Operation Humble: Road to 50NL

[bigred]

I have a confession to make. I am a terrible poker player. I don't know if I lost the ability to think as a good poker player does or maybe I never had it. Perhaps the combination of bonus whoring and playing set camping ABC poker like a zombie against a party poker donk field is the only way I've ever made money. Those days are over but I don't want my poker days to end. Poor results and tilt from these poor results has me back down to 25NL. If I continue this way I won't have a bankroll left. This operation isn't just a reflection on short term results and goal checkins. It is also a reflection upon how I arrived at this point and how I get myself to a better place.

For a historical recount of my poker life, read this operation thread, http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...on-t50227.html, one I quickly abandoned much like my need to improve my game. It's hard sitting down at 25nl and 50nl when you used to play 200 and 400nl. There's a certain pride issue that comes with that and I need to get rid of this. That's why this is operation humble. I'm admitting I'm not a good player. I'm the 90% who think they're better than the other 90%. Finally admitting this to myself is the best thing I've done for my poker self in years.

My poker game for the last year has involved playing every version of cash game poker, HU, 6max, FR, 1 tabling, 14 tabling etc. I don't have any method or system. I make buyins playing tight, I then blow it lagging it up. I make buyins 3 tabling and concentrating, I blow it 14 tabling. I have 0 consistency in a game that requires it.

I've always been a believer in forgetting sunk costs and making the best decisions with what you have now. So here's what I have now:

A br of $550.
Hardwired poker instincts that are incorrect and damaging to my game. I don't think anymore when making decisions.
An honest desire to relearn and grind.

I've said it a million times before that I plan on posting more and being dedicated to the game. I've abandoned a million goals. I am like this with everything I've done in my life and maybe this won't be any different. I honestly want it to be different and hopefully you guys can help me along the way.

I'm going to 3 table 6max 25nl. I'm not going to play anywhere else. I realize my BR may be a little shallow but I'm comfortable with this and will adjust accordingly to downswings if needed. My goal is to make it to 1500 and 50nl.

[jyms]

It takes balls and smarts to figure out it may be you and not "running bad, downswinging or just unlucky". The game has evolved for sure. I think what you need to do is what some of us have done in the past or present. Start fresh, drop down and play less tables. Spend way more time reviewing hands, a ton more hands. If things aren't working out after a bit, get a rail, ghost someone else, or send your database to someone. Let me know if you need anything.

[bigred]

Thanks for the offer TJ, I appreciate. I'll probably take you up on it in the near future. I'm leaving early tomorrow to visit some friends at Cornell. I'll be back on Monday and ready to start this thing.

[kmind]

Good luck man, saw you at some 50NL tables lately.

[givememyleg]

lynch ben jaso

[thizzSantaCruz]

good luck dude I'll be following. What site do you play at?

[XTR1000]

GL dude. Didn´t know you were actually playing poker, always thought you´re here to keep people entertained

I don´t consider myself a good player, but I´d be always glad to help if when u decide to play fr.

[bigred]

good luck dude I'll be following. What site do you play at?

I play at stars.

I'm going back to Ithaca, ny to visit a buddy who now lives in San jose. He was my poke buddy while we were in school. It will be fun to discuss this operation with him.

[Jack Sawyer]

I wish you the best of luck bigreddo

[swiggidy]

Yo, good luck dude.

If I'm signed in to AIM I'm usually around even if it says I'm away. I'm not a great HE player, but can still somewhat beat 25NL and would be happy to chat.

Also, $515 BR, 25PLO. Some sort of prob bet?

[wesrman]

Very well said, im sure with this type of attitude you will succeed.
Good luck...

[bigred]

Just a quick update so you guys don't think I've quit already..

I'm still up at Cornell and working from the lib (consulting is a wonderful job) and hanging out with friends. Boss is on vacation so he doesn't really care. I get back tomorrow and depending on how late I get home I will begin this operation.

[bigred]

Ok, going to try to put in an hour tonight, BR is at 567 to start. I'm going to play tight, 3 tables, and not try to do anything fancy.

[wesrman]

KILL IT ! ! ! !
but in a tight, non fancy way...lol

[bigred]

meh, I stopped after 230 hands. I'm far too tired to stare at the screen after a long travel day. Finished the day down 39 due to a rivered A vs my QQ and TT losing to a shortstack AJ all in. Not too worried about tonight.

[IowaSkinsFan]

I really wish I had some awesome advice to give you, but I don't. I don't think I could go through what your going through right now. If I had to play 25nl I'd probably just spew it all off.

If I did have to do this though, I'd probably 16 table and play something like 12/10 until I got up to 200nl. That's just me though, and it takes knowing how to play ABC poker to do. I know this isn't the best way to learn, but I have a feeling you're going to have a much easier time learning once you feel like you have a comfortable BR.

[bigred]

I really wish I had some awesome advice to give you, but I don't. I don't think I could go through what your going through right now. If I had to play 25nl I'd probably just spew it all off.

If I did have to do this though, I'd probably 16 table and play something like 12/10 until I got up to 200nl. That's just me though, and it takes knowing how to play ABC poker to do. I know this isn't the best way to learn, but I have a feeling you're going to have a much easier time learning once you feel like you have a comfortable BR.

Do you think this would be the better choice? I've been mulling it around in my head. The problem with me trying to play ABC poker is that the discipline to not start raising junk in LP eventually fades and then I have 8 tables with action and I'm spewing. I'm going to think about this because it probably is the best way to move up in stakes. It then becomes a game of sticking to the basics and reminding myself every 10 minutes.

[bigred]

Actually, if I were to start trying ABC poker, could someone provide me with a pf starting hand guide (utg, utg +1, etc?)? I want to make sure I still know wtf I'm talking about.

[Warpe]

Read the series:

http://www.notedpokerauthority.com/a...standards.html

[jyms]

good luck dude I'll be following. What site do you play at?

I play at stars.

I'm going back to Ithaca, ny to visit a buddy who now lives in San jose. He was my poke buddy while we were in school. It will be fun to discuss this operation with him.

How the hell did this slip under the radar??????

[bigred]

good luck dude I'll be following. What site do you play at?

I play at stars.

I'm going back to Ithaca, ny to visit a buddy who now lives in San jose. He was my poke buddy while we were in school. It will be fun to discuss this operation with him.

How the hell did this slip under the radar??????

[wesrman]

I'm going back to Ithaca, ny to visit a buddy who now lives in San jose. He was my poke buddy while we were in school. It will be fun .

LOL, how long before this goes in someones sig???

[bigred]

Time for an update:

I'm up about $30, which is pretty much breakeven since I've played about 3k hands. After reading the great blog posts that Warpe provide, I have realized my preflop game is standard and doesn't need much tweaking at this level. It's also help me realized my biggest leak which is postflop play, specifically being a calling station. I constantly find myself in a situation where deep down I know I'm beat but I keep telling myself that villain's range is wide and I have it beat. Most of the time I know it's garbage but this belief is so deeply wired in my brain I don't hesitate. Part of this is because I took ISF's advice and played a lot of tables. When there's so many things to do it's hard to reflect on a bad call and why I made that call. I've returned to 3 tabling and it seems to be going well so far.

[swiggidy]

make sure you review your HH. I had/have this same problem. Now that I've started reviewing HHs and seeing the calls I'm making I realized most microstakes players are straight forward and now I'm happily folding things I was trying to call down before.

[bigred]

Sounds like a great idea. I'm pretty lazy when it comes to reviewing HH but I admit it's definitely something that has to be done.

[swiggidy]

Sounds like a great idea. I'm pretty lazy when it comes to reviewing HH but I admit it's definitely something that has to be done.

If you're actually serious about doing well it's a necessity. Def one thing I always overloked

[bjsaust]

Missed this first time around, GL with it.

My biggest leak at 25NL is not finding the fold button also. I run a lot gooder when I spend some time analysing the table to find where it is.

[bigred]

Update

I hovered around 520 for a long time at 6max 25nl. I didn't want to give up but honestly, all I do is spew at 6max. I moved back to FR and now my BR is 675.

I don't know what it is about my insistence on beating 6max. I might have the wrong mindset for micro 6max but possibly 6max in general. I just can't fold post flop and I'm not a winning player at 6max. I don't know if I've ever been.

I'm going back to FR and building this BR up. That should be priority #1 and I'm an idiot for doing otherwise.

[AlphaKennyBody]

Post some hands from 6-max. Perhaps there's something missing that brings everything together?

[jasons0147]

Ill tell you what helped me a lot was posting my positon stats, and some of my biggest loosing hands and getting input from everyone. I found out one of my biggest leaks was not being aggressive enough (and I actually thought I was to aggressive). I seemed to get the most feedback by posting the shorthanded forum.

[IowaSkinsFan]

Update

I hovered around 520 for a long time at 6max 25nl. I didn't want to give up but honestly, all I do is spew at 6max. I moved back to FR and now my BR is 675.

I don't know what it is about my insistence on beating 6max. I might have the wrong mindset for micro 6max but possibly 6max in general. I just can't fold post flop and I'm not a winning player at 6max. I don't know if I've ever been.

I'm going back to FR and building this BR up. That should be priority #1 and I'm an idiot for doing otherwise.

People have strengths and weaknesses. If you want to make money play towards your own strengths.

[IowaSkinsFan]

Wait I'm sorry this is a bigred thread.

Move up to where they respect your raises

[bigred]

Wait I'm sorry this is a bigred thread.

Move up to where they respect your raises

LOL

Stake me for 25/50?

[swiggidy]

awesome BR, keep winning