Micro stakes grinding

I guess all you guys are right in that I should move back up to 5NL sooner than later. The main reason I dropped back down to 2NL was so I could get used to multi-tabling. I built up my roll playing only 1 table at a time, so I'm still relatively new to the multi-tabling experience and figured I'd adjust at the cheapest level. I wanted to see how I performed playing 4-6 tables over an acceptable hand sample so I knew where I stood. I will move up after 10K hands instead of the 20K I'd originally planned on. But I am not reluctant to move up to 5NL. I just moved down from there. Just getting used to multi-tabling. I can handle 6 tables pretty well (so can my little laptop screen).

Dranger, no I am not using HEM or PT or any other software. Playing str8.

Today was a great session. Didn't get to 1K hands, but I'm tired and I won't play when tired. Might make a mistake. Up 5 buy ins for the day. Roll sits at $191.48. Sesh stats:

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 763 hands and saw flop:
- 57 out of 98 times while in big blind (58%)
- 43 out of 100 times while in small blind (43%)
- 83 out of 565 times in other positions (14%)
- a total of 183 out of 763 (23%)
Pots won at showdown - 29 of 46 (63%)
Pots won without showdown - 39

My showdown % is where I like it. I've played just over 7K hands multi-tabling at 2NL, keeping a winrate of 11ptbb/100. I will make my return to 5NL sometime this week.

Keeping on keep oning.

Since ur not using either one. I suggest you try out the free trials for both. Seriously. It will improve ur game, and its not like your (or mine or anyones) is leak proof. Just try it.

Damn it, why can't things just go smoothly. I've read about how people always start out bad when they move up. I move up to 5NL and things are going bad. Had to take a break. Stats so far:

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 532 hands and saw flop:
- 35 out of 72 times while in big blind (48%)
- 17 out of 68 times while in small blind (25%)
- 39 out of 392 times in other positions (9%)
- a total of 91 out of 532 (17%)
Pots won at showdown - 6 of 22 (27%)
Pots won without showdown - 33

Terrible. I see I am playing a little tighter, but not getting alot of good cards. Being patient. Down $7. Was playing 6 tables, but will drop to 4 for now. Will play until I hit 1K hands or drop 3 buy ins, whichever comes first (hopefully it is 1K hands).

The two hands that hurt my heart and forced my break.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (7 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

BB ($2.42)
UTG ($4.22)
MP1 ($9.49)
MP2 ($6.27)
CO ($6.64)
Button ($2.29)
Hero (SB) ($5.02)

Preflop: Hero is SB with K, A
2 folds, MP2 calls $0.05, 1 fold, Button calls $0.05, Hero bets $0.25, 2 folds, Button calls $0.20

Flop: ($0.60) Q, 5, K (2 players)
Hero bets $0.30, Button raises to $0.90, Hero raises to $4.77 (All-In), Button calls $1.14 (All-In)

Turn: ($4.68) A (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($4.68) 8 (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $4.68 | Rake: $0.20

Results:
Button had J, 10 (straight, Ace high).
Hero had K, A (two pair, Aces and Kings).
Outcome: Button won $4.48

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

saw flop | saw showdown

BB ($5.91)
Hero (UTG) ($5.20)
UTG+1 ($4.84)
MP1 ($0.78)
MP2 ($9.73)
MP3 ($1.73)
CO ($5.93)
Button ($8.69)
SB ($5.62)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with 8, 8
Hero calls $0.05, 2 folds, MP2 calls $0.05, 2 folds, Button calls $0.05, SB calls $0.03, BB checks

Flop: ($0.25) Q, 8, 5 (5 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $0.15, MP2 calls $0.15, Button calls $0.15, SB calls $0.15, 1 fold

Turn: ($0.85) Q (4 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $0.30, MP2 calls $0.30, Button calls $0.30, 1 fold

River: ($1.75) 10 (3 players)
Hero bets $0.35, MP2 calls $0.35, Button raises to $1.40, Hero calls $1.05, 1 fold

Total pot: $4.90 | Rake: $0.20

Results:
Button had 10, Q (full house, Queens over tens).
Hero had 8, 8 (full house, eights over Queens).
Outcome: Button won $4.70

When that 10 hit on the river I knew it hit someone. Shoulda c/c'd. The other guy had QJ. They weren't going anywhere after the turn so I didn't lose as much as I could have. Yeah, yeah, we all lose situations like this, it just sucks that it happens on day 1. Hopefully things are a little better after the break.

Nibbles dude I really wanna kick you in the nuts buddy! You play your sets terrible. I just cruised through this page and didnt read each post but looked at your HH's. WTF...I did see where dranger ragged on you about your bet sizing. When you hit a set you HAVE to be thinking how am I going to get this shit all in as fast as possible. Typically if you bet 2/3+ of the pot on each street you'll get it in. And if you get raised YaFuckingWhoooo your in quicker.
Do you have a grinderschool subsription? If so watch jyms lectures they are worth the months subscription. If you don't then suck it up and pay ten bucks for one month, it will be well worth it even if you had to take it out of your br imo.

Yeah, it gets like that sometimes. I will bet them properly but no one has anything and folds. Then I get to the point where I try to get callers and get screwed. In this instance my bet sizing saved me money cos opponents weren't going anywhere, but me sees ur point (and Dranger's, and everyone else's).

Anywho, made a bit of a recovery. Down half a buy in. Feel good about that for the first day and all. End of day roll is $188.45. Stats:

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 952 hands and saw flop:
- 61 out of 128 times while in big blind (47%)
- 26 out of 122 times while in small blind (21%)
- 73 out of 702 times in other positions (10%)
- a total of 160 out of 952 (16%)
Pots won at showdown - 14 of 35 (40%)
Pots won without showdown - 75

Here is a pot I won by paying attention to a weird betting pattern. I had seen this villain give free river cards all night and I didn't understand, but I took advantage. Many times I saw him raise pre, c-bet flop, check turn, bet river. Over and over again. Boy did he curse me out.

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

saw flop | saw showdown

MP3 ($2.20)
Hero (CO) ($4.78)
Button ($5.36)
SB ($10.17)
BB ($11)
UTG ($5)
UTG+1 ($5)
MP1 ($9.70)
MP2 ($2.52)

Preflop: Hero is CO with 8, Q
3 folds, MP2 calls $0.05, 1 fold, Hero calls $0.05, 1 fold, SB calls $0.03, BB bets $0.25, 1 fold, Hero calls $0.20, 1 fold

Flop: ($0.60) 4, 7, 6 (2 players)
BB bets $0.50, Hero calls $0.50

Turn: ($1.60) 6 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks

River: ($1.60) 5 (2 players)
BB bets $0.60, Hero raises to $4.03 (All-In), BB calls $3.43

Total pot: $9.66 | Rake: $0.45

Results:
BB mucked 9, 9 (two pair, nines and sixes).
Hero had 8, Q (straight, eight high).
Outcome: Hero won $9.21


I am done with the 6 tabling for now. Will stay at 4 for the immediate future. Gonna crash and hope for a better tomorrow.

Dude, seriously. BET YO SETS!!!! Like Harley, and myself, and God knows how many people have been saying. I DO NOT CARE that they folded the last 5 times you hit. The one time that that douchebag takes it to the river will make up for all the times they didn't hit. You should be upset in the set of 8's hand because you let the guy get there before the money got in, not that he got there. If the money gets in on the flop or turn, and he sucks out. SMILE!!! YOU GOT YOUR MONEY IN WELL AHEAD. THAT = MONEY IN THE LONG RUN, WHICH IS WHAT WE ARE ALL PLAYING FOR. ez game dude. seriously. GO OUT AND BUY "The Poker Mindset" BEFORE YOU PLAY ANOTHER HAND. I AM DEAD SERIOUS. It is and will continue to be, -EV for you if you keep being so results oriented. STOP CARING ABOUT AN INDIVIDUAL HAND. SHIT HAPPENS IN THE SHORT TERM. SUCK IT UP. MAN UP. WHATEVER IT TAKES. Winning consistently in poker = handling the short term swings for long term gain.

Good day sir. Congrats on the move up.

Limping 88 UTG is a leak.
Betting your sets like you have underwent a successful testicle removal surgery is a leak.
Wanting to check/call this river with a Full House is a leak.

My second day of 5NL sucked. I dropped another $9. So is went back down to 2NL, fired up 9 tables and won a little over $16. I played the most hands ever today. 1600 hands. I was able to keep up with the 9 tables fairly well. Only timed out twice. Stats:

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 1604 hands and saw flop:
- 128 out of 223 times while in big blind (57%)
- 68 out of 220 times while in small blind (30%)
- 148 out of 1161 times in other positions (12%)
- a total of 344 out of 1604 (21%)
Pots won at showdown - 49 of 87 (56%)
Pots won without showdown - 56

I will return to 5NL tomorrow or Sunday. Just using 2NL to restore the roll. I hated seeing my roll in the $170's. I acknowledge my game needs alot of work. My mental approach to the game is off. I guess I will hafta buy The Poker Mindset cos I can't find a free copy online. Will spend the rest of the night reading Small Stakes Hold Em. Till tomorrow. Wanna see if I can hit 2K hands.

Originally Posted by nibbles

So is went back down to 2NL, fired up 9 tables and won a little over $16.

Way to CRUSH 2NL!! 9 tables? I've never tried more than four. Do you "tile" them or what? How do u keep up with it?

Originally Posted by nibbles

My second day of 5NL sucked. I dropped another $9. So is went back down to 2NL ... I will return to 5NL tomorrow or Sunday. Just using 2NL to restore the roll. I hated seeing my roll in the $170's.

To quote Yoda: "That is why you fail". You dropped 1.9 buy-ins and move down because you're scared to lose money. Where in bankroll management does it state to move down when you have 36 buy-ins? You give yourself no chance to get used to blind sizes, different villain play (if any), and all the subtle nuances of moving up. Good luck turning it around.

Originally Posted by PlayToWin

Originally Posted by nibbles

So is went back down to 2NL, fired up 9 tables and won a little over $16.

Way to CRUSH 2NL!! 9 tables? I've never tried more than four. Do you "tile" them or what? How do u keep up with it?

Crazy, huh? On my laptop too. I came up with my own setup that works great. I shrink the tables to the smallest size possible and go 3 across on the top, bottom, and middle. They still overlap, but I choose my seat according to where the table will be on my screen. This way I always have a view of my hole cards. So for the table in the upper right corner of my screen, I sit in seat 1 or 2. Table in top middle, I sit in seat 1 or 9. The middle 3 across I sit in seat 3 or 7. There is a small gap between the top row of tables and the bottom row that is big enough to see the cards. Same line of thought for bottom 3 cards. No matter what table is on full display I can still see the cards at every table This way works great cos I can check the "fold" box on junk hands ahead of time and give more attention to my playable cards. It used to suck when tables would pop up with the clock dwindling down and you are trying to soak up the card value and the action on the table and ughh, timed out. This way works for me.

Jay, I've realized something. I hate losing. It was just like when I played Madden Football. I'd crush All Pro, but get killed in All Madden. I didn't just keep playing All Madden and getting killed, I'd drop back down for the fun and good experience. So I wouldn't say I'm "scared" to lose money, I just hate losing. So instead if being pissed o.. err... mildly irritated last night, I ended my poker day on a good note. So instead of taking the plunge, I will be taking shots. I will need to experience some success. I could not see myself just dropping 10 buy-ins like that. I know, The Poker Mindset! Sorry I don't have the poker chops so many others do, but my entertainment has to be entertaining. I'm still learning, still growing, still grinding. Y O Y am I so hard-headed? But don't think your words are falling on blind eyes. Every time I am about to do something spewy or tiltish, I think about you guys. I'm just a little slow on the uptake I guess.

I am really getting used to 9 tabling. There's a thread where the OP asks how do you maintain patience, well multi-tabling alot of tables is definitely one way. Now that I am playing 9 tables I don't even have the time to play the marginals. I am soooo folding hands I used to play all the time. No time to be results oriented either. When I played 4 or less tables there would be those "I woulda won that hand if only" moments, but now I don't even get to see how the hand played out after I fold cos there is always another table needing my attention. Marginals are out of the window unless I'm in position with pot odds. I thought I was playing nitty when I single tabled. I KNEW I was nitty when i played 4 tables. That is nothing compared to now. Now I am truly a nit. Releasing big hands that don't fit the flop well is also alot easier. I now date the pretty cards, I don't get married to them. It really helps in shaking off a bad beat too. I had a big pocket pair get cracked, but I was up on the other tables and I had pressing hands to tend to. Had no choice but to shrug it off and move on. The only thing I wonder about is when you take a bunch of bad beats at a bunch of tables (crossing fingers), that could really tilt me out. Cross that bridge when I get there I guess. I am at 9 tables until I reach the stakes where there are many thinking players.

New milestone reached, hit the $200 mark. Roll sits at $206.72. Still playing 2NL though.
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 350 hands and saw flop:
- 30 out of 52 times while in big blind (57%)
- 17 out of 49 times while in small blind (34%)
- 30 out of 249 times in other positions (12%)
- a total of 77 out of 350 (22%)
Pots won at showdown - 12 of 18 (66%)
Pots won without showdown - 12

$11 profit in 350 hands is pretty nice. Had to take a break though cos playing 9 tables took a little bit out of me. Eyes constantly darting around the screen and what not. Still getting used to it, but really enjoying it at the same time.

Good work on breaking the $200 mark. I still can't believe ur grinding 2nl though. I was gearing up for a shot at 10nl when I hit $200. To each his own though, your BR requirements are just nittier than mine, and there's nothing wrong with that. BUT GET YOU ASS UP TO 5nl PLEASE!!!

Yeah, I still have things I need to work on, like my emotional control. Right now I am super pissed. I understand this is poker. I understand that people taking longshots and missing is what builds my roll, but I still get pissed off. I got my roll up to $211, then had a rash of losses over most of my tables (kinda like what I talked about in previous post). The two worst ones happened at the exact same time. I had to close up shop and call it a night. Man I am so pissed!!!

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

saw flop | saw showdown

BB ($1.48)
UTG ($5.38)
UTG+1 ($2.48)
MP1 ($0.84)
Hero (MP2) ($3.07)
CO ($1.08)
Button ($0.54)
SB ($1.88)

Preflop: Hero is MP2 with 9, 9
3 folds, Hero calls $0.02, 2 folds, SB calls $0.01, BB bets $0.06, Hero calls $0.04, 1 fold

Flop: ($0.14) 9, 7, Q (2 players)
BB bets $0.14, Hero raises to $0.28, BB raises to $0.78, Hero raises to $1.50, BB calls $0.64 (All-In)

Turn: ($2.98) 8 (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($2.98) 2 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $2.98 | Rake: $0.10

Results:
BB had A, A (flush, Ace high).
Hero mucked 9, 9 (flush, Queen high).
Outcome: BB won $2.88


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

saw flop | saw showdown

UTG+1 ($0.98)
MP1 ($6.06)
MP2 ($4.02)
CO ($4.13)
Hero (Button) ($2.86)
SB ($6.52)
BB ($1.25)
UTG ($14.08)

Preflop: Hero is Button with A, A
1 fold, UTG+1 bets $0.08, 1 fold, MP2 calls $0.08, CO calls $0.08, Hero raises to $0.36, 2 folds, UTG+1 raises to $0.98 (All-In), 1 fold, CO calls $0.90, Hero raises to $2.86 (All-In), CO calls $1.88

Flop: ($6.81) J, Q, 8 (3 players, 2 all-in)

Turn: ($6.81) J (3 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($6.81) 10 (3 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $6.81 | Rake: $0.30

Results:
Hero had A, A (two pair, Aces and Jacks).
UTG+1 mucked K, K (two pair, Kings and Jacks).
CO had 9, 10 (straight, Queen high).
Outcome: CO won $6.51

I am surprised at myself though, cos I',m a pretty calm guy in real life. It takes alot for me to get angry, but when playing poker I am completely different. The set going down was one thing, villain thought he was ahead. But when players play total crap and hit it big totally steams me. He knew he had worst hand going in. This is the type of thing that was happening when my big PP were getting cracked left and right. Villain would flop huge hands with garbage, bad play rewarded. Those are the things that truly steam me.

Didn't even come close to 2K hands tonight.
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 978 hands and saw flop:
- 82 out of 140 times while in big blind (58%)
- 38 out of 133 times while in small blind (28%)
- 85 out of 705 times in other positions (12%)
- a total of 205 out of 978 (20%)
Pots won at showdown - 27 of 46 (58%)
Pots won without showdown - 31

So end of day roll is $205.76. I might play a 25 cent 90 man S&G, but aside from that I'm done for the night. I should be happy. I'm up 5 buy-ins for the day, I've hit a new milestone, I've gotten alot better at 9 tabling, but can't help how you feel. I still hate luckboxes. On a side note, I will be debt free by June! Woo hoo!

Thank you very much by the advice, I feel that they are for taking them in whatever very.

Got back on the 5NL horse today but didn't play too many hands as I dropped back down to 6 tables. I really haven't been sticking to any of my goals. I say I'ma play 9 tables until I reach 25NL and I don't. I say I will play 1K hands a day and I usually don't. Not much discipline at all. Meh. I did win 1 buy-in. Roll is at $210.66. Stats:

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 508 hands and saw flop:
- 36 out of 78 times while in big blind (46%)
- 19 out of 73 times while in small blind (26%)
- 25 out of 357 times in other positions (7%)
- a total of 80 out of 508 (15%)
Pots won at showdown - 13 of 19 (68%)
Pots won without showdown - 28

I played tighter than usual, seeing only 15% of flops, but my pots won at showdown is great. I took a few tough beats, but I will no longer post them cos it doesn't help. It's a new nibbles. Pure positivity. Gonna do some reading till I fall asleep. Till tomorrow.

Shitty fucking day. Up an d down due to nasty fucking runner runner luckbox suckouts. Over and gat damned over. Got close to 2K hands but couldn't take anymore of the bullshit. !No mas! In spite of the insanity I only lost a little over a buy-in, but it feels a whole lot worse. Roll back down to $204.05. What a wasted day.

Originally Posted by nibbles

I really haven't been sticking to any of my goals. I say I'ma play 9 tables until I reach 25NL and I don't. I say I will play 1K hands a day and I usually don't.

You might try to get some feedback about these goals. I'm not sure it's a good idea to play 9 tables. That's a lot more than some of the regs recommend. Especially if you're moving to a new level. Less tables may allow better decisions. Also, don't get in the habbit of forcing yourself to play just to get in a certain number of hands. If you're not in the mood or whatever, don't play.

I tend to agree. It's very hard in my opinion to really play poker correctly on more than three tables. For each table, ideally you want to do MANY things like observe all the action, take notes, learn the players, perceive your own image, establish ranges, and the like. Once you get to as little as 4 or 5 tables, you're going to start missing a LOT. Some players can overcome this because they have had so much success and experience and can systematically beat the level. But, unless you've proven you can do that, it doesn't seem like a productive exercise. With 9 tables, how often are you going to be able to put in a thin value bet on the river with 3rd pair, Jack kicker on a wet board because you've correctly read the player and situation that it's the right play to make? I think being in those situations AND making the correct reads and decisions IS playing poker and with too many tables, most of your decisions devolve into very high level simple ones like pushing Aces, Kings, Sets, Flopped flushes and straights. In fact, I specifically note such players who players like this and put them to tough decisions because I know they are more likely to

It also boils down to what you want to do. If your goal is to maximize your win-rate @ $5NL or $2NL, then sure, start systematically adding tables

As for the number of hands, I have always approached it from the mindset that it's much better to play 1 hand very well than it is to play 1000 hands sub par, and have intentionally not given myself any goals related to hands played. If I was going to give myself a goal related to time spent on poker, it might be related to studying the game, not playing the game because playing the game when not in the right frame of mind will cost you money. Aside from your time, you can always study the game for free.

Originally Posted by nibbles

What a wasted day.

C'mon man, it's not a waste your just still to concerned with the progress of your BR rather than your game which you need to snap out of. Even when your on top of your game unfortunately it isn't possible for you to win every single session. Keep putting in this kind of volume and you'll be rewarded soon enough. Just remember that you are gaining valuable experience from each session like this (and if nothing else FPP's lol).

You guys are right, there are very few, if any, reads when I play 9 tables. I'm pretty much set hunting/nut camping. Alot of fit or fold poker. The problem I have is the times that I fit, but get sucked out on, I end up paying villain off cos my hands are usually very strong. That frustrates me. So I've given limit hold em a try (again). So far it seems to suit my play better. Of course I still get sucked out on, but that only costs me a bet which doesn't hurt as much, and villain is too silly to realize he didn't get the implied odds to make that suckout profitable. The multi-tabling works well as reads aren't AS important.

I decided on this last night. After my NL sesh, I felt like playing a little 5 card draw. Boy was that a terrible experience. I'll put it like this, I had 3 hands I was able to "stand pat" on and lost each of them. Dropped $4. So I gave LHE a try at 9 tables on the $0.02/$0.04 game. After about 900 hands I won $3. Today I started on the $0.05/$0.10 game, and after 665 hands my roll is back up to $210.26 (10BB/100). The swings of NLHE might be a bit too much for me. The suckouts of LHE don't affect me as much, and don't hurt the roll much either. I feel my edge over weaker/looser players is bigger here as well. Will see how it goes. But I am off NLHE for now. Ring games, that is. I will still play NLHE tourneys and S&Gs.

Dude, losing a few BI's at NLHE 5nl when you have a $200 roll should not affect you at all. You have like 40 fucking BI's. I just dropped 3 BI's at 25nl last night. Thats $75, and you know what? I could give 2 shits less lol. I got coolered KK < AA, got sucked out on AK < AQ, and made a spewy play with 88 on a T high board vs an aggro 54/32/5 guy. I played well, and things didn't work out. Those are the breaks. I don't feel any worse for having lost those BI's, I know I played as well as I could have (other then that 88 hand) and thats all that matters.

I kind of like your idea of switching to LHE if the swings at NL are too much. Losing sessions aren't as bad, it can be just as profitable, it just takes a little longer than it would at NL. Good luck!

Originally Posted by dranger7070

Dude, losing a few BI's at NLHE 5nl when you have a $200 roll should not affect you at all. You have like 40 fucking BI's. I just dropped 3 BI's at 25nl last night. Thats $75, and you know what? I could give 2 shits less lol. I got coolered KK < AA, got sucked out on AK < AQ, and made a spewy play with 88 on a T high board vs an aggro 54/32/5 guy. I played well, and things didn't work out. Those are the breaks. I don't feel any worse for having lost those BI's, I know I played as well as I could have (other then that 88 hand) and thats all that matters.

I kind of like your idea of switching to LHE if the swings at NL are too much. Losing sessions aren't as bad, it can be just as profitable, it just takes a little longer than it would at NL. Good luck!

dranger,
You dropped 3 BIs at 25NL in one day? What's your stop loss at 25NL?

Nibbles,
You have 40 BI's for 5NL. Give it a chance. Don't 9 table.

3 BI's for a one day loss. That put me back down to ~$600 roll so if I lose 4 more BI's (drop my roll to $500ish) I'll probably drop back down and build up at 10nl again, but I don't think thats likely unless I keep getting beats like last night. Ez game.

It's not the losing that gets me, it's the way I lose. The stack sized suckouts that seems to happen way too often. I've said it before, I can't seem to win the big pots. When the pot is huge (large portion of my stack involved) I usually end up the loser. The bulk of my success comes from winning small or mid-sized pots over and over. Then after making a nice profit one big runner runner suckout wipes out all that grinding. THAT is what has gotten to me. Watching some idiot "luckbox a big pot off me then donk it off to everyone else" has gotten to me. That is why LHE would appear to be a better fit for me. It would take a whole lot of suckouts to lose a stack. Who knows, I may return to NL some time in the future, but right now I am sick and tired of NL ring. I may seem flaky. I swore off NLHE and went to stud. I completely quit my op for all of a day. Now I'm going to LHE, but I am not having fun at NL right now.

lol its cool dude. Don't feel like you have to give reasons for what you want to do with YOUR money. Fuck uve accomplished something already. You've turned $5 into over $200. Thats something. Don't let the occasional beat get you down. Good luck with teh minbetaments!

Hello. My name is nibbles, and I'm a weak tight player.

I finished reading Sklansky's No Limit Hold Em Theory and Practice. That book really helped alot. It helped me appreciate the value of deception. It is important to bluff, not to push opponents off their hands (very hard in microstakes), but to get action on your winning hands. I wasn't doing that. I wasn't playing poker. You have to try to make your opponents make mistakes and not just hope that they do.

Anywho, as expected, I got tired of playing limit hold em. Pretty much stopped playing poker on Wednesday and resumed Friday night after finishing Theory and Practice. Armed with a better understanding of the game I hit the table (not multi-tabling for now). I went back down to 2NL, but I only played at deep stack tables (half the players have 200 BB stacks) as I was buying in for $5. I only played where I had position on at least 2 players with $4 or more. I ratcheted up the aggression in position and went to work. I kept pressure on them and stopped being afraid (not real fear) of being played back at, attacked signs of weakness, and chased draws when the implied odds were there (not just pot odds). The last two days have been the most fun I've had playing in quite a while. I'm done being a nitbox.

Roll is at $224.01.

But nitbox FTW SIR

Good to see u back in the NLHE ring though

Thanks Dranger. Didn't play too many hands today, about 100. Today was such a beautiful day I had to do the outside thing. By outside I mean just out of the apartment cos the "outside thing" included seeing a movie. It is too early for 90 degree days. Damned global warming. Made another $4. Roll is at $228.35. Still enjoying the game. Still aggressive in late position. Gonna re-read Theory and Practice till I fall asleep. Till tomorrow.

Played 227 hands today. Still doing the one table at a time thing. Bad sesh up till the end when I got lucky. Dropped a buy in ($5 at 2NL) but towards the end I flopped bottom set in a four way pot. Everyone was all in (I had everyone covered) on the flop, which made me nervous. Fortunately I rivered quads cos someone had top set. Took down a few more pots before I called it quits. Got roll up to $230.95. Just glad I was able to recover. Still re-reading Theory and Practice. Have to keep studying if I really want to be good. Till tomorrow.

Took a bit of a break from the poker grind. I still played everyday, but not much. I doubt I cleared 100 hands each day. Played an S&G here and there. Was cool cos I still managed to turn a decent profit. Got roll up to $242.33.

I gotta ask man. When are you going to move up to 5nl? I mean, I understand that some people are more risk averse but you have 121 BI's for 2nl lol. You have 48 BI's for 5nl and 24 BI's for 10nl. I'm not calling you out or anything, but shit dude, GROW A PAIR AND MOVE UP!!! I think you will be pleasantly surprised how much your BR skyrockets once you stop making pennies and starting winning nickels and dimes.

Haven't been in the mood for much poker lately. I've still played everyday, but only for a short time. Not even one hour. I've done more drinking than playing. I've settled on 4 tabling 5NL since last night. 6 tables were too many. Roll is up to $252.72. OP is halfway done. Gonna try to play alot tonight. Hopefully tonight's freeroll password won't be compromised. Last freeroll was crazy.

Good job stepping it up to 5nl. You'll notice your bottom line is going to significantly increase once you get going.

I've become poker lazy. I only played about 400 hands on Saturday, but won 2 BI's. Roll is up to $262. I have not played since. I've gone through this b4, where I want to play but I don't feel like playing. Was gonna force a session tonight, but on my way home I picked up two six packs, so my sesh will hafta wait until tomorrow. If anything I might play an S&G or two. Gotta get my drive back.

Got a few hands in last night and won $6. I pretty much forced that small session. Roll is up to $268. I am really going to get a bunch of hands in today. Reading all of these other operations and watching everyone zoom past me makes me realize I need to get my ass in gear. I've been taking it easy lately when I should be buckling down. I really do want to get better at this game so I have to at least put the volume in. Gotta do it even when you don't feel like it. That's why it is called grinding.

I must stop writing about the hands I "will" play, cos I usually end up not playing them. I might have logged 2K hands this week, and 4 tabling that is not alot. Anyway, played ring games for about an hour yesterday and was a good session. Won about 2 BI's thanks to 2 donkeys that paid off my sets with absolutely nothing. One villain actually had K high. Threw in a $2 MTT last night and just barely made the money. Roll sits at $280.

1st real session in a while. Too bad it wasn't a winning one. Got just over 600 hands in, but dropped just over a buy in. Sux how it happened but oh well, not gonna cry about it. I swore that off. Roll is at $274.71. Will play one 25 cent S&G b4 I crash.

I am about to do my free trial of Poker Tracker 3. I wanted to wait until my game was stronger so I could fully realize the benefits of the heads up display. Should allow me to multi-table better. 2 months free is gonna be great.

Started my free trial of Poker Tracker 3. Installation and setup went smoothly. Right now I am just trying to get used to the cluttered screen, and figuring out what stats I want displayed. It is really useful. I will definitely buy something like this once my trial period is done. I am down $4 so far this session though due to a nasty gutshot suckout. Hopefully will turn around.

Couple of tips for stats on your screen.

VPIP/PFR/AF
Cbet/Fold to c/bet/#of hands

Those are really all you need right now, and you can add more into the drop down, like Attempt To Steal (ATS), 3bet, fold to 3bet, etc.

Dude, I'm so stoked you are finally using a HUD. You'll be able to spot the nits, and fish so much faster. You'll be able to see what tables are good, which ones totally blow, so you can get up and go find a more profitable situation. Ugh, your BR is going to thank you, I guarantee it.

Thanks dranger. I forgot about the fold to cbet. Gonna add that one. I already have the 3bet, and I guess I'll replace "call PF 3bet" with fold to 3bet. I've got to remove a few things as I've confused wants with needs.

I really enjoyed my session yesterday, even though it was break-even (dropped $1). I was pretty much tinkering with PT3 the whole time getting it the way I want in. For multi-tabling I had to change it to cascading tables, cos my original layout was too cluttered with HUD and the info overlapped. Also, when I minimized the tables the HUD covered up the check and fold tabs so I couldn't click them. But the cascading setup isn't bad.

I am staying home all day and see what kind of super session I can log. This PT3 has got me excited about poker again.

Morning sesh going good so far. After 163 hands 4 tabling I'm up over 2 BI's, roll is at $185. After this break I am going to add a few more tables. I think I have a good blend of stats on my HUD that give me an idea how to play an opponent.

Here's a hand where my decision was completely HUD based. I don't defend my BB nearly enough and am often the victim of theft (working on it). MP2 was 52/23/? (can't find AF, only shows on HUD) after 44 hands. CO was only at table for 10 hands so no real stats, but his cold call from that position screamed weakness to me.

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

saw flop | saw showdown

BB ($3.65)
UTG ($2)
UTG+1 ($6.05)
MP1 ($6.27)
MP2 ($2.97)
CO ($7.11)
Button ($11.39)
Hero (SB) ($5.13)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 6, 6
3 folds, MP2 bets $0.20, CO calls $0.20, 1 fold, Hero raises to $0.90, BB calls $0.85, MP2 calls $0.70, CO calls $0.70

Flop: ($3.60) K, 7, 6 (4 players)
Hero bets $1.50, 1 fold, MP2 calls $1.50, CO calls $1.50

Turn: ($8.10) A (3 players)
Hero bets $2.73 (All-In), MP2 calls $0.57 (All-In), CO calls $2.73

River: ($14.13) 10 (3 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $14.13 | Rake: $0.65

Results:
Hero had 6, 6 (three of a kind, sixes).
MP2 mucked 7, 5 (one pair, sevens).
CO mucked A, 10 (two pair, Aces and tens).
Outcome: Hero won $13.48

Normally I would just call and set mine, folding most flops. Seeing as how these two guys are complete donkeys (and I noted it afterwards) I got lucky on the hand. But like I said, I'm trying to work on my BB defense. Was my preflop action too aggressive, 3bet size too big, not big enough, etc? Now that I can easily identify LAG thieves I need to work on exploiting them.

Having fun again!

The 3bet size was good, but I think 66 (and most smaller PPs 22-JJ) are too valuable postflop to 3bet. With those, you are looking to set mine and stack someone. It wasn't a terrible play though, by any means.

Good to hear you are having fun with poker again. Now that you have moved up (and will hopefully do so again ) and are using tracking software, you will see the profits rolling in. Your BR will probably be bigger than mine before I get back lol.

I'm not a fan of the 66 hand. First, I would 3bet smaller. Villain opened to 4x, and was called and you made it 18xbb.. In this spot I would go a bit smaller to like 15-16bb, so like $0.75-$0.80ish.

However, I wouldn't 3bet 66 here. First, 66 is going to flop a strong hand very rarely. You aren't going to want to get 66 all in preflop, as that would be spew. You also indicate that both villains are lagtarded, so there is a good chance you will be getting called fairly often preflop. Which added to the low chance of you seeing a good board for 66, makes this a pretty trivial call and setmine spot for me.

I mean if you 3bet preflop and large cards come off, sure you can cbet, but if these villains have a piece they likely aren't folding. So when called you have very little equity, and not much fold equity either. Which makes for a pretty terrible bluff.

Ok, thanks guys. I guess 66 is a little too weak for that type of play. I'm just a little too eager to stick it to players I have the numbers on. That actually cost me a bit of profit in the second sesh, but I still managed to squeeze out 3 bucks, so I am up 3 BI's for the day so far. I've played 850 hands today, and will do a long final sesh tonight after dinner.

I think I've finally settled on my HUD stats. This is the info I find useful for my mass multi-tabling.

VPIP/PFR/AF
Call PFR / Fold BB to steal / Fold steal to BB reraise / Att to steal
CBet flop / Fold to cbet / Raise cbet / CBet turn / Fold T cbet / Raise T cbet
Fold flop / Fold turn / Fold river / Check raise total

That bottom row really identifies calling stations. I also ID'd a draw chaser who had low fold % for flop and turn, then it jumped up on river. Too bad I never got to take advantage of him. Once I commit the order to memory so I know what they mean at a glance (changed it around a bunch of times) I can start adding a bunch more tables. I think I saw dranger on like 20 tables one time.

Don't you just hate it when you get bluffed by a player you know for a fact is bluffing? He was a lagtard. The 15 hands he was at the table he was 100/53/~6 (from memory, still can't find AF in database).
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

UTG ($4.93)
UTG+1 ($5.44)
MP1 ($4.50)
MP2 ($3.14)
MP3 ($4.67)
CO ($5.93)
Button ($5.39)
SB ($6.94)
Hero (BB) ($5.46)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 6, 6
3 folds, MP2 calls $0.05, 2 folds, Button calls $0.05, SB calls $0.03, Hero checks

Flop: ($0.20) A, J, 6 (4 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, MP2 bets $0.15, Button calls $0.15, 1 fold, Hero raises to $0.45, 1 fold, Button calls $0.30

Turn: ($1.25) 9 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $1, Hero calls $1

River: ($3.25) 5 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $3.89 (All-In), Hero folds

Total pot: $3.25 | Rake: $0.15

Results:
Button had 8, J (one pair, Jacks).
Outcome: Button won $3.10

That hand stuck with me. Anyhoo, time for din-din so I can be energized for the final sesh of the day.

I think you played it fine. I like raising PP from all positions but checking from BB is fine. River is ez fold.

I donk flop on the last 66 hand. It's a limped 4way pot with a gutshot draw and flush draw. Unless you are certain someone is going to bet I would donk here, and 3bet any raise trying to get it in.

Agree with stax as always about the last 66 hand.

Also, the whole 20 table thing was just me screwing around at 2nl and once at 5nl I think. Just trying out the whole massive multi tabling thing. My typical number of tables now is anywhere from 8-12.

Also, it seems like you have a TON of stats on ur HUD, it looks like it could get cluttered pretty easily. While you are just getting used to it, I'd probably just stick with 6-8 "essential" stats, then add more as you get used to it.

My evening sesh wasn't as long as I thought. It's all good though, as I hit 1K hands for the day, 1071 to be exact. Very good day as I ended up almost 4 BI's. End of day roll is $291. Finished the day playing six tables and I think I handled them well. Tomorrow I will start off with 6 tables and see if I can end the day playing 8. Having multi-tabled without HUD really makes me appreciate its features now. Gr8 stuff. The only downside is I am now fully aware of how much I'm losing in rake. I was aware b4, but now I see the actual number. With PT3 I have $20 in winnings and have paid $5 in rake. Umph!!!

I know these numbers don't mean anything yet, but for now they make me feel good. I'm 10.5BB/100 so far with PT3, while playing 16/6. I am going to finish the night reading poker material. Looking forward to tomorrow's session.

Logged 769 hands so far 9 tabling this session. Up & down sesh. Roll got as high as $299 and low as $270, but was able to recover so only down a dollar at the moment. Taking a break and will resume. I have to adjust my HUD stats as I have some that aren't as useful as I thought they'd be. I will replace" fold flop/turn/river" with "fold to raise flop/turn/river". I think I will get more use out of that.

Still so much to learn. I was destined to lose the hand even if I played it properly, but I didn't have to stack myself. The SB had to be pissed with me as UTG was a very tight player.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

UTG ($5.23)
UTG+1 ($5.45)
MP1 ($3.32)
MP2 ($1.95)
MP3 ($1.94)
Hero (CO) ($5.18)
Button ($5.96)
SB ($4.95)
BB ($5.21)

Preflop: Hero is CO with J, 10
UTG calls $0.05, 4 folds, Hero calls $0.05, 1 fold, SB calls $0.03, BB checks

Flop: ($0.20) 7, 9, A (4 players)
SB checks, BB checks, UTG bets $0.25, Hero calls $0.25, SB calls $0.25, 1 fold

Turn: ($0.95) 7 (3 players)
SB checks, UTG bets $0.25, Hero calls $0.25, SB calls $0.25

River: ($1.70) 6 (3 players)
SB checks, UTG bets $1.65, Hero raises to $4.63 (All-In), SB calls $4.40 (All-In), UTG calls $2.98

Total pot: $15.36 | Rake: $0.75

Results:
SB mucked Q, K (flush, Ace high).
UTG had A, A (full house, Aces over sevens).
Hero had J, 10 (flush, Ace high).
Outcome: UTG won $14.61

Just terrible! Here's another hand I played badly. Leaks I need to plug. Gotta remind myself that I don't need to outplay my opponents at these stakes. No need for creativity, just play str8 forward hard and fast. Especially when mass multi-tabling.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop

UTG+1 ($14.27)
MP1 ($6.49)
MP2 ($5.50)
MP3 ($3.01)
CO ($2.70)
Button ($6)
Hero (SB) ($5.16)
BB ($3.65)
UTG ($7)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A, K
1 fold, UTG+1 bets $0.15, 5 folds, Hero raises to $0.40, 1 fold, UTG+1 calls $0.25

Flop: ($0.85) 8, 9, 2 (2 players)
Hero bets $0.20, UTG+1 calls $0.20

Turn: ($1.25) 10 (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG+1 checks

River: ($1.25) J (2 players)
Hero bets $1.10, 1 fold

Total pot: $1.25 | Rake: $0.05

Dumbass! I'm about to start my second session. Will play 10 tables and see if I can clear 2K hands today.

Fell asleep while playing on Wednesday night. Finished that roller coaster session down a BI after 1200 hands. Today was a great session considering how few hands I played. After a mere 630 hands I'm up almost 3 BI's ($14.13). I didn't hit my 1K hands daily goal cos I hit my monetary target. I hit my bankroll milestone of $300! Roll sits at $300.25. So I decided to book the win and go to bed on a high note.

Still making dumb ass plays though. I have the most trouble against LAGS. You see them constantly making moves that seem like bluffs so I feel like I have to look them up, and I'm usually wrong.

Here villain is 65/32/2 over 34 hands with a 30% 3bet percentage. This guy just sat down and started running over the table.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

UTG+1 ($2)
MP1 ($5.80)
MP2 ($10.60)
Hero (MP3) ($9.39)
CO ($6.19)
Button ($11.33)
SB ($1.80)
BB ($5.66)
UTG ($2.03)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with 3, 3
4 folds, Hero calls $0.05, 1 fold, Button calls $0.05, SB calls $0.03, BB checks

Flop: ($0.20) 9, 7, 3 (4 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $0.15, Button raises to $0.30, 2 folds, Hero raises to $1, Button calls $0.70

Turn: ($2.20) 4 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button checks

River: ($2.20) 5 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $1.30, Hero calls $1.30

Total pot: $4.80 | Rake: $0.20

Results:
Button had 8, 6 (straight, nine high).
Hero mucked 3, 3 (three of a kind, threes).
Outcome: Button won $4.60

So many hands beat me yet I still paid him off. I gotta learn to let these go.

This is another hand I paid off when I didn't beat anything but a bluff, but because of the way villain was playing I wanted to see his hand. After 41 hands he was 61/22/2 and going to showdown half the time. My bet sizing was shit cos I felt he could have anything but would bet me off the hand if I checked. I guess you could say they were blocker bets (which wasn't cos I called raise) but on river I felt he might be betting his missed flush draw. Argh, I'm just a silly fish.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

MP2 ($9.91)
MP3 ($6.15)
CO ($3.11)
Button ($7.02)
SB ($5.25)
BB ($4)
UTG ($5.84)
Hero (UTG+1) ($11.16)
MP1 ($5.53)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with J, J
1 fold, Hero bets $0.20, 1 fold, MP2 calls $0.20, 4 folds, BB calls $0.15

Flop: ($0.62) 2, 9, 10 (3 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $0.35, MP2 calls $0.35, 1 fold

Turn: ($1.32) 10 (2 players)
Hero bets $0.50, MP2 calls $0.50

River: ($2.32) 2 (2 players)
Hero bets $0.50, MP2 raises to $1.50, Hero calls $1

Total pot: $5.32 | Rake: $0.25

Results:
Hero mucked J, J (two pair, Jacks and tens).
MP2 had 9, 10 (full house, tens over nines).
Outcome: MP2 won $5.07

This one was me not paying attention to all the stats. I just saw this guy played half his hands. I didn't note his PFR%. Villain was 48/2/0.18 after 48 hands.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

UTG ($12.74)
Hero (UTG+1) ($5.32)
MP1 ($6.78)
MP2 ($6.70)
MP3 ($13.67)
CO ($9.11)
Button ($5)
SB ($5.11)
BB ($8.74)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with Q, A
UTG bets $0.20, Hero calls $0.20, 7 folds

Flop: ($0.47) 7, 6, Q (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $0.25, UTG calls $0.25

Turn: ($0.97) 5 (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $0.60, UTG calls $0.60

River: ($2.17) 9 (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $1, UTG calls $1

Total pot: $4.17 | Rake: $0.20

Results:
UTG had K, K (one pair, Kings).
Hero had Q, A (one pair, Queens).
Outcome: UTG won $3.97

But all's well that ends okay, so I can't be too mad at myself. Just need to learn from my mistakes and work harder at not repeating them. Looking forward to the weekend session with my HUD. Till tomorrow.

Try to get reads and plans earlier for your hands. For example, in the first hand you checked the turn. If you checked the turn because you feared he might have a made flush, that's fine, however don't check two streets and then call a large value bet. If that value bet was good enough to call on the river, it should have been good enough for YOU to make on the turn or river. I think you played it too passively. Depending on the opponent, it can be a hard hand to play since the turn puts a flush out there and the river puts a str8 out there, but you're letting your opponent dictate the hand by allowing free cards and then calling their action.

For hand #2, against a 66% VPIP% who goes to showdown half the time, I'd probably have a tough time laying down JJ, however, again, I think you play too passively on the river. You make a $0.50 bet on the turn, which is 38% of the pot. On the river, you make the same numeric value bet of $0.50, but now it's only 21% of the pot. You telegraph weakness. If you're scared you're beat, simply check and if he bets big, you can lay it down or maybe he'll bet a smaller amount that will be harder to fold, but at least you won't lose as much. Had you checked, I doubt he would have bet $1.50 and anything less than a $1.50 that he bet and you called would have been a direct savings to you. OR, make a bigger bet yourself so if you're raised, you know you're beat and still don't lose as much. For example, if you had bet a dollar on the river, that's 43% of the pot and a raise probably means he has a ten or a 2 and you can fold. You only lose that dollar instead of a $1.50. Or, maybe a dollar is a strong enough bet that villain is scared to raise because of the flush. He's not folding, but again, if he doesn't raise, that's more money saved compared to what actually happened. Any money you save or earn adds up a LOT over several hands.

Hand #3 can also be a tough one depending on your opponent, however, against most reasonable villains or ones I don't have a read on, I personally like to check the flop or turn with TPTK because I don't want to potentially lose the majority of my stack with that type of hand. In this case, villain raised pre-flop UTG, which is usually a high indicator of strength. I like the flop bet because he did check and you have a strong hand, but I would have checked the turn for pot control and because I smell something is up. My guess is villain would have led out between $0.50 to $1.00 on the river and we would have probably called and saved anywhere from $0.60 to $1.10 compared to how it played out.

Notice in two of these three hands you were out of position which makes them harder to play.

Bet sizing, bet sizing, bet sizing. Jay, I have been having trouble with that for quite some time. I don't know why as it is something completely under my control. I do telegraph my weakness. I have no trouble playing tighter players and laying down good but not great hands, but the loose ones always seem to get me cos I don't feel they can be making as many hands as they often represent. I guess that is why they play that way. When I make a hand they always seem to make a better one. Still have some work to do, I guess.

Played a 300 hand session tonight, but had to stop playing cos my internet connection is flaking out. Lagging big time. Got knocked of for longer than a minute twice, and I would hate for that to happen in the middle of a big pot, so I will wait till later. Besides, the Laker game is on. Did take in my largest pot tonight. Button was 46/15/2 with most of his raises from late position, so I set him up nicely.

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

saw flop | saw showdown

BB ($5.64)
UTG ($10.01)
Hero (UTG+1) ($8.70)
MP1 ($3.17)
MP2 ($5.66)
CO ($5.68)
Button ($13.48)
SB ($1.70)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with A, A
1 fold, Hero calls $0.05, MP1 calls $0.05, 1 fold, CO calls $0.05, Button bets $0.25, SB calls $0.23, 1 fold, Hero raises to $1.45, 2 folds, Button calls $1.20, SB calls $1.20

Flop: ($4.50) 8, 7, 5 (3 players)
SB bets $0.25 (All-In), Hero raises to $4.25, Button calls $4.25

Turn: ($13.25) 9 (3 players, 1 all-in)
Hero bets $3 (All-In), Button calls $3

River: ($19.25) 8 (3 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $19.25 | Rake: $0.90

Results:
Button mucked 10, 9 (two pair, nines and eights).
SB mucked Q, J (one pair, eights).
Hero had A, A (two pair, Aces and eights).
Outcome: Hero won $18.35

The rake really does suck down here though. Anyhoo, up 2 BI's right now. Will continue sesh after the Lakers steal one in Denver.

I've fallen in love with Poker Tracker 3. I can handle 8 tables really well right now, since I've finally settled on my HUD stats. I've had it for 1 week (tomorrow) and I can't see myself continuing online without it. Instead of taking notes at the table when I've got pending action on 7 other tables, I now take my notes during my session review. PT coupled with Pokerstove is making me a better player. So much easier to spot and correct my mistakes. I also get to see the showdowns (of regs) I missed cos I was at other tables, which helps me with the note taking.

I just need to stop being so lazy and start putting some hands in. Even tonight I only got 300 hands in for 0.5 BI's profit. Since I got PT3 I've played only 3828 hands (terrible). The good thing is I'm up $44.00 with a 11.5BB/100 at 5NL. Gotta start putting the hands in again. Why have I gotten so lazy? My 1st two days with PT3 I got in over 1K hands, but since, pfftt. I have the time. I've been spending too much money lately. I've been doing a bit of drinking. Hanging out with lush ass friends. Playing 8-10 tables I should easily get in 10K hands a week (3 hours a day at most). Gonna try it this week. Please stick to a goal this ONE TIME! I always say I'ma put in hands and I don't.

Roll is at $312.21.

Still having trouble with loose luckboxes. Even b4 I got Poker Tracker, when I'd spot some loose luckbox and I'd wait for a hand, they always catch their crap to beat me, then proceed to donk off to everyone else. It still kills me.

This luckbox was running 93/30/2 after 54 hands and he hadn't folded to a PFR yet.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

Hero (MP2) ($5.25)
MP3 ($9.58)
CO ($5)
Button ($0.98)
SB ($2.55)
BB ($5)
UTG ($2.54)
UTG+1 ($11.97)
MP1 ($2)

Preflop: Hero is MP2 with Q, Q
UTG calls $0.05, UTG+1 calls $0.05, MP1 (poster) checks, Hero bets $0.45, 2 folds, Button raises to $0.98 (All-In), 3 folds, UTG+1 calls $0.93, 1 fold, Hero raises to $2.40, UTG+1 calls $1.42

Flop: ($6) 3, 10, 4 (3 players, 1 all-in)
UTG+1 bets $1, Hero raises to $2.85 (All-In), UTG+1 calls $1.85

Turn: ($11.70) 9 (3 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($11.70) 2 (3 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $11.70 | Rake: $0.55

Results:
Button mucked A, J (high card, Ace).
UTG+1 had 5, 6 (straight, six high).
Hero mucked Q, Q (one pair, Queens).
Outcome: UTG+1 won $11.15

How would you guys normally handle that situation pre flop. Would you shove after the 4bet to create dead money or would you just raise to create a sidepot against an obvious dog. I gave alot of thought to just shoving as it would be a safer play. The luckbox shit gets old, I swear.

This loose luckbox was running 48/19/2 after 88 hands. I hafta blame myself for not holding true to my HUD stats as he went to showdown 41% and won 62%, but it was his hyperactivity that made me not respect his possible holding. I have got to learn to play the LAGS better cos they have so much success against me. I played this hand terribly.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

Button ($4.55)
SB ($9.50)
Hero (BB) ($5)
UTG ($10.90)
UTG+1 ($19)
MP1 ($2.90)
MP2 ($11.10)
MP3 ($3.33)
CO ($5.21)

Preflop: Hero is BB with J, J
1 fold, UTG+1 bets $0.20, 6 folds, Hero raises to $0.60, UTG+1 calls $0.40

Flop: ($1.22) 10, 9, 10 (2 players)
Hero bets $0.80, UTG+1 calls $0.80

Turn: ($2.82) 2 (2 players)
Hero bets $2, UTG+1 raises to $4, Hero calls $1.60 (All-In)

River: ($10.02) 6 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $10.02 | Rake: $0.45

Results:
Hero had J, J (two pair, Jacks and tens).
UTG+1 had J, 10 (three of a kind, tens).
Outcome: UTG+1 won $9.57

I have to remember that LAGS make hands to. It's just that they do it so often when I have a hand. Leak I need to plug.

This villain ran 61/29/1.7 after 93 hands. I couldn't have played this one any differently. What burned me up is that this was the only set I hit today after close to 800 hands.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

MP1 ($3.71)
MP2 ($9.95)
Hero (MP3) ($5)
CO ($10.82)
Button ($12.69)
SB ($2.04)
BB ($2.58)
UTG ($3.60)
UTG+1 ($5.35)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with J, J
4 folds, Hero bets $0.20, 2 folds, SB calls $0.18, 1 fold

Flop: ($0.45) J, 10, A (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $0.35, SB calls $0.35

Turn: ($1.15) 4 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $1.10, SB raises to $1.49 (All-In), Hero calls $0.39

River: ($4.13) 5 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $4.13 | Rake: $0.20

Results:
SB had K, Q (straight, Ace high).
Hero mucked J, J (three of a kind, Jacks).
Outcome: SB won $3.93

I shouldn't complain too much cos I'm down less than a BI ($3.86). At one point I was down close to 3 BI's, but worked my way back up. I think I will plug away at another 300 or so hands b4 calling it a day. Even though I am trying to hit 10K hands a week, I should keep my bad sessions shorter and my good ones longer, no? Anyway, will see how it goes. Maybe my luck will turn around.

Was able to scratch out a break even session (won 14 cents). Having been down close to 3 BI's at one point makes a break even sesh a good thing. I played 1608 hands today, so I am really happy about that. Hopefully tomorrow i will run decently enough to log 2K hands. I will need a couple 2K hand sessions to meet my weekly 10K hand goal.

Roll still at $312.35. Hopefully run well tomorrow.

Originally Posted by nibbles

How would you guys normally handle that situation pre flop.

In the QQ hand, my first bet would have only been .25 or .30. Do you want them to fold or call? If they call a big bet PF, they'll usually have a big pair or two big cards that would have you crushed if they hit the flop. After the AI raise and a call, it's probably a bad idea to reraise. I'd just call and hope to see small cards on the flop or a Q. The flop looks good for you, but after UTG+1 bets $1, you don't have enough money to get him off the hand. He's still getting odds to call his OESD. But yea, he's an idiot for still being in the hand.

In the first JJ hand, I'd just call PF. I think you played it well, but you might could have found a fold after the reraise.

Hand 3 is standard. Just a cooler.

Congrats on the BR. When are you moving to 10NL?

Hey Play! On the QQ hand I raised that much cos villain called every pre-flop raise (according to HUD). That is how loose he was. He was 93/30/2, which is why I felt his PF limp then call of the 4bet screamed garbage hand. Would you really just call against this type of opponent in this spot? I thought the only question was create a sidepot or shove. Maybe that's why I have so much trouble with LAGs.

As for moving up to 10NL, I really haven't thought about moving up yet cos I just started playing 5NL regularly. I will probably make the move somewhere between $350 and $400. My bankroll management is nittier than most others, and I'm in no rush. I am playing 8-10 tables now so more of my roll is at risk each session. If I was playing 10NL a third of my stack would be at risk.

Congrats to you too. You've almost completed your op (even though you haven't updated in a minute). A couple of sessions and you're gold.

even though there is obv nothing wrong with having larger BR requirements, the whole "more of my roll is at stake" isnt, or rather shouldnt, be an issue provided you have a deep enough BR to sit full stacked (however much you usually buy in for) and have enough left back to add to your stacks as you lose bbs / pots etcetc.

im not telling you to move up as you mention you've just moved to 5NL - but for the future its something to consider.

Originally Posted by nibbles

I have to remember that LAGS make hands to. It's just that they do it so often when I have a hand. Leak I need to plug.

I think you need to work more on getting better reads and taking better notes post flop. Based on many of your hands and comments, it seems like you get lost easily after the flop. Villains catch hands the same amount for you, me, and anyone else. Sometimes against loose villains, you'll be in situations where you can't reasonably avoid losing some or a lot of money playing optimally. However, I get the feeling you're missing key elements while playing that could get you away from hands completely or at least minimize your losses. In my last post, I pointed out some of that. Not to mention that most loose villains at these stakes are bad players that YOU should be extracting much more money from over time because you'll have better cards, better reads, and be the better player. Pay attention to how loose villains play. They don't always 3 and 4 bet their hands pre-flop or go all-in post flop. They all have tendencies and it's your job to pick them up and use them to your advantage.

Good luck

Originally Posted by nibbles

Would you really just call against this type of opponent in this spot?

Well, it is read dependent, I suppose. I'm just starting to trust loose HUD stats. I still have trouble widening my range against donks.

Originally Posted by nibbles

As for moving up to 10NL, I really haven't thought about moving up yet cos I just started playing 5NL regularly. I will probably make the move somewhere between $350 and $400.

Congrats to you too. You've almost completed your op.

Thanks bro. I may extend my 5NL phase just a bit, too. I had a great Memorial day (+5 BI's). Update coming soon!

Originally Posted by sil693

even though there is obv nothing wrong with having larger BR requirements, the whole "more of my roll is at stake" isnt, or rather shouldnt, be an issue provided you have a deep enough BR to sit full stacked (however much you usually buy in for) and have enough left back to add to your stacks as you lose bbs / pots etcetc.

I hear ya sil, but it is something I have in my head. Back when I was 9 tabling 2NL, I once got felted (or damned close to it) on 6 tables in about 30 minutes. Now that was no big deal as it was only 12 bucks out of a $180+ roll (and I'd just about given up on my op and poker so I didn't care), but if something like that happened at 10NL on a $300 roll I'd be hurtin'. Not crushed but hurtin'. However unlikely, it is still possible to lose multiple hands at roughly the same time when you can't get away from them.

Originally Posted by Jason

I think you need to work more on getting better reads and taking better notes post flop. Based on many of your hands and comments, it seems like you get lost easily after the flop.

I've been taking my notes after each session using PT3, replaying villain's hands. Right now I have notes on everyone I've played more than 300 hands with. I see how they played every hand that went to showdown, which is a great feature. I am in luv with PT3. That still doesn't help me with the unknown LAG though. Because I'm multi-tabling i can't take real time notes. The LAG / luckbox is the one that kills me. I do get lost against them, cos I know that they will fire out bets at any sign of weakness, whether they have a hand or not. So do I just give up on boards that I don't have a monster hand? For now I just plan on leaving any table that I'm OOP against a LAG luckbox.

Got 730 hands in so far today. Again I started of crappy. Dropping 2 BI's early when my 88<KQ when I flopped set on K high board with runner runner Q's (1 BI), AKs<TT on a 245 flop with 2 spades (1 BI). But once again a fought my way back and I'm up $2, so decided to take a break. It sux when you start off in the hole. 2K hands is the target for the day.

Originally Posted by nibbles

Because I'm multi-tabling i can't take real time notes.

I think this could be the root of several problems. I personally believe you should play with as few tables as needed so that you can take notes and make reads in REAL time. Otherwise, you're not playing poker. You're playing systematically which is very exploitable and more importantly will put a cap on your win rate. Especially at the micro stakes when you're learning the game, you should not be playing more tables until you've proven you can be very successful with less.

How many are you playing? I suggest playing 1, 2, or 3 tables tops. You should be taking notes on player behavior on what they play, how they play, where they play, and any patterns that you notice can be exploited. Over time when you settle into a level that you want to play at full time, you can then strategically add more tables until you're maxing out your win rate. But, until then, I think you'll do best by backing off the tables enough so you can play and learn poker the right way.

I don't like reading that "play less tables" stuff. Playing more tables is the whole reason I got Poker Tracker 3. Since getting PT3 I've come to find more benefits besides the HUD, but mass multi-tabling is still a big reason for the tracking software. Since getting PT3 9 days ago I won $50 in 6500 hands for 7BB/100 at 5NL. Biggest week I've booked since starting this operation.

But your point of playing to learn is a valid one. A thread in the BC has me thinking about spending time both mass multi-tabling a sesh, and playing another session were I am working on fundamentals at 1 or 2 tables. I spent the majority of this op playing on only one table at a time. I just started multi-tabling a month or two ago. So now I will start splitting my time between bankroll building and working on fundamentals. But to answer your question, since getting PT3 I am playing 8-10 tables.

Yesterday was a good sesh, even though I didn't come close to 2K hands. Was a wild up & down session so I cut it short at around 1K hands and booked my win. End of day roll was $319.17, winning about 1.5 BI's. About to hit the tables.

My poker laziness has set back in. I didn't play yesterday. Tonight I played just under 300 hands (nothing when playing 10 tables) and settled for a 1.5 BI profit cos I didn't feel like playing in the first place. This is a discipline problem. I set these goals ( recently 10K hands per week) and keep falling short. Every time I crack a poker book I only read a few pages b4 putting it down. Sigh.

Anyway, end of day roll is $326.82. Hopefully I will be more into poker tomorrow.

Didn't play Friday. Today I decided to try for 2K hands. In my 1st 600 or so hands I was up close to 3 BI's. Took a break and it has been downhill ever since. After 1200 hands I'm up a mere 0.5 BI's and I am pissed. Luckboxes I swear. I don't know how they do it. Anyway, I am debating just calling it a night or pushing through. I at least want to clear 10K hands since getting Poker Tracker. I will have had PT3 for 2 weeks this Monday. In that time I've run 8ptbb/100 in 7848 hands for $62.85.

I'm planning on taking my first serious stab at 10NL when my roll hits $350. The way things have been going that should happen next week.

Did a lot of poker study today. Brushed up on cbetting and blocking bets. I cbet way too often and get floated alot. Played a short 9 table sesh and won a BI in ~300 hands. Roll up to $335.62.

I've settled on 9 tables when multi-tabling. 10 tables was just a little too much and I couldn't consistently keep up with the action. I've also given some thought to delaying the 10NL move. I'm 3 BI's away which I can get in 1 or 2 days. I haven't spent that long at 5NL, so I will probably wait until my roll hits $400. I made $100 this month, $66 of which came since I got PT3. I am looking forward to a really big June.

I just got done with 1st sesh of the day. Logged over 400 hands and am up 2 BI's so far. I've got a hankerin' fer a S&G, so I might throw 1 or 2 in tonight. Haven't played the single table S&G in quite some time. I've pretty much been committed to the cash game.

Reviewing my stats on PT3 and my biggest winning hands is AA (imagine that). I was dealt AA 33 times and have won 94% of them for $51. The thing about it is for the longest time they were constantly getting cracked (it was unbelievable how bad it got) , so I was due for a good run with them. I guess things really do even out in the long run. My biggest loser, however, is QQ. I'm down $13.50 in the 45 times I've been dealt the hand. But I think that is due to variance as it is primarily due to 4 times I got stacked. 1 I posted here on the 25th of May where donkey sucked out with his 56 suited in a 4bet pre-flop pot. Another was where I had the overpair but villain flopped a set and didn't reveal his strength until turn where I was pretty much priced in to call. The other two times I ran into AA and KK. I'm not stressing it though. It will even out.

I admit I am a nit, but I need to open up my game. I'm running 16/6/2 over 8500 hands. Other pertinent stats:
WTSD - 23%
W$SD - 57%
Att to Steal - 16%
Fold to steal - 87%

I know those bottom two stats need improvement as well. Things I feel I should improve on before I take on 10NL. Will mix in some study between sessions today.

My second sesh at 5NL pissed me off. A trio of luckbox donkeys on 3 different tables caught runner runner crap to suck out today's profits. $10 gone in less than 2 minutes. Pissed me off. So after a short break I started the 10NL portion of my grind. I dropped down to 5 tables and the session went okay. Won half a BI after 300 hands, so at least I end the day with profit. End of day roll $340.02.

BTW, you really accumulate FPPs quickly up here. Me likey. Will spend the rest of the night reading poker related material.

Am I understanding correctly that you had some quick, bad results @ $5NL and used that as motivation to jump up to $10NL? If so, be careful, young grasshopper I'm glad it worked out this time, but be careful about letting emotions guide your decision making on moving up stakes.

It's good to see you're getting in some hands, enjoying PT3, and winning some money. Good luck.

Yeah Jay, that was a tilt move. I'm still at 5NL. Yesterday a did a single table session where I "played poker". After 300 hands of paying attention and making reads, I won 5 cents. Every time I pushed my edge over some lag luckbox they'd catch to beat me. AK<AT, QQ<A9, and JJ<TT. Oh well. At least I got my session stats up to a respectably aggressive level. I ran 31/17/3 for the sesh.

Today is a multi-tabling day. So far I've played 362 break even hands. See what I can do today.

What's up Nibbles? Playin' any pokerz?

Still playing, just not as often. When I do play I am alternating between mass multi-tabling sessions and single table sessions. I am playing 1 table at 10NL, working on my game. I play 10 tables at 2NL. Thanks to Poker Tracker I saw I only make an extra 9 cents every hundred hands multi-tabling 5NL vs 2NL, and 2NL requires absolutely no thought.

10NL is going okay, I guess. After 300 hands I am only up $3.50, but better than losing. Need to work on value betting. Fewer players pay you off. Much tighter and patient opponents. I need to work on a bunch of stuff.

About to hit the $400 mark. Roll sits at $397. I did fit in a MTT this week. Played in the $2, 3000 starting chip tourney and finished 144 outta 2000 players. Had fun. Rainy day so I should get in a lot of hands.

June was a slow month pokerwise, because I hit my life goal which was to pay off my credit card debt. DEBT FREE BABY!!! So not only did playing poker save me money by occupying my time, it also made me money! Now I need to maintain life bankroll management and not get in over my head again. I feel sooooo good right now.

I only played ~16K hands and won $93 in June. I was all over the place as I played 2NL, 5NL, 10NL, and short stacked a quick 25PL session. In the 25PL game something happened that I never experienced b4. I had heard people talk about it happening, but I never saw it. Fortunately I was on the winning end.
PokerStars Pot-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP1 ($30.70)
MP2 ($25.70)
MP3 ($18.20)
CO ($29.45)
Button ($25)
SB ($14)
BB ($5)
Hero (UTG) ($9.20)
UTG+1 ($40.55)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with A, A
Hero bets $0.85, UTG+1 raises to $2.25, 5 folds, SB raises to $7.85, 1 fold, Hero raises to $9.20 (All-In), UTG+1 raises to $25.50, SB calls $6.15 (All-In)

Flop: ($37.45) 6, 8, 7 (3 players, 2 all-in)

Turn: ($37.45) 3 (3 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($37.45) 6 (3 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $37.45 | Rake: $1.85

Results:
SB had Q, Q (two pair, Queens and sixes).
Hero had A, A (two pair, Aces and sixes).
UTG+1 had K, K (two pair, Kings and sixes).
Outcome: Hero won $26.50, UTG+1 won $9.10

The only time I tried short stacking and that is what happened. But what are the odds of AA, KK, QQ in the same hand? Tough for anybody to get away from.

Roll is at $427.24. Since I paid off my credit card debt I haven't been playing like I used to, but I still feel compelled to at least finish my op and reach my goal of $500. $5 to $500 would be very impressive since I did it on one shot. I've heard about a people who make multiple attempts at something like this and then pat themselves on the back when they finally catch a heater and have some success after 30 or so attempts. Hopefully I will get the hands in this month so i can finish this thing out.