I was not planning on taking Monday night off, but I fell asleep and figured I should just get some rest. I do not want to kill myself playing this week as I have my next session on Saturday with my coach. I will be playing tonight...stay tuned for updates.
About to fire up some tables...
Wow, what a long session. I played 4 tables and found myself being undisciplined preflop again. I think I start to get impatient when I do not get action on my good hands. I tread water for a while tonight, getting a little too fancy and burned at least 1-1.5 buy ins being stupid and running 3 barrel bluffs that didnt work out. I need to be more disciplined. I am up on the night thanks to cracking KK with my set of 66s. A few hands later on the same table I had AA up against KK and it held up. So, lets see the numbers for tonight...
I logged 1766 hands tonight...a new record for me! :)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
A few thoughts on my first month...
I had my first session with my coach on Saturday, March 7, 2009. The following Monday I went out of town and did not start playing until March 16, 2009. During this two week period, I have logged about 9700 hands with a winrate of approx 5.31PTBB/100. Pretty solid I think for just getting started. Sure, not even close to having enough hands for my numbers to be significant, I understand that. However, I like how everything is going. I feel comfortable at the tables, I am able to select pretty solid tables, and I am starting to learn to get a feel for how hands play out and how to avoid spewing a stack here and there. As I wrap up my first 2 weeks and as March comes to a close, I wanted to document a few things.
It's been a fun start and my next session with my coach is Saturday. I am looking to log another 3-5k hands or so before we get together. Wish me luck!
- I need to focus on hand selection and do not allow myself to start getting too loose
- A good laydown is better than a hero call...
- HANDS, HANDS, HANDS!! Log as many as you can!!
- Learn to maximize the value of each hand. I am getting lazy and hitting pot or not getting in a final value bet...I need to determine the best way to extract value.
It's been a fun start and my next session with my coach is Saturday. I am looking to log another 3-5k hands or so before we get together. Wish me luck!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Nice Weekend...
I played a solid session on Saturday, logging about 1200 hands and ending up a few bucks. I could tell I was pushing things a bit too much and started to take chances and gamble. I didn't get lucky and spewed quite a bit of cash. I could have had a nice day but donked off my profit.
Today, my big hands caught a lot of action. I had AA a few times and got action each time, the first time I opened and was reraised. I didnt know if I should reraise again, but i just called and flopped 4 aces. SHOULD HAVE RERAISED! :) I think I should be reraising AA preflop rather than just calling when I get popped. I got it all in with KK when UTG+1 opened and I reraised to $7, player to my left called and UTG+1 raises to $21, I instapush (a little worried about running into AA), player to my left folds and UTG+1 calls with QQ. He only had $25 behind, but I would have folded that if I were in his position. Player to my left folded AK and was a little ticked when the flop came with 2 aces.
So, my hands held up and my short session was a good one. I only played 3 tables and it seems like I do very, very well with a few tables open. I also made a VERY CONSCIOUS effort to only play solid hands. I didnt limp a lot from the SB and raised just about every time I entered the pot. I need to play more disciplined. Today, my hands finally got action and held up...beautiful when it works that way. Another thing I focused on today was avoiding the big meltdown and spewing off a stack. i had QQ early and had to let it go on the river after investing about $20 into the pot. I like the laydown a lot, but was a little ticked at the time. The river brought an A that also completed the flush draw...easy fold, but still dont like it. So, solid day all around...Let me upload my hands and see where I stand.
Only played 231 hands today.
5.31PPTBB/100
Today, my big hands caught a lot of action. I had AA a few times and got action each time, the first time I opened and was reraised. I didnt know if I should reraise again, but i just called and flopped 4 aces. SHOULD HAVE RERAISED! :) I think I should be reraising AA preflop rather than just calling when I get popped. I got it all in with KK when UTG+1 opened and I reraised to $7, player to my left called and UTG+1 raises to $21, I instapush (a little worried about running into AA), player to my left folds and UTG+1 calls with QQ. He only had $25 behind, but I would have folded that if I were in his position. Player to my left folded AK and was a little ticked when the flop came with 2 aces.
So, my hands held up and my short session was a good one. I only played 3 tables and it seems like I do very, very well with a few tables open. I also made a VERY CONSCIOUS effort to only play solid hands. I didnt limp a lot from the SB and raised just about every time I entered the pot. I need to play more disciplined. Today, my hands finally got action and held up...beautiful when it works that way. Another thing I focused on today was avoiding the big meltdown and spewing off a stack. i had QQ early and had to let it go on the river after investing about $20 into the pot. I like the laydown a lot, but was a little ticked at the time. The river brought an A that also completed the flush draw...easy fold, but still dont like it. So, solid day all around...Let me upload my hands and see where I stand.
Only played 231 hands today.
5.31PPTBB/100
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Listen to your gut!!
I am still not listening to my gut and probably donked off a buy in because of making calls I knew I shouldnt have. I have been able to find strong hands against the bad players, but they seem to hit miracle flops and draws. Ok thought...up a tiny bit today. about 1200 hands so far. Hoping to get some more hands in later...gonna take a break.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Gettng too cocky...
I have been 5 and 6 tabling, but I think I should start by 2-tabling and then open it up to 4. I am not quite where I need to be to 5- and 6-table yet. I am close. I am identifying the very weak players and playing a little looser to get involved in pots with them. Tonight, i just got unluck y that they had hands when we got involved...
I need to slow down a bit, this is a marathon, not a sprint. I still won a little for the night, but definitely had some bad play.
I need to slow down a bit, this is a marathon, not a sprint. I still won a little for the night, but definitely had some bad play.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
took last night off...
I was tired last night and fell asleep while trying to help get my son to sleep. So, I didnt play. I feel kinda guilty for not playing because I am so focused and excited to get my bankroll to where I want it to be. I do realize taking these breaks is good for you though. Definitely can help with burnout, obviously.
I think I am also going to start stepping up the amount I play on the weekends. I realize it is probably higher variance overall, but I also believe it is a more profitable time to play over the long run. I think an attainable, yet ambitious, goal for myself will be around 30,000 hands per month. I would eventually like to add a 5th and 6th tables and maybe even more, but most of the people that I see 24-tabling are playing full ring. I should take a look at how many hands they are getting in per hour, but i bet it has to be a third less, so if I get up to 8-tabling that would be a very solid feat for me. I have been checking out other blogs and a lot of people have some pretty cool hot-keys set up for playing large amounts of tables. I might start looking into that.
I am excited to play tonight...Updates to follow.
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Getting coolered a bit...hot and cold...AA vKK holds up, but QQ v AA is not something you want to run into :)
Dude sucked out AQ v A9 and trash talked me...was funny. So, playing well just need to have hands hold up and not run into monsters.
had JJ and had set over set v 99 and lost to the 9 on the river...it was kinda surreal to get it in on the turn and have the case 9 show up on the river...
up and down night...fighting my way back!
ran into a cooler heads up...flopped a flush, but so did he...got stacked. If i get back to even i am going to call it a night.
2 of my tables went down to two players and it really threw my game off...need to get off of tables that break down. i also got a bit too focused on getting involved in pots with one dude that it threw my game off...just play my game and i am fine!
Learned a lot tonight. I had a nice, long session and made a few mistakes. My biggest mistake was messing around heads up when I was playing 5 other tables. The amount of hands you need to play heads up is just too crazy and that craziness started to affect my other tables. I will not play tables with less than 4 people...thats my new rule.
So, i had to have logged near 1000 hands tonight at break even...so not too bad. I have been running hot and tonight definitely put a stop to that. I made some bad call and had some bad luck, but also had a little good luck tonight. Still need to work on my game, but I was 6-tabling for a while...lets see where we stand.
1750 hands of breakeven poker tonight. Not too bad and considering some of my play and two nasty beats I took I am pretty happy. I admit I need to maintain my discipline. There are hands where my gut is screaming to fold, but my head says call and it is a bad move...I need to start listening to my instincts and just accept that solid folds, even if you are ahead, are better than trying to make hero calls all the time.
4.94PTBB/100
I think I am also going to start stepping up the amount I play on the weekends. I realize it is probably higher variance overall, but I also believe it is a more profitable time to play over the long run. I think an attainable, yet ambitious, goal for myself will be around 30,000 hands per month. I would eventually like to add a 5th and 6th tables and maybe even more, but most of the people that I see 24-tabling are playing full ring. I should take a look at how many hands they are getting in per hour, but i bet it has to be a third less, so if I get up to 8-tabling that would be a very solid feat for me. I have been checking out other blogs and a lot of people have some pretty cool hot-keys set up for playing large amounts of tables. I might start looking into that.
I am excited to play tonight...Updates to follow.
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Getting coolered a bit...hot and cold...AA vKK holds up, but QQ v AA is not something you want to run into :)
Dude sucked out AQ v A9 and trash talked me...was funny. So, playing well just need to have hands hold up and not run into monsters.
had JJ and had set over set v 99 and lost to the 9 on the river...it was kinda surreal to get it in on the turn and have the case 9 show up on the river...
up and down night...fighting my way back!
ran into a cooler heads up...flopped a flush, but so did he...got stacked. If i get back to even i am going to call it a night.
2 of my tables went down to two players and it really threw my game off...need to get off of tables that break down. i also got a bit too focused on getting involved in pots with one dude that it threw my game off...just play my game and i am fine!
Learned a lot tonight. I had a nice, long session and made a few mistakes. My biggest mistake was messing around heads up when I was playing 5 other tables. The amount of hands you need to play heads up is just too crazy and that craziness started to affect my other tables. I will not play tables with less than 4 people...thats my new rule.
So, i had to have logged near 1000 hands tonight at break even...so not too bad. I have been running hot and tonight definitely put a stop to that. I made some bad call and had some bad luck, but also had a little good luck tonight. Still need to work on my game, but I was 6-tabling for a while...lets see where we stand.
1750 hands of breakeven poker tonight. Not too bad and considering some of my play and two nasty beats I took I am pretty happy. I admit I need to maintain my discipline. There are hands where my gut is screaming to fold, but my head says call and it is a bad move...I need to start listening to my instincts and just accept that solid folds, even if you are ahead, are better than trying to make hero calls all the time.
4.94PTBB/100
Monday, March 23, 2009
Encouraging...
I had a good night. It is hard to start a set of 4 when you are trying to be somewhat selective about your tables. I have my "system" for selecting them and I must say I dominate 3 of the 6 tables I played. I also avoided getting hammered early. I did get mixed up and lost about 30 on a KK v JJ hand, but I was able to maintain my composure and had another excellent day.
I only played about an hour and a half. I know I need to play more. I would love to be able to play at least 2 90 min sessions. I think I get tired of playing and need a short break after 90 mins. However, I am very happy so far with my results 4 tabling. Way too early in my challenge to determine anything, but if comfort-level means anything I am feeling great at the tables.
I had a chat session with my coach today...I caught him on IM and thought I would give him a shout. I look forward to our next session in 2 weeks...in the meantime, I will continue grinding!
Overall +6.6PTBB/100
I only played about an hour and a half. I know I need to play more. I would love to be able to play at least 2 90 min sessions. I think I get tired of playing and need a short break after 90 mins. However, I am very happy so far with my results 4 tabling. Way too early in my challenge to determine anything, but if comfort-level means anything I am feeling great at the tables.
I had a chat session with my coach today...I caught him on IM and thought I would give him a shout. I look forward to our next session in 2 weeks...in the meantime, I will continue grinding!
Overall +6.6PTBB/100
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Sunday
I am excited to log some hands. I have a friend playing in a freeroll for me and he is doing well...i just called him and he is in first with 64 left. Once he finishes up I will open some tables...
I am excited today because I am starting to fully understand what I need to do and am starting to gain confidence that I can do it. There were some bitter players that would talk trash after I stacked them and it kinda hurts my confidence because I know I am working on my game and I am not the best player. However, I am right around break even or better and improving. So, I hope to see that dude again...he pushed KQ over the top of me on an A high board and he completely whiffed...so i guess I shouldnt let someone that plays like that get to me.
Poker is such a solitary game. I have no friends that are interested in playing so I have no one to talk about it with. People think you are crazy, a problem gambler, and just do not understand that poker is such a powerful money making tool. That is why I am so excited to log more hands because it gets me closer to having a more reliable winrate...I just need to keep it in the green!! going to get going here in an hour or so...
Props to my boy Devin for smokin the freeroll tourney for me and taking 2nd and netting us a nice 450...i was going to split it with him and he only asked for 100, so i sent him 150. nice job dev!!
Not too sure how much I have played tonight. Joaquin hasnt been feeling well and it was tough to put him to bed tonight. I have 2 tables going while I write this. I need to tighten up, but I am getting playable hands and I start to get too loose. I flopped a few sets tonight..which is sweet.
I think this is turning out to be a solid set. I did get stacked early, but came on strong. Table selection is key. When the table fills up with some names I have seen and had some troubles with, I try to find a new one...i need to work on the start of my sessions because that is when i get hurt the most. One thing I have been doing is really playing passively if I open the pot and get called by someone that has position on me. I mix it up with continuation bets, but I get into trouble when I go after and build pots OOP. So, I try to avoid those situations. I have about 2 more hands to go and will quit and upload my HHs for session stats...
514 hands 21.25PTBB/100
Overall 5.5PTBB/100
SUPER SMALL sample size, so I wont even bother posting it.
I am excited today because I am starting to fully understand what I need to do and am starting to gain confidence that I can do it. There were some bitter players that would talk trash after I stacked them and it kinda hurts my confidence because I know I am working on my game and I am not the best player. However, I am right around break even or better and improving. So, I hope to see that dude again...he pushed KQ over the top of me on an A high board and he completely whiffed...so i guess I shouldnt let someone that plays like that get to me.
Poker is such a solitary game. I have no friends that are interested in playing so I have no one to talk about it with. People think you are crazy, a problem gambler, and just do not understand that poker is such a powerful money making tool. That is why I am so excited to log more hands because it gets me closer to having a more reliable winrate...I just need to keep it in the green!! going to get going here in an hour or so...
Props to my boy Devin for smokin the freeroll tourney for me and taking 2nd and netting us a nice 450...i was going to split it with him and he only asked for 100, so i sent him 150. nice job dev!!
Not too sure how much I have played tonight. Joaquin hasnt been feeling well and it was tough to put him to bed tonight. I have 2 tables going while I write this. I need to tighten up, but I am getting playable hands and I start to get too loose. I flopped a few sets tonight..which is sweet.
I think this is turning out to be a solid set. I did get stacked early, but came on strong. Table selection is key. When the table fills up with some names I have seen and had some troubles with, I try to find a new one...i need to work on the start of my sessions because that is when i get hurt the most. One thing I have been doing is really playing passively if I open the pot and get called by someone that has position on me. I mix it up with continuation bets, but I get into trouble when I go after and build pots OOP. So, I try to avoid those situations. I have about 2 more hands to go and will quit and upload my HHs for session stats...
514 hands 21.25PTBB/100
Overall 5.5PTBB/100
SUPER SMALL sample size, so I wont even bother posting it.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
About to get started...
I am going to fire up a few tables in a few minutes. gonna do my best to remain in control early instead of digging a hole and digging out.
2-tabled for a bit and felt good...so I opened up 4. I accidentally opened a few Pot Limit tables and shut them down and opened up the NL tables. I had a nice little rush taking down a few hands. I got stacked with 99 v 66 but i doubled up when I hit the flush when I had JJ on a board that had 4 spades, including the A and Q. My jack was good. I also had a nice hand with AQ vs KQ where the dude thought i was putting a move on the button and pushed at me when the board was 668A4 or something. So, a nice quick 275 hand session.
2.39PTBB/100
I do find it hard to play hands OOP. Also, I have a hard time when I open the pot and get callers and then I either fire and get raised or someone puts the pressure on me. What do i do there?
I have also had a lot of hands where my PPs 99-QQ get to the flop, miss and at there are 2 overcards or a very coordinated board. I usually fold them, but realize I am probably giving up a lot of value...how do i approach these hands?
Just finished up another session. 3-tabled and had an amazing heater. I had KK probably 4-5 times, AA about 3 times. I kept my cool and only lost one pot where I invested over $20 when I hit the straight on the river and he hit a flush. Great session and finally tasted a bit of positive variance. I never came from behind and sucked out, but my hands held up...
today's sessions stats: 399 hands 32.11 PTBB/100 :)
I still have only a few thousand hands, but I am beginning to feel like I am staying out of trouble and have a better feel for the tables. I think weekends are a good time to play...I know they are higher variance, but man I saw some craziness and thankfully was the recipient of some frustrated shortstack play. I really took it to a few players. I did get involved with a player I knew was pretty weak and he ended up catching some cards on the turn and river to make it quite a scary board and I had to let the hand go, but I am happy that I followed my gut and let the hand go rather than flush a buy in trying to make things happen. That is the theme of some of my previous posts and I am glad it is finally starting to sink in...when you dont dig yourself a hole you can have great results like I did tonight. Had I made a couple of extra stupid call, like I was tempted to do, I would have had an average session...
My game is improving, but I still have a long way to go.
2-tabled for a bit and felt good...so I opened up 4. I accidentally opened a few Pot Limit tables and shut them down and opened up the NL tables. I had a nice little rush taking down a few hands. I got stacked with 99 v 66 but i doubled up when I hit the flush when I had JJ on a board that had 4 spades, including the A and Q. My jack was good. I also had a nice hand with AQ vs KQ where the dude thought i was putting a move on the button and pushed at me when the board was 668A4 or something. So, a nice quick 275 hand session.
2.39PTBB/100
I do find it hard to play hands OOP. Also, I have a hard time when I open the pot and get callers and then I either fire and get raised or someone puts the pressure on me. What do i do there?
I have also had a lot of hands where my PPs 99-QQ get to the flop, miss and at there are 2 overcards or a very coordinated board. I usually fold them, but realize I am probably giving up a lot of value...how do i approach these hands?
Just finished up another session. 3-tabled and had an amazing heater. I had KK probably 4-5 times, AA about 3 times. I kept my cool and only lost one pot where I invested over $20 when I hit the straight on the river and he hit a flush. Great session and finally tasted a bit of positive variance. I never came from behind and sucked out, but my hands held up...
today's sessions stats: 399 hands 32.11 PTBB/100 :)
I still have only a few thousand hands, but I am beginning to feel like I am staying out of trouble and have a better feel for the tables. I think weekends are a good time to play...I know they are higher variance, but man I saw some craziness and thankfully was the recipient of some frustrated shortstack play. I really took it to a few players. I did get involved with a player I knew was pretty weak and he ended up catching some cards on the turn and river to make it quite a scary board and I had to let the hand go, but I am happy that I followed my gut and let the hand go rather than flush a buy in trying to make things happen. That is the theme of some of my previous posts and I am glad it is finally starting to sink in...when you dont dig yourself a hole you can have great results like I did tonight. Had I made a couple of extra stupid call, like I was tempted to do, I would have had an average session...
My game is improving, but I still have a long way to go.
Friday, March 20, 2009
A few thoughts...
I think I have been pushing things a bit because I know how much time poker takes up. I have a full time job and a family and it makes it tough to take time away from them when I am not making any real money. Not that money would ever replace family.
A few reminders for myself the next time I sit down
A few reminders for myself the next time I sit down
- read my starting hand guidelines that I set up for myself
- center yourself and relax
- be disciplined
- listen to your gut
- do not try to make things happen
- be disciplined
- BE DISCIPLINED!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Grinding...
up and down night...frustrating that i keep making the wrong decisions. when i decide to take a chance i get a good hand to lose a lot on the river but when i get lucky on the river i bust a short stack...when i take a chance preflop, i whiff...when i dont, i woulda doubled up.
i am getting decent PPs too, but overcards and coordinated flops come and i have to let them go...tough. sigh, just not my night. ive had 1010 a LOT tonight and every time two overcards and flush or straight draws...same for my QQs. My AA hasnt gotten any action other than to be cracked by 4.
I have been playing well...picking my spots and had my JJ cracked by 77. so, I am down about a buy in after a lot of hands...I would say I have to have logged at least 1000 tonight. For me, thats a lot.
I need to consult my starting hand notes before playing. I get a bit loose...when I sit down I need to play slowly and let the game come to me.
It is weird though...you really can get a feel for players and how they play hands. I can call sets more often these days, but now it is just trusting that instinct and not blowing my stack.
Table selection is also important. If I am not playing well or running the table, I am going to move. Overall tonight, not a bad session. I did lose, but I should have shut down a while ago and would have been right about even...lets see if PT is done uploading.
WOW, i played 1700 hands tonight.
.72PTBB/100 overall now...need to work on it.
i am getting decent PPs too, but overcards and coordinated flops come and i have to let them go...tough. sigh, just not my night. ive had 1010 a LOT tonight and every time two overcards and flush or straight draws...same for my QQs. My AA hasnt gotten any action other than to be cracked by 4.
I have been playing well...picking my spots and had my JJ cracked by 77. so, I am down about a buy in after a lot of hands...I would say I have to have logged at least 1000 tonight. For me, thats a lot.
I need to consult my starting hand notes before playing. I get a bit loose...when I sit down I need to play slowly and let the game come to me.
It is weird though...you really can get a feel for players and how they play hands. I can call sets more often these days, but now it is just trusting that instinct and not blowing my stack.
Table selection is also important. If I am not playing well or running the table, I am going to move. Overall tonight, not a bad session. I did lose, but I should have shut down a while ago and would have been right about even...lets see if PT is done uploading.
WOW, i played 1700 hands tonight.
.72PTBB/100 overall now...need to work on it.
Took a night off...
I took Wednesday night off. Usually I start to play after my son goes to bed, but I fell asleep with him and decided not to wake up.
Will be back at it again tonight.
Will be back at it again tonight.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Overcoming Gambler's Mentality
I have been slightly consumed by poker thinking since I woke up. In the past when I was playing sngs, very profitably I might add, but I still had the issue of getting in enough table time to really start making some cash. In college, I would have bought a 12-pack, sat down, logged on, and played for days. Now, I just cannot do that and even if I had the time I dont know if I could. I am encouraged that I am finding the game much easier now and feel completely in control at the table. I think that will help encourage me to play more because I do not feel such a sense of, well, doubt. I know it is so important to log hands and generate a large sample in which to base any conclusions regarding profitability. It took me a long time to do that with sngs and I believe I just never turned the corner and had the confidence in myself to say, yes you are a winning player so continue to grind because the more tables you play, the more money you make.
I wrote about this previously, but I call this the gambler's mentality. I enjoy games of chance, mainly blackjack. However, I understand the house has an edge and over time I will loose all my money. So, when I run hot in poker, I get the urge to leave and take my money. While in poker, that urge to leave is counterproductive. If you are on a heater, you should stick it out. Either your play is very good, your luck is turning, or whatever it is stick with it! This is my next obstacle that I plan on addressing.
Recap:
I wrote about this previously, but I call this the gambler's mentality. I enjoy games of chance, mainly blackjack. However, I understand the house has an edge and over time I will loose all my money. So, when I run hot in poker, I get the urge to leave and take my money. While in poker, that urge to leave is counterproductive. If you are on a heater, you should stick it out. Either your play is very good, your luck is turning, or whatever it is stick with it! This is my next obstacle that I plan on addressing.
Recap:
- I am a winning player
- I need to log hands to generate enough hands to determine an approximate winrate
- I need to log hands to build my bankroll and move up
- I start by 2-tabling and add a third as I learn about my first two tables
- I am developing a solid TAG style. I feel the aggressiveness of my style now more than ever. I am putting the other players in the positions that I hated when I was playing previously. I put in the raises against the OOP players and find how powerful it is making others make the tough decisions.
- I need to learn to extract the maximum value on hands. I think that will be the subject of my next lesson - Extracting maximum value.
The next several months I will be logging as many hands as possible to determine my winrate. Keep on checking in. This is the start of my journey and I would like to share it with as many as possible. I started out with a lot of jumbled ideas that I needed help organizing. In one session I feel I went from a slightly losing player to a winning player. The fundamentals/foundation is the most important part of your game and I believe I am showing that with every post. Follow along and leave comments...I will be playing tonight, so stay tuned for updates.
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Update.
Just fired up 2 tables and getting situated.
I stacked myself...pushed too hard trying to make things happen...need to slow down.
What I am struggling with is how to balance aggression with maximizing the value of each hand. Seems when I bait them to play, they hit. However, when I bet my made hands they fold. So, it makes me want to bet more so they dont draw on me, but then I feel like I am not getting the most out of every hand. How frequent would you say stacking someone is?
I can see how poker is completely a game of playing the rushes. I was hitting nicely last night and tonight i felt like not enough action was coming my way...so I was trying to force things, but you have to fight that urge because the cards do come, you just have to wait and not dig too deep a hole while you do!
There was a 5 mins stretch where I was getting at least one playable hand on one of my tables, my small PPs were hitting sets, I was getting solid prospective hands folded to me in late position...it all comes together for a few mins and you must capitalize and recognize when it slows back down.
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I started 2-tabling tonight and tried to get a feel for my first 2 tables. I never got into the groove really as other things are weighing heavily on my mind lately. I used some pretty bad logic and figured I was trying to push things too hard and decided to fire up another table. That lead to quickly firing up 1 more. So, I was 4-tabling about half of my set tonight. I believe I started at 7:40ish and will be finished up here just around 10. I am anxious to see how many hands I logged tonight as well as my return. I think my heater came at just the right time and I was cooling off as I closed down my tables. Was fun to go from down about a buy in and a half to two buy ins to being positive on the night I believe. I am really regretting that decision I made to get involved with TPTK. I knew it was screaming fold, but I pushed too hard. It is taking me far too long to get someone to commit their stack when I have a monster...I need to make sure that when I do get a chance to stack someone that I am not just digging out of a hole I created for myself with a stupid play earlier!
I almost proved I didn't have what it takes to be a constant winner by playing to recklessly. I recognized it and settled into a comfort zone. For me, it will be a key to start my sessions in a more centered mindset as I do not have the ability to sit down and play my A game immediately. I also folded a speculative early in the SB and would have stacked 2 players had I called...That might have frustrated me a bit.
Regardless, here are the stats for tonight:
580 hands in about 2 hours, so 4-tabling was a nice way to boost my number of hands considerably. I won a little, but not much. My PTBB/100 dropped a little to 3.63BB/100, but I would have a much better return had I just listened to my gut.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Back at it!
I am back at work and will be focusing on poker for the next 3 weeks. I have put off my next lesson because I did not log any time while I was in New Orleans for the conference. Penny, Joaquin and I made it a short vacation and had a really nice time. It was fun to get away. Now, I am going to turn my focus to logging hands and learning where I stand. I am excited because Penny and I have had some discussions about how to free up the time that I need. It is very important to get her on board with this because we are going to be sacrificing some quality time to see if I can develop my poker game. Plus, I will have some extra time on my hands here in about a month as we have a new child...yes, I realize I will have less time, but I will not be working for a good week or two and we will have help from both of our mothers.
Stay tuned for an update tonight. I might review a few hand histories and my notes before getting started. It has been a while!
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The night started off very nicely with a quick double up and some solid upward trending. After my double up, every big hand went against me on the river...so this is encouraging because if any of those hands go my way I am up a very solid amount. Overall, I am still up but gave back a lot of what I had won earlier. I am still playing and trying to continue playing solid poker. I had about 4 nasty suckouts against me...but I believe I am keeping my composure.
I was anywhere from 2 to 4 tabling tonight...I honestly believe 3 tabling will be optimal for me at this time. Ok, going to wind down my set and run the numbers in the next few orbits.
I finished up my set with a few good hands. I feel really good because the part of the game where I struggled the most, trending upwards between big hands, is now looking like my strength. I can feel how my game has taken on a much more aggressive feel. That is what I was after but was never comfortable executing it. Now, I feel like it is my comfort zone to be aggressive and I have to pull myself back at times. There were a few hands where I wasn't quite sure where I stood...I documented them and will review with my coach. Overall, I am really happy with tonight's session. I need to stack a few more people, but my big hands went the wrong way...very, very encouraging!!
Pokertracker Stats:
I was up over a buy in tonight over just under 600 hands...
4.25BB/100
Stay tuned for an update tonight. I might review a few hand histories and my notes before getting started. It has been a while!
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The night started off very nicely with a quick double up and some solid upward trending. After my double up, every big hand went against me on the river...so this is encouraging because if any of those hands go my way I am up a very solid amount. Overall, I am still up but gave back a lot of what I had won earlier. I am still playing and trying to continue playing solid poker. I had about 4 nasty suckouts against me...but I believe I am keeping my composure.
I was anywhere from 2 to 4 tabling tonight...I honestly believe 3 tabling will be optimal for me at this time. Ok, going to wind down my set and run the numbers in the next few orbits.
I finished up my set with a few good hands. I feel really good because the part of the game where I struggled the most, trending upwards between big hands, is now looking like my strength. I can feel how my game has taken on a much more aggressive feel. That is what I was after but was never comfortable executing it. Now, I feel like it is my comfort zone to be aggressive and I have to pull myself back at times. There were a few hands where I wasn't quite sure where I stood...I documented them and will review with my coach. Overall, I am really happy with tonight's session. I need to stack a few more people, but my big hands went the wrong way...very, very encouraging!!
Pokertracker Stats:
I was up over a buy in tonight over just under 600 hands...
4.25BB/100
Monday, March 09, 2009
March 8, 2009
I am heading out of town for a conference and did not have a lot of time for poker today. Actually, I did have time, but I wasted some of it and ended up playing less than 60 hands. I won about 20BBs in those 60 hands, so I had nice results, but I need to log more hours at the tables.
I guess I used to sit down at the tables knowing I was a long term losing player and was hesitant to even play. I knew if I worked on my game I would be a winning player, but I just didnt know if I was heading in the right direction, if i was focusing on the right information, interpreting it correctly, and making the right plays. Now that I have a better understanding, I need to separate those feelings of hesitancy and start sitting down like I have the edge. I believe 100% that the leaks I have plugged have transformed my game to a profitable one, so I need to sit down and start to grind!
I will start posting my winrate after I log some more hands. I realize these winrates will be completely meaningless for months, but it will be fun to track my progress. Just for fun, I will start to post them.
Pokertracker Stats:
1.94BB/100
I guess I used to sit down at the tables knowing I was a long term losing player and was hesitant to even play. I knew if I worked on my game I would be a winning player, but I just didnt know if I was heading in the right direction, if i was focusing on the right information, interpreting it correctly, and making the right plays. Now that I have a better understanding, I need to separate those feelings of hesitancy and start sitting down like I have the edge. I believe 100% that the leaks I have plugged have transformed my game to a profitable one, so I need to sit down and start to grind!
I will start posting my winrate after I log some more hands. I realize these winrates will be completely meaningless for months, but it will be fun to track my progress. Just for fun, I will start to post them.
Pokertracker Stats:
1.94BB/100
Saturday, March 07, 2009
March 7, 2009
My first session was today. Really, really good stuff. I have a lot of information on poker in my head, but i needed someone to hold my hand and spoonfeed it to me to start putting it all together. I got that today and the light started to go on. During my session, my coach sweated me for just over an hour. I ended up about .6 buy ins, which was awesome, but I learned so much about what i should be doing and how I was ignoring some of the very basic rules of 6-max play. when you start to obey some of these rules, the game become much more straightforward. I see it like blackjack - but no, poker isnt gambling like blackjack! What I mean is if you have ever played and understand blackjack, there really isnt too much thought into it other than how much you are g0ing to bet. when the cards are dealt the decisions are fixed based on basic strategy. then, you find the guys that think about every situation without considering what the statistics say. the game is quite a bit more difficult when you approach each situation without considering the odds. the same holds true for poker. I was breaking a few rules and not considering all the information at my disposal.
Before my first session, I was a slight losing player at the low stakes NL tables. Let's see if I can turn that around and start churning a profit and move up!
I will be posting more this week as I log some hands. Stay tuned.
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Quick update. I played 2 tables for a while tonight...logged about 172 hands and won about a buck! :) I did get in against a short stack with KQ on a K high board but he rivered the flush. If that hand holds up I am up 53 bucks. however, i am not going to be that concerned with results because that isnt what is important. I knew I could play poker profitably, but i was always second guessing myself and just not developing a game I could tweak because i was being too undisciplined. tonight, i never felt more comfortable at the tables. I used to not want to play because it was too stressful, but right now i feel like I am the puppet master. Yes, I am playing the very low stakes games, but you have to start somewhere. I hope to log a few thousand hands and reassess, but as we speak I feel like I plugged enough gigantic leaks to truly wonder if I am break even or even profitable at this point. Very excited.
Pokertracker Stats:
.84BB/100
Before my first session, I was a slight losing player at the low stakes NL tables. Let's see if I can turn that around and start churning a profit and move up!
I will be posting more this week as I log some hands. Stay tuned.
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Quick update. I played 2 tables for a while tonight...logged about 172 hands and won about a buck! :) I did get in against a short stack with KQ on a K high board but he rivered the flush. If that hand holds up I am up 53 bucks. however, i am not going to be that concerned with results because that isnt what is important. I knew I could play poker profitably, but i was always second guessing myself and just not developing a game I could tweak because i was being too undisciplined. tonight, i never felt more comfortable at the tables. I used to not want to play because it was too stressful, but right now i feel like I am the puppet master. Yes, I am playing the very low stakes games, but you have to start somewhere. I hope to log a few thousand hands and reassess, but as we speak I feel like I plugged enough gigantic leaks to truly wonder if I am break even or even profitable at this point. Very excited.
Pokertracker Stats:
.84BB/100
Thursday, March 05, 2009
March 5, 2009
Tonight was a good learning opportunity for me. I logged quite a few hands and lost about $60. I am going to take a look at my play the rest of the week because i will be busy and will wait to log more hours until I chat with the ole coach.
Monday, March 02, 2009
March 2, 2009
I have been logging some time, not much, but I have been playing the low stakes cash tables. I am just trying to find a comfort zone before my first session with my coach. I am looking forward to it because I think some solid advice can quickly push me up the learning curve.
Tonight, I played decent, but I think I am being too passive post flop and maybe a bit too loose preflop. Loose passive is not the type of player to be...so I need to tighten up preflop and work on my aggression. What I have been shooting for is to slowly trend upwards in between big hands. from my limited experience, you try to win a little money here and there, but the hands that you get all your chips in are the ones you really need to win, so you do not want to get it all in with marginal holdings. There have been a few hands where I was a bit frustrated with myself because in retrospect I was trying to make things happen. It is a bit frustrating when you lose your focus and find yourself pushing the action trying to double up. In doing so, you end up losing your stack and regretting the decision - even though as you were playing the hand you knew you were pushing the edges a bit too hard. There are very few instances where I get my money in and am surprised that i am behind. Usually, I just lose discipline and flush my stack.
I think that will be the lesson that I need to learn first...play smart and just be patient. tonight was a good example. I was fortunate that I had AA twice. The first instance I was down about half my stack already and ended up losing to J6s when he rivered the straight AND the flush...either way you look at it I was toast. The second time AA came around I was on the button and had been a little more aggressive on my button raises. I put in the 3.5xbb raise and was reraised by the BB. I paused for a minute and called. the flop was 269 rainbow and the BB lead out for just over half the pot, I potted it with my AA and he pushed. I called and he showed JJ. No J on turn or river and my AA held up :)
It is fun learning to play poker again and learning the same lessons over and over. I just need to stick with it and keep plugging away. I am looking forward to Saturday and getting my education underway!
Tonight, I played decent, but I think I am being too passive post flop and maybe a bit too loose preflop. Loose passive is not the type of player to be...so I need to tighten up preflop and work on my aggression. What I have been shooting for is to slowly trend upwards in between big hands. from my limited experience, you try to win a little money here and there, but the hands that you get all your chips in are the ones you really need to win, so you do not want to get it all in with marginal holdings. There have been a few hands where I was a bit frustrated with myself because in retrospect I was trying to make things happen. It is a bit frustrating when you lose your focus and find yourself pushing the action trying to double up. In doing so, you end up losing your stack and regretting the decision - even though as you were playing the hand you knew you were pushing the edges a bit too hard. There are very few instances where I get my money in and am surprised that i am behind. Usually, I just lose discipline and flush my stack.
I think that will be the lesson that I need to learn first...play smart and just be patient. tonight was a good example. I was fortunate that I had AA twice. The first instance I was down about half my stack already and ended up losing to J6s when he rivered the straight AND the flush...either way you look at it I was toast. The second time AA came around I was on the button and had been a little more aggressive on my button raises. I put in the 3.5xbb raise and was reraised by the BB. I paused for a minute and called. the flop was 269 rainbow and the BB lead out for just over half the pot, I potted it with my AA and he pushed. I called and he showed JJ. No J on turn or river and my AA held up :)
It is fun learning to play poker again and learning the same lessons over and over. I just need to stick with it and keep plugging away. I am looking forward to Saturday and getting my education underway!
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