Got moved but folded in all 13 hands at this table. Table has been very tight overall. 9 handed.
125/250/25 Level
My Stack: 2165
Villain: 3650
I push from UTG+3
What's my pushing range and if you're the Villain in the BB what is your calling range?
12.30.2009
12.29.2009
2010 Goals
I've always been somewhat decent at setting goals and sticking to them, so here goes nothing ...
- Practice better cash game table selection: This should be a no-brainer but honestly I've been lacking the patience and discipline to do this on a regular basis. Back when I was really augmenting my annual income through poker playing 2/3 NL and 3/6 NL on Bodog I would go on every waiting list and then decline any "bad seats" or tight tables. These days I'm playing some $100 NL and not treating it with respect because I feel like I should crush any table. Maybe I have a stronger skill set but rocks are rocks and you can't squeeze money from one no matter how strong you are.
- Create a defined MTT schedule and stick to it: Another no-brainer but something I'll be sure to do in 2010. I plan on looking over the various tournaments I've played to see which ones I had the most success in as well as the days/times they are run. I need to trim out some of the MTT's that go late into the night because I either get tired or just quit once min-cash to spend time with my girlfriend. Plus it's not fair to her to have no idea when I'll be committed to something for hours so this will be a win-win.
- Learn to play PLO: I might even look into coaching for this one. PLO is definitely the future of poker and I can observe tables and see there is still much value there but I don't have the skill set to plop down in a seat and start pot betting like a motherf'er.
- Grind SnG's: I have to study up on these again but there's definitely good money to be made. Colin Moshman came out with a good book within the past couple years. I'll read that and then troll some forums to see how out of date the information may be. If anyone of you out there are SnG grinders or know one I'd really appreciate chatting about strategy since this might end up being the majority of my table hours given my schedule outside of poker.
That should do it for now. Seacrest OUT.
11.27.2009
On Misplaying AK
AKo and AKs are easily the most misplayed hands in MTTs.
I say this because even though I constantly see people donk off their stack with KQ, AQ, and AJ they are still getting close to max value for their hand - I'll talk about that some other time.
The point is that I see people constantly shove huge amounts of big blinds over a standard open when they hold AKo and AKs and you're killing the value of the hand when you do this, especially when you have position on the original raiser.
Most of the value of AKo and AKs comes in getting weaker Ace hands or even KQ to push over you.
Any other situation where you hold AK is either a flip or a cooler where you're crushed. By jamming too many big blinds pre-flop you're giving your opponent more of a chance to fold AQ, AJ, AT, and KQ. I'm mentioning the last two hands since you will definitely see people shove with them in lower buy-in tournaments.
By jamming AK you also make it easier for people to know how you play the hand and you fail to balance your 3-Betting range.
This is an advanced concept crucial for MTT success and I'll devote an entirely separate post to it, my faithful reading audience of zero.
I digress. Here's a quick example of how I will play AK late in an MTT.
1500/3000/150 (I'm guessing at the antes but it's probably close)
You: Late Position with 35 big blinds
Villain: Mid-Position with 26.5 big blinds
Villain raises to 7,500.
You ???
Time and time again I see people just jam with AK here and either get a fold or get into a flipping situation for most of their chips.
What I will do here is raise to something like 16,999 or a similar total. This accomplishes a couple things.
1. It makes my hand look like a monster and hands like 22-TT may fold, thinking they are dominated.
2. It balances my 3-betting range since I will make a similar raise with hands such as 46s, 89s, 9Ts, AA, KK, QQ, and sometimes ATC in the right spots (very read dependent obv.)
3. It may induce bad players to push bad hands. By taking the lead here and having position you're putting a lot of pressure on a weak player to make the correct decision which they rarely do. The majority of the time I will get flatted and take it down with a c-bet (or hit my A or K and stack them) or they will shove over me with something like 77+ and KQ+ in which case I'm not in bad shape at all with all the money already in the middle.
There are other tactics you can use to disguise your hand if you've been with the same opponents for a long time. Varying your 3-bet size is definitely one of them and I'm UTG+1 or UTG+2 facing a race I will consider flatting if there are several aggressive players left to act behind.
Just remember that the biggest value of AK comes from inducing weaker hands, not flipping coins. Keep experimenting with ways to induce shoves and you will probably see an improvement to your results.
I say this because even though I constantly see people donk off their stack with KQ, AQ, and AJ they are still getting close to max value for their hand - I'll talk about that some other time.
The point is that I see people constantly shove huge amounts of big blinds over a standard open when they hold AKo and AKs and you're killing the value of the hand when you do this, especially when you have position on the original raiser.
Most of the value of AKo and AKs comes in getting weaker Ace hands or even KQ to push over you.
Any other situation where you hold AK is either a flip or a cooler where you're crushed. By jamming too many big blinds pre-flop you're giving your opponent more of a chance to fold AQ, AJ, AT, and KQ. I'm mentioning the last two hands since you will definitely see people shove with them in lower buy-in tournaments.
By jamming AK you also make it easier for people to know how you play the hand and you fail to balance your 3-Betting range.
This is an advanced concept crucial for MTT success and I'll devote an entirely separate post to it, my faithful reading audience of zero.
I digress. Here's a quick example of how I will play AK late in an MTT.
1500/3000/150 (I'm guessing at the antes but it's probably close)
You: Late Position with 35 big blinds
Villain: Mid-Position with 26.5 big blinds
Villain raises to 7,500.
You ???
Time and time again I see people just jam with AK here and either get a fold or get into a flipping situation for most of their chips.
What I will do here is raise to something like 16,999 or a similar total. This accomplishes a couple things.
1. It makes my hand look like a monster and hands like 22-TT may fold, thinking they are dominated.
2. It balances my 3-betting range since I will make a similar raise with hands such as 46s, 89s, 9Ts, AA, KK, QQ, and sometimes ATC in the right spots (very read dependent obv.)
3. It may induce bad players to push bad hands. By taking the lead here and having position you're putting a lot of pressure on a weak player to make the correct decision which they rarely do. The majority of the time I will get flatted and take it down with a c-bet (or hit my A or K and stack them) or they will shove over me with something like 77+ and KQ+ in which case I'm not in bad shape at all with all the money already in the middle.
There are other tactics you can use to disguise your hand if you've been with the same opponents for a long time. Varying your 3-bet size is definitely one of them and I'm UTG+1 or UTG+2 facing a race I will consider flatting if there are several aggressive players left to act behind.
Just remember that the biggest value of AK comes from inducing weaker hands, not flipping coins. Keep experimenting with ways to induce shoves and you will probably see an improvement to your results.
11.16.2009
Short and to the Point
Want to know one of the biggest keys to success in online tournament poker?
Avoid playing out of position as much as you can. It really can't be stressed enough.
AJo and AJs UTG and UTG+1 is a fold.
KTo and KTs in the SB and BB is a fold.
It goes on and on. Tournament poker is about developing an overall strategy and then trying to hone your skills within that strategy whether it be small ball, Kill Phil style, or something in between.
But playing pots in position is paramount to success in any given style and there really is no argument against that.
Avoid playing out of position as much as you can. It really can't be stressed enough.
AJo and AJs UTG and UTG+1 is a fold.
KTo and KTs in the SB and BB is a fold.
It goes on and on. Tournament poker is about developing an overall strategy and then trying to hone your skills within that strategy whether it be small ball, Kill Phil style, or something in between.
But playing pots in position is paramount to success in any given style and there really is no argument against that.
11.02.2009
Ding Ding Ding!
"I don't think poker takes that much inteligence - that's something poker players tell themselves - but it does take a specialized skills that some people will never acquire or always have problems implementing."
-V, posted on http://raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com/
I'd say this is mostly accurate and seldom said.
The fact that he/she misspells intelligence and mixes up the singular/plural of 'skills' may add additional credence to this. I say this tongue-planted-firmly-in-cheek, of course.
The actual poker math required at the table is 8th grade algebra and even then there are little shortcuts you can take.
Of all the poker math geniuses out there (Paul Magriel, David Sklansky and Chris Ferguson come to mind immediately) there are an equal number of players who play "by feel" or admit they don't know the math behind the game (Chad Batista, Puggy Pearson, Phil Ivey).
I could have done extensive research to make a balanced list of names but much like the Men At Work song, it's just Overkill.
Poker is more about picking up the tells and betting patterns of your opponents coupled with preventing them from picking up on yours than it is about knowing the exact odds on every street. Knowing the math won't do you much good if you can't make a bet that entices your opponents to call - see David Sklansky as an example of this.
However, you should at least know how much of a chance you stand if called even if it's just broken down into the terms "not bad", "good", or "none."
-V, posted on http://raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com/
I'd say this is mostly accurate and seldom said.
The fact that he/she misspells intelligence and mixes up the singular/plural of 'skills' may add additional credence to this. I say this tongue-planted-firmly-in-cheek, of course.
The actual poker math required at the table is 8th grade algebra and even then there are little shortcuts you can take.
Of all the poker math geniuses out there (Paul Magriel, David Sklansky and Chris Ferguson come to mind immediately) there are an equal number of players who play "by feel" or admit they don't know the math behind the game (Chad Batista, Puggy Pearson, Phil Ivey).
I could have done extensive research to make a balanced list of names but much like the Men At Work song, it's just Overkill.
Poker is more about picking up the tells and betting patterns of your opponents coupled with preventing them from picking up on yours than it is about knowing the exact odds on every street. Knowing the math won't do you much good if you can't make a bet that entices your opponents to call - see David Sklansky as an example of this.
However, you should at least know how much of a chance you stand if called even if it's just broken down into the terms "not bad", "good", or "none."
9.09.2009
Minor Adjustments
I'm not playing much poker anymore, but that doesn't mean you need to scale back!
And if that first line didn't sound like an infomercial then I don't know what does.
A blog entry I recently read alluded to its author tweaking her cash game mechanics ever-so-slightly leading to staggering results. I like to call this coincidence. Often times unless you're making severe blunders on a regular basis, no single adjustment or two will lead to a cash windfall on a short-term basis.
However, there are a few things you can do which will in fact lead to nice savings in the long run.
Quick aside: I hate the phrase "in the long run" because of poker. I also can't hear the word "sick" used in any context without cringing a little.
I digress. Here are a couple adjustments you can make as ways to save money in cash games.
And if that first line didn't sound like an infomercial then I don't know what does.
A blog entry I recently read alluded to its author tweaking her cash game mechanics ever-so-slightly leading to staggering results. I like to call this coincidence. Often times unless you're making severe blunders on a regular basis, no single adjustment or two will lead to a cash windfall on a short-term basis.
However, there are a few things you can do which will in fact lead to nice savings in the long run.
Quick aside: I hate the phrase "in the long run" because of poker. I also can't hear the word "sick" used in any context without cringing a little.
I digress. Here are a couple adjustments you can make as ways to save money in cash games.
- Fold in the blinds more frequently. I know it's tempting to play 22, 33, and hands like 56o or 45s from the blinds but the odds are stacked against you. Not only do you need to flop a made hand or flop a big draw, but you need your opponent to come along for the ride when you're playing the hand entirely out of position.
- Overcall less frequently. I see this happen way more than it should. Let's say there's a raise and a call up front and you flat on the button with 78s. If the flop makes you bottom or middle pair and the action in front is bet/call, I think you should fold. I look at it this way - one of them has you beat, and if you take the lead on the turn you're not guaranteed to be paid off by a good player so you're chasing with low expectation.
- Raise the flop more frequently. Having played a lot of 1/2 NL and 2/4 NL a lot of times I'll see the original raiser call the flop, turn, and river with top pair or slightly worse only to be beaten by a monster. Sound familiar? A lot of times you can get away more cheaply by raising the flop. If your villain re-raises or flats, you should have developed enough of a read on him/her to know what this could mean so it won't take two more streets of action to know you're beaten.
It sounds like I'm advocating a fairly tight/conservative game, and I suppose I am. But if poker wisdom tells you to profit by doing the opposite of everyone else, and all these poker training sites and books are preaching endless aggression isn't it worth a shot?
I've noticed that these players are so busy focusing on being aggressive that they failed to notice I only showed up with the goods at showdown. And if they do take notice? Well then, that's when you finally work some bluffs into your game.
8.31.2009
Next Time I'll Take a Screen Shot
I was playing a few tables of 3/6 LHE this morning which is always a very juicy game. At a 6 handed table you will usually find nothing but loose/weak European or Russian players. There are a few players whose game I have respect for but I have detailed notes on how they play their hands.
Then you have one other type of player who will be there some times and when he is, the game is great. This player is the drunk/tired west coast player who has been up all night. Usually I only see this on Saturday or Sunday mornings but today there was a player from New Mexico who might be the worst player I've ever seen at a 3/6 online table.
He had a stack of about $470 and was 3-betting every hand pre-flop, calling raises and re-raises cold, and showing down with bottom pair and ace high. Of course this means he was getting paid off on every big hand and he was running like Usain Bolt.
Then the following hand took place.
UTG he raises as he'd been doing every hand. Everyone calls behind and on the Button I 3-bet with JsTs because it has great value there. Both blinds fold and everyone else just calls.
The flop is 7s 8s 9h.
Southwestern Psycho leads, UTG+2 raises, folded to me and I 3-bet. SwP caps and we both call.
The turn is Ad and the same action takes place - lead, raise, 3-bet, cap, call, call.
The river is Kd and this time it goes check, check, bet by me, call, call.
SwP had a set of nines and UTG+2 had As6s. Pretty big pot for a 3-6 game. After it was done is when the fun started in the chat box.
Him: F.ucking donkeys
Him: JT nice play fish
Him: No wonder u dont have a real stack
First, el oh el at him thinking stack size matters in a limit game. Second, I usually don't ever do something like this but it was time for me to go to work anyway. I sat out and clicked on the dealer to add more chips, then made my stack at the table $15,999. Then I sat back in.
Me: Sorry, is this better?
He left on the next hand, and so did I.
Then you have one other type of player who will be there some times and when he is, the game is great. This player is the drunk/tired west coast player who has been up all night. Usually I only see this on Saturday or Sunday mornings but today there was a player from New Mexico who might be the worst player I've ever seen at a 3/6 online table.
He had a stack of about $470 and was 3-betting every hand pre-flop, calling raises and re-raises cold, and showing down with bottom pair and ace high. Of course this means he was getting paid off on every big hand and he was running like Usain Bolt.
Then the following hand took place.
UTG he raises as he'd been doing every hand. Everyone calls behind and on the Button I 3-bet with JsTs because it has great value there. Both blinds fold and everyone else just calls.
The flop is 7s 8s 9h.
Southwestern Psycho leads, UTG+2 raises, folded to me and I 3-bet. SwP caps and we both call.
The turn is Ad and the same action takes place - lead, raise, 3-bet, cap, call, call.
The river is Kd and this time it goes check, check, bet by me, call, call.
SwP had a set of nines and UTG+2 had As6s. Pretty big pot for a 3-6 game. After it was done is when the fun started in the chat box.
Him: F.ucking donkeys
Him: JT nice play fish
Him: No wonder u dont have a real stack
First, el oh el at him thinking stack size matters in a limit game. Second, I usually don't ever do something like this but it was time for me to go to work anyway. I sat out and clicked on the dealer to add more chips, then made my stack at the table $15,999. Then I sat back in.
Me: Sorry, is this better?
He left on the next hand, and so did I.
8.26.2009
Soft Game Alert and Bodog Nostalgia
This is probably old news to some.
The 2/4 and 3/6 limit hold em games on the Cake network are softer than all other poker sites. Not only is the percentage of flops seen greater on this network, but your opponents also call down with Ace high or weak hands at a far greater ratio than other sites I have played - Full Tilt, Poker Stars, and Bodog.
Note: My own Bodog experiences are about 8 months old at this point, but some of my online poker playing friends have commented that the traffic is terrible and the site is no longer worthy of any consideration due to this and their increased tournament fees/decreased guaranteed prize pools.
That's a real shame. Bodog used to be the site for all your donkey needs. In 2006 and 2007 I made a killing at 2/3 NL and 2/4 NL. I still see some of the same players kicking around at these same stakes, but for the most part the well has run dry.
Back to the Cake network.
I highly recommend the LHE games there. I haven't played 5/10 or 10/20 yet so I cannot speak to those, but I observed a 5/10 game for a bit and it played aggressively with most pots being 3-bet pre-flop so proceed with caution if you are rockish by nature.
The tournaments also have good value. The $20,000 Guaranteed is soft. My girlfriend and I decided to team up so she could ask me questions about strategy and hand selection and I think we took 13th place even though I haven't been thinking about poker lately.
The only catch to re-buy tournaments on the Cake network is the fact that no one seems to play it like a re-buy. In other words, what you'll find is that everyone takes the immediate re-buy to get to 3,000 chips and then it's played like a freezeout. This can be advantageous, though. If you decide to gamble for a stack, the other players will usually assume this is your normal playing style and you'll get paid off every time after the break.
Either that, or I really am a maniac and haven't figure it out yet.
The 2/4 and 3/6 limit hold em games on the Cake network are softer than all other poker sites. Not only is the percentage of flops seen greater on this network, but your opponents also call down with Ace high or weak hands at a far greater ratio than other sites I have played - Full Tilt, Poker Stars, and Bodog.
Note: My own Bodog experiences are about 8 months old at this point, but some of my online poker playing friends have commented that the traffic is terrible and the site is no longer worthy of any consideration due to this and their increased tournament fees/decreased guaranteed prize pools.
That's a real shame. Bodog used to be the site for all your donkey needs. In 2006 and 2007 I made a killing at 2/3 NL and 2/4 NL. I still see some of the same players kicking around at these same stakes, but for the most part the well has run dry.
Back to the Cake network.
I highly recommend the LHE games there. I haven't played 5/10 or 10/20 yet so I cannot speak to those, but I observed a 5/10 game for a bit and it played aggressively with most pots being 3-bet pre-flop so proceed with caution if you are rockish by nature.
The tournaments also have good value. The $20,000 Guaranteed is soft. My girlfriend and I decided to team up so she could ask me questions about strategy and hand selection and I think we took 13th place even though I haven't been thinking about poker lately.
The only catch to re-buy tournaments on the Cake network is the fact that no one seems to play it like a re-buy. In other words, what you'll find is that everyone takes the immediate re-buy to get to 3,000 chips and then it's played like a freezeout. This can be advantageous, though. If you decide to gamble for a stack, the other players will usually assume this is your normal playing style and you'll get paid off every time after the break.
Either that, or I really am a maniac and haven't figure it out yet.
8.17.2009
All Done
This blog will probably live on in one form or another, but I picked a weird point in my poker life to start it.
I've scaled way down in terms of both playing time and stakes when it comes to poker, and it's due to no other reason than pure boredom. While I never reached the status of being a 25/50 reg, I managed to pretty well for myself over the past few years and it's clearly time to move on to something else.
At the end of the day it's just money and I get no enjoyment out of it except for the odd Sunday major where I manage to make a deep run.
But the fact is I have lost the will to play because I'd much rather take those hours each day and spend them with my girlfriend as we continue to build up our apartment, explore the city, and try new things together.
I've always been socially introverted, cynical, and a creature of habit. She forces me to step out of my comfort zone and try different things. In a span of 8 months she's managed to change years and years worth of stubborness and reticence. And stubborn as I might be, she knows how much she's done and how much I appreciate all of it.
It would feel like an insult to her hard work and love if I wasted my time sitting at a PC every night, frittering my time away just to grind out a modest profit.
This isn't me standing on a soap box and telling other players to give it up - far from it. But I think at some point in our lives we all luck into or create a good opportunity for long-term happiness and have this decision to make.
Faced with the choice between this beautiful, funny, and smart girl who loves me unconditionally or a card game played over a computer, there isn't a choice at all.
A, each morning I wake up and tell myself to always deserve you.
And if anyone comes looking for me to play in a home game - sorry, can't. I had to see about a girl.
I've scaled way down in terms of both playing time and stakes when it comes to poker, and it's due to no other reason than pure boredom. While I never reached the status of being a 25/50 reg, I managed to pretty well for myself over the past few years and it's clearly time to move on to something else.
At the end of the day it's just money and I get no enjoyment out of it except for the odd Sunday major where I manage to make a deep run.
But the fact is I have lost the will to play because I'd much rather take those hours each day and spend them with my girlfriend as we continue to build up our apartment, explore the city, and try new things together.
I've always been socially introverted, cynical, and a creature of habit. She forces me to step out of my comfort zone and try different things. In a span of 8 months she's managed to change years and years worth of stubborness and reticence. And stubborn as I might be, she knows how much she's done and how much I appreciate all of it.
It would feel like an insult to her hard work and love if I wasted my time sitting at a PC every night, frittering my time away just to grind out a modest profit.
This isn't me standing on a soap box and telling other players to give it up - far from it. But I think at some point in our lives we all luck into or create a good opportunity for long-term happiness and have this decision to make.
Faced with the choice between this beautiful, funny, and smart girl who loves me unconditionally or a card game played over a computer, there isn't a choice at all.
A, each morning I wake up and tell myself to always deserve you.
And if anyone comes looking for me to play in a home game - sorry, can't. I had to see about a girl.
8.10.2009
Where Do We Go From Here?
I have really scaled back the amount of online poker I play for a couple reasons:
- I also sports bet and am producing far greater profits there, which in turn requires a lot of my free time researching trends and tracking line movements, but the bigger reason is
- Online poker has really dried up.
It was only a matter of time, really. I admire the business sense of people like Taylor Caby, Johnny Bax, Phil Galfond and other people who run poker training sites - but the reality is they've killed the game.
You'll notice how the majority of the people who run these training sites barely play the game anymore. They're more content to stake others and reap the profits of a site that has no overhead costs. Galfond is the only exception and he plays nosebleed PLO. Caby is all but retired, Townshend is a multi-accounting cheat, and Bax and Sheets either don't play much anymore or they play and fail to put up strong results.
A few years ago you could play $200 NL and $400 NL and crush it against donks would would stack off with top pair, weak kicker or worse.
Now it's to the point where it's borderline unprofitable to set mine because even as low as $100 NL you're finding players capable of laying down pretty good hands - not too mention everybody now knows about 3-betting light and the value of semi-bluffing hands.
I'll still play online tournaments because I have a 90% ROI on the site I choose to play at, but the value of cash games has taken a turn for the worse. There is a mathematically correct to play your hands in most situations and the more people who learn this, the less money can be won. Now it's just a game of set over set hands or Aces versus Kings AIPF. Yawn. I'll find another hobby, thanks.
If you choose to play cash games, make Pot Limit Omaha your game of choice. There is still plenty of dead money out there, but make sure you're properly bankrolled and can handle horrid swings because you will rarely get it all in the middle being more than a 55% favorite in any given hand.
Our only hope is that poker gets regulated in the United States and brings in an influx of bad players who were too scared to make accounts when it was all being run offshore, but maybe that's just a pipe dream for the mid-stakes grinder. My advice? Keep ahead of the curve.
8.07.2009
Running Bad
I have a couple theories on running bad.
The first one is that it's simple variance that happens to everyone, everywhere. Easy enough, right?
The second one is more complex. I think some people can become psychologically affected by normal variance to the point where it causes them to remain in run-bad purgatory even once the cards have started cooperating again.
An example of this would be checking a Turn you'd normally bet and missing value, or worse, letting someone get there for free, just because chasers were previously getting there even when you bet. Another example would be folding a drawing hand even when getting proper calling odds just because you haven't been getting there lately.
A lot of people will take a break from playing when they start getting cold decked. I used to be of that camp, but I'm starting to think the solution is just to keep playing. If you play professionally (or just play a lot) you're definitely in for those days when all the money goes in on the Turn with you getting the best of it and all the money being slid over to your opponents after the River card comes.
But if you're not tilting, or if you can recognize tilt and only stop playing then, why wouldn't you want to just power through it? As long as you are using sound bankroll management (I'll probably do a short post some other time about this) you will never go broke during a period of running bad. This is because you'll drop down to lower stakes if necessary to keep your risk of ruin a static number - close to zero.
And who knows how long this period of running bad could last if you limit the number of hands you play? Sure, you'll be decreasing your odds of a downswing but you're also decreasing your odds of an upswing by the same amount.
So like Tony G says, "On your bike."
The first one is that it's simple variance that happens to everyone, everywhere. Easy enough, right?
The second one is more complex. I think some people can become psychologically affected by normal variance to the point where it causes them to remain in run-bad purgatory even once the cards have started cooperating again.
An example of this would be checking a Turn you'd normally bet and missing value, or worse, letting someone get there for free, just because chasers were previously getting there even when you bet. Another example would be folding a drawing hand even when getting proper calling odds just because you haven't been getting there lately.
A lot of people will take a break from playing when they start getting cold decked. I used to be of that camp, but I'm starting to think the solution is just to keep playing. If you play professionally (or just play a lot) you're definitely in for those days when all the money goes in on the Turn with you getting the best of it and all the money being slid over to your opponents after the River card comes.
But if you're not tilting, or if you can recognize tilt and only stop playing then, why wouldn't you want to just power through it? As long as you are using sound bankroll management (I'll probably do a short post some other time about this) you will never go broke during a period of running bad. This is because you'll drop down to lower stakes if necessary to keep your risk of ruin a static number - close to zero.
And who knows how long this period of running bad could last if you limit the number of hands you play? Sure, you'll be decreasing your odds of a downswing but you're also decreasing your odds of an upswing by the same amount.
So like Tony G says, "On your bike."
8.05.2009
Identifying Tilt
The majority of money in a cash game is won, and lost, during periods of tilted play. That's just common sense.
I can't even count how many times I've been playing a normal six handed cash game online when all of a sudden the table turned maniacal after a bad beat pot.
Here are some ways to tell that you're on tilt:
I can't even count how many times I've been playing a normal six handed cash game online when all of a sudden the table turned maniacal after a bad beat pot.
Here are some ways to tell that you're on tilt:
- You use the chatbox to question someone's play or berate them (obvious one)
- You start clicking and typing bets harder than usual (semi-obvious)
- You act faster than usual when action is on you (this one is more subtle so pay close attention)
- You make aggressive calls (unsuited connectors from the blinds, overcalling with weakish hands like QTo, etc. Again, subtle)
You can reduce your chances of tilting using a couple different things. Gay ass Blogger won't allow me to make a second bulleted list because its interface likes to be face fucked by moose cock, so you'll have to settle for line breaks.
Music: Whatever you listen to, listen to the softer side of that genre. Listening to frenetic music from experimental and noise-rock bands will make your mind race and will affect your game.
Sleep: Get enough of it. Playing tired leads to bad decisions which leads to going on tilt because you're pissed off that you decided to play while tired.
Water: Drink it. Keeps your mind alert and water will give you a lot more energy than caffeine ever can.
Coffee: Don't drink it. The caffeine will make you jittery and it takes over two hours for it to exit your system, but only about 10 minutes to fully kick in.
In the end, though, it comes down to how you're hardwired. Some people are more even keeled than others. The key is recognizing when you tilt and having the discipline to walk away.
8.04.2009
Have A Plan
"I'm gonna outplay this guy. I'm gonna outplay this guy, this hand."
-Mitch McDermott, Rounders
Anyone who thinks like this is a fucking moron.
Yes, I know it's a movie.
I also know that I see it happen in tournaments and cash games all the time. I don't even know why. People just spaz out at random points and double or triple barrel bluff into a monster on a bad board to run a bluff - an example of a bad board to run a bluff is a really dry board like 3 7 K rainbow. If you fire and get raised or flatted, you're almost never getting floated by air at lower stakes games. This is an easy check/fold on the turn unless you ran a semi-bluff and your hand improves to the best hand or a draw to the best hand.
Yet time and time again I'll see someone double barrel or triple barrel and run into AK, KQ, or a set in these spots.
Stop overthinking things. Your opponents aren't that great. Unless you see them showdown weak hands or bluffs, they're probably value betting and value calling you all these times. You can't fucking represent what the other guy is holding if you stop and think for a minute.
It took me many online sessions at $100 NL and $200 NL to realize there aren't as many crazy bluffers out there as you think. The online world is mostly filled with call stations these days. Keep that in mind and you'll do just fine.
Have a plan for your raises and bets - if you stop and ask yourself what you'll do on the turn or river if you raise and get called and can't come up with a good anwer, chances are you shouldn't make that raise or bet to begin with.
-Mitch McDermott, Rounders
Anyone who thinks like this is a fucking moron.
Yes, I know it's a movie.
I also know that I see it happen in tournaments and cash games all the time. I don't even know why. People just spaz out at random points and double or triple barrel bluff into a monster on a bad board to run a bluff - an example of a bad board to run a bluff is a really dry board like 3 7 K rainbow. If you fire and get raised or flatted, you're almost never getting floated by air at lower stakes games. This is an easy check/fold on the turn unless you ran a semi-bluff and your hand improves to the best hand or a draw to the best hand.
Yet time and time again I'll see someone double barrel or triple barrel and run into AK, KQ, or a set in these spots.
Stop overthinking things. Your opponents aren't that great. Unless you see them showdown weak hands or bluffs, they're probably value betting and value calling you all these times. You can't fucking represent what the other guy is holding if you stop and think for a minute.
It took me many online sessions at $100 NL and $200 NL to realize there aren't as many crazy bluffers out there as you think. The online world is mostly filled with call stations these days. Keep that in mind and you'll do just fine.
Have a plan for your raises and bets - if you stop and ask yourself what you'll do on the turn or river if you raise and get called and can't come up with a good anwer, chances are you shouldn't make that raise or bet to begin with.
8.01.2009
You're Not 3 Betting Enough
I know for a fact you aren't. If you were, you'd have better success.
To be successful at online MTT's you need to ramp up your aggression more. This means 3 betting hands that aren't in the top 2%.
A good place to start is 3 betting suited connectors against a late position raiser when you're in the CO or have the Button. You also need more than 30 BB's to do this, because raise/folding with a 30 BB stack means you're retarded and do not deserve to ever win anything. Ever.
Hands like 89s and JTs flop well and you'll have position against your opponent for the remainder of the hand, which will rarely last past the flop unless your opponent connects in a big way.
Remember, many opponents will play aggressively pre-flop but a staggeringly low number will continue to play aggressively on the flop and turn.
Important Note: You must also know your opponent here. If you do this every time against every type of player, you've become The Spewtard.
MTT's aren't bingo like every loser likes to claim. There's a degree of skill, a degree of calculated risk, and a degree of luck. If you put skill and reading ability at the forefront, you'll seldom find yourself in more than just one or two spots where you need to "get lucky".
To be successful at online MTT's you need to ramp up your aggression more. This means 3 betting hands that aren't in the top 2%.
A good place to start is 3 betting suited connectors against a late position raiser when you're in the CO or have the Button. You also need more than 30 BB's to do this, because raise/folding with a 30 BB stack means you're retarded and do not deserve to ever win anything. Ever.
Hands like 89s and JTs flop well and you'll have position against your opponent for the remainder of the hand, which will rarely last past the flop unless your opponent connects in a big way.
Remember, many opponents will play aggressively pre-flop but a staggeringly low number will continue to play aggressively on the flop and turn.
Important Note: You must also know your opponent here. If you do this every time against every type of player, you've become The Spewtard.
MTT's aren't bingo like every loser likes to claim. There's a degree of skill, a degree of calculated risk, and a degree of luck. If you put skill and reading ability at the forefront, you'll seldom find yourself in more than just one or two spots where you need to "get lucky".
7.29.2009
Step 2 Toward Not Being A Tournament Donkey
Stop flatting with small and medium pocket pairs to set mine when you're not getting the correct odds.
I see this all the time.
Both you and your opponent need at least 30 BB's in order for you to set mine in a tournament. This means that after the early stages, you're rarely in a spot where flatting is correct since most of our tournament lives are spent in the 10 BB to 20 BB range.
The fact that someone flatted ahead of you doesn't mean it's okay for you to flat, either. If you think back to previous tournaments you can probably remember how you always seemed to fold to a pre-flop shove or fold to a large c-bet after trying to catch a set with your 66, 77, 88, etc.
You can't do the same incorrect thing every time and expect different results.
30+ big blinds, no exceptions. Anything less late in a tournament is a shove/fold decision based on your reads.
I see this all the time.
Both you and your opponent need at least 30 BB's in order for you to set mine in a tournament. This means that after the early stages, you're rarely in a spot where flatting is correct since most of our tournament lives are spent in the 10 BB to 20 BB range.
The fact that someone flatted ahead of you doesn't mean it's okay for you to flat, either. If you think back to previous tournaments you can probably remember how you always seemed to fold to a pre-flop shove or fold to a large c-bet after trying to catch a set with your 66, 77, 88, etc.
You can't do the same incorrect thing every time and expect different results.
30+ big blinds, no exceptions. Anything less late in a tournament is a shove/fold decision based on your reads.
Step 1 Toward Not Being A Tournament Donkey
Tighten up in early position during the early stages of the tournament.
You should only be raising AQ+ and pocket pairs from early position. I see so many players raising or limping things like 89s, JT0, KJs ... don't. You're not good enough to play these hands out of position and they simply don't have a lot of value in these spots. Re-read that last sentence until it sticks.
If you limp them, you'll often be faced with a raise behind you and now you're stuck playing a drawing hand out of position which defeats the purpose of playing a drawing hand to begin with. If you raise with them, you'll either be flatted and not know where you stand or you'll be 3-bet by better hands.
When say 'the early stages of the tournament' I usually mean all levels before antes come into play.
Anyone who reads this and follows it is guaranteed to bleed fewer chips during the early levels.
You should only be raising AQ+ and pocket pairs from early position. I see so many players raising or limping things like 89s, JT0, KJs ... don't. You're not good enough to play these hands out of position and they simply don't have a lot of value in these spots. Re-read that last sentence until it sticks.
If you limp them, you'll often be faced with a raise behind you and now you're stuck playing a drawing hand out of position which defeats the purpose of playing a drawing hand to begin with. If you raise with them, you'll either be flatted and not know where you stand or you'll be 3-bet by better hands.
When say 'the early stages of the tournament' I usually mean all levels before antes come into play.
Anyone who reads this and follows it is guaranteed to bleed fewer chips during the early levels.
7.28.2009
Small Stakes Final Tables
From my somewhat limited experience, there are three types of players at the final table of a small stakes MTT:
- The Nit: Keeps looking at the lobby to see how much each pay jump is while folding until he gets AA or KK.
- The Spewtard: Read somewhere that being aggressive at the final table is good - thinks that means raising every time it gets to him but folding when faced with resistance.
- Me: Good player who Raises The Nit and 3-Bets The Spewtard
I played the $10,000 Guaranteed w/Rebuys last night and scooped 5th place for about $550.
The hands down worst player at the table ran like a Kenyan in the Boston marathon, picking up big pair after big pair and holding every time.
The Spewtard was two spots to my right which meant I easily stayed afloat by defending my BB and 3-Betting his late position raises. I only had to fold once to a 4 bet shove from the SB after I had 3-bet on the button, and he showed Aces (surprise, surprise).
Unfortunately it was not meant to be, because our UTG Kenyan min-raised and I 3-Bet for about 2.5x more with KhKd. He flatted and the flop came Jack high, all spades. He checked, I jammed, and he time banked (lol) before calling with AdKs and proceeded to hit his flush on the river.
So it goes.
There's so much dead money in these tournaments that if you can reach the final 12 or so and have 10+ BB's you're almost guaranteed to stand a chance at winning the whole thing. That sounds like an obvious statement, but it's one that holds a lot less truth in higher stakes MTT's.
Just pay very close attention once you get there. There will be at least two or three players folding every hand to make the pay jumps and you'd better take advantage of that or else I will.
Intro
Bonjour. Hola. Guten Tag. Hiya!
I play poker on Players Only Poker under the screen name FkCoolers. This is my blog.
How is this different from the thousands of other poker blogs out there? It probably isn't. What it will contain are interesting hands with my thought process, thoughts on different players I run into, thoughts on different hands I see played in tournaments, plus some random non-poker related shit in between.
What it won't contain are thinly veiled brag posts and/or bad beat stories because no one cares about your bad beat stories.
I won't pull any punches, either. If I sucked I'll say it. If you suck I'll say that, too. Chances are both of those are going to be true on many occasions.
That's it for now. Next time I write something it will contain substance.
I play poker on Players Only Poker under the screen name FkCoolers. This is my blog.
How is this different from the thousands of other poker blogs out there? It probably isn't. What it will contain are interesting hands with my thought process, thoughts on different players I run into, thoughts on different hands I see played in tournaments, plus some random non-poker related shit in between.
What it won't contain are thinly veiled brag posts and/or bad beat stories because no one cares about your bad beat stories.
I won't pull any punches, either. If I sucked I'll say it. If you suck I'll say that, too. Chances are both of those are going to be true on many occasions.
That's it for now. Next time I write something it will contain substance.
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