I don't think it's more like we're angry that he isn't doing these things for poker. I think we're more angry that we feel that he doesn't deserve what he has done so far.
People in poker have this thing where they believe that anyone worse than them doesn't deserve any results whatsoever and anyone better than them deserves many more results than they already have.
And poker isn't like that. Poker means that you're going to be losing a lot of things where you got the money in ahead and winning lots of things where you got the money in behind. And if you're playing bad you can win and if you're playing good you can lose.
6.30.2010
Jimmy Fricke Is Awesome
Regarding Darvin Moon:
6.29.2010
@%%*& !!! A Strategy Post!
This blog is approaching one year old. I had no idea. Thanks to all who have read and commented along the way.
I realize this blog started to slowly degenerate into a collection of bad beat stories - I'll be making sure that changes.
I digress.
Last night I played well and didn't make a single dollar in profit but I did make strides in improving my game. I was able to ramp up my aggression at the tables and build a table image I wanted. I was selectively 3-betting people and rarely getting 4-bet. I took full advantage of donks looking to min-cash and avoid bubbling (note: Unless you're playing $20 buy-ins or higher there really is no bubble to speak of. No one cares about min-cashing for $8).
I broke even for the night by finishing 3rd in a $4 180 Man MTT and busted on a cooler hand (ran AKs into KK three handed. Awesome!).
My MTT strategy seems to be paying dividends already. I'm making more deep runs and when I bust I can safely say it is very rarely due to making a poor decision.
I've been flatting my whole range before the antes kick in and I've been raising 3x early and 2.2 - 2.4x once antes start getting higher. From LP with a good hand I'll make it more like 2.7 - 3x to see if I can make these look like pure steal attempts and induce people to spaz out and jam from the SB or BB very light.
I've also been limp/shoving hands like JJ and QQ if I limp in MP and the Button bumps it up. I've been called as light as 44 in spots like this because you just don't see that type of play very often. When people get caught off guard their first instinct is to just monkey shove their whole pile for fear of being bluffed.
I haven't needed to bluff all that often lately and I haven't needed to get into many coinflips, either. The next thing I need to work on is reaching showdown a lot less but I think this is more a function of them not having a fold button at the low stakes than me doing something wrong.
It's important to remember that in MTT's unless you have the nizzles you really don't want to screw around and simply give people slightly the worst of it for calling odds. You want to win the pot on the turn as many times as possible and with onine structures this often means sizing your pre-flop and flop bets such that the only action you can take on the turn is to jam against them.
If you don't size your bets correctly you're going to have a very awkward stack and no fold equity on a lot of rivers and then it's usually incorrect for your opponent to fold to another bet because the pot has gotten so large.
Keep your pots small and play in position as much as possible. Make sure you're the one who's making the decision to grow the pot size and then manage your stack properly.
I know my results will come. I've been playing far too good for them not to. It's just a matter of time and playing against smaller fields.
I realize this blog started to slowly degenerate into a collection of bad beat stories - I'll be making sure that changes.
I digress.
Last night I played well and didn't make a single dollar in profit but I did make strides in improving my game. I was able to ramp up my aggression at the tables and build a table image I wanted. I was selectively 3-betting people and rarely getting 4-bet. I took full advantage of donks looking to min-cash and avoid bubbling (note: Unless you're playing $20 buy-ins or higher there really is no bubble to speak of. No one cares about min-cashing for $8).
I broke even for the night by finishing 3rd in a $4 180 Man MTT and busted on a cooler hand (ran AKs into KK three handed. Awesome!).
My MTT strategy seems to be paying dividends already. I'm making more deep runs and when I bust I can safely say it is very rarely due to making a poor decision.
I've been flatting my whole range before the antes kick in and I've been raising 3x early and 2.2 - 2.4x once antes start getting higher. From LP with a good hand I'll make it more like 2.7 - 3x to see if I can make these look like pure steal attempts and induce people to spaz out and jam from the SB or BB very light.
I've also been limp/shoving hands like JJ and QQ if I limp in MP and the Button bumps it up. I've been called as light as 44 in spots like this because you just don't see that type of play very often. When people get caught off guard their first instinct is to just monkey shove their whole pile for fear of being bluffed.
I haven't needed to bluff all that often lately and I haven't needed to get into many coinflips, either. The next thing I need to work on is reaching showdown a lot less but I think this is more a function of them not having a fold button at the low stakes than me doing something wrong.
It's important to remember that in MTT's unless you have the nizzles you really don't want to screw around and simply give people slightly the worst of it for calling odds. You want to win the pot on the turn as many times as possible and with onine structures this often means sizing your pre-flop and flop bets such that the only action you can take on the turn is to jam against them.
If you don't size your bets correctly you're going to have a very awkward stack and no fold equity on a lot of rivers and then it's usually incorrect for your opponent to fold to another bet because the pot has gotten so large.
Keep your pots small and play in position as much as possible. Make sure you're the one who's making the decision to grow the pot size and then manage your stack properly.
I know my results will come. I've been playing far too good for them not to. It's just a matter of time and playing against smaller fields.
6.28.2010
$$$ and Frustration
I might have to suck it up and put a lot more money online. Playing these large field $5 and $10 donkaments are brutal. I can maintain my concentration throughout but you need to get lucky in so many spots to make deep run and even then you can play for 6 hours to make $60. No thanks.
I'll probably ramp up the bankroll and stop playing everything below a $20 entry fee soon except for the $8 rebuy and $10 rebuy MTT's and a very select few MTT's such as the $11 2R1A which has excellent value and deep play.
There's also not much point in me grinding 50 nl and 100 nl cash which I can beat easily when I could just as well move more cash online and play 200 nl before moving back up to 400 nl and 600 nl where I used to play regularly. I'm sure the games are much harder than they were three years ago but as long as there are cards and computers in this world there will be fish.
And I will find them. Screw trading button 3-bets with regs - I'll be content playing the worst people in the world for the rest of my life.
I'll probably ramp up the bankroll and stop playing everything below a $20 entry fee soon except for the $8 rebuy and $10 rebuy MTT's and a very select few MTT's such as the $11 2R1A which has excellent value and deep play.
There's also not much point in me grinding 50 nl and 100 nl cash which I can beat easily when I could just as well move more cash online and play 200 nl before moving back up to 400 nl and 600 nl where I used to play regularly. I'm sure the games are much harder than they were three years ago but as long as there are cards and computers in this world there will be fish.
And I will find them. Screw trading button 3-bets with regs - I'll be content playing the worst people in the world for the rest of my life.
6.23.2010
Boomswitch Me
This is when you know you're running well.
$100 NL 6 Max
Hero is UTG. Villain is BB.
Hero: $88
Villain: $141
Hero raises to $4 with KK
All folds to BB
BB calls $3
Flop: Qd 4h 2h
BB checks
Hero bets $6.50
Villain check-raises me all-in here. My first thought was that he had something like JhTh, KQ, or AQ by the way he'd been playing. I decided that I'm ahead of his range with with less than 90 bb's I'm not folding anyway.
Of course he has pocket 2's and decides to check-jam which isn't that bad of a line if you feel like your opponent is only raising and c-betting strong hands. This line sucks against me, though, because I play LAG and I'd have taken the same line with hands like 46s, 77, etc. and I will 2 barrel a lot of boards that have draws.
Anyways, the turn and river were the case Kings to give me quads.
<3 PokerStars, haha.
$100 NL 6 Max
Hero is UTG. Villain is BB.
Hero: $88
Villain: $141
Hero raises to $4 with KK
All folds to BB
BB calls $3
Flop: Qd 4h 2h
BB checks
Hero bets $6.50
Villain check-raises me all-in here. My first thought was that he had something like JhTh, KQ, or AQ by the way he'd been playing. I decided that I'm ahead of his range with with less than 90 bb's I'm not folding anyway.
Of course he has pocket 2's and decides to check-jam which isn't that bad of a line if you feel like your opponent is only raising and c-betting strong hands. This line sucks against me, though, because I play LAG and I'd have taken the same line with hands like 46s, 77, etc. and I will 2 barrel a lot of boards that have draws.
Anyways, the turn and river were the case Kings to give me quads.
<3 PokerStars, haha.
6.22.2010
Better.
Using my new MTT strategy I felt like I managed to accumulate more chips and control my stack better. Here are a couple examples of hands where the new strategy seemed to benefit me.
I was able to flat AK three times in position and two of the three yielded positive results.
Once I flatted an MP open from the Button and the BB shipped 15 blinds. MP folded and I called and had the BB's AJo dominated.
I flatted AK again from the Hijack seat against an EP open and stacked his KQ on a H high flop.
The third situation I flatted from late position but whiffed the flop and folded to a c-bet on a very coordinated board.
In both instances where I chipped up I think a 3-bet would make everyone fold.
I also managed to 3-bet fairly often when blinds kicked in with my suited connectors, big hands, and a couple junk hands. Only twice was I re-popped. In all other situations I was either flatted by someone playing the rest of the hand out of position or everyone folded.
Medium Aces are good hands to 3-bet - they're near the top of your folding range and you have a blocker card which makes it less likely that your opponent's hand contains an Ace. I was also 3-betting my medium pairs. You don't flop sets often enough to flat, jamming is too spewy, and folding is too weak. With very deep stacks I'll flat but you're rarely in a spot with both of you are 50 bb's deep or more online once you get out of the early stages of the tournament.
3-betting hands like 77 and 99 either win me the pot without seeing a flop or I'll be jammed over the top and feel pretty good about folding. There's nothing worse than flatting with 99 and seeing the flop come 7 high, then getting it in against a couple Queens or some other hand that has you crushed.
I played 5 MTT's last night and cashed in 3 of them. 2 of those were pretty deep runs in which I got down to 50 players or less from fields of 1000+ players.
This is encouraging.
I was able to flat AK three times in position and two of the three yielded positive results.
Once I flatted an MP open from the Button and the BB shipped 15 blinds. MP folded and I called and had the BB's AJo dominated.
I flatted AK again from the Hijack seat against an EP open and stacked his KQ on a H high flop.
The third situation I flatted from late position but whiffed the flop and folded to a c-bet on a very coordinated board.
In both instances where I chipped up I think a 3-bet would make everyone fold.
I also managed to 3-bet fairly often when blinds kicked in with my suited connectors, big hands, and a couple junk hands. Only twice was I re-popped. In all other situations I was either flatted by someone playing the rest of the hand out of position or everyone folded.
Medium Aces are good hands to 3-bet - they're near the top of your folding range and you have a blocker card which makes it less likely that your opponent's hand contains an Ace. I was also 3-betting my medium pairs. You don't flop sets often enough to flat, jamming is too spewy, and folding is too weak. With very deep stacks I'll flat but you're rarely in a spot with both of you are 50 bb's deep or more online once you get out of the early stages of the tournament.
3-betting hands like 77 and 99 either win me the pot without seeing a flop or I'll be jammed over the top and feel pretty good about folding. There's nothing worse than flatting with 99 and seeing the flop come 7 high, then getting it in against a couple Queens or some other hand that has you crushed.
I played 5 MTT's last night and cashed in 3 of them. 2 of those were pretty deep runs in which I got down to 50 players or less from fields of 1000+ players.
This is encouraging.
6.18.2010
MTT Strat
I think I'm going with this basic formula for a while.
1. Flat my whole range pre-flop before the antes kick in - caveat being if it's a multiway pot and I want to get some people out of the hand
If you 3-bet AK when stacks are still fairly deep you're probably not getting any action by hands like AT, AJ, and AQ but if you flat in position you can own their souls when an Ace flops.
2. 3-bet way more often once antes kick in
I feel like you probably need at least 30 bb's to do so and hands you should be 3 betting are your monsters, the top of your folding range, and random trash hands mixed in to balance our your range.
The top of your folding range is an important one. I like to 3-bet with blocker cards like an Ace or King because it makes it less likely that the original raiser contains one in his hand. You'd never want to flat with A6s but you could 3-bet and fold out lots of loose raises like JT, small pairs, KJ, A8, A9, etc.
3. Play more of a counterpunching game
This goes hand in hand with number two on the list. No one has a fold button anymore. You can't c-bet a raggy board and fold out two overs, Ace high, etc. I'd much rather limp a middle pair and play a small pot than try to raise and c-bet to get a fold out of anyone these days.
I want a lot of my game to be three betting from late position and only open raising strong hands. I think my results could take a drastic uptick if I have normal variance.
I've been listening to guys like Carter King, Brian Devonshire, and Jimmy Fricke and this seems to be their strategy. 2.2-2.4x raises preflop to size their bets such that you can commit on the Turn when you want to and 3-betting players who raise too loose and back down to aggression.
Well, here's to hoping it works.
1. Flat my whole range pre-flop before the antes kick in - caveat being if it's a multiway pot and I want to get some people out of the hand
If you 3-bet AK when stacks are still fairly deep you're probably not getting any action by hands like AT, AJ, and AQ but if you flat in position you can own their souls when an Ace flops.
2. 3-bet way more often once antes kick in
I feel like you probably need at least 30 bb's to do so and hands you should be 3 betting are your monsters, the top of your folding range, and random trash hands mixed in to balance our your range.
The top of your folding range is an important one. I like to 3-bet with blocker cards like an Ace or King because it makes it less likely that the original raiser contains one in his hand. You'd never want to flat with A6s but you could 3-bet and fold out lots of loose raises like JT, small pairs, KJ, A8, A9, etc.
3. Play more of a counterpunching game
This goes hand in hand with number two on the list. No one has a fold button anymore. You can't c-bet a raggy board and fold out two overs, Ace high, etc. I'd much rather limp a middle pair and play a small pot than try to raise and c-bet to get a fold out of anyone these days.
I want a lot of my game to be three betting from late position and only open raising strong hands. I think my results could take a drastic uptick if I have normal variance.
I've been listening to guys like Carter King, Brian Devonshire, and Jimmy Fricke and this seems to be their strategy. 2.2-2.4x raises preflop to size their bets such that you can commit on the Turn when you want to and 3-betting players who raise too loose and back down to aggression.
Well, here's to hoping it works.
6.16.2010
SnG Strat
Conventional wisdom says to play tight early and loosen up once the antes kick in. With any luck you've managed to accumulate some chips so you aren't immediately forced into push/fold mode at the 50/100 level.
I tend to stay away from this line of thought and my ROI has been good.
With so many players mass-multitabling the SnG's you can easily pilfer the blinds by playing pretty loose pre-flop from MP and LP before anyone will catch on.
I've been raising a lot of hands from MP especially. No one online believes a Button or Hijack raise anymore. They're seen as pure steal attempts so I make my steals from UTG and MP with a high success rate.
Even if someone calls my UTG raise they're folding a lot of the time if an Ace or King flops because everyone online puts you on AK when you raise.
At some point you do go into push/fold mode and that's when I'll shove on the blinds with about 70% of my hands if we're down to 4 or 5 handed and I have them covered. They aren't calling unless they have 99+, AJ+.
Or, they shouldn't be.
Right now the best SnG's for my money are the Rush SnG's on Full Tilt. More hands means more chances for the bad players to make simple fundamental mistakes.
I tend to stay away from this line of thought and my ROI has been good.
With so many players mass-multitabling the SnG's you can easily pilfer the blinds by playing pretty loose pre-flop from MP and LP before anyone will catch on.
I've been raising a lot of hands from MP especially. No one online believes a Button or Hijack raise anymore. They're seen as pure steal attempts so I make my steals from UTG and MP with a high success rate.
Even if someone calls my UTG raise they're folding a lot of the time if an Ace or King flops because everyone online puts you on AK when you raise.
At some point you do go into push/fold mode and that's when I'll shove on the blinds with about 70% of my hands if we're down to 4 or 5 handed and I have them covered. They aren't calling unless they have 99+, AJ+.
Or, they shouldn't be.
Right now the best SnG's for my money are the Rush SnG's on Full Tilt. More hands means more chances for the bad players to make simple fundamental mistakes.
6.10.2010
This Is A Call
If there are any MTT players who read this blog I'd like to offer up a suggestion.
I'd like to create and maintain a small network of players to discuss hand histories, talk tournament strategy - basically create a braintrust so we can all combine our experience and knowledge to become better players.
I've always felt that one of my biggest setbacks is having zero poker friends. This was further reinforced when I started reading 2+2 and PocketFives.com and realized a lot of these people have mentors, coaches, etc.
So if anyone is interested feel free to reply to this post and we can go from there.
I'm not currently an AIM user but I can easily set up a screen name and start chatting about poker.
I'd like to create and maintain a small network of players to discuss hand histories, talk tournament strategy - basically create a braintrust so we can all combine our experience and knowledge to become better players.
I've always felt that one of my biggest setbacks is having zero poker friends. This was further reinforced when I started reading 2+2 and PocketFives.com and realized a lot of these people have mentors, coaches, etc.
So if anyone is interested feel free to reply to this post and we can go from there.
I'm not currently an AIM user but I can easily set up a screen name and start chatting about poker.
6.04.2010
Speaking Of Masochism ...
I played a $3 rebuy last night and finished 19th of 1900.
Standard bust out hand.
Blinds 8000/16000/XXX
Me: T285,000
Villain: T302,000
I raise to 38,500 UTG with KcKs
Folds to Villain on the button who makes it 85,000.
His OPR stats tell me he's a moron - negative ROI over 1,000 MTT's. I jam.
He snap calls with AdTd <------ LOL WUT. If you ever do this against a solid player, immediately log off and find a new hobby. 99 would be the worst hand you'd ever be up against in this spot.
Flop 8d 6c 6s
Turn Qd
River 2d
One day I'll win as a massive favorite when it means something substantial.
Standard bust out hand.
Blinds 8000/16000/XXX
Me: T285,000
Villain: T302,000
I raise to 38,500 UTG with KcKs
Folds to Villain on the button who makes it 85,000.
His OPR stats tell me he's a moron - negative ROI over 1,000 MTT's. I jam.
He snap calls with AdTd <------ LOL WUT. If you ever do this against a solid player, immediately log off and find a new hobby. 99 would be the worst hand you'd ever be up against in this spot.
Flop 8d 6c 6s
Turn Qd
River 2d
One day I'll win as a massive favorite when it means something substantial.
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