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The wait between it being shown on TV in the US and being available to dl is like an hour.
If you'd prefer to pay then I think looking at some big name providers of downloads and streaming services is the best route to go down. If you can't find anything let me know and I'll pm you a couple of links.
Thanks for the tips gents.
I dropped down to 25nl earlier this evening as 50nl was reg infested and felt like a kid in a sweet shop! When you drop down a stake, you really do realise how poor the standard is at the lower stake and wonder why it took so long to beat it comfortably at the time. I guess it's like anything in life though in the sense that development takes time and is incremental and it's important not to forget that.
With anything in life too, I definitely think you can progress much quicker sometimes by throwing yourself into a new, harder challenge (as long as you can at least compete early on and have the BR if it's poker). Having a first-hand awareness of how better players play a sport or how more experienced staff operate at work by competing with them is a steep learning curve for sure, but sometimes well worth it.
Lol live poker. Some classics I witnessed during last night's mtt and cash session include:
- cold calling a nits 3bet with 74o for a third of your stack because "I just had a feeling that would happen" when you flop 356.
- limp calling 23s oop, donk/calling a jam for 30bb on a 742 rainbow flop because "deuces have been lucky for me lately" and "I put him on ace-king" before spiking a deuce and proclaiming "I knew deuces would come good for me again"
- checking your option in the bb with kk in a 7-player limped pot and c/jamming heavy on a q65r flop and getting called by Q3s.
- checking a flopped boat with initiative 5 way and betting 1bb on ace turn and 1bb on river.
- cold calling a heavy 3bet in the sb and donk jamming 250% pot on 873 rainbow board and flashing 83s
- donk/calling A2 on KQ2, check/calling turn and chk/chk deuce river.
- donk/folding half of your remaining stack on a kjx rainbow flop.
I could go on forever! The standard is so bad at live poker, yet all these guys must play regularly as they all seemed to know each other. What I don't understand though is why they have obviously never made any effort to improve despite all of the resources out there!
Despite being insanely profitable however, I can't see myself ever playing much beyond a social event. Firstly, there's not much cash game action available in the UK, but mainly because I also find it really tiring and a little bit boring too compared to the constant action online (plus you don't have to listen to inane "strategy" talk when sat in your underwear clicking a mouse).
9Thh hand - I think once you get to the river I like the jam instead of call for sure. Especially since flop was dry, it's more believable. All that being said, I don't think calling 9Ts vs UTG open from CO will be profitable.
man, my live poker experiences have always made me wonder about this statementQuote:
Originally Posted by The Bean Counter
i've been in surprisingly strong line-ups in both europe (sweden) and nz
Haha amazing. Yah I agree, live play so definitely pretty brutal. I've been playing a bit more live lately and posting about my sessions on my blog. I usually play $1k buyin ($5/5) so I don't see things quite as crazy as some of those hands, but still some pretty dumb stuff happening nonetheless.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Bean Counter
I will probably try playing live 1-2 times a month going forward.
I've always imagined playing at a table of Swedes to nuts, with pretty much every hand getting all in. I'm basing this solely on Viktor Blom of course, plus all the maniac Scandis that appeared on the scene a few years ago before going broke.Quote:
Originally Posted by daven
I'd guess you have just been unlucky when you've played live before.
Been enjoying your blog. How do you stay focussed for long periods of live play though? I find I get bored and my back starts to hurt, plus it can be frustrating when you go a couple of hours flopping air multi-way.Quote:
Originally Posted by griffey24
So I think I need to be honest with myself and realise I'm playing badly at 50nl over a sustained period (and certainly not profitable). After a fantastic start playing scared money, I've degenerated into this maniac, dick-waving monkey that assumes everybody is playing back at me. After being up 20BI after 28k hands, I'm now only 4BI up at 50nl after 73k hands.
Maybe I still shouldn't be that hard on myself however. I'm still technically beating the rake in that period of no self-control and there is easily a 1BI loss per 1000 hands that is just pure wank play. If I can cut that shit out, I can beat 50nl fairly comfortably I think. My problem is that I've never gone any length of time when I can cut that shit out!
My plan therefore is to drop back to 25nl as punishment and work on my game away from the table, working mainly on pre-flop play.
How long are your live sessions?
I'd say my average live session has been around 5-6 hours over my last 4 visits or so. I don't know what it is, but online I'm such a spazz but something about live play I'm able to play pretty solid/tight overall.
After about 6 hours though I'm hitting my limit and kinda running out of steam. I'd prob only go longer than that if there was a super bad player at my table.
July/August:
Poker has been on the back-burner the past two months due to relocating slap-bang in the middle of the busiest period in my old job. I’m settled into the new place now though and really happy with the move. I just need to find a new job in the coming weeks, but I’ll be okay as long as I get something by the start of October.
The upshot of being busy the past couple of months as far as poker is concerned has meant that when I have played, I’ve slipped back in to some old ways (calling down too much, over-adjusting versus aggressive players, 18-tabling WAY to much just to get my fix). That said, it seems to be only 50nl where I find that a problem to my bankroll these days, with live play, <=25nl and mtts profitable irrespective of my mood.
What did I earn?
Cash 50nl: $(607) (29k hands played in 26 hours)
Cash 25nl: $201 (14k hands played in 11 hours)
Cash Live: $260 (approx. 8 hours played over two sessions)
Mtts: $18 (6 played in front of the telly one night, ave. BI $6)
FTR football comp: $(20)
Rakeback: $50
TOTAL LOSS: $(98)
BANKROLL: $5.9k
In September, I’m going to be playing a bunch of 25nl with some 50nl. It’s going to be difficult to play live since there is no casino in my new town (what?!), but central London is now 40 minutes away if I get desperate. I'm beginning to wonder if I should just settle at beating 25nl given the time I've got available to progress, but I'll save those thoughts for another post.
Tilt Breaker
One thing I've always had problems with is having the discipline to close all open tables around the hour mark, which is the point when I start to become too passive and too fancy. I'm also prone to doing the same when I'm plus or minus 3BI+ in a session, so I figured I'd download the 14-day free trial of Tilt Breaker.
Tilt Breaker seems like a good product on face value for a tilt monkey like me. The software is easy to set up, works straight away (unlike almost every other poker software out there it seems) and is easy to use. I won't bore anybody with a detailed product description, but I set the product up to do the following (which all worked perfectly):
1) Run a report on win rate wrt session length. It was pretty clear that my win rate begins to rapidly deteriorate somewhere between the 60-75 minute mark.
2) Following on from (1), the software was set to irreversibly close all tables down after 60 minutes, with no tables allowed to be opened within one hour of the prior session ending.
3) I also set the software to close all tables if I became 2.5BI down at any point, as I've a habit of accentuating bad sessions with bad play
To be fair to Tilt Breaker, (1)-(3) all worked perfectly and the product does exactly what it says on the tin.
That said, Tilt Breaker is actually pretty tilting in the sense that the product cannot be tinkered with for certain nuances of tilt. My biggest tilt issue is mistake tilt, which causes spew to kick in. I'm fine with losing flips or set over set, yet I can easily lose two of those in the first five minutes of a session and find all of my tables closed for an hour. The product would therefore be fine if it could be adjusted to work on all-in adjusted EV.
I'd therefore say that this product is worth a look only if you have serious control and anger issues (in which case you probably need to rethink playing poker), but don't bother if you have some self-control or are at least determined to conquer your demons!
So I've been testing out 18-20 tabling 25nl this month whilst I'm unemployed. I'd like to think I can beat 25nl just fine in the long run and I'm interested in what my hourly might look like over a decent sample mass tabling. I do enjoy frantically making decisions too and it helps to keep my tilt at bay, although clearly I'm missing out on a lot of profitable spots and, more importantly, letting my game stagnate to the extent that I'm not regularly thinking through the depth of each and every decision.
The experiment so far has meant it's really difficult to know how I'm getting on. September started on one of my biggest ever heaters after some time away from Stars and was definitely one for those that believe in the boom switch. The key was flopping big hands against droolers in the main part, although after some time away, I tend to play a strict ABC style by default and a break from the game seems to help in that sense. In fact, I nearly always go on a big upswing after a week or two away from the tables.
After that initial upswing however, I tend to go on a downward incline and this month is no exception. The past 20k hands or so have been horrendous, but in actual fact, I don't think I've played anywhere near as badly as when I've been losing money before. Whilst FPS has slipped in occassionally against regs and accentuated my losses, the main issue has been that I've just not been flopping that well (particularly against fish) and I've also been involved in a lot of horrible run-outs and facing a raise, which is nearly always the nuts at these stakes. Still, it doesn't feel like much compensation having bet/folded half a stack a few times in a session and not stacked anybody, but I guess I should be happy that I'm at least getting away from these hands nowadays.
Overall then, I think it's difficult to know how I'm getting on! I'm beginning to realise that the short-run is definitely a lot longer than most people can ever imagine in poker and I guess the only thing we can do is be happy with the decisions we are taking.
Anyway, here's the graph (approx 24 hours played):
http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/4845/dbtj.jpg
Yeah, that tilt breaker thing seems like the type of thing that'd just make me tilt more. I'm pretty good at stopping myself compared to some stories I've heard though.
Out of interest what made you decide to go to 18-20 tables? Isn't that quite a jump from what you are usually play. Or was I just wrong in assuming you usually play like 8ish.
you're getting some good volume in, keep up the grind!
I admire your ability to grind like this but I am not convinced that playing 18 to 20 tables is the way to go. I cannot image playing that many tables at one time and staying on top of my game. Anyway good luck with your experiment. I hope it works out for you in the long run.
Horrendous run continues EV-wise and practically even now for EV. I'm running well in all-in confrontations however to keep my head above water, but the way the boards are running out is killing my win-rate and I'm just not getting any similar run-outs going my way. However, I am most likely overdoing the slow playing in certain spots on the basis that 80%+ of the time I won't be outdrawn. Yada yada, moan moan moan...
Anyway, some examples where I probably don't help myself, but the run-out still sucks:
Hand (a)
Villain is nitty. Check is a time-out, although I don't hate it against this guy. Turn should be a jam or fold as villain clearly likes his holding. I should probably get away on the river as he is pretty much 55 and JTs always.
Button ($33.33)
SB ($11.07)
BB ($46.87)
UTG ($27.60)
Hero (MP) ($25)
Preflop: Hero is MP with 2http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif, 2http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif
1 fold, Hero raises to $0.75, Button raises to $2, 2 folds, Hero calls $1.25
Flop: ($4.35) Jhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif, 5http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, 2http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $3, Hero calls $3
Turn: ($10.35) 10http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $7.50, Hero calls $7.50
River: ($25.35) 10http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $20.83 (All-In), Hero calls $12.50 (All-In)
Total pot: $50.35 | Rake: $2
Results below:Spoiler:
Button had Jhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, 10http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif (full house, tens over Jacks).
Hero didn't show 2http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif, 2http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif (full house, twos over tens).
Outcome: Button won $48.35
Hand (b)
Villain is spazzy. He's always AK or AA on the turn given reads when he takes this line, but I don't think the flop slow play is optimal. Realistically though, there are pretty much zero cards I'm scared of given villain's likely range when I flat the flop and I figure this is just a cooler.
CO ($25.89)
Button ($29.53)
SB ($40.07)
BB ($25)
Hero (UTG) ($25)
MP ($10)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with 10http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, 10http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif
Hero raises to $0.75, 3 folds, SB raises to $2.25, 1 fold, Hero calls $1.50
Flop: ($4.75) 7http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, 10http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif, Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif (2 players)
SB bets $3.75, Hero calls $3.75
Turn: ($12.25) Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $5.85, SB raises to $11.70, Hero raises to $19 (All-In), SB calls $7.30
River: ($50.25) Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif (2 players, 1 all-in)
Total pot: $50.25 | Rake: $2
Results below:Spoiler:
SB had Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif, Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif (full house, Aces over Kings).
Hero didn't show 10http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, 10http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif (full house, tens over Kings).
Outcome: SB won $48.25
Hand (c)
Villain is standard TAG. I expect him to call flop with all small overpairs, AQ/AK and some suited club broadways and bet all of these holdings when checked to on the turn (and plan was to chk/jam). I'm therefore only scared of 3 outs in all likelihood on the river, but I should still bet the turn on reflection though and fold out most of these holdings for protection
BB ($48.35)
UTG ($16.77)
MP ($24.39)
CO ($25)
Button ($10.18)
Hero (SB) ($27.30)
Preflop: Hero is SB with Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif, Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif
2 folds, CO raises to $0.75, Button calls $0.75, Hero raises to $3, 1 fold, CO calls $2.25, 1 fold
Flop: ($7) 2http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif, 4http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif, 7http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif (2 players)
Hero bets $3.34, CO calls $3.34
Turn: ($13.68) 5http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif (2 players)
Hero checks, CO checks
River: ($13.68) Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif (2 players)
Hero checks, CO checks
Total pot: $13.68 | Rake: $0.62
Results below:Spoiler:
Hero had Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif, Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif (one pair, Kings).
CO had Qhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif (one pair, Aces).
Outcome: CO won $13.06
Hand (d)
Far and away the most interesting hand. Villain is pretty damn lag-spaz. On the turn I flat on the basis that the majority of the deck is fine for my hand and I want this guy to continue with his bluffs, 2-pair and sets on the river. On reflection, this is terrible as I doubt he has many bluffs here. River is meh and I think a fold given bet-sizing and villain's image.
CO ($26.34)
Hero (Button) ($54.96)
SB ($14.75)
BB ($20.75)
UTG ($25.70)
MP ($15.98)
Preflop: Hero is Button with 4http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, Jhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif
3 folds, Hero raises to $0.62, 1 fold, BB calls $0.37
Flop: ($1.34) 3http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, 4http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif, 9http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $0.75, BB calls $0.75
Turn: ($2.84) Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $2.03, BB raises to $5.40, Hero calls $3.37
River: ($13.64) 2http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif (2 players)
BB bets $6.75, Hero folds
Total pot: $13.64 | Rake: $0.61
Results below:Spoiler:
BB didn't show
Not a question I can answer in short format unfortunately, but I'll try and get some thoughts down soon. I normally play 9-12.Quote:
Originally Posted by ImSavy
Cheers!Quote:
Originally Posted by griffey24
Playing that many tables isn't so bad and you would be surprised how quickly you can adapt. Most decisions are automated (especially in mtts) and you can pull aside tables to think through when in a tricky spot. I do really enjoy it too, although it clearly isn't optimal. I'm going to see how I get on though and my BR is enormous relative to the stakes, so there's no issue there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom1559
Just wanted to say, 18-20 tabling 6 max and having your software kick out after 2.5 BIs is recipe for disaster. I've lost 3 BI's sometimes before finding 8 decent tables and sipped my coffee.
Think I'm calling river in J4ss hand spot.
If he's a lagg spaz he's probably raising the flop with most of this nut FD's. I'd also expect a lagg spaz to bet bigger with the nuts on river.
The only hands that make sense are like some AsT offsuit OOP float on flop.
You're absolutely right and it's a huge problem with the software.Quote:
Originally Posted by jyms
Agree that this should have been a call. An example of passive tilt I think, where you get to the point where you have seen a number of bad river cards for a sustained period that you automatically assume you are behind yet again, without unpicking the logic of the hand.Quote:
Originally Posted by griffey24
September:
I think it’s safe to say that the one-month mass-tabling experiment hasn’t been a success, despite getting off to a huge upswing. In my own mind, I didn’t play particularly badly in the huge downswing either, so clearly missing out on a few 7bb-20bb pots here and there and slipping into a few bad habits due to playing too many tables has a huge effect on my win rate (given my current ability).
My aim with the experiment was more about thinking ahead to next year, where I had the notion that I’d make a run at Supernova and practically guarantee myself a decent win rate. I now know that this is a stupid idea, as overdoing the volume just to make more rakeback is self-defeating in terms of both total win rate and the opportunity to improve (unless the stake is so far beneath your ability it can be more profitable overall).
Earnings
Rakeback: $200
Earnings at table ~Even, despite between well over EV. The graph is pretty ugly, as my graphs have a habit of being (i.e. huge upswings, huge downswings):
http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/9682/i2jm.jpg
Next Month
No more than 9 tables for the majority of the month, but occasionally stepping up to 12 at peak drooler times (mainly Sunday after 3pm GMT)
Avoid looking at my monthly graph until the end of the month. The 17BI I was up early on in September felt like my money, so to donk it off is pretty tilting. I’m sure part of the reason I donked them off however will be because I won them in the first place!
More poker time devoted to study, rather than volume.
Stop being lazy and get a job (read: start looking for a job).
I really think ppl way over-estimate rakeback etc. You can make SO MUCH MORE than rakeback if you improve your play over that same volume. Not to mention you'd still be getting rakeback, even if the volume is cut by 30% or so.
A lot of people playing mass volume, their winrate might drop significantly from like 2 or 3 bb/100 down to 1 bb/100 or sometimes even almost break even. If you're starting at a winrate so low at high volume, it's not unreasonable to assume that cutting volume by like 30% could improve your winrate by like 50% or more.
ie: cut volume by 30% = (.7), but improve winrate by 50% (1.5) -> 0.7*1.5 = 1.05 (so NET GAIN) despite lower volume and lower rakeback proportionally.
Note this 50% improved winrate is just me assuming that you'll just play better when you can focus more on less tables. This doesn't even account for actually being able to improve over time due to this focus.
October:
Poker has been on the back-burner for yet another month since June, but the job hunt has started in earnest now and I should hopefully get something fixed up soon. I’ve only recently come to realise that looking for a job is a full-time pursuit that cannot be approached in a half-arsed manner, particularly in a competitive market where edges are thin. Having access to central London is definitely going to be good for my career though and there are some really interesting companies that I’d love to work for that are operating within sectors as diverse as professional sports, media, gambling and not-for-profit.
When I’ve managed to get some hands in, I’ve not been playing that well at 25nl this month and continue to make one big mistake every 1000 hands or so for 0.5-0.9BI (along with a bunch of mistakes in smaller pots). One positive however is that I’ve been seeing the benefits of ramping up the 3betting towards the end of the month and it’s fun to see the regs crumbling in 3bet pots, either by folding to every flop cbet or calling down barrels with top pair when I’ve flopped something funky.
Despite playing poorly, there are fortunately enough fish and bad regs around at 25nl to keep my win rate positive, albeit my win rate really would be quite reasonable if I didn’t regularly make both big and small mistakes due to tilt/not concentrating/not thinking through/planning the hand appropriately:
http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/4424/8fiu.jpg
Earnings
Cash: $375 (6bb/100)
MTTs: $247 (41 played across two evenings, ROI ~40%)
Cashback: $0 (although I’ve got 60k FPPs knocking around)
Total profit: $622 (approximate hourly of $13)
Bankroll @$6.6k (majority sat in savings, but is that enough for 25nl?!!)
First few thousand hands back at 50nl in a while this evening. I'm a couple of buy-ins down due to massively overplaying in a few bad spots and kk<aa, but confident this level is beatable for at least a few bb/100.
50nl is definitely the first level where the aggro kicks in pre-flop and you need to be reasonably comfortable with 3betting light, 4betting light and 5bet jamming a wider range without question. 50nl regs still play pretty nitty and face up post flop however as I found to my cost this evening. That said, a couple of buy-ins reminding myself what this level is all about isn't too bad and I won't drop back unless I'm a dozen buy-ins or so down.
Playing shit and running shit and I've now slipped into my old, crazy monkey tilting self that I thought I'd largely moved on from. I'd probably be doing okay in terms of Galfond bucks, but Slansky dollars are being quickly donated to the 50nl community and this dozen BI shot will be over pretty soon in all likelihood.
Time for a couple of days off.
A couple of days with Jared's first book has calmed me down enough to play a few sessions over the past couple of nights. One issue that I have at 50nl is that the constant 3betting causes a lot of pressure to build (Carroters refers to this as "The Spew Gauge" on Grinder School) and I had no idea why this tilted me until Jared nailed it in practically one sentence, with something along the lines of "constant aggression is only tilting you because you don't yet have the skill set to counter it".
I'm up a couple of bb/100 the past two nights but I've still been making 1-2 huge mistakes per session in big pots where I'm overplaying in bad spots and it's killing my win rate (villains are all standard TAG-types):
Hand 1
One where I didn't go with the logical deductions I made (I really have no discipline). I doubt villain bets this river card (especially this big) with two pair and maybe not sets or straights, there aren't many flushes in his range at all and there is no way he calls a raise or jam with anything I beat....ALL IN!!:
UTG ($78.58)
MP ($109.63)
CO ($50)
Hero (Button) ($79.03)
SB ($51.82)
BB ($50)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, Jhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif
UTG raises to $1.50, 2 folds, Hero calls $1.50, 2 folds
Flop: ($3.75) 8http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, 10http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif (2 players)
UTG bets $2.50, Hero calls $2.50
Turn: ($8.75) Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif (2 players)
UTG bets $6.50, Hero calls $6.50
River: ($21.75) 9http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif (2 players)
UTG bets $17.50, Hero raises to $68.53 (All-In), UTG calls $50.58 (All-In)
Total pot: $157.91 | Rake: $2.50
Results below:Spoiler:
Hero had Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, Jhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif (flush, King high).
UTG had Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, 3http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif (flush, Ace high).
Outcome: UTG won $155.41
Hand 2
Not sure about this hand. I think villain makes a pretty big mistake flatting pre, but I'm not so weighted towards bluffs on the river that villain's call down is going to be particularly profitable, especially when I don't have the most aggressive barrelling stats. It was pretty clear he had a medium pp on the turn and I just couldn't see a reg calling this off:
Hero (BB) ($67.83)
UTG ($58.52)
MP ($47.59)
Button ($60.75)
SB ($54.03)
Preflop: Hero is BB with 7http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif
3 folds, SB raises to $1.50, Hero raises to $4.50, SB calls $3
Flop: ($9) 9http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, 10http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif, 10http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $4.50, SB calls $4.50
Turn: ($18) 3http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $9, SB calls $9
River: ($36) 2http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $36.50, SB calls $36.03 (All-In)
Total pot: $108.06 | Rake: $2.50
Results below:Spoiler:
SB had 7http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif, 7http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif (two pair, tens and sevens).
Hero had 7http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif (one pair, tens).
Outcome: SB won $105.56
Hand 3
Villain calls wide versus re-steals and I'd normally bet out, but decide I'm ahead of his range and this guy almost always barrels vs weakness, plus he gets AK and JJ in pre. He has AJ/55 some times plus AQ, but river is probably a nitty fold against this sizing on this particular river card when villain doesn't appear to fire a 3rd barrel often enough and he just has KTs and sets too often. I really should just bet out the flop though:
Button ($136.90)
Hero (SB) ($62.37)
BB ($62.87)
UTG ($20.09)
MP ($50)
Preflop: Hero is SB with Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif, Qhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif
2 folds, Button raises to $1.25, Hero raises to $4, 1 fold, Button calls $2.75
Flop: ($8.50) Jhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif, Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, 5http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $5, Hero calls $5
Turn: ($18.50) 7http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $10, Hero calls $10
River: ($38.50) Qhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $32, Hero raises to $43.37 (All-In), Button calls $11.37
Total pot: $125.24 | Rake: $2.50
Results below:Spoiler:
Button had Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif, 10http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif (straight, Ace high).
Hero had Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif, Qhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif (two pair, Aces and Queens).
Outcome: Button won $122.74
Hand 4
This is a spot where I grossly over-estimate the pre-flop aggro at 50nl. I don't particularly hate it versus a more aggro reg, but this guy had folded to 5/5 3bets so far, so I realistically have no fold equity and well behind his tight 4bet range, but I just convinced myself that he was playing back in a reg dick-waving war bvb:
UTG ($81.14)
MP ($68.63)
Button ($49.94)
SB ($51)
Hero (BB) ($51.17)
Preflop: Hero is BB with 10http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif, 10http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif
3 folds, SB raises to $1.31, Hero raises to $4, SB raises to $11.50, Hero raises to $51.17 (All-In), SB calls $39.50 (All-In)
Flop: ($102) 7http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, 3http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif, 6http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif (2 players, 2 all-in)
Turn: ($102) Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif (2 players, 2 all-in)
River: ($102) Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif (2 players, 2 all-in)
Total pot: $102 | Rake: $2.50
Results below:Spoiler:
SB had Qhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif, Qhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif (two pair, Aces and Queens).
Hero didn't show 10http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif, 10http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif (two pair, Aces and tens).
Outcome: SB won $99.50
Hand 5
Uggh. I'd 3bet this guy from the blinds the past 3-4 orbits and thought he'd reached breaking point. Logic fail really though, as I should have adjusted to a wider value range if I thought that would be the case or at least use AXs for a bluff jam, plus he's never folding even if he's as wide as AQ/AJs/TT in this spot:
MP ($50.75)
Button ($35.94)
Hero (SB) ($61.29)
BB ($50)
UTG ($39.25)
Preflop: Hero is SB with 6http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, 5http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif
1 fold, MP raises to $1.50, 1 fold, Hero raises to $4.50, 1 fold, MP raises to $9.55, Hero raises to $61.29 (All-In), MP calls $41.20 (All-In)
Running it twice
: ($51) Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif, 9http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif, 3http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif
First Turn: ($51) 4http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif
First River: ($51) 9http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif
: ($51) 2http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif, 6http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif, 9http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif
Second Turn: ($51) 2http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif
Second River: ($51) 8http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif
Board 1: Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif, 9http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif, 3http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif, 4http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, 9http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif
Board 2: 2http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif, 6http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif, 9http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif, 2http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, 8http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif
Total pot: $102 | Rake: $2.50
Results below:Spoiler:
Hero had 6http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, 5http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif
Hero had one pair, nines on the first board
Hero had two pair, sixes and twos on the second board
MP had Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif
MP had two pair, Kings and nines on the first board and collected $51
MP had two pair, Kings and twos on the second board and collected $51
Outcome: MP won $99.50
BvB what type of hands you flatting to a SB raise as a starnard with no reads?
Hand 1 - i mean you have the second nuts so it's not horrible. I do agree though that given this particular board, and the spades that the board blocks and that you block, the only other flushes he can now have that we beat are Q7ss (unlikely UTG), 67ss, 56ss, 45ss. So yah it's closer than my first instinct, but I still don't think ppl can find a fold with KKK/AAA here so I'd probably still jam.
Hand 2 - You aren't getting any folds on this flop. So many hands are coordinated with GS/OESD etc. Firing one seems ok I suppose, but you gotta be done with it after that. If you're bluffing on this board with this hand, you're going to end up with WAYY too many bluffs here.
Hand 3 - I would just bet bet bet, but after you c/c I like the line.
Hand 4 - This is one of those hands that convinced me a long time ago that you can just fold a ton of 3b and then 4b when you have it and ppl will still pay you off because they think "he must be fed up finally". That being said I think TT is fine as a 3b/5b hand overall. If you were jamming a low pair cause he must be sick of you, then I'd say you're reaching too far.
Hand 5 - Haha see above. Reaching too far in this hand. If they fold once and 4b you the next time, I think that could be a bluff and they are taking a quick stand. If they fold 3 times ina row or 4, and 4b you, they are probably just waiting for something.
What is your 3b %?
Think of it this way, JJ+/AK is 3% of all hands. If someone is stealing 30% on btn, that means JJ+/AK represents 10% of all their opens.
So the probability of someone getting JJ+/AK at least once in 5 steals:
1-(0.9)^5
41%
So there's a 41% chance that 4betting you once over those 5 steal attempts in which you're 3betting them, that it is JJ+/AK.
Thanks for taking the time out and the thoughtful responses as always Griff.
Quote:
Originally Posted by griffey24
It's funny when you think about a question this simple and you can't snap answer it. Hopefully that means some level of unconcious competence, rather than making it up as I go along!Quote:
Originally Posted by ImSavy
Assuming it was villain's 2nd hand and he bought in full, I'd generally flat broadways and 3bet a huge percentage of other stuff first hand (maybe 40% including a bunch of suited shit). I don't think that's a bad thing to do if it can set the tone for inducing spew later on, plus we get folds a huge amount of the time seeing as he has no reads on me.
More generally, if there is a suggestion that villain is a standard TAG type (say 7-19 hands of data) and assumed opening 35%-40%, I think I tend to 3bet polarised 15%-ish and flat 20%-35%. Sometimes I'll go really wide though if I have a large sample size and if villain is a weaker player post-flop (e.g. one and done type with huge bet sizing and timing tells). Conversely, I'll tighten up if villain is one of the better regs.
Sound okay to a maths man? (aside from I know you hate making inferences from small samples!).
Was a question I don't really have an answer for :P
Give me a month and I'll tell you some awesome BvB strats. But ye you're definitely getting into dick swinging contests with other players, if you're good at it though then there's no harm in that at all.
Yah you definitely don't need to cbet everytime you 3b and get called.
You're risking preflop $4 to win $2.25 in the pot so it needs to work 64% of the time. If villain is folding more tan 64% of the time you're making money on the 3b even if you NEVER cbet post flop and never win postflop (which is obviously unlikely).
Dropped down to 25nl to recover some roll and pride after dropping 10BI playing like a maniac at 50nl. I'm testing out Zoom this time however and beating it pretty easily. The standard at Zoom seems really bad and the game is riddled with players from nations that are typically bad at poker i.e. Greece, Poland, China, Ukraine and the UK, with not many of the decent Russians knocking about. I'm still playing terribly pre-flop though and in 3bet pots post-flop, but I'm managing to get away with losing a BI jamming shite every few hundred hands thanks to all the terrible players. I just need to stop the dick-swinging contests when hardly anybody is bluffing at 25nl.
One thing that should help in the future though is a comment in Phil Galfond's recent AMA on Reddit. Phil essentially said that rather than trying to become a robot, you should start to work with your emotions and realise you can't completely control yourself. The point he made is that in a spot where he would hero call, he just needs to recognise his bad tendencies and think to himself "Phil, this is a spot where you would normally want to snap hero call, but is this a good spot to do so".
One other thing I've been thinking about this past week is whether I'm doing okay at Zoom because my HUD isn't working and I'm being forced to play a more ABC game, rather than scouring my HUD looking for just one particular stat that will give me a good reason to make a retarded play. I'm noticing with Zoom in particular just how many timing tells villains have for instance (partly because of 4-tables rather than 9-12), as well as the usual horrible bet sizing tells. I still think a HUD is beneficial overall however if used properly, so I should aim to get it configured for Zoom soon.
Yet another illustrious day in my poker career today. I dropped 10BI in 2.8k hands of 25nl Zoom and 1.5BI in 1.5k hands at 50nl Zoom. There's a huge amount of fugly coolers in there of course where I consistently run into the top of villain's range (I'm actually pretty happy with my 50nl play), but some horrendous spew too.
It continues to be really frustrating to have no self-control and blow off a month's work in a few hours, particularly when almost every player at these stakes is truly terrible at poker (so what does that make me?!). I'm certainly not entitled to win though and if I can't fix the issues then I'm going to have to hang up my mouse as poker is not a hobby I'm happy to spend money undertaking each month given the stresses involved.
I think my plan for the rest of this year now is to nit up during the rest of this month to hit Platinum star, max out my FPPs and then spend most of next month working away from the tables. I seem to be getting significantly worse as a player and need to reverse this trend asap.
Obviously I don't know the full story but it sounds much more like mental game issues than anything else. Put some time aside to do some work on your mental game and you'll see the results work through to your game. Even if you just get better at walking away from the game, your VPP might take a hit but at these stakes it should be all about the winrate.
As for whether you're playing well or not just post some hands up, there's always the chance you're thinking about certain spots in the wrong way or at least might get a little bit more light shed on certain situations. Keep at it though mate.
Thanks for the support dude. I have the MGoP2 turning up on my bday next month, which will help, along with Janda's MoP. Once I start work in central London too, I'm going to spend my time on the train studying and working on spreadsheets so that hopefully I can become more "unconciously competent". In that sense, it's a bit like a golfer making a putt for a major: as long as the action is ingrained sufficiently, there shouldn't be any major fuck ups in the heat of battle.
I've been a really swingy player for a while now, despite being a fairly passive player. One thing I don't do however is the obvious: when on a huge upswing, I don't maximise the upswing (i.e.when I win 15BI in 8k hands, if I was being honest, I should be winning at least 20BI) or minimise the downswing during periods when I'm card dead or getting coolered (i.e. when I lose 15BI in 5k hands, normally half of them are just bad play). The end result is huge obviously, where I could still be a decent winner overall if I maximise/minimise despite massive swinging sessions.
I was asked at interview today how I like to spend my spare time. Unsurprisingly, I forgot to mention poker.
I've always wondered whether it's a good idea to mention poker in an interview. I mean I probably spend more of my time being analytical about a complex system than most people applying for whatever job it is but you just know that as soon as you say poker chances are you get a big tag across your head saying degen gambler.
I've definitely never mentioned it in an interview. It's too much of a wildcard for sure. I think I would only ever mention it at a stock broker type job and such, cause it seems like they value the poker player skill set a lot.
Keep it up BC - it's interesting to get this kind of insight into someone elses frustrations and losing sessions. I know a lot of the things you've said about spewing 10 buyins in ~3k hands resonate with me - I've had some sessions like that recently. One was -6BI in 1000 hands. It is liable to make you feel like the unluckiest poker player in the world, but it helps to realise other people feel the same too - we all know it's illogical and exceedingly unlikely to be true, but still.
Perhaps you're playing just fine. It's also important to realise that just because you play _terrible_ sometimes doesn't mean you're not getting better, I've watched your progress and seen you consistently beating limits I can't get traction at over a big enough sample to know that you've definitely put in the work and improved - you're going to have to suck up the bad times along with the good.
I'm not sure I believe you're getting "significantly worse" - what I think might be happening is what happened to me the last few sessions - I've had winning sessions, but my play feels fucking atrocious compared to a short ~1k hand session I played about a week back when I just felt great, was thinking clearly and generally played the best poker I can ever remember playing. Whenever you have played your best ever, there's going to be a period following it when you have to, inevitably, go backwards - two steps forward and one back, but it doesn't mean the overall trend isn't towards improvement, it's just the psychological/human performance side of variance.
Good luck at the tables. I hope this turns around for you soon.
LOL, I agree - I thnk embezzling and sexual deviancy are preferable hobbies to mention during a job application.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Bean Counter
Thanks for your support Boris. I was wondering the other day if anybody would be relieved to read that not everybody is smashing the games and progressing quickly. I think it’s all too easy to read the blogs of pros and see practically variance free graphs and assume that anything less than that is failure. The reality is that most players are losers unless they’re willing to put the time in.Quote:
Originally Posted by BorisTheSpider
Definitely not playing fine during the ridiculous sessions, but I appreciate the sentiment! Sometimes I look at the hand histories and just have no idea what I was thinking. Variance is far bigger than most people can comprehend though, unless you are technically AND mentally far superior to the majority at the stake you are playing.Quote:
Originally Posted by BorisTheSpider
I think us Brits are typically hard on ourselves if we make errors or don’t perform to the best of our ability constantly. That’s just not realistic though and as long as we are learning from our mistakes as we go, then we’ll do just fine.Quote:
Originally Posted by BorisTheSpider
Thanks – gl too.Quote:
Originally Posted by BorisTheSpider
They seemed fine with my other interests of booze, birds and football..Quote:
Originally Posted by BorisTheSpider
Definitely agree with Griff that it would only be appropriate at a trading-type interview. In fact, I know that is true as I had an interview 7-8 years ago for a trainee derivatives trading job and one of the guys talked a lot about his love for poker. Really strange interview beyond that too, as I talked sport for 4 hours with three different interviewers and was asked questions like “what’s 23 squared?” every so often. I ended up turning the job down, but still think about what life would have been like from time-to-time if I’d taken it.
I’m on a decent upswing again 4-tabling 25nl Zoom and simultaneously 2-tabling 50nl.
Good spot to set (or quad) mine KK? Spaz villain has AA 100% when he min 5-bets imo. Cue the usual KK berating... :)
Hero (Button) ($25)
SB ($13.69)
BB ($34.76)
UTG ($42.17)
MP ($25.38)
CO ($12.50)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif
3 folds, Hero raises to $0.62, SB calls $0.52, BB raises to $1.75, Hero raises to $5.25, 1 fold, BB raises to $8.75, Hero calls $3.50
Flop: ($18.12) Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif, Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif, 5http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks
Turn: ($18.12) Jhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif (2 players)
BB bets $11.75, Hero raises to $16.25 (All-In), BB calls $4.50
River: ($50.62) Qhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif (2 players, 1 all-in)
Total pot: $50.62 | Rake: $2
Results below:Spoiler:
Hero had Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif (four of a kind, Kings).
BB had Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif (two pair, Aces and Kings).
Outcome: Hero won $48.62
Turns out that the following rings true:
Boom switch + switching to play like a complete passive nit @50nl + people never believing you have it = $500 monthly deficit for the month fixed in less than 36 hours
http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/61/gfp0.jpg
My graph is going to look even more mental than usual this month.
Thanks again for the support gents.
Nice keep up the boom switch!
I'll try! Wasn't looking good first session this morning though as I ran into AA three times @25nl in the first 200 hands with KK twice and AKs.Quote:
Originally Posted by griffey24
Is this hand badly overplayed after the turn lead for pot? If so, ditch it or call down? My snap thought was "this is A5 ALL day long.....all in!".
Button ($111.11)
SB ($64.24)
Hero (BB) ($52.61)
UTG ($84.32)
MP ($60.49)
CO ($34.75)
Preflop: Hero is BB with 4http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif, Jhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif
4 folds, SB calls $0.25, Hero checks
Flop: ($1) Jhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif, 4http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif, Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif (2 players)
SB bets $1, Hero raises to $4, SB calls $3
Turn: ($9) 5http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif (2 players)
SB bets $8.50, Hero raises to $48.11 (All-In), SB calls $39.61
River: ($105.22) Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif (2 players, 1 all-in)
Total pot: $105.22 | Rake: $2.50
Results below:Spoiler:
SB had Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif, 5http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif (two pair, Aces and fives).
Hero didn't show 4http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif, Jhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif (two pair, Jacks and fours).
Outcome: SB won $102.72
More than 200bb deep after he pots flop and calls, and then almost pots turn again, I would just flat turn and re-eval.
Also his most likely hands we beat are some kind of combo draws, but I think by outright jamming he'll just fold these, so we're not even letting him make a mistake.
This one goes out to all the rigtards out there. We all know it's rigged, right? I mean 8.6BI below EV in an afternoon is just statistically impossible.
http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/6358/57jm.jpg
Ouch. Pokerstars can suck my balls.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Bean Counter
It's okay - with my excessively nitty brm, the green line doesn't really bother me at all. I know the orange line has its issues in the sense that it doesn't measure villain's range, but as long as the line is going up then I'm fine with the bank balance decreasing (or even if the orange line is going down, as long as my decision-making was okay then it's all good).Quote:
Originally Posted by BorisTheSpider
You know my afternoon would lead to yet another rigtard post though on the poker forums if I was the kind of player that deposits $200 at the weekend and 2-tables 50nl.
November:
Couple of major spew sessions this month, with a couple of big upswings in there too to leave me up EV-wise. Going to back to basics at the end of the month certainly helped the upswing and I think I’d previously made playing the game too complicated in many respects – winning poker at 50nl and lower really is just value betting, a lot of folding and not a lot of stone-cold bluffing.
I cashed in a bunch of FPPs this month after grinding out Platinum star, so at least it doesn’t quite feel like November was a waste of time in a financial sense:
Cash: -$219
MTT: $23 (one 150-man $11 played)
Rakeback: $800
Profit: $604
Total Bankroll: $7.2k (so minimum target for the year of doubling bankroll achieved)
And now the graph:
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/241/axce.jpg
congrats on hitting a target. and keep on truckin'!
I've finally got a new job sorted, which starts in early January. Until that time, I think I'm going to treat poker as if it's my living (albeit my wage will be shite) and aim on averaging 5-6 hours per day between now and the end of the month. It will be interesting to partly live the life of a pro, although I'd be surprised if it's something that I'd want to do permanently. I'm also going to make sure I make the most of the free time with my friends and family too when they are available.
Cheers dude!Quote:
Originally Posted by rpm
5-6 hours a day playing or on poker related stuff?
If you up your play time so much in one go it'll just result in you spewing. If you're adding like an hour to what you play every day and using the other time on studying I'm all for it.
We'll see. The last 4-5 days of last month were 6-7 hour playing days, but I'll admit that my eyes were shot by the end of it. In any case, now I'm trying to play poker as part of a routine rather than a distraction from routine, I'm actually doing everything I can apart from poker (go figure). For instance, today I've rejigged and cleared my email inbox, spent far too long in the sauna and hot tub at the gym and watched a load of shit on tv that I'd never normally watch. With the holidays coming up, I'd be surprised if I get much volume in after all.Quote:
Originally Posted by ImSavy
I'm putting in some mediocre performances at 50nl Zoom this month and only winning at about 1bb/100 over a big sample, but I'm confident I can beat this game now playing my B/C game (which I have been all month). I'll only play a little bit more before Xmas day now and then save the intervening period for study, family and friends.
No money 50nl, all the TAG regs like these two guys are solid...(villain snapped off the river too)
Button ($50)
SB ($24)
Hero (BB) ($169.77)
UTG ($81.87)
MP ($50)
CO ($50)
Preflop: Hero is BB with 10http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, Jhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif
3 folds, Button raises to $1.25, 1 fold, Hero calls $0.75
Flop: ($2.75) 3http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif, 7http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif, 8http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif (2 players)
Hero checks, Button checks
Turn: ($2.75) 4http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...ilies/club.gif (2 players)
Hero bets $1.50, Button raises to $4, Hero raises to $9, Button calls $5
River: ($20.75) 4http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...es/diamond.gif (2 players)
Hero bets $11.50, Button calls $11.50
Total pot: $43.75 | Rake: $1.97
Results below:Spoiler:
Button had Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, 5http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif (one pair, fours).
Hero had 10http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/spade.gif, Jhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...lies/heart.gif (one pair, fours).
Outcome: Button won $41.78
lol I like your line but you really gotta ram river down his throat given he's capped.
Yeah, you're right ofc re river. At the time, I was so confident in my read that he has air 90%+ of the time when he takes this line that I just couldn't see him calling off anything. Given his timing though, he was obviously on huge monkey tilt and was going to call this size if for no other reason than spite.Quote:
Originally Posted by griffey24
I think I’m going to wrap this one up for the year. Having set some achievable goals at the start of the year, I’ve not quite reached any of them (!), but I did at least deliver a small profit of $4k over the past twelve months and doubled my bankroll at an average of around $7 an hour.
There have been some plus points this year for sure. April and May were really strong months in terms of discipline and I’m a lot happier with my understanding of pre-flop poker and abusing positional power much better than previously. I also continue to love all aspects of playing poker, even during the bad times, and I doubt there will come a time when this game isn’t at least some part of my life as long as I can continue to be a small winner.
Clearly there have been a lot of negatives too, which I need to take full responsibility for. I’ve focussed so much on volume this past year that I’ve undertaken practically zero study in terms of both the technical and mental aspects of the game, which is disappointing given I set out at the start of the year to really get hold of my tilt/discipline issues. It really is painful to think about just how much I’ve donated to the rest of the poker community during the year and there is not an hour of play that goes by where I don’t make at least one $5-$25 mistake where I think to myself “this is a pretty clear fold” before finding myself clicking call or raise. Jared Tendler will say that these issues are partly as a result of not having reached unconscious competence in my technical knowledge and he would be absolutely right. In short, much more work was needed in 2013 and I just didn’t do it.
Going into 2014 though, I’m feeling very positive about poker. I’ve seen nothing this year to suggest that the games aren’t beatable for a reasonable hourly as long as I’m willing to put a lot more effort into fixing my issues. Everybody is constantly making huge mistakes at 25nl/50nl and an hourly rate of $15-$30 is more than doable with rakeback, which is pretty good if you live in an area where gambling profit is tax-free like it is in the UK. Even if I don’t hit those kinds of rates, at least I can still enjoy playing the game and the huge personal challenge it provides.
Happy holidays all.