No more robot

Little background:
I've been playing poker for a few years, and it has been my main source of income for a little over a year (im a poor college kid). I played almost exclusively full ring, and added tables till i can now comfortably play 16 tables of 100nl. Unfortunately, i have gotten complacent with my game and have a serious problem slowing myself down to think about hands. I was inspired by massimo's small stakes teaching blog to play more 6max and take my time more with my decisions.

Goals:
Play 20k hands of 6max.
Take my freaking time.
Make 5k by the end of July.

I'll be doing the standard of posting progress and trouble hands here. Time to start my session, gogogo.

I'm also trying to avoid becoming a mechanical FR-bot, which I feel like I do sometimes, but so much of my game has become mechanical.

I've started to mix in a little 6-max, but I'm a sucker for my FR winrate, and aren't entirely bored with FR yet.

So good luck with 6-max man. I'm sure I won't be far behind yah

the problem with my FR-mechanical game was i was winning 1.7 bb/100 over my last 40k hands...not good enough.

just finished a 1.3k hand session of 6 tabling 6 max, played meh but finished +$137.60.

villian is 27/18/5. I had raised his BB a few times before so i felt AJs was ahead of his 3 betting range but i didn't want to 4 bet cause then he only plays with better. I figured the flop missed most of his range, so i bet out hoping to take it down with the intention of shutting down if called/raised. When i hit the A i figured i was probably good and thought c/c was best. Looking back i'm not really sure if this is good.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $1.00 BB (5 handed) Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

BB ($119.70)
UTG ($93.70)
MP ($55.65)
Button ($93.55)
Hero ($106.25)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A, J.
3 folds, Hero raises to $3, BB raises to $9, Hero calls $6.

Flop: ($18) 4, T, 7 (2 players)
Hero bets $12, BB calls $12.

Turn: ($42) A (2 players)
Hero checks, BB bets $22, Hero calls $22.

River: ($86) 7 (2 players)
Hero checks, BB bets $33, Hero calls $33.

Final Pot: $152

this hand i played horribly. i didn't really think before i lead out the flop. i think crai is definitely better than b/c. and betting smaller then folding might be best.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $1.00 BB (6 handed) Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

SB ($130.80)
Hero ($102.35)
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($105.80)
Button ($51.90)

Preflop: Hero is BB with T, T.
3 folds, Button raises to $4, 1 fold, Hero raises to $14, Button calls $10.

Flop: ($28.50) 3, K, 3 (2 players)
Hero bets $20, Button raises to $37.9, Hero calls $17.90.

Turn: ($104.30) 6 (2 players)

River: ($104.30) 8 (2 players)

Final Pot: $104.30

i have a summer league ultimate game tonight but i should be able to get in another 1k hands or so tonight.

played a bit more last night and today, 3.1k hands in, +$280 i seem to be playing a bit better playing around 5-6 tables so hopefully i can keep that up.

here is a hand that i thought was good, but im not too sure. villain was 22.5/17/3 but had just gotten stacked on a different table literally 20 seconds earlier when his straight lost to a terrible player's flush. i thought that he might be tilting a bit, but figured he only calls if i push the flop with better. with his small turn bet i thought i was good because something like AQ/A5 would be afraid of giving a cheap spade. thoughts?

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $1.00 BB (6 handed) Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

MP ($58)
CO ($59.90)
Hero ($98.50)
SB ($58)
BB ($100)
UTG ($105.10)

Preflop: Hero is Button with J, A.
UTG calls $1, 2 folds, Hero raises to $5, 1 fold, BB calls $4, UTG folds.

Flop: ($11.50) 2, A, 5 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $8, BB raises to $24, Hero calls $16.

Turn: ($59.50) 4 (2 players)
BB bets $24, Hero raises to $69.5 (all in)

quick update: 7.3k hands in, +$618.45. im probably running a little hot, but i've been fairly happy with how i've played. had one terrible spew yesterday but it was just a brain fart that isn't worth posting. hope to get a little session in tonight after the finals game.

also, played in my 2nd gauntlet today and luckboxed my way to 2nd place. good for another 60 or so. im a few hundred vpp from clearing a $650 bonus which i will probably cash out. my loose plan for the rest of the summer is to cash out the bonuses i will be getting and build my bankroll with my theoretical winnings.

I want to say 2 things:

1. GL!
2. Are you a Rudy fan?

Originally Posted by kmind

I want to say 2 things:

1. GL!
2. Are you a Rudy fan?

1. thanks!
2. yes, ive seen it way too many times now, but it is one of the best true stories of perseverance. classically awesome.

lol, just after i typed that response i stacked AKs with AA. thanks for the luck kmind .

No problem. Next time you want a GL from me it will cost though. Only one free "GL" from this luckbox per customer.

good results continue: 9k hands in now, +$1,046.85.

i feel like im playing well but im also definitely running well. im finding it hard to put in longer hours when im winning. i lose focus if i go up a couple hundred and start looking for reasons to stop playing. im going to start setting a time limit for my session before i start playing and try to stick to it regardless if im up or down.

i have an ultimate game tonight and might be playing some poker with friends afterwards but if not ill put in another session tonight. also, im heading up to turning stone thursday the 26th and will be staying for 3 nights hopefully dominating live poker donks

Turning Stone = favorite B&M i've ever been to.

good luck man

less tables does make it a lot easier to work on improving your game. if you can financially afford to do so, i would really recommend playing 2-4 tables for 10k hands and really pay attention to how your opponents play and concentrate on making optimal adjustments

studying of course is huge too lol

comments on your hands

the A-Jo hand looks fine. his range on the turn usually consists of flush draws/A-10/A-Q/sets.

on the A-Js hand, id prefer a small c/r to leading out on the flop. a check/raise is more likely to shake off small/mid pairs. as played i think c/c river is okay just because our opponent is less likely to have an Ace because we lead out on the flop and got called.

10-10: just overbet and put him all in. attempting to c/r just lets him see the turn with one, maybe two overcards. 50bb donks can definitely call here with A-x, and he isn't folding weaker pairs, which make up way more of his range than J-J+.

thanks for the responses guys. my multi table ratio for the last 9k hands is about 4.5 and ive definitely noticed the huge difference it makes. its much easier to get a solid read and i don't do stupid things like forget who raised preflop used stars planner for the first time today, and that thing is awesome. don't really know why i didn't use it before, i dl'ed it when i got betpot. i decided not to play another session tonight cause i had to play almost the entire game tonight (which we won ) and im exhausted.

the massive upswing continues. played another 600 hands today for +$380 . i set myself a time limit for the session and stopped only 10 minutes short of my goal. two of my 6 tables became 3 handed and i didn't feel like table selecting for just a few rotations. sorta mad i couldn't play the whole time i set myself but o well, hopefully ill do better next time.

i dropped over 6 buyins today in about 1500 hands. i think i played well, just couldnt have a single hand hold up. highlights include a villain catching a perfect perfect straight flush to beat my top boat, a 5 outer for a 250bb pot. AA<KK pre twice. and running KK into AA twice. ill take another look at the big hands tomorrow, but im just really pissed right now. fuck.

edit: lol, so my two biggest losers of the day were AA and KK. wheeeeeee.

been doing a little better the last few days but still running meh. i have 13k hands in now for +1064. i should be able to get in another thousand hands or so tomorrow so hopefully i can take advantage of the weekend donks.

been doing a little better but im upset with myself for losing my focus and making bad plays. when im focused, i can play really good poker. when im not...i spew like a monkey which tilts me a bit and makes me play even worse. i want to start playing multiple shorter sessions, no more than an hour at a time. i think this will help me play better in the short term, and hopefully i can figure out how to keep my focus for longer sessions. i do stupid shit while i play like browse ftr or start up aim conversations when im not involved in hands when i should be getting better reads. also, i need to be more disciplined about leaving tables when a player is giving me trouble. i played to the right of a moron yesterday who min 3bet every single one of my raises. i never got a hand to stack him and probably spewed about 1.25 buyins at him before i decided to leave.

16k hands in, +$1668 is nice though.

Hey Papal your robo-poker sounds just like me... gettin' better at that tho.

GW pwning winrate btw, supersmall sample but fosho off to great start.

haven't updated in awhile, and my trip to turning stone got postponed but, i've completed my first goal of 20k hands at 6 max and i think im going to stick with it for a while. stats and graph are below.





yea i know im a nit, but its what works best for me. i think i've identified some spots where i can profitably 3 bet more IP, so im going to try that out over the next few days.

DOUBLE VPPS!!!!

well, looks like ill be doing a fair amount of grinding this week to take advantage of this. got 2.2k vpps for the month so far and +$170 as well. im hoping to keep up this pace for the week to get some nice bonus monies. im still thinking about when i want to start taking shots at 200nl as my BR is very close to where i would be comfortable. im not sure if moving up during 2x VPP week would be a bad idea though cause all the regs would be playing. ill think about it and maybe take a shot on thursday if i play well again tomorrow.

well, 200nl is gonna have to wait. i played a ton today, played well, ran like fucking horse shit. down 770 for the month which freaking blows. i was set over setted 4 times today, twice in 3 bet pots. down on the day with AA also doesnt help. fuck i hate poker some times.

your luck will turn...keep it up

Originally Posted by keepitstrict

your luck will turn...keep it up

very true statement. poker makes no sense sometimes. worst downswing of the summer followed by my best heaterrrr. i plan on playing a bit tomorrow but its the 4th and im gonna play some golf and hang out with some people too. graph of july so far below:

so i didn't put in as many hands as ive wanted to during 2x vpp week due to family commitments but o well. my bankroll is where i want it to be to start the transition to 200nl, so im going to try that out tomorrow. hopefully i start out with a nice heater

Awesome Operation man... You still playing about 6 tables at once?... i really should do this... i'm pretty sure i suck at poker.

Originally Posted by kingnat

Awesome Operation man... You still playing about 6 tables at once?... i really should do this... i'm pretty sure i suck at poker.

thanks man. yea, i played around 7 tables for the double vpp week because it was a little easier to get reads when i have the same regs at basically all my tables. you still playing 100nl full ring?

been doing ok at 200nl so far, but havent really put in many hands. i've been 4 tabling it and have only 1.4k hands in but +$486 is a nice start game seems a lot more aggro, but is definitely beatable. i think my nittyness might actually do better at these stakes because the terrible players seem overly aggro.

i played some live pokerz last night with friends from high school and almost felt bad about winning $100 at a $20 buyin game. o well, i should put in another 600 hands tonight after my ultimate game and im hoping to get back in time for the gauntlet.

Did you feel bad about losing 80 dollars the very next day in our high school home game?!?

haha JK bud. Brett here. Just reading up on your thread.

Update us on the totals from July with a graph from poker tracker.

haha, not at all. haven't been playing much lately because ive been lifting a lot and playing a lot of ultimate but have been successful when i do play. i played a few $11 180 mans for fun over the weekend and outta 7 i won 1 and got 5th in another so that was an unexpected 700 or so . last few times ive been playing cash ive been playing 100nl. im just more comfortable with my game there. i know i can beat 200, but im lacking the motivation right now. since you asked, here is july so far:

haven't updated in a while because im lazy. it took me 2.5 weeks but i finally cleared a $650 bonus. ive also withdrawn 3k leaving my roll at 4.5k. i have basically made as much $$ as i wanted to this summer, so im not really feeling the desire to put in a decent amount of hands. i will continue to play, but less grinding and more donkament or sng play. ive been messing around with $10 180 mans, sunday million shootouts, and other random stuff that is more entertaining to me.

im also thinking about experimenting with a much much laggier style. my nit style certainly works, but it may be fun to play 20k hands at 50nl with like 24/20 stats. not sure yet if im going to do that, but im considering it.

also, im heading down to wildwood beach tomorrow for a beach ultimate tournament this weekend. should be awesome. 2 nights of heavy partying and 2 days of beach ultimate