Card Dead

I have changed my approach to the game. I play a non standard, a non "book poker" anymore. It means, no raises anymore on the button, no automatic pilot cbets... I wanna play with my opponents now, see a lot of cheap flops, seeking for a fatal meeting with them. Why I changed my style is because I have noticed that the most of my opponents were pretty good preflop, and pretty good when noone have a hand. And when you play a standard game, you don't see a lot of flops, therefore the probability of a disastrous meeting is dramatically reduced. The poker which is told to you guys, is a poker which works well against the good players, because you protect your hands, anyone can take an edge over the other, it is like an nash equilibrium. The more your opponent is tough, the more you want to raise OTB, protect your hand, and so on. In fact, this way, you protect yourself, but on the other side, you force your opponents to play well too. But this approach isn't optimal at low stakes. Force them to make mistakes. Juts limp, see a flop, min raise, suck them to you. It's a sweet trade off : you accept to do mistakes early on the hand in order to benefit to their mistakes later in the hand. I think I often overvalued the part of maths in poker. The trade off you try to accomplish isn't gradable or quantifiable (I don't know which word is better, so I 've written both). It's still maths, but so deep that you have to count on your experience, and on the experience from the other rather than on equations. However, don't forget to try to steal some pots otherwise you'll be grinded down :).

 

I don't think it's hasard if the fact that I afresh have got positive results coordinates with my new approach.

 

Yesterday I was ahead 6-to-4, and ahead 4-to-3 today.  

 

However, there is one con : my HUs are longer, which isn't that good for the hourly rate. But, I will bother with the hourly rate when I will win consistently. That's not the case, still.

 

Ok, I will play a bit less from now on, because I'm gonna leave for the we, and it will be school very soon. I hope to achieve the number of 40 or so hus per week, maybe 3 per day (circa one hour) the week and 12 per day the week end.

 

 

I only play 4 hus $23 and went 2-to-2, but the two I lost I have taken sick bad beats. I go back through hhs after each game, instead of seeing them at the end of the set, or day. Nothing more to say. 

After my losses I moved down and played the $11. And was really surprised how the competition is much easier ! There is truly a big difference between the $23 and the $11. When I play the $11 now I just limp all my hands and bet hard my best, I can play without thinking and then 2 or 3 tabling. Therefore, playing the $11 is far much financially interesting but unfortunately so boring... I still don't know why I always run so bad when I try to play the 23$. The opponents do not make big mistakes anymore, they play poker, and I feel my edge is dramatically reduced, if ever I have one. I think I still have one, but so thin that there is a lot of variance, and a lot of losing streaks that I can't bear. I hear everywhere that in the low stakes HUSNGs, you have to play ABC and will win, and what people call low stakes are up to the $55. But poker is a game which is changing. Nowadays, people don't play poker like it was played 10 years ago. There even are some differencies one year to the other. Needless to say, people progress. And the top HU players who just advice to play ABC in the $23 are wrong in my opinion. Likely it was the case when thay played poker at the $23 themselves, but since that old time, the competition became harder. Therefore, I wonder if HUSNGs are still profitable. I checked my hand histories and don't know how how I could play better. I mean, I could play differently, but this is a matter of styles. I do not make big mistakes, and what I could change in my game is only details. It is micro poker (to see what are micro and macro poker, see the Ed Miller Blog). However, there are still some good HU players that win some money playing the HUSNGs. The foremost play the >=$100. I have heard that most of their profit come from recreational, fortunate players who take shots at the high stakes heads up. So the competition might be softer as those stakes as far as you avoid the regulars. $23 is peupled by hu players that struggle, wanna moving up and work hard; Fishs and donkeys don't play that high because they would be broke too quickly, and fortunate, recreational players are playing higher.

 

The importance of game selection

 

What I have said above emphasises the importance of game selection. Unfortunately, you have not any time to check the guy on sharkscope that there already is someone to play against. So this solution is not available. Then what ? 

 

Hopefully I'm wrong

 

I may overvalue my game, and perhaps I'm not as good as I think. If this is the case, I have to improve or stop playing. Assuming that I still have to progress (Sure I have), I still have the incapacity to recognize my mistakes or suboptimals decisions I made. And This is really frustating because it shows my limits. Therefore, perhaps the best solution may be stop playing poker. Anyway, when the holidays will end up, I'll reduce my volume play a lot. 

Today I lost a lot... I'm behind 8-to-2.

1-2

1-2

0-3

0-1

I still don't how I played bad, but I could have avoided the few last losses if I had the wisdom not to play : I was realy steaming. After a losing streak, no matter how it has come, a top pro does not tilt, and if he feels he does, he doesn't play. Unlike me. I'm gonna study and stop playing (I'm gonna try) in the next days and see what happened.

 

6-to-6 yesterday, here are the sets

1-2

1-2

3-0

1-2

 

First Set

 

Against opponents who don't balance their strategies, they miss a ton of value :

 

PokerStars Game #19678108333: Tournament #102621622, $22+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Match Round I, Level III (25/50) - 2008/08/17 - 03:15:21 (ET)
Table '102621622 1' 2-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: cindito (1655 in chips)
Seat 2: babaorumi (1345 in chips)
cindito: posts small blind 25
babaorumi: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to babaorumi [7s Kh]
cindito: calls 25
babaorumi: checks
*** FLOP *** [5s Kc 8c]
babaorumi: checks
cindito: bets 50
babaorumi: raises 150 to 200
cindito: raises 300 to 500
babaorumi: folds
Uncalled bet (300) returned to cindito
cindito collected 500 from pot
cindito: shows [8s 5d] (two pair, Eights and Fives)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 500 | Rake 0
Board [5s Kc 8c]
Seat 1: cindito (button) (small blind) collected (500)
Seat 2: babaorumi (big blind) folded on the Flop

Notice another mistake from my opponent : he showed me his cards.

 

I already said you could bluff a calling station in some situations : where you play for all your chips then you can convince him to fold.

 

PokerStars Game #19678128342: Tournament #102621622, $22+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Match Round I, Level III (25/50) - 2008/08/17 - 03:17:19 (ET)
Table '102621622 1' 2-max Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: cindito (2030 in chips)
Seat 2: babaorumi (970 in chips)
babaorumi: posts small blind 25
cindito: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to babaorumi [9c Qs]
babaorumi: raises 50 to 100
cindito: calls 50
*** FLOP *** [3s 6c 2d]
cindito: checks
babaorumi: bets 100
cindito: calls 100
*** TURN *** [3s 6c 2d] [7c]
cindito: checks
babaorumi: bets 770 and is all-in
cindito: folds
Uncalled bet (770) returned to babaorumi
babaorumi collected 400 from pot
babaorumi: doesn't show hand
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 400 | Rake 0
Board [3s 6c 2d 7c]
Seat 1: cindito (big blind) folded on the Turn
Seat 2: babaorumi (button) (small blind) collected (400)

Two things to keep in mind : 1) you play for all your chips and,

                                       2) a flop with only small cards is perfect because when he calls overcards is a big part of his range, and if no one falls on the turn, you can push.

 

Second Set

 

PokerStars Game #19678884255: Tournament #102628835, $22+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Match Round I, Level I (10/20) - 2008/08/17 - 04:34:04 (ET)
Table '102628835 1' 2-max Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: babaorumi (1500 in chips)
Seat 2: axlian (1500 in chips)
axlian: posts small blind 10
babaorumi: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to babaorumi [8h 7d]
axlian: raises 20 to 40
babaorumi: calls 20
*** FLOP *** [5c Js 2c]
babaorumi: checks
axlian: bets 40
babaorumi: raises 80 to 120
axlian: calls 80
*** TURN *** [5c Js 2c] [Kh]
babaorumi: bets 200
axlian: calls 200
*** RIVER *** [5c Js 2c Kh] [9s]
babaorumi: checks
axlian: checks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
babaorumi: shows [8h 7d] (high card King)
axlian: shows [Jd As] (a pair of Jacks)
axlian collected 720 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 720 | Rake 0
Board [5c Js 2c Kh 9s]
Seat 1: babaorumi (big blind) showed [8h 7d] and lost with high card King
Seat 2: axlian (button) (small blind) showed [Jd As] and won (720) with a pair of Jacks

I totaly misplayed this hand because :

1) it was early in the game and I still don't know if villain puts in some cbets often enough to make the c/r profitable.

2)Once he calls the c/r and a King comes, a second barrel is terrible because I know he won't fold given the fact I know he's a losing player. So, if a second barrel, then a it's time to make the third, since he will fold fold most of the time, likely whether of his kicker with his Jack.

 

Last Set

 

I played this one tired although it was only 10pm. I thought I could play once more and I have been punished : I made a lot of bad plays. In the futur, I hope I'll remember this lines-that's whay I'm writting a blog, to remember what happened-and won't play under fatigue but rather studying hands if I still have time to spend for poker. However, It's very difficult to work on your game rather than playing. I think it is the most hard thing in succesful poker.

 

Finally, I wanna show a hand which make me in troubles.

 

PokerStars Game #19691408704: Tournament #102728986, $22+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Match Round I, Level I (10/20) - 2008/08/17 - 16:21:32 (ET)
Table '102728986 1' 2-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: kgi1966 (1540 in chips)
Seat 2: babaorumi (1460 in chips)
kgi1966: posts small blind 10
babaorumi: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to babaorumi [9d 9h]
kgi1966: calls 10
babaorumi: raises 60 to 80
kgi1966: calls 60
*** FLOP *** [7d 4c 5h]
babaorumi: bets 120
kgi1966: calls 120
*** TURN *** [7d 4c 5h] [Ah]
babaorumi: checks
kgi1966: bets 100
babaorumi: calls 100
*** RIVER *** [7d 4c 5h Ah] [Qh]
babaorumi: checks
kgi1966: bets 200
babaorumi: calls 200
*** SHOW DOWN ***
kgi1966: shows [4h Kh] (a flush, Ace high)
babaorumi: mucks hand
kgi1966 collected 1000 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1000 | Rake 0
Board [7d 4c 5h Ah Qh]
Seat 1: kgi1966 (button) (small blind) showed [4h Kh] and won (1000) with a flush, Ace high
Seat 2: babaorumi (big blind) mucked [9d 9h]

The middle pps on low flops. They are powerful on the flop, but truly mediocre on the river, so if I bet them on the flop and be called, I will have to do tough decisions on the turn and river. Therefore I have sought some lines I was comfortable, but likely there are not that much.

 

1. you can push on the flop. Do this against weak opponents because they will call you with TP, sometimes (often ?) far less than that.

2. you can try to see a cheep show down check/calling, or check/folding, all the way. It seems like you won't avoid mistakes anyway, and furthemore, you miss some value against the low cards.

3. you bet the flop, c/c the turn and c/f the river. Normal line I would say.

4. you bet the flop, check the turn, and he villain bets, raise, representing the overcard which just falls. This line was proposed by a friend of mine. it is an interessant one but you turn your hand into a bluff and bluffs don't work well against weak players. So I'm gonna keep it for the $230s competition :).

 

All that beeing said, since I started this blog, I never knew a bad day in terms of HU% won, but the rake grind me down for two days. Hope sun will come soon.