Operation Full Circle

Just for the sake of memorabilia, I'm linking to my last operation. It was the first time things didn't go exactly as I hoped, but I'd say it still turned out alright: http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...ic.php?t=27287

I started off short-stacking NL cash games. That led me from $25 to $1234.

Next, I made roughly triple that playing SnGs. I consider myself a dominating SnG player, but by most standards I've barely even scratched their surface, having still played less than 400 total. Still, there has hardly been more than a 20-game stretch where-in I left my 30% ROI. Anyway, this led me from $1234 to $4500 (for $3300ish profit).

Next, I decided I needed to learn MTT play. I met with some quick success here, making the final table of the party $40k and of the Stars $10r/a in my first month. I didn't make another for nearly 3 months, until just before I started studying with Rizen. Definitely owing a lot to those studies, and committing just about an ideal amount of time to play, I tore up the tournaments I played last summer at UB, Bodog, and Paradise. I made 3 final tables at each site over the course of the summer, half of which were 2nd place finishes (despite repeatedly getting it in dominating heads up, I have yet to book a win). I also made 4th in a 2k field Stars $5 r/a. In September I hit another 2nd @ Bodog. Last weekend, I made it deep into both the Bodog and Stars Sunday Majors (13/666 and 212/6000, respectively).

I lost some money to sites shutting down and the Neteller freeze. Leaving me with a current profit of 3-4 times my SnG tear == another 12k to leave me currently at 16k.

I'm now returning to cash games as my focus, for scheduling reasons at to perfect my deepstack play for major tournaments. I think I'll shoot for consistency and try to triple my MTT profits during this run for another 35k (to leave me just over 50k). I'm not setting a time frame for this yet, but I'd like to think that it will be during 2007. I should also note that I'll continue to play Sunday tournaments, so those should give me some boosts here and there as well.

During my recent 300 hand stretch at NL100, I ran at .5BB per hand. I know the sample size is insignificant, but having a small amount of experience at 1/2 already, I've decided I'm moving to 1/2 next week. There I'll play a couple thousand hands before considering a move to 2/4. Long before the end of the summer I expect to be playing 3/6.

When I remember, I'll post updates of my progress here.

1/2 isnt much harder than .5/1, besides fish making hopeless bluffs on missed draws .
You'll also run into some regs who can read hands.
If you need reads on regs at 1/2 on stars give me a pm.

Good luck. I enjoy these posts about your progress.

I've been running insanely well (hitting runner runner straights to cover my I'm-totally-bluffing-but-will-rep-this-Ace-because-you'll-buy-it-whooops-that-doesn't-work-when-you-have-a-set creative plays) for something like 20-30PTBB/100 combined profit between 100NL, 200PL, and 200NL. That's only over like 1k hands, but it's still nice. All-in-all, I'm up around $600. I'll be cranking up the volume a bit today and when I'm able to play next week*.

*Fiance's bday = occupy weekend. Work = too tired to play A game during mid-week.

My insane run stopped being so insane at the beginning of the month. I dropped around $500 in a couple of days. Steadily been making that back since then. Stats currently reading at 6.8ptBB/100 for the measely 2k or so hands I have.

I've been having trouble finding motivation to make time to play. Now that I have a decent job, money just isn't the same motivating factor it used to be. I want to try to set a schedule to make playing work. I'm thinking something like Friday through Monday I play in the evenings, then take the three days in the middle off to chill.

I'm trying to decide exactly when to start taking shots at 400NL. I certainly don't have enough play in to justify it yet, but part of me definitely feels like the longer I wait the more likely I'm holding myself back. Currently, however, I'm definitely letting the money affect my thinking a bit too much for moving up.

The "when to move up" question drives me crazy.

Jeffrey I think you hit the nail on the head in your above post : when the money starts meaning nothing, it's time to start moving up to where you respect your own raises.

I've struggled with this a lot ; it's one of the reasons I've stewed in low-midstakes mediocrity for a while now.

But when I jumped to nl400 after basically fooling around at nl200 overrolled, I reay felt my game make a jump from playing with more intensity and facing more aggression from my opponents.

GL with your progress.

After a running reasonably well in a couple of short sessions of 6 max and running very well in a medium-length session last night, I ran horrible tonight and am back to break-even for cash play. Losing 1k at 1/2 definitely made me glad I wasn't playing at 2/4 yet :/ It's not bothering me a ton either, so I'm starting to develop the healthy disrespect for money that I know I need.

That last half-sentence can be parsed in two very different ways.

Originally Posted by biondino

That last half-sentence can be parsed in two very different ways.

Aye I meant that I know I need a healthy disrespect for money. None of the money in my BR is really money I need.

Originally Posted by JeffreyGB

Originally Posted by biondino

That last half-sentence can be parsed in two very different ways.

Aye I meant that I know I need a healthy disrespect for money. None of the money in my BR is really money I need.

I'll have it.

Move to 1/2 has been mostly successful. After some 6k hands I'm showing around 4BB/100. I'm completely comfortable playing there. Soon I intend to start taking stabs at 2/4.

I've recouped all of the MTT losses from the first half of the year, along with the money I lost investing in peoples who didn't cash at the WSOP. BR back to 17k.

I've been making some videos here and there. Once things with the site get figured out a bit more, they'll get posted here.

So my first 4 videos are up. I'd love to get feedback on them. I'm planning at least a couple more soon.

My move to 2/4 is underway. After 1k hands, I'm -$1.05, but that includes a few spots that I think I lost big pots trying to make moves (read: overplaying) with KQ.

After another 1500 hands and another failed attempt at making a big move against a reg I thought I had a read on, I'm +1.5PTBB/100 for 2/4. Remove my FPS and I'm more like +10.

Depending on how tables look, I'm going to start mixing in some 3/6 as well.

3/6 at FT is significantly tougher than 2/4 in my experience. I can rarely find more than 1 or 2 good tables and when I do, it's usually four regulars and one fish (either a spewy laggtard or a loose passive). There is money to be made there I think, but it's even more aggro than 2/4, so variance is crazy. Some 2p2'ers posted recently that there wasn't much difference between 3/6 and 5/10, fwiw. GL

Originally Posted by zook

3/6 at FT is significantly tougher than 2/4 in my experience. I can rarely find more than 1 or 2 good tables and when I do, it's usually four regulars and one fish (either a spewy laggtard or a loose passive). There is money to be made there I think, but it's even more aggro than 2/4, so variance is crazy. Some 2p2'ers posted recently that there wasn't much difference between 3/6 and 5/10, fwiw. GL

That actually describes what I was seeing at 2/4 all last weekend. Is there somewhere else you'd recommend playing instead?

Interestingly enough, a conversation I had with Rizen just a few days ago centered on 2/4 and 3/6 being similar and 5/10 being like 10/20 and 25/50. That had no small bearing on my decision, but if what you're saying is true, I'll likely start mixing in some 5/10 after 10kish 3/6 hands (assuming I don't get totally pwned)...we'll see.

I only play at FT, so there's nowhere else I can recommend. I think between 2/4 and 3/6 you should be able to find 4 good tables most days/times, sometimes 6 or more. I play 5 or 6 usually, but rarely are more than 2 of them 3/6. As for 5/10, I haven't played at all, but I've read on 2p2 that it's not much tougher than 3/6. I know that Rizen has experience in those games though, so I'd take his word over some randoms 2p2ers.

I've all but stopped playing for the last month or so. I've been too focused on other things:
0. Work
1. Getting healthy (gym + better diet = -10lbs)
2. Beginning the house-hunting process (I haven't actually done as much in this as I should have)
3. Working to get my new poker site up and running. I'm going to try to do a low stakes card-runners-esque site. No public link until I have it cleared with the Power That Be.
4. Chillin' w/ my girl

Things with the site are ramping up, but that means that a lot of the development work is winding down. Hopefully that will leave me time to play more.

Appreciate the help in the past. I really hope you start playing more so I can see your progress. Definitely a much respected player in my eyes. Good luck.

Originally Posted by JeffreyGB

I've all but stopped playing for the last month or so. I've been too focused on other things:
0. Work
1. Getting healthy (gym + better diet = -10lbs)
2. Beginning the house-hunting process (I haven't actually done as much in this as I should have)
3. Working to get my new poker site up and running. I'm going to try to do a low stakes card-runners-esque site. No public link until I have it cleared with the Power That Be.
4. Chillin' w/ my girl

Things with the site are ramping up, but that means that a lot of the development work is winding down. Hopefully that will leave me time to play more.

I hear that man, site looks goot!! Cant wait 4 ye to get back so i can rail.

Between buying a house and focusing on building the http://grinderschool.com site, I haven't played much at all of my normal game. That's probably not going to change until February of 2008. Operation Full Circle will be resumed at that point.

As above, nearly all of my recent play has been in making videos for the site. One kind of cool recent development is the decision to do a short series of single-concept videos on YouTube. I figure we'll release new ones once or twice a month. The first one is on Gap Theory: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAzXDKV-VvU

Nice job.

Long story short...I don't play enough. Between buying a house, working, and building Grinderschool I run out of hours in the day.

Currently, however, I'm hitting a few events at the WSOP and the Venetian Deepstack Extravaganza. Take one of these down and I shatter my '08 goals even with the limited play I've had.

A detailed writeup of my time will be updated daily in the public side of Grinderschool. Highlights so far include busting two people in the first orbit of event 32, taking about half of the Grinder's stack, and losing a ~55k coinflip at 400/800.