From Rags to riches...

[DubRod]

Let me just start by saying that this post is mostly a way for me to track my progress and get some feedback from other players. I have been playing poker for over a year and a half and after a month's rest I have decided to start playing seriously in order to become what I would consider a good poker player.

I plan on playing my way up the echelons till I am comfortable playing above 100NL and thus starting at the bottom of the pit at 10NL with an initial bankroll of 100$. I also plan on religiously sticking to the general 25x buy-in rule before moving up and only when i feel ready.

Thus said, I will only post periodically.

Let the Fun Begin.

December 1st: 100$Goals:
1- Log at least 20K hands
2- Move up to 25NL (BR-625$)

[Les_Worm]

...10NL with an initial bankroll of 100$. I also plan on religiously sticking to the general 25x buy-in rule ...

Shouldn't you then start at like $2NL?

[DubRod]

10NL is my only exception as I am confident 10 buy-ins will be enough considering my past experiences at that level.

[bigspenda73]

10NL is my only exception as I am confident 10 buy-ins will be enough considering my past experiences at that level.

...famous last words

Gl to ya, if you get rich will you loan me a micro-roll?

What site are you playing on?

[DubRod]

Thanks, Currently playing on Hollywood poker.

[DubRod]

Here's the first brick in my poker wall.
Had a hectic weekend so didnt play as many hands as I would of liked. Nevertheless happy with the results.

[Toe]

what hands are you raising preflop?

[DubRod]

at this limit I raise top 5 hands plus some specilative hands in unraised pots on the button or one off. I raise much less then when I play higher limits as even a 6xbb raise gets you 3calls and with no-foldem holdem players.

[bearcats05]

you should still be raising more than 3%

[lolzzz_321]

Rap mags try and use my black ass
So advertisers can give 'em more cash for ads, fuckers!
I don't know what you take me as
Or understand the intelligence that Jay-Z has
I'm from, rags to riches, niggaz I ain't dumb
I got 99 problems, but a bitch ain't one

[DubRod]

Euh....ok buddy, Jay-z ftw lol.
Keeping on topic, The only reason you want to raise is to limit the field with your big hands (AA,KK,...etc). If you know 80% hands go to showdown and 80% off the final pot is put in postflop, why would I still raise my speculative hands oop (sc's, small pp, etc..)? You cant buy pots if you miss and you get paid just the same if you hit. Not raising much is definitly a leak but in this situation I think it is not.

Please discuss if you think i'm wrong.

[Pelion]

Euh....ok buddy, Jay-z ftw lol.
Keeping on topic, The only reason you want to raise is to limit the field with your big hands (AA,KK,...etc). If you know 80% hands go to showdown and 80% off the final pot is put in postflop, why would I still raise my speculative hands oop (sc's, small pp, etc..)? You cant buy pots if you miss and you get paid just the same if you hit. Not raising much is definitly a leak but in this situation I think it is not.

Please discuss if you think i'm wrong.

I agree with you but I think most of this site wont. In games where people will stack off in unraised pots there are very few hands that should be raised preflop.

High pairs and high aces are good to raise since you want to ideally be up against 1 opponent who can hit top pair with a worse kicker than you. Pretty much anything else is just a limp IMO.

My raising range at 10NL was pretty much JJ+ AJ+ (adding in others if its folded to me in late position).

[jyms]

Keeping on topic, The only reason you want to raise is to limit the field with your big hands (AA,KK,...etc).
Please discuss if you think i'm wrong.

Actually, from NLHE T&P "There are at least 6 main reasons to raise before the flop in NO Limit Hold em.
1) For value
2)For Isolation
3)To steal the blinds
4)As a semi bluff
5)For deception
6)To manipulate pot size

You may want to look into raising more hands.

[DubRod]

Well I have read NLHE T&P as well and definitly agree with the reasons for raising, but poker is a game of adaptation aand I believe this is the way to adapt to this type of table. Let me go over the reasons:

1)For Value (People are willing to play for stacks postflop without much resistance even in unraised pots so the extra value of pre flop raises is minimal in final pots)
2)For Isolation (I agree, while I raise top hands, 6xbb still gets you a couple calls and there is no way they are folding the flop, 89suited on button screams raise but if you cant represent anything or buy pots, your just dumping cash as you are getting paid justt the same with a limp.)
3)To steal the blinds (This applies mostly to tourney play, besides, what 15 cents.)
4) As a semi bluff (You dont get much respect for a raise at this level and will usually see a flop anyways, re-reraise or not.)
5)For deception (this is true but when playing people with poor poker knowledge, where they dont understand basic plays, your not deceiving them, your deceiving yourself in believing you can outplay them representing something. )
6) To manipulate pot size (Big pots big hands right, small pots small hands. If you know most hands are going to showdown, why raise speculative hands.)

Here an example of general preflop play.

Texas Hold'em $0.10-$0.20 NL (real money), hand #1,338,245,531
Table Hofuf, 6 Dec 2006 5:40 PM ET

Seat 1: TrueSkool1 ($2.30 in chips)
Seat 2: J05U3 ($1.35 in chips)
Seat 3: Dub Rod [ KD,AH ] ($10.35 in chips)
Seat 4: Spoocky x ($8.90 in chips)
Seat 5: F P I x ($12.25 in chips)
Seat 6: Ristopentti ($10.30 in chips)
Seat 7: Lewy3210 ($9.80 in chips)
Seat 8: normansc ($7.80 in chips)
Seat 9: yiikvomdfk ($3.65 in chips)
Seat 10: jay-jay7 ($3.00 in chips)
ANTES/BLINDS
Ristopentti posts blind ($0.05), Lewy3210 posts blind ($0.10), jay-jay7 posts blind ($0.10).

PRE-FLOP
normansc folds,
yiikvomdfk folds,
jay-jay7 checks,
TrueSkool1 calls $0.10,
J05U3 calls $0.10,
Dub Rod bets $0.40,
Spoocky x calls $0.40,
F P I x calls $0.40,
Ristopentti folds,
Lewy3210 calls $0.30,
jay-jay7 calls $0.30,
TrueSkool1 folds,
J05U3 calls $0.30.

[DubRod]

Glad you understtand my reasoning Pellion, It may not be "great" poker but i believe it is "good" poker for this level; and this level only.

By the way, I cant wait to get past this level. The suckouts and the beats are getting anoying.