must remember: I WANT them to call all these ridiculous hands) will be the keys to my success.
And by the way...this IRC I hear about. Anybody want to explain more? I am getting the stuff together to be sweated (sweated?)...but am now interested in this IRC. Details!
IRC is basically an online chat room for FTRer's to go to to talk about damn near anything. Poker, whatever, pretty much anything goes. And spoonitnow is on there quite a bit, and holy hell can you learn a lot from him.
About the short stackers: Yea, they can be a pain, but a lot of my money from 10nl came from these guys. You just have to determine how wide a range the "hand-chart" monkeys are shoving and then call with +EV hands. One day at work I went through and figured out some hands that had good equity vs. 6% shoving range, 10% shoving range, 15% shoving range, etc. It really is quite amazing some of the hands that good equity compared to others. Like TJs >>> KQo in most situations vs these short stacks. I suggest you do something of the same. It will really open your eyes, and help you make more +EV plays vs these guys.
Also, table select more. Don't just click the table at the top of the list because its the "juiciest" because of its stats. I tend to look for tables with mostly 50bb+ stacks with maybe 1 or 2 20bb stacks. Otherwise it just gets stupid lol.
Once you get the stuff together to get sweated, hit me up, I'll do it up. GL man, pwn dem 10nl fish!
Table selection:
1. Sort by High Players per flop
2. Low Hands per Hour (lots of hands going to showdown)
3. High Average Pot (at least 10bbs)
In that order.
FWIW playing against short stacks is much higher variance and the most you can expect to take off them is 20bb - so expect not to really make much against them - as in if you played with a table full of them a good win rate would be 2ptbb/100 over the long run - and even then at a table full of them you would likely lose to the rake if they were tight enough.
I haven't forgotten about you guys. However, I don't think I will be updating my blog as often as I have before. I think this would be a good move for me not to become so results oriented. It's easier to win money when you don't know how your session is going. However, I will still be looking over each and every session I have.
Anyway, since my post on May 6th, I've been doing rather well. My answer to shortstacks? Try not to sit with them...and if I have to, don't play with them unless I have premium hands (depending on their range). This has worked rather well for me so far. Since my last post, I'm up $54 in 3499 (7.72 BB/100). I guess 10NL doesn't play too differently than 5NL. One thing I noticed, however, is the tightening of my range. I didn't mean to...I guess it just came about. I enjoy playing a wide range and it's been working for me in 2NL and 5NL...but I guess if my tight range ain't broke in 10NL, I won't fix it.
I expanded my maximum tables at one time to six tables. It actually isn't that hard. The only thing that sucks is that my teeny tiny monitor makes it difficult to maneuver my mouse around the HUD. I still generally play four tables...but I will play six if there are six juicy tables going on. I think this may account for my tightening up...but who knows?
I'll keep you guys updated on any other going-ons in my poker world. There were no real outstanding hands this session. Later!
Your OP is long and I'm at work so I haven't had a time to read it all. However, I did read the post by Carroters LMAO. The funny thing is that the opposite happened to me. I took MORE interest in your posts and subconsciously liked you MORE cause you had Kramer as your avatar haha. Anyway, that was so 2 months ago...
Good job on Getting up to where you're at from $50. I started at $50 too and I'm not anywhere near there yet.
Nice bounce back dude! I remember you spewing your BR down to 2nl-5nl range not too long ago, and you're already back up to 10nl. Nice work man. 10nl is so lol ez game I love it. I almost wish I could stay there instead of moving up to 25nl (although I love 25nl too :)).
Can't wait to see you pwning 10nl hard and looking forward to seeing that you surpassed me in BR and skill after boot camp!
Thanks buddy. It's been three weeks since my tilting away of the roll. The funny thing is that I don't really regret or wish the whole thing never happened. I learned from the experience and now know exactly what tilt feels like and why it must be kept at bay.
Pretty cool that I'm further along than I was only three weeks later. My bankroll bounced back faster than I thought it would. Again, 2NL and 5NL is super duper easy the second time around. Anyway, time to get to grinding. Later!
Bankroll plus-$300.
I had a pretty good session last night. $25.35 in 607 hands for a 20.88 BB/100. NICE. This was the last session to be played before beginning studies for my final. Self-exclusion for a week ftw.
I actually wanted to hit SilverStar this month...but the week off obviously doesn't help. The solution? Grind out many $1 DoN's at the end of the month to catch up and make that SilverStar. Why do I give a shit about making SilverStar so much? Well, I want the $8 and $16 bonuses PokerStars is offering for May and June. I will be getting them damnit! Well, that's all for now. See you all next week.
Congrats Boo. Looks like I have some work to do if I want to continue sitting at all your tables as you will be at 25NL by the end of the month it seems.
So did your mother and I. Coincidence? :DQuote:
Originally Posted by BooG690
Jk, nice work dude keep it up. MAKE DEM MONIES
HAHA YESSSS DONS FTWQuote:
Originally Posted by BooG690
I'm going to be grinding the 5's and 10's I believe if I find myself running short on goldstar :D
I haven't posted in quite the long time. I was "studying" for my final all of last week. After that, I went to Atlantic City to play some poker.
I went to the Borgata on Tuesday and had a great time. I played for about 10 hours and ended about +$400. It was all really a game of patience and seeing cheap flops. The players do not play back at all and play their cards very straight-forward. I will probably be returning to Atlantic City this coming week.
As for my return to online poker, twas mixed. I had a pretty good session last night (while collected some VPPs playing the $1 DoNs). However, this morning didn't go as well. I ended down two BI's (which isn't really the bad part). To be totally honest, I played like shit. I was getting 3bet like crazy which led to the realization that I suck balls playing against 3bets. Additionally, the shortstacks were running rampant this afternoon (Eastern Time). I simply cannot play against these shortstacks and there were barely any tables with more than two deep stacks.
I chose to get out of the house and do some studying. I found a pretty good article on 3bets: http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/78...3-bets-483541/. The problem this morning was that I was playing OOP against these 3bets. It seemed to be happening constantly and the results were overwhelmingly negative.
I am now adding playing against 3bets as something else I need to work on. Obviously, I need to work on my poker as a whole (since I still suck) but I think it is a good idea to focus on blatant leaks.
I am also working on playing sets and maximizing their value. I have to stop being scared of betting villain off their hand.
The 10NL has shown me (and will continue to show me) leaks that I would not have found in 2NL, 5NL, or live poker. Not to beat a dead horse, but this is the reason that working up the levels is the best bet (and not simply depositing $1000 to go straight to 25NL).
Bold 1- This is the key to making your game suck less and less. You can't magically fix ALL your leaks overnight. It takes hard work and study to fix it up, leak by leak. If you look back through your old HH's from where you first started out, I guarantee you will get a chuckle out of some of the things you used to do. I wish I could play myself HU from when I first started out lol, just to see how much I could whoop my own ass.Quote:
Originally Posted by BooG690
Bold 2- I wish more people would realize this when they first start out. (Actually, I'm glad they DON'T, since those people are the feesh that pad our BRs lol.) This is so important. If I had just deposited $300 and went to 10nl, I would have gotten eaten alive, but by making my way from 2nl, to 5nl, then to 10nl, it was quite easy. I can sit down at pretty much any 10nl table, and be confident I can be a consistent winner vs the fish there. Now I'm just trying to adjust to the "better" play at 25nl.
Dude, you're doing great. It's really great to have these blogs on FTR so that others can watch as a new player develops into a finely tuned fish stomping machine lol. It's really astounding to see how far me, you and m2m have come in such a short period of time, and I'm eager to see where we are this time next year. We all have high expectations, and I don't see any reason why we shouldn't get there in the near future.
I look forward to hitting you up after Boot to see how you've been. Its been a pleasure reading your blog and getting to know you over the past few months, and I wish you continued success while I'm gone. Just know this, I plan on coming back with a crazy hunger for poker after boot camp and will probably grind 50k hands that first month I'm back lol. So I suggest you get your ass on the tables and get your BR up to $2k before I get back. :lol:
Have a good summer man, if I don't see you IRC before I go. Tear up that 10nl, its ez game once you get used to it. When I get back you can teach me how to rape 25nl. :D
Later man.
I figure I'd update my blog so I don't have to go searching on page 2 for it. Tonight held another good session and my bankroll is now over $400. I am getting closer and closer to 25NL...but I am no rush to get there. I will NOT be taking a shot the second I reach $500. I may actually be waiting until I reach about $600 (even though the first post and my banner says $700) to take my shot at 25NL...but I will cross that bridge when I get to it.
I'm playing my sets 100x better now that I'm not so scared to push villain off his hand. My sets are all being played as if villain had aces...and it is paying off very well. Stacks, you probably don't remember it, but your "bet/bet/bet" is in my head when I hit my set.
As for my live play, I found out that the Harrah's casinos in AC are ALSO throwing me free rooms. So that is two casinos that want me to play in their poker room. That basically means that starting June, I will probably be staying in Atlantic City for two nights (three days) instead of my usual one nighter at the Borgata. I will be sleeping one night at the Borgata and the other night at whichever Harrah's casino. If anyone from the northeast is looking to take a trip to AC, let me know. I wouldn't mind going with a fellow grinder.
I be gone. LATER.
How'd your exams go? And how was that BBQ you burned last time I talked to you lol. Anyways, I've been taking poker lightly for the past week, but I'm gonna get serious real soon. We should do another sweat session soon.
Btw, that's sweet that you get free rooms. How'd you hook that up? You just stay at the tables for a long time and win some money and people come up to you asking if you wanna stay at the hotel for free?
My exam went pretty badly. I just checked my grade actually...and not so good.
And the rooms are simply put on my Player's Card. You present your card at the table and I guess if you play long enough, they'll offer a room on that card.
As for the sweat session, I'm ready when you are my friend.
Oh they have those cards in Vegas as well right? I'm going there again for work in August and I think I'm gonna play the lowest stakes there as much as I can.
You free tomorrow? Maybe we can get your sweat and lock's sweat done tomorrow. I think he's free after 4 PM EST. I'm free all day.
Nicely done Boo. You are miles ahead of me now since I WD everything and am starting it all over from 2NL again.
Xpaand.... after 7pm ET.
Oh right. I calculated the other way around haha. 4 PM PST. :)
I had quite an interesting few days playing poker. However, most of it was live. I DID win 3.5 BIs online today...and that's really it for my online play.
Two days ago, I went to a poker club around my way. I played quite well...but there were barely any players for me to pawn off and I actually got sucked out on. Down $100.
Yesterday, I went to Atlantic City with a couple of friends. It wasn't really a poker trip (though I kind of wish it was). We hung out at the pool at Harrah's. I sat down at the tables a bit. The play was awful...but again I lost. It was one hand I lost on really:
AJo on the button. I raise to $15 (standard). SB and CO call. Flop comes Jxx. I bet $35 into the $45 (taking big blind and limpers out for a simpler story) pot. Call-call.
Turn comes, x. I bet $80 into the $115...call-call.
River comes, K. SB bets $100. CO calls and I fold. SB shows KJ. I'm disgusted. I keep my mouth shut though...until SB says, "I put you on ace-jack." That's when I ask, in a louder than usual voice, "How do you call my bets then?" He then tells me, "the pot was big...you didn't bet enough to get me off the hand." I was going to open my mouth to tell him just how wrong he was...but I simply rolled my eyes and said, "You're an idiot." I think I got more satisfaction out of that.
We then left Harrah's and went to the Borgata. We proceeded to get drunk at the Bar...it was a pretty good time. I was hit on by an Indian hooker (I have a thing for Indian girls). I was actually going to pay for the hooker...but figured playing 3-card poker and blackjack would be a better idea. Long story short...I should've gotten the hooker.
Anywho, I came back home and fired up some online poker. As I said before, up 3.5 BI's. Will probably fire up another session tonight after eating.
And that's my story.
So I've been too lazy to write in here and not much has been happening for me poker-wise anyway. I was unable to play live this week due to my need to withdraw from my bankroll. I should be able to play next week though.
As for online poker, I'm still in a rough patch. I refuse to call it a "downswing" since that implies only bad beats and suckouts. Fuck that, I've played like shit. I re-evaluated my positional stats and my call 3bet% is disgustingly high. Basically, REALLY high. It made me pretty sick to see that I'm such a fish in that aspect. This is a major leak I will be focusing on trying to patch up.
Also, I signed up for sweat session on 2+2. I got paired up with a random partner...which I think may be interesting. Hopefully he's a decent player with some insight (I'll be picking at his brain if I get the chance to chat with him).
If anyone on here wants to get a sweat session going, it'd be cool. Xpaand, lockpull, that means you! I'm PMing the both of you to see when we can get it going. That's all for now. Later!
Edit: Oh, and I ordered Mike Matusow's autobiography. Not very important since it's not a theory book...but I'm a fan of his and I figure that has SOMETHING to do with my poker going-ons...so I included that little tidbit here.
Last night's session probably calls for another update. No, not because I did well (which I did). However, it was my longest session to date. I recorded a 424 minute session last night (that's 7 hours and five minutes for you people that are horrible at math). I had to take a small ten-minute break in between to eat since I play rather badly when I'm hungry (which is a small thing I should work on). I am pretty proud of myself about the session as it tells me I can grind out long sessions online (as well as live...where I can probably grind out 14-15 hours).
I sustained a winrate of 13.70 BB/100 over 1958 hands last night. However, I shouldn't have won as much as I won (going to be honest here). I just ran into idiot after idiot after idiot. I had a 3way all-in with KK: KK>A7>A4. This was standard for last night...but I guess you can't discount the winnings against the fishies, right?
Additionally, I was sitting at a table that 2+2 must have started. I had no idea I was at a 2+2 table until they all started chatting poker. At that time, it was clear that it was a 2+2 table. They were obviously players with higher bankrolls throwing chips around. I was a big beneficiary of these chips. I was up $35 at one point and was sitting at the table with a $45 stack. There were three other large stacks (a $64 stack, a $57 stack, and another $45 stack). I really, really, really wanted to stay...but it was 5am and I know I shouldn't be at a table with a 450bb effective stack. I reluctantly left...but glad I did at the same time.
I was supposed to have a sweat session today with a 2+2er at 10am...but after my long grind, I just couldn't seem to wake up. Oh well...I'll just lie and tell him my internet was down (and I will be caught if he, somehow, finds this OP and reads it).
On a lighter note, Micro2Macro is the greatest 2NL player of all-time. Actually, he's disgustingly lucky (at 2NL...he is, of course, a good player). We agreed to flip for $5 at a 2NL table...of course he pulled aces. We flipped twice afterwards...and he beat me both times. I think I'm down about $35 in 2NL IRC games. And I'm pretty sure all that $35 is to Micro2Macro. Fucking guy.
I love 2nl lol. Now if only I could run that good at a higher stake....
By the way I hear ya on taking food breaks. Sometimes I find I stay at the tables too long whether its because they're just too good or I'm running hot etc. I tend to forget that I'm really passing up on some EV by not being properly fueled. I play pretty bad when I'm hungry too - I don't really want to know how much money I would have otherwise.
Damn. My OP was all the way at the bottom of page 1. I'm really, really slackin'.
I went to Atlantic City on Tuesday and Wednesday. I, of course, played poker. The players are really bad...but this trip reminded of the importance of a bankroll. I lost pretty shitty hands but I played well all-around. These things happen. At least the pool party at Harrah's was sick. :)
As for online poker, things are still on the up and up. I've chosen to go to 25NL (which completes half of my OP) and had my first session today. I limited myself to four tables until I get used to the bet-sizing and accumulate more hands on new villains. The session went well...+2 BIs. It's funny...those 2 buy-ins are equal to 5 buy-ins just yesterday. A little something for me to get used to. 25NL is gravy too being that I'm getting a lot more FPPs/VPPs. It really isn't much different than 10NL. In fact, I feel the villains are actually a bit looser. However, I only played one session and I shouldn't say things like that just yet.
If any of you guys have any advice for 25NL (as in what I should look for) or if you can tell me some of the differences between 10NL and 25NL, that'd be great. Or maybe you want to wish me luck? Who knows? Either way, happy grinding. LATER.
Advice:
Don't get fancy. Straightforward, solid play beats 25nl.
(and of course you can 3bet the regs lightly once and awhile ;))
So I've been half-assing my posts here on the OP. Nothing much of significance has been happening in my game. But, recently, I moved to 25NL (as most of you probably [didn't] read). I thought nothing of the move...just another stake up I figured. However, it is the biggest transition I've ever made (granted, I've only made two prior transitions). The players here actually...kind of...think. KIND OF. And I love it. I love learning more pokers.
I've only played three sessions in 25NL so I will not be making any generalizations. I still have to get used to the stack and pot sizes. I see $25 and get all excited. I see $40 pots and get all excited. I am sitting at a table with $55 and get all nervous/excited. What I'm trying to say is I have to get rid of my hard-on for the amount of money at the table and realize that it's the SAME amount of big blinds as before.
With my hard-on for these "bigger" stacks comes nerves. I WILL NOT open six tables (yet). Six tables at 10NL represented a little bit above 10% of my bankroll. Six tables at 25NL represents over 20% of my bankroll. Mentally, I cannot put that much up at one time. I will only play four tables until I reach a bankroll of $800+. Of course, this is subject to change.
With bigger stakes comes bigger sessions. What I mean by that is...I am winning (or losing) more money per session. However, again, I MUST get used to the fact that it is the SAME as 10NL in terms of buy-ins. In today's session, I was up 2.5 buy-ins. This is $62.50. Of course, I thought "omg omg...a lot of money." But seriously, 2.5 buy-ins is standard (you know what I mean). There's nothing too special about it. I am just still in 10NL mode where this would be 6.25 buy-ins. 6.25 buy-ins is a great session (imo). But...I'M NOT IN 10NL. Again, I must stop thinking in terms of money.
I believe this distortion of money comes with the transition into 25NL (in relation to the other transition in stakes I've had). From 2NL to 5NL, I was used to sitting at the table with $5 (as I bought in for as much as possible). From 5NL to 10NL, I was used to sitting at a table with $10. Additionally, the stakes only doubled. However, from 10NL to 25NL, the stakes went up by 2.5x and I was only sitting at a table with up to $10. If I doubled up at 10NL, I would be sitting there with $20 (still not $25 ldo). When I double up in 25NL, I'm sitting there with $50. This is a lot more than I'm used to.
Has anyone else felt the same way when going into 25NL? I'm not complaining or saying it is hurting my game in any way. I'm not playing scared really. I'm simply saying it's a bit of a shock that I must adapt to.
I figure now would be a good time to design a bit of a game plan of when to move up to 50NL. Unlike my last game plan, it will not be based on reaching a certain bankroll. That may be a good idea when planning to move out of the 10NL and below (since, I think, you want to get the hell out of there ASAP), but at 25NL, you want to be sure you're BEATING the game. You want to be sure that you can handle medium stakes. You want to be ready to take on 50NL (where players probably are thinking even MORE!).
I hope to play 40-50K hands at 25NL (does anyone suggest I play more?). Hopefully, by that time I will be rolled for 50NL. I will be withdrawing periodically from my bankroll. This will be my way of yanking the chain and NOT letting myself take an early stab at 50NL (it also works as a reward system). A lot of you will say that I don't have self-discipline. I disagree. I do have self-discipline...but for one reason or another, this is my way of ensuring I don't go to 50NL prematurely.
I will not be withdrawing much from my roll at 25NL. The plan is to withdraw $250 at every $500 benchmark. Therefore, I will withdraw at $1250, $1500, and $1750. How is that every $500 benchmark? Well, when I withdraw $250 from my $1250 roll, it will leave me with $1000. I must then get to $1500 to withdraw once again...leaving me with $1250 and so on. This is, obviously, also subject to change. Most of you may say that I shouldn't withdraw at 25NL...but back in my real life, I have an inconsistent job and credit card bills that need to be stopped (it kills me to owe a bank money knowing those sons of bitches are charging me interest [interest = -EV]). I did not come up with this idea by myself...I actually saw an idea like this one in this thread: HERE.
As for live poker, I do not have the bankroll for it. Credit card bills are mounting up and it is irresponsible of me to take cheap shots at live poker with a tiny bankroll.
That is all for now boys and girls. I apologize for the shitty posts as of late...but hopefully this was a good one.
Bankroll: $660
Nice post, and good luck.
Moving up to the quarter seems to be the biggest leap for alot of micro guys, but once you get used to it it's all good. Just play your game.
OPERATION COMPLETED! It's actually been complete for quite a bit...but I figured I'd let everybody know at my monthly update.
Well, this month was a small turning point in my poker career. This month, I finally made it out of the microstakes. I made over $500 and shot my bankroll to over $1000.
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/5966/postg.jpg
Here's my graph:
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/2299/junegraph.jpg
Side Accomplishments
Reached Silver Star
Achieved my $120 Reload Bonus
Got my $8 and $16 July Special Bonus
Overall: +$653.41 for the month
Goals for July
25K+ hands
Gold Star
More studying!
More experience in MTTs
Fun Facts
I suck balls at 2NL. If I weren't to count 2NL, my winrate this month would have been 8.43 BB/100. Counting 2NL, I am 4.99 BB/100. Special thanks to micro2macro and Stax for this!
Special Thanks
Thanks to m2m for leading the way and paving out clear steps for me to follow.
Thank you Stax. Little do you know this, but you helped my game the most. I read your comments and discussions on others' hands. This helps immensely. Also, your idea of poker that you share in the IRC is great. Thanks for all this.
Thanks Spoonitnow. Your quizzes are great. As much as I don't take part, I do learn a bit. I appreciate your taking the time out to help us noobs.
And a special shout out to Dranger. Even if he isn't playing poker with us right now, he will be soon. He's back in October. I promised him I'd surpass his bankroll...and I plan to do just that!
And now I'm not exactly sure if I will be creating a new thread or simply continuing this one. I'm leaning towards continuing this one thread to chronicle my whole poker career. We'll see though. As of now, I will probably complete 25NL in this one thread and make my decision if/when I reach 50NL.
Congrats on all the accomlishments man. Won't be long before you're playin double quarter :D
nice work on the $1k, the first is the hardest - cliched but true.
I felt the same moving to 25nl, to 50nl, and to 100nl. Oddly, not 200nl, guess i just played too many hands deep at 100nl for it to feel like loads of money. It goes away fairly quickly.Quote:
Originally Posted by BooG690
on FT, 25nl and 50nl play similarly, the move from 50nl to 100nl is the biggest cos there aren't many pros at 50nl and a whole bunch at 100nl+.Quote:
Originally Posted by BooG690
i suggest playing enough to build your roll to 50nl ($1500? $1800? your decision here). Once you've built the roll by beating 25nl then you should move up. This could be as few as 20k hands as 5ptBB/100 would be $500. Play minimum of 20k hands, move up when the roll feels right, and if the roll feels right then you must have been beating 25nl ok...Quote:
Originally Posted by BooG690
i like your plan cos i dislike the idea of credit card debt. Enjoy the feeling of your hobby paying some bills!Quote:
Originally Posted by BooG690
I've never really been affected by the money in its own right when moving up, but I have trouble with the amount per buyin. For instance, when I moved to 100nl, if I got down $25 then its not losing $25 that affected me, but more that $25 was 1/2 a buyin at 50nl. Adjusting to thinking of $25 as only 1/4 of a buyin took a few days. I dunno, weird when you type it out, but there you are.
Congrats on $1k!! Its an awesome achievment for anyone who starts out at the micros!!
congratulations Boog . I know what you mean about the jump up to 25NL . Its something that is daunting to me for when I get the roll up to be able to take my shot . At 5NL i'd played a lot of deep stack 10$ poker having doubled up against people buying in full. At 10 NL the $ amounts I was used to , it was just adjusting to larger bet sizing and standard of play. What I havent really experienced at all is playing with 25$+ on a table against 2 or 3 other 25$+ stacks.
Nice job and good luck on the move up. I'm @ $25NL but I thought it was still considered micros. Maybe it's just semantics, but it seems like I've heard $25NL and less referred to as micros, $50NL to $200NL small stakes, $400NL to $1000NL mid stakes, and anything higher than $1000NL high stakes. Or maybe $1000NL is the start of high stakes.
As far as the money goes, I haven't really been withdrawing to this point, so that helps my psychological game because I just treat everything like chips. I've been basing my moves on money won at the previous stake, not hands played. I figure if you can win 30 buy-ins or more to move up, you're doing something right. But, either way, have 30 buy-ins at a minimum when you move up and then imagine you lost 10 buy-ins @ $50NL and had to drop down to $25NL. What would you like your bankroll to be when you moved down? No matter what, moving down sucks - it'll be $500 either way, but you can plan ahead to try to make it as painless and comfortable as you can.
Good luck.
Congrats BooGalooga. Good luck with yo billz and w/e withdrawing is fine if you have a plan and shit. Just means you have to work twice as hard to get the same result!
I'm not even exactly sure why I wrote that. I was a bit tipsy last night and chose to write it up quickly before going out again. Yes, 25NL is still microstakes. I was too lazy to change it and all. Thank you though!Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason
congrats op
I was randomly here and I do this exactly too, losing $200 at 2/4 feels like a buy in
Quote:
Originally Posted by bjsaust
nice job, boog! like everyone said, the first 1k is always the hardest (but it's also the sweetest)
GJ Boog.
Somebody else passes me on the road to poker success :oops:
I will not put more pressure on myself
I will not put more pressure on myself
...
:lol:
Good Show...
Looks like you will do well in the months ahead.
I've decided not to create a new thread. I think it would be a good idea to chronicle my entire voyage down the poker road in one thread. This way, when newer players see it, they see that things can happen from a mere $50 deposit.
Anywho, I chose to name the thread after my learning poker. 2NL-10NL taught me close to nothing. Alright, maybe it taught me a bit, but 25NL is different. The regs actually have half a brain and there isn't much shoving with air. It's either I actually learn to play well...or suffer the consequences.
I've been on a shitty run. This shitty run tilts me. My value bets aren't getting called and my bluffs are getting called all the time. My kickers are getting outkicked and my two pairs are getting counterfeited. Villains that open every hand hit the flop in the face when I choose to play sheriff. Pokerstars is obviously against me by giving me this shit run, right?
That's simply bullshit. I simply have to learn the game. I have nobody to blame but myself. The guy who is stealing blinds 74% of the time IS going to have a hand at times. No, he's NOT just trying to bluff me off my TPTK (that I should be folding). He ACTUALLY has a hand.
And this is one of the biggest effects tilt has on one's game. You begin to create stories that make no sense. You see villain's shoves as bluffs...when your sane poker-playing self would read this as him trying to get it in. You refuse to believe that villain has a hand better than you again...he HAS to be bluffing! When you find yourself saying, "Holy shit...he has a hand AGAIN!?!?!?," you're most likely tilting. Get the fuck off the computer. Close all your tables. They'll still be there tomorrow...I promise.
Where is this rant coming from? I tilted away four buy-ins. It was very avoidable. I created retarded stories in my head and didn't believe what villain was CLEARLY telling me ("I HAVE THE BEST HAND AND I WANT YOUR STACK!"). I like to somehow tweak the story so villain is somehow bluffing. I should have closed my tables earlier. I've chosen to use the 24-hour self-exclusion PokerStars conveniently provides. Don't be too proud to use it...it's there for reasons just like this. We all need a cooling-off period.
We all tilt. We are not entitled to hit our 15-out draws every time. We are not entitled to win our made hands as a 95% favorite. PokerStars is not tweaking the deck to screw us (do you see how this is a self-centered idea?). We create this tilt in our heads. For some odd reason, we feel we must tell everybody how we got two-outered on the river. And the more we make a spectacle of it, the bigger we play it up and the longer it sticks around. The idea is to tilt as little as possible and stay away from the tables when you are in this mental state.
Avoid tilt and WIN!Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Caro
P.S. This thread is ridiculous. I mean really? You're still using the "OMG Jokerstars is rigged" excuse? WEAK!
P.P.S. And now my tilt has been addressed. I wrote about it and must now eradicate it. Spoonitnow explained it to me once in IRC: "You know what amplifies tilt? Talking about it." And he's right. Address your tilt...but don't let it sink you. Shit hands happen. You're going to get a bad run of cards and hit the top of villain's range every once in a while. Sometimes this happens many consecutive times. Don't let it control you. Understand it's there, do what you need to do to cool off, and learn from it. Plug the glaring leak that the tilt may have shown you. Just don't let it take control.
Writing is how I address my tilt and cool off. My tilt is now here for all to see...and it will be gone now that it's off my chest.
I gotta re-read Caro's book again.
True classic.
cool idea. One day I'll read through my 4 op threads, start to finish. I link the old ones in the first post of every new one, for some of the same reasons as you described.Quote:
Originally Posted by BooG690
it's incremental. Every small piece in the puzzle etc. I bet you now know a load more than before. Remember a poker truism - 'a fish is relative', 25nl is very beatable..Quote:
Originally Posted by BooG690
ok, maybe post some of your bluff hands for critique. Chances are they are not good places to bluff. Bluffing less probably makes more sense for a while if you're not sensing the right places to do it.Quote:
Originally Posted by BooG690
hard to see how this happens when your value bets aren't being called in the first place ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by BooG690
people bluff less than you think... as you know:Quote:
Originally Posted by BooG690
now come back calm and collected and playing your a-game and pillage 25nlQuote:
Originally Posted by BooG690
So, as I posted already, I've been spewing money. I'm not losing this money, it was simply being spewed due to my own bad play.
I took a short break from poker (two days) and came back with renewed focus. Sex does wonders to help you regain focus (seriously). I chose to come back to only four tables at a time. I am playing more patiently and using my time wisely (PokerStars gives us a time bank for a reason!).
What am I taking the time to do? I am asking myself the necessary questions before actually taking action. Some of these questions include (but are not limited to):
Pre-Flop Raise
- Why am I raising here?
- Am I looking to be called or would I like to win the pot right here?
- What are villains' most likely action here? Is this what I want?
- Am I looking to isolate anyone in particular?
- What is my plan for the flop if villain calls?
Calling With a Speculative Hand
- If with a pocket pair, how will I play this hand if I don't hit my set? Is this profitable?
- If with a [suited] connecting hand, how will I play this hand if I hit a pair (obviously this question is board-specific but it helps to have a plan!)?
Please note that we are ALWAYS asking these questions against villain's range. We do NOT ask these questions in a vacuum which means the answers to these questions will NOT always be the same.
Post-Flop
- How does this flop correspond with villain's range?
- How does this flop correspond with my perceived range?
- Am I going to need to draw? How many outs do I have?
- Given villain's range, my perceived range, and the outs I have, is a cbet profitable?
Turn
- What did villain's call/raise on the flop mean?
- Have I seen this action before from villain? If so, what was he holding (if it went to showdown)?
- Can he be floating me?
- Did the turn card complete any draws?
- Does villain's range include hands that may now be holding a straight/flush?
River
- All turn questions.
- Am I likely ahead or behind at this point?
- Can I win this hand without betting?
- If a bet is needed, what is my perceived range at this point?
- Would a bluff be profitable?
- Is my hand strong enough to catch a bluff?
- Should I value bet here or check to induce a bluff? Am I happy if this river is checked down without further value?
In addition to all these questions, one of my favorite questions is the whole "Do worse hands call here?" and "Do better hands fold?" Basically, are you betting for value or as a bluff? It becomes second-nature at a point...but ask yourself this at when you start!
Of course there are hundreds of other questions we should be asking ourselves that are specific to each situation. As of now, I will leave my list at that. I may add more in the near future.
I wouldn't mind if some of you guys helped me out with some of the questions you use to keep your mind in the game. It would be great to have some ideas of good questions to ask handy.
And for those of you losing focus or clicking buttons too fast, take a breath before taking action. While taking this breath, think to yourself about your impending decision. Good luck!
great list, x-post to the BC imo so people who don't browse the blogs section can read it.
Droppin' little nuggets of advice...MICRO STYLE!
Do NOT fall into the trap of playing sub-par hands just to enter more hands with a fishy villain. Widen your range...but be weary of becoming reckless!
boog thats gold btw. +1 to m2m's suggestion.
jyms posted a WHY post in his op/blog a while ago.
That's what I ask myself at the moment.
assuming a passive fish who is limping.Quote:
Originally Posted by BooG690
Isolate with an appropriate range - why/why not A6o? how about 89s?
When/why to limp behind? what sort of hands?
Watch out for squeeze type players behind though. Learn about his pre-flop response to isos. Know when to c-bet, when to check behind. Stack him. Do it again.
BooG69 your doing well my friend. Keep it up!
So I'm down in Tampa (got myself some nice color). As always, I check the forums for interesting hands. And I've realized that I need to graduate to the Full Ring forum here at FTR. Of course I will be checking the BC every now and then...but I will be focusing more on the Full Ring hands. That's really all I wanted to say. Later all!
Edit: Shitty first post on page 4.
Seat 2: GANGSTA_MONK ($29.50 in chips)
Seat 4: K.T.A.-1985 ($5 in chips)
Seat 5: Suppinho ($5 in chips)
Seat 6: miar1234 ($9.75 in chips)
Seat 7: Don V 2009 ($77.80 in chips)
Seat 8: BooG690 ($25 in chips)
Seat 9: Poker_Muzz ($25 in chips)
BooG690: posts small blind $0.10
Poker_Muzz: posts big blind $0.25
klaba_ffm: sits out
4dgamble: sits out
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Poker_Muzz [X X]
GANGSTA_MONK: folds
K.T.A.-1985: folds
Suppinho: folds
miar1234: folds
Don V 2009: folds
BooG690: raises $0.75 to $1
Poker_Muzz: raises $2 to $3
BooG690: raises $9 to $12
Poker_Muzz: folds
You may want to adjust your 4b sizing, allows me to play my range pretty perfectly. Not enough hands on you to conclude you 4b bluff yet - but ur never 4b bluffing when u make it 12 here pre.
Thanks Muzzard. Definitely appreciate the time you took out to help me out.
As for an update, I call 3bets too much. That is all.
In the midst of a downswing, one starts to wonder if they ever really beat the game.
I'm starting to doubt I ever did. However, reading articles shows that this mentality is standard. Hopefully I get my mind right soon.
I'm heading to Coney Island tomorrow...hopefully that'll help get my mind right and give the deck time to reshuffle and heaterize me.
Calling too many 3bets could be a huge leak. You may want to think about some leaks you have. Variance could be playing a big part but make sure it's not your play too.
I'm consciously making an effort to stop calling 3bets.
Muzzard and I had a conversation and I see that 3bets should RARELY be called. With that thought in mind, I'll be calling 3bets a lot less! Thanks a lot Kmind for the advice.
yo boog690 let's set up a sweat session some time, I'll yell at you to fold to those 3bets and we can discuss things etc.
So I will be reviewing my stats a lot and posting small snippets of leaks that I am finding. Here we go:
My 3bet value range is totally skewed. For one thing, I found that I am 3betting mid-PPs. The funny part is that I KNOW mid-PP's are pretty shitty to be 3betting for value...so why am I doing it? Again, recognizing a leak is the most important part.
"OWN PPL POSTFLOP" - M2M
Keep up the good work man. Those are def. leaks that will increase your winrate a ton!
Quote:
Originally Posted by BooG690
As coincidence would have it, I just recently wrote, among other things, an opinion on downswings and "3 betting" @ $25NL and lower - look @ #'s 3 and 5 respectively. The cliff notes version is that you don't want to think of yourself "in the midst of a downswing". Know that the very next hand could be equally good or bad. I totally understand the feelings you've expressed and maybe YOU don't actually think you're in one, but when you say you're IN a downswing, that's a red flag to me. As for the 3 betting, whether or not you're getting the results you want, 3 betting is so far down the list of things you can probably improve that I would recommend staying out of the 3bet, 4bet, 5bet game. Work on the ranges game, value bet game, starting hand versus position game, relative hand strength game, and many other games before that one. Good luck.Quote:
Originally Posted by BooG690
So after reading Jason's (GREAT) post on his blog and making a conscious effort on working on my leaks, the past few sessions have gone really well. There was actually another leak that should have been obvious:
I was too damn loose and playing a high-variance game of poker.
It has been working for me in the past...so I figure I wouldn't change it. But with high-variance poker, you should expect bad downswings...and I simply don't have the mental strength and bankroll to withstand those. Additionally, playing a loose game of poker is UNNECESSARY as I'm still getting paid off at my tables.
So, basically, I clamped down, played tight, and opened more tables. Why more tables? Playing more tables helps with my patience in that I see more hands and will, of course, need to play tighter.
Solid poker is good poker. Hopefully the good vibes continue!
So I'm continuing to play solid, tight poker and I continue to get good results. I had another good session tonight.
With my tighter play, I am in fewer tough spots postflop and am still getting action on my big hands (perhaps because they're HUDs are still showing my old stats).
Downswings cause you to study yourself and identify your leaks. My laggy play should have been easy to identify, but I was stubborn and I thought it was OK. Deanglow's stat post showed me that, even at the higher stakes, tight is good. Also, talking to M2M and Muzzard showed me that there's no reason to play too laggy. Thanks to all of you.
However, with my tighter play, my aggression seemed to have gone down (and it was already quite low). I believe I probably should be raising a bit more postflop (something I rarely do). Also, my red line is tanking...but I don't really give a shit. Just a funny side effect of tighter play, I guess.
All in all, my confidence is creeping back and I am enthusiastic to hit the poker tables again. It's great how much help people I met through this site have helped. That's what makes FTR the best poker forum on the internet.
Enough sappy stuff...I'm outta here.
Nice reflection post.
I'd like to say one thing: lol at trying to play lag at low stakes, look at what the biggest winners are running...most of them are tight, with a few exceptions.
Oh and you're a splarm.
I'd like to think of myself as semi-Laggy, but I'm probably more semi-tight. What is 23/17 considered? What were you running? What are you aiming for or expect to see with your new play?
As you guys may (or may not) know, this month started off pretty rough. Variance hit, I played like shit, and my confidence went down the drain. I obviously had leaks and I had to patch them up as well as I can. My laggy play was causing me to spew money and it took this downswing to see it. I tightened up my play (basically) overnight.
This night was July 21st, 2009. I wanted to see how I've been running after this little "turning point." Well, this is where this post becomes a brag:
http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/5407/brag.jpg
http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/82/bragh.jpg
Sure, I've been running quite hot...but I'm playing damn well. I've been making a point of rarely calling 3bets. I've been 3betting lightly in situations that call for it. I'm keeping pots small when I hold marginal hands and I'm not being shy about going for villain's stack when I hold a monster (this results in small losing pots and big winning ones). But most importantly, I CLAMPED DOWN and stopped playing like a lagtard.
I was running 18/12. I consider 23/17 pretty damn laggy...but to each their own. With my new style, I expect to face less tough decision postflop. I also won't let myself spew as much with marginal hands and kickers.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason
I'm going to begin to post more hands of scenarios I feel are troublesome for me. Hopefully this improves my game as well. Additionally, I bought both Professional No Limit and Theory & Practice to learn some new theories on poker.
All is well so far...hopefully the next three days go well to end this rocky month.
Hey BooG, can't express how grateful i am for the sweat session. It seemed to put a few things in perspective for me. Ship the +8 buy in day. Hopefully ill be out of this hell hole soon enough! Good luck with your game get up to that 50NL soon!
Ahhh...July is finally over. I've never been happier to see a new month. Here's how it ended up:
http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/1527/julygarph.jpg
And take away $100 from that due to that prop bet with M2M and I'm only up about $41 for the month. Well, at least I completed a comeback...so I'll take a breakeven month.
I have a good feeling about August. I got two new books and I plan on getting a few sweat sessions going with players better than me. Hopefully that'll help me identify more leaks that I may have.
I probably won't be getting Gold Star this month being that I will be at Full Tilt clearing that "Big Bonus," thing. Also, I will be going to Tampa again for a week. If all goes well and I reach 50NL, I plan on going to UltimateBet to clear their sign-up bonus. I may not play on PokerStars at all this month (unless they entice me with a bonus)!
Goals for August
Move up to 50NL
Clear FTP Bonus
Don't lose prop bets to M2M
Put in more hands than in July
very nice comeback on the graf
So I haven't posted here in a while. I actually haven't been playing much poker. I've been training for a job in sales and the commute has been killing me.
Also, I withdrew all my money from PokerStars on July 31st. I did so in anticipation of a PokerStars reload bonus for the WCOOP. I was also going to put some money on Full Tilt to get their "Biggest Bonus Ever" promotion. However, I did I pretty stupid thing with part of my roll. I deposited a bit onto Absolute Poker.
The players are pretty damn fishy on Absolute Poker. The 25NL there plays a lot like the 10NL on PokerStars. However, there is only like 9-10 25NL tables running, even at prime time. There are a lot of 50NL tables at Absolute Poker. I will admit...I tried the 50NL tables on Absolute Poker. Funny enough, they play a lot like the 25NL tables on PokerStars.
However, the software is absolute trash. It freezes up a lot and the lobby does not really refresh itself. Additionally, the bonuses are SUPER SLOW to clear. I will probably clear a bit of money and withdraw most. HEM does not work at the new 7-2 tables (which are kind of interesting tbh since these players take the 7-2 prop bet way too far)...so that also sucks (though it gives me a chance to see exactly how much I rely on the HUD with 4 tables running).I guess I had to experiment to see...but I will be staying with PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker.
Anyways, I was right about PokerStars doing a little reload bonus for their WCOOP. I guess they're calling me back. Thank you PokerStars. You answered my bitching and whining.
As for the pokers, my bankroll is increasing and I'm gaining more confidence. I'm reading Theory and Practice. It's a great book for anyone who hasn't read it. There is a bit dense...so please don't breeze through it. That's all for now.
Edit: The HUD for HEM works for the 7-2 tables on Absolute Poker now. The HEM customer service is simply amazing. The 7-2 tables came out yesterday and today's beta fixes the non-import bug.
Hey BooG, I need a prop bet. SHALL WE? I play $60K hands and you give me $100! Sounds fair, amirite?!?
FWIW, I've never played more than 40K hands in a monf.
...Ahhh, I've missed the IRC.Quote:
Originally Posted by Illfavor
Remember that tilt can go both ways. Some players change their game drastically due to weaker opponents. This is OK...but be sure not to change your game so much that you are, in essence, spewing your buy-ins away:
- Do NOT begin to try and win EVERY pot. This will inevitably lead to spew.
- Do NOT begin to play hands OOP because you think you are THAT much better than your opponents.
- And remember that your opponents get the same amount of monster hands as everybody else. Do NOT fall into the trap of betting into them because you think they are always weak.
Also, I've been noticing a lot of microstakes players in the IRC discuss their winnings of the past hour(s) and day(s).
Guys...nobody gives a shit. Why not? Because it simply doesn't matter. You're looking at the short-term part of the game. Please remember that poker is a shitty short-term game. Your winrate in the past day or two is totally irrelevant. There is no point in even looking. If you MUST, look at the end of each session (but remember, each session CANNOT be a winning session). If you really want to challenge yourself, look at the end of each week or month. I personally take it month-by-month...though this is ALSO too small of a sample to tell anything from.
Looking at your winrate and how your session is going is simply a side effect of wanting to climb up the stakes to quickly. You are, most likely, hung up on the idea of making all this money to get to 5NL/10NL ASAP. That time will come. Be patient. Learn to value bet at these smaller stakes and you will inevitably hit the 10NL and even 25NL.
As for me, I'm doing rather well. I will be depositing on Full Tilt and back on PokerStars to claim my bonus monies. I feel rather focused at the tables. Coolers and bad beats aren't bothering me much anymore. I feel very good mentally.
I will be rereading Theory & Practice. After I've done so, I will move onto Professional No Limit. That is all for now boys. LATER!
Nice blurb.
The whole obsession over short term results is interesting. I used to check my win rate/graph etc all the time. But as we evolve it becomes less tempting - to the point where I haven't looked in a few days, and also have almost no idea what my win rate or $ won is over the last 10-12k hands I've played.
One of the biggest things to help this is remove all the win rate and dollar per hour related stats from our databases so we can't look at them. We might be on edge a bit for the first few days since we can't check those numbers we just love to stare at, but eventually it just becomes easier to the point where caring about them is non-existent (to a point of course :D)
I feel like I've improved in this area, and without removing those stats I probably wouldn't have. TY spoonitnow for another great tip.
BTW nice 72o hand you showed me, post imo.
lol at 72o you linked while i slept. Started an OP stop by some time. And keep pwning this here game
So I just posted on how we shouldn't really worry about how our sessions go and such...but I haven't bragged much in this OP. Here goes:
I Can Haz 1200bb At Table?
http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/2725/1200bbbrag.jpg
Ship the 8BI day!
So 100nls is in sights. Very nice dar BooGs
Very nice sir.
Comments of Absolute Poker? Withdrawal times/RB coolness/ease of bonus clearance, etc? I believe it will be my next site after I clear up a few bonuses on Stars and FTP, so I'm gunning for your bitch ass.
jesus christ nh!
So over the past two sessions I've been playing like shit. No bad beats, no coolers, I've just been playing like shit. I'm trying to cram some hands in at the end of this month...but I refuse to continue playing when I'm not playing up to par. I'm ending my sessions early because I'm sucking it up.
I've been winning this month. I believe this has gotten to my head and I've begun to widen my range at every position. I'm beginning to play laggier since I am letting my winning get to my head. I need to clamp down and play solid poker again. I seem to be having this problem (of loosening up) every month and it just ends up in me spewing money. However, I caught the cancer early this time (only lost a buy-in and a half) and I will continue to play solid poker next session. WOOT!
I hate you. $2k BRaments?
*sighs*
*turns on the UBER BOOM SWITCH*
*cracks knuckles*
Time to play some catch up imo.
O yea, I'm back from boot camp. WOOOP WOOOOOP WOOOOOOOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MUST. TIGHTEN. UP. AGAIN.
Stop making congical visits to the local prison and you wouldnt have this issue ldo.
So I withdrew my money from Absolute Poker. That didn't take long, huh?
It took me long enough to realize that the BBJ rake was killing my sessions. I would literally be up 3 buy-ins only to see it dwindle away without playing many big pots. I researched on 2+2 and found out that many players were having this problem. I guess I didn't realize this until recently because I've been running super hot before then. Moral of the story: do more research before switching poker rooms.
Anywho, I'm back on Pokerstars and couldn't be happier (poker-wise). My computer is a piece of shit and couldn't take Absolute Poker's crappy software. My computer would go into lag-mode as soon as I opened up AP and HEM at the same time. I will be waiting to receive my check from Absolute Poker to move back up to 50NL on PokerStars.
As for real life, things aren't really going as planned. Being that this is the only blog-thingie I have, I will have to use this to vent (DISCLAIMER: please ignore the following two paragraphs if you don't feel like reading me bitch & moan). As some of you have seen in the FTR Commune, I have no fucking clue what to do with my life. My mom's pushing me to go into medical school...so I feel like telling her to stfu and let me live my life. I feel like my life is in danger of becoming a waste. I've done well in school forever, busted my ass, and received my college diploma...and for what? This fucking college degree has gotten me absolutely nothing. I don't want to invest eight more years of time and hundreds of thousands of dollars into something I'm unsure about. Why didn't I major in something useful like computer science or accounting (I have an Economics degree fwiw)?
Also, I've stopped being active and have been in my house a lot. I'm going to have to change that...I'm not happy with that. However, that can easily be fixed.
Well, that's it for now I guess. I'll check in at the end of the month for another update.
Your in a similar spot that I was in 8-9 years ago.
Do NOT go into med school for mom....you'll hate it. You have to do it for you. You're the one who will be studying, working, exhausted and in debt (at least for a while) not her. If you like what you will have to do in Med, then do it.
Being active is one of the biggest things you can do to stay positive. I was in a similar boat. I had a degree and no job, I started sitting around a lot and you get more anxious and somewhat depressed. If you get out of the house, run, go meet friends, anythig it will make you feel 100% better about the situation.
If school is an option, look into a university/college program book for something that interests you and that you feel you could make a living on.
All I can say is, right now you're still young, and even though this seems like a huge thing right now, 5-10 years down the road it wont be. I'm happy where I am but 8 years ago I had no clue I'd be here, you just never know what happens.
Baller house - Canada - 1 year - Save up roll.
I've heard good things about "48 Days to the Work You Love". Try reading that and see if it helps your outlook and plan.
LOLPOKERDEGENGAMBLINGLIFESTYLEFTW
OK, so it's been long as hell before I updated this bad boy...and a LOT has happened during that time. I never really got to post my August graph...but later late than never (if this was a shitty graph, I definitely wouldn't have just "remembered" to post it):
http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/5307/92055280.jpg
Yeah, I know, it's late. I don't care though.
Anywho, as I may have said earlier in this thread, I was going to withdraw to pay off my credit cards and kill the interest I am constantly paying every month. Obviously the cashout curse hit me and I went on a major downswing (reasoning to be quasi-explained later). With my smaller bankroll and my downswinging, I chose to move down to 25NL (which I am currently at). I wanted to regain my confidence. I lost about four buy-ins, was breakeven for a while, and dug myself out of that hole and currently trying to salvage the month. And that's where I stand.
***DISCLAIMER: BITCHING TO FOLLOW***
[BITCHING]As for the whole doctor thing I was going through, I finally told my mother it just wasn't going to work out. I simply didn't want to do it and I had to explain it to her. I am currently attending school to start a computer science major. She seems disappointed, but she accepts it. [start the "doesn't get along with brother" theme of this thread] My brother, on the other hand, is being pretty ignorant and closed-minded about the whole thing. He's worried I'm not going to find a job and doesn't understand how I'm going to live with such a "small" salary. He honestly, TRULY thinks money equals happiness. That TILTS the crap out of me...
Here's some background for my next little anecdote. My brother was basically my best friend until the age of seven. At that point, I guess he became a teenager (he was 13) and totally forgot about me. I was basically neglected and he would even sometimes make fun of me in front of his friends. He began to verbally abuse me for everything I did. Two remarks that stick out are: "Why do you walk/talk like that?" The funny thing is, I walk and talk like everybody else does...but somehow my brother found the way I do it to be "weird, idiotic," etc. (For future reference to those still reading, don't make fun of the way a person walks, talks, or anything else they cannot help, especially at a young age) I almost felt as if everything I did was wrong, even though I gave the effort to do it right. It got to the point where I avoided speaking or being by him; it's been like this for years. Our relationship is currently broken beyond repair. To this day, the verbal bashing he used to give affects me a bit (especially if somebody comments on my doing something ridiculously wrong when I am giving a conscious effort). Anywho, today my brother made me feel like I was some kind of weirdo again. Basically ruined my day.
Additionally, tonight I was grinding with renewed confidence and feeling good. My brother walks in, tilts the shit out of me, and I had to end my session. I lost three stacks in the process...but I can't blame that on the tilt. They were mere coolers (OK, one was due to tilt), but losing my buy-ins and having to deal with my brother tilted the shit out of me. Session ended early, I'm pretty pissed off, and I want to move out of this house. I seriously don't get along with him and it's made me a miserable person towards others (my social life is on a downswing btw). When he was studying in DR, I was much more pleasant. Now that he's back home, I'm a lot more irritable towards my mom and others. I want to get out, but now that I'm going back to school, it's just not financially feasible. *shrugs* I'll figure something out.
Why am I telling random internet peoples this? It's easier to get these kind of things off your chest on a blog that is yours. Also, this is basically an anonymous outlet. Nobody I know IRL reads this or will ever read this. I've always found telling people my problems a sign of weakness and I never really want to bother people with my problems (I'm also afraid people won't care or disregard it...this is probably something else due to my brother).[/BITCHING]
Anyway, I guess I feel a bit better after writing all this. I'm gonna get my ass to sleep and hopefully be fresh for school tomorrow. LATER!
After listening to you discuss things with me in the IRC you seem like you've regained direction and know what you want out of your life/job etc. It sucks that your family still hasn't come around man. I can't truly understand because I'm not going through what you are but I've been in similar situations where I can put myself in your shoes and see how other people just don't get it. It can be really frustrating. Fwiw you're in a field where you can make really good money. Just because there is some other (few) occupations out there that pay more doesn't mean shit. Those jobs aren't for people who aren't 100% into them and dedicated. Okay enough late night rambling.
It's really late and I didn't plan on reading this much but when I didn't want to stop since I opened your blog for a reason lol. Message me on IRC anytime you wanna just chat it up - poker/life/women, whatever.
This is what blogs are for man, let it all out. More interesting that way anyway, plus you're more likely to pick up bits and pieces of advice.
dude, get into fitness prop bets!
and can you somehow encourage your bro to move out? like, he's late 20s or something right?
nice work. Move back up as soon as you feel it's appropriate though.Quote:
Originally Posted by BooG690
Hang in there Boog. I mean things could be worse. At least you don't live with that Kramer guy.
Grind pokerz and work hard at it. Who knows; you might become a 100 or 200NL reg and be able to afford rent in a place of your own in no time!
As the others have said, this is the place for this stuff. We who care will read it and attempt to help in whatever way possible, from poker advice to just shooting the shit. Our lives are full of stress, and compound that with our choice of very stressful hobbies it can quickly become too much. Find your outlet and use it. Know that, despite me ribbing you, I'm here I you need a friend to talk to.
Awww.... BooGer :( Sorry shits going to teh gay in IRLaments. I wish I could be there more often for you dude, but you know if you ever catch me on IRC or AIM I'm there for ya to make perverted jokes with. And just think about Canada this spring yo. That should like AUTO make you feel better. And shit, me n you had that talk about me being scared to go back to the Marines on IRC, so its like time for me to reciprocate(sp?) imo.
Hope shit starts going better dude. <3
Well, shit's going pretty well right now. I'm still learning to play poker and am STILL at 25NL. That's fine though.
For (at least) the rest of the month, I will be playing 6max (as suggested by a fellow FTRer). I find playing 6max better suits me as I always seem to stray towards laggier play. Like a dumbass, I started with 6-tabling. Today, I chose to tone it down to 4-tables. With only 4-tables, I have a great feel for the tables. There is no need to 6-table if I am looking to strive for bigger and better things. I must learn the game by 4-tabling before trying to get more hands in for a greater hourly winrate. I don't want to comment as to how I am doing as it is irrelevant given the sample size.
Life is going well too. I actually enjoy going to school now (I never ever did). Now that I see the light at the end of the tunnel, it is more enjoyable. As a pre-med, I never enjoyed it knowing medical school would be looming.
And now the reason for this blog post: a proposed prop bet. This bet would run all the month of October. Additionally, I will not be taking this prop bet with a non-FTR-reg. It is basically a prop bet to get me to start exercising (I know, I shouldn't need a prop bet to start, but I'm a degen, what can I say?) [I would like to thank daven and Robb for this idea btw]. Well, whomever I bet with and I will be competing against each other. The competition will be who can run/jog more miles in the month of October. Every mile completed will be worth ~$10 (obviously negotiable). Whoever runs more miles in the month of October wins the difference in miles. For example, if I run 30 miles and Player X runs 25 miles, I win $50 from Player X (if every mile were worth $10).
FINE PRINT: I would like to formally challenge Carroters to this (I think he was talking about wanting to begin exercising in his OP). I reserve the right to decline challenges from players (No way I'm taking this bet from daven, jyms, m2m, etc.). Obviously other fitness prop bets can be added in conjunction with this one. The prop bet will run from October 1st, 2009 12:00am to October 31st, 2009 11:59pm IN EACH PLAYER'S RESPECTIVE TIME ZONE.
Let me know who's up for some props!
This is an interesting idea Booger. I have one reservation with it though. How the hell are we going to be able to prove how many miles we've jogged? I mean I trust a lot of the regs on FTR are honerable, including you, but I mean it just seems sketchy to ship monies to someone you don't know IRL based on their word alone.
I guess you pose a good point. It works well in theory...but it breaks down in practice. We can make the difference in miles to be $1 each...or even just start an OP for bragging rights. I don't know...I just know I need to start jogging/running again.
you only cheat yourself and your developement by lying about a prop bet which by the way, counts for an insignificant amount of money.
just my 2c
LDO.Quote:
Originally Posted by Micro2Macro
The money really isn't the point (which is why I'd be willing to make it a $1 even). It is simply a symbol of the bragging rights I've gained throughout the month.
Things are going good. 6max is treating me well...I feel comfortable playing there. But here's an idea for myself:
PLAN YOUR FUCKING HANDS!