blah blah blah

I think I just need to vent, may as well do it in my own forum.

I haven't played poker for while because I work 10-13 hour days every day lately. I decided to just sit down at $100NL tables the last few days and play some hands, and wow ... Either I totally suck at poker, I'm running really bad, or both. Probably more the former.

I've only played 900 hands the last three nights, but I'm down 7 buyins which is kinda shitty. I've been playing on Stars where I've had a hard time winning for some reason. Actually, when I first started playing there, I did terrible for the first few thousand hands. Then I did pretty well for the next few thousand and started feeling a lot more comfortable. And then it went not so good again, so I have no idea what my problem is.

Ah well, I don't play enough as it is, so I think I need to start making time to play some hands on a regular basis. In my lifetime I've only played 12k hands at 100NL, so suffice to say that my sample size for any sort of analysis is shitty, and I have no way to tell whether I totally fucking suck at this game, or whether I just suck. Hopefully the latter, yes? Coming back after a couple months and donking away 7 stacks isn't really the way I wanted to go, but oh well.

I should probably tighten up a bit. My stats are usually 26/16/2. Should I just play less hands for now? Or maybe tighten up in EP and keep my range the same for LP. I tend to play a lot of connectors in a lot of positions, so maybe I should limit these hands to LP for now until I re-figure out (if I ever knew) how to play post flop poker. I dunno ...

What I really need to do is NOT look at it in terms of $, which is hard for me (and most other people I would say). So yeah, $700 is a lot to me right now. Shit, that's a month of rent! But oh well, it was 15% of my bankroll which isn't that much in the grand scheme of things ... so yeah ... it wasn't $700 ... it was 15% of the roll. Better? I guess

I know, blah blah blah, 7 buyins isn't that much. And if I can't handle it, I shouldn't be playing this game. First time I've swung this low though, so that's why it sucks. Like I said, I really haven't played THAT much poker. Meh.

It's been a long shitty day, so time to shut up and go to sleep. I'll probably take a look at the last three days and post all the hands that had big pots so that I can learn from the donkery.

(I almost didn't post this since it really just is venting and there isn't really much anyone can say in response, but oh well it's posted!)

I guess it would have made a decent blog post? If anyone read the blogs ...

One easy way to tighten up is to stop playing drawing hands in SB->MP positions... sc's, connectors, suited aces. Without position they're often reverse implied odds hands.

12k hands is a small sample. If you're having trouble identifying your leaks, post some more hands!

I look at the pots where I lost the most money during shitty streaks to see what went wrong. Did I play a bad starting hand? Did I make an ill-advised fancy play? Did I overvalue a marginal hand where I should have known better? Did I read the board badly and not see that 4 to a straight on the board or that I only caught the ass-end of the straight? Did I just plain get sucked out on as a 2:1 favorite or better when the money went all-in?

Play on another site

Stars 100NL is not easy. I've been playing the 6-max the past few weeks (until I played some FR yesterday and today), so if you want to discuss hands post stuff or hit me up on AIM.

Originally Posted by zook

One easy way to tighten up is to stop playing drawing hands in SB->MP positions... sc's, connectors, suited aces. Without position they're often reverse implied odds hands.

sounds good to me, thanks.

Originally Posted by drtofu66

I look at the pots where I lost the most money during shitty streaks to see what went wrong. Did I play a bad starting hand? Did I make an ill-advised fancy play? Did I overvalue a marginal hand where I should have known better? Did I read the board badly and not see that 4 to a straight on the board or that I only caught the ass-end of the straight? Did I just plain get sucked out on as a 2:1 favorite or better when the money went all-in?

Def something I intend to do, just gotta find some time. Hopefully I'm not lazy and decide to just fuck it and play instead of look at the hands ... lack of discipline, whee!

Originally Posted by swiggidy

Play on another site

Haha yeah ... dunno what I was thinking ...

Stars is beatable though, so it just pisses me off more when I can't beat it.

Originally Posted by Setzy

Stars 100NL is not easy. I've been playing the 6-max the past few weeks (until I played some FR yesterday and today), so if you want to discuss hands post stuff or hit me up on AIM.

Thanks muchly, I'll def bug you on AIM sometime.

I think you should have more confidence in yourself (or at least speak with the confidence you got). I'm not that great of a player either, but think about this. If you really sucked, you wouldn't know what to look at to correct yourself. If you really sucked, you would likely disagree with the advice you're getting. You may not no what the problem is yet, but you got a good idea where to start looking. I'll bet that if you had the time, you could sit down and fix your play in a day.

My advice: relax, focus on what was working before your break, and you'll fall right back into the swing of things.

Originally Posted by courtiebee

Originally Posted by swiggidy

Play on another site

Haha yeah ... dunno what I was thinking ...

Stars is beatable though, so it just pisses me off more when I can't beat it.

I was 100% serious for the record.

Lukie had this exact same attitude about a year ago. Since you don't have the time to think about and analyze your game constantly I don't think you're going to make the same advancements he did. If I wasn't in the U.S. there is no way I would be on Stars.

1) Switch sites
2) beat 100NL, move up, beat 200NL
3) Profit
4) come back to stars after U.S. re-legalizes gambling and clean up at 200NL

Isn't this what's most important to you right now?

Yeah Courtie, go beat up Party 100NL and let us know how it goes.

I have a question though: is this full-ring or 6-max?

Originally Posted by Unibomber14

I think you should have more confidence in yourself (or at least speak with the confidence you got). I'm not that great of a player either, but think about this. If you really sucked, you wouldn't know what to look at to correct yourself. If you really sucked, you would likely disagree with the advice you're getting. You may not no what the problem is yet, but you got a good idea where to start looking. I'll bet that if you had the time, you could sit down and fix your play in a day.

My advice: relax, focus on what was working before your break, and you'll fall right back into the swing of things.

TY for writing this

Originally Posted by swiggidy

I was 100% serious for the record.

Lukie had this exact same attitude about a year ago. Since you don't have the time to think about and analyze your game constantly I don't think you're going to make the same advancements he did. If I wasn't in the U.S. there is no way I would be on Stars.

1) Switch sites
2) beat 100NL, move up, beat 200NL
3) Profit
4) come back to stars after U.S. re-legalizes gambling and clean up at 200NL

Isn't this what's most important to you right now?

I know you were serious, and I know you're right. I had been playing on Party for a while, and then I stopped because I got the idea in my head that I should be playing on Party during the day and Stars at night (trying to follow site peak hours). I didn't ever have reason to think that the games got bad at night on Party, I think I just thought that randomly.

I keep meaning to make accounts and to figure out how to move money to other sites that are supposedly better than Party for $100NL, but I just never have time and I always say, fuck it, we'll play on Party/Stars today. I should probably get on this.

Originally Posted by Andy Holt

Yeah Courtie, go beat up Party 100NL and let us know how it goes.

I have a question though: is this full-ring or 6-max?

It's 6-max, I hate FR soo much.

Oh yeah,

Originally Posted by swiggidy

Lukie had this exact same attitude about a year ago.

What in particular are you talking about?

Originally Posted by courtiebee

Oh yeah,

Originally Posted by swiggidy

Lukie had this exact same attitude about a year ago.

What in particular are you talking about?

ego-driven insistence on beating stars games

FWIW I'm constantly moving around different sites, and playing different games. If I feel in a rut and lose at PLO, I'll switch to PLO8. Run well for a while, lose my confidence or get bored and go play some donkaments and back to PLO. I have 4 main sites (Part, FT, Stars, Bodog) and I've won lots of money at every site and breakeven on one. Yep, you guessed it. (actualy I'm winning on aggregrte if you count SNGs and MTTs, but on just ring games I am pretty break-evn)

I recommend you learn a new game, and have some fun again. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself.

Courtie, I find without exception that when I come back to the game after a break, even if it's only a week or two, it takes me a few sessions to get my groove back. So jumping straight into Stars $100nl 6max is probably going to bit you on the ass - it will certainly be unforgiving to rusty play, and a bad beat or two combined with a lack of feel and confidence - that's probably the 7 buyins gone already.

It might be worth changing sites, but to start with I would move down to $50NL and gain confidence there playing tighter poker. Once you're back in the swing, you can loosen up your game and move up.

Anyone who tells you you aren't maximising your earnings by playing at the stakes you're rolled for is just going to cost you $$$. It's FAR more important to get your confidence back, and you'll do this by finding your edge at a weaker game.

I have similar stats as you on 100nl stars, there are PLENTY of donators, its not nearly as hard as it seems. It's all table selection. If you can't spot a fish in a few rounds, move on, I am *serious*. Grinding it out with a bunch of full stack regs is rake donation. I've finally been able to hang and eek out a decent profit at 100nl and the table selection has been by far the most important thing. You really can tighten up to 22/14 and stack idiots... it doesn't have to about all this nth level thinking and overanalyzing

when i played on stars (just 2 months ago) there were plenty of people willing to stack off with TPTK when you have a set. quit trying to "outplay" your opponents. that's probably your problem, as it was for me when i struggled to beat party. i've since stopped trying to outplay my opponents, regardless of the site or who the player is. that may sound odd, but the moment you try to "outplay" your opponent is the moment you start making dumb plays and unprofitable bluffs. just stick to ABC poker. when i played on stars there were plenty of regs willing to stack off with TPTK.

Courtie, I felt so bad for you, I went and Donked off 4 buyins!

Originally Posted by mrhappy333

Courtie, I felt so bad for you, I went and Donked off 4 buyins!

haha

Here's a couple hands I found difficult:

http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...=529997#529997

Originally Posted by salsa4ever

FWIW I'm constantly moving around different sites, and playing different games. If I feel in a rut and lose at PLO, I'll switch to PLO8. Run well for a while, lose my confidence or get bored and go play some donkaments and back to PLO. I have 4 main sites (Part, FT, Stars, Bodog) and I've won lots of money at every site and breakeven on one. Yep, you guessed it. (actualy I'm winning on aggregrte if you count SNGs and MTTs, but on just ring games I am pretty break-evn)

I recommend you learn a new game, and have some fun again. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself.

I was playing horse donkaments for a while a few months ago. I monied a $11 MTT, go me!

I don't put a lot of pressure on myself, but I do think I'm capable of certain things and that I could understand poker pretty well if I gave it a real shot. But then I guess I should work at it more if I really want that ...

Originally Posted by biondino

Courtie, I find without exception that when I come back to the game after a break, even if it's only a week or two, it takes me a few sessions to get my groove back. So jumping straight into Stars $100nl 6max is probably going to bit you on the ass - it will certainly be unforgiving to rusty play, and a bad beat or two combined with a lack of feel and confidence - that's probably the 7 buyins gone already.

It might be worth changing sites, but to start with I would move down to $50NL and gain confidence there playing tighter poker. Once you're back in the swing, you can loosen up your game and move up.

Anyone who tells you you aren't maximising your earnings by playing at the stakes you're rolled for is just going to cost you $$$. It's FAR more important to get your confidence back, and you'll do this by finding your edge at a weaker game.

You make really good points, I'll keep this in mind for sure. A few hours at $50NL might do me some good.

Originally Posted by mixchange

I have similar stats as you on 100nl stars, there are PLENTY of donators, its not nearly as hard as it seems. It's all table selection. If you can't spot a fish in a few rounds, move on, I am *serious*. Grinding it out with a bunch of full stack regs is rake donation. I've finally been able to hang and eek out a decent profit at 100nl and the table selection has been by far the most important thing. You really can tighten up to 22/14 and stack idiots... it doesn't have to about all this nth level thinking and overanalyzing

I know that Stars $100NL isn't that hard, which is why it pisses me off that I can't beat it. You're right though, straight forward poker is almost always fine.

Originally Posted by |~|ypermegachi

when i played on stars (just 2 months ago) there were plenty of people willing to stack off with TPTK when you have a set. quit trying to "outplay" your opponents. that's probably your problem, as it was for me when i struggled to beat party. i've since stopped trying to outplay my opponents, regardless of the site or who the player is. that may sound odd, but the moment you try to "outplay" your opponent is the moment you start making dumb plays and unprofitable bluffs. just stick to ABC poker. when i played on stars there were plenty of regs willing to stack off with TPTK.

Time for me to stop stacking off with TP too then?

Originally Posted by mrhappy333

Courtie, I felt so bad for you, I went and Donked off 4 buyins!

lol ...

i think the bigger point is the full equation - straightforward poker plus dilligent table selection. don't just sit at tables forever making nothing, ditch tables till you find some donators. not fish, donators.

Good advice, thanks muchly.

seriously goto redstar they have 6 max 100 nl with 67% vpip, very beatable. I moved from limit to NL on this site and even as a noob im up about 15 buy ins for the month. Swings and all. Just find a softer site.

I am in love with the PS interface though

Bumppp

I'm such a baby. After writing these posts, I moved down to $50NL on PS and won a few hundred dollars there. Then I played some hands on PP and made a few hundred there. Only takes running good for a few hands to make it all back ...

I got to play a whopping 600 hands today at $100NL on PS and PP and had a good day. My BR is at $6k for the first time, yay

I read the thread where sauce and trik advocate 3 betting a lot at $100NL and $200NL, and I think that advice has helped a lot. I'm finding $100NL at PS infinitely easier the last few times I've played there. But as usual, small sample sizes ...

I'm hoping that my work schedule eases off from now on because I really want to get some hands in. I figure I'll try to make another $2k at $100NL and then try to move up to $200NL.

grats Courtiee, know the feeling you are talking about and it's so true....can be running like a dog and losing confidence in your game or not wanting to play, then get a few hands in where you make the right reads or just play well and it all turns about.