Taking a Microscope to Micro-Cash Games

Go for it. $10NL is very similar.

$10NL doesn't play much differently than $5NL. 20BI's is enough IMO, so yea, if you feel ready, then go for it!

I had some issues tonight... I think I know what they are but I'll let you all take a look and berate me for them...

Hand 1

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (7 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

Hero (BB) ($10)
UTG ($10.75)
MP1 ($12.20)
MP2 ($11.85)
CO ($8.90)
Button ($6.85)
SB ($5)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 9, 9
5 folds, SB calls $0.05, Hero raises to $0.40, SB calls $0.30

Flop: ($0.80) 2, 7, 6 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $0.60, SB calls $0.60

Turn: ($2) 6 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks

River: ($2) 7 (2 players)
SB bets $0.70, Hero calls $0.70

Total pot: $3.40 | Rake: $0.15


Hand 2

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

Hero (MP2) ($8.25)
MP3 ($10.75)
CO ($13.55)
Button ($2)
SB ($10.35)
BB ($5)
UTG ($8.25)
UTG+1 ($6.50)
MP1 ($5.90)

Preflop: Hero is MP2 with 9, 9
3 folds, Hero raises to $0.40, 1 fold, CO raises to $1.20, 3 folds, Hero calls $0.80

Flop: ($2.55) A, 2, A (2 players)
Hero checks, CO checks

Turn: ($2.55) J (2 players)
Hero checks, CO checks

River: ($2.55) 7 (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $1.20, Hero calls $1.20

Total pot: $4.95 | Rake: $0.20

Results in white below:
Hero mucked 9, 9 (two pair, Aces and nines).
CO had K, K (two pair, Aces and Kings).
Outcome: CO won $4.75


Hand 3

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

Hero (CO) ($5.30)
Button ($10.55)
SB ($20.75)
BB ($9.25)
UTG ($9.50)
UTG+1 ($4.50)
MP1 ($7.90)
MP2 ($6.75)
MP3 ($9.20)

Preflop: Hero is CO with Q, Q
5 folds, Hero raises to $0.40, 2 folds, BB raises to $1.20, Hero raises to $5.30 (All-In), BB calls $4.10

Flop: ($10.65) 10, 6, A (2 players, 1 all-in)

Turn: ($10.65) 8 (2 players, 1 all-in)

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

Total pot: $10.65 | Rake: $0.50

Results in white below:
BB had A, Q (one pair, Aces).
Hero mucked Q, Q (one pair, Queens).
Outcome: BB won $10.15


Hand 4

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

MP2 ($14.45)
MP3 ($5.70)
CO ($1.85)
Button ($16.90)
SB ($19.55)
BB ($6)
UTG ($14.55)
Hero (UTG+1) ($9.90)
MP1 ($9.25)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with A, 10
UTG calls $0.10, Hero calls $0.10, 1 fold, MP2 calls $0.10, MP3 raises to $0.40, 1 fold, Button calls $0.40, 2 folds, UTG calls $0.30, Hero calls $0.30, MP2 calls $0.30

Flop: ($2.15) J, A, 3 (5 players)
UTG bets $0.10, Hero raises to $1, 3 folds, UTG calls $0.90

Turn: ($4.15) J (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $2.80, UTG raises to $5.60, Hero folds

Total pot: $9.75 | Rake: $0.45

Results in white below:
UTG didn't show
Outcome: UTG won $9.30

The start of the comeback:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

MP2 ($9.35)
MP3 ($0.40)
CO ($3.95)
Button ($12.90)
SB ($7.75)
BB ($15.10)
UTG ($23.55)
Hero (UTG+1) ($3.40)
MP1 ($10)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with A, J
1 fold, Hero calls $0.10, 2 folds, MP3 calls $0.10, CO checks, Button calls $0.10, 1 fold, BB checks

Flop: ($0.45) 5, 5, J (5 players)
BB bets $0.50, Hero calls $0.50, 3 folds

Turn: ($1.45) 7 (2 players)
BB bets $1, Hero raises to $2.80 (All-In), BB calls $1.80

River: ($7.05) 10 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $7.05 | Rake: $0.35

Results in white below:
BB had J, 8 (two pair, Jacks and fives).
Hero had A, J (two pair, Jacks and fives).
Outcome: Hero won $6.85


And the ultimate fail...

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

UTG+1 ($9.05)
MP1 ($0.95)
MP2 ($3.80)
MP3 ($12.80)
CO ($7.70)
Button ($11.40)
SB ($23.45)
Hero (BB) ($6.85)
UTG ($10)

Preflop: Hero is BB with K, Q
5 folds, CO raises to $0.40, Button calls $0.40, 1 fold, Hero calls $0.30

Flop: ($1.25) K, K, J (3 players)
Hero checks, CO checks, Button bets $0.50, Hero calls $0.50, 1 fold

Turn: ($2.25) 9 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $1, Hero raises to $3, Button raises to $10.50 (All-In), Hero calls $2.95 (All-In)

River: ($14.15) 5 (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $14.15 | Rake: $0.70

Results in white below:
Button had K, J (full house, Kings over Jacks).
Hero had K, Q (three of a kind, Kings).
Outcome: Button won $13.45

Weee! Hands!

1) Super duper OMG standard. You could actually probably fold that river; but it's so small, and the board SO scary, that it's very possible it's a weak bluff.
2) Rebuy! (You knew I would say that right?) This is mostly ok. I hate having invested that much Pre-flop, but sometimes this happens. Fold river though, he's not value-betting here with worse than 99 often after checking two streets. //Checking results// Yup...
3) Rebuy! Hand would've played much differently if you had a full stack. Sucky board for your hand, but you should've been able to get away on the flop likely... //Checking results// Darn... expected...
4) Limp/call is BAD with this hand in EP. I usually would actually fold this hand here OOP. If I have to play it, I'm raising! 0.5 Pre-flop. The min-bet call line on the flop from UTG is a HIGH-STRENGTH, slowplay line. Learn to recognize that! Your hand is nowhere near strong enough to bet that turn!
5) WTF rebuy?! NO LIMPING FROM EP! Seriously, don't do this. You missed out on probably a LOT of value by not having a full stack here. DUCY? //Checking Results// Ugh. Ok, squeezing more value out of him would've been tougher (I expected KJ or QJ or JT or something)
6) REBUY! Stop slowplaying your strong, but not monster hands. Open bet the turn. Lose/win a stack on YOUR terms, not theirs. With a full stack, you are able to get away from this on the turn possibly.

Chris I get your point about the rebuys and the full stacks... I'm not sure it would have been right last night though. I wasn't playing well, so in the short run it worked out.

I am often hesitant to rebuy right away, that seems like a problem but I'm struggling with it. My slot play for years comes back to me... and trying to 'get back even' is I guess my point... also the fear of losing even larger amounts by risking more... but it does make sense that the take down is larger with the bigger stack... working on it.

Your slots strategy is just that... a strategy for slots (gambling).

Getting back to even should not be your goal, this is a leak! If you want to play shortstacked, then play universally shortstacked, and employ the strategy for that type of play (there is a guide here somewhere) But if you have a full stack on one table and a shortstack on the other, you're going to confuse your strategies slightly, and just make it more complicated. Even if you are playing the shortstack strategy, you would need to rebuy to your 40BB stack often!

Oh and:

...also the fear of losing even larger amounts by risking more...

You just wrote that. Don't you DARE believe that! Playing scared will only make it worse...

Originally Posted by ChrisBCritter

Your slots strategy is just that... a strategy for slots (gambling).

Getting back to even should not be your goal, this is a leak! If you want to play shortstacked, then play universally shortstacked, and employ the strategy for that type of play (there is a guide here somewhere) But if you have a full stack on one table and a shortstack on the other, you're going to confuse your strategies slightly, and just make it more complicated. Even if you are playing the shortstack strategy, you would need to rebuy to your 40BB stack often!

Oh and:

...also the fear of losing even larger amounts by risking more...

You just wrote that. Don't you DARE believe that! Playing scared will only make it worse...

Understood.

Ok, one question though. On the .02 .05 game, the max buy in is $10. I usually buy in for $6 for some reason, not sure why, but that seemed to be my standard amount.

If I buy in for $10, at what point do I consider needing to reload... $6? $7, $8?

Thanks Spoon!

Had a great session tonight. During lunch, instead of just browsing FTR, I spent 45 minutes going through the Little Green Book or whatever it is called. I did the ego exercises when I got home... felt stupid but it worked.

I played for 45 minutes, one NL5 and one NL10 table, cleared out $27 total in profit. Most ever in a single session.

I then spent an hour going through them hand by hand, reviewing them on poker tracker to see if my calls were correct, etc... Here are a few of the hands...

On this hand, it was only my second hand at the table, so reads sucked... I am trying to determine if I could have possibly extracted more value out of it... I doubt it though, any bet and I think he folds. Net result is the same, so I should have bet the turn or river...

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

saw flop | saw showdown

SB ($11.96)
Hero (BB) ($9.95)
UTG ($1.85)
UTG+1 ($6.87)
MP1 ($6.75)
MP2 ($10.68)
MP3 ($12.12)
CO ($6)
Button ($3.81)

Preflop: Hero is BB with A, Q
2 folds, MP1 calls $0.05, 2 folds, CO (poster) raises to $0.10, Button calls $0.10, 1 fold, Hero raises to $0.40, MP1 calls $0.35, 1 fold, Button calls $0.30

Flop: ($1.32) 2, 5, 5 (3 players)
Hero checks, MP1 checks, Button checks

Turn: ($1.32) 6 (3 players)
Hero checks, MP1 checks, Button checks

River: ($1.32) Q (3 players)
Hero checks, MP1 checks, Button checks

Total pot: $1.32 | Rake: $0.05

Results in white below:
Button mucked A, 10 (one pair, fives).
Hero had A, Q (two pair, Queens and fives).
MP1 mucked J, 10 (one pair, fives).
Outcome: Hero won $1.27

This hand is not one I played in, I wisely got out of the way, but I'm trying to understand what tatisss was thinking...
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (8 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

UTG ($10.45)
UTG+1 ($9.85)
MP1 ($11.90)
MP2 ($4.45)
CO ($18.65)
Button ($2.65)
Hero (SB) ($9.80)
BB ($9.90)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 8, Q
1 fold, UTG+1 raises to $0.40, MP1 raises to $1, 1 fold, CO calls $1, 3 folds, UTG+1 raises to $3, MP1 raises to $11.90 (All-In), CO calls $10.90, UTG+1 calls $6.85 (All-In)

Flop: ($33.80) 6, 2, 7 (3 players, 2 all-in)

Turn: ($33.80) 3 (3 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($33.80) J (3 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $33.80 | Rake: $1.65

Results in white below:
UTG+1 had A, A (one pair, Aces).
MP1 had K, K (one pair, Kings).
CO mucked K, A (high card, Ace).
Outcome: UTG+1 won $28.25, MP1 won $3.90

Imagination's hand I totally understand... I understand the KK hand also, it is hard for me to get away from those hands, even against that type of agression by two other players. Now tatiss knows one of them has AA or KK, and can't beat AA... But to call the shove? I don't think I could have done it... maybe I am learning something.


This hand, I like my move here, though it would have been my last on it, any resistance and I'm outta there... but I don't put the flop in either of villian's ranges, Nevito1 was 47/16/3.0 and Jasdell is 42/19/0.8 and Cowgirl is about a 30/7/2 though my samples are a bit small on them at this point, they all seem to be in too many hands... so I put at least one of them with Ax, small pair on another and two high cards on the third...

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (8 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

MP2 ($12.70)
CO ($24.30)
Button ($11.85)
SB ($2.10)
BB ($6)
UTG ($1.65)
Hero (UTG+1) ($9.75)
MP1 ($16.50)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with 5, 5
1 fold, Hero raises to $0.30, 3 folds, Button calls $0.30, SB calls $0.25, BB calls $0.20

Flop: ($1.20) 8, 8, 3 (4 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $0.80, 3 folds

Total pot: $1.20 | Rake: $0.05

Results in white below:
Hero didn't show
Outcome: Hero won $1.15


Ok, brag time... this was my set hunting that turned out BEAUTIFUL!...
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

CO ($5.55)
Button ($28.95)
SB ($9.75)
BB ($10.05)
UTG ($8.15)
UTG+1 ($1.85)
MP1 ($3.50)
Hero (MP2) ($10.75)
MP3 ($13.70)

Preflop: Hero is MP2 with 10, 10
3 folds, Hero raises to $0.40, MP3 raises to $1, 4 folds, Hero calls $0.60

Flop: ($2.15) 3, 10, J (2 players)
Hero bets $1.25, MP3 raises to $3, Hero raises to $9.75 (All-In), MP3 calls $6.75

Turn: ($21.65) 3 (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($21.65) A (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $21.65 | Rake: $1.05

Results in white below:
Hero had 10, 10 (full house, tens over threes).
MP3 mucked Q, Q (two pair, Queens and threes).
Outcome: Hero won $20.60

Alright, back to studying the hands to see what I did right and what I did wrong...

Villain is 45/0 over 11 hands or so... His flat call from BB puts me in position, he min bets 1/10 pot on flop, Pokerstove tells me I'm a 2 to 1 favorite at this point, but his range... I'm still a little unsure of... so we see the turn, which pairs the board, potential set out there, he bets small, giving me a .15 bet into a .75 pot... with Pokerstove telling me I'm a 3 to 2 favorite... I think I blew this even just on the pot odds...

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

saw flop | saw showdown

MP2 ($12.29)
Hero (CO) ($19.17)
Button ($1.43)
SB ($5.95)
BB ($9.73)
UTG ($6)
UTG+1 ($6.22)
MP1 ($3.34)

Preflop: Hero is CO with A, Q
UTG (poster) checks, 3 folds, Hero raises to $0.25, 3 folds, UTG (poster) calls $0.20

Flop: ($0.57) 3, 6, 4 (2 players)
UTG bets $0.05, Hero calls $0.05

Turn: ($0.67) 6 (2 players)
UTG bets $0.15, Hero folds

Total pot: $0.67 | Rake: $0

Results in white below:
UTG didn't show
Outcome: UTG won $0.67


Finished studying now... thanks again to Spoonitnow for the ego check and the 'you'll never study' motivation. An hour playing and an hour studying. Let's see how long I can keep it up.

Originally Posted by Monty3038

Understood.

Ok, one question though. On the .02 .05 game, the max buy in is $10. I usually buy in for $6 for some reason, not sure why, but that seemed to be my standard amount.

If I buy in for $10, at what point do I consider needing to reload... $6? $7, $8?

Good question. And a personal one actually. For me, when I started out playing at $5NL, My buyin was $5, every time. I wanted to get in the mode of thinking of 100BB stacks, so that's what I did. I reloaded back to $5 whenever I dropped to $4.50 (90%) or below. My reload strategy is just that, reload to 100BB if I drop to 90BB or lower.

If this works for you, great, but find your own way that makes you comfortable.

Hand 1: AQo in BB I bet the turn after the flop checks through. $1.00 make ya holla. As played, ya gotta bet the river!
Hand 2: Q8o Yea, CO probably could've (and should've) gotten away from this 3-handed. But at the same time I can't blame him too much. You see people doing the same thing with a LOT less than AA, KK and AKs at this limit.
Hand 3: 55 Yes. This is super standard! I usually PFR'd to $0.40 myself to reduce the number of callers a little more. You are WAY overthinking this though. Simply, this is a flop that didn't hit your opponents ranges at all, and you are taking a one-shot stab, representing a big pair. Any action means that you are beat, and you can easily walk away!
Hand 4: TT Perfect. I love it when that happens.
Hand 5: AQo Why so weak? 45/0 after 11 hands is meaningless(sample size), and shouldn't even factor in. I raise his flop min-bet as if he checked. If he calls that and STILL leads out small on the turn, then I easily fold. As played, he could easily just be betting a naked 5 for the OESD!

I realize sample size is small, but how do you figure samples when you are seeing so many new players all of the time, often you have to go with what little you have?

Originally Posted by Monty3038

I realize sample size is small, but how do you figure samples when you are seeing so many new players all of the time, often you have to go with what little you have?

sample size vs reads is interesting. If it's for stacks then I'm probably ignoring the stats against <40 hands,and thinking about his line instead. I also note that if I don't have stats then villain probably isn't a reg so probably sucks.

Originally Posted by daven

Originally Posted by Monty3038

I realize sample size is small, but how do you figure samples when you are seeing so many new players all of the time, often you have to go with what little you have?

sample size vs reads is interesting. If it's for stacks then I'm probably ignoring the stats against <40 hands,and thinking about his line instead. I also note that if I don't have stats then villain probably isn't a reg so probably sucks.

Good points. I don't have notes on many of the regs at NL10, just getting started there.

It takes a long time to get accurate stats from a player but after just one hand you can start to develop reads on them by looking at their line instead of just looking at stats. I look at stats after 1 hand but I would take almost no notice of it, after 10 hands if it's extreme nit or maniac then that is interesting/relevant etc. etc. It's all about working out which data you can use and not being too reliant on it.

Going back to NL5 for a little while, got beat up pretty bad on Sunday chasing flushes and in general just playing like a dumbass. Got paid on a couple of sets, but still didn't make my losses reasonable.

Back down to aroun 199 in the BR on stars, down to about $140 on FTP.

Ok, here we go... was this stupid or just a bad beat... the shove wasn't my best move of the night... thought I had it... but obviously didn't.

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

saw flop | saw showdown

MP2 ($7.17)
CO ($12.06)
Button ($6.76)
SB ($3.59)
Hero (BB) ($8.89)
UTG ($10)
UTG+1 ($5.85)
MP1 ($10.43)

Preflop: Hero is BB with K, Q
UTG calls $0.05, 5 folds, SB raises to $0.20, Hero calls $0.15, UTG calls $0.15

Flop: ($0.60) Q, Q, A (3 players)
SB bets $0.35, Hero raises to $0.70, UTG calls $0.70, 1 fold

Turn: ($2.35) 9 (2 players)
Hero bets $1.75, UTG calls $1.75

River: ($5.85) 3 (2 players)
Hero bets $6.24 (All-In), UTG calls $6.24

Total pot: $18.33 | Rake: $0.90

Results in white below:
Hero had K, Q (three of a kind, Queens).
UTG had Q, 9 (full house, Queens over nines).
Outcome: UTG won $17.43

With him being so passive, it's tough to lose less money here. He slowplayed the flop, and got lucky on the turn. Just reload, and attack him!

Been reading a bunch and studying some Brunson also... also really taken with the concept of winning big pots and losing little ones... last night came into a situation that really signified this...

History is at home but I'm UTG+1 with 77 and call (.02/.05 table) the BB... everyone else folds but the button, who raises to 6xBB.

Now I'm wondering if this is a steal or if he has something, I check my notes and this is a solid player, with over 600 hands in history, he is running like 20/8/2.7 or similar... so I'm thinking he is on a decent hand... probably JJ+ or AK, AQ. I don't put him on a low pair because I think he just calls with that.

So, SB folds, BB folds, it's on me... I call hoping to hit a set and stack him. I am sitting with about $5 stack and he has $11 stack. Flop comes 8-T-Q rainbow. Darn I think, he may have just hit his Q. I figure if he hit the Q I'm doomed but want to represent strength and control the betting and aggression as Brunson said... so into this .67 pot I throw out .55. He flat calls... a move which leads me to think he is on JJ, wanting to see where this goes or has high pair, which beats me... Turn comes out, think it was a 2. pot is now 1.87 if I did the math right, and I check it after hitting the TIME button... he pauses for a long time... then bets 1/2 pot. I've not seen him hesitate like that before... which makes me really think deeply about it. I figure he missed the flop, has top pair though and I put him on KK. He has to be worried about me hitting a set... so I show him I have a set and bet the pot or close to it... he insta folds.

On the next hand he poses the questions... what did you have? when I don't answer he posts that he had KK... clearly beating me but I ignore him... finally he posts that he felt I hit the set of tens and just wants to know if he is close... so I oblige him and answer... 'you're close'.

I know answering was wrong, but felt that answer still indicated a set, potentially the set of 8s which is still within the range he could have expected.

Another hand that I followed what I am going to call 'the sniper approach' that I felt I played really well...

on the button with K7 suited... 4 limpers ahead in 9-handed FR, I called to see if I could flush something out... end up 6 handed. Flop comes out T-8-4 rainbow. Checks to CO and he min-bets. He is new to the table, so I am not sure what he is after... I call and we get down to 4 handed (.50 in pot)... turn comes and is a 6. Only two matched suits on the board, checks all around to CO who min bets .05 again. .5 to call into a .55 pot... one card gets me the straight and potential win, since everyone is so tentative a K or 7 likely wins the pot also... I call. Still 4 in the hand. pot now .70 and river comes out as a 9. Check, Check, Shove. I'm looking at a straight and CO shoves in front of me being so tentative previously... so now I put him on the same straight I'm sitting on or a set of 9s. I call, everyone else folds... he turns over AA... straight holds up.

So... two good hands out of around 100 last night which helped me break even overall.

LOL at the K7s hand. He's crying himself to sleep...OMG, my aces got cracked AGAIN

Good move with your read on the 55 hand.

Originally Posted by ChrisBCritter

LOL at the K7s hand. He's crying himself to sleep...OMG, my aces got cracked AGAIN

Good move with your read on the 55 hand.

Yes, he rebought in for minimum ($2) played 3 hands and left the table.

I should have tried to follow him to see if he hit another table, but it was late...

Hand that make you cringe, then shove over...

On this hand, villian was 26/26/8 but only over 23 hands and had been playing tight. He was one of the larger stacks at the table, winning most of his hands at showdown with very good cards.

I called this hand hoping to hit a set... when I hit it and he continues... I was worried he might be sitting on QQ but I figured set vs set and I'm paying him... worked out well for me

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (7 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

MP2 ($9.75)
CO ($2.95)
Button ($9.85)
SB ($18.45)
BB ($9.90)
UTG ($14.70)
Hero (MP1) ($20.20)

Preflop: Hero is MP1 with 8, 8
UTG raises to $0.40, Hero calls $0.40, 3 folds, SB calls $0.35, BB calls $0.30

Flop: ($1.60) Q, 8, 9 (4 players)
SB checks, BB checks, UTG bets $1, Hero raises to $2, 2 folds, UTG raises to $4, Hero raises to $19.60, UTG calls $10.30 (All-In)

Turn: ($30.20) 2 (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($30.20) 8 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $30.20 | Rake: $1.50

Results in white below:
UTG had K, K (two pair, Kings and eights).
Hero had 8, 8 (four of a kind, eights).
Outcome: Hero won $28.70

Some of you asked me to check my stats at 10,000 hands... well. I'm just short of that and here we go:



Here is my stat summary:

VP$IP: 15.58
PFR: 8.45
W$WSF: 39.01
WTSD: 29.21
W$SD: 50.50
AF: 2.69
AFq: 47.13
3Bet: 4.87
Fold 3b: 66.08
Att to steal: 16.89
Fold BB to Steal: 74.03
Fold SB to Steal: 86.96


SO I'm looking for leaks, looks like the fold to steal percentages are high, but I don't like playing OOP with crap... 3 bet looks low too, maybe I'm a little tentative post flop... thoughts?

Swingy graph! HH for hand ~9700??? did you move up to $25NL for a hand or something?

Originally Posted by Monty3038

Some of you asked me to check my stats at 10,000 hands... well. I'm just short of that and here we go:



Here is my stat summary:

VP$IP: 15.58<-- A little tight for my taste, but safe.
PFR: 8.45<-- I'd like to see this closer to 10/12, You're already folding a lot, don't call so much.
W$WSF: 39.01<-- This is ok.
WTSD: 29.21<-- I'm not sure, because of your VPIP... but it seems slightly high to me?
W$SD: 50.50<-- Right around 50% is where this should be, yup.
AF: 2.69<-- Good! You are betting more than calling overall.
AFq: 47.13<-- I don't know how to use this stat yet.
3Bet: 4.87<-- This is fine, I wouldn't worry about this until you get to higher limits ($100NL+).
Fold 3b: 66.08<-- This looks a little low to me, but it could be a function of your low VPIP. Just be careful how often you are calling 3-bets!
Att to steal: 16.89<-- This is Low. From the SB, Button, CO and HJ, if it's folded to you, you should raise a wider range to steal the blinds. Heck, even if they call, sometimes you'll hit a lucky flop!
Fold BB to Steal: 74.03<-- Both of these actually look fine.
Fold SB to Steal: 86.96


SO I'm looking for leaks, looks like the fold to steal percentages are high, but I don't like playing OOP with crap... 3 bet looks low too, maybe I'm a little tentative post flop... thoughts?

Hmm, I dunno man. They look like they should be winnable stats? Keep pluggin away!

Funny thing, yes I did play a little .25 as I clicked on the wrong tables... played a few hands and bailed... I didn't think I had those in the graph but I was playing scared, think I actually played two hands, won one and lost th eother, but would have to go look.

Originally Posted by Monty3038

Here is my stat summary:

VP$IP: 15.58 Ok
PFR: 8.45 Too much difference with vpip. Way too much limp calling going on, the only hands you should limp call with at 10nl are small pps utg imo, exploitable yes but no-one will exploit you.
W$WSF: 39.01 good
WTSD: 29.21 good
W$SD: 50.50 good
AF: 2.69 fine
AFq: 47.13
3Bet: 4.87 I would say this is actually a little high. Are you 3betting QQ vs. a tight player's utg raise and stuff like that? If so, stop it.
Fold 3b: 66.08 Looks low, don't setmine vs. 3bets unless they are really small and try not to ever call a 3bet oop.
Att to steal: 16.89 REALLY LOW, BIG LEAK. Sort out your position play. Mine is more like 35-40% but anything less than 30% is really leaving money on the table.
Fold BB to Steal: 74.03 fine, maybe a little low
Fold SB to Steal: 86.96 fine.

I was going to type most of what badgers said... that 17% ATS is really low. If it's folded to you on the button and you have two napkins, Raise that shit up!! There are tiimes when this is 100% true if the blinds are tight enough... but your range should be huge crazy big, even if the blinds are rather loose.

I'm guessing if you maintain your current hand ranges.. but start stealing 30% from the button and cutoff, it will go a long ways towards badger's recommended closure between your VP$P and PFR.

Thanks all for the advice about ATT to steal... I struggle with this one, often thinking tables are too tight to make it work... so I will work to up that percentage and see how it affects things overall. I'm sure it is a big leak.

Originally Posted by Monty3038

Thanks all for the advice about ATT to steal... I struggle with this one, often thinking tables are too tight to make it work... so I will work to up that percentage and see how it affects things overall. I'm sure it is a big leak.

LOL. It works a LOT better at a tight table than a loose one! Think about that!

Originally Posted by ChrisBCritter

Originally Posted by Monty3038

Thanks all for the advice about ATT to steal... I struggle with this one, often thinking tables are too tight to make it work... so I will work to up that percentage and see how it affects things overall. I'm sure it is a big leak.

LOL. It works a LOT better at a tight table than a loose one! Think about that!

Now Chris, give me a LITTLE credit

Was just opening up tables and getting started last night, had two tables open, had just sat at each, gotten organized and folded a hand or two on one table, then hit a good run on both tables, got hit with a bad beat against my two pair, with higher two pair (he made it on the river with a Q) and was grinding away, ok so I was playing my 8th hand and even after losing the bad beat was still up $8 at 5/10 and the phone rings... work... sit out... leave table... put on coat... drive hour to work... work for two hours... drive home... get speeding ticket... go sleep 4 hours then go back to work.

Sometimes... life sucks.

Hi there folks, there are only a few of you who are reading this journey but here is where I stand. This week I have hardly touched poker, am on vacation and playing in a national golf tournament.

I am a member of the Golf Channel Amateur Tour and am at the national championships. I know some of you golf and can potentially understand how it is pressure wise and tension wise at a big event and how that affects your swing.

We arrived in Florida on Sunday and I started the tournament on Wednesday. My wife and daughter came with me, making this a family vacation. We went to Sea World on Monday but got rained out in the afternoon. I played a practice round of golf on Tuesday and got ready for the tournament. Wednesday morning dawned bright and hot... played a great first round (I'm a 16 handicap and shot an 87). This put me in the first 20 spots, a good place to be. We went to dinner and played a round of minature golf in Orlando, my daughter got her first hole in one!

On the way back to the rental condo, we were rear-ended at a stop light by some jackass from Michigan. He hit us hard enough that my daughter and wife were transported to the hospital on backboards with neck braces. I refused treatment though i was hurting myself. After an hour and a half with the Florida State Highway patrol, I finished the police report and went to the hospital.

Thursday morning dawned very early... having gotten home from the hospital at 1am, I had to be at the course at 6:30am... so I was running on 3 hours sleep. I was hurting badly and exhausted. BUT... I fought through it, I think through the training i have had with emotional control and willpower here and through poker. I shot an 84 and moved up to 15th place.

Today is the big day... today is the cut. If I can make it into the top 13 players i make the chanpionship round on Saturday, playing for the trophy and national championship. There is also the potential for televised coverage, the golf channel is on site and taping. They did televise some of the team championship earlier this week...

So if any of you care... wish me luck and skill out there today. If you would like to take a look at what I'm talking about... go here:

http://theaagt.com/champweek2008/2008_nc.html

I'm in it to win it, going to try to play my ass off today. I'll be back to poker early next week when I get home, hopefully with a new avatar showing me holding a very large trophy

I'll be back to poker soon dear readers...

Well guys, I'm back.

I placed 8th in Nationals, didn't play well the last day as I struggled with my irons to find greens. Got it together some on the back but still not enough to advance.

All in all a good trip except for the accident... so I'm back and will be hitting the tables probably tonight. Today I have the yard full of leaves to tackle.

Good job with the golf tourney.

I am a 2 handicap and definately understand the pressure situations!

You'll get 'em next year. My advice never work on your long swing again until you can shoot 75 or better after missing every green.

I hope you and your family feel better from the accident soon. I'll make sure I rearend the next guy with a Michigan tag I see.

O

Thanks Outlaw, he got the worst of it, imagine the pointy nose on a Monty Carlo impacting a trailer hitch, right in the center... his front end is trashed.

And he got cited... thank god.

Anyway, we'll be ok, wife is the only one still sore, she'll be ok in a few days. Thanks for the well wishes.

8th place is great man! Congrats!

That sucks about the accident, but I'm glad that it wasn't any worse than it was!

Welcome back to real life! (WTF, you have an hour commute to work? Ouch...)

Yeah, I drive an hour each way to work. I don't mind it, mostly back country highway and I am going the opposite of traffic. I put 78 miles a day on my car... crazy.

Gas kills me when it is high, I'm driving my wifes car because I can't afford to drive my own.

ANyway, I played a few hands today, found a super fish at a table and pumped him for $6 and then got a lucky straight on a flop to take another $5 from a seemingly regular...

So I'm up a bit for today, will get back to actually putting in decent time tonight I hope.

So I was tired last night and didn't play much, but got about 100 hands in before I started losing focus and looking for the exit.

I played one hand though that I was pretty shocked at. I am BB with .10 in the pot (.05/.01 9-handed NLHE) and there were 6 players in ahead of me... so I check it since I'm holding crap... like 5-9 off suited. Flop comes down with random stuff... including a 5. I think high card on the board was a Queen. So I check it, figuring bottom pair isn't any good here... it checks around to player in CO... he raises the .65 pot by throwing in .20... now I figure he has a pair, and it isn't a great pair... there is a chance I have the same pair, and being tired I called. 4 others called as well, now 5 players in this pot, and I have bottom pair.

So I'm ready to throw the hand away, next card was junk, I think a 2. now there are no flush or straights possible on the board so far... nothing obviously staring at us, I check and everyone else checks as well... table has been fairly weak-tight, so this I find odd. Could they all be sitting there without a pair? River comes and is a 5. So now I have trips... but if that guy has low pair, or had a set he has a full house... being cautious and wanting to see his action I bet 1.00 into the 1.65 pot... everyone folds but CO who hesitates a long time... almost let the 30 second timer run out, then raises me to $4.00... now I know I am probably beat, but this guy has been weird this hand. I am seriously doubting the set. But he has been betting high pair like it is the nuts everytime... but he only plays when he has something. So I'm concerned, but of course tired and curious... and I call. Result: I win with trip 5s... he is holding a pair of jacks.

All in all, I was down about $1 or $2 last night after 100 hands, mostly blinded that away, lost a couple of contentious pots but won the one above... the challenges were often two pair being beaten by a set... had flopped a straight and was betting it out when villian hit the full house on the river, ruining that hand for around $5.

So Anyway, an average night, nothing big to report... except it could be that the driver in the other vehicle who hit me is both without insurance AND the son of a state senator... so this could get interesting!

Sadly last night I took a pretty big downswing in my bankroll on PS.... played in a few tables and made really bad decisions to end up losing $35 of my $200 bankroll... so this is pretty much my biggest single day downswing.

I can attribute 2/3 of that amount to bad play... calling and raising when I shouldn't. For some reason I had this can't be beat attitude, and kept chasing...

One third of the amount though I can attribute to a bad beat... I got into a pre-flop raise fest with two others, putting one on AA and the other on a good hand also... after we got to about 2.50 pre-flop each, the flop came out KT6 or similar... giving me a set of Kings... no way I'm getting away from the hand... the guy in front shoves, I call, the guy behind calls too, three players all in for max buy in... me with a set of kings... of course I got sucked out on with the straight, but the first player who I put on Aces had pocket 9s... I really don't understand his play... but anyway, he is the one who sucked out on us... the guy behind had rockets.

So tonight I think I'm taking a night off from poker... maybe two nights.

I have had a lot going on in the real world, thinking of a break for a while. At least a day.

I somehow missed your update last week.

Your trip 5's hand is fine. Yea villian played it odd, but I don't think there is another way for YOU to play it. Trust me, that is not the weirdest play you will ever see!

Jeez, you're accident prone lately?! WTF? And the son of a senator? How's that going?

Did you lose the $35 at $10NL or $5NL? What were your "really bad decisions"? Care to share with us?

GL man, and just go deep in a tourney like me, it's a nice way to boost the BR!

Well the senator's son is a deadbeat apparently, imagine that... he doesn't have insurance IMO but he keeps giving our company the run around, "No, I have this insurance... wait, maybe this insurance". My wife is suffering from a cervical sprain in her neck/upper back... so she is in pain and going through physical therapy. But it will all work out in the end.

As towards the downswing. It was at 10NL. One hand that sticks out was I had K3 of clubs on the button. One limper ahead with a 65/15 type stat over 20 hands... I put in 5xBB and get called by BB and limper. Flop pairs my King and shows two clubs... so I have a King high flush draw and top pair with crappy kicker. He bets small, maybe 1/4 pot, I call, BB raises to pot... limper calls and I call. BB is an average appearing 10NL player... Honestly I'm hoping for the flush... turn comes out as a spade, no help, nothing impressive, but they keep firing, and I keep calling. In the end the river didn't appear to help anyone and I keep calling, knowing I'm beat but unable to let it go... ends up costing me about $7.

Other dumb moves are calling obvious flush draws with middle pair, trying to bluff the straight, and in general just stupid unfocused aggressive play. I couldn't get away from the guy on my left... he was an aggro maniac who would jump into any raised pot with ATC then start getting hyper aggressive after the flop. He was getting killed by everyone at the table but me, when I shook him down he had the goods.

So just stupid play... instead of clearing out and changing tables I kept grinding in a losing fashion...

All righty then.

Sorry that your wife is having back/neck-pain, and good luck with the deadbeat, sounds like a shitty situation.

-3.5 BI's is not a lot. It's not fun, but that should be considered a normal variance of this game IMO. My personal stop-loss for a session is 4-5 BI's normally, and many times I've gone down 3-4 BI's, only to rocket back and show a profit for the session. Don't let the numbers discourage you.

About the K3s hand. Answer these:
1) What were you trying to accomplish with your pre-flop raise? Surely you didn't think that the limper was going to fold did you?
2) Why no C-bet on the flop? YOU should've been the one to raise it to POT on the flop, not the BB. The flop double call is not good. Keep the initiative that you started with the PFR. You might be able to buy a free river card! Without knowing the amount of the turn bet, I can't say whether or not it was a good call... but a river fold should be VERY easy with all that action... Being a sheriff is not a good thing in this game!!

As far as the aggro maniac, I hate it when it happens like that, he has junk all the time except when he's up against me, then he just freakin happens to have the nuts, and I have a hand I can't let go. Ugh... Thems the breaks some times.

In summary, just be patient! Don't try to force a hand to become more than what it is. At this limit, if you play solid hands, and bluff ONLY once in a while, it will work out easily.

Originally Posted by ChrisBCritter

All righty then.

Sorry that your wife is having back/neck-pain, and good luck with the deadbeat, sounds like a shitty situation.

-3.5 BI's is not a lot. It's not fun, but that should be considered a normal variance of this game IMO. My personal stop-loss for a session is 4-5 BI's normally, and many times I've gone down 3-4 BI's, only to rocket back and show a profit for the session. Don't let the numbers discourage you.

About the K3s hand. Answer these:
1) What were you trying to accomplish with your pre-flop raise? Surely you didn't think that the limper was going to fold did you?
2) Why no C-bet on the flop? YOU should've been the one to raise it to POT on the flop, not the BB. The flop double call is not good. Keep the initiative that you started with the PFR. You might be able to buy a free river card! Without knowing the amount of the turn bet, I can't say whether or not it was a good call... but a river fold should be VERY easy with all that action... Being a sheriff is not a good thing in this game!!

As far as the aggro maniac, I hate it when it happens like that, he has junk all the time except when he's up against me, then he just freakin happens to have the nuts, and I have a hand I can't let go. Ugh... Thems the breaks some times.

In summary, just be patient! Don't try to force a hand to become more than what it is. At this limit, if you play solid hands, and bluff ONLY once in a while, it will work out easily.

Yes, and that is how I normally play. I'm not sure what tilted me so bad last night... that aggro maniac had something to do with it, he was all over the place... saw him go from $3 to $28 to $6 to $12 to $3 all in about 7 or 8 hands... what a train wreck. Of course, part of it was my money

I'll be ok, just think a night off might help. Lots of things going on right now.

It has come down to this. I've gotten to the point where even though my swing is not that bad, I have to turn the corner.

I'm down about 5+ buy ins now at .05/.10 and have lost all of the funds I orignally deposited into Poker Stars. All I have left is the money I won on the FTR 300 a few months back. My graphs look like shit and I've somehow lost the ability to stay mediocre.

So this weekend is it. It is turn the corner time.

Tonight my plan is to get setup, get in the right frame of mind, hold my nose to the mirror for a ten count and then setup to run 6 tables of .05/.10 and play tight and strong. No more trying to hit my runners, no more limping crap on the button hoping to hit. Steals and 19 hands only is the plan when multi-tabling. When single tabling I will work hard to develop notes and reads.

I don't necessarily understand the theory behind VP$IP vs PFR and how it affects range, because that hasn't worked the way I thought I understood it. So I'm having to shit can that and re-learn it. I may go so far as to start a new thread. This one is too long now and hasn't really helped anyone. So I'm at that crossroads... can go to 'epic fail' or turn the corner and head down profitable street. It's all up to me.

Ok, I've been thinking about this all morning. I am revamping my image and my game, making those changes that will make it ultimately profitable (IMO)... my new thread will be called "Turning the Corner" and is located here:

http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...69.html#779938

I'm on my way, going to make it count this time.

AAAHH! You're changing your thread again? Hmmm, I wonder what's going on here? Too much fancy play? I know that I have been doing that a lot lately (tournament win besides...) I guess we'll see!!