Round 1 to Wazzafish:-
but... Round 2 to Ulyssses :)
I guess we'll have to call it a draw for now.
Monday 28 February 2011
28th February 2011 Part 2
Just sat down at a table of NL2, with my brother Wazzafish. Got hooked into some hands fairly quickly...
Round 1 to Wazzafish:-
but... Round 2 to Ulyssses :)
I guess we'll have to call it a draw for now.
Round 1 to Wazzafish:-
but... Round 2 to Ulyssses :)
I guess we'll have to call it a draw for now.
28th February 2011
I've had very mixed results over the weekend. I briefly made my target of $125, but variance has been killing me along the way and am currently back to $121.
I'd like to blame this on getting used to four-tabling, or moving up to NL5; but mostly I think I played badly
Objective for the week is to get back on track and increase BR to $140.
I'd like to blame this on getting used to four-tabling, or moving up to NL5; but mostly I think I played badly
Objective for the week is to get back on track and increase BR to $140.
24th February 2011
Been working on playing four tables at a time, today. I think I've got my set-up sorted now - although I need to cascade, as I'm playing on a poxy laptop 
I find it insane the amount of tables that a lot of grinders are able to manage! But feel that I'll be able to get used to four, with a bit of practice, competently enough [?]
I get the [early] impression that this will assist me in playing in position; but will probably decrease my 'bb/100'... but that's fine by me, as long as I can ensure it increases my hourly rate
However... I'll have to rack today up as a training investment!!
Providing a stutter in my overall progress
Currently my BR is at $116. Next objective [aside from improving my game] is to work this up to $125 to get me 25 buy-ins at NL5. Then I plan to play an hour of NL2 on four tables (assuming I can get the hang of four-tabling), followed by an hour of NL5 on two tables. Obviously keep working at that level until I can profitably move to four-tabling NL5 only.
Wish me luck...
I find it insane the amount of tables that a lot of grinders are able to manage! But feel that I'll be able to get used to four, with a bit of practice, competently enough [?]
I get the [early] impression that this will assist me in playing in position; but will probably decrease my 'bb/100'... but that's fine by me, as long as I can ensure it increases my hourly rate
However... I'll have to rack today up as a training investment!!
Providing a stutter in my overall progress
Currently my BR is at $116. Next objective [aside from improving my game] is to work this up to $125 to get me 25 buy-ins at NL5. Then I plan to play an hour of NL2 on four tables (assuming I can get the hang of four-tabling), followed by an hour of NL5 on two tables. Obviously keep working at that level until I can profitably move to four-tabling NL5 only.
Wish me luck...
23rd February 2011
Every Tuesday evening at 8pm, I play in a poker league run by the Hendon Mob www.thehendonmob.com. I had my brother and a friend over to help me with the game tonight, and felt that we played very strongly... unfortunately, we were ousted in 24th place for no league points and no money. But on the upside, knocking out one of the guest bounties afforded me a free entry into next weeks league game, so could be worse.
I decided to get some hands in, after the league exit' and currently stand at:-
...and...
Trying to play in position more
I decided to get some hands in, after the league exit' and currently stand at:-
...and...
Trying to play in position more
20th Februaru 2011
Ok... I've been busy this weekend, so not gotten much table time at all... but this provides a starting point for some of the areas I need to work on:-
Current cash position:-
I'll try and get some table time in over the next week, and see if I can get a grip on my position play a little better.
Current cash position:-
I'll try and get some table time in over the next week, and see if I can get a grip on my position play a little better.
18th February 2011 Part II
So... after seeking advice from the Hendon Mob poker forum www.thehendonmob.com, I am now attempting to tighten-up a bit, and get up to playing on four tables at a time.
My cash graph currently stands at:-
I'll try and keep this blog updated with how I am progressing BR-wise and how my game is improving - esp. in the context of any advice I receive.
My cash graph currently stands at:-
I'll try and keep this blog updated with how I am progressing BR-wise and how my game is improving - esp. in the context of any advice I receive.
18th February 2011 Part I
Background
I am a recreational poker player, and have been playing for around 20 months. Other than a few initial deposits, I have been a break even player generally averaging around a $50 BR. I have played a large number of games and formats - both for enjoyment, and to find out what I am better at. Although I keep my BR on Stars, I have also played the weekly league matches on Tilt, but keep these seperate from my BR as I play these tournaments for enjoyment and to regularly play against decent players in a range of games - I've had to load up a couple of times on tilt, but have had a few results that are currently paying for my games (3rd, 9th, 11th and 2xmin cashes).
At the start of the year, I decided that I would try and take a more methodical approach to my poker. I purchased a copy of HEM [Small Stakes] at the end of January and decided to play FR NLHE to get an idea of where my game was at, and to be able to concentrate my analysis of my game.
Starting Position
I currently play 1-2 hours a day on two tables of NL2 [!]. I realise this is an incredibly small amount of play compared to a 'grinder', but as a recreational player with a lot of other commitments, this is the maximum I can manage. My BR started out at ~$72.
Realistic Sample Size?
I've played 3,400 hands in the 20 days since 30th January. Lots of the advice about realistic sample sizes mentions 200k to 300k hands - which would be about 3 years worth of play at the rate I play... for a micro stakes recreational player, what would you consider to be a realistic sample size to get a reasonable analysis of my statistics?
HUD Setup
I currently have a single line HUD showing VPIP/PFR/3-Bet/Limp/Steal. I'm quite happy with this set-up at the minute... I am tending to let it influence my game in very polarised situations i.e. PFR from TAG/Nits, Cold Calls from Loose Passive players etc, and serial Limpers or Stealers etc.
Current Pros - As I See Them
Just sitting down and thinking about my game in structured terms seems to be helping with my understanding of the game. Also, the cash graph has a very stimulating [ooh-err
] effect on my approach to the game - I think, as a recreational player, I have been happy to break even (basically an almost free hobby); whereas now, it is important to maintain an upwards trend on my cash graph, despite the minimal stakes / BR etc.
Current Cons - AIST
Already, I can notice that I am:-
* Playing TOO many hands OOP
* Limping TOO many hands from EP / MP
* Overplaying TPTK / TPGK hands on the turn
* C-betting the turn too often (although I am wary of getting too big a gap between my Flop C-bet and Turn C-Bet because I think it will invite too many floaters, so perhaps I should C-bet more selectively on the flop, as well?)
My current stats are 23/11/5 (VPIP/PFR/3-Bet).
TBH. I always knew I played weak-aggressive, but it's another thing to see it in specifics.
Good News
Despite all of the above, I am obviously not as bad as a lot of the players at NL2! I have now increased my BR to $100 with a win rate of ~22bb/100 over 3,400 hands.
Next Steps
So, I know I need to work on the basics. I'd really like some advice on:-
* Work up to a reasonable [recreational] sample of 30,000 hands
* Improve positional play
* Reduce limping, and calling OOP in hands
* Increase BR to around $125, to begin to move up to NL5?
I am a recreational poker player, and have been playing for around 20 months. Other than a few initial deposits, I have been a break even player generally averaging around a $50 BR. I have played a large number of games and formats - both for enjoyment, and to find out what I am better at. Although I keep my BR on Stars, I have also played the weekly league matches on Tilt, but keep these seperate from my BR as I play these tournaments for enjoyment and to regularly play against decent players in a range of games - I've had to load up a couple of times on tilt, but have had a few results that are currently paying for my games (3rd, 9th, 11th and 2xmin cashes).
At the start of the year, I decided that I would try and take a more methodical approach to my poker. I purchased a copy of HEM [Small Stakes] at the end of January and decided to play FR NLHE to get an idea of where my game was at, and to be able to concentrate my analysis of my game.
Starting Position
I currently play 1-2 hours a day on two tables of NL2 [!]. I realise this is an incredibly small amount of play compared to a 'grinder', but as a recreational player with a lot of other commitments, this is the maximum I can manage. My BR started out at ~$72.
Realistic Sample Size?
I've played 3,400 hands in the 20 days since 30th January. Lots of the advice about realistic sample sizes mentions 200k to 300k hands - which would be about 3 years worth of play at the rate I play... for a micro stakes recreational player, what would you consider to be a realistic sample size to get a reasonable analysis of my statistics?
HUD Setup
I currently have a single line HUD showing VPIP/PFR/3-Bet/Limp/Steal. I'm quite happy with this set-up at the minute... I am tending to let it influence my game in very polarised situations i.e. PFR from TAG/Nits, Cold Calls from Loose Passive players etc, and serial Limpers or Stealers etc.
Current Pros - As I See Them
Just sitting down and thinking about my game in structured terms seems to be helping with my understanding of the game. Also, the cash graph has a very stimulating [ooh-err
] effect on my approach to the game - I think, as a recreational player, I have been happy to break even (basically an almost free hobby); whereas now, it is important to maintain an upwards trend on my cash graph, despite the minimal stakes / BR etc. Current Cons - AIST
Already, I can notice that I am:-
* Playing TOO many hands OOP
* Limping TOO many hands from EP / MP
* Overplaying TPTK / TPGK hands on the turn
* C-betting the turn too often (although I am wary of getting too big a gap between my Flop C-bet and Turn C-Bet because I think it will invite too many floaters, so perhaps I should C-bet more selectively on the flop, as well?)
My current stats are 23/11/5 (VPIP/PFR/3-Bet).
TBH. I always knew I played weak-aggressive, but it's another thing to see it in specifics.
Good News
Despite all of the above, I am obviously not as bad as a lot of the players at NL2! I have now increased my BR to $100 with a win rate of ~22bb/100 over 3,400 hands.
Next Steps
So, I know I need to work on the basics. I'd really like some advice on:-
* Work up to a reasonable [recreational] sample of 30,000 hands
* Improve positional play
* Reduce limping, and calling OOP in hands
* Increase BR to around $125, to begin to move up to NL5?
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