Micro stakes grinding

Poker is a crazy thing. In the MTT I just got knocked out of, there is a guy making 2 or 3 huge pre-flop raises every orbit. I finally get JJ and decide to put it to him. Whatever happens, happens I am prepared for him to catch. The table short stack decides to call for three way action. We are all in, big bully turns up KK and short stack has 22. Short stack rivers his 2 to triple up and KK gets a refund from my stack. I am the lone loser, lol. Now maybe it is just me, but it seems that I run into this alot. Villain playing very loose agg but when I finally get a hand he just happens to have a bigger one. Feels like a setup. That's the beauty of lagging it, you get the action on your great hands. Sigh

My flawed poker mindset keeps costing me money. I see monsters under my bed. I always feel villain catches what they need and assume the worst.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (8 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

UTG ($5.70)
UTG+1 ($3.26)
MP1 ($5.73)
MP2 ($4.55)
CO ($3)
Button ($4.30)
SB ($10.60)
nibbles (BB) ($6)

Preflop: nibbles is BB with 3, K
2 folds, MP1 calls $0.05, 1 fold, CO (poster) checks, Button bets $0.10, 1 fold, nibbles calls $0.05, 1 fold, CO (poster) calls $0.05

Flop: ($0.37) 10, K, K (3 players)
nibbles checks, CO checks, Button bets $0.15, nibbles calls $0.15, 1 fold

Turn: ($0.67) 3 (2 players)
nibbles checks, Button bets $0.25, nibbles raises to $0.65, Button calls $0.40

River: ($1.97) Q (2 players)
nibbles bets $0.50, Button raises to $1.50, nibbles calls $1

Total pot: $4.97 | Rake: $0.20

Results:
Button had J, A (straight, Ace high).
nibbles had 3, K (full house, Kings over threes).
Outcome: nibbles won $4.77

Everything I've been told is true. I've let my gameplay be affected. Looking at the stack sizes I was supposed to put villain all in on river. Long term that is the play for the amount of chips at risk. But I convinced myself that villain had KQ, for whatever reason. I am an unreasonable nit and I need to work on it. It's like I'm playing with scared money and these are just nickels and dimes. It is not only about tilt. Gotta keep working. Gotta keep growing. I really want to be better, and being better means getting maximum value outta my winning hands.

Well, hopefully my laydown has appeased the poker gods and they will start letting my rockets hold up again. Late in $1 nine man S&G. Obviously had reads on both opponents by now.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $1.00+$0.20 Tournament, 75/150 Blinds (3 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

BB (t1930)
Button (t6665)
Hero (SB) (t4905)

Hero's M: 21.80

Preflop: Hero is SB with A, A
Button calls t150, Hero bets t450, 1 fold, Button calls t300

Flop: (t1050) J, 8, Q (2 players)
Hero bets t450, Button calls t450

Turn: (t1950) 10 (2 players)
Hero bets t450, Button raises to t5765 (All-In), Hero folds

Total pot: t2850

Results:
Button had 10, J (two pair, Jacks and tens).
Outcome: Button won t2850

Enough already. Puh-leeze. Pweedy pleeze. Ended up finishing 2nd in this thing. Decent day. Bankroll is at $145.67. Time for bed. Tomorrow is another day. I will watch some of the instructional videos until I fall asleep. Poker on the brain.

Hey this is pretty cool. I'm doing a similar thing now out of necessity, trying to take $10 and see how far I can build it up. Good to know that it can be done, though I'm not especially looking forward to the tedium of nut camping for two cents.

Not exaggerating. Not winning even 50% of these situations. I really don't know what to do with my gat damned aces. Fucking frustrating. I am not forgetting the winners. I just started multi-tabling the other day. I usually play 100 or so hands a day. I see AA like every other day, and they are constantly cracked. It is not in my head. Geezus this is crazy. Whatever they need boy.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

MP2 ($7.82)
MP3 ($2.68)
CO ($2.18)
Button ($2.23)
SB ($3.53)
BB ($5)
UTG ($4)
UTG+1 ($4.92)
nibbles (MP1) ($5.30)

Preflop: nibbles is MP1 with A, A
1 fold, UTG+1 calls $0.05, nibbles bets $0.30, 3 folds, Button calls $0.30, 3 folds

Flop: ($0.72) Q, K, 7 (2 players)
nibbles bets $0.30, Button raises to $1.93 (All-In), nibbles calls $1.63

Turn: ($4.58) Q (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($4.58) 2 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $4.58 | Rake: $0.20

Results:
Button had J, Q (three of a kind, Queens).
nibbles had A, A (two pair, Aces and Queens).
Outcome: Button won $4.38


Whatever they need. I will be a better player once this shit ends, but for now it is absolutely crazy! I can't beat the luckbox. It really is better to be lucky the good. ARGH!!!

Just ended first session of the day. Got over 300 hands in. Still new to the multi-tabling thing but going ok. Running four tables at a time at 5NL. Only thing is I can no longer watch tv while I play. I either listen to music, or if the Knicks are playing I listen while taking glances at the screen when something happens.

So far it has been a break even session, literally. Roll is at $145.80, up 13 cents. I recovered nicely from a few beats I took earlier including the rockets falling, so figured this would be a great time for another break.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 347 hands and saw flop:
- 32 out of 50 times while in big blind (64%)
- 12 out of 47 times while in small blind (25%)
- 32 out of 250 times in other positions (12%)
- a total of 76 out of 347 (21%)
Pots won at showdown - 8 of 13 (61%)
Pots won without showdown - 21

Hey man! Its great to see you finally got the multi tabling bug. I just switched over to FR a couple days ago. Been going good so far. My roll is doing quite nicely since the switch . (My op banner has been updated in a week or so lol) Hope things start to turn around for you, and my recommendation is to not watch tv while playing if ur starting to multitable. You need to get reads on villains, even when not in a hand.

Keep your chin up, those big PP's will come through for you in the end.

Yeah, I'm feeling it. Now I don't understand what took me so long. Down a little on two tables, up a bunch on the others. The other times I did this I only 2 tabled, but 4 seems to be ideal for this. Me likey.

I stopped playing after 500 hands. Roll is up to $149.13. I'm not even up a buy in but I feel great. Again, I'm in no rush. Ah man, I missed the 50 cent MTT. I'll probably through in a S&G and call it a night. I've been playing poker way to late which causes some rough mornings. Gotta get that under control.

Originally Posted by nibbles

Not exaggerating. Not winning even 50% of these situations. I really don't know what to do with my gat damned aces. Fucking frustrating. I am not forgetting the winners. I just started multi-tabling the other day. I usually play 100 or so hands a day. I see AA like every other day, and they are constantly cracked. It is not in my head. Geezus this is crazy. Whatever they need boy.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

MP2 ($7.82)
MP3 ($2.68)
CO ($2.18)
Button ($2.23)
SB ($3.53)
BB ($5)
UTG ($4)
UTG+1 ($4.92)
nibbles (MP1) ($5.30)

Preflop: nibbles is MP1 with A, A
1 fold, UTG+1 calls $0.05, nibbles bets $0.30, 3 folds, Button calls $0.30, 3 folds

Flop: ($0.72) Q, K, 7 (2 players)
nibbles bets $0.30, Button raises to $1.93 (All-In), nibbles calls $1.63

Turn: ($4.58) Q (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($4.58) 2 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $4.58 | Rake: $0.20

Results:
Button had J, Q (three of a kind, Queens).
nibbles had A, A (two pair, Aces and Queens).
Outcome: Button won $4.38


Whatever they need. I will be a better player once this shit ends, but for now it is absolutely crazy! I can't beat the luckbox. It really is better to be lucky the good. ARGH!!!

Don't sweat these beats too bad, I have been running similar for a few days, so bad I had to post in the TILT forum. Just needed some re-assurance.

You were 82.16% to win PF, and you were 80% after the flop. If you play this hand a lot of times.....I think you know what I am getting at.

Another session of multi-tabling started slow but ended pretty good. Fired up 4 tables at 5NL and after 225 hands I was down a buck fitty. (Oh yeah, I lost the S&G I played last night so my starting roll was $147.93). Took a break and decided it would probably be best to get used to multi-tabling at 2NL. So got on 4 tables there and had a great session there. Turned my $146 into $154. Pretty good for 2NL.

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 450 hands and saw flop:
- 37 out of 64 times while in big blind (57%)
- 14 out of 60 times while in small blind (23%)
- 52 out of 326 times in other positions (15%)
- a total of 103 out of 450 (22%)
Pots won at showdown - 12 of 22 (54%)
Pots won without showdown - 29

Key pots:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

UTG+1 ($4.53)
MP1 ($1.66)
MP2 ($0.96)
MP3 ($1.56)
CO ($3.08)
nibbles (Button) ($5.60)
SB ($1.19)
BB ($2)
UTG ($5.75)

Preflop: nibbles is Button with 10, 10
2 folds, MP1 calls $0.02, 3 folds, nibbles bets $0.10, 2 folds, MP1 calls $0.08

Flop: ($0.23) 9, 7, 10 (2 players)
MP1 checks, nibbles bets $0.10, MP1 calls $0.10

Turn: ($0.43) 10 (2 players)
MP1 checks, nibbles checks

River: ($0.43) 9 (2 players)
MP1 bets $0.15, nibbles raises to $5.40 (All-In), MP1 calls $1.31 (All-In)

Total pot: $3.35 | Rake: $0.15

Results:
nibbles had 10, 10 (four of a kind, tens).
MP1 mucked 5, A (flush, Ace high).
Outcome: nibbles won $3.20

Just b4 I shoved the river I typed "split pot, huh?" in the chat box. Villain insta-called.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (8 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

SB ($2.47)
BB ($2.20)
UTG ($2.02)
nibbles (UTG+1) ($2.87)
MP1 ($4.75)
MP2 ($5.04)
CO ($4.75)
Button ($6.21)

Preflop: nibbles is UTG+1 with A, A
1 fold, nibbles bets $0.10, MP1 raises to $4.75 (All-In), 5 folds, nibbles calls $2.77 (All-In)

Flop: ($5.77) 4, 10, 6 (2 players, 2 all-in)

Turn: ($5.77) 2 (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($5.77) 6 (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $5.77 | Rake: $0.25

Results:
nibbles had A, A (two pair, Aces and sixes).
MP1 mucked K, K (two pair, Kings and sixes).
Outcome: nibbles won $5.52

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (7 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

MP1 ($5.09)
MP2 ($0.73)
CO ($3.12)
nibbles (Button) ($2.97)
SB ($4.34)
BB ($1.11)
UTG ($1.80)

Preflop: nibbles is Button with 9, A
UTG calls $0.02, MP1 calls $0.02, 2 folds, nibbles calls $0.02, SB calls $0.01, BB checks

Flop: ($0.10) J, K, 3 (5 players)
SB checks, BB checks, UTG checks, MP1 checks, nibbles bets $0.08, 2 folds, UTG calls $0.08, 1 fold

Turn: ($0.26) 3 (2 players)
UTG checks, nibbles checks

River: ($0.26) Q (2 players)
UTG bets $0.06, nibbles raises to $0.22, UTG raises to $1.70 (All-In), nibbles calls $1.48

Total pot: $3.66 | Rake: $0.15

Results:
nibbles had 9, A (flush, Ace high).
UTG had 4, 5 (flush, King high).
Outcome: nibbles won $3.51

Taking a short break. Will do a second session after my late night snack.

Alright, time for bed. Can't keep doing the late night poker thing during the week. Squeezed out another buck and change in second session. End of day roll is $155.85. Total hands for today was 763, which is an all time high for me. I can't believe I waited so long to start multi-tabling. Why oh why am I so hard headed? I thought I was playing tight before, but now I see I really wasn't. I was seeing around 30% of the flops when I was playing only one table at a time. Now I am closer to 20. Now I easily fold marginal holdings pre-flop if I don't have enough limpers in front giving me odds for the call. B4 I would often talk myself into those calls.

Till tomorrow.

Originally Posted by nibbles

Alright, time for bed. Can't keep doing the late night poker thing during the week. Squeezed out another buck and change in second session. End of day roll is $155.85. Total hands for today was 763, which is an all time high for me. I can't believe I waited so long to start multi-tabling. Why oh why am I so hard headed? I thought I was playing tight before, but now I see I really wasn't. I was seeing around 30% of the flops when I was playing only one table at a time. Now I am closer to 20. Now I easily fold marginal holdings pre-flop if I don't have enough limpers in front giving me odds for the call. B4 I would often talk myself into those calls.

Till tomorrow.

How many tables are you playing at a time now?

Hey Keek! I am playing 4 tables now. I shrink the size of the tables somewhat so they all fit on my screen without overlapping. That way I can still follow all the action on all of the tables. Working pretty good so far. Hope it keeps up. Pretty much all of my progress has come from playing one table at a time at 2NL.

Originally Posted by nibbles

Hey Keek! I am playing 4 tables now. I shrink the size of the tables somewhat so they all fit on my screen without overlapping. That way I can still follow all the action on all of the tables. Working pretty good so far. Hope it keeps up. Pretty much all of my progress has come from playing one table at a time at 2NL.

I just watched some of the vids last night, namely the 4 table NL FR session. I think I should try 4 tables, right now I play 2 and I find myself looking up at the TV a lot, there will be period where you fold four or 5 consecutive hands. I think playing 4 might be just right and keep me more engaged on poker only and what is going on at each table.

Periods where you fold four or five consecutive hands? There have been times where I've folded four consecutive orbits. As far as playing more tables, make sure your roll can handle it cos more of it is at risk at a given time. Good luck. I hope it goes well. Do you play on PokerStars?

Originally Posted by nibbles

Periods where you fold four or five consecutive hands? There have been times where I've folded four consecutive orbits. As far as playing more tables, make sure your roll can handle it cos more of it is at risk at a given time. Good luck. I hope it goes well. Do you play on PokerStars?

I know, four or five is actually not many, just trying to illustrate the fact that I am not taxed for brainpower per-see, not overwhelmed with too much going on. I play on Stars yes.

Didn't get too many hands today. Only played 226 and only made a little over a buck. I was down on all four tables until I hit a BB special where my A2 flopped a str8 and villain had top set. Stacked him and got my roll up to $156.99. Meh, hoped to play more, but oh well. I'll take a small win over a loss anyday. Bedtime.

some of your cbets seem very small. the ones i can remember off the top of my head are the AA SNG hand and the 1010 hand where you turned quads. These are both drawy flops and on both occassions you bet less than half the pot - you're giving villain good odds to call with draws here.

Originally Posted by sil693

some of your cbets seem very small. the ones i can remember off the top of my head are the AA SNG hand and the 1010 hand where you turned quads. These are both drawy flops and on both occassions you bet less than half the pot - you're giving villain good odds to call with draws here.

Just to add to this - consider a wet board a board with many flush and straight draws which is likely to have hit your opponents range. The context (I think) is kind of important. The idea here is that if the opponent is likely to have many made hands and/or draws in his range (a large % of hands he arrives here with he wants to continue with to a bet) then we need to be betting less often (more value than bluffs) and for higher amounts (to price out draws). Conversely, if the board is dry (Q33r) the board is unlikely to have hit the opponents range. This means the biggest part of his range will fold to any bet, making it profitable (perhaps) to cbet with air. Since we are cbetting a high % of air on this board and we don't want to lose too big a pot when called by better and we hold air we can cbet a smaller amount and still be profitable doing so.

To not make ourselves too readable we then also have to cbet our made hands (TPTK, sets etc) small. This is not as bad value as it may appear because we get so many folds that a smaller bets increased chance of seeing a call may make a small bet the more profitable bet for value as well. While we have a solid hand we want to keep as many weaker hands in as possible - hoping that they improve to stronger second best hands.

There are a good amount of posts on the topic, probably flop texture is the thing to search for. I hope I didn't botch the explanation too badly.

My bet sizing has always been something I needed work on. It is a result of my bigger bets not being called. When I'm betting I want the call cos the hands I bet usually have showdown value. It is that balancing act of getting weaker hands to call and better hands to fold as opposed to the other way around. Still working on my game.

Today's session started off slowly. Roll dropped down to $154 until...

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (8 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

MP1 ($0.93)
MP2 ($4.98)
CO ($2.94)
Button ($0.74)
Hero (SB) ($2.98)
BB ($1)
UTG ($2.47)
UTG+1 ($1.88)

Preflop: Hero is SB with K, K
UTG calls $0.02, 2 folds, MP2 bets $0.06, CO calls $0.06, Button calls $0.06, Hero raises to $0.20, 2 folds, MP2 calls $0.14, CO calls $0.14, 1 fold

Flop: ($0.70) 2, Q, 8 (3 players)
Hero bets $0.46, MP2 calls $0.46, 1 fold

Turn: ($1.62) 10 (2 players)
Hero bets $2.32 (All-In), MP2 calls $2.32

River: ($6.26) J (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $6.26 | Rake: $0.30

Results:
Hero had K, K (one pair, Kings).
MP2 mucked K, Q (one pair, Queens).
Outcome: Hero won $5.96

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (8 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

BB ($0.93)
UTG ($5)
UTG+1 ($2.70)
MP1 ($0.58)
Hero (MP2) ($5.96)
CO ($0.97)
Button ($2.55)
SB ($1.93)

Preflop: Hero is MP2 with K, K
3 folds, Hero bets $0.10, CO raises to $0.18, 3 folds, Hero calls $0.08

Flop: ($0.39) 7, K, 9 (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $0.20, Hero raises to $0.40, CO calls $0.20

Turn: ($1.19) 6 (2 players)
Hero bets $0.42, CO calls $0.39 (All-In)

River: ($1.97) 4 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $1.97 | Rake: $0.05

Results:
Hero had K, K (three of a kind, Kings).
CO mucked A, A (one pair, Aces).
Outcome: Hero won $1.92

Glad to see the turnaround with my big PP. I have been waaaaaaayyy overdue. So after 226 hands my roll is at $158.07. Dinner break. Want to play 4000 hands by Monday. Will see how it goes.

In the first hand above, what was your thinking when you shoved? Were you thinking I am hoping to take the pot right here? Or were you thinking he was a weak player and would call you (more of a value bet?). I struggle with this, I would have thought I don't want to shove because only a player who beats me can call.

He initially raise PF, if it were me he would have hit his set with QQ, TT or JJ.

Keek, I had been at the table a while and hand a fairly decent read on how villain played (provided he wasn't mixing it up). I had seen him get into a pf race with JJ, so I figured that he would do the same with a better hand, so tossed out QQ. I also saw him do a nasty suckout on someone else. I shoved cos I put him on the draw (AJc - AKc) and the turn 10 added a bunch of outs to his possible draws. He would not pay anymore money if he missed, so get the money in now. My heart sank a bit when the river J came, but all's well that ends OK. With the way I've run lately, I am paranoid with my big PP. It was one of those "If I'm beat, I'm beat" moments.

At 2NL be on the lookout for players that stack light as hell, so you will be able to take advantage. Pay attention to showdowns, and look them up if they muck their cards. Shoving is something I've been doing more of lately. People think you are bluffing and usually call. This is just at 2NL, not so much at the higher stakes.

Originally Posted by nibbles

Keek, I had been at the table a while and hand a fairly decent read on how villain played (provided he wasn't mixing it up). I had seen him get into a pf race with JJ, so I figured that he would do the same with a better hand, so tossed out QQ. I also saw him do a nasty suckout on someone else. I shoved cos I put him on the draw (AJc - AKc) and the turn 10 added a bunch of outs to his possible draws. He would not pay anymore money if he missed, so get the money in now. My heart sank a bit when the river J came, but all's well that ends OK. With the way I've run lately, I am paranoid with my big PP. It was one of those "If I'm beat, I'm beat" moments.

At 2NL be on the lookout for players that stack light as hell, so you will be able to take advantage. Pay attention to showdowns, and look them up if they muck their cards. Shoving is something I've been doing more of lately. People think you are bluffing and usually call. This is just at 2NL, not so much at the higher stakes.

That's interesting, I had a hand today that was raised PF, 2 callers, and I called from the button with 88. The original raiser was reckless calling all ins PF with JJ, 3 betting PF with 44, just over-valuing everything. Flop on this hand came 8h Ac Jc and I knew I had him right them, ended up stacking him and we were both sitting over 6 deep. I waited for him to commit too much money and then I shoved, it was not so much of a large shove compared to the pot like your hand was.

Hitting a set when villain likely paired his ace is a great situation that allows you be be creative with your chip extraction techniques. My situation was very different cos I was vulnerable to an ace, flush, and (on the turn) a str8. A pot sized bet on the turn would have made me pot committed on the river where I may have been putting my chips in bad, had villain completed his draw (and missed draws don't pay well). I felt if he'd call $1.62 he'd call $2.32. I couldn't wait on villain to commit himself as I was OOP. At 2NL, if you feel you have the best of it, shove. Alot of times they will call you, cos they will assume you are one of the maniacs that shove air.

I still need to work on emotion control. I still get upset too easily. I dropped a buy in when my QQ ran into KK for my stack as I began today's session. Got pissed cos it was in my 1st 15 hands. Left the tables and played a $1 single table S&G. Built up a 5000+ chips stack with 4 players left. In a big pot I induced a bluff from the 2nd big stack only for him to runner runner his needed card to suckout, and again I was on tilt cos now I was short stack. The thing is I was able to come back and win 1st place. I hafta remind myself that losing is a part of the game. It has to happen. For some reason though, I can't just shake them off. That is something I definitely need alot of work on before I go up in stakes where you actually play for money.

Originally Posted by nibbles

That is something I definitely need alot of work on before I go up in stakes where you actually play for money.

you never play for money. you play for bb's and BI's.

Crap day. Up & down, ended down. Roll is at $156.17. After another long session multi-tabling I was down a little over three buck. Played in a 90 man 25 cent S&G and fin 7th for like a buck. That sucked too, but i wont get into it. Can't win everyday, right? At least I logged alot of hands.

Till tomorrow.

Logged a 500+ hand session and was down $1. Frustrating day. Played a S&G and took first, so put my roll back up to $158.30. I've noticed I don't have as much success on the weekends in cash games, but weekend S&Gs go alot better. The over aggression works against the donks in S&Gs cos they knock each other out, but in the cash games they price me out of my hands. So unless I'm holding a set or top two, they win. But when I am strong they really pay me off. So I am pretty much at the mercy of the cards in ring. Still feel like playing cash (vs S&G), but undecided. Will c. Definitely playing more poker tonight though, either way

Finally cracked the $160 mark. 1st day back at 5NL. Played a short 100 hand session playing only one table. Will play an S&G then do a 2 table cash session after a break. One hand that is still with me:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP1 ($5.79)
MP2 ($4.96)
MP3 ($10)
CO ($16.21)
Hero (Button) ($9.03)
SB ($5.35)
BB ($2.50)
UTG ($0.66)
UTG+1 ($6.76)

Preflop: Hero is Button with A, 8
1 fold, UTG+1 calls $0.05, 2 folds, MP3 calls $0.05, 1 fold, Hero calls $0.05, SB calls $0.03, BB checks

Flop: ($0.25) Q, 3, J (5 players)
SB bets $0.10, BB calls $0.10, 1 fold, MP3 calls $0.10, Hero calls $0.10

Turn: ($0.65) A (4 players)
SB checks, BB checks, MP3 bets $0.50, Hero calls $0.50, 2 folds

River: ($1.65) J (2 players)
MP3 bets $1, Hero folds

Total pot: $1.65 | Rake: $0.05

The way I saw it, the best I could hope for was a split. Villain played every ace (saw him limp AK on button), but could have easily had KT or AJ. I see so many people make this call though so was this a nitty fold? There was a good chance this was a split pot.

Still grinding.

Originally Posted by nibbles

Finally cracked the $160 mark. 1st day back at 5NL. Played a short 100 hand session playing only one table. Will play an S&G then do a 2 table cash session after a break. One hand that is still with me:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP1 ($5.79)
MP2 ($4.96)
MP3 ($10)
CO ($16.21)
Hero (Button) ($9.03)
SB ($5.35)
BB ($2.50)
UTG ($0.66)
UTG+1 ($6.76)

Preflop: Hero is Button with A, 8
1 fold, UTG+1 calls $0.05, 2 folds, MP3 calls $0.05, 1 fold, Hero calls $0.05, SB calls $0.03, BB checks

Flop: ($0.25) Q, 3, J (5 players)
SB bets $0.10, BB calls $0.10, 1 fold, MP3 calls $0.10, Hero calls $0.10

Turn: ($0.65) A (4 players)
SB checks, BB checks, MP3 bets $0.50, Hero calls $0.50, 2 folds

River: ($1.65) J (2 players)
MP3 bets $1, Hero folds

Total pot: $1.65 | Rake: $0.05

The way I saw it, the best I could hope for was a split. Villain played every ace (saw him limp AK on button), but could have easily had KT or AJ. I see so many people make this call though so was this a nitty fold? There was a good chance this was a split pot.

Still grinding.

I'm not sure if I am correct, in fact if I am you I would post this in the BC forum...but I would have raised the turn for sure. You just drew out to TP, and you still have the FD in your back pocket. Split pot is fine, make him call your raise on the turn to earn the split, and if you hit your flush on the river (hopefully he checks the river after your raise) you got him.

Keek, I think my hand is too weak for that type of aggression on the turn. What do I do if villain shoves my re-raise? All I have is top pair weak kicker. I don't see villain folding to my raise so I don't see what I would accomplish with that move. If this were a tournament or a S&G I might make that play, but in a cash game I don't like to make plays like that, on that type of board, in a limped pot, with a marginal holding. But like I said, I'm nitty. So I guess your answer to my question on the river is you wouldn't be in that spot. I think I will post this in BC. Thanks for response.

BTW, I took 1st in my S&G. May play another.

Good day. Got caught up playing too late. I have really got to stop doing this. Won just under 10 bucks today, which is pretty good. Roll is at $167.90. Gonna watch Poker After Dark until I fall asleep. Jennifer Titty is on and her breasts are in full effect.

Till tomorrow.

Nice work on the roll nibbles. Very nice, hope u break $200 soon.

Thanks ryokan! I was all ready to quit a short while back, but I got back on the horse. $200 is right around the corner. I can feel it.

But tonight I wasn't feeling the poker thing. Did not want to play at all, so I forced a $1 S&G and finished 3rd. It is better than losing, but I really hate 3rd place. But it is better than bubbling. I think I will just play the 25 cent MTT and watch some MMA on Spike. It is one of those Ultimate Knockout joints. I just luv that stuff.

I just found a good micro stakes MTT. the 8:15 p.m. $2.00 + .20 guaranteed $4000 is very good. Starting with 3000 chips allows for alot more poker to be played. I just got knocked out in 1300+ place but still had fun. I just wish I had luck as you need luck to go deep in these. The table luckbox bigstack ran me down for his flush just like he ran so many others down to get his weak ass draws and build his stack. I am truly a sucker cos I keep playing these things. I just luv 'em so. Played just under 100 hands at 5NL b4 the MTT and dropped a little over a buck, so roll is down to $165.60. Gonna do a 5NL multi-table session after a break. I will only do 3 tables cos 4 seemed a bit much as I was missing out on some of the action. I'm not good enough to just play on autopilot.

No more NLHE grinding. I'm going back to my old school game of 7 card stud. I can't take advantage of the hold em luckbox. My roll had dropped back down to $158 after some super suckouts and I was super pissed. Yesterday I reacquainted myself with stud playing the 4 cent/8 cent game. That went pretty well, so this afternoon I started on the 10 cent/ 20 cent game. I wish that game was as popular as hold em cos there u can really take advantage of luckboxes chasing dead cards. I saw one guy who was multi-tabling stud. LOL. I'd bet anything he isn't a winning player. At least he wasn't at the table I was playing at.

Anyway, my bankroll has recovered thanks to some donkeys betting my hands for me. Roll sits at $174.80. Taking a break and will go through the stud portion of FTR (never stepped foot in there). I will still play hold em, but I'm done grinding it. Stud is where I will log the majority of my sessions.

Oh yeah, I threw in a $1 nine man S&G and finished 3rd cos some luckbox I had competely dominated sucked out on me. QQ vs Q8 on a Q high board. Runner runner str8. that's hold em for me, and my sanity. Stud it is baby. Beats like that wont cost you your stack.

Originally Posted by sil693

Originally Posted by nibbles

That is something I definitely need alot of work on before I go up in stakes where you actually play for money.

you never play for money. you play for bb's and BI's.

Best reply ever

Lol. Nibbles you'll be back at NLHE before you know it. There's so much traffic on Stars your never far from finding a fishy table. Just stick at it dude, you can't let one session, day, week or month of losing or breaking even get to you. You've got the game to beat the levels your playing at, you just have to put more volume in!! Only playing one 300 hand session a day isn't going to get you where you want to be.

I'm not trying to make a dig at you, I just want you to do well!!! PLEASE stick to the grind and see your operation through and don't let your good work so far go to waste!!

Hey suit! I will still throw in NLHE from time to time (few times a week), but I gotta go with stud. I don't think I am breaking away from my op. My goal remains the same. Grind to $500, only adding another game to the grind. Although there aren't as many, the donkeys are there too. I do love hold em, but the swings may be too much for me. I've tried limit hold em, but the suckouts are way, way, way too much for me.

Anyway, I finished the night playing 4 cent/8 cent stud. Put the roll to $179.41. Today I am reading Doyle's Super System. I found a free copy online. Right now I'm reading Chip Reese's section on stud of course. My poker library is very limited so time to get with the reading. Probably wont play any until tonight.

but dont you wanna beat NLHE?? i cant believe theres more idiots at stud than at HE.

Poker is all about luck. Since last night I've been cold carded at stud. this afternoon after horrible cards again, I decided to play a little razz. And whaddaya know, I'm being dealt 3 of a kind and big pocket pairs left and fuggin' right. I can't stop the board from pairing on me. You just hafta laugh about.

I finished reading Super System, and now I'm reading Sklansky's TOP. Haven't been grinding cos of the reading. Roll got up as high as $181, but now back down to $178.69, so pretty much no progress. Too bad I'm not as "good" as so many people here. My "wheee" moments are few and far between. Why can't I just run good for a little while? Just a small rush? Just a little fun push and catch poker for profitz and monies? Envy is a terrible thing, but I am feeling it. Hopefully TOP will help put things in perspective.

Don't think I will play anymore poker today. Not in the right frame of mind.

I hate to repeat myself, but you keep giving me an opening - this is the book you should be reading on poker. Believe me now and thank me later.

Haven't found a free copy of the poker mindset yet, Jay. When I get to 10NL and start building up my FPPs I'll order it. Have found Harrington on Hold em, though. Started reading it today. Really good read so far. Haven't been playing much poker due to reading, but the little I have played cost me a buy in. Dropped 5 bucks in the last two days, roll down to $173.09. I am gonna take another stab at the $2 MTT that starts with 3000 chips. The only other time I played it I didn't cash, but it was still a fun experience.

Finished reading Harrington on Hold em vol 1 and it was a great read. So many things I wasn't aware I was doing wrong and failing to take into consideration. This book and Super System really opened my eyes. All this time I have been just trying to get into pots ahead and win by staying ahead (I'm relatively new to serious poker). I didn't appreciate the fact that you have to play from behind when the odds dictate it. I was aware of it, but didn't appreciate it. I don't know how to write it all but I feel I have a better understanding of the game now. One thing I've been doing wrong is pricing myself out when I semi-bluff. At these stakes, how silly is that? I have a better understanding of what I am trying to accomplish with bet sizing. I have had trouble with that.

I didn't play much poker today, just 1 S&G. I took 1st, but it was different this time. I actually crushed the game. I didn't have a great run of cards or a bunch of maniacal opponents that knocked each other out early. I even had QQ go down, but it didn't phase me cos a lesser player would have lost more in that spot. I mixed up my play very well and by the middle of the game I was in command. I was doing much more than playing my cards. I was taking advantage of situations. I actually had plans for my play of hands. I've won a bunch of S&Gs but this win was very different. I didn't just wait for premiums and hoped they knocked each other out.

I was losing my zest for poker here lately, but these books have recharged me. I am about to start on No Limit Hole Em: Theory and Practice. Reading is fundamental.

A real tilt day. Poker can be a real bitch. When it is your day to lose, you will lose no matter what. No matter what. I did something real stupid today. Pissed off cos of how bad the day was going, so I decided to jump up to 10NL for a session. 1 buy in, no problem. I decided to short stack it. VERY FIRST HAND:
FTR Hand History Converter Output (intended for copying and pasting into poker forums!):
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (8 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

UTG ($2.60)
UTG+1 ($3.10)
MP1 ($2.30)
MP2 ($13.35)
CO ($5.45)
Button ($8.90)
SB ($9.50)
Hero (BB) ($6)

Preflop: Hero is BB with Q, Q
UTG calls $0.10, UTG+1 calls $0.10, 2 folds, CO bets $0.30, Button calls $0.30, 1 fold, Hero raises to $1.20, 2 folds, CO calls $0.90, Button calls $0.90

Flop: ($3.85) Q, 3, J (3 players)
Hero bets $1.20, CO raises to $2.40, 1 fold, Hero raises to $4.80 (All-In), CO calls $1.85 (All-In)

Turn: ($12.35) 6 (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($12.35) 4 (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $12.35 | Rake: $0.60

Results:
Hero had Q, Q (three of a kind, Queens).
CO had 10, A (flush, Ace high).
Outcome: CO won $11.75

TWO HANDS LATER:
FTR Hand History Converter Output (intended for copying and pasting into poker forums!):
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (8 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

SB ($9.90)
BB ($2.50)
UTG ($3)
UTG+1 ($2.55)
MP1 ($13.35)
MP2 ($7.70)
CO ($9.90)
Hero (Button) ($4.85)

Preflop: Hero is Button with J, J
3 folds, MP2 bets $0.30, 1 fold, Hero raises to $0.90, 1 fold, BB calls $0.80, MP2 calls $0.60

Flop: ($2.75) 2, 10, 3 (3 players)
BB checks, MP2 checks, Hero bets $1.40, 1 fold, MP2 raises to $2.90, Hero raises to $3.95 (All-In), MP2 calls $1.05

Turn: ($10.65) 9 (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($10.65) K (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $10.65 | Rake: $0.50

Results:
Hero had J, J (one pair, Jacks).
MP2 had 3, 3 (three of a kind, threes).
Outcome: MP2 won $10.15

I guess I deserve it for playing above my roll. 3 hands at 10NL, what an experience. I still can't win the big pots. Destined to grind.

I could post this shit everyday, but I don't. Why do I fuggin play? Played my $2.20 MTT and this is how I go out:

FTR Hand History Converter Output (intended for copying and pasting into poker forums!):
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $2.00+$0.20 Tournament, 125/250 Blinds 25 Ante (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

Button (t9298)
Hero (SB) (t2287)
BB (t8595)
UTG (t4340)
UTG+1 (t9355)
MP1 (t9875)
MP2 (t4745)
MP3 (t3509)
CO (t5170)

Hero's M: 3.81

Preflop: Hero is SB with A, A
4 folds, MP3 bets t750, 2 folds, Hero raises to t2262 (All-In), 1 fold, MP3 calls t1512

Flop: (t4999) K, 2, 9 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Turn: (t4999) 3 (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: (t4999) 4 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: t4999

Results:
Hero had A, A (flush, King high).
MP3 had 9, A (flush, Ace high).
Outcome: MP3 won t4999

And again I was not surprised. Built myself up to 5000 chips stacks twice and some luckbox sucked out on me then donked chips away to someone else. You have to be lucky for poker. And I ain't that. Domination means nothing. Damn I am sooooo pissed off right now. I can't win big pots and I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. What cards should I play? Am am not even winning 50% of the situations. Got dealt 4 big PP today, the 3 losers are posted here, the winner only won the blinds. Sweeeeeeeeet!

I know you all don't wanna hear it. I know you all don't give a fuck. I feel like I should stop giving a fuck. Was all amped up from my reading, but this crap drives me crazy. I hit three sets this weekend and lost them all.

Roll is at $160 right now, and I will keep playing tonight. Bad idea and I no longer care. Gonna do 3 tables at 5NL and whatever happens happens. You can't care about this shit.

Just gotta let it go man. No need to get worked up about it. If you can't handle running bad for a while at 5nl/10nl you will never be able to hand the bigger swings at 25nl+. What will you do when you lose a $100 stack with AA to a guy who played J4o just for the hell of it? You can't get pissed off, just type, "nh" in the chat and move on. Poker is a mental game that has no room for emotions. It took me a LONG time to realize that, but once I did I instantly seen improvement. I don't let losing a stack/stacks affect me (at least not as much). If I got my money in good, I pat myself on the back and make a deposit in the EV bank, if I got in bad I tend to get more pissed off cuz I know I made a mistake.

Just some food for thought. Just gotta be able to desensitize yourself from the swings and keep making +EV decisions. GL sir.

Originally Posted by nibbles

I know you all don't wanna hear it. I know you all don't give a fuck. I feel like I should stop giving a fuck.

Nibbles, we do care. I do anyway. I know how well you've done to build your roll and now nothing's going right for you. I care, but I don't know how to help you or myself. I wish I did. I read what you write and it's as if I wrote it myself. And I'm not trying to compare our operations because you've achieved a lot more than I have. GL.

Thanks guys. I appreciate your comments. The thing that gets me is that it takes so long for me to build it up, but it goes so quickly. Like I said, I don't usually win the big pots, so my progress is a slow grind. Oh well. It is what it is. Thanks again.

Today I decided I would start over. The $20 drop in roll stung a bit. I went right back down to 4 tabling 2NL. I have decided to focus on hand volume. 1000 hands a day is my goal. Half way done so far today. Stats:
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 522 hands and saw flop:
- 49 out of 75 times while in big blind (65%)
- 30 out of 71 times while in small blind (42%)
- 71 out of 376 times in other positions (18%)
- a total of 150 out of 522 (28%)
Pots won at showdown - 26 of 35 (74%)
Pots won without showdown - 32

I'm up $1.75 so far, which puts me over 8BB/100 (me tinks). When I get used to grinding out a consistent winrate for 1000 hands I will move back up to 5NL. My new focus is volume. I was surprised BB/100 was so high cos I lost a total of 3 bucks when my KK ran into AA, and my JJ was crushed by 99 catching his set. Didn't let it piss me off though. Hopefully this shift in focus will be good for me.

1st day of new goal and fail. Fell alseep after hand 741. Final stats for the night:
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 741 hands and saw flop:
- 62 out of 100 times while in big blind (62%)
- 40 out of 100 times while in small blind (40%)
- 112 out of 541 times in other positions (20%)
- a total of 214 out of 741 (28%)
Pots won at showdown - 31 of 46 (67%)
Pots won without showdown - 51

Finished the night up $5.39 which gives me over 19BB/100 for the session. Grreat! Two hands that stuck with me:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

SB ($1.98)
BB ($6.03)
UTG ($5)
UTG+1 ($3.06)
MP1 ($2.69)
MP2 ($4.59)
MP3 ($0.71)
CO ($2.37)
Hero (Button) ($2.97)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 9, 9
1 fold, UTG+1 calls $0.02, 1 fold, MP2 calls $0.02, MP3 calls $0.02, CO calls $0.02, Hero calls $0.02, 1 fold, BB bets $0.14, UTG+1 calls $0.12, MP2 calls $0.12, 2 folds, Hero calls $0.12

Flop: ($0.61) 9, 6, 2 (4 players)
BB bets $0.62, UTG+1 calls $0.62, 1 fold, Hero raises to $2.83 (All-In), BB calls $2.21, UTG+1 raises to $2.92 (All-In), BB calls $0.09

Turn: ($9.28) K (3 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($9.28) 9 (3 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $9.28 | Rake: $0.45

Results:
Hero had 9, 9 (four of a kind, nines).
BB had K, K (full house, Kings over nines).
UTG+1 had A, 7 (flush, Ace high).
Outcome: Hero won $8.65, BB won $0.18

Biggest pot for me ever at 2NL. I actually earned a FPP, lol. I keep expecting the worse. When K hit on the turn I knew BB hit his set, and the spade hit river (didn't initially notice it was a 9) I was cussing cos UTG+1 had to be on that draw. Cussed for 2 seconds. But all is well. Sweet pot.

This one was a little lesson on implied odds:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

UTG ($1.28)
Hero (MP) ($2.94)
CO ($2.31)
Button ($3.11)
SB ($4.22)
BB ($6.56)

Preflop: Hero is MP with 7, 8
UTG calls $0.02, Hero calls $0.02, 2 folds, SB calls $0.01, BB checks

Flop: ($0.08) K, 5, 6 (4 players)
SB checks, BB checks, UTG checks, Hero checks

Turn: ($0.08) 4 (4 players)
SB checks, BB checks, UTG checks, Hero bets $0.06, 2 folds, UTG calls $0.06

River: ($0.20) 7 (2 players)
UTG bets $1.20 (All-In), Hero calls $1.20

Total pot: $2.60 | Rake: $0.10

Results:
UTG had 9, 8 (straight, nine high).
Hero mucked 7, 8 (straight, eight high).
Outcome: UTG won $2.50

I didn't insta-call. I acknowledged the possibility of him having the 98. I didn't really know what type of player villain was so he might have made that play with a 3, or just an 8. I guess realistically the best I could have hoped for was a split, and with so little invested in the pot I should have gotten away.

Tonight I will try my best to hit 1000 hands. Gotta get the hands in. Wanna be a multi-tabling nit.

OK. 1000 hands a night was a rather lofty goal for 4 tabling. The tables I played were rather slow but had loose passive players so I stayed.
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 330 hands and saw flop:
- 20 out of 46 times while in big blind (43%)
- 11 out of 42 times while in small blind (26%)
- 37 out of 242 times in other positions (15%)
- a total of 68 out of 330 (20%)
Pots won at showdown - 5 of 9 (55%)
Pots won without showdown - 23

Up $4.50 so far. Taking a break now, will try to force out a few hundred more. When I was playing one table at a time, playing 4 or 5 hours was very easy as I watched tv or movies on the internet. Multi-tabling I am putting forth some effort keeping track of the play on each table. There is more work involved. I will play at least 500 hands a night, but will shoot for more.

Two hands I won with questionable play.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (7 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

CO ($1.84)
Button ($5.49)
SB ($3.65)
Hero (BB) ($3)
UTG ($0.63)
MP1 ($1.16)
MP2 ($4.21)

Preflop: Hero is BB with K, K
2 folds, MP2 calls $0.02, CO calls $0.02, 1 fold, SB calls $0.01, Hero bets $0.16, MP2 calls $0.14, 2 folds

Flop: ($0.36) A, 10, A (2 players)
Hero checks, MP2 bets $0.22, Hero calls $0.22

Turn: ($0.80) 8 (2 players)
Hero checks, MP2 bets $0.34, Hero calls $0.34

River: ($1.48) 5 (2 players)
Hero checks, MP2 bets $0.34, Hero calls $0.34

Total pot: $2.16 | Rake: $0.10

Results:
Hero had K, K (two pair, Aces and Kings).
MP2 had 10, 7 (two pair, Aces and tens).
Outcome: Hero won $2.06

At first I figured I was way ahead or way behind and I'd give him the opportunity to bluff off his chips, but I showed enough weakness that some villains would shove the river, which I wouldn't have called I don't think. If I had AK in that spot I likely would check raise the turn, so that would probably be the better play in the future where I might get a weaker ace to fold.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

UTG+1 ($1.75)
MP1 ($1.92)
MP2 ($7.98)
MP3 ($3.17)
CO ($5.05)
Button ($5.39)
SB ($5.44)
Hero (BB) ($2.94)
UTG ($2.08)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 9, 9
UTG bets $0.06, UTG+1 calls $0.06, 2 folds, MP3 calls $0.06, 2 folds, SB calls $0.05, Hero calls $0.04

Flop: ($0.30) 9, 10, J (5 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $0.10, UTG calls $0.10, UTG+1 calls $0.10, 1 fold, SB calls $0.10

Turn: ($0.70) K (4 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, UTG bets $0.20, UTG+1 calls $0.20, SB calls $0.20, Hero calls $0.20

River: ($1.50) J (4 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, UTG checks, UTG+1 bets $1.39 (All-In), 1 fold, Hero calls $1.39, 1 fold

Total pot: $4.28 | Rake: $0.20

Results:
Hero had 9, 9 (full house, nines over Jacks).
UTG+1 had Q, A (straight, Ace high).
Outcome: Hero won $4.08

Even though I won I don't like how I played the hand. I thought this one was tough to play cos the board was scary from the very start. On the river I had the worst possible boat and I think I'm a loser more times than I would win in that spot.

I am really tired as I had a long day. I will force at least the 170 remaining hands for the night. Volume baby. Oh yeah. I stopped reading TOP, will resume later. I am reading Small Stakes Hold Em by Sklansky, Miller, and Malmuth. Good read. I really want to get better.

Hand 2 when you hit the set on the flop. BET SIZING IS KEY. You realize that you bet 1/3 the pot OOP vs 4 people (including SB obv)? That is not a good board for your hand, too many draws. Bet AT LEAST 20 cents there, I would say even go for full pot. If they all fold, who cares? You are going to make them pay for their draws, not give them incredible odds. (The first guy who called was getting 4:1, next 5:1, next 6:1, etc) You do not want to be giving such cheap cards when there are that many people and draws. If it were a relatively dry board it wouldn't be a problem. Learn to recognize what boards are good for your hands. You're lucky the boat hit on the river.

Keep grinding away and putting in the volume and you will be fine.

I hear ya LOUD and clear. I wasn't afraid of chasing opponents off, I feared someone flopped the nut str8 (or any str8 for that matter). That was my feeler bet. I have trouble with my bet sizing in those situations cos I don't wanna make a bet so large that only the player that has me beat calls, but the flips side was I gave great odds for the drawing hands.

Made it to 516 hand for the day. Roll sits at $169.50, dropping 30 cents since the break. I was up to $171 but lost 2 big pots with JJ going down to a 4 cards str8, and a luckbox who flopped a pair of 10s' and rivered his trips. Anyway, it was a good session. Gonna spend the rest of the night reading until I fall asleep.

Thing is, say a guy did flop the straight. You still have really good equity vs him, and I wouldn't ever feel bad if someone reraised, and you stacked off. You are roughly 33% to hit your FH on the river, so if you are getting the right odds, chase away my friend. Don't be afraid to bet your sets on the flop if theres 3 to a straight/flush. Get those bets in while you are ahead/marginally behind.

Got it. Thanks.

Forgot to post stats from last night.
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 540 hands and saw flop:
- 37 out of 73 times while in big blind (50%)
- 21 out of 71 times while in small blind (29%)
- 65 out of 396 times in other positions (16%)
- a total of 123 out of 540 (22%)
Pots won at showdown - 11 of 22 (50%)
Pots won without showdown - 35

I don't like how low my won at showdown % is. 60% at the least. I am running at 18BB/100 for the last 2 days, which would mean I am hot, but it sure doesn't seem like it. That lets me know my expectations are still off. The two pocket jacks that got cracked yesterday had really upset me, but my BB/100 for the sesh was still good in spite of that. Multi-tabling should help me develop immunity to the standard PP cracking. Those beats are normal, and I've got to accept it. I am running good. Hope it keeps up.

So far I've logged 631 hands in this session. Would be break even if not for
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

MP3 ($0.94)
CO ($6.43)
Button ($4.81)
Hero (SB) ($2.98)
BB ($3.59)
UTG ($5)
UTG+1 ($3.03)
MP1 ($4.87)
MP2 ($7.37)

Preflop: Hero is SB with K, K
3 folds, MP2 calls $0.02, MP3 bets $0.10, 2 folds, Hero raises to $0.28, BB raises to $0.52, 2 folds, Hero calls $0.24

Flop: ($1.16) 4, 8, 8 (2 players)
Hero checks, BB bets $0.60, Hero calls $0.60

Turn: ($2.36) 3 (2 players)
Hero checks, BB bets $2.47 (All-In), Hero calls $1.86 (All-In)

River: ($6.08) 9 (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $6.08 | Rake: $0.25

Results:
Hero had K, K (two pair, Kings and eights).
BB had A, A (two pair, Aces and eights).
Outcome: BB won $5.83

I'm not posting this to cry. I just feel I should be able to get away from this, even though this is 2NL. Everything was telling me to fold there (wasn't there long enough to have a read). But isn't a 4bet from the BB KK or better? As I thought about folding I remembered all you hear in these forums is never lay down KK at 2NL. This didn't seem like someone looking to race with AK. Anybody lay down KK at 2NL?

Anyway, I'm down a little over 3 bucks this sesh ($3 is my buy in), so roll is at $166.19. About to have dinner and hopefully have a better run. Another progression hand for me from today:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

MP3 ($2.98)
CO ($2.94)
Button ($3.20)
SB ($1.71)
BB ($3.52)
UTG ($4.33)
Hero (UTG+1) ($3.20)
MP1 ($2.05)
MP2 ($8.87)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with J, J
UTG calls $0.02, Hero bets $0.10, 5 folds, SB calls $0.09, 1 fold, UTG calls $0.08

Flop: ($0.32) Q, J, 8 (3 players)
SB checks, UTG checks, Hero bets $0.18, SB calls $0.18, 1 fold

Turn: ($0.68) 7 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $0.40, SB calls $0.40

River: ($1.48) 3 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks

Total pot: $1.48 | Rake: $0.05

Results:
SB had 10, K (high card, King).
Hero had J, J (three of a kind, Jacks).
Outcome: Hero won $1.43

Someone coulda flopped all kinda nuts but pressed on anyway. Will definitely hit 1K hands tonite.

Hand 1: Get it all in PF. The only way I would ever fold KK (and probly not even then) is when an uber nit does that. You shouldn't be looking to take a flop if someone is willing to get it in with you PF. You shove over his 4bet and be glad. Don't get results oriented, I know you aren't being that right now (I think), but I wouldn't give these guys credit for having AA. People will stack off with AK, AQ, and I've seen 66+ from deep stacks getting it in, so DO NOT underestimate how far their stupidity can reach lol.

Hand 2: We just talked about this yesterday, BET SIZING!. You bet a LITTLE over half pot on the flop. WTF. Bet 32 cents and be happy to get that shit ALL IN on the flop if they are willing. YOU HAVE OUTS TO BEAT A STRAIGHT or FLUSH. If the dude has a straight flush, so be it, I will pay him off.

Damn. And I thought I played the set of jacks ok. Hmmph! The walls come crumblin' tumblin'. I just keep thinking about making a bet that weaker hands will call and not just the ones that have me beat. Pot control. I guess my aggression factor isn't high enough.

I did hit my mark for tonight.
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 1001 hands and saw flop:
- 84 out of 139 times while in big blind (60%)
- 42 out of 134 times while in small blind (31%)
- 127 out of 728 times in other positions (17%)
- a total of 253 out of 1001 (25%)
Pots won at showdown - 25 of 56 (44%)
Pots won without showdown - 59

1K hands for the 1st time. Did not have a good session as reflected in my showdown %, but I am happy I broke even thanks to a lagtard that was raising damn near every hand.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

BB ($2.47)
Hero (UTG) ($3.35)
UTG+1 ($2.53)
MP1 ($2.69)
MP2 ($1.86)
MP3 ($4.66)
CO ($1.07)
Button ($1.25)
SB ($2)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with A, A
Hero calls $0.02, 1 fold, MP1 bets $0.06, 1 fold, MP3 calls $0.06, 3 folds, BB calls $0.04, Hero raises to $0.26, MP1 calls $0.20, 2 folds

Flop: ($0.65) 5, 4, 2 (2 players)
Hero bets $0.26, MP1 raises to $0.52, Hero raises to $3.09 (All-In), MP1 calls $1.91 (All-In)

Turn: ($5.51) 7 (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($5.51) 6 (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $5.51 | Rake: $0.25

Results:
Hero had A, A (flush, Ace high).
MP1 mucked 2, 5 (two pair, fives and twos).
Outcome: Hero won $5.26

That got me about even. I'm down like a quarter or so. I've played 2282 hands since I returned to 2NL. My winrate is at 10BB/100 so far. I know it is short sample but it helps me keep things in perspective. Instead of being upset that tonight was just break even, I see I am still way ahead and this is just the normal flow of the game.

Reading until I fall asleep. Gotta get better.

Gotta stop playing tonight after a mere 432 hands. This break even thing is getting on my nerves. I'll end the night a little bit up, like 50 cents. Roll is at $169.71. I only played 3 tables. Win a big pot here, lose a big pot there.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

CO ($2.67)
Hero (Button) ($3.79)
SB ($3.61)
BB ($2.48)
UTG ($5.28)
MP ($5.06)

Preflop: Hero is Button with K, A
2 folds, CO calls $0.02, Hero bets $0.10, 1 fold, BB calls $0.08, CO calls $0.08

Flop: ($0.31) 9, K, 9 (3 players)
BB checks, CO checks, Hero checks

Turn: ($0.31) K (3 players)
BB checks, CO checks, Hero checks

River: ($0.31) J (3 players)
BB bets $1, 1 fold, Hero raises to $2, BB calls $1

Total pot: $4.31 | Rake: $0.20

Results:
Hero had K, A (full house, Kings over nines).
BB mucked J, 3 (two pair, Kings and Jacks).
Outcome: Hero won $4.11

It's great when you can take advantage of donkeys like this. You've gotta love em at these times. But when they are like

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

SB ($1.36)
BB ($1.55)
UTG ($3.01)
UTG+1 ($2.15)
MP1 ($1.76)
MP2 ($0.67)
MP3 ($7.08)
CO ($2.41)
Hero (Button) ($2.96)

Preflop: Hero is Button with J, K
2 folds, MP1 bets $0.08, 3 folds, Hero calls $0.08, 1 fold, BB calls $0.06

Flop: ($0.25) 6, 9, 10 (3 players)
BB checks, MP1 bets $0.10, Hero raises to $0.20, 1 fold, MP1 calls $0.10

Turn: ($0.65) Q (2 players)
MP1 bets $0.30, Hero raises to $0.78, MP1 calls $0.48

River: ($2.21) J (2 players)
MP1 bets $0.70 (All-In), Hero calls $0.70

Total pot: $3.61 | Rake: $0.15

Results:
Hero had J, K (straight, King high).
MP1 had K, A (straight, Ace high).
Outcome: MP1 won $3.46

It just kills me. Damned luckbox. Anyway, I played in the Full Tilt freeroll tonight and it was silly. Password got leaked again and there were 900 players. Sad thing is most of them didn't even play. They just blinded out. I was at one table where I was the only player present. I spent 15 minutes collecting blinds. Then I got moved to another table where me and 1 other player alternated taking the blinds. When all the absentees were gone it became a donkfest. Got knocked out as expected. Maybe FTR should replace freerolls with 25 cent buy ins. Cheap enough so anyone can play, but too much for the freeroll hunters with no money in their accounts to play in.

Anyway, gonna try to finish reading Small Stakes Hold Em tonight. Plan on logging some major hands these weekend. For reall this time.

Just took a stab at multi-tabling 9 tables. I am not ready for that. I was slowing the game down at all of them. Was still profitable though. Made $1.40 in 482 hands. Since I was doing so many tables I dropped my buy back down to $2 (used to but in for $3 at 2NL). I will scale the number of tables I play down to six tables and see how that goes. The good thing about playing so many tables is you don't have the time to play marginal holdings. Everything is str8 forward. I read about some of you guys doing 15 - 20 tables at at time, wow! I guess practice makes perfect. Wanna hit 2K hands today.

Hey nibbles maybe i missed it but is there any reason your still at 2NL?? Just trying to cushion the BR or?? 169 is PLENTY rolled for 5NL and you seem like your beating 2NL

Haha, I remember my first time 10 tabling (back in January when I first tried out nitring). I was so overwhelmed it was sick. Yesterday/last night/this morning (long grind sesh lol) I played 10-12 tables for over 4 hours. EZ game nowadays. Even though this isn't profitable and i don't suggest doing it very often, I was talking to Micro2Macro on MSN, had AIM open, and was talking to a friend on skype the whole time I was grinding. It was really nuts because I was able to keep track of all the tables, and keep making the right plays/reads (well most of the time).

Multi-tabling is just one of those things that just takes experience to get used to. I think loading up 9 tables wasn't a bad thing for you, tbh. Now you know what it is like, and doing 6 tables is going to be quite easy for you, I think. Good luck getting that roll to where you can play 5nl and 10nl. Start pwning man.

Originally Posted by Schya

Hey nibbles maybe i missed it but is there any reason your still at 2NL?? Just trying to cushion the BR or?? 169 is PLENTY rolled for 5NL and you seem like your beating 2NL

I dropped down cos I'm fairly new to the multi-tabling thing. Figured I'd get used to it at the cheapest stakes first and then move back up. I built my entire roll playing 1 table at a time. I'm also down here cos my roll took a nasty hit and gotta get my head right.

The second part of today's sesh is going terribly. Dropped 2.5 buy ins since I started 6 tabling. Both were big PPs getting cracked. I will have to learn how to lay these down. When I win with them I don't win that much, but when I lose it is my stack. Gotta work on that. After 700+ hands I will take a break, and resume later.

Dranger, your roll has got me motivated. Wasn't to long ago we were side by side roll wise. I'm doing alot more reading, and now alot more playing. Envy can be a good thing sometimes. I plan on putting in 20K hands at 2NL to get a real BB/100 assessment and see where my game is before I move back up.

Don't let my BR fool you, some of it has been from a "prop bet" with kettleofish that he couldn't get 30k hands in in February, and he didn't make it so that was a $50 boost, and a lot of the rest is just sick ass heater at 10nl. Although, I like to think I'm playing well, too . Don't worry dude, I'll be gone to USMC boot camp this summer so you'll probs pass me by then. Keep up the grind man, stay the course and you will be pwning the 50enels+ in no time.

Shame on me, but I was familiar with the BB (have notes). He is a 50 bb donkey that isn't a donkey. I know I'm not supposed to make these folds, but I knew he had it. I stopped playing after this hand cos my head isn't in it. But poker really is a bitch. I run into this situation all the time and lose, but the time I fold...

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

MP2 ($5.42)
Hero (MP3) ($2.05)
CO ($5)
Button ($0.72)
SB ($4.66)
BB ($1)
UTG ($3.67)
UTG+1 ($5.78)
MP1 ($3.17)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with K, K
3 folds, MP2 bets $0.10, Hero raises to $0.20, 3 folds, BB raises to $1 (All-In), MP2 calls $0.90, 1 fold

Flop: ($2.21) 9, K, 5 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Turn: ($2.21) 2 (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($2.21) 2 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $2.21 | Rake: $0.10

Results:
BB had A, A (two pair, Aces and twos).
MP2 mucked 10, 10 (two pair, tens and twos).
Outcome: BB won $2.11

Like I said, I am done for the night. Gonna go out and have a few drinks for once. Decent session. Stats:
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 1104 hands and saw flop:
- 106 out of 156 times while in big blind (67%)
- 55 out of 150 times while in small blind (36%)
- 165 out of 798 times in other positions (20%)
- a total of 326 out of 1104 (29%)
Pots won at showdown - 32 of 59 (54%)
Pots won without showdown - 74

Recovered the day's losses and then some. End of day roll is $172.70. Logged 3818 hands so far playing 4 or more tables. Have been able to sustain over an 8ptbb/100 winrate. I will need to play more than 6 tables to hit 20K hands in the next few weeks. Logging 2K hands a day would be great. Hit the mark in ten days. Volume, volume, volume.

The reason I keep suggesting you read the Poker Mindset is because you keep posting things that lead me to believe your head isn't always in the right place from an attitude point of view. In this last post, you quit playing poker for the day and are disgusted because you folded a hand that would have turned into a set and won.

However, I would argue that myself and most good players would be extremely satisfied with how this hand went down and used it to build confidence, and definitely not put ourselves on tilt. You CORRECTLY made a read and put your opponent on the one hand that had you beat pre-flop and folded. Only 16.52% of the time you would have won that pot after the money got all-in. In fact, the ten's were a slight favorite because it had flush outs and you didn't. The fact that a King came on the flop means absolutely nothing. Are you mad because you cannot predict the future? If you could, surely you would be playing the lottery, saving lives, or doing many other things more noble $2NL online.

In short, I recommend trying to stop being so results oriented and focus on correct decision making. This hand was something you should have celebrated, but instead you appeared to lament.

When you're right, you're right. It is just weird the tricks poker can play on you. So many times I've run into this situation and lose, but the one time I recognize it I end up folding the eventual winner. It's like a mindfuk (is it less offensive when you misspell a curse word)? Now that I am seriously multi-tabling I will see soooooo many more of these situations. Hopefully I will become desensitized to these crazy events and not take them personally. Cos it really seems like someone is screwing with me. I realize there aren't any poker gods, but it seems like there are sometimes.

Over these past few months I have gained alot of respect for pro poker players mental toughness. What it takes to do this for years, in spite of the swings everyone must face if playing long enough and still pay for living costs, wow! Whoever said this was right, it's a tough way to make an easy living. And I'm still on the bottom rung and I can see it. Anyway, back to the grind. Gonna shoot for 2K hands today.

Got the 1000 hands in on a break even sesh. Actually I'm up 9 whole cents. Better than losing I suppose. Was really tough trying to hit sets. The 3 sets I did hit, nobody had anything so didn't get paid. Sesh stats:

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 1024 hands and saw flop:
- 91 out of 146 times while in big blind (62%)
- 46 out of 143 times while in small blind (32%)
- 125 out of 735 times in other positions (17%)
- a total of 262 out of 1024 (25%)
Pots won at showdown - 26 of 49 (53%)
Pots won without showdown - 46

There were some tough beats that I handled pretty well, except for the one guy I called a luckbox savant. This guy was brilliant. No pairs, no draws, but he knew the runner runner was a comin'. He ran me off the table. Couldn't take it anymore. But oh well. Just glad I got my hands in. Till tomorrow.

Got off to a late start on my sesh, so just got 500 hands in. Gotta go to bed even though I am running good today. Hit a bunch of sets. Got paid on a couple. Would really love to keep playing but very tired. Check out this brain fart.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

SB ($1.63)
BB ($2.54)
UTG ($1.50)
Hero (UTG+1) ($2.51)
MP1 ($3.01)
MP2 ($1.91)
MP3 ($1.30)
CO ($4.82)
Button ($1.97)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with 5, 5
1 fold, Hero calls $0.02, MP1 calls $0.02, 1 fold, MP3 calls $0.02, 2 folds, SB calls $0.01, BB checks

Flop: ($0.10) 5, 2, J (5 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero checks, MP1 checks, MP3 checks

Turn: ($0.10) K (5 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero checks, MP1 bets $0.02, MP3 calls $0.02, SB calls $0.02, 1 fold, Hero calls $0.02

River: ($0.18) 2 (4 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, MP1 bets $0.06, MP3 raises to $0.22, 1 fold, Hero raises to $0.60, MP1 raises to $1.02, MP3 raises to $1.26 (All-In), Hero calls $0.66, MP1 calls $0.24

Total pot: $3.96 | Rake: $0.15

Results:
Hero had 5, 5 (full house, fives over twos).
MP1 mucked 2, K (full house, twos over Kings).
MP3 had 8, A (flush, Ace high).
Outcome: Hero won $3.81

I can't even tell you what I was thinking on that hand. Like I said, very tired. Anyway, up over 3 buy ins, which is great for so few hands played. Roll sits at $179.14. Every time I plan on logging major hands I never get to do it. Something always comes up. Oh well. I would really like to play as long as I could cos I am really running good today. I lost count of how many sets I hit. I didn't get to stack off on all of them, but hey, a win is a win. I'm just tired. Gotta crash. Hope this keeps up tomorrow.

Stats:
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 499 hands and saw flop:
- 40 out of 66 times while in big blind (60%)
- 17 out of 68 times while in small blind (25%)
- 49 out of 365 times in other positions (13%)
- a total of 106 out of 499 (21%)
Pots won at showdown - 14 of 25 (56%)
Pots won without showdown - 17

Till tomorrow.

Tough night. Up and down. Decided to stop 100 hands short of my 1K hand daily goal just to ensure a profit for the session. Ended up just over a dollar. Roll is at $180.95. 180 is new high for me. $200 is right around the corner. Stats:

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 900 hands and saw flop:
- 66 out of 121 times while in big blind (54%)
- 40 out of 126 times while in small blind (31%)
- 79 out of 653 times in other positions (12%)
- a total of 185 out of 900 (20%)
Pots won at showdown - 21 of 35 (60%)
Pots won without showdown - 43

The first week of my new multi-tabling grind at 2NL is complete. In that time I played 6241 hands, winning $20.95. My win rate is >8ptbb/100 for that time and I am satisfied with that. I've gotten comfortable playing 6 tables at a time. I no longer have difficulty tracking the action on all the tables (as far as identifying who's loose and who's tight). It's been a good week.

yeah you can grind it out sometimes. just when you think you have you have a chance the dang river comes along, man i hate that thing.

Quick start to today's sesh. After 368 hands I'm up over 3 buy ins. Roll is at $187.15. This is the time where it is good to have a target number of hands to be played each day, cos right now I feel like calling it a day and enjoying the win. I've recognized that problem in me before, where I play longer when I am losing and not as much when I am winning. That is something I said I would work on, and having a specific goal on number of hands takes care of that problem. I just hope I don't turn a winning sesh into a loser, but even if I do it's no problem. That too is part of the game. I still hope I don't lose today, though.

Anyway, there is no rush for today. I was planning on spending some time in the FTR freeroll, which would keep me off the ring games. But since the password has been leaked yet again, I won't put much effort into it. Plenty of time for ring games. If I could get my roll to $190 today, that would be great.

I planned on multi-tabling 2NL for 20K hands before moving up to 5NL, but now I'm thinking about cutting back on that number. The only reason I chose that number of hands is cos that's what has been deemed the acceptable # of hands to determine a real winrate. I also thought I would clear 2K hands a day. I hate making a goal and not sticking to it. That is part of poker discipline. Maybe I should stick it out and grind the 20K. I mean the money isn't important yet, and I am still fairly new to the whole multi-tabling thing. I've still got a few days to decide as I definitely won't move up until I have 10K hands in. 10K is big enough of a sample to determine win rate, right? I mean, come on. Ten thousand hands is alot.

Anyway, taking a break. Back to the grind shortly.

Tbh, 10k hands aint shit. I just hit 20k hands today at 10nl FR and I'm pretty sure my winrate is heavily weighted towards heater. I've been running at 14bb/100 over the last 20k hands, so I'm going to wait for a while longer before I move up to 25nl so I can see what my "actual" winrate is.

Also, I think you should take the shot at 5nl ASAP dude. Your roll is getting close to the point where I took a shot at 10nl lol. I understand nitty BRM, but shit dude. Once you hit up the 5enel your BR will LIFT OFF man. I can look at my lifetime graph and tell within 100 hands or so of when I moved up just by looking at the increases/swongs.

Also, I have a question. Do you have HEM or PT? If not, give the free trials a test spin, then withdraw the $55 or whatever and buy the real version. It will IMMENSELY improve your game by spotting your opponents leaks easier (whos a station, etc) and your own.

Good luck with the grind dude.

1) I would suggest moving up now. I think you are still making a lot of mistakes but because 2NL players are awful, you are still making money and therefore not learning from them. No need to prove you can beat 2NL (an incredibly basic bot could beat 2NL).

2) Buy Poker Mindset.

3) Stop being so short-term results focussed, maybe only update results in your blog on a weekly basis. Focus on posting hands you are unsure about, rather than bad beats.

GL

I'd go mad staying at a stake just to grind X hands if I had the roll to moveup. Thats just me though.

Although I'm not sure I agree with the reasoning of players being awful, I'll echo the sentiments that you should move up, which is saying something for me because I'm usually advocating players stay put or move down

Because you seem so results oriented, as a consequence I think it's possible you are reluctant to move up out of fear of losing the money you've built up. Jump up to $5NL and be prepared for the fact that you will lose 1, 2, or maybe even 10 buy-ins. If the thought of losing 10 buy-ins scares you, then you really have to think about your mental toughness and improving it. One of the many facts of poker is you WILL lose money. The point of following bankroll management is so that you can correctly handle it. At this point, if you lost 10 buy-ins @ $5NL, you'd be @ $137, which is STILL enough to keep playing $5NL. I wouldn't drop back down to $2NL until your roll hit $100 or 20 buy-ins.

As long as you're playing solid poker and making solid decisions, let the money take care of itself. Just make sure you're not risking more than 10% of your roll on the table and that you're not losing more than 5% in any one day.

Good luck.