I totally forgotten how it felt to move up limits. This was a weird experience for me. I definitely donked off 3 BIs very quickly, but still ended up just 1 BI behind. I guess that's an accomplishment. I'm not used to the aggression and there are a lot more better players it seemed. I didn't do much table selection though, I really wanted to adjust to the higher money. Hand reading seems to shine here, I missed some opportunities when I thought I knew what hand someone had but value bet too little thinking he might just not have much.
The good news is that making FPP in 50NL is very fast so I got my bonus waiting for me to clear. It'll only take 2k FPPs to clear. I'm planning to try to stay at 50NL, I'm expected some variance. I didn't get sucked out today but I really played poorly early on. I feel 50nl is going to be a new refreshing challenge, I am confident about my game but a couple BIs variance is to be expected. The biggest adjustment I think is going to be hand reading, I'm not sure if it's time to move to 3rd level thinking and start pulling more bluffs. But I did see a bunch of loose callers. I think it'll push my game to the next level if I stay. Good luck to me I guess.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
1hr session, quick successes
I did well today's session, went up 2.5 BIs playing very little. I got lucky with some good setup hands. I did lose a little less than a BI on one hand. I'm not sure if I overplayed it, I will have to think about it some more. I'm pretty sure in a long run, I will make a profit given the action.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
Button ($49.60)
SB ($16.70)
BB ($19.40)
Hero ($26.70)
MP ($82.10)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with Ks, Ad.
Hero raises to $1, 3 folds, BB calls $0.75.
Flop: ($2.10) 3d, Kd, 2h (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $1.5, BB calls $1.50.
Turn: ($5.10) 4h (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $3.5, BB raises to $16.9, Hero calls $13.40.
I'm not sure what the heck I can put him on. The only thing I see is that there are 2 flush draws on the board. I think making a call here would not be too bad. Only hand I would have to worry about are the straights and sets where I have few outs. The flush draws are what I put him on. I can't see what hand he called me PF that I generally won't beat other than 22, 33. I don't think he would call a PF with 56 or A5.
River: ($38.90) Jh (2 players)
Final Pot: $38.90
Results below:
BB has 4c 3c (two pair, fours and threes).
Hero has Ks Ad (one pair, kings).
Outcome: BB wins $38.90.
That's a weird ass hand that I can't even fathom him playing. I'm not sure if this is a good call in a long run. Like I said, I have to really think more about it.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
Button ($49.60)
SB ($16.70)
BB ($19.40)
Hero ($26.70)
MP ($82.10)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with Ks, Ad.
Hero raises to $1, 3 folds, BB calls $0.75.
Flop: ($2.10) 3d, Kd, 2h (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $1.5, BB calls $1.50.
Turn: ($5.10) 4h (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $3.5, BB raises to $16.9, Hero calls $13.40.
I'm not sure what the heck I can put him on. The only thing I see is that there are 2 flush draws on the board. I think making a call here would not be too bad. Only hand I would have to worry about are the straights and sets where I have few outs. The flush draws are what I put him on. I can't see what hand he called me PF that I generally won't beat other than 22, 33. I don't think he would call a PF with 56 or A5.
River: ($38.90) Jh (2 players)
Final Pot: $38.90
Results below:
BB has 4c 3c (two pair, fours and threes).
Hero has Ks Ad (one pair, kings).
Outcome: BB wins $38.90.
That's a weird ass hand that I can't even fathom him playing. I'm not sure if this is a good call in a long run. Like I said, I have to really think more about it.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Longer session, surprised result
I did a short session early this morning, I went down 1 BI when I ended. It wasn't a surprise since I was catching very cold cards and no action on my big hands. Later today I started a new session, I put my stack in once the whole session and got stacked from a suckout(I flopped a straight, he had 2 pairs, one of the cards paired up on the turn). I thought I was probably down the session since I only won a lot of smaller pots, and I checked and I actually went up 2 BIs(so only up 1 BI for the day minus the 1 BI I was down earlier). I was pretty surprised at the results, I didn't look the whole time. I was assuming I was behind, but I just kept playing and focus on playing well. I'm pretty happy since I'm capable of winning small pots and still upheld a pretty decent winning session.
Another note was that since it was Sunday today. I had to play very tight, so many loose PF/flop callers, I almost had no breathing room. I guess that worked out on these types of tables.
Another note was that since it was Sunday today. I had to play very tight, so many loose PF/flop callers, I almost had no breathing room. I guess that worked out on these types of tables.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Few sessions
I didn't get in a session yesterday, and I played today. Nothing out of the ordinary. I won small, which is satisfactory for me. I've been doing a lot more marginal 3betting against players with most likely worse hands. It works great, but I think I up my variance a little this way. But I believe I'll up my winrate overall. I hope I can continue to incorporate this in my game.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Always an uneventful ending, overall excellent
Last hand of the session, I had a 9 outer draw. I made a play on the flop against villian's raise, but he minraised me back giving me odds to draw. Same thing happened on the turn, the pot odds and implied odds were definitely good even for a flush draw. He basically committed himself anyways, and I didn't need much implied odds to make the call profitable. I did not hit, just kind of ironic last hand of the session ends up like this. I didn't lose much on that pot, less than 30bb probably but still. Funny thing is that during the whole session, I didn't play one drawing hand because they never came up or I didn't get action after applying some pressure.
But overall, the session came out good, I ended up 2 BIs ahead. I had some suckouts/coolers, but they were all against shortstacks so it wasn't a big deal. I'm feeling pretty good about my game right now, I loosened up my 3betting requirements a lot against regulars. I try to confront them with the best of it most of the time, I might lose a lot of small pots but when I hit the board, they are going to pay. I hope I keep it up.
But overall, the session came out good, I ended up 2 BIs ahead. I had some suckouts/coolers, but they were all against shortstacks so it wasn't a big deal. I'm feeling pretty good about my game right now, I loosened up my 3betting requirements a lot against regulars. I try to confront them with the best of it most of the time, I might lose a lot of small pots but when I hit the board, they are going to pay. I hope I keep it up.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Short session
Just finished a short session, I got sucked out once and I made a really good call for another. I came out a little less than 1 BI ahead. I think recently I made so much money from people just bluffing into me, but to make a good call is very difficult. It's hard to know if your TPTK/OP is good at times.
I can't do anything about the suckout, so that didn't bother me. But the last hand of the session, I went down about 40bb against a shortstack because I played a draw strongly. But looking at PT, I played the hand perfectly as if the villian had his hand face up. I was actually a favorite, but I lost the hand. This kind of bothered me because I felt like I made a mistake. Maybe it's because psychologically I was shooting for a number on the session and the last hand ruined it. I need to overcome these feelings, it's stupid and unnecessary.
I can't do anything about the suckout, so that didn't bother me. But the last hand of the session, I went down about 40bb against a shortstack because I played a draw strongly. But looking at PT, I played the hand perfectly as if the villian had his hand face up. I was actually a favorite, but I lost the hand. This kind of bothered me because I felt like I made a mistake. Maybe it's because psychologically I was shooting for a number on the session and the last hand ruined it. I need to overcome these feelings, it's stupid and unnecessary.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Upwing, here we go!
I've been playing more tables lately. I feel the variance are balancing out a lot with more tables. I'm handling reads fairly well. Obviously I can't have as good of a meta game when I played 4 tables, but 6 isn't really that bad honestly. I can spot who are the fish fairly easily and I play tighter generally. Playing tight has an advantage of winning small pots easily, cbets are highly respected when you are tight. Frankly speaking, I play on very loose tables. Playing a LAG style is a double edged sword when your cbets are rarely respected, people call down flops w/ practically nothing. So the only way to really comfortably is to play with tougher hand requirements and make money from small pots.
Today, I did fairly well, I stacked off twice through a maniac or two. Some tables are very tough to profit from, it gets annoying to get 3bet from the blinds very often by different villians each time. Most of the time, I just have to respect that. Of course I've been 3betting all the regulars also, so it's not too bad. I'm pretty happy with the results since it was a short session. I'm still trying to break that "line" I talked about in an earlier post. I definitely broke out of my downswing since I started my recent downswing. But I really want to get far ahead, so I never look back at this imaginary line again.
Today, I did fairly well, I stacked off twice through a maniac or two. Some tables are very tough to profit from, it gets annoying to get 3bet from the blinds very often by different villians each time. Most of the time, I just have to respect that. Of course I've been 3betting all the regulars also, so it's not too bad. I'm pretty happy with the results since it was a short session. I'm still trying to break that "line" I talked about in an earlier post. I definitely broke out of my downswing since I started my recent downswing. But I really want to get far ahead, so I never look back at this imaginary line again.
Short Session, small gain
I finished a session earlier today. It was nothing special. I won a lot of smaller pots, I lost some smaller pots too. Overall, I came out half a BI ahead. I did play a lot safer this session, there were a couple opportunities I should have made more, but I missed out. That kind of sucks. It's not really that I'm worried about getting stacked, it's just the players are so random, I really can't be sure if they won't have so and so hand. Their lines don't even dictate any logic sometimes.
Anyways, I came out ahead, I can't complain. Obviously there are always more to learn. One thing I did notice in today's session is how loose players tend to affect my game. I mean they don't promote me to make mistakes, but loose style is horrible against them. You leak so much money in cbets and PF raises, it's not even funny. This is good, I did suspect this leak before, but I never could put 2 and 2 together.
Anyways, I came out ahead, I can't complain. Obviously there are always more to learn. One thing I did notice in today's session is how loose players tend to affect my game. I mean they don't promote me to make mistakes, but loose style is horrible against them. You leak so much money in cbets and PF raises, it's not even funny. This is good, I did suspect this leak before, but I never could put 2 and 2 together.
Monday, January 22, 2007
1 horrible bluff, overall very awesome session
Ya, so I made a really stupid bluff on a regular. I don't think he was capable of laying down a big hand no matter what, even given my reputation and image, those things didn't even matter. Seriously, I never bluff with air but when I do, I get called because it's usually a really bad bluff. In this case, he called me instantly without a thought w/ an overpair.
But in this session, I didn't really win many stacks, but I won a lot of medium size pots over and over. I started the session very tight and then loosened up stealing blinds and etc.. It was very effective. Though when I got big hands early on, they get folded to. There was this one guy that got really unlucky against me. Two hands closely back to back, he called down my nuts flush once with TPTK and the next hand, I had KK flopped set and he had JJ flopped set. Well the ending here wasn't pretty for him definitely.
Looking at my poker tracker, apart from that table I bluffed, all the sessions were in the green. I don't know when was the last time I saw that. Main reason is that I believe there weren't many aggressive players out there. When I called one raise, they usually play ABC and I know where my hand stands by the river. This made my hand reading skills an easy task. I hope I can keep this up. I'm pushing toward to where I last started my recent downswing, so it's a good news.
But in this session, I didn't really win many stacks, but I won a lot of medium size pots over and over. I started the session very tight and then loosened up stealing blinds and etc.. It was very effective. Though when I got big hands early on, they get folded to. There was this one guy that got really unlucky against me. Two hands closely back to back, he called down my nuts flush once with TPTK and the next hand, I had KK flopped set and he had JJ flopped set. Well the ending here wasn't pretty for him definitely.
Looking at my poker tracker, apart from that table I bluffed, all the sessions were in the green. I don't know when was the last time I saw that. Main reason is that I believe there weren't many aggressive players out there. When I called one raise, they usually play ABC and I know where my hand stands by the river. This made my hand reading skills an easy task. I hope I can keep this up. I'm pushing toward to where I last started my recent downswing, so it's a good news.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Finally up a session!
It was a short session but still, I went up 3 BIs, that's something to celebrate for. I've been playing more aggressively PF and try to take less risks even when chances are that my hand might be best. I made some good plays, called a bluff or 2. The best thing was that I lost a lot of favorable /50-50 all-in PF, but still came out ahead for the session. I prefer these sessions over ones where I just suck out 90% of the time, this is more balanced representation of variance.
One thing I'm really working on is suppressing any emotion that occurs during a session. I want to play logically, not emotionally. I 3bet people that are very aggressive. The result is good, they stop pushing me around as much and they start playing more straightforward, which makes the session smoother. If they decide to keep pushing against my aggression, they will make a mistake sooner or later.
One thing I'm really working on is suppressing any emotion that occurs during a session. I want to play logically, not emotionally. I 3bet people that are very aggressive. The result is good, they stop pushing me around as much and they start playing more straightforward, which makes the session smoother. If they decide to keep pushing against my aggression, they will make a mistake sooner or later.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Downswing cont.
Not a surprise, when I'm in a downswing, I don't get out of it really quickly. Today, I donked off 2 stacks to a maniac. I think I lose the most from trying to get the maniacs than getting from the maniac. This might be a bad long term leak. I really don't know how to deal with these guys. I play marginal hands strong, they hit something big on the flop. If I play too tight, they push my marginal hands around. What can I do?
Overall, I think I played solid. I started to play more aggressively, I think it works out good at the end. I see less showdowns but I know where my hand stands most of the time.
Overall, I think I played solid. I started to play more aggressively, I think it works out good at the end. I see less showdowns but I know where my hand stands most of the time.
Middle of a downswing
It sucks to always going up and down. It's pretty frustrating. Now I'm in a middle of a downswing. This seems to happen in a cycle. If I look back in my blog, I had a downswing cycle not too long ago. I'm not going to blame luck or anything. I'll just blame on my bad plays.
Overall, I did not make any stack size mistakes. Maybe it's because it's late at night and no easy fish are roaming around, but I rarely got action when I had a good hand. When I did get action, I get some maniac wanting to play stacks with me while I don't at all have a confident hand(a draw, TPNK, etc..) I mostly lost a lot of 20bb'ish size pots. I don't know if people have hands or what, but they play so aggressive and I have to give up on those pots. My suspicion is that a lot of the times they don't, but I don't have a decent hand to look them up. When I did have great hands, people bluff into the nuts a lot. So, that gave me an idea what's out there when you don't have the nuts.
I'm hoping to earn enough FPP for this month to exchange for the $285 cash offer. I don't really need the other stuff PS is offering. I seem to have this progress "line" where I always fall after reaching it. Maybe if I get through this psychologically, I will stop falling. I've been thinking to switch to another site that has bonuses and rakeback. So far, I feel I'm winning but it's so little. It's extremely hard to build a good size bankroll with it. Also, the swings are great, most of the swings are unavoidable. Either way, I would need to complete getting my cash bonus before I move my bankroll. Also, with the new enforcements, depositing to sites are getting more difficult. What a pain in the ass to live in the US.
Overall, I did not make any stack size mistakes. Maybe it's because it's late at night and no easy fish are roaming around, but I rarely got action when I had a good hand. When I did get action, I get some maniac wanting to play stacks with me while I don't at all have a confident hand(a draw, TPNK, etc..) I mostly lost a lot of 20bb'ish size pots. I don't know if people have hands or what, but they play so aggressive and I have to give up on those pots. My suspicion is that a lot of the times they don't, but I don't have a decent hand to look them up. When I did have great hands, people bluff into the nuts a lot. So, that gave me an idea what's out there when you don't have the nuts.
I'm hoping to earn enough FPP for this month to exchange for the $285 cash offer. I don't really need the other stuff PS is offering. I seem to have this progress "line" where I always fall after reaching it. Maybe if I get through this psychologically, I will stop falling. I've been thinking to switch to another site that has bonuses and rakeback. So far, I feel I'm winning but it's so little. It's extremely hard to build a good size bankroll with it. Also, the swings are great, most of the swings are unavoidable. Either way, I would need to complete getting my cash bonus before I move my bankroll. Also, with the new enforcements, depositing to sites are getting more difficult. What a pain in the ass to live in the US.
Donkey luck
Of course I don't call myself a donkey, so obviously I'm not the one who has the luck. Anyways, I was doing well against so many fish today. Friday nights are crazy. There was this one table with this one obvious fish. He plays horrible, is a calling station, likes to bluff and all the donk's attributes. Basically I ended up losing 2-3 buyins to him. The problem with him is that, he plays trash and I would have pretty decent hand like TPTK and somehow the river would leave a 4 card to straight. The card would be some unorthodox card like 3 or 6 or something, and he would win the hand playing 37o or 6Jo. I would be stupid enough to call him on the river each time. See, the thing is that I see others call his bluffs down a hand or 2 before, making a similar play. But every time I call him, he has those junks and beat my hand. He'll hit all the obnoxious hands that you can't possibly imagine, like gutshots and weird 2 pairs. This was frustrating as hell, I sat in that table for hours and couldn't get any action even with position on him. I keep telling myself that given the patience, I can stack off the guy easily but that situation never came and difficult situations kept coming and coming.
I want to post some hands that I got stacked today. These contributed to my losses for the session. Even with my early successes, I only came out about half a buyin ahead for the session.
Before I go on to the donkey hands, there are 2 hands that are interesting that I lost a stack to each time. I'm not sure if I could get away from these honestly.
No read on villian here, his stats looked weak. Might not mean much.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
CO ($86.60)
Hero ($25.25)
SB ($4.75)
BB ($24.60)
UTG ($31.70)
MP ($12.05)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Qc, Ad.
UTG raises to $1, 2 folds, Hero calls $1, 1 fold, BB calls $0.75.
Flop: ($3.10) 8h, Jc, As (3 players)
BB checks, UTG bets $0.75, Hero raises to $2.25, BB folds, UTG calls $1.50.
He made a weak leadout, so obviously I raise him. He calls, so I thought I might be behind by AK or AJ.
Turn: ($7.60) 7c (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero checks.
River: ($7.60) Qh (2 players)
UTG bets $3.5, Hero raises to $10, UTG raises to $28.45, Hero calls $12 (All-In).
This is where it got tough. I hit my 2 pairs, now only hands I have to worry about are sets which I didn't put him on. I put him on AJ or AK. But since he reraised me all in, there was only possibility of AJ,AQ or sets. I put him on AJ, apparently I was wrong. I'm not sure if I should have just called here, I don't think I can even if I do this again.
Final Pot: $58.05
Results below:
UTG has 8c 8s (three of a kind, eights).
Hero has Qc Ad (two pair, aces and queens).
Outcome: UTG wins $58.05.
This villian I played with before, he seems very tight. His VPIP is below 20, he seems solid enough.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
Hero ($61.65)
Button ($48.50)
SB ($29.10)
BB ($16.50)
UTG ($6.60)
Preflop: Hero is MP with Kc, Ah.
1 fold, Hero raises to $1, 1 fold, SB raises to $3.5, 1 fold, Hero calls $2.50.
He 3bets me in SB, I suspected strength. Generally speaking, these limits people only 3bets with JJ+, AQ+.
Flop: ($7.25) Jc, 5c, As (2 players)
SB bets $4.25, Hero calls $4.25.
This is a great flop for me, only hand in the range that beats me is AA.
Turn: ($15.75) 3h (2 players)
SB bets $10.25, Hero raises to $53.9, SB calls $11.10 (All-In).
He leads out. This is where I might have made a mistake. I'm not sure if KK, QQ or AQ would make this lead out. He basically pot committed himself. I didn't give him respect and reraised him all in.
River: ($91) 7d (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $91
Results below:
SB has Jd Ad (two pair, aces and jacks).
Hero has Kc Ah (one pair, aces).
Outcome: SB wins $58.45. Hero wins $32.55.
Sucky outcome, that's not a hand I put him on. Now that I think about it, I was in CO so he probably didn't respect my range and wanted a fold. But in some ways, I think this was a setup. I'm not sure when was the last time I showdown a hand that I dominated. Either players are good at folding or it just isn't happening.
Ok, here's the donkey deluxe. I could arguably made mistakes here. Now that I looked at the stats, if I didn't come in this table, I would be up 5BIs for the session. Man, that's frustrating.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
BB ($42.65)
UTG ($17.15)
MP ($53.90)
CO ($13.50)
Hero ($25)
SB ($9.40)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Kd, 6d.
UTG calls $0.25, MP calls $0.25, CO calls $0.25, Hero calls $0.25, SB completes, BB checks.
Flop: ($1.50) 7d, Ks, 5d (6 players)
SB bets $0.75, BB folds, UTG calls $0.75, MP calls $0.75, CO folds, Hero raises to $24.75, SB calls $8.40 (All-In), UTG folds, MP calls $24.
I made a weird play here but you see, these guys weren't folding at all. And I know I was ahead of almost every hand possible here. I wanted one caller at most.
Turn: ($60.90) 4h (3 players, 1 all-in)
River: ($60.90) Js (3 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $60.90
Results below:
SB has 7c 5c (two pair, sevens and fives).
MP has Kc 8d (one pair, kings).
Hero has Kd 6d (one pair, kings).
Outcome: MP wins $31.20. SB wins $29.70.
I mean I don't expect to win this race all the time. But the costly part is that the donkey called me with TPNK. WTF!
This hand came from an early time from this table. I didn't know too much about this player then, and decided to let him bluff into me.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
BB ($27)
UTG ($35.15)
MP ($44.25)
CO ($31.10)
Hero ($25)
SB ($24.75)
Preflop: Hero is Button with 3s, 3d.
1 fold, MP calls $0.25, 1 fold, Hero raises to $1.25, 2 folds, MP calls $1.
Flop: ($2.85) 5h, Jh, 3h (2 players)
MP bets $1.25, Hero calls $1.25.
Turn: ($5.35) 9c (2 players)
MP bets $6, Hero calls $6.
River: ($17.35) 8s (2 players)
MP bets $10, Hero calls $10.
Final Pot: $37.35
Results below:
MP has 6d 7h (straight, nine high).
Hero has 3s 3d (three of a kind, threes).
Outcome: MP wins $37.35.
Yup, he was definitely bluffing on the flop and hit a double gutshot on the turn. Then he hit it on the river. I couldn't put him on any hand that made sense so obviously I called. I actually took a careful route here.
This came later, I thought I was going to make some money back here. And I wasn't going to overplay my Kings even against him.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
UTG ($14.90)
MP ($66.05)
Button ($25.70)
Hero ($25)
BB ($29.85)
Preflop: Hero is SB with Kh, Kd.
UTG calls $0.25, MP calls $0.25, 1 fold, Hero raises to $1.5, 1 fold, UTG folds, MP calls $1.25.
Flop: ($3.50) 7h, 4s, 5h (2 players)
Hero checks, MP checks.
Kind of a scary flop against this donkey here. He could have any 2 pairs or the straights here. I took a slow route and pot control it.
Turn: ($3.50) Qc (2 players)
Hero bets $2.25, MP calls $2.25.
I bet out so if I'm ahead, I get some value.
River: ($8) 3c (2 players)
Hero checks, MP bets $8.75, Hero calls $8.75.
Horrible card here. Any 6 would make a straight. He bets out, I controlled the pot, no way I wasn't going to call this against him. He could have anything here.
Final Pot: $25.50
Results below:
MP has 6h 4d (straight, seven high).
Hero has Kh Kd (one pair, kings).
Outcome: MP wins $25.50.
Another KK hand, I mean how many of these hands does it take to make any profit here?
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
Button ($24.90)
SB ($64.80)
BB ($29.10)
Hero ($26.45)
MP ($46.60)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with Kh, Kc.
Hero raises to $1, MP calls $1, 1 fold, SB calls $0.90, 1 fold.
Flop: ($3.25) 5d, 2d, As (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $2.25, MP folds, SB calls $2.25.
Bad flop but I am probably ahead here. His range is really wide.
Turn: ($7.75) Jh (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks.
It was probably a mistake to let another card, but he was going to call me anyways so what's the point? I mean I wasn't going to shove here.
River: ($7.75) 4s (2 players)
SB bets $7.25, Hero calls $7.25.
God, he made another big raise on the river. And 3 would make a straight. I know he didn't have an ace. Also, he did this many hands before when I had easy laydowns. Now with a decent hand, I had to make this call.
Final Pot: $22.25
Results below:
SB has 3h 7h (straight, five high).
Hero has Kh Kc (one pair, kings).
Outcome: SB wins $22.25.
There you have it.. The donkey deluxe. There were other hands, some were very marginal calls I made on the river that he hit his weird straights or whatever. Those I clearly made some mistakes. But these villians, I really can't do anything against them. I wanted to play basically the nuts against him, but the cards were very dry on that table too. Nothing was going right, frustration wasn't messing with my play. But even if I hit TPTK, I feel my hand is so small compared to his. I can never know if he got it or not. I saw his bluff caught, but I never caught one myself. This is extremely frustrating when I am "donking" my money to this guy, I had all the edges: better player, better cards, position. Sigh. I don't think I've lost so much in one table before.
I want to post some hands that I got stacked today. These contributed to my losses for the session. Even with my early successes, I only came out about half a buyin ahead for the session.
Before I go on to the donkey hands, there are 2 hands that are interesting that I lost a stack to each time. I'm not sure if I could get away from these honestly.
No read on villian here, his stats looked weak. Might not mean much.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
CO ($86.60)
Hero ($25.25)
SB ($4.75)
BB ($24.60)
UTG ($31.70)
MP ($12.05)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Qc, Ad.
UTG raises to $1, 2 folds, Hero calls $1, 1 fold, BB calls $0.75.
Flop: ($3.10) 8h, Jc, As (3 players)
BB checks, UTG bets $0.75, Hero raises to $2.25, BB folds, UTG calls $1.50.
He made a weak leadout, so obviously I raise him. He calls, so I thought I might be behind by AK or AJ.
Turn: ($7.60) 7c (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero checks.
River: ($7.60) Qh (2 players)
UTG bets $3.5, Hero raises to $10, UTG raises to $28.45, Hero calls $12 (All-In).
This is where it got tough. I hit my 2 pairs, now only hands I have to worry about are sets which I didn't put him on. I put him on AJ or AK. But since he reraised me all in, there was only possibility of AJ,AQ or sets. I put him on AJ, apparently I was wrong. I'm not sure if I should have just called here, I don't think I can even if I do this again.
Final Pot: $58.05
Results below:
UTG has 8c 8s (three of a kind, eights).
Hero has Qc Ad (two pair, aces and queens).
Outcome: UTG wins $58.05.
This villian I played with before, he seems very tight. His VPIP is below 20, he seems solid enough.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
Hero ($61.65)
Button ($48.50)
SB ($29.10)
BB ($16.50)
UTG ($6.60)
Preflop: Hero is MP with Kc, Ah.
1 fold, Hero raises to $1, 1 fold, SB raises to $3.5, 1 fold, Hero calls $2.50.
He 3bets me in SB, I suspected strength. Generally speaking, these limits people only 3bets with JJ+, AQ+.
Flop: ($7.25) Jc, 5c, As (2 players)
SB bets $4.25, Hero calls $4.25.
This is a great flop for me, only hand in the range that beats me is AA.
Turn: ($15.75) 3h (2 players)
SB bets $10.25, Hero raises to $53.9, SB calls $11.10 (All-In).
He leads out. This is where I might have made a mistake. I'm not sure if KK, QQ or AQ would make this lead out. He basically pot committed himself. I didn't give him respect and reraised him all in.
River: ($91) 7d (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $91
Results below:
SB has Jd Ad (two pair, aces and jacks).
Hero has Kc Ah (one pair, aces).
Outcome: SB wins $58.45. Hero wins $32.55.
Sucky outcome, that's not a hand I put him on. Now that I think about it, I was in CO so he probably didn't respect my range and wanted a fold. But in some ways, I think this was a setup. I'm not sure when was the last time I showdown a hand that I dominated. Either players are good at folding or it just isn't happening.
Ok, here's the donkey deluxe. I could arguably made mistakes here. Now that I looked at the stats, if I didn't come in this table, I would be up 5BIs for the session. Man, that's frustrating.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
BB ($42.65)
UTG ($17.15)
MP ($53.90)
CO ($13.50)
Hero ($25)
SB ($9.40)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Kd, 6d.
UTG calls $0.25, MP calls $0.25, CO calls $0.25, Hero calls $0.25, SB completes, BB checks.
Flop: ($1.50) 7d, Ks, 5d (6 players)
SB bets $0.75, BB folds, UTG calls $0.75, MP calls $0.75, CO folds, Hero raises to $24.75, SB calls $8.40 (All-In), UTG folds, MP calls $24.
I made a weird play here but you see, these guys weren't folding at all. And I know I was ahead of almost every hand possible here. I wanted one caller at most.
Turn: ($60.90) 4h (3 players, 1 all-in)
River: ($60.90) Js (3 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $60.90
Results below:
SB has 7c 5c (two pair, sevens and fives).
MP has Kc 8d (one pair, kings).
Hero has Kd 6d (one pair, kings).
Outcome: MP wins $31.20. SB wins $29.70.
I mean I don't expect to win this race all the time. But the costly part is that the donkey called me with TPNK. WTF!
This hand came from an early time from this table. I didn't know too much about this player then, and decided to let him bluff into me.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
BB ($27)
UTG ($35.15)
MP ($44.25)
CO ($31.10)
Hero ($25)
SB ($24.75)
Preflop: Hero is Button with 3s, 3d.
1 fold, MP calls $0.25, 1 fold, Hero raises to $1.25, 2 folds, MP calls $1.
Flop: ($2.85) 5h, Jh, 3h (2 players)
MP bets $1.25, Hero calls $1.25.
Turn: ($5.35) 9c (2 players)
MP bets $6, Hero calls $6.
River: ($17.35) 8s (2 players)
MP bets $10, Hero calls $10.
Final Pot: $37.35
Results below:
MP has 6d 7h (straight, nine high).
Hero has 3s 3d (three of a kind, threes).
Outcome: MP wins $37.35.
Yup, he was definitely bluffing on the flop and hit a double gutshot on the turn. Then he hit it on the river. I couldn't put him on any hand that made sense so obviously I called. I actually took a careful route here.
This came later, I thought I was going to make some money back here. And I wasn't going to overplay my Kings even against him.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
UTG ($14.90)
MP ($66.05)
Button ($25.70)
Hero ($25)
BB ($29.85)
Preflop: Hero is SB with Kh, Kd.
UTG calls $0.25, MP calls $0.25, 1 fold, Hero raises to $1.5, 1 fold, UTG folds, MP calls $1.25.
Flop: ($3.50) 7h, 4s, 5h (2 players)
Hero checks, MP checks.
Kind of a scary flop against this donkey here. He could have any 2 pairs or the straights here. I took a slow route and pot control it.
Turn: ($3.50) Qc (2 players)
Hero bets $2.25, MP calls $2.25.
I bet out so if I'm ahead, I get some value.
River: ($8) 3c (2 players)
Hero checks, MP bets $8.75, Hero calls $8.75.
Horrible card here. Any 6 would make a straight. He bets out, I controlled the pot, no way I wasn't going to call this against him. He could have anything here.
Final Pot: $25.50
Results below:
MP has 6h 4d (straight, seven high).
Hero has Kh Kd (one pair, kings).
Outcome: MP wins $25.50.
Another KK hand, I mean how many of these hands does it take to make any profit here?
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
Button ($24.90)
SB ($64.80)
BB ($29.10)
Hero ($26.45)
MP ($46.60)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with Kh, Kc.
Hero raises to $1, MP calls $1, 1 fold, SB calls $0.90, 1 fold.
Flop: ($3.25) 5d, 2d, As (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $2.25, MP folds, SB calls $2.25.
Bad flop but I am probably ahead here. His range is really wide.
Turn: ($7.75) Jh (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks.
It was probably a mistake to let another card, but he was going to call me anyways so what's the point? I mean I wasn't going to shove here.
River: ($7.75) 4s (2 players)
SB bets $7.25, Hero calls $7.25.
God, he made another big raise on the river. And 3 would make a straight. I know he didn't have an ace. Also, he did this many hands before when I had easy laydowns. Now with a decent hand, I had to make this call.
Final Pot: $22.25
Results below:
SB has 3h 7h (straight, five high).
Hero has Kh Kc (one pair, kings).
Outcome: SB wins $22.25.
There you have it.. The donkey deluxe. There were other hands, some were very marginal calls I made on the river that he hit his weird straights or whatever. Those I clearly made some mistakes. But these villians, I really can't do anything against them. I wanted to play basically the nuts against him, but the cards were very dry on that table too. Nothing was going right, frustration wasn't messing with my play. But even if I hit TPTK, I feel my hand is so small compared to his. I can never know if he got it or not. I saw his bluff caught, but I never caught one myself. This is extremely frustrating when I am "donking" my money to this guy, I had all the edges: better player, better cards, position. Sigh. I don't think I've lost so much in one table before.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Yet another bad session
Umm.. let's see.. I had 2 set vs set, 2 Kings vs Aces. Considering those things, I guess it's not so bad I'm only down 4 buyins this session. Excluding those 4, I had other times I went in 50/50 coinflip and lost each one. I have to admit it was a bad session.
I made one big mistake that I should have gotten away from. Overall, my play was pretty solid. I made a few mistakes but they weren't overly costly. But setups/suckouts are very costly. This is frustrating since I know my play was overall good.
Another note, it sucks with all the e-banking type companies are putting out for the US. I think it's pretty lame only the US spend dollars on enforcing this. Stupidity, I say.
I made one big mistake that I should have gotten away from. Overall, my play was pretty solid. I made a few mistakes but they weren't overly costly. But setups/suckouts are very costly. This is frustrating since I know my play was overall good.
Another note, it sucks with all the e-banking type companies are putting out for the US. I think it's pretty lame only the US spend dollars on enforcing this. Stupidity, I say.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Bad session
I didn't make particularly a lot of mistakes. Maybe just bad run of cards or whatever, result didn't come out very good. Though I only lost less than half a buyin for the session, I just don't feel good about it. It's probably because I've been running pretty well these past couple days and have false expectations. I really want to keep pushing up, I feel a lot more confident about my game. I just want some results. I guess I need to regain the patience I had that got me to where I am now.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Brief session, pretty successful
I did my 2nd tournament today. I ran pretty good considering it was my 2nd attempt for a mtt tournament. Players are horrible, seems like there's such a huge variance in playing these. Note: I got eliminated w/ a 333 flop holding KK, villian had A3s . Overall though, it was a good(and hilarious) experience.
Apart from earlier, I did another short session. It was very successful. Nothing was really that interesting in that session. I got a lot of actions with my sets, actually I hit a lot of sets in such a short session. So naturally I ran up a couple buyins. Funny thing about this session was that I was only doing well in just one table, the rest was "rebuy to full" every playing hand. That's fine for me.
Apart from earlier, I did another short session. It was very successful. Nothing was really that interesting in that session. I got a lot of actions with my sets, actually I hit a lot of sets in such a short session. So naturally I ran up a couple buyins. Funny thing about this session was that I was only doing well in just one table, the rest was "rebuy to full" every playing hand. That's fine for me.
2 decent sessions
I did a session yesterday and early morning today. Yesterday's came out practically even, probably up like 30bb total. Today, I had some weird situations but still came up 1.5 BI ahead. That's good enough for me.
I do feel I'm a lot more confident about my game. I had a lot of dry boards today, I mostly win a lot of small pots. I rarely ever bluff with air, so my holdings are pretty important to my winrates. But during my dry runs, I try to lose minimal and win big. This is not easy when you got high cards but the board is low cards and vice versa. But overall I dealt with it fairly well, still came up on top, even after making one weird move on a donk and getting sucked out once.
These days, I've been making a lot more of these moves below. I mostly just want to win the money they had put in there. I'm not looking for a coinflip. This is pretty powerful, even with just OESD or flush draw. This mostly relies on fold equity and the fact that some players know I would do this, I can get similar action making the same play with my sets.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
CO ($23.35)
Button ($4.65)
SB ($42.35)
BB ($17.10)
Hero ($29.45)
MP ($32.10)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with As, Js.
Hero raises to $1, 1 fold, CO calls $1, 1 fold, SB calls $0.90, 1 fold.
Flop: ($3.25) Qs, Th, 7s (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $2.25, CO raises to $4.5, SB folds, Hero raises to $28.45, CO calls $17.85 (All-In).
Turn: ($54.05) Qd (2 players, 1 all-in)
River: ($54.05) 6s (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $54.05
Results below:
Hero has As Js (flush, ace high).
CO has 3c Qh (three of a kind, queens).
Outcome: Hero wins $54.04.
I like these plays, I have a good amounts of outs. If he only has TP, I am a favorite. If he folds, that would be perfect. If he doesn't fold, worst scenario I'll be down to 12 outs. Even in these low stakes, getting a chance for slight favorite against bad players is really good. It can give you a really loose image and tilt some players.
This villian is such a noob. I don't know how these players do well sometimes. I see him play a lot. I probably can't profit off him easily most of the time because he's aggressive. But if he calls these plays all the time, I would profit off him in the future.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
Button ($42.35)
SB ($25.60)
BB ($30.60)
UTG ($19.60)
MP ($9.75)
Hero ($25)
Preflop: Hero is CO with 7c, 6c.
UTG calls $0.25, 1 fold, Hero raises to $1.25, Button calls $1.25, 1 fold, BB raises to $3.25, UTG folds, Hero calls $2, Button folds.
Flop: ($8.10) 4h, 4c, 2c (2 players)
BB bets $4.75, Hero raises to $21.75, BB calls $17.
Turn: ($51.60) Kd (2 players)
River: ($51.60) 5d (2 players)
Final Pot: $51.60
Results below:
BB has Ad Qc (one pair, fours).
Hero has 7c 6c (one pair, fours).
Outcome: BB wins $51.60.
With those holdings, this was definitely a coinflip, I was a slight underdog. While he might have made a good play to call me so he doesn't lose his dead money, what if I make this play with an overpair or a set? he'll be dominated. I'll keep this in mind against this villian. By the way, he called me INSTANTLY. Maybe I'm just irritated that he makes these loose calls. Still, what an idiot!
I do feel I'm a lot more confident about my game. I had a lot of dry boards today, I mostly win a lot of small pots. I rarely ever bluff with air, so my holdings are pretty important to my winrates. But during my dry runs, I try to lose minimal and win big. This is not easy when you got high cards but the board is low cards and vice versa. But overall I dealt with it fairly well, still came up on top, even after making one weird move on a donk and getting sucked out once.
These days, I've been making a lot more of these moves below. I mostly just want to win the money they had put in there. I'm not looking for a coinflip. This is pretty powerful, even with just OESD or flush draw. This mostly relies on fold equity and the fact that some players know I would do this, I can get similar action making the same play with my sets.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
CO ($23.35)
Button ($4.65)
SB ($42.35)
BB ($17.10)
Hero ($29.45)
MP ($32.10)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with As, Js.
Hero raises to $1, 1 fold, CO calls $1, 1 fold, SB calls $0.90, 1 fold.
Flop: ($3.25) Qs, Th, 7s (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $2.25, CO raises to $4.5, SB folds, Hero raises to $28.45, CO calls $17.85 (All-In).
Turn: ($54.05) Qd (2 players, 1 all-in)
River: ($54.05) 6s (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $54.05
Results below:
Hero has As Js (flush, ace high).
CO has 3c Qh (three of a kind, queens).
Outcome: Hero wins $54.04.
I like these plays, I have a good amounts of outs. If he only has TP, I am a favorite. If he folds, that would be perfect. If he doesn't fold, worst scenario I'll be down to 12 outs. Even in these low stakes, getting a chance for slight favorite against bad players is really good. It can give you a really loose image and tilt some players.
This villian is such a noob. I don't know how these players do well sometimes. I see him play a lot. I probably can't profit off him easily most of the time because he's aggressive. But if he calls these plays all the time, I would profit off him in the future.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
Button ($42.35)
SB ($25.60)
BB ($30.60)
UTG ($19.60)
MP ($9.75)
Hero ($25)
Preflop: Hero is CO with 7c, 6c.
UTG calls $0.25, 1 fold, Hero raises to $1.25, Button calls $1.25, 1 fold, BB raises to $3.25, UTG folds, Hero calls $2, Button folds.
Flop: ($8.10) 4h, 4c, 2c (2 players)
BB bets $4.75, Hero raises to $21.75, BB calls $17.
Turn: ($51.60) Kd (2 players)
River: ($51.60) 5d (2 players)
Final Pot: $51.60
Results below:
BB has Ad Qc (one pair, fours).
Hero has 7c 6c (one pair, fours).
Outcome: BB wins $51.60.
With those holdings, this was definitely a coinflip, I was a slight underdog. While he might have made a good play to call me so he doesn't lose his dead money, what if I make this play with an overpair or a set? he'll be dominated. I'll keep this in mind against this villian. By the way, he called me INSTANTLY. Maybe I'm just irritated that he makes these loose calls. Still, what an idiot!
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Few mistakes, lots of fishing
I made a couple mistake on one particular table. I got drawn into a fish's loose style and decided to push back, well he apparently caught a good hand on the flop. Sucks. I also did get sucked out once today, which is not bad for a session.
There is this one hand that took me my whole 60seconds timebank to make a decision, I really wanted to make sure I wasn't making a mistake. Some people might find this HH interesting.
This villian had a couple bad beats by me. He was on tilt after losing a KK vs AA against me. Whether or not he had a grudge toward me is irrelevant. But I did notice he was playing very marginal hand very strong. His VPIP is off the roof, probably around 60s. He's definitely a fish.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
Hero ($69.45)
Button ($30.40)
SB ($7.40)
BB ($25)
UTG ($25)
MP ($50.45)
Preflop: Hero is CO with 7s, 6s.
1 fold, MP calls $0.25, Hero raises to $1.25, 3 folds, MP raises to $2.25, Hero calls $1.
These days, I love playing mid SC cards. They really open up my game a lot. This raise is an easy call, even a 3x my raise, I would have called it with 100bb stacks. But we had like 200bb stacks here.
Flop: ($4.85) 8h, 9s, 8d (2 players)
MP bets $3, Hero calls $3.
Pretty decent flop, I have an OESD. This is ideal and very deceptive. I didn't want to represent an 8, that's pointless against a calling station/tilted player.
Turn: ($10.85) Js (2 players)
MP bets $4, Hero raises to $12, MP raises to $45.2, Hero calls $33.20.
This is where it gets iffy. I tried to represent a J in case he had a 9. He quickly shoves on me. So this led me to believe he either is bluffing or he has an 8 or J9 or overpair. The pot is 68 dollars and costs me 33 dollars to call. I took my whole timebank to decide this. I know I'm definitely behind right now. But given those hands and his maniac like plays, I put him on no bigger than trips. I'm almost definitely sure he didn't hit a boat because he's been splashing around with many marginal hands. I have roughly 1/3 pot equity, for a pot of roughly 100 if called, so it would be correct to make this call given the dead money already in the pot. If I fold, it's definitely -EV, while calling would be at least break even in a long run. Since folding is -EV, the best option is obviously calling.
River: ($101.25) As (2 players)
Final Pot: $101.25
Results below:
MP has Ac 9c (two pair, aces and nines).
Hero has 7s 6s (flush, ace high).
Outcome: Hero wins $101.25.
Well result is happy for me. But even if it wasn't this result, I should have still made this call. Folding would definitely be a mistake, given the read that I had. It's still a very tough call because it's deep stacked.
There is this one hand that took me my whole 60seconds timebank to make a decision, I really wanted to make sure I wasn't making a mistake. Some people might find this HH interesting.
This villian had a couple bad beats by me. He was on tilt after losing a KK vs AA against me. Whether or not he had a grudge toward me is irrelevant. But I did notice he was playing very marginal hand very strong. His VPIP is off the roof, probably around 60s. He's definitely a fish.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
Hero ($69.45)
Button ($30.40)
SB ($7.40)
BB ($25)
UTG ($25)
MP ($50.45)
Preflop: Hero is CO with 7s, 6s.
1 fold, MP calls $0.25, Hero raises to $1.25, 3 folds, MP raises to $2.25, Hero calls $1.
These days, I love playing mid SC cards. They really open up my game a lot. This raise is an easy call, even a 3x my raise, I would have called it with 100bb stacks. But we had like 200bb stacks here.
Flop: ($4.85) 8h, 9s, 8d (2 players)
MP bets $3, Hero calls $3.
Pretty decent flop, I have an OESD. This is ideal and very deceptive. I didn't want to represent an 8, that's pointless against a calling station/tilted player.
Turn: ($10.85) Js (2 players)
MP bets $4, Hero raises to $12, MP raises to $45.2, Hero calls $33.20.
This is where it gets iffy. I tried to represent a J in case he had a 9. He quickly shoves on me. So this led me to believe he either is bluffing or he has an 8 or J9 or overpair. The pot is 68 dollars and costs me 33 dollars to call. I took my whole timebank to decide this. I know I'm definitely behind right now. But given those hands and his maniac like plays, I put him on no bigger than trips. I'm almost definitely sure he didn't hit a boat because he's been splashing around with many marginal hands. I have roughly 1/3 pot equity, for a pot of roughly 100 if called, so it would be correct to make this call given the dead money already in the pot. If I fold, it's definitely -EV, while calling would be at least break even in a long run. Since folding is -EV, the best option is obviously calling.
River: ($101.25) As (2 players)
Final Pot: $101.25
Results below:
MP has Ac 9c (two pair, aces and nines).
Hero has 7s 6s (flush, ace high).
Outcome: Hero wins $101.25.
Well result is happy for me. But even if it wasn't this result, I should have still made this call. Folding would definitely be a mistake, given the read that I had. It's still a very tough call because it's deep stacked.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Another successful session done.
Just finished another session, up a couple buyins. Satisfactory session definitely. I did make one really weird ass play that worked out for me.
This villian has been stealing blinds almost every button so I decided to make a play at him. His stats looked pretty solid.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
UTG ($22.30)
MP ($3.40)
Button ($18.75)
Hero ($26.10)
BB ($43.80)
Preflop: Hero is SB with 4s, 4c.
2 folds, Button raises to $1, Hero raises to $3, 1 fold, Button calls $2.
Flop: ($6.25) 7s, 6c, 3h (2 players)
Hero bets $4, Button calls $4.
Turn: ($14.25) 9h (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $9, Hero raises to $19.1, Button calls $2.75 (All-In).
This is just a weird ass play by me. I don't know exactly why I knew he didn't have anything. I mean I was looking at the board, I figured he would have all high cards and he would reraise me all in on the flop if he had an overpair. The 9 obviously didn't help him as much as the 763 flop. I made a really weird play, I think it might have been a mistake but I just don't know why sometimes I make these plays. I wasn't tilted or anything, and usually if I feel I am making a stupid play, my intuition will kick in and tell me NO. This time, that didn't happen. I thought he would have like AK or KQ or something that probably missed the board. If he did hit, he probably want to see a cheap showdown, not try to take it down here. Also, why would you call on the flop w/ a low pair? Of course at the time I didn't think so deeply into it. But the more I thought about it, the more he didn't make a convincing story. He just wanted to float and he failed.
River: ($45.10) 7c (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $45.10
Results below:
Hero has 4s 4c (two pair, sevens and fours).
Button has Ac 5d (one pair, sevens).
Outcome: Hero wins $45.10.
Generally speaking, I rarely ever make these plays. I mean this one is like 1 in 20k hands probably I would make such a loose call. So, if it is a leak, it's not a big one. Anyways, you can call it a happy mistake but at least it's happy.
One last thing to note, I need to improve my value betting more, I am making horrible plays and losing value because of it. This holds especially true for multiway pots. I need to strategize better how to extract.
This villian has been stealing blinds almost every button so I decided to make a play at him. His stats looked pretty solid.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
UTG ($22.30)
MP ($3.40)
Button ($18.75)
Hero ($26.10)
BB ($43.80)
Preflop: Hero is SB with 4s, 4c.
2 folds, Button raises to $1, Hero raises to $3, 1 fold, Button calls $2.
Flop: ($6.25) 7s, 6c, 3h (2 players)
Hero bets $4, Button calls $4.
Turn: ($14.25) 9h (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $9, Hero raises to $19.1, Button calls $2.75 (All-In).
This is just a weird ass play by me. I don't know exactly why I knew he didn't have anything. I mean I was looking at the board, I figured he would have all high cards and he would reraise me all in on the flop if he had an overpair. The 9 obviously didn't help him as much as the 763 flop. I made a really weird play, I think it might have been a mistake but I just don't know why sometimes I make these plays. I wasn't tilted or anything, and usually if I feel I am making a stupid play, my intuition will kick in and tell me NO. This time, that didn't happen. I thought he would have like AK or KQ or something that probably missed the board. If he did hit, he probably want to see a cheap showdown, not try to take it down here. Also, why would you call on the flop w/ a low pair? Of course at the time I didn't think so deeply into it. But the more I thought about it, the more he didn't make a convincing story. He just wanted to float and he failed.
River: ($45.10) 7c (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $45.10
Results below:
Hero has 4s 4c (two pair, sevens and fours).
Button has Ac 5d (one pair, sevens).
Outcome: Hero wins $45.10.
Generally speaking, I rarely ever make these plays. I mean this one is like 1 in 20k hands probably I would make such a loose call. So, if it is a leak, it's not a big one. Anyways, you can call it a happy mistake but at least it's happy.
One last thing to note, I need to improve my value betting more, I am making horrible plays and losing value because of it. This holds especially true for multiway pots. I need to strategize better how to extract.
Good session, nice results
This session, I felt I played really solid. I made a lot of value bets, I did not go stack vs stack many times. Every time my stack goes in, I either have the best hand or I know my opponent didn't(for sure).
I think the most contributing factor that gave me this solid session is my new insight on postflop play. I am aggressive with marginal hands but always keeping the pot small when I don't have a great hand. It's hard to admit but I think my postflop play was really lousy before, even fish were playing better than me postflop in a lot of ways.
I successfully played a lot of small pots. Even monsters, I really didn't overplay them and lure people to pay me off. I know I won't take their stack, but at least I want to get good enough value from them. Maybe a few times here and there, they'll make a mistake and I'll get their stack.
I also realize that those maniacs who never pot controls and bet pot every time to push you out, they will evenually make a huge mistake against you and you'll easily take their stack. I'm not sure how willing I am to do this with TPTK, but if the flop looks innocent enough, I think it'll be profitable.
I think the most contributing factor that gave me this solid session is my new insight on postflop play. I am aggressive with marginal hands but always keeping the pot small when I don't have a great hand. It's hard to admit but I think my postflop play was really lousy before, even fish were playing better than me postflop in a lot of ways.
I successfully played a lot of small pots. Even monsters, I really didn't overplay them and lure people to pay me off. I know I won't take their stack, but at least I want to get good enough value from them. Maybe a few times here and there, they'll make a mistake and I'll get their stack.
I also realize that those maniacs who never pot controls and bet pot every time to push you out, they will evenually make a huge mistake against you and you'll easily take their stack. I'm not sure how willing I am to do this with TPTK, but if the flop looks innocent enough, I think it'll be profitable.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Another semi bad session, lost 2
This is like the trend for me. Going down hill now. I'm not losing confidence, it's just everything I throw my stack out there, I'm beat. I did make 2 big bluffs that got outplayed. It just sucks when you bluff once in a great while, people just call you down with marginal hands.
Another note is that I'm feeling better about my postflop play. I think this is mostly due to Stinger88's videos. He explains it differently than muddywater and GP. Perhaps something just clicks when he talked about his thoughts. I'm winning a lot of small pots and am pretty aggressive overall. That's a good accomplishment.
Another note is that I'm feeling better about my postflop play. I think this is mostly due to Stinger88's videos. He explains it differently than muddywater and GP. Perhaps something just clicks when he talked about his thoughts. I'm winning a lot of small pots and am pretty aggressive overall. That's a good accomplishment.
Up 4, then down 6, just like that.
That sucks, stupid browser crashed when I was in a middle of my post. But basically to sum it up, it's easy to run hot and then drop down really quickly.
I need to stop playing marginal hands against fish that could have any holding. I lost a lot of big pots against them. I was extremely successful taking small pots from them, like 10-20bb easily. But every time I put my stack on the line, I was behind. I guess this has been a big leak of mine since day one. I need to be content with playing for small pots and grind with that. I can't always be looking to stack someone.
I'll try it on the next session, and I'll avoid playing stacks with my TPTK unless he's an extreme maniac.
Another note, I need to learn how to deal with overaggressive villians. My inexperience seems to surface quickly against these players. They push me off pots that I have no place in, and when I give them a lot of action, they wimper away. I hate to think I need to incorporate bluffing in these stakes. I think I'll be throwing away money a lot of these times. There is always so much to learn about this game, it's never ending.
I need to stop playing marginal hands against fish that could have any holding. I lost a lot of big pots against them. I was extremely successful taking small pots from them, like 10-20bb easily. But every time I put my stack on the line, I was behind. I guess this has been a big leak of mine since day one. I need to be content with playing for small pots and grind with that. I can't always be looking to stack someone.
I'll try it on the next session, and I'll avoid playing stacks with my TPTK unless he's an extreme maniac.
Another note, I need to learn how to deal with overaggressive villians. My inexperience seems to surface quickly against these players. They push me off pots that I have no place in, and when I give them a lot of action, they wimper away. I hate to think I need to incorporate bluffing in these stakes. I think I'll be throwing away money a lot of these times. There is always so much to learn about this game, it's never ending.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Cardrunners down?
It doesn't seem to work for me. Kind of annoys me a little bit. Oh well.
*edit* apparently my browser locked up the site so I couldn't access it until I restarted it.
*edit* apparently my browser locked up the site so I couldn't access it until I restarted it.
Scary session, successful though
It was a very scary session. I played some pretty tough games and against some tough opponents. There are some marginal plays I made. I truly admit I'm not good against tough opponents, I tend to break down. If they are willing to put their stack on the line, I will probably escape with marginal holdings. I just don't have the confidence that I can outplay these guys. Though I don't get into many sticky situations, (I've been pretty careful about that) when it does comes, I am not the best to make a correct decision.
When you don't have the nuts, how can one decide if you have the best hand? This is a toughie. Tonight I was blessed with deep stacks on almost all my tables. This made playing pretty difficult against other deep stacks. I need more experience, it's scary that you have 2+ BI on the line and sometimes someone will be willing to put it all in. Most are not that reckless, but when they do, I am probably behind if I don't have the nuts.
I got a little paranoid at the end of the session. I know I wasn't playing my A game when I am worried and uncomfortable. I think my biggest problem is dealing with villians that can call the flop very light and reraise my raise light. Some people I sense are doing it with nothing because I'm willing to lay down marginal holdings OOP.
I guess I have the realize that others are feeling similar when their hand isn't best also. Only time and experience will combat these feelings, and I think I should avoid tables with villians I don't want to deal with.
Anyways, these are some interesting hands from tonight:
The villian is pretty good here. He's pretty tricky and solid. I give him a lot of respect. He's also very aggressive player.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
UTG ($11)
Hero ($24.65)
CO ($25.80)
Button ($23.65)
SB ($18)
BB ($30.85)
Preflop: Hero is MP with Kh, 8h.
1 fold, Hero raises to $1, 3 folds, BB calls $0.75.
I raised in mid position. Pretty loose play here, I do this occasionally when I feel button and CO will fold a lot of the times.
Flop: ($2.10) Ks, 8d, Jd (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $1.5, BB raises to $4.5, Hero calls $3.
Very good flop for me, but is vulnerable to hands like 88, JJ, KK, and KJ. He check raises me, leads me to believe he's probably on a flush draw or a very strong hand.
Turn: ($11.10) Ts (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $6, BB raises to $25.35, Hero calls $13.15 (All-In).
This is a very aggressive play by villian. I was almost sure he had a set or KJ here. I made a crying call here. I'm actually not sure what hands I really beat. But the pot odds gave me enough to make a call. I only have to correct 33% of the time to make this profitable.
River: ($55.60) 7s (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $55.60
Results below:
BB has Ad As (one pair, aces).
Hero has Kh 8h (two pair, kings and eights).
Outcome: Hero wins $49.40. BB wins $6.20.
AA is the last thing I would put him on. Given the preflop play, he played this slow and it threw me off a lot. I guess I lucked out this hand, I really was very confused the whole time. I couldn't make out a hand that he would make this line. I guess this teaches me a lesson. And AA actually makes perfect sense for this line.
This hand I made the biggest mistake. Actually the mistake came from not the line of the villian but the villian itself. This villian will call/raise with nothing. I don't think he's gutsy enough to reraise with nothing though. At the time, I really didn't have much read on him and I thought he was just a donk messing with me. This is why I made such a move on the turn. I guess it's out of frustration but also out of some decent reasoning. Like I said, it was a mistake and I should have known quite well this is a line of a set or a monster.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
SB ($23.20)
BB ($8.40)
UTG ($22.65)
Hero ($41.65)
Button ($91)
Preflop: Hero is MP with Kc, As.
UTG calls $0.25, Hero raises to $1.25, 3 folds, UTG calls $1.
Flop: ($2.85) 3c, Qs, 5s (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero checks.
Turn: ($2.85) Ac (2 players)
UTG bets $0.75, Hero raises to $2.5, UTG raises to $7, Hero raises to $40.4, UTG calls $14.40 (All-In).
River: ($64.65) Jh (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $64.65
Results below:
UTG has 5d 5c (three of a kind, fives).
Hero has Kc As (one pair, aces).
Outcome: UTG wins $45.65. Hero wins $19.
This villian's style is almost anti my style. He calls and raises with nothing. There was many hands that I had the best hand till the river and I would call him down with mid pair. My read was correct but I get sucked out to a call on the river. Good thing he doesn't bet that big, or I'd be in a lot of hurt. Maybe that's a read I can use against him.
This is the same villian from hand #2. I didn't respect his raise but now that I think back his PF line was the line of AA. I think I should have folded PF. This play was clearly a mistake if I think back on it. Anyways, I want to dissect this a little.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
BB ($23.70)
UTG ($8.25)
MP ($43.45)
Hero ($26.50)
Button ($89.15)
SB ($25)
Preflop: Hero is CO with Kh, Ac.
1 fold, MP calls $0.25, Hero raises to $1.25, Button calls $1.25, 2 folds, MP raises to $5.25, Hero calls $4, Button calls $4.
MP raises after limping UTG. This is the typical bad AA line. I usually catch this. But this villian, I don't have much respect for, so I think he's screwing around. Of course at the time, I didn't put him on AA at all. With my hand, I found it really hard to fold, so I decided to just make a call and see a flop. I knew button was going to just call/fold here, so I didn't have to worry he'll come over the top.
Flop: ($16.10) 6c, 9c, Qc (3 players)
MP bets $38.2 (All-In), Hero calls $21.25 (All-In), Button folds.
This is a good flop for my hand. I have the nut flush draw. But it's a difficult call here. I would need to put 21 more for a 38 dollar pot. I have roughly 1/3 pot equity if my only outs are the flush cards. So this call is actually really close, I would need 43 dollars pot to break even. But in my mind, I wasn't sure if the villian has a really big hand. He might easily have 22 or 55. So if I hit one of my As or Ks, I would also win this pot. This would give me 1/2 pot equity and easy call here.
Another factor is if button will come in also. If he does, my pot odds requirement is fulfilled. Most likely he won't come in with 2 all-in in front of him, but if there's a slight chance, the couple dollars I lack would be fulfilled. Not to mention I already have 5 dollars invested. If I fold, I lose 5 dollars. If I make a call, I over invest roughly 5 dollars. Adding all the factors that he might not have the hand he is representing, I made a call. As played, I think calling is the correct play.
Turn: ($75.55) 5c (2 players, 2 all-in)
River: ($75.55) Th (2 players, 2 all-in)
Final Pot: $75.55
Results below:
MP has Ah Ad (one pair, aces).
Hero has Kh Ac (flush, ace high).
Outcome: Hero wins $58.60. MP wins $16.95.
Result came to my favor. But like I said, I think folding PF probably would be the best play instead. I'm not going to let this happy result influence my play in the future. Though it was a very sweet pot given that he stacked off me earlier.
This is it for tonight. I have a bit of headache because I never had to use so much energy for a session before. This is good though, it's good practice. Also I ended up making almost 4 buyins tonight. I had some lucky runs and very few suckouts. Overall I think I played pretty good minus some mistakes.
When you don't have the nuts, how can one decide if you have the best hand? This is a toughie. Tonight I was blessed with deep stacks on almost all my tables. This made playing pretty difficult against other deep stacks. I need more experience, it's scary that you have 2+ BI on the line and sometimes someone will be willing to put it all in. Most are not that reckless, but when they do, I am probably behind if I don't have the nuts.
I got a little paranoid at the end of the session. I know I wasn't playing my A game when I am worried and uncomfortable. I think my biggest problem is dealing with villians that can call the flop very light and reraise my raise light. Some people I sense are doing it with nothing because I'm willing to lay down marginal holdings OOP.
I guess I have the realize that others are feeling similar when their hand isn't best also. Only time and experience will combat these feelings, and I think I should avoid tables with villians I don't want to deal with.
Anyways, these are some interesting hands from tonight:
The villian is pretty good here. He's pretty tricky and solid. I give him a lot of respect. He's also very aggressive player.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
UTG ($11)
Hero ($24.65)
CO ($25.80)
Button ($23.65)
SB ($18)
BB ($30.85)
Preflop: Hero is MP with Kh, 8h.
1 fold, Hero raises to $1, 3 folds, BB calls $0.75.
I raised in mid position. Pretty loose play here, I do this occasionally when I feel button and CO will fold a lot of the times.
Flop: ($2.10) Ks, 8d, Jd (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $1.5, BB raises to $4.5, Hero calls $3.
Very good flop for me, but is vulnerable to hands like 88, JJ, KK, and KJ. He check raises me, leads me to believe he's probably on a flush draw or a very strong hand.
Turn: ($11.10) Ts (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $6, BB raises to $25.35, Hero calls $13.15 (All-In).
This is a very aggressive play by villian. I was almost sure he had a set or KJ here. I made a crying call here. I'm actually not sure what hands I really beat. But the pot odds gave me enough to make a call. I only have to correct 33% of the time to make this profitable.
River: ($55.60) 7s (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $55.60
Results below:
BB has Ad As (one pair, aces).
Hero has Kh 8h (two pair, kings and eights).
Outcome: Hero wins $49.40. BB wins $6.20.
AA is the last thing I would put him on. Given the preflop play, he played this slow and it threw me off a lot. I guess I lucked out this hand, I really was very confused the whole time. I couldn't make out a hand that he would make this line. I guess this teaches me a lesson. And AA actually makes perfect sense for this line.
This hand I made the biggest mistake. Actually the mistake came from not the line of the villian but the villian itself. This villian will call/raise with nothing. I don't think he's gutsy enough to reraise with nothing though. At the time, I really didn't have much read on him and I thought he was just a donk messing with me. This is why I made such a move on the turn. I guess it's out of frustration but also out of some decent reasoning. Like I said, it was a mistake and I should have known quite well this is a line of a set or a monster.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
SB ($23.20)
BB ($8.40)
UTG ($22.65)
Hero ($41.65)
Button ($91)
Preflop: Hero is MP with Kc, As.
UTG calls $0.25, Hero raises to $1.25, 3 folds, UTG calls $1.
Flop: ($2.85) 3c, Qs, 5s (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero checks.
Turn: ($2.85) Ac (2 players)
UTG bets $0.75, Hero raises to $2.5, UTG raises to $7, Hero raises to $40.4, UTG calls $14.40 (All-In).
River: ($64.65) Jh (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $64.65
Results below:
UTG has 5d 5c (three of a kind, fives).
Hero has Kc As (one pair, aces).
Outcome: UTG wins $45.65. Hero wins $19.
This villian's style is almost anti my style. He calls and raises with nothing. There was many hands that I had the best hand till the river and I would call him down with mid pair. My read was correct but I get sucked out to a call on the river. Good thing he doesn't bet that big, or I'd be in a lot of hurt. Maybe that's a read I can use against him.
This is the same villian from hand #2. I didn't respect his raise but now that I think back his PF line was the line of AA. I think I should have folded PF. This play was clearly a mistake if I think back on it. Anyways, I want to dissect this a little.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
BB ($23.70)
UTG ($8.25)
MP ($43.45)
Hero ($26.50)
Button ($89.15)
SB ($25)
Preflop: Hero is CO with Kh, Ac.
1 fold, MP calls $0.25, Hero raises to $1.25, Button calls $1.25, 2 folds, MP raises to $5.25, Hero calls $4, Button calls $4.
MP raises after limping UTG. This is the typical bad AA line. I usually catch this. But this villian, I don't have much respect for, so I think he's screwing around. Of course at the time, I didn't put him on AA at all. With my hand, I found it really hard to fold, so I decided to just make a call and see a flop. I knew button was going to just call/fold here, so I didn't have to worry he'll come over the top.
Flop: ($16.10) 6c, 9c, Qc (3 players)
MP bets $38.2 (All-In), Hero calls $21.25 (All-In), Button folds.
This is a good flop for my hand. I have the nut flush draw. But it's a difficult call here. I would need to put 21 more for a 38 dollar pot. I have roughly 1/3 pot equity if my only outs are the flush cards. So this call is actually really close, I would need 43 dollars pot to break even. But in my mind, I wasn't sure if the villian has a really big hand. He might easily have 22 or 55. So if I hit one of my As or Ks, I would also win this pot. This would give me 1/2 pot equity and easy call here.
Another factor is if button will come in also. If he does, my pot odds requirement is fulfilled. Most likely he won't come in with 2 all-in in front of him, but if there's a slight chance, the couple dollars I lack would be fulfilled. Not to mention I already have 5 dollars invested. If I fold, I lose 5 dollars. If I make a call, I over invest roughly 5 dollars. Adding all the factors that he might not have the hand he is representing, I made a call. As played, I think calling is the correct play.
Turn: ($75.55) 5c (2 players, 2 all-in)
River: ($75.55) Th (2 players, 2 all-in)
Final Pot: $75.55
Results below:
MP has Ah Ad (one pair, aces).
Hero has Kh Ac (flush, ace high).
Outcome: Hero wins $58.60. MP wins $16.95.
Result came to my favor. But like I said, I think folding PF probably would be the best play instead. I'm not going to let this happy result influence my play in the future. Though it was a very sweet pot given that he stacked off me earlier.
This is it for tonight. I have a bit of headache because I never had to use so much energy for a session before. This is good though, it's good practice. Also I ended up making almost 4 buyins tonight. I had some lucky runs and very few suckouts. Overall I think I played pretty good minus some mistakes.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Solid session, down 1
I played pretty solid tonight. Other than 1 big mistake I made early in the session(the HH is here on this post), I think I played pretty solid. This is a good sign, if I can learn from these mistakes quicker, the more I become more profitable. I'm glad I'm making them. Hopefully I don't make the same mistakes in the future.
I think I played this correctly, but fold equity is probably very low against this villian. I think I played this as well as I could have. Villian is pretty aggressive and splashed around a lot on the table. I've been pretty tight.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
Hero ($24.90)
SB ($27.50)
BB ($6.65)
UTG ($129.95)
MP ($25)
CO ($60.55)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Ks, Ah.
UTG raises to $0.5, 2 folds, Hero raises to $1.5, 2 folds, UTG calls $1.
Flop: ($3.35) Kh, 2h, Qh (2 players)
UTG bets $2, Hero raises to $6, UTG calls $4.
Turn: ($15.35) 3s (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $17.4 (All-In), UTG calls $17.40.
River: ($50.15) Kd (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $50.15
Results below:
UTG has 2c Kc (full house, kings full of twos).
Hero has Ks Ah (three of a kind, kings).
Outcome: UTG wins $50.15.
Result isn't what I perferred, I just wanted him to fold on the turn but if he didn't, I would still have a lot of outs. River card is the worst card in the deck against this hand. Oh well, I still like the play.
This particular hand I made a huge mistake. I tend to make this mistake a lot, and it really costs me a lot of $ in a long run. I would consider it a leak.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
Button ($25.50)
SB ($10.65)
BB ($45.75)
UTG ($24.30)
Hero ($25)
Preflop: Hero is MP with Qc, Td.
1 fold, Hero raises to $1, 2 folds, BB calls $0.75.
Raising it up on the CO spot.
Flop: ($2.10) 5c, Jh, Qs (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $1.5, BB raises to $5, Hero calls $3.50.
I flopped top pair, not bad but got reraised. Instantly, I have to put him on AQ, KQ, JQ or 55.
Turn: ($12.10) Th (2 players)
BB bets $39.75 (All-In), Hero calls $19 (All-In).
This is where the mistake happens. I was thinking through the hand. I do have pretty decent hand here. I beat AQ, KQ and a weird Q5. The villian has very high VPIP, which is why I really wanted to look him up. But I thought about what hands would reraise me on the flop. And what hand would shove here. AQ might shove sometimes, but doubtful. So only hands that shove is QT+. Making this call was obviously a mistake on my part.
River: ($70.85) 7d (2 players, 2 all-in)
Final Pot: $70.85
Results below:
BB has Jc Qd (two pair, queens and jacks).
Hero has Qc Td (two pair, queens and tens).
Outcome: BB wins $70.85.
As expected, he had JQ. I'm getting much better at hand reading but I still make poor decisions sometimes. These days, it's encouraging that I guess villian's hands correctly. It happens much more often now.
The players that give me the most trouble are the ones that are super loose and super lucky. You can't really read them because of their random nature. I need to be able to deal with these villians. I need to develop a better strategy against them. Oh yea, another problem I seem to have is playing decent short stacks. It's hard to identify which shortstacks are decent and which isn't. I give them very little respect, and I think I lose a bit to them. I think this is okay in a long run, but I should pay more attention to shortstacks.
I think I played this correctly, but fold equity is probably very low against this villian. I think I played this as well as I could have. Villian is pretty aggressive and splashed around a lot on the table. I've been pretty tight.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
Hero ($24.90)
SB ($27.50)
BB ($6.65)
UTG ($129.95)
MP ($25)
CO ($60.55)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Ks, Ah.
UTG raises to $0.5, 2 folds, Hero raises to $1.5, 2 folds, UTG calls $1.
Flop: ($3.35) Kh, 2h, Qh (2 players)
UTG bets $2, Hero raises to $6, UTG calls $4.
Turn: ($15.35) 3s (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $17.4 (All-In), UTG calls $17.40.
River: ($50.15) Kd (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $50.15
Results below:
UTG has 2c Kc (full house, kings full of twos).
Hero has Ks Ah (three of a kind, kings).
Outcome: UTG wins $50.15.
Result isn't what I perferred, I just wanted him to fold on the turn but if he didn't, I would still have a lot of outs. River card is the worst card in the deck against this hand. Oh well, I still like the play.
This particular hand I made a huge mistake. I tend to make this mistake a lot, and it really costs me a lot of $ in a long run. I would consider it a leak.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
Button ($25.50)
SB ($10.65)
BB ($45.75)
UTG ($24.30)
Hero ($25)
Preflop: Hero is MP with Qc, Td.
1 fold, Hero raises to $1, 2 folds, BB calls $0.75.
Raising it up on the CO spot.
Flop: ($2.10) 5c, Jh, Qs (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $1.5, BB raises to $5, Hero calls $3.50.
I flopped top pair, not bad but got reraised. Instantly, I have to put him on AQ, KQ, JQ or 55.
Turn: ($12.10) Th (2 players)
BB bets $39.75 (All-In), Hero calls $19 (All-In).
This is where the mistake happens. I was thinking through the hand. I do have pretty decent hand here. I beat AQ, KQ and a weird Q5. The villian has very high VPIP, which is why I really wanted to look him up. But I thought about what hands would reraise me on the flop. And what hand would shove here. AQ might shove sometimes, but doubtful. So only hands that shove is QT+. Making this call was obviously a mistake on my part.
River: ($70.85) 7d (2 players, 2 all-in)
Final Pot: $70.85
Results below:
BB has Jc Qd (two pair, queens and jacks).
Hero has Qc Td (two pair, queens and tens).
Outcome: BB wins $70.85.
As expected, he had JQ. I'm getting much better at hand reading but I still make poor decisions sometimes. These days, it's encouraging that I guess villian's hands correctly. It happens much more often now.
The players that give me the most trouble are the ones that are super loose and super lucky. You can't really read them because of their random nature. I need to be able to deal with these villians. I need to develop a better strategy against them. Oh yea, another problem I seem to have is playing decent short stacks. It's hard to identify which shortstacks are decent and which isn't. I give them very little respect, and I think I lose a bit to them. I think this is okay in a long run, but I should pay more attention to shortstacks.
Session over, hard battles fought
Today was a pretty tiring session. There were a lot of players that were bluffing, especially against me because they do work on me. It's the players that don't value their stack that bluffs aimlessly. I almost generally never bluff because it's just too hard to sense which player you can bluff and which you can't. Trust me, I've done my share of bluffing before. Ya, sometimes they work like a charm but sometimes you get called down, man you'll feel like shit. But I think the fact I don't bluff makes me a more predictable player. In these limits, it's almost unnecessary to bluff. If your bluff fails more than half the time, you will be shown immediate loss.
I do know bluffing does add a good amount of winrate to some players. And it adds a dimension of being difficult to read. I don't know where you draw the line when to bluff and when not to. I wish I can dig into other people's minds so I can see how others perceive me. And yes, some more aggressive players know how I play and I suspect they are taking advantage. I probably need to think up a battle plan against them or I'm always going to be haunted by them.
Anyways, I had a pretty decent session, I went up a couple BIs. I made less mistakes, and most mistakes were relatively cheap.
This hand I caught a bluff here. At the time though I couldn't put him on a flush draw. This person was overaggressive most of the time. He seemed pretty solid for most part. I need to be better at hand reading. The play he made is very similar to ones I do but it never works on bad players, I can sense how powerful it is against decent players because I obviously experienced it.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (4 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
Button ($50)
SB ($31.90)
BB ($12.35)
Hero ($26.40)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with Kh, Th.
Hero raises to $1, 1 fold, SB calls $0.90, 1 fold.
Flop: ($2.25) Td, 9c, 2d (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $1.5, SB raises to $4.5, Hero calls $3.
Turn: ($11.25) 7s (2 players)
SB bets $0.25, Hero calls $0.25.
River: ($11.75) 6h (2 players)
SB bets $7, Hero calls $7.
Final Pot: $25.75
Results below:
SB has Jd Ad (high card, ace).
Hero has Kh Th (one pair, tens).
Outcome: Hero wins $25.75.
The min raise on the turn was really what gave it away. He claimed that the minraise was a mistake. If he was to fire another large barrel there, I think I might have folded. On the river, I struggled making that call also. But I went through the whole hand, I put him on an overpair or a set. Overpair and set would not slow down on the turn. Only hand I could seriously put him on was JJ. QQ+ preflop, he would surely repop me. With JJ, he might not be too confident, but I guess thinking about it some more now. Overpair or sets would not checkraise on this board unless he knows for sure I was going to bet out. That assumption might be correct though since I frequently cbets. I should be more experienced to spot the possible flush draw, I definitely wasn't at the time. It would have made my decision much easier.
Here is another interesting hand, I don't have much read on this villian. He's pretty decent I assumed.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
BB ($37.70)
UTG ($12.40)
MP ($24.65)
Hero ($49.10)
Button ($20.25)
SB ($42.85)
Preflop: Hero is CO with 6h, 5h.
2 folds, Hero raises to $1, Button calls $1, 1 fold, BB calls $0.75.
Flop: ($3.10) Kh, 7h, 3h (3 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $2, Button folds, BB raises to $4, Hero raises to $8, BB calls $4.
Turn: ($19.10) 7d (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $6, BB raises to $12, Hero calls $6.
River: ($43.10) 2c (2 players)
BB bets $16.7 (All-In), Hero calls $16.70.
Final Pot: $76.50
Results below:
BB has Jd Td (one pair, sevens).
Hero has 6h 5h (flush, king high).
Outcome: Hero wins $76.50.
This hand was extremely difficult for me. I really believed he had 33 here. The only reason I made this call was due to pot odds. If he didn't push into me, I would have been happy to check it down. Deep stack poker is really hard to play, I am extremely bad at it. I'm too chicken shit to lose like 2+ BI in one hand honestly.
Apparently, villian thought he was playing against a fish on the table. That fish was pushing me around the whole time, he was sitting on my left. Hence perhaps that's why villian made this costly mistake. Anyways, about this fish, every time he had the button and I bet in CO, he would call and basically outplay me postflop. He had like 60 VPIP, but when I have nothing, I can't do jack against him. So I tightened up and stopped raising in CO with marginal hands. This was a good adjustment and I profited a bit off him later.
Another note, I was hunting down this extremely deep stacked maniac on this table. He was a total fish, calling station and bluffs way too much. The sad part of this is that I went too crazy trying to play many hands against him and I actually stacked him 2 times, but in the end, I only came out of the table just 1/4 of a BI ahead. This makes me sad, and teaches me a good lesson about fishing. You just gotta be patient.
I do know bluffing does add a good amount of winrate to some players. And it adds a dimension of being difficult to read. I don't know where you draw the line when to bluff and when not to. I wish I can dig into other people's minds so I can see how others perceive me. And yes, some more aggressive players know how I play and I suspect they are taking advantage. I probably need to think up a battle plan against them or I'm always going to be haunted by them.
Anyways, I had a pretty decent session, I went up a couple BIs. I made less mistakes, and most mistakes were relatively cheap.
This hand I caught a bluff here. At the time though I couldn't put him on a flush draw. This person was overaggressive most of the time. He seemed pretty solid for most part. I need to be better at hand reading. The play he made is very similar to ones I do but it never works on bad players, I can sense how powerful it is against decent players because I obviously experienced it.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (4 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
Button ($50)
SB ($31.90)
BB ($12.35)
Hero ($26.40)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with Kh, Th.
Hero raises to $1, 1 fold, SB calls $0.90, 1 fold.
Flop: ($2.25) Td, 9c, 2d (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $1.5, SB raises to $4.5, Hero calls $3.
Turn: ($11.25) 7s (2 players)
SB bets $0.25, Hero calls $0.25.
River: ($11.75) 6h (2 players)
SB bets $7, Hero calls $7.
Final Pot: $25.75
Results below:
SB has Jd Ad (high card, ace).
Hero has Kh Th (one pair, tens).
Outcome: Hero wins $25.75.
The min raise on the turn was really what gave it away. He claimed that the minraise was a mistake. If he was to fire another large barrel there, I think I might have folded. On the river, I struggled making that call also. But I went through the whole hand, I put him on an overpair or a set. Overpair and set would not slow down on the turn. Only hand I could seriously put him on was JJ. QQ+ preflop, he would surely repop me. With JJ, he might not be too confident, but I guess thinking about it some more now. Overpair or sets would not checkraise on this board unless he knows for sure I was going to bet out. That assumption might be correct though since I frequently cbets. I should be more experienced to spot the possible flush draw, I definitely wasn't at the time. It would have made my decision much easier.
Here is another interesting hand, I don't have much read on this villian. He's pretty decent I assumed.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
BB ($37.70)
UTG ($12.40)
MP ($24.65)
Hero ($49.10)
Button ($20.25)
SB ($42.85)
Preflop: Hero is CO with 6h, 5h.
2 folds, Hero raises to $1, Button calls $1, 1 fold, BB calls $0.75.
Flop: ($3.10) Kh, 7h, 3h (3 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $2, Button folds, BB raises to $4, Hero raises to $8, BB calls $4.
Turn: ($19.10) 7d (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $6, BB raises to $12, Hero calls $6.
River: ($43.10) 2c (2 players)
BB bets $16.7 (All-In), Hero calls $16.70.
Final Pot: $76.50
Results below:
BB has Jd Td (one pair, sevens).
Hero has 6h 5h (flush, king high).
Outcome: Hero wins $76.50.
This hand was extremely difficult for me. I really believed he had 33 here. The only reason I made this call was due to pot odds. If he didn't push into me, I would have been happy to check it down. Deep stack poker is really hard to play, I am extremely bad at it. I'm too chicken shit to lose like 2+ BI in one hand honestly.
Apparently, villian thought he was playing against a fish on the table. That fish was pushing me around the whole time, he was sitting on my left. Hence perhaps that's why villian made this costly mistake. Anyways, about this fish, every time he had the button and I bet in CO, he would call and basically outplay me postflop. He had like 60 VPIP, but when I have nothing, I can't do jack against him. So I tightened up and stopped raising in CO with marginal hands. This was a good adjustment and I profited a bit off him later.
Another note, I was hunting down this extremely deep stacked maniac on this table. He was a total fish, calling station and bluffs way too much. The sad part of this is that I went too crazy trying to play many hands against him and I actually stacked him 2 times, but in the end, I only came out of the table just 1/4 of a BI ahead. This makes me sad, and teaches me a good lesson about fishing. You just gotta be patient.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Lots of fish, mediocre results
I decided to try an early session because I thought there would be more fish in the afternoon and early morning. My suspicion is correct, there are a TON of fish. Some are just throwing you money. But after a 3 hours session, I came out about 1 BI on top. I went against small stacks and fish while they had sets when I had OPs, TPTK, 2Ps, etc... So I did lose a little from that. I thought I was up a lot more than that, but I guess I can't be too greedy. I played well, just the variance is high when they aren't really "rational".
6 hours session, down 1.5
Just finished one of the longest session, I did not think about how much I'm up or down the whole time. I made one really bad mistake in a deep stack HU pot. That basically cost me the whole session here. Sometimes I think I just give villians way too much credit and perhaps I'm giving myself an excuse to make a fancy call. Every evidence pointed that he had the hand that beats me, but I gave myself a reason to call off my stack.
I think this is the toughest thing about this game. Especially on these low limits, some players just love to bluff. I'm a prime victim for bluffs because I believe them most of the time. And I hate myself when I make a wrong call. I know every mistake brings me back a couple steps. Doesn't it suck when you keep raising with the best hand and you have a caller, then a river completes a flush or straight or whatever, then the villian promptly pushes all in? I've caught so many doing this and bluffing, but also there were many times they weren't. I don't know how to decide correctly.
One thing I do notice is how weak I am at memorizing preflop action. It's mostly due to multitasking. I need to work on that because it is key to putting villians on hands, and I gotta stop being lazy. Perhaps I should do shorter sessions, maybe it'll help my focus.
I think this is the toughest thing about this game. Especially on these low limits, some players just love to bluff. I'm a prime victim for bluffs because I believe them most of the time. And I hate myself when I make a wrong call. I know every mistake brings me back a couple steps. Doesn't it suck when you keep raising with the best hand and you have a caller, then a river completes a flush or straight or whatever, then the villian promptly pushes all in? I've caught so many doing this and bluffing, but also there were many times they weren't. I don't know how to decide correctly.
One thing I do notice is how weak I am at memorizing preflop action. It's mostly due to multitasking. I need to work on that because it is key to putting villians on hands, and I gotta stop being lazy. Perhaps I should do shorter sessions, maybe it'll help my focus.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Long session, ended up even
Just finished a 3 hour session. Ended up breaking even, though for some reason I felt I was ahead the whole time. I went against a lot of OP/TPTK vs set especially against the small stacks.
I think this hand was played correctly, some will argue about this. I think the hands that I probably beat here outweights the couple hands I lose to.
Villian is decent, pretty tight player.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
SB ($34.90)
BB ($14.15)
UTG ($13)
MP ($25.90)
Hero ($25.35)
Button ($31.15)
Preflop: Hero is CO with Ac, Kc.
UTG calls $0.25, 1 fold, Hero raises to $1.25, Button calls $1.25, 2 folds, UTG calls $1.
Flop: ($4.10) 8s, 4h, Ad (3 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $2.5, Button raises to $7.5, UTG folds, Hero raises to $24.1, Button calls $16.60.
Turn: ($52.30) Qs (2 players)
River: ($52.30) 5s (2 players)
Final Pot: $52.30
Results below:
Hero has Ac Kc (one pair, aces).
Button has 4c 4d (three of a kind, fours).
Outcome: Button wins $52.30.
A lot of people might say I'm too reckless here. On this particular flop, most of the hands he most likely hold will miss him. I'm not sure if I could really fold this hand even if I make this call. This is a pretty typical situation, maybe this is more villian based type play. Against a decent villian, a fold here might be better. Against a bad player, this should be gone to felt. Against a better player, they probably won't push go all in with a worse hand than mine. I guess that's the conclusion.
If I could get away from hands like this, I would have pulled ahead on this session. Poker is such a weird game. Winning and losing is seperated by a thin line, the difference between the two is so marginal. To say one is a winning player is just saying that a winning player would make a better decision than a losing player at a certain situation. This skill takes a lot of time to develop.
Sometimes I feel I underestimate the players in these low stakes. Yes, they are bad and they make a lot of mistakes. Even though I have came a long way since I started playing the game, and I have become a much better player than I was 3 months ago. It takes a lot more to consistently take advantage of these bad player's mistakes. Sometimes luck would allow them to capitalize on your mistake. To be able to combat that, it's going to take a lot of time and experience.
I think this hand was played correctly, some will argue about this. I think the hands that I probably beat here outweights the couple hands I lose to.
Villian is decent, pretty tight player.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
SB ($34.90)
BB ($14.15)
UTG ($13)
MP ($25.90)
Hero ($25.35)
Button ($31.15)
Preflop: Hero is CO with Ac, Kc.
UTG calls $0.25, 1 fold, Hero raises to $1.25, Button calls $1.25, 2 folds, UTG calls $1.
Flop: ($4.10) 8s, 4h, Ad (3 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $2.5, Button raises to $7.5, UTG folds, Hero raises to $24.1, Button calls $16.60.
Turn: ($52.30) Qs (2 players)
River: ($52.30) 5s (2 players)
Final Pot: $52.30
Results below:
Hero has Ac Kc (one pair, aces).
Button has 4c 4d (three of a kind, fours).
Outcome: Button wins $52.30.
A lot of people might say I'm too reckless here. On this particular flop, most of the hands he most likely hold will miss him. I'm not sure if I could really fold this hand even if I make this call. This is a pretty typical situation, maybe this is more villian based type play. Against a decent villian, a fold here might be better. Against a bad player, this should be gone to felt. Against a better player, they probably won't push go all in with a worse hand than mine. I guess that's the conclusion.
If I could get away from hands like this, I would have pulled ahead on this session. Poker is such a weird game. Winning and losing is seperated by a thin line, the difference between the two is so marginal. To say one is a winning player is just saying that a winning player would make a better decision than a losing player at a certain situation. This skill takes a lot of time to develop.
Sometimes I feel I underestimate the players in these low stakes. Yes, they are bad and they make a lot of mistakes. Even though I have came a long way since I started playing the game, and I have become a much better player than I was 3 months ago. It takes a lot more to consistently take advantage of these bad player's mistakes. Sometimes luck would allow them to capitalize on your mistake. To be able to combat that, it's going to take a lot of time and experience.
Something I read on the CR forums
"As long as it doesn't tilt your game then there is no reason to quit playing. A good thing to focus on (if you can) is to ask yourself whether you played the hand correctly. If the answer is yes then you have nothing to worry about, you got the money in good and the rest was determined by the poker Gods. Once you are able to see poker purely as a series of correct decisions to be made and can ignore the financial implications when it goes wrong it will help your progress at the tables.
I for one nearly always leave a table where I just got a horrible beat. Not because i can no longer play well because i don't tilt much but through experience I know that I NEVER EVER run well on a table where I get stacked to a long shot. I have stayed at the same table for hundreds of extra hands and usually end up a buyin or 2 down in adition to the beat I took. Dont know why this is but now I usually change tables within an orbit of a sick beat. "
-Road2ruin
Though this is not exactly an original idea, nor is it the first time I heard it, I really need to keep this to heart. Some bad beats do affect me, but some just slides right off. I probably should stop worrying about how much I'm up and down and just make correct decisions. I have to admit I make that mistake. Back a month or two ago, I wouldn't understand why people advice you not to look at your bankroll during a session. Some people actually go on days of session without looking, this is definitely for psychological reasons. I'm starting to grasp this concept. A month ago, I would look at my bankroll almost every 15 minutes to see where I'm at, now I mostly look at the end of each session. I already know the difference this made, again psychologically.
I for one nearly always leave a table where I just got a horrible beat. Not because i can no longer play well because i don't tilt much but through experience I know that I NEVER EVER run well on a table where I get stacked to a long shot. I have stayed at the same table for hundreds of extra hands and usually end up a buyin or 2 down in adition to the beat I took. Dont know why this is but now I usually change tables within an orbit of a sick beat. "
-Road2ruin
Though this is not exactly an original idea, nor is it the first time I heard it, I really need to keep this to heart. Some bad beats do affect me, but some just slides right off. I probably should stop worrying about how much I'm up and down and just make correct decisions. I have to admit I make that mistake. Back a month or two ago, I wouldn't understand why people advice you not to look at your bankroll during a session. Some people actually go on days of session without looking, this is definitely for psychological reasons. I'm starting to grasp this concept. A month ago, I would look at my bankroll almost every 15 minutes to see where I'm at, now I mostly look at the end of each session. I already know the difference this made, again psychologically.
Tilt is a scary thing
No, I didn't tilt much. But it does affect you in small ways, certain feelings that gets you to just fight back. Fight back in NL poker means throwing away your stack stupidly. I usually mostly semi-tilt when I make a really stupid mistake. I don't tilt badly when I am in a downswing anymore.
Anyways, after donking away a stack against a regular in pokerstar. I came out roughly 2 BIs ahead. This is pretty good for most part. I think the cards came my way a lot this session. I mean in my previous posts, I showed how brutal some bad beats are. Other times, I become the suckout king.
No it didn't have such a session. I did suck out kind of once here.
I've been trying to go after villian a couple times. We had a split pot once with AQ a couple hands before. He definitely wanted to get a piece of my stack, he wasn't going to slow down on a great hand.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
BB ($22.05)
UTG ($29.45)
MP ($58.95)
Hero ($36.40)
Button ($12.65)
SB ($21.90)
Preflop: Hero is CO with As, Qd.
2 folds, Hero raises to $1, 1 fold, SB calls $0.90, BB calls $0.75.
Flop: ($3) 6h, Ad, 8d (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $2, SB raises to $4, BB folds, Hero calls $2.
I thought Villian probably has a weak ace or a diamond draw. I wanted to suck him in a little. I definitely wouldn't put him on AK here. He check raised me, I think that is why I didn't hit him harder. Also, most of my tables people just expect me to put out the first raise on the flop.
Turn: ($11) Qh (2 players)
SB bets $16.9 (All-In), Hero calls $16.90.
If he has a set, so be it. I hit top 2 pair, I wasn't going to fold this. I expected this to be another chop.
River: ($44.80) 8c (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $44.80
Results below:
SB has Ac 6d (two pair, aces and eights).
Hero has As Qd (two pair, aces and queens).
Outcome: Hero wins $44.80.
I kind of sucked out on him. I hate it when this kind of thing happens when I flop 2 pairs. There really isn't much you can do about it. I'm not sure what I would have done if the turn didn't bring a Q and I was facing a shove. From the flop, I was pretty much willing to play for stacks with this particular villian. The only thing I was certain is that he doesn't have AK, so if he only had TP, I know I had him. I probably would make the call honestly. I might regret it if he had a set, but the chance is just so rare. Against two pairs, I have decent amount of outs. Ya, I think in a long run, calling a shove is +EV if you know AK isn't out there.
Anyways, after donking away a stack against a regular in pokerstar. I came out roughly 2 BIs ahead. This is pretty good for most part. I think the cards came my way a lot this session. I mean in my previous posts, I showed how brutal some bad beats are. Other times, I become the suckout king.
No it didn't have such a session. I did suck out kind of once here.
I've been trying to go after villian a couple times. We had a split pot once with AQ a couple hands before. He definitely wanted to get a piece of my stack, he wasn't going to slow down on a great hand.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
BB ($22.05)
UTG ($29.45)
MP ($58.95)
Hero ($36.40)
Button ($12.65)
SB ($21.90)
Preflop: Hero is CO with As, Qd.
2 folds, Hero raises to $1, 1 fold, SB calls $0.90, BB calls $0.75.
Flop: ($3) 6h, Ad, 8d (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $2, SB raises to $4, BB folds, Hero calls $2.
I thought Villian probably has a weak ace or a diamond draw. I wanted to suck him in a little. I definitely wouldn't put him on AK here. He check raised me, I think that is why I didn't hit him harder. Also, most of my tables people just expect me to put out the first raise on the flop.
Turn: ($11) Qh (2 players)
SB bets $16.9 (All-In), Hero calls $16.90.
If he has a set, so be it. I hit top 2 pair, I wasn't going to fold this. I expected this to be another chop.
River: ($44.80) 8c (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $44.80
Results below:
SB has Ac 6d (two pair, aces and eights).
Hero has As Qd (two pair, aces and queens).
Outcome: Hero wins $44.80.
I kind of sucked out on him. I hate it when this kind of thing happens when I flop 2 pairs. There really isn't much you can do about it. I'm not sure what I would have done if the turn didn't bring a Q and I was facing a shove. From the flop, I was pretty much willing to play for stacks with this particular villian. The only thing I was certain is that he doesn't have AK, so if he only had TP, I know I had him. I probably would make the call honestly. I might regret it if he had a set, but the chance is just so rare. Against two pairs, I have decent amount of outs. Ya, I think in a long run, calling a shove is +EV if you know AK isn't out there.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Decent session
Just finished a small session, I'm up just 1 BI. I guess it's not too bad, it could be worse. I haven't been able to break the 30BI barrier for 25NL. Every time I get there, I drop like 5 or 6 BI in a day or two. Then I would climb back up again, slowly...
I did change something this session, I started value betting the river more aggressively. Also I stop giving up pots that nobody seems interested in. I think these had decent results.
Maybe it's because my image is that I bluff a lot, honestly I don't. Only bluff I make a lot is cbets and semi bluffs. But to the players on the table, they seem to perceive me to bluff all the time. This is good sometimes when I have a big hand, but it's horrible when I want to pick up small pots. I'm not sure if I was dealing with calling stations in general or it's my image, because people call me down with like King high on my semi bluffs. I'm glad they do this, but at times, I really just want to pick up the small pots and move on. I need to take advantage of this more often.
I did change something this session, I started value betting the river more aggressively. Also I stop giving up pots that nobody seems interested in. I think these had decent results.
Maybe it's because my image is that I bluff a lot, honestly I don't. Only bluff I make a lot is cbets and semi bluffs. But to the players on the table, they seem to perceive me to bluff all the time. This is good sometimes when I have a big hand, but it's horrible when I want to pick up small pots. I'm not sure if I was dealing with calling stations in general or it's my image, because people call me down with like King high on my semi bluffs. I'm glad they do this, but at times, I really just want to pick up the small pots and move on. I need to take advantage of this more often.
Interesting hand
I don't have much read on this player but how I decided to play this was interesting I thought. And it worked out well in the end.
Villian seems like a fish to semi-decent player.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
UTG ($13.25)
Hero ($31.65)
Button ($27.60)
SB ($24.75)
BB ($29.20)
Preflop: Hero is MP with Kc, Kd.
1 fold, Hero raises to $1, 1 fold, SB raises to $3.2, 1 fold, Hero calls $2.20.
When he reraised me, I was thinking if I should reraise him again. But I figured if he didn't have a great hand, I was giving him a good opportunity to escape. And the main reason I decided not to is because of position. I have position on him, I can always escape if he seems like he has me beat. But this hand is too difficult unless an Ace comes on the board. I probably put him on AK, QQ, or AQ here.
Flop: ($6.65) 3d, 2h, Ac (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks.
Not a good flop for me, I didn't want to get trapped with my vulnerable hand and get stuck in a bad situation, so I checked behind. If he has AK, he could be check/raising me. I wasn't going to give up this pot too easily though.
Turn: ($6.65) Ks (2 players)
SB bets $4, Hero calls $4.
Bingo card! Now I'm only behind to AA, AK would give me a lot of action if he has that. I still wasn't too convinced he had a great hand and I looked at the stack sizes. It wasn't too much of an overbet if I shove on the river after this bet. I decided to slow play this, probably repping a weaker PP.
River: ($14.65) 8s (2 players)
SB bets $17.55 (All-In), Hero calls $17.55.
He shoves on me, I had no doubt in my mind I was going to call him. Only card I would consider folding is if an Ace comes on the board. Even a 3flush board, I'm willing to risk my stack. He is reping he has either a set or AK. Only AA beats me here. Easy call.
Final Pot: $49.75
Results below:
SB has 5c 5d (one pair, fives).
Hero has Kc Kd (three of a kind, kings).
Outcome: Hero wins $49.75.
I induced a huge bluff by him. I think these low stakes, people make a lot of bluffs when the pot is huge. I just never really have the cards to call them down. Also one thing a lot of pros keep stressing is a lot of mistakes are made in raised pots. But I say, people make a lot more mistakes on a 3bet PF pots because by the time you get to the turn, the pot is already big enough for a shove. Honestly I make a lot of mistakes in these pots also. This is something I should watch out when the pot is huge.
Villian seems like a fish to semi-decent player.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
UTG ($13.25)
Hero ($31.65)
Button ($27.60)
SB ($24.75)
BB ($29.20)
Preflop: Hero is MP with Kc, Kd.
1 fold, Hero raises to $1, 1 fold, SB raises to $3.2, 1 fold, Hero calls $2.20.
When he reraised me, I was thinking if I should reraise him again. But I figured if he didn't have a great hand, I was giving him a good opportunity to escape. And the main reason I decided not to is because of position. I have position on him, I can always escape if he seems like he has me beat. But this hand is too difficult unless an Ace comes on the board. I probably put him on AK, QQ, or AQ here.
Flop: ($6.65) 3d, 2h, Ac (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks.
Not a good flop for me, I didn't want to get trapped with my vulnerable hand and get stuck in a bad situation, so I checked behind. If he has AK, he could be check/raising me. I wasn't going to give up this pot too easily though.
Turn: ($6.65) Ks (2 players)
SB bets $4, Hero calls $4.
Bingo card! Now I'm only behind to AA, AK would give me a lot of action if he has that. I still wasn't too convinced he had a great hand and I looked at the stack sizes. It wasn't too much of an overbet if I shove on the river after this bet. I decided to slow play this, probably repping a weaker PP.
River: ($14.65) 8s (2 players)
SB bets $17.55 (All-In), Hero calls $17.55.
He shoves on me, I had no doubt in my mind I was going to call him. Only card I would consider folding is if an Ace comes on the board. Even a 3flush board, I'm willing to risk my stack. He is reping he has either a set or AK. Only AA beats me here. Easy call.
Final Pot: $49.75
Results below:
SB has 5c 5d (one pair, fives).
Hero has Kc Kd (three of a kind, kings).
Outcome: Hero wins $49.75.
I induced a huge bluff by him. I think these low stakes, people make a lot of bluffs when the pot is huge. I just never really have the cards to call them down. Also one thing a lot of pros keep stressing is a lot of mistakes are made in raised pots. But I say, people make a lot more mistakes on a 3bet PF pots because by the time you get to the turn, the pot is already big enough for a shove. Honestly I make a lot of mistakes in these pots also. This is something I should watch out when the pot is huge.
Playing Scared
I think as I keep playing the game, especially during downswings, I start playing scared. I feel my TPTK is against a set or my lower set is against a higher set. This is what I called playing scared. If you think about the stats, if it's heads up, TPTK is most likely best. Yes, there will be a few times someone spiked a set or 2 pairs or something. But if the board is innocent, TPTK especially with AK, you probably best.
Another concept I'm working in my game is willing to play for stack once I think I have the best hand. Whether this is based on absolute strength or relative strength, I should put more money in the pot if I feel I am best. I have to trust my read on this one, and stop playing scared. Yes, I will make mistakes and hopefully these mistakes won't be too costly, but being able to do this will be very profitable.
Lately, I've been more willing to throw my stack in for a monster draw against a big OP. Results are horrible, I get drawn out of so frequently. I know this is just short term, it's very discouraging when I am trying this out. Just to give you an idea what I meant, here's a recent hand:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (4 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
SB ($55.65)
BB ($28.70)
UTG ($4.15)
Hero ($24.65)
Preflop: Hero is Button with 6d, 8d.
1 fold, Hero raises to $1, SB calls $0.90, BB raises to $1.75, Hero calls $0.75, SB calls $0.75.
usually in 25NL, PF rr means AK,QQ+. This was an easy call for an implied odds to get his stack.
Flop: ($5.25) 6c, Qd, 5d (3 players)
SB checks, BB bets $3.5, Hero raises to $8.5, SB folds, BB raises to $13.5, Hero raises to $22.9, BB calls $9.40.
This is basically a dream flop for my hand. 2flush board and a pair. I have 14 outs. I think I should have shoved on the flop to take his 3.5 instead of how I played it. I'm still learning the most optimal way to play this. I want him to make a mistake to fold here. Even if he doesn't, I have outs.
Turn: ($51.05) 6s (2 players)
I hit one of my out, he is basically drawing to just 2 outs.
River: ($51.05) Ah (2 players)
He hits his 2 outs.
Final Pot: $51.05
Results below:
BB has Ad Ac (full house, aces full of sixes).
Hero has 6d 8d (three of a kind, sixes).
Outcome: BB wins $51.05.
The result sucks but this stuff happens. I think I need to get used to it. In a long run, I will break even on this play. I think I should have probably try to shove for fold equity, or bet a little larger. Maybe he'll fold his AA, doubtful but it's possible. I'm definitely learning.
Oh yea, I'm climbing back up from my downswing. I'm trying to tighten up my hand requirements and playing more aggressive PF. I want to play for stacks when my hand hits and if it doesn't, I want to take it down with a cbet. This is extremely profitable I think if I have respect on my cbet. I'm going to tone down my cbets a little so I get some respect.
Also, I'm going to try to find more tables with big pot sizes. I find lately that if pot size is too small, the table is too unprofitable to play in. Maybe this is something I've been neglecting. We'll see.
Another concept I'm working in my game is willing to play for stack once I think I have the best hand. Whether this is based on absolute strength or relative strength, I should put more money in the pot if I feel I am best. I have to trust my read on this one, and stop playing scared. Yes, I will make mistakes and hopefully these mistakes won't be too costly, but being able to do this will be very profitable.
Lately, I've been more willing to throw my stack in for a monster draw against a big OP. Results are horrible, I get drawn out of so frequently. I know this is just short term, it's very discouraging when I am trying this out. Just to give you an idea what I meant, here's a recent hand:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (4 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
SB ($55.65)
BB ($28.70)
UTG ($4.15)
Hero ($24.65)
Preflop: Hero is Button with 6d, 8d.
1 fold, Hero raises to $1, SB calls $0.90, BB raises to $1.75, Hero calls $0.75, SB calls $0.75.
usually in 25NL, PF rr means AK,QQ+. This was an easy call for an implied odds to get his stack.
Flop: ($5.25) 6c, Qd, 5d (3 players)
SB checks, BB bets $3.5, Hero raises to $8.5, SB folds, BB raises to $13.5, Hero raises to $22.9, BB calls $9.40.
This is basically a dream flop for my hand. 2flush board and a pair. I have 14 outs. I think I should have shoved on the flop to take his 3.5 instead of how I played it. I'm still learning the most optimal way to play this. I want him to make a mistake to fold here. Even if he doesn't, I have outs.
Turn: ($51.05) 6s (2 players)
I hit one of my out, he is basically drawing to just 2 outs.
River: ($51.05) Ah (2 players)
He hits his 2 outs.
Final Pot: $51.05
Results below:
BB has Ad Ac (full house, aces full of sixes).
Hero has 6d 8d (three of a kind, sixes).
Outcome: BB wins $51.05.
The result sucks but this stuff happens. I think I need to get used to it. In a long run, I will break even on this play. I think I should have probably try to shove for fold equity, or bet a little larger. Maybe he'll fold his AA, doubtful but it's possible. I'm definitely learning.
Oh yea, I'm climbing back up from my downswing. I'm trying to tighten up my hand requirements and playing more aggressive PF. I want to play for stacks when my hand hits and if it doesn't, I want to take it down with a cbet. This is extremely profitable I think if I have respect on my cbet. I'm going to tone down my cbets a little so I get some respect.
Also, I'm going to try to find more tables with big pot sizes. I find lately that if pot size is too small, the table is too unprofitable to play in. Maybe this is something I've been neglecting. We'll see.
Preflop Aggression
I'm going to try being more aggression preflop, I tried it out a bit already. I have mix results. I'm probably going to suffer some variance here. I hope it will make me a better player.
Horrendous Session
I just finished a horrible 4 hrs session. I'm definitely down a bunch of buyins. I felt like every time I put my stack on the line, I get sucked out or something horrible happens. These are some of the key hands that hurt me this session.
Hand #1
The guy I'm 3betting preflop is decent. I tried to 3bet him preflop pretty frequently but not frequent enough for him to suspect I would do this with 55.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
Button ($35.65)
Hero ($29.90)
BB ($25)
UTG ($50.20)
MP ($22.80)
CO ($26.40)
Preflop: Hero is SB with 5c, 5h.
3 folds, Button raises to $1, Hero raises to $3, 1 fold, Button calls $2.
Flop: ($6.25) 5d, 6d, Qc (2 players)
Hero bets $3.8, Button raises to $32, Hero calls $23.10 (All-In).
Turn: ($65.15) 9h (2 players, 1 all-in)
River: ($65.15) 4d (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $65.15
Results below:
Hero has 5c 5h (three of a kind, fives).
Button has 9c 9d (three of a kind, nines).
Outcome: Button wins $65.15.
He said he put me on AK and I've been cbetting every single flop practically so he must have thought I had nothing. I don't know why he shoved, well I tried to make him pay but it didn't happen. He sucked out. Perfect play, but bad timing.
Hand#2:
This is one of the last hands in the session before I called it quits.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
MP ($25.50)
CO ($51)
Button ($32.05)
SB ($35.05)
Hero ($27.75)
UTG ($28.20)
Preflop: Hero is BB with Ts, Th.
UTG raises to $1.25, 2 folds, Button calls $1.25, 1 fold, Hero calls $1.
Flop: ($3.85) Ah, 4d, Td (3 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets $3.5, Button folds, Hero raises to $12, UTG raises to $26.95, Hero calls $14.50 (All-In).
Turn: ($57.30) Ad (2 players, 1 all-in)
River: ($57.30) 4c (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $57.30
Results below:
Hero has Ts Th (full house, tens full of aces).
UTG has Ac Kh (full house, aces full of fours).
Outcome: UTG wins $57.30.
I hit a set and he had TPTK. For some reason he thought that was good and I guess my image gives me this opportunity. Yet another big suck out that I really couldn't afford.
Hand #3
This one is more interesting..
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
Button ($73.40)
SB ($7.85)
BB ($22.70)
Hero ($25.95)
MP ($25)
CO ($36.65)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with Ac, Ad.
Hero raises to $1, 1 fold, CO calls $1, 1 fold, SB calls $0.90, 1 fold.
Flop: ($3.25) Tc, 7c, 9h (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $2.25, CO raises to $35.65, SB calls $6.85 (All-In), Hero calls $22.70 (All-In).
Turn: ($70.70) 2d (3 players, 2 all-in)
River: ($70.70) 9s (3 players, 2 all-in)
Final Pot: $70.70
Results below:
SB has Ah Td (two pair, tens and nines).
Hero has Ac Ad (two pair, aces and nines).
CO has 9c Jc (three of a kind, nines).
Outcome: CO wins $70.70.
I didn't like multiway pot but I wasn't worried about the short stack too much. It really looked like he was on a draw. I hate 50/50 situations. I was hoping maybe he had OP, which would make this call profitable.
* * *
Anyways, these are the hands I basically put my stacks in and came out behind. These are extremely frustrating. I'm surprised at my emotional stability, I did not get upset at all. There was a period during the session I felt "wow this sucks, I'm behind so much now" (probably behind 6 BIs total).
Also for this session, I was playing 6 tables instead of my usual 4. I think this hurt me, but my reasoning was that with 4 tables, I was really doing nothing a lot of the times. And my winrate was relatively slow because I figure if I get more good hands coming, I can make a bit more. Also, it will help my focus and become a little more tighter. It just sucks sometimes during the whole session, I wouldn't catch a good opportunity at all. Only winrate I obtain are stealing blinds and cbetting. Those are pretty brainless. Even if I don't stack anybody, with more tables these small winrate should be still obtainable.
I did notice that my metagame, hand reading abilities went to shit playing more tables. This is a key in my style. Also, I get bluffed probably more often than usual. I won't be able to keep track of individual villians and profit off them. Man, I figure 25NL should be easy. Maybe my table selection was horrid.
Talking about table selection, I found some tables that I would have 3 callers from limpers every time I raise. That is frustrating when I would have a very marginal hand. Of course I tighten up after that. But playing bad players have huge disadvantages, it really does cause variance a lot. Almost every hand I get beat by the river are hands they draw to a gutdraw or they pull a 2 pair w/ flopped mid pair. This is extremely frustrating, no hand reading skills can help ease that.
One thing I think I want to change is my aggression level. I'm afraid to do this though because aggression sometimes means bluffing with air. I don't do this very much, but when I have the best hand I should really bet out harder. Even though sometimes I'm beat, in a long run, I think I make more being more reckless than always worrying about a better hand is out there.
This balance between reckless and careful style is hard to obtain. I wish I have a better grasp of this concept. Also, learning from stronger players don't always help you do better in micro stakes. There are so many factors involved while playing the game that one or two changes probably will not change your short term results. That's pretty scary because a really bad downswing can really put any player out of business. I hope I figure this out and obtain some solid confidence soon.
Hand #1
The guy I'm 3betting preflop is decent. I tried to 3bet him preflop pretty frequently but not frequent enough for him to suspect I would do this with 55.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
Button ($35.65)
Hero ($29.90)
BB ($25)
UTG ($50.20)
MP ($22.80)
CO ($26.40)
Preflop: Hero is SB with 5c, 5h.
3 folds, Button raises to $1, Hero raises to $3, 1 fold, Button calls $2.
Flop: ($6.25) 5d, 6d, Qc (2 players)
Hero bets $3.8, Button raises to $32, Hero calls $23.10 (All-In).
Turn: ($65.15) 9h (2 players, 1 all-in)
River: ($65.15) 4d (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $65.15
Results below:
Hero has 5c 5h (three of a kind, fives).
Button has 9c 9d (three of a kind, nines).
Outcome: Button wins $65.15.
He said he put me on AK and I've been cbetting every single flop practically so he must have thought I had nothing. I don't know why he shoved, well I tried to make him pay but it didn't happen. He sucked out. Perfect play, but bad timing.
Hand#2:
This is one of the last hands in the session before I called it quits.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
MP ($25.50)
CO ($51)
Button ($32.05)
SB ($35.05)
Hero ($27.75)
UTG ($28.20)
Preflop: Hero is BB with Ts, Th.
UTG raises to $1.25, 2 folds, Button calls $1.25, 1 fold, Hero calls $1.
Flop: ($3.85) Ah, 4d, Td (3 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets $3.5, Button folds, Hero raises to $12, UTG raises to $26.95, Hero calls $14.50 (All-In).
Turn: ($57.30) Ad (2 players, 1 all-in)
River: ($57.30) 4c (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: $57.30
Results below:
Hero has Ts Th (full house, tens full of aces).
UTG has Ac Kh (full house, aces full of fours).
Outcome: UTG wins $57.30.
I hit a set and he had TPTK. For some reason he thought that was good and I guess my image gives me this opportunity. Yet another big suck out that I really couldn't afford.
Hand #3
This one is more interesting..
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from http://www.flopturnriver.comFlopTurnRiver.com (Format: Plain Text)
Button ($73.40)
SB ($7.85)
BB ($22.70)
Hero ($25.95)
MP ($25)
CO ($36.65)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with Ac, Ad.
Hero raises to $1, 1 fold, CO calls $1, 1 fold, SB calls $0.90, 1 fold.
Flop: ($3.25) Tc, 7c, 9h (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $2.25, CO raises to $35.65, SB calls $6.85 (All-In), Hero calls $22.70 (All-In).
Turn: ($70.70) 2d (3 players, 2 all-in)
River: ($70.70) 9s (3 players, 2 all-in)
Final Pot: $70.70
Results below:
SB has Ah Td (two pair, tens and nines).
Hero has Ac Ad (two pair, aces and nines).
CO has 9c Jc (three of a kind, nines).
Outcome: CO wins $70.70.
I didn't like multiway pot but I wasn't worried about the short stack too much. It really looked like he was on a draw. I hate 50/50 situations. I was hoping maybe he had OP, which would make this call profitable.
* * *
Anyways, these are the hands I basically put my stacks in and came out behind. These are extremely frustrating. I'm surprised at my emotional stability, I did not get upset at all. There was a period during the session I felt "wow this sucks, I'm behind so much now" (probably behind 6 BIs total).
Also for this session, I was playing 6 tables instead of my usual 4. I think this hurt me, but my reasoning was that with 4 tables, I was really doing nothing a lot of the times. And my winrate was relatively slow because I figure if I get more good hands coming, I can make a bit more. Also, it will help my focus and become a little more tighter. It just sucks sometimes during the whole session, I wouldn't catch a good opportunity at all. Only winrate I obtain are stealing blinds and cbetting. Those are pretty brainless. Even if I don't stack anybody, with more tables these small winrate should be still obtainable.
I did notice that my metagame, hand reading abilities went to shit playing more tables. This is a key in my style. Also, I get bluffed probably more often than usual. I won't be able to keep track of individual villians and profit off them. Man, I figure 25NL should be easy. Maybe my table selection was horrid.
Talking about table selection, I found some tables that I would have 3 callers from limpers every time I raise. That is frustrating when I would have a very marginal hand. Of course I tighten up after that. But playing bad players have huge disadvantages, it really does cause variance a lot. Almost every hand I get beat by the river are hands they draw to a gutdraw or they pull a 2 pair w/ flopped mid pair. This is extremely frustrating, no hand reading skills can help ease that.
One thing I think I want to change is my aggression level. I'm afraid to do this though because aggression sometimes means bluffing with air. I don't do this very much, but when I have the best hand I should really bet out harder. Even though sometimes I'm beat, in a long run, I think I make more being more reckless than always worrying about a better hand is out there.
This balance between reckless and careful style is hard to obtain. I wish I have a better grasp of this concept. Also, learning from stronger players don't always help you do better in micro stakes. There are so many factors involved while playing the game that one or two changes probably will not change your short term results. That's pretty scary because a really bad downswing can really put any player out of business. I hope I figure this out and obtain some solid confidence soon.
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